odd

now it's just odd walking on the fifth floor. it's so dark, not like the rest part of the college.
and this reminds me of those nights, or mornings more specifically, looking for Jason in his office. or hide myself in the triangle room to figure it out.
now that i pass his office intentionally, Samamtha takes it all. I can see her proud wide smile.
no offense.

i think i am for sure talking deprived. i have so much things to talk about, yet no one is there.

jason is busy.

what matters

i am no longer scared, nor worried. cuz i know at the end of the day, everything is gonna fall in its place.

asking what do you learn the most from this trip so far. I say is how to face the unknown. There's days that
i do not know where i am staying, who i am meeting, what i am gonna do. instead of being panic, i learned just
to go with it. Not saying that i am nolonger trying, but i am no longer in need to control over thngs and more willing to fall back and accept what is given.
i trust that god will provide. we had damaged our rental car by backing into a pipe in San Francisco, but found someone to fix for free. i had no clue
where to stay in Eugene for the night, and Josiah was willing to reschedule his camping trip for me. I had no clue how i am gonna survived living with a
big male cat at night, and turned out that the cat decided to not come into the house at all! i had running out of time get to the train station, turns
out that the car rental company receptionist asked their customer to gave us a ride there, we  were literally 1 min early.
it's amazing how everything works out. lots of time, i know without the guardian of God, it cant be true.

i find out what mmaters the most to me. What are the things i am willing to give up time, food, and set aside other
things for.i like good cuisin, meeting new people, shopping, and nature. but when it comes to art show, architecture, theater. all above
can be given up. The kinda joy that i dwells in when viewing arts is non-replacable

The way people look at me no longer matters. I have been lost myself by partying with people, or hanging out with certain people.
i thought i would be more "fun" this way, but i know i dont fit in as much as i want myself to be. most of time, i know
something is missing. and that is not about God, religion, belief etc. Myself was missing. i do not know what i care, what
i am passionate about, how i want to live, etc. by finally having a period of time of myself, and making decisions almost
entirely on myself, what i had been doing was absolutely not the way that i want it to be. i am living based on others judgement
on me, paying too much attention on what other people doing, instead of living my own life. i met this guy called daniel
from couchsurf. He's an archietcture student just graduating from UC-berkely. he never denied that he's a lay back architecture
student and he said he did well enough in other classes that he no longer has to care about the projects. although i am
almost entirely the opposite, but i gave respect to him. it's not easy for one to admit that he's just not into his major.
Besides, i see his passion more in traveling, and arts. His planning on couchsurfing and backpacking and hitchiking to Alaska
the week rgiht after school ends. With the same method, he's gonna go tru all the states: all the way to the east from San
Francisco, and all the way back.Then he's gonna do the same around Europe. How awesome it is. I dont know about you, but
i give high respect to people that knows what they are passionate about. plus he has an architecture job lined up anyways....
He said he wanted to have this trip cost "nothing" for him. which means instead of using his savings...he wanted to earn
money at the same time on the trip to achieve "net zero". he was one of those street artists when he was around 14 or so,
so he decided to do the same thing, although he's not yet sure what to sell.

and it's very true that you are who you are, the people that matter wont care, the people that care dont matter.

art should be generously offered to the public.--portland

I never regret going to Iowa State for undergrad, although now i feel desperated to leave. If it's not iowa state,
i probably will never realize that there's such desire in me towards, art, theater, and nature. and i dont know if i
will go on this backpacking/couch surfing trip to discover myself.
i did have noticed my desire towards art, but the experience of being in portland convinced me. When there's so much choices
lay in front of me, every choice made mean not only a decision, but a desire.
the first day that i am in portland, within 2 hours after i got off the train, 2 blocks away from the apartment, i ran into
my first concert in Portland. It's one of the summer concerts held by Portland art performing Center. so i sat there started sketching
and enjoying some music ( does this sounds really nerdy????)...but anyways, so i was drawing this view, and there's one building
that shows up a slice of itself in my view...so i was looking at it, trying to get some details. the little small windows,
yellow color, with some orange pillar at the front. right at that moment, i realized, that was the michael grave building.
holy cow! i was so proud of myself....ahahah...ahahhaha....
so the next day i went to the japanese garden in washington park in the morning, and fortunate enough to make my way out to
Columbia Gorge. i actually biked and hiked thru  6 waterfalls, and made some friends. definitely amzing and worth going
trip, plus biking is huge here in portland, if i dont at least bike in portland...that's a fail. i came back to have dinner
with kathleen and Maggie at the japanese restaurant, that was amazing too, very well made sushi and noodles. Sake is great..
and strong as well.
then we went to check out the art show on 13th street that i heard about during my trip to columbia gorge. alright..the
rest is hillarious,....me and Kathleen, the 60+ year old lady ran after the street car ....right after we got on the car
i realized i left my phone in the japanese restaurant. So we got off right away. T-T.....what a panda...so anyways..we finally
made it to 13th street, for a while, we thought the art show was over..since it's already like...after 9pm...we didnt know
how long the show is gonna last.but we kept walking...and the show is still there!!! lots of artist, set up their onw boucher,
put up their art works and try to sell it to people. artwork on display includes: paintings, photography, sculpture, jewlery,
clothes...multimeida print etc. i was most impressed by a painting of a night sky, and a metal giant sculpture. the former is
composed by 3 different pieces, all dark blue, with a couple of tree branches, and that was it. although sounds stupidly
simple, i found it breathtaking in viewing it. The image was present so simple, but the content became rich through the
viewing of audience. the last sculpture is a circle..with a hole in it, and it's moveable. with the same boldness, the sculpture
is more playful. It's so simple, but i never get bored looking at it. if one turn it around, it can appear to be almost another
sculpture.
we came back late that night and i was all pumped up and happy.
the next day, i was gonna head to Eugene that late night after Carmen concert--another free opera in the amphitheater of Washington
park. so i went to the chinese garden first in the morning, had some tea there. The tea i had was amazing, the best i have
ever had. it's called the rose pedal black tea. i always like the bitterness of black tea. it cleans up my body system,
wakes me up with it's bitterness, and calms me down with it's warmth. with the smell of the rose, it's just fantastic, so feeling
being loved. and when i was drinking tea and feeling being loved, and at the same time fail to get a hold of any crater lake
day tour....i decided to stay in portland for one more day to watch les miserable. it happens to be touring when i was there,
and i have beening wanting to see it for 10 years. unbelievable. so after that i went to the portland art museum..and then Carmen
afterwards. Carmen was great, the music of Carmen has always been stuck in mind ever since childhood.. this is more of a family event, that
lots of parents take their kids or grand parents over to listen to the opera. great solos, though i think i had more fun watching
the family hanging out than listening to the opera........such an ignorant panda.
i got back to town, and right after i got off the light rail, i ran into another show!! it's again one of those series summer
festival events, and this one is called flicks on bricks, cuz the pioneer square was made of brick. i thought it was a concert at
first...but turns out that it's a show. They blowed up a huge air screen and put up: WEST SIDE STORY. how exciting!!!!
altough it's an old version of the show, i have never remembered myself enjoying a show that much, i am totally into it, and
not quite noticing whats going on around. i cheered up with the dance, and fascinated with the story line. Although i did notice
something....at a couple times of the show after dance, the audience will clap. I found it very amazing. there's hundreds of
audience sitting on the steps of pioneer square, but have you ever thought they will clap??? do you ever clap to a TV show???
i found that the show was great enough that people spontaneously react to it, and at the same time, this is a group of great audience
that knows how to appreciate art. I also noticed one beggar who is an old lady. she walked around asking for money to get
dinner. She was almost scary looking...reminds me of the ugly bad lady that offered snowwhite a poisoned apple... but regardless
of her ugly looking, and her empty stomach, she would dance/move with the music show.
i think the portland people are born in the world of art. ( this is not quite making sense....)

letter to family groupers.

Halo Family groupers,

me and Jiayi just arrived safely in San Francisco. (well...more specifically...Davis).

I finished the first half of the trip by myself from Las Vegas to Seattle, to Portland and to Eugene. This is backpacking and couchsurfing story.

Every night before i go to bed, i thank god for giving me a rewarding day.

Every day i wake up and thank god that i am still alive.

There is a good number of days that i do not know where i am staying for the night, who i will meet, and what i am going to do. But everything works out perfectly at the end of the day. I dont think it will happen without god's blessing and guardian.

Everyday I pray that i will  move adventurously also cautiously under the guidance of God.

The purpose of the trip is to get out of my comfort zone.

I want to meet new people, find out my deep passions, and be exposed to different cultures. so far, i think it's a very successful trip. Couchsurfing was one of the best decisions that i made. it could be dangerous at times, but for me the risk of facing the unknown is worth taking. I am still happy, alive, and with a new perspective.

Thanks for all that have prayed for me and Jiayi. Now we are entering the "wild California"going to face more unknowns, and i will start driving tomorrow.

keep praying. :)

couch surfing.

what couchsurfing has taught me.
so far, i stayed with 3 different hosts. one american lady of 60 some year old, have been volunteered around the world for over 10 years. one asian couple that are students in UW-seattle, of my age, one american lady of 50 working as editor for Oregonian.
so yeah...i have been staying with older people a lot...but dont take it wrong, they are absolutely energetic people, and are definitely fun to hangout with, and learn from.
the first lady, joyce, i found her on the day i have to have a place to stay. she's very helpful, willing to listen and fun to talk too. at first, i was kinda scared of her giant cat...and it smells kinda fishy in her apt....but after actually talking to her, knowing her better, i found out she actually have a very golden heart, and a very postive attitude.  small things like she will keep the giant noisy cat that her friend abandoned after 8 weeks of having him, and raise him till now, she will wear pretty to cheer up her mom, who is having a bad backache.  oh ....and she teaches something...that i cant remember..but it's about volunteering...i think.
the 2nd couple, i also found them the day that i have to move in. when he first called...i was a little disappointed, cuz his english doesnt sounds very...fluent...and with a strong accent. and he didnt provide any information on how should i get to his place..and when. but whatever...i figured my way out.  but when i met both him and his girlfriend, i started to think that they are actually very awesome people. his girlfriend is at my age, but seems to be ...mentally a lot mature, in how she talks, what she knows, what she reads. her observation of the city was great, and can even provide driving directions, touring directions to her boyfriend. not like most girlfriends just sit in the car and wait to be driven around. She has her passion as well, she like bars and drinks, but discovered tons of bars that are well designed and serves quality drinks. at least, in my view, we dont just drink to get drunk, drink is like any events in life, it's an experience. an experience turns out the best in a well built environment, with quality service, and respectful people. and speaking of those restaurants, i have been really enjoying checking out nice pretty restaurants, and just sit there enjoying their food. food can be artwork too, it's creation of the chef. and sometimes, the feeling is just heavenly! She, actually both of them are very helpful in providing information of the west coast, from history, to geology, to the best restaurant, best bar, where to get the best view in the city. it's just so informative. and they actually drive me around the big seattle, so called king county to take some skyline pictures.
and the last lady so far...is very passionate about life and work. she is great at talking. she had a son that taught in Shanghai for 2 years, and now studying nursing in des moines, graduating this august. she lives in those high class condo, which i am very glad. :) We talked about everything, her couchsurfers, her work, her husband, her kids, her city. and she knows a lot about her city cuz...she works in the newspaper, and has an awesome habit of reading before heading to bed. the first night she cooked me some dinner and we had some wine together. that glass of wine hit me badddd, so i started talking a lot.......lol.  she showed me around the city, we planned to eat up on the roof top of macy's. we took a walk to the waterfront. she provides lots of website that i can find what to do for the day, and what tour to go on. she even gave me her apartment key...and asked her daughter to come over to eat with us. so the next day, we ate at the japanese restaurant, and went to see the art shows on the 13th street. suprisingly we did lots of things together...although..she's at my mom's age! i want to be like that when i am ....at my mom's age...



alright...idk how much you want to read about this...but i write that down..cuz i think it's been a very great experience for me , very great.

Amazing Days everyday

so this is official.
this trip is turning out amazing everyday.
i left las vegas on the 31st of July and arrived in Seattle on the same day. i stayed at a hotel that night not knowing where i am staying at all during my time in Seattle. somehow, deep down, i know that it's all gonna work out. worst, i will just pay more to get a hotel, or pull an alnighter hoping that nobody come bug me.
the next morning, one of my millions of sent request was approved although for only one night of my stay here in seattle. she sent me her phone number, address, and how to get there etc. i happily agreed on the living situation, and later found out she had a big cat from the profile.(how did i not see that earlier??) but anyways...sometimes...you just have to do it......
the first minute i got her house, i was a little scared. it's a very cozy house, but somehow it smells very fishy....must be the cat's fault. but she's a nice old lady, and we talked, she gave me some directions, and i left on my journal. i first got to Pike's market. seriously, i wanted to eat every single thing in this place. bakery, coffee, ice cream, fruit, seafood. yes...fruit fruit fruit!!! how does iowa never have such amazingly fresh food?!!??!! and vegetables. i would be loving iowa so much more...if it does.  everything there just smells awesome.....nomnomnomnom.
i kept walking along the market and hit the waterfront. i walked a lot more...like 10 blocks...to the seattle center. and there is another highlight place of my day.
the first thing that i did was to sketch. i sketched parts of a whale...that sounds like a easy sketch huh? lol yes it is....and then i sketched the space needle designed by john graham...lol...but some how i ruined it. what a bad sketch.
the EMP or...MEP is designed by frank ghery. somehow i didnt know this building until my host told me about it... some colored metal pieces came together.....yeah....frank ghery.it's very interesting that his inspiration was coming from the rock and roll feeling...without being too literal about it. and i like how the colored metal pieces reflect eachother,and gave a color on the,otherwise plain ground.
the international fountain was a hit. it's just a fountain, a big fountain. but people are having soooooo much fun getting wet, running around. i took a good break over there, took some pictures, and actually did some 1min sketch of people running around. the sketches didnt turnout so bad, at least i like them.....
taking the monorail after visiting the space needle (it was alright, but good that i can have a broad view of the entire city), and arrived back in downtown area. lots of places are closed already, but luckily , i found borders that provide wi-fi. check my emails. and luckliy and suprisingly, i found another couch!!! Thank God and the way that he provides and sustains. :)

 gotta go.