See! Our new computer table! It took a long journey to find a fit one matched the new desktop. We searched on website finally nailed one in Ikea after considerably took into account space limitation in the room and good price sector, unfortunately it happened to be oversold as we went there twice. BTW, the strange thing is Ikea doesn’t allow pre-order. The Ikea staff advised us to come early the next day, then Phil got to visit Ikea Monday morning by the third time, and returned with vain, he had to seek on the internet with supposed high-tech computer savvy, eventually found a second-hand table being sold by a Chinese couple who are leaving Australia in March. Tuesday night, we drove 40 minutes under downpour to Maroubra where is actually not far from our home by direct line on the map, but the road is through Airport area so we had to make a detour around that big zone. Arriving there, it looked like in-house sale, the couple was selling all of furniture as much as possible. The price of computer table was labeled down $15 from original value $50 after using half a year. We didn’t think it was rip-off after gauging quality. More importantly, it was coupled with a free stylish table lamp. :-) Also, I very liked a shoes racks however taken by a young guy who wanted to please his girlfriend for embracing her heaps of shoes. Alright, I had to pick up a small $5 book shelves to be placed my shoes. It sounds a bit weird but it is better than spreading my shoes everywhere. About 11:00PM we got to home with our harvest.  

The next day, with Phi's a-whole-morning and short-night-time effort, the computer table has been settled down at the corner, we couldn't wait to install PPLIVE internet TV and happily watched Tai Wan entertainment grogram 'I GUESS' at night. Very fun!

New computer, new table, loved program, good mood.

This morning, Joanna rung up and told me she put on weight as well. The funny thing was she was still in nibbling cookies on the phone although she has been anxious of losing weight. Meanwhile I didn’t give up my Swiss Lindt Chocolate. Yeah, we can't control our greed. Apparently, at our age the metabolism system is slowing down and working not as quickly as younger, so fat is easily accumulated which results in weight gain, then we begun to worry our body figure and health. Even Joanna got a little problem with her heart recently, Chinese senior thought it was due to weight quick increase. By the way, it is said that heart attack could be caused by some factors: depression; lack of exercise; or too obesity. Christ Jesus! What will happen on us?

Cindy advised me to keep doing exercise for perfect body figure as well as eat some low calorie stuff instead of high-sugar snacks. I would like to follow that, but I can't resist yum luring today, as heaps of temptation surrounds me, such as Yum-Cha lunch and Michele carrot cake. I have to learn how to self control, the first step is generating consciousness of diet, and then keeping doing by this way.

As to exercise, I have persisted in playing badminton recent 3 weekend, its effect won't be seen now, hope it will work soon, I believe it will as long as I insist in. But the most worry is the persistent and stamina, so I decide to join this sort of organized group exercise---badminton weekend. You might find people who set general goals, like ‘I will exercise in my free time’, did a far worse job of sticking to that plan than did people who made a firm commitment, like ‘I will visit my friend weekend”. To force myself to do exercise, the alternative solution is to attend a sport class, under trainer’s monitor, I might ensure myself stick on a kind of fitness grogram. After a period of time, the body would get used to it, and wouldn’t feel comfortable once quit. Until that time, I will get to do exercise. :-)

I read an article in TIME, it mentions that anyone believes that staying active benefits heart, waistline, even the mind, but not 100% people can do exercise regularly, they would rather sit at the tables than move their bodies. Actually, the most paradoxical part of our sedentary nature is that we don't start out that way. Looking around the little kids who like running around in circles, but their parents hijacked them to do, then their inborn active was cut off. The older you are, the less enthusiasm you would have to work on the exercise. Therefore, we must get over that constraint nature and get back to origin. Come on! 

My slogan, since have a plan, stay firm!

Today Emma told me a sentence---SUCCESS IS NOT THE KEY TO HAPPINESS, HAPPINESS IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS.

What is success? Depending on what you define. How you deem it, how it would be.

Success can be big or small things. It could be a businessman with annual salary $10 million, it could be a celebrity well known by others, such as actor or writer, it could be gadget inventor, it could be an athlete who won the Olympic gold medal. Under current society, success is normally judged by how much money you have or evaluated by your influence ... but in my opinion, success could be a countryside mum who brought up a university-graduation son, could be a daughter who took her parents to climb a mountain they expected, could be someone who works out an urgent issue others can’t, could be……So what success is is determined by you, your head. If you consider you have done success, you would be happy, meanwhile happiness would inspire you to create more success. That's reciprocal deal. If you think you are successful, you do, if you think you happy, you do. Actually success is simple, success is everywhere, so is happiness.

Success is also relative. For example, some of my friends think I am more successful than them as I reached their dream to go overseas, and permanently stay a western country. It is not success, it is luck. From other side, I think they are more successful because they have already been expanding their family and their lives are on the common way supposed to be by most traditional Chinese, however I haven't settled down so far. Who will be happier? only herself or himself knows it. Hence think you are successful, you are, then you become happy. Not everyone is as successful as you are, as happy as you are. If you are easily self contented and satisfied what you own and believe you have done success, you would be lightly happy. It is paradoxical logic.

Alright, I have to end up, otherwise the tirade will confuse you :-)  

Yanzi met me online yesterday at random and mentioned they 3 girls had a dinner in Beijing before Spring Festival. How jealous I am! Why? We 4 girls were high-school classmates just like F4, eating together, living in a room, studying together. After graduation from high school, we separately walked on the own road studying different majors at different universities but have kept touched in. By post mail at university at the time internet was not prevalent, by phone call after starting working, then by MSN or email as we live far each other. Nineteen years has been on, now Yanzi dwells in USA and now is temporally in China, Lei and Yingjie are in China, one has been working IBM 8 years and another is a successful software expert, as for me, stay in Australia. We are contributing ourselves to respective life, thereby it is really hard for us to get together, at least a cup-of-tea time. The latest hangover we together was in 2002. Afterwards, Yanzi left China, I was off Beijing. Although I came back China two years later, Yanzi was in USA, now she is in motherland while I am in down under. Heck! We have to express our miss online and look forward to seeing each other very soon.    

There is always something or period you couldn’t forget in your life and to take it out for chewing and tasting from time to time. The longer it is, the better it is.

Good on Jen! She finally got pregnant. Since she had wedding ceremony last May, she had wished to have kid and she is 9-week pregnant now. Hooray! Her dream came to truth. Congratulation!

She told me she has a very difficult first trimester and is having very sickly lately on and off work, always nauseas and can't eat, can't even cook because she does not like the smell. Her immune system is also down so she always catches cold and flu. A poor girl! I hope she will soon be over the bad physical reaction.

However she is going through - all the pains and suffering - it makes her feel bad but at the end of the day she could think that it's all worth it because she is having a baby anyway and all my pains and sufferings will all pay off when the baby arrives! See, what a great girl! I am proud of her.

Jen is Filipino and some of my no-Chinese good gal pals in Australia. We both cherish our friendship and wish it be forever.

At 10:30 ish, it is normal time of my morning tea with cookies provided by company and Long Jing Tea bought from China. Today it is drizzling outside, I like this weather and really wish to sit in the arm chair under the corridor outside a house, reading the novel LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS I have been with more than three months. What a appealing scene! So relaxing!

BTW, referring to the novel, I should have read it in one sitting, it is definitely a book hooks you from page one. Why did I run it like a slow coach on this book? As a Chinese-native speaker, I have been entangled with a high pile of Chinese DVDs after work even no eating-and-drinking on weekend just for it. Maybe I’ve got DVD addict syndrome. If this situation goes on, I would be really concerned about my body figure and turn to a couch potato one day. Instead of watching DVDs, participating in some kind of regular exercise always popped in my head however I never truly put into practice. Or I somewhat convert to the book from those bloody DVDs.

Go for reading, go for doing exercise.

WoooW! Company released a list of new phased-out PCs, which doesn't go against staff yearly allowance and we can purchase as many as we would like. The amazing thing is all products come with a 12month warranty and all prices are GST inclusive. No doubt, I rapidly seized one based on the desktop planner's advice. He must help me without any conservation as we are in a team. What's more, he gave me the one that didn't show up in the list as well he grabbed another one of the rest two. LOL! Only our team could know the secret so we need to keep hush.

Unfortunately, LCD is exception in the list, otherwise I could get more gains. Human being is a kind of creature that always does not satisfy what they have had. Then I had to pick up a brand-new LCD and a pair of speaker from system and paid for them. Done! Total is $551!

That is the only benefit I can get in working a computer company. Wish I would I receive free computer one day. Don't say I am too greedy or in daydreaming, actually I had this sort staff benefits as I was working in Lenovo, which happened in 1999 or 2000...........

Recently some of my friends are going through hardest time, Lucia's 56-year-old dad suddenly passed away two days before Chinese New Year, even she didn't see her dad in the last sight although she flied back China to catch mourning. It is really a huge beat and sorrowful thing for our age.

David, my friend’s hubby, a doctor in Australia National University, abruptly suffered overwhelming pain caused by pulmonary embolism and he is still struggling with disease in the hospital.

What the hell! There is nothing more important than health. Please stick to doing regular exercise and keep eyes on your health status. Meanwhile, try to enjoy your life, make yourself happy every single day, and hold the moment in your hand to do what you want. 

These days I am very idle in working due to vocation of the Chinese suppliers and part of Asia Pacific Area. Only some jobs related to Europe area are still going. Currently, in the world most of computer parts are from China, so break of Chinese components manufacturers would influence computer daily output and sales target in other countries. Furthermore, as overload blizzard is in China, world-level factory, heaps of international trade is slowing down and many global shipments are paralyzed. From this on, the entire world have to acknowledge that China is not an ignorant country and plays an important role on the worldwide economical stage. To this point, should I be proud of it as a Chinese. The higher the economy status China has, the stronger the political status China has the higher status Chinese have around the world. It sounds a patriotic slogan, doesn’t it? I was not aware of it before I moved out of China just thought that was a whopping empty, but now I really sense it.

However, China is suffering negative result, such as damaged environment, accompany with high-speed increasing economy and resource over-utilization. I can’t be able to comment on whether it will be relatively good for China’s future or not because I don’t know other path is more suitable for China, only let history judge of it aftertime.

Here I only may China have healthy growth everlastingly.

I went to Huang Da Xian last night after had dumplings with friend couple. It was the first time I joined in the traditional Chinese family ritual---light the incense sticks, on Chinese New year's Eve. Midnight 12:00AM is supposed to be the best time to wish the whole family or individual all the best in New Year. Since I came to Australian, I have been aware that light incense sticks are common in all places overseas and are currently much in demand. Such fresh believer, e.g. me, more and more are getting involved in. My dear, there were a lot of incense stick holders in the lobby and intensive smoke is full of everywhere. Under the friend and master's instruction, I held a small bundle of incense sticks and pray Buddha. Light the stick at the one and below the flame out after a few seconds if it doesn’t go out by itself. The stick will now slowly burn down and release aromatic scent in a fine wisp of smoke, Buddha will hear what you say inside. Then what I did is to burn paper in a stove.

今天和Emily聊天,很惊奇我作为北京人怎么不是在北京上的大学。真是很惭愧啊！不堪回首的往事。其实高中自己上的是北京市重点中学，考大学是没问题，只是好坏的问题。自己从小到大有个致命的不足就是语文极差，老妈从小将“学好数理化，走遍全天下”的口号灌输给我，所以偶从小学习就瘸腿，但因为数理化一直不错，所以总成绩还可以。然而，1992年，我考大学时，才知道语文是多么的重要，当时理科考试有7门，而只有语文和数学是120分，最后高考中我居然语文、政治和生物不及格，幸亏理科成绩拉上来，所以上大学没问题，可当时包括老师和我本人都觉得上重点大学对我来说没问题，所以志愿也报得很“可以”，基本上没拉开档次，而且非北京的大学不报。结果因为“服从分配”，本人被无情得发配到外地---大连，还好不是新疆。当时老妈都急了，知道档案被人拿走后，居然想去找外地学校的老师要回。哪找啊？那些老师不知在北京什么地方耍呢？还好，比起那些上不了大学的人，我幸福了，但遗憾是终身的。

另一个教训，就是语言能力极差。虽然本人语文差，但高考英语80多分，可那时英语考试没什么需要表达的地方。现在出国了，我发现我语言能力差完全暴露出来。我觉得学好英语有两个因素---文字和思维。文字，就象是单词；思维，就是如何将想法流畅、准确地表达。怎么说呢，本人觉得在单词或者说词汇量方面并不差，主要是从小和学英语出身的姐姐在一起，初中的时候就看China Daily，对词汇的积累有很大帮助。但是英语思维和中文思维是类似的，在逻辑性、思想性的表达方面是相近的，所以看我的文章觉得很乱，不知在说什么。记得，在国内上班时，我的manager觉得我很聪明，明白他的意思，可就是报告写不出味道，最好只好把一个project report交给另一同事修改（感谢，小贺！）。哎！羞愧啊！目前，在另一个语言世界中，我正试图改进这方面的不足，希望换一种语言，我还能挖掘出一些潜能，希望快到mid-30的我还来得及提高，哈哈！

可我又在想一个问题，难道理科和文科的逻辑性是不一样的吗？我数理化强，按理说逻辑性应该强，但文字表达为什么这么乱呢？下一步，想研究研究人的大脑。