Lately work has picked up quite a bit, and I have gotten busier on the job. While I continue my endeavor to keep work at work and maintain 40 hour work week. Nonetheless, I have had to take home a bit of work, and the hectic schedule has left me a bit more worn out, together caused by the recent vacations).

With work consuming more of my energy (amongst other things), I still try my best to keep up with commitments for myself – workout & exercise, piano, singing, keeping up w/ the readings & news & Business week, and blog (I know I’ve slacked off a bit lately…)

I workout and exercise because health is importance and my body (and the mind) is my most important asset.
I play piano and sing because they are my passion.
I read and keep up w/ news & business because I want to learn and it will probably help with my financial future.
I blog because it helps me in comprehending myself, and I love to share and communicate my experience and knowledge with others (hopefully help people in some ways in the process).

Just like everybody out there, there are times I wonder “Why do I do all these? Seriously…”

I can have it much easier if I just wake up, go to work, finish, go home, eat, watch TV, vegetate, sleep …
What a great life. It does sound appealing, mmmm.

And honestly, I am not sure how to answer the above question except the things I mentioned are things I have chosen to do. I could label them personal goals. These goals… they may not matter now, may not matter any time soon, or may NEVER matter… but just like I put it, they are my choices, my personal commitments, and therefore I will persist. I have mentioned before, persistence is very importance in life, along faith – believing in the things you do.

Persistence lets me outlast everyone else.
Persistence allows me to surpass myself and everyone else.
Persistence is what gets things done.
Persistence is what gets me somewhere.

At least, that’s what I sincerely believe.

Yes, doing all these things simultaneously will certainly leave me w/ more fatigue. But by following these commitments, I feel more fulfilled and enriched. Because of that, I don’t feel like a slump. As a person, I am more content and confident with myself. Generally speaking, they all contribute to make me a better person.

It is not easy. But who wants an easy way out anyways? Easy is plain. Easy is no fun. Easy is not exciting. I can be lazy, but I don’t want easy. I aspire to greatness.

What about you?

How much it costs:
Car rental – $163
Gas – $200~
Lodging – $60 (meal for friend who hosted me)
Food/Water – $60~
Parking/Toll/Entry Fee – $50~
Total – $533~

General things and thoughts from the trip:
- I got this exciting sensation and adrenaline about the trip while driving in the AM after midnight toward Seattle and singing my tunes, which were what kept me going at those crazy hours with no sleep. Why? I came to realize that the job and all the money I make/save is to allow myself to do these things – going on these little adventures, having the chance to visit different places, and seeing different people and friends.
- Yes, it may seem like it costs me a bit, but I think very well controlled. Either way, I still think this trip is worth it. No guilt about any of the spending. It’s important to know that money is not for hoarding. Money is an enablement. We save so we can invest in our own happiness.
- The best part of the trip came at the end of…actually, I should say after the trip. The friend I met up with is from UK, who I knew from my undergraduate days on the fencing team. He was there during my junior year. I’ll call him J. J wrote me an email about how we haven’t seen each other for about 4 years and 2 months but “Despite the long time, it seemed to me like we got on as if there’d been no time at all.” WOW! It’s amazing because I had the exact same thought when I was on my journey home. I thought about how there are people I see everyday but never came close to getting along like with J. And I doubt it’ll ever happen. I suppose that what real friends are. It’s not about how long, but about how well you can share with, communicate to, and understand each other. I will never trade a friend like J for anything.
- 12 hours continuous driving is about my limit, which is one way from South Bay to Seattle.
- Never ever ever get a Mazda3 for long drive. Actually, I don’t recommend renting or buying for thie following reason… Their seats are so bad ergonomically that forces you into a hunching posture, which in turn causes serious neck and shoulder pain and tension. My warning for buyers of Mazda3 2007 model.
- For long drive on rental car, bring one thin AND one thick pillow/cushion for rental cars so you can get comfortable if the seat and its adjustment are horrid.
- Long Beach, WA is not that impressive and definitely not worth the 3-4 extra hours diversion from driving to Seattle . The beach is really long, so you can go there if you want to try drifting your car. There is also horse back riding but that’s about it… I thought Half Moon Bay is a lot nicer. Oh yeah, I was the only Asian I saw in town while there.
- Report your frequent traveller credit through Hertz by going to their website –> Customer Support –> Frequent Traveler Credit. Good for mileage in the last 6 months.

If you have no interest in visiting Seattle area or details about my trip, then you can stop reading here. Otherwise, read on!

07/13/2007 – Touring and things about Seattle:
- The area is much smaller Bay Area. I stayed in Bellevue and thought it’s 30 minutes apart from Seattle because I was looking at the map with Bay Area scale. It only takes 10+ minutes. I enjoyed the short distance while it lasted.
- The city is also much smaller than San Francisco. I can walk everywhere quite comfortably and maybe even bare-footed. Can’t say that for San Francisco.
- City parking is quite outrageous. I saw $3 for each half hour…what…
- Starbucks charges sales tax in Washington, which I never saw here in California (Do they include it in the price here?)
- The underground tour at Pioneer Square is interesting and worth it. You can get to understand the city’s history a bit while seeing the old Seattle that the current city sits on top. The guide of my group cracked a lot of subtle jokes and puns that were not understood by a majority of the crowd. I suppose people are either not paying attention or just lacking a sense of humor. Tour fee is $12.
- The aquarium is quite nice inside and worth a visit. The variety of organisms is decent. It can take up 1.5-2 hours depending how much time you spend trying to capture the animals in photos. Entry fee is $15.
- There are a multitude of pig statues around the city, to which I am not sure why.
- Pike’s Place Market is just a fancier farmer’s market.
- There were a mad amount of people visiting the 1st Starbucks but most of them did not get coffee.
- The observation deck at Columbia Center (aka. the Bank of America building) that oversees the city closes at 4:30pm. The one at Smith building near Pioneer Square opens longer and also provides a good view to the city.
- Gaswork Park is a wonderful area that’s across Lake Union from the main section of Seattle. It provides a great view of the city and the skyline. I actually made the best use of my tripod so far there taking pictures of Seattle at night. It also has a playground area for family fun. I only wish there is such a park near me here in Bay Area.
- Housing price is on par with Bay Area’s. But there seems to be so much more things in the Bay Area, which leads to me to think that it’s also outrageous.

07/14/2007 – Hiking Mount Rainier:
- Mount Rainier is an excellent choice for a view of nature and hiking, gogogo if you are visiting Seattle.
- It takes a little over 2 hours to get to Sunrise area from Bellevue.
- I went to the Sunrise area and then hiked up Mount Burroughs Trail which was not too difficult in my opinion. there was a nice view of a variety of greens and Mount Rainier that I never got tired of looking while hiking. There’s also the Frozen Lake along the way. I was able to reach the second summit of Mount Burroughs(8000-9000 ft high) in 2 hours, which had a few slippery(dangerous?) spots of ice & snow along the way but the trail wasn’t too bad in general. It can be probably done faster because I paused frequently for taking photos.
- I got sun-burnt a little, which is rare so pack your sunscreen for Mount Rainier!
- I also suggest some bug repellent if you are afraid to get stung by wasps and what not. Who knows if they carry mutated virus/bacteria at that sea level :P

Well, I think this should be long enough… to make up for the past 2 weeks :) Hope you haven’t fallen asleep reading.

I wrote this awhile back:

We should not establish our happiness upon others’ pain
Nor should we establish others’ happiness upon our own pain
Perhaps it sounds a bit selfish, but it’s the same analogy as “If you want to manage other, manage yourself first.”
Equivalently, if you want to help others, please help yourself first.
There is a quote told by Omura to Captain Nathan Algren in The Last Samurai
“Too many mind. Mind sword, mind people watch, mind enemy. Too many mind…”

I find this quote very meaningful and philosophical. In other words…
We often worry about others too much or try to take care of everyone else, and as a result, what we should be doing are not being done.
We try to take care too much. We worry too much. Consequently, we lost sight of what means the most to ourselves. The goals for ourselves become blurry.
If we cannot take care of ourselves, how do we take care of others?
Therefore, I will maintain “the self”. Keep it healthy, keep it happy, keep improving it.
If I want to take care of others, I will first take care of myself.
If I want to love others, I will first love myself.
If I want to instruct others, I will first teach myself.
If I want to criticize others, I will first evaluate myself.
If I want to make others happy, I will first make myself happy.
Everything beings with “the self.”

我很久以前寫下的:

我們不要把自己的快樂建築在別人的痛苦上
也請不要把別人的快樂建築在自己的痛苦上
看似很自私的感覺, 但跟要管別人,先管自己的道理是一樣的
反過來說, 要幫忙別人, 請先幫助自己
有很多跟這差不多的話, from The Last Samurai:
“Too many mind. Mind sword, mind people watch, mind enemy. Too many mind…”
“你在意太多了. 在意劍, 在意旁觀者, 在意敵人. 在意太多了…”

這句話很有意思… 換句話說…
我們都只顧管他人, 自己應該做的都做得不好了
我們都管太多了, 在乎太多了, 弄得對我們自己來講的真正的意義, 真正的目標都模糊了
如果連自己都管不好, 要怎麼管其他人啊?
所以, 我要做好自己
如果我要照顧他人, 會先照顧好自己
如果我要愛他人, 我會先學好愛自己
如果我要指導他人, 我會先教好自己
如果我要批評他人, 我會先檢討自己
如果我要別人快樂, 我會先令自己快樂
一切由本身開始.

Now you must be thinking, how in the world are these 3 subjects connected? Check out the article What We Want More Than iPhone.

In DietTelevision.com’s poll of more than 1000 members of the Facebook community, 32-percent of respondents said they would rather reach their ideal goal weight compared to 30-percent who said they would most want to get an iPhone. Only 21-percent of respondents said they would most like to see Osama Bin Laden caught, while a mere seven percent most wanted to have dinner at the White House.

Of the women polled, 44-percent preferred to reach their ideal goal weight while only 23-percent desired the new iPhone.

Couple thoughts from reading the article
- I am glad that people still care more about their weight, health, and appearance more than the iPhone.
- It is somewhat depressing that more people care for an iPhone than seeing the world’s top terrorist taken out. Can I say materialistic?
- Women ARE more conscious about their weight than their counterpart, which is parallel to the social trend.

Now I have a question for you.
What do these 3 subjects have in common?

Think about it. Now if you really think about it, these 3 subjects that people want are things that all somehow will enable us to have a happier life.

So in other words, happiness IS our ultimate goal, which we often lose sight of in the midst we wanting all these things.

We often don’t consciously relate our wanting of these materials with our desire for happiness. And it’s exactly the same when we lose sight of the goal to achieve happiness when we are so ferverously pursuing success in personal development and personal finance that we would put ourselves through unnecessary pain. Some pain is inevitable in life and necessary as sacrifice for the future, but focus should be on “the ultimate goal.” We must consciously and critically think about these things that we want and also things that we do, whether they will bring us happiness.

Some personal experience as analogy
When I sometimes become frustrated with learning and practicing piano. I feel that I’m not improving quickly enough. “How come I can’t play this piece perfectly already!?!?” Yes, no doubt I want to get better in playing piano, but I forgot that is not the main reason for me to play. I then remind myself that I play because I enjoy playing the piano and I want to continue to enjoy playing. Getting better is the part of process, not the focus, not the goal. I need to focus on the joy of playing the piano. The improvement will come.

Between the housing slump and the effect of globalization, U.S. economy is highly dependent and driven by consumer spending based on data from the first half of the year. Why did I bring this up? We people who blog about personal finance have often mention the need to teach financial awareness. This is especially true after looking at the lowest American savings rate in ages. People should educate themselves about personal finance to be financially ready for the future, to be able to take care of the inevitable parts of life concerning personal finance…

But then, I think those business people (I’ll call them “the man” from here) don’t want people to be so financially aware…

“The man” don’t want us to understand to figure out lesser deals that means bigger profit margin for them.
“The man” don’t want us to be frugal.
“The man” don’t want us to have budgets.
“The man” want us to put all our money into their pockets!

I know. I know. It’s a bit “conspiracy-theory-ish”, but after all, the economy is ESPECIALLY depending on consumers’ spending these days.

Just a thought.