What a CRAZY and BUSY week!!

I had a VERY crazy week!! The week was from last Thursday to this Thursday. I moved from Portland to Ashland, fall term started, and I attended a showcase in Portland. Those all happened in A WEEK!! I have been dealing with new school and environment while traveling back and forth between Portland and Ashland.

Busy Week Recap: 

9/20 Thursday: Driving and moving to Ashland

This is my roommate Muriel. After messaging each other through e-mail, phone, and facebook for a few weeks, we finally met!! She is cute and sweet. We will be living together for the next 10 weeks.

This was I saw when I first entered my doom. She was so kind, she even bought me a gift from her hometown Sitika. What a wonderful welcome gift.   

Our parents talking during the dinner. They are great people. It was so nice to meet them. 

9/21 Friday: Welcome Parties

I ate LOTS of free food and received many free stuff from SOU. 

Free water bottles: It is so useful. I use it to drink water every day. There is not a lot of school give out free water bottle.

I like events with free food, but they are usually not good or unhealthy. However, all the free food served at welcome events was delicious and healthy. They even had gorgeous desserts: Blackberry Tart with Chocolate on Top with Cannoli. Yum!! I think I ate too much desserts. 

Thanks SOU for treating us SO WELL.

9/22 Saturday: Good Bye Parents and Football Game


My mom and I in front of my dorm. We took this photo before she left me. I will miss her (especially her cooking) like insane!!



At the Football game. I got my first face painting experience.

We beat the other team so easily!!

9/23 Sunday: Hiking Trip

I went to Mountain of Ashland for hiking with SOU outdoor program. The day was just perfect for hiking. (There are a lot to talk about, so I will do another post just about the hiking trip)


The Hiking Group



Elegant View

9/24 Monday: First Day of Class + Packing: Since I have not been in school for more than a year. The first day of school made me nervous, but I survived it. The hard part was after class, I have to pack and make a list for what to bring from Portland. 

9/25 Tuesday: Career Showcase in Portland


This is my accounting classmate Tamra. We carpooled together to go to the office visits and showcase. Even though we are classmates, we never met because the classes we took together were online. I was happy that I finally met one of my classmates from online classes.

9/26 Wednesday: Morning Office Visit + Back to Ashland + Get Ready for School = Extreme Tiredness. After I came back to Ashland, it was almost 7pm. I quickly ate dinner, unpacked, prepared for next morning class, and took a shower. As I went to bed, I fell asleep quickly.

9/27 Thursday: 8:30 class!! I made to the class on time, and I was able to focus and not feel tired during class. I am a little proud myself for surviving the first/crazy week. 

During the weekend, I did some catch up and relaxing. I think I did more relaxing than catch up. I was super tired, so I guess that OK. Tomorrow (Monday), I will back to the normal routine. Now I am gradually adapting to SOU campus and Ashland. It is a beautiful school and fantastic town. 

I wish Portland and Ashland were closer. I am looking forward to work hard and make a lot of friends. And after this term, I will be studying to death for my CPA exam!! Exciting!?

Summer To Do List Part 5: Road Trip to Ashland

Each summer, my family tries to take at least one road trip.  This year we went to Ashland, Oregon. It a small town on the south side of Oregon. I am going to attend Southern Oregon University for a term this year, so it was the perfect chance to visit the city. 

1. Food Was Delicious: There were a lot of great restaurants!! I can't wait to explore more. 

Aren't those dishes pretty?

These dough-nots were yummy in the tummy 

2. Nature Was Beautiful: Downtown Ashland was a lot similar to Downtown Portland, but much quieter and more artistic. I think I like Ashland better. 

There were roses like Portland. 

There was even a deer on the street!!

In front of the OSF

We had a nice walk at Lithia Park. 

3. Saturday Market was interesting: Saturday Market in Ashland was not as big as Portland, but it was definitely more interesting. 

Look those peppers!! They are so colorful!!

I did not know there were this many kinds of eggplants!!

Lastly, I had fun moving into my dorm. Meet roommate!! Her name is Muriel Sadleir-Hart. She is very sweet. I  am looking forward to live with her.

I am excited for SOU!! I will post more about SOU and the awesome week I had!! So Stay Tuned!! 

Mean while, I will be busy study and missing my mom.

This was taken in front of my dorm before my parents left. 

Five Keys to Succeed in College

September is officially here. All the public schools started, and I love seeing all the school bus go around the neighborhood. Quarter colleges will start in couple of weeks from now. Excited? I am!! Four years of college went very fast for me. There were successes and mistakes. I'd like to share some advices and lessons I learned. I will give some heads up to succeed in college. 

1. Stay Connected: This is very important to stay connect with professors, advisors, and classmates. I recommend all the students to constantly seek their academic advisors, make several friends in each class, talk to all their professors throughout the term. It was very beneficial from my experience because I received job informations and leadership opportunities from connections. I know there were shy people, and I was one of them. I encouraged myself to be more outgoing by believing most professors, classmates, and advisor are nice and willing to talk. It will become easier and easier. 

2. Consider Quality Over Quantity: I'd recommend everyone to get involved on campus. Just like I said previously, stayed connected on campus.  However, it is important to get good grades in all of the classes, too. I don't recommend students to take TOO many credits and get TOO involved. It is better to take less classes and do well than take a lot of classes and do bad. Same as activities, it is more effective to only focus on the small amount. I took 12 to 16 credits each term and I did two activities. I did well in the classes and I enjoyed all the activities. There were times I took 17 to 18 credits, and I was struggling. I regret I did that. I admit there are people who can take 20 quarter credits, do leadership programs, and work multiples jobs and still managed to get 4.0 GPA. Not everyone are like that. At at least I am not. 

3. Have a Plan/Budget For Time and Money: College classes are very difficult and expensive, so student life would extremely busy with school and work. Time and money are the main struggles for most students. For me, time had been always the shortage. There were countless times I felt I did not have enough time to study for a test and I rushed to turn homework. Later, I learned to manage my time by having a study plan and stick with it. If I planed in the first place, it is less likely to get it done and be confident with it.  

4. Use Campus Resources: There are a lot of great resource on campus, and sadly some of students don't even know them. Here some of the resource helped survive in college. 

-Library: They have 24 hour online help, so I used it to find all the 
-Tutoring Center: It has intelligent tutors. They helped me with my homework and even aced my test. It also offers free workshops for public speaking, time management, stress management, test taking strategy, note taking strategy, graphing calculator, excel, and GRE.   
-Writing Center: I always have them look at my paper before I turn it in. All the writing tutors were kind and gave me a lot of suggestions. They even have citation guide. 
-Career Center: This is where I started to write my resume and cover letter. I also learned many tips for interviews and built my confidence. I even landed my first job through the job posting from there. I can't thank them enough.

5. Reach Out For Help: Although everything was well planned and all the decisions were on the right track, there were still possibility for a college student to be broke. There are times when changes happens before plans and things can be unavoidable. When that happens, it is better to ask for family and friends to help as needed. Don't be shy. Families are always willing to help, and good friends would love help as much as they can. 

How to Survive First Day of School/College/Work

Is summer really over? I can't believe some schools are already schools started, today/this week. I already graduated from college a year ago, but I am back in school doing my post-baccalaureate this fall, and my school won't start till end of September. No matter how old I get, "first day" of school or anything could be stressful for me. These are steps to I learned to follow in order to succeed on the first day of school and everything else.

1. Prep everything in the night before: This first step is very important. There is only a lack of time in the morning, so things should be prepared as much as possible in the night before. 

These are the things MUST be prepared: 
-Backpack/bag should completely packed
-Clothes, including jewelries and watch
-Wallet with Student ID or other IDs and bus pass
-Fully Charged Cell Phone

2. Get a good night sleep and do not skip breakfast: If I did this step, I have more than 80% chance of having a successful day. 

I recommend:
-Drink a glass of milk before sleep
-Get at least 6 hours of sleep
-Eat a healthy breakfast that contains fresh fruit and/or vegetable
-Have some protein to stay motivated for the day. 

3. Come to class (work) at least 5 minutes before: Come to class or work early is very beneficial. Not only it will leave a nice impression to the professor(boss), there are a lot of things able to be accomplished during the five minutes. 

Use the five minutes to: 
-Know where the nearest bathroom/go to the bathroom
-Find a good seat to sit
-Put away the coat and set up the material on the desk
-Get to know the classmates(co-workers) and professor(boss)

4. Use a planner: The planner is significant part of my life. I can be organized and not to forget anything by using the planner. I always carry a planner with me regardless of I am at school/work or not. 

On the first day, write the following down on the planner:
-Due date of important projects
-Contact information of the professor or boss/manager
-For people in school-exam dates and times
-For people in school-office hours and location of the professors 

5. Have some cash on hand: I recommend to everyone to have 5 to 10 dollars of cash on hand all the time. Not everywhere accepts credit card nor have ATMs. This is a great way to prepare for worst case scenarios.

It is helpful in case forgot to bring:
-Lunch, snack, or drink
-Notebook, pencil, or eraser
-Bus pass
-Credit card

Good Luck with everyone who are in school. If you are not in school, this is still useful for any day.

Summer To Do List Part 4: U-Pick

I am so sorry blog, I neglected you for a while. Since it's summer, I have been lazy. I was taking a break from blogging. Also, for the past a few weeks, the temperature had been risen rapidly, so I did not want to sit on the hot computer for a long time. Yesterday, the weather had finally cooled off, and it was time for the part 4 of my summer to do list. The part 4 is "Going to U-Pick."

Summer is the biggest harvest season, and there are a lot of U-Pick farms and gardens in Portland. The U-Pick place we chose was Sauvie Island. Even though there were other gardens/farms more closer to our house, this one is the most extensive. It has a variety of selections of fresh produce, and it opens from January to October. Some gardens were only open in summer, and some farms only have berries. Furthermore, it was not as far as we expected, anyway. 

The view was very beautiful to see and the air was so fresh to breathe. It was fantastic to spend a Saturday morning there. 

Not only there were many kinds of produce, but also there were different kinds of colorful flowers. 

First, we looked some fresh vegetables. There were a large selections in season: cauliflower, broccoli, sweet peas, green beans, corns, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, etc. Each season has different fruits and vegetables to choose from. My mom picked some peppers.

Next, we picked blueberries. We had so much fun doing it. Summer is about berries in Oregon. I love strawberries and blueberries. Can summer stay longer? 

My family and I picked a lot of blueberries. It is my They were so yummy!! They were sweeter than the blueberries we get from grocery store. 

On the way back to check out, my dad insisted to pick a cabbage. He had to use a little knife to cut it out from its root. Remember, if you want to pick a broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, or cabbage, you better bring a sharp knife. 

Lastly, we went for peaches. Aren't they beautiful? If the Monkey King was here, he will be extremely exciting. He'd be jumping from tree to tree, and eat all the peaches. 

We picked a bucket full of peach. I think we picked TOO much....Well, I think once a while it is OK, right? They were heavy, but it's worth it. 

All in all, U-Pick was a great experience. It is the perfect way for families and friends to spend time together and enjoy the nature. This is definitely one of the must-dos during summer. There were a lot of families taking their children and neighbors to pick up some fresh produce. U-Pick prices might not be completely cost-effective compare to grocery store, but it is definitely more fresh and fun to do, so it is worthwhile making a trip. 

For more information about Sauvie Island visit their website: http://sauvieislandfarms.com/ 

Summer To Do List Part 3: Get in Shape!! 10 Fun Tips

It's summer is here!! It is time to get in shape!! Losing weight has been my every summer's To Do List. I did lose some weight every year. I have a lot of bitter sweet memories for weight loss. I laugh and cry when I am dieting. Recent years, I found that dieting is no longer stressful, and it is actually fun to do. 

Exercise Tips


1. Walk, walk, and walk: Walking is the easiest, finest and most affordable way to exercise. If you can choose from driving and walking, choose walking or even biking. The weather is very beautiful during summer, so I strongly recommend everyone to walk after meal(especially after dinner). Take a walk during a date would be very romantic, too. 
2. Choose the favorite exercise: In order to not to hate exercising, doing the most enjoyable exercise is important. Some people like to swim, and some people like to play. For me, I like to run. I feel running can help me release my stress. To succeed in exercising is to find the joyfulness in the work out. 
3. Use music (or anything else) to get motivation:  The key to enjoy the work out is "motivation." People get motivated by different things. I usually get motivated by music. 
4. Have a partner or get into a group: Some people might prefer to workout by themselves, but for me, I like to do a group fitness. I go to fitness classes in the gym sometimes. Having people exercise together can help each other reach their target goal. 


Eating Tips


5. Eat in moderation, and don't deprive from anything: When I started dieting, I tried to away from all of my favorite sweets. It was very cruel to me, and I made myself stressed out. Once a while I allowed myself indulge, I ate more sweets than before I start to diet, and I gain more weight. Later I learned to I did not have to deprive myself from those sweets, I just eat in moderation. Instead two cookies a day, I only eat one. Instead of eating the entire doughnuts, I only eat a half of it. I also learned to share sweets with my family and friends. 
6. Drink a lot of water: There are a lot healthy benefits with drinking water. Along with all the good benefits, it also helps prevent overeating. I drink at least 3 cups of water during a meal. One cup before, one cup during, and one cup after the meal. I feel super full every time, so I would never overeat. 
7. Eat a good breakfast: Please do not skip breakfast!! This will cause overeating lunch and dinner. They will help gain a lot of weight. It's OK to overeat on breakfast because most food we ate on breakfast will be digested in the day. I found out that breakfast is the best time to indulge myself. Sugar can motivate people throughout the day. It helps increasing the daily productivity in work, it could lead to loss more weight. 
8. Eating healthy is enjoyable!! Come on, eating fresh fruits and vegetables are not that bad. They are delicious like meats and sweets. I enjoy eating salads as much as I enjoy eating cookies. 


General Tips


9. Don't think it as weight loss: It was a big mistake to think as a "weight loss." Don't only focus on the weight too much. Weight is just a number. Think it is like "Muscle Building," "Stay in Fit," etc. There are a lot of better ways to describe it. 
10. Like yourself and have fun!! I used to hate myself for being overweight and fail to lose weight, but I realize no one should hate themselves no matter what. If people can have fun exercising and eating healthy, get in shape for summer is not painful at all.


Good Luck and Enjoy!!

My Backyard

A break from my Summer To Do List, let's look at my garden. Summer is the best time in garden because the flowers are finally blooming and fruits are in season. They are all from the hard work of my TALENTED MOTHER!!

Lilies: Aren't they beautiful!! I like them because they have many different colors. When I choose a type of flower, I always have hard time pick the color. Although my favorite color is pink, I think any color would look on flowers. In China, Lilies are common flower gift for couples because their name means happily together for 100 years in Chinese. Some boys buy lilies for their girlfriends when they propose. 

Roses: Portland is the ROSE city. There is not only an International Rose Garden, there are roses blooming everywhere on the street and people's garden. Most of my neighbors have roses in their garden, and so are we. Not. They are irresistible. 

Cherries: The best part of the summer garden is that there are delicious cherries to eat. They were hard to pick because they were high above. We planted the tree back in 2009. Back then it was very small. I was worried that whether the cherries would really going to grow or not. For the past three years. it grown rapidly. Now it is about five to six times the tree when we first planned.  

They are so YUMMY and FRESH!! Also, absolutely organic. It would cost a lot to buy organic cherries at supermarkets. They were gone fast!! Even the cherry season went quickly. I don't think we can pick this many cherries from the tree anymore. Last year was the first year, cherries had grown on the trees. The number of cherries we picked at least doubled, almost tripled from last year.

On the perfect Portland Days, I'd like to sit in the garden and have a cup of tea with my afternoon snack. My favorite afternoon snack is a piece of cake with a lot of seasonal fruit. This is HEAVEN. 

What is growing in your garden?