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| Another Country! Another Blog!
It's been more than six weeks since I've been home and I've become a couch potato. Although I took 2 weeks in between to go to New York city, 5 weeks at home seems like a lifetime. I'm not even sure if I've underestimated or overestimated the whole moving back home experience - but it's definitely challenging after three years. I found out that I have no room. The lack of storage and space can get irritating. I found out that I have a lot of crap. Which means more time required to clean and sort out. And I found out that my psychological well-being has definitely been altered. Maybe it's because of the overwhelming feeling of finding a job, a career and a direction, or the stress I feel from the parents, or basically that my life is in such a transition - that in the first time in a long while, I don't have an actual next step laid out. It's usually been on-the-go, and I get worried, anxious and impatient about my next chapters in life. Friends are getting married and grads are getting jobs, when is it my turn? I know I should use this time to reflect, meditate and find myself again...but it's been hard and I need to get out of this funk.
New York city was great. I went there to attend a week-long conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons at the United Nations. I met a lot of professionals that were all in the same battle towards the illicit trafficking of small arms (guns, etc.) Heavy topic and usually misinterpreted. The campaign is not against all kinds of firearms, ie. the right to bear arms (2nd amendment) that would ultimately infringe on the rights of many North American citizens (and there were definitely a lot of angry Americans protesting..and the NRA too!), but it's the campaign against the "illegal" firearms. Most of these were used in wars, and now sold to mafias, warlords and rebel groups/militia. Think back to Nicolas Cages' movie, "Lord of War"...now that is exactly what we're dealing with. Millions of guns have been transferred to the hands of armed and innocent civilians in developing countries, thus being the root of many civil wars - how can developed countries and nations in the UN help? By coming together with a Programme of Action (PoA) and working towards an international law. This would mean stricter regulations in acquiring guns, registration and tougher crackdowns on illegal arms dealers/dealings. The conference i went to was their 5 year review conference as this issue only came into the international light in 2000 - so it's a relatively new topic. It was really neat to interact with NGOs and watch official delegates in the General Assembly. Though the speeches can get a little repetitive and boring, and I caught myself dozing off, it was nonethless a great experience to observe. Despite exchanging differences in opinions within the Assembly, many country delegates quickly forgot their differences when they gathered together in the cafeteria to watch the ongoing World Cup. I even caught some people sneaking out of important meetings just to watch the game! 
Anyways, back to the ol' grind...
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| On the Move Again... After a five-month blogging hiatus, I am back! And wouldn't you know it, I'm blogging something I know best: I'm moving again! This time, I will be returning home to good ol' Toronto - where the rent is cheap, service is impeccable and the food is good.  In less than 3 weeks time, I will become a master....of the universe!!!! yyyyaaaa. ok. no. But I am equally excited to get my Masters diploma from the Monterey Institute. After 2 heartfelt years of graduate school - I will finally enter...UNEMPLOYMENT. Whoever said "the world is your oyster" clearly didn't take into account the stressful shucking to open the oyster... finding a job in itself is a full time job! I've started to look, but to balance it with a full school load is another challenge.
I will be leaving California again in mid-June. And it's going to be really sad to leave California..here is a list I made so far... 1. Friends - I've made so many wonderful friends here, and as exciting as it is to hear all the different places in the world people are going to next, it's sad that we will not be in the same vicinity as have been for the last two years. I see the same people at least two or three times a day, so it's going to be a chance when I only get to see them two or three times a year (hopefully!) 2. The sea otters - there's something about the soothing sound of sea otters when they talk at night. I can hear them from my bedroom window, and my evening friends help me go to sleep from time to time. The Pacific ocean will be sorely missed, especially since Lake Ontario cannot even compare!! 3. Living without a car - I've complained for two years of not having a car, but in fact, I will miss walking around everywhere! Keeps me (partially) lazy-free and I get to enjoy the fresh air! 4. Happy Hours at school - one Friday each month, the school hosts a happy hour for students and faculty: free wine/beer and food!! But best of all, it's a great way to talk to the profs and classmates outside of the classroom. Even better when a teacher gets drunk! 5. Running along the beach - this falls under #2. but nonetheless, I will miss the bike path 5 mins from my place. It runs along the water, pass the Cannery Row, way up to the infamous 17-mile drive (Pebble Beach)...though I have not ran that far yet. :P 6. People - everyone is super friendly in Monterey. Maybe because it's a little slower, full of tourists and retired folks.
7. Breakfasts - a tourist town is always packed with cute little restaurants. And Monterey and it's nearby cities have a lot of restaurants to eat good ol' American style breakfasts/brunches..my favourite meal of the day! I think I must have tried almost every breakfast joint! 8. Carmel - I absolute LOVE that place. Though I can't afford to shop there, it's a cozy snooty little town that is so charming! I will miss strolling the streets in Carmel! 9. Friends - did I mention how much I will miss the friends I've made here? 10. Memories - A lot of significant things have happened to me while here in Monterey. I've found my purpose, my inspiration, my ambition, my support and my partner in crime. It was the greatest decision to have moved here, considering I never thought I would return so soon. But He had a reason and I am grateful for all the doors He has opened for me.
So where will you find me next? Back home in Toronto for the time being...I need to re-establish my roots, spend time with family and start a career. Here's to my next chapter... 
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| A New Year Begins....
2006 began when I saw the fireworks display from
Treasure Island in San Francisco. We arrived late to the San
Francisco airport from Toronto, and after an hour ride on the
SuperShuttle, we had 5 minutes to spare to drop off our luggage and
make our way to the edge of the Island to watch the great show near the
Embarcadero and Fisherman's Wharf. A moment of sudden rush ran through
my spine: half of a decade just passed before my eyes!! The
holidays quickly came and went. Peggy hosted a wonderful birthday party
(Cook-for-the Cure party) and instead of gifts, she asked
her guests to donate to the Breast Cancer Foundation. I believe
we made over $600 that evening! It was also a time to get in touch with
old friends from highschool. I saw Harrison and Eddie, people
I've seen sporadically throughout the years, and then there's Duff and
Julie, people I probably haven't seen since highschool - and that was 7
years ago! There were some awkward moment toget the
conversation going, and then there were some funny moments when Andy
realized that the first boy I've ever kissed (he was at the party) was a
non-Asian (this is scandalous..especially when I grew up in
a predominantly Asian environment!) I had another great moment when I
shared a fascinating conversation wtih Eddie about what I actually
study and want to do with my career. We talked about international
development, the rich and the poor, and the crisis of global poverty. It was neat.
This is usually how I described my holidays: it started out a nice and
relaxed mode, then it morphed into a lazy mode, and quickly it changed
into useless mode. I spent a lot of time with my dad trying to find
time to hang out with him without his Chinese soaps, but more often or
not, he would push me away by telling me I should be spending time with
my "honey" instead. ouch. rejected. I also spent some family time, saw
"King Kong" with my mom (it's harsh sitting beside her with her
emotional outbursts and sympathy for the ape for 3 hours!), shopping
with my sister for poker chips (learned about 13 grams and crap), New
Year's Eve pre-party at Kelvin's, major girl bonding with Rachel and
Pegs, triple date with ClarAva and
HanEug...and more importantly, I met the parents! Yup, I won them over
for 'some strange reason'...and the key was winning over the kid. :)
Andy's
parents brought back his baby niece Chloe and hey, if you know me, kids
LOVE me :) Nahh...just kidding. She's a cute toddler, super
impressionable...we taught her to say 'no way jose!'(andy), stick out
her tongue (me), lick the food before offering it to guests (andy?),
and the thumbs up sign (me). I took her to Chuckie Cheese (those
oversized figurines still scare me to this day!)....it's a no brainer
that
she likes me more than Andy :)
So I'm back in Monterey January 1st after an exciting 49ers game at
Monster Park. "Rain, Shine or Fog...we are faithful" posters were
posted everywhere in the stadium...not surprising considering the 49ers
winning streak. But it was a very fun game to watch against the Texans.
I learned a lot about the real game and the kick-off is definitely one
of our favourite parts of the game! Everytime they ran across the field
it looked like the mafia was coming!! haha..
I started my winter intensive three-week class on the 2nd on project
management in the development sector. It's inspired a lot of career
opportunities no doubt...job search, yeh love it and yeh hate it.
 The Lifestone Gang
 Me, Rachel, Andy and Calvin
 My girls
 The 49ers win in overtime!
 Andy's baby niece Chloe
 Ava, Hanna and Dad
 Stan's candid shot
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| Going Home for Christmas...
How quickly December rolls around...on one hand, its the month of
holiday celebration with family and friends, but on the other hand, the
high stresses of school and holiday shopping scares me.
Nevertheless, I am very thankful and I am looking to a number of things
this season.
- Tuesday Dec. 13th 7:00am - the day I fly home for 2.5 weeks!
- I get to celebrate Peggy's birthday with her! She's hosting a dinner
to raise money for Breast Cancer Research....how inspiring
- Angela and Derrick are hosting a Christmas/Engagement party!! One of the first childhood friends to get married...how exciting
- Apparently, I am spring cleaning my basement with my sister...and other housechore activities
- Catch a Raptors vs. 76ers game
- Catch my first SF 49ers game on New Year's Day! (it will be in SF and not T.O.)
- Eat good food!
- But most importantly, it's my favourite time of the year to spend with family, friends and meeting new people
An update...
In my previous blog, I wrote about a bio to be presented before my
Toastmasters speech. The speech went well and the audience seemed to
like it, but unfortuntely, my highly anticipated moment did not happen.
The part about "crap" (see below) didn't happen!! Was it really
unappropriate?? Hmmmm...I thought it was funny..
I have a new addition to my extended family! My littlle cousin, Violet
Eve Goldstein, came into this world November 29th. It's a shame I
haven't even met her older sister Valerie yet, but all the more reason
to take a trip down to Boston once I finish school!
I like this picture because I have a similar one with Hanna. And I also
had the same hair Valerie has...my poor mom didn't know how to any
other hair style than the bowl cut. I was shamed for years...
Cheesy Pick-up Story...
Sitting at the Borders bookstore one night with my good friend
Nina, we were studiously working away on our computers. With our
lattes, books, comfy slacks, we looked like we were going to camp there
all night. Suddenly, Nina had a phone call and she stepped away
to take the call. No worries. A few moments later, this kid, must have
been 18 or no more than 20 years ago, came and sat down on Nina's chair
- sitting across me. I looked up in confusion. With her laptop propped
up, it was quite obvious (i mean, REALLY obvious!) that that seat was
taken...so again, I was confused.
H: (He gave me a dorky smile and asked me,) "Excuse me, are you from Tennesse?"
M:Wow. Do I look like I'm from Tennesse? Do I look like I'm from the south? Is my skin still yellow? Looking
at what I was wearing, I wasn't wearing any gear that said "U of T"
...or any sign that I had a T or came from a school with a T...
M: "No, I'm not" (beginning to be really confused)....
H: (Again, he gave me that dorky smile and said,) "Well, you are the TEN-I-SEE!!!"
M: OMG. I braced onto my computer and the table. Frantically looked around for Nina. Nina! Come back!
M: (I gave out my extremely nervous laughter, and um, said) "Um, no., heh heh, No I'm not..." You would think I'd had a witty comeback, but I did not. I was too shocked. Why didn't I see this coming?
H: (Again, he smiled and said, ) "Well, I guess I'll see you around!"
M: (Still, nothing was coming to me, and the only thing I could did was
return his flirty dorky smile and said) "um, yeah, I guess I'll seeeee
you around!"
During this time, I noticed that a guy sat down on the couches near my
table when this happened..and when he heard the punchline, he blatantly
let out a "mmmmfff"...and when the teenager left my table - the same guy
left too!!! argh! tag-teamed! 
Soonafter, I called Nina and demanded her to "COME BACK" and said, "you are never allowed to leave me alone!"
So guys, take note... I think this has to go down in the books as one of the cheesiest lamest pick-up lines!
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| Randomness...
I should be sleeping. But there are a few things keeping me awake right
now. School stress, I'm on-call right from midnight to six in the
morning (volunteering at the Crisis Hotline) and I have to write this
speech for Toastmasters. I joined TM some months ago and I'm
about to do my second speech this Friday. It's pretty fun so far, my
first speech was widely received and more importantly, people laughed.
I talked about what I knew best...being a Canadian :) Canadian
stereotypes to be exact. I'm having a tough time writing out my
bio - someone will introduce me before I go up to the podium, and this
is what I have so far..
A semester away from
graduation next May from the Monterey Institute, Tina is looking forward to
returning home to Toronto, Canada for the Christmas
holidays. She enjoys cooking, traveling,
taking pictures, art museums and watching movies. A close friend once described Tina’s
friendship is like taking a crap. Sometimes she's a
little nutty, sometimes a little corny...and you can't help but think about her
at least once a day.
Thanks my friend, you saved me from thinking too much...
One other reason why I can't
sleep: I'm watching Harry Potter tomorrow night, catching the 12:10am
show!!! And I'm pretty friggin' excited!!!
I've noticed my blogging has turned into sporadic blogging...hopefully I can catch up during the holidays!!
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The Lifestone Gang
My girls
The 49ers win in overtime!
Andy's baby niece Chloe
Ava, Hanna and Dad
Stan's candid shot
