It's the official last day of my February school break before I head back tomorrow.  It was a nice break, but it definitely felt too short (as always).  Canada was so cold, but we ate so much good food that the freezing weather didn't bring me down.  I unfortunately didn't take pictures of every meal I had since most of the time when the food came to the table, I totally forgot, and we would immediately start eating.  So, my pictures are way too big to upload into Xanga. Normally, I would export the pictures from Picassa so they're smaller, but I'm feeling extra lazy today. So I only have a few pictures to show you since these pictures weren't taken on my Rebel.  If you want to check out more pictures from my trip, you can click here for Montreal and here for Quebec City. 

Basilique Notre-Dame de Montreal has to be one of the most beautiful things in Montreal.  We went there knowing there was going to be a light and sound show about the creation of this basilica, but also about how Montreal came to be.  When you first walk into the basilica, everything is covered by these white sheets that were used as screens and you wore these head phones so you can hear the stories.  Towards the end of the show, when they talk about designing the basilica, they drop the sheets and this was shown.  Our mouths just dropped.  The pictures don't do justice to how absolutely breathtaking this place is.....

While in Montreal, we also checked out the Biodome, the Montreal Olympic Tower, tried maple tea, rode the Metro everywhere, and ate our hearts out.  We especially loved the duck foie gras that melted in your mouth at Chez Queux. 

We loved Quebec City (more than Montreal).  Old Town in Quebec City feels like you're on the set of the Truman Show.  It just has this small town feel.  All the restaurants and stores are pretty small and there are boutiques everywhere.  The coolest thing is that Old Town is surrounded by a wall.  There are only a few gates if you wanted to enter into Old Town.  Check it out.   

Here in Quebec City, we tried poutine for the first time (delicious!).  We had the most yummy dinners at Charbon Steakhouse where I had a 20-oz 30-day old aged steak.  I couldn't believe I actually finished the whole thing.  The cool thing about this restaurant is that it's an open kitchen. You can actually see the chef cooking your steak.  We knew exactly when we were going to get our steaks. 

We also had yummy food at a French restaurant called Aux Anciens Canadiens in Old Town.  I had the best lobster bisque ever and the buffalo was mm mm good!

We were going to go snow tubing one day, but just felt very lazy (hehe( and decided to check out the Museum of Civilization.  There were many cool exhibits there including Urbanopolis that questioned urban growth and what cities will be like in the future.

Overall, it was nice to get away from Boston, away from the house, and just be by ourselves for a whole 5 days.  I'm excited about the upcoming trips I'll be taking in the next few months.  In two weeks, I'll be off to Michigan for a BGC baby shower and to visit Roger's family.  End of March/beginning of April, I'll be off to DC with the freshmen class.  I want to go away for my week long April break, but I'm not sure where yet...maybe NYC.  Then in June, I'll be off to DC again with the sophomores.  As you can see, I love getting away.  That story will be saved for another entry...

This was the 3rd year I lion danced with Gund Kwok during Chinese New Year in Boston's Chinatown. I have to say that after every new year in Chinatown, I reflect back on the day and just say wow.  Ever since I was little, my mother would take my siblings and me to Chinatown to check out the festivities.  I loved everything from the sights, the sounds, and smells of Chinese New Year - colorful lions dancing around everywhere to the incessant drumming and cymbaling, loud firecrackers going off, and the smell of smoke engulfing the streets. When I was little, I never imagined that I would one day be in those lions, dancing to that music on top of those fireworks, and breathing in that smoke for 6 hours straight!  It's completely exhilarating.  My love for lion dancing and my Chinese culture are renewed each year at this time.   

I get a whole other feeling too - pride.  I am so proud to be part of Gund Kwok.  This past year, I've become more involved with the troupe in terms of responsibilities and leadership.  The troupe has become a part of me.  Not only have I advanced in my skills in lion, dragon, and percussion, I just have so much respect for my Gund Kwok sisters and lion dancers everywhere.  I still have so much to learn and practice, but it's wonderful to be part of something beautiful.  

This is video of me lion dancing.  I'm in the head of the first gold lion.  Unfortunately, I couldn't do a move because of the actual chair I was jumping off of, but we improvised. 



This video was created by some Emerson College students.  In this video, you can see me playing the monkey cymbals for our dragonettes.   



Here's a couple of pictures taken of us during last weekend's Chinese New Year festival in Quincy.  Yes, that's me on top! We call it a head sit.  Click to enlarge!  Check out my Facebook page for more pictures of this event.
 
Lion dancing definitely keeps me in shape and helps build a lot of strength.  I have rock hard shoulders and back!

In other news, it's my February break next week! Woo Hoo! Roger and I are leaving for Montreal and Quebec City this Saturday morning.  We're driving and spending about 5 days in Canada. I'm going to freeze up there, but I can't wait! I'll be sure to tell you all about my trip and share pictures when we get back!

...were given to my brother and his girlfriend.  Was it anti-climatic? Yes. Was it still cool though? Yes. It's strange to be excited about GIVING AWAY money.  The problem I have now is not carrying them around with me.  Yesterday, during the Chinese New Year parading, I saw some kids and friends who I wanted to give red envelopes too, but I didn't have them with me. Argh. It's OK.  Now I know I must carry them around just in case I bump into someone. 

Yesterday was incredible.  My lion dance troupe paraded and performed all around Chinatown for about 7 hours straight.  After every Chinese New Year celebration, my commitment and love for lion dancing and Gund Kwok are renewed.   There was a picture of our lion dance troupe in the Boston Herald today!  I wish I could post some pictures from that day, but I won't have them until later.  This year, we had professionals take our photographs, so I'm excited to see how they turned out.  Hopefully, I can share some with you when I get them.  There were over 60 volunteers who came to help out that day, but special thanks goes to a few co-workers, James, Matthew, Amy, Diane, and Dave for coming out.  It meant a lot to me for you to be there on such a memorable and wonderful day.  Now, I just have to wait until the soreness goes away. My neck, upper back, and left calf are killing me!  I really don't know how my Gund Kwok sisters and I do it.

BGC - I hope you can experience Boston's Chinatown celebration one of these days.  It's amazing, and I know you would all love it. Maybe some day...

I fulfilled my end of the deal with God.  Roger and I went to church.  Not only that, but we liked it.  Sunday morning came, and Roger and I got "dressed up" for church.  We didn't really know what to expect.  When we got there, we realized people were wearing jeans and sneakers, so it didn't matter how we dressed.  We walked in and immediately saw that there were name tags on the table.  Quickly, I told the man standing by the name tags and smiling at us, "Hi, we're new!"  He welcomed us to the church, asked us our names, gave us name tags, and before he kindly told us to step inside and take a seat, he asked us how we found out about the church.  When Roger and I were engaged, we originally planned on getting married in a church. We looked at several in the Back Bay area because it was close to our Chinatown reception.  We almost ended up booking this church.  In the end, we decided not to get married in the church but instead get married across the street at the Boston Public Gardens.   

The Arlington Street Church is old (founded in 1729) but quite beautiful.  The pews were these large rectangular boxes you step into.  There were all these beautiful arches and windows inside as well.  When it started, I felt I was at some meeting since they were doing parish highlights. They announced all the activites going on hosted by the church and also reported birthdays. However, once it all really started, Roger and I enjoyed it from the hymns to the sermon.  The sermon was about hope and virtue.  Obama was mentioned a few times and songs and messages that were given during the inauguration were even shared.  The reverend didn't mention the Bible or refer to any passages in the Bible since UU churches don't really follow any doctrine.  Instead, they have certain principles - mainly love and service for justice and peace.  I would say the best part was the Community Candles of Sorrow and Joy.  Before the first hymn, people are encouraged to put down their joys and sorrows on an index card which will be shared with the whole congregation.  The choir sang this beautiful song called We Pray while these sorrows and joys were shared.  Immediately, a candle is lit at the altar.  Some of the sorrows were quite personal, but there were also joys that made everyone laugh and clap.  I could feel the sense of community. 

Roger and I definitely want to go again.  Unfortunately, I don't have time in the next few Sundays.  This Sunday, I'm lion dancing for all the stores and restaurants in Chinatown.  The following Sunday, I'm lion dancing for a Chinese New Year festival in Quincy.  The Sunday after that, Roger and I will be off to Montreal and Quebec City for 5 days - a just for fun trip.  So that means I won't go to church until 3.5 weeks from now. Bummer.

The good news which is not really related to this post is that there's.....
NO SCHOOL TOMORROW! SNOW DAY!

I love Jimmy Fallon.  I know there are a lot of people who don't find him funny or think it's bad when he was on SNL and would laugh in many of his skits.  Apparently, many of the SNL cast members didn't like him because of that especially Tracy Morgan. Come on! That was the best part! I absolutely thought it was hilarious when he would laugh. I've been checking out Jimmy Fallon clips on Hulu.com and on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon website.  He cracks. me. up.  Every weekday he does a video blog and many of them make me laugh out loud. You gotta check them out.  I just like how he acts a little nervous and anxious but is still funny.  It's too bad that his show will come on at 12:35am every weekday night.  Times like these I wish I could just say, "I'll TiVo it."  It's OK though. On Monday, March 2nd, I'll still stay up to watch his first show even though I might wake up Tuesday morning quite groggy.

Oh! The Lius are off to church today!

The new year begins this Sunday.  This is the first year that I actually get to hand out red envelopes filled with money to children and the unmarried.  Being very aware that this exciting holiday is coming up, I've been obsessing over red envelopes and making sure I pass out ones that I really like.  I mean they are the first ones I'll ever hand out!  Honestly, I know this shouldn't really be a big deal, but there are so many different kinds!

For example, while I was in Chinatown today, I literally went to 3-4 stores to check them out.  I found so many different kinds, even ones that didn't look like red envelopes.  I was tempted to buy those kinds since they were quite unique, but I decided to go a little more traditional.  So I ended up buying ones with a cartoon ox on it and ones with of course, a lion on it. Sorry I don't have pictures of them, but they're not that special looking. 

I've even searched on Ebay for some that you can't buy in a typical store.  I found these McDonald's 2009 Red Packets (set of 12), but didn't purchase them.  Seems more like a collector's item instead of ones you actually give out, but each one has a different Chinese zodiac animal on it.  So cool!  Of course, there are the ones like I said before don't even look like red envelopes, but they are.
     
The next big question is, "How much should I put in them?"  First of all, I won't be giving out too many since face it, I only have a few young cousins and not too many unmarried friends that I see on a regular basis. So, $1 is just too little although I've received many crisp $1 bills in my days.  $5 is not so bad, but I still think it's too little.  $10 just seems too much, but if I'm not giving out too many, it might not be so bad.  Also, I could always give out 2 packets of $5 so it seems more than what it really is. HAH!  I've also seen people give $20 bills out or 2 packets with $10 each.  Handing out $20 to everyone just seems way too much and unreasonable in these days.

Ok, this isn't the most exciting post, but thank you for reading about my red envelope obsession.   I will definitely give you all an update on when I actually give out my first one!

Zmax2000 = Roger

That's right! My hubby is now officially on Xanga!  Contrary to what many may believe, no coaxing was involved.  He's been wanting to blog for awhile now, and I suggested doing it on here since he could already have some readers! (BPC, of course)  Anyway, subscribe away and enjoy reading!

By the way, here's an update on my resolutions:

1.  Blog more. - Current status: successful

2.  Keep my room clean. - Current status: I can see my entire bedroom floor, but I can't sit at my desk. I need to clean it! Boo!

3.  Go to bed by 11:00pm on a school night. - Current status: It's around 12:45AM, what do you think?

4.  Delegate more. - Current status: I called a meeting for this Thursday to talk about the changes that will be happening in my department.  I'll let you know how that goes.

5.  Go to church. - Current status: We almost went this morning, but then there was too much snow.  I felt nice, warm, and comfy in my house and didn't feel motivated enough to stomp through the snow to go to church.   At least I didn't tell God when I would go to church.  I just told him I would.  I will try to go again soon!

Good night!

Another year has gone by.  28 doesn't seem too exciting though.  Making New Year's resolutions is hard.  First of all, I rarely make them, and when I do, I rarely keep up with them.  Maybe I need to be held accountable!

1.  Blog more.  I think I've already accomplished this, but I need to keep it up. 

2.  Keep my room clean.  Since we live in my parents' house, there's not much space. I tend to throw all my clothes and what not around which makes my life stressful when I can hardly see the floor or can't use my desk. 

3.  Go to bed by 11:00pm on a school night.  More sleep makes a happier teacher the next day. 

4.  Delegate more.  I have 3 assistants at MATCH.  I need to use them more or pull my hair out.  I choose the former. 

5.  Go to church.  *GASP* WHAT? The day before my wedding in July, I prayed.  "Dear God, please don't rain on my wedding day.  If it doesn't rain, Roger and I will go to church."  Guess what? It didn't rain.  Roger found this amusing since I didn't tell him until after our wedding.  He started looking up churches in the Boston area.  We aren't looking for any old church.  We are mainly looking at UU churches since they don't follow a specific set of beliefs.  Their main function is to help their members grow spiritually.  I've done a little research on the origins of UU, but I won't get into it.  All I can say is that I want go to a UU church one day and see if I like it. 

It's hilarious.  Go to Google images and search the above, and you'll get a little chuckle.  Why am I talking about monkeys riding dogs?  Well, it all started at the dinner table on Sunday evening with the family.  We were talking about when we would have babies.  My mother actually freaked out a bit when I told her that Joyce and I want to have babies in the year of the dragon.  She said, "What? How am I going to take care of both babies?" HAH! By the way, my mom has decided to retire in 2012, the year of the dragon.

That led to us talking about the different personalities of each animal and how compatible they are. For example, Joyce is a horse and her husband is a dragon, both strong and intelligent animals (although dragons are mythical).  So my parents said they are quite compatible.  Then I thought about Roger and me.  He's a dog, and I'm a monkey.  At first, I just laughed thinking about their compatibility, but my mother immediately said that's a great match since both animals are quite energetic.  I had to look it up.  So I did a search and found this Australian astrology website.  They have a section for Chinese Zodiac Sign Compatibility.  You enter in the birthday of you and your love and voila, it tells you how compatible you are.  It even tells you the compatibility percentage.  I know what you must be thinking, do you really believe in this crap? Umm...kinda?  It's fun.  Check out what it says about Roger and me.

While there may be some differences, the Monkey and the Dog's energy level and love will make this a natural pairing. As lovers, they have the potential for happiness as long as the Dog feels the Monkey can be trusted. Their overall compatibility rating is 80%.

What?  As long as the dog feels the monkey can be trusted?  Hmmm. Then, I started playing around with different couples I know - Joyce and her husband and Ken and his girlfriend.  They all came out pretty positive.  I thought maybe they were all positive, but then I put in something random and it came out like 50% compatible.

After doing this, I decided to post about it and wanted an image of a monkey and a dog to post with my entry.  I ended up finding all these pictures of a monkey riding a dog.  I believe that all the pictures are of the same monkey and dog.  Anyway, I ended up finding an image I liked. I think it sums up our relationship.  HAH! Just kidding.  Maybe.   

What does the Chinese Zodiac Sign Compatibility website say about you and your love?

It's 11:10PM - the evening before I head back to school from vacation. I'm sad because it's back to the daily stresses of being a teacher, and I'm excited since it's been 2.5 weeks since I've seen my students.  It's been one long vacation.  I feel rested though and ready to take on the rest of the school year. 

Since the year has started, I've celebrated my birthday 3 times.  Hot pot night with the family on the 1st.  Dinner at All Seasons Table and drinks at Sanctuary with some good friends on the 3rd.  Dinner and birthday cake with the family tonight.  Roger will be taking me out on my real birthday so that'll be celebration #4. It's weird. I don't feel 28.  28 just means that I'm only 2 years away from dirty thirty. Ai yi yi!  It's strange to look back and ask myself if this is where I pictured myself when I was in college.  I honestly have to say - no.

Amy gave me a very thoughtful gift for my birthday - a book by Ann Patchett called, What Now? Supposedly it will offer hope and inspiration for anyone who's at a crossroads.  Apparently, Patchett went from being a student to line cook to teacher to waitress to an author.  I'm intrigued to find out what she has to share with me.  Hopefully, when I find something that speaks to me, I'll definitely share it with all of you.

Well it's off to bed for me! By the way, I don't know about the rest of BGC, but I'm ecstatic just thinking about the BGC mini reunion! I can't wait!