Went Rocky Mtn. Climbin' & Found the True Meaning of "Live Like You Were Dying..."

As some of my friends would put it, I went to Denver to complete the "trifecta" in Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying by adding "Rocky Mountain Climbin'" to my skydiving and bull-riding bucket list.  However, the true purpose for my trip to Denver this past weekend was to visit my friend Eleanor and her family for the first time since they have moved to Denver.  While the sightseeing was light compared to my other trips, the quality time I got to spend with Eleanor, Drake, and their 2 year-old tot, Mirinae, was far richer than any hike!  For those who know me, you guys didn't really think I'd exert that much physical energy to go climb a mountain, did you!? (True, I did "shock" people with skydiving, but that didn't entail physical exertion).  After this past weekend, the mention of "Denver" will always remind me of 3 things: (1) Coors Beer, (2) Korean BBQ, and (3) Eleanor/Drake/Mirinae!

Descent Size Glass for a Free Tour

The only major tourist attraction that I wanted to see on this trip was the Coors Brewery Tour in Golden, Colorado.  Even though I don't really like to drink Coors beer, I had to make this pit-stop given the beer-lover that I am, even if it meant dragging a pregnant Eleanor and 2 year-old Mirinae with me -- they were both such troopers!  While Eleanor took in all the historic facts along the tour, I made sure to enjoy the beer tasting part that is included in the tour.  For a tour that is completely free, they give you 3 free samples in relatively large glasses!  I'd definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting the Denver area!  Although I love beer, I must admit that beer-production isn't as sexy and glamorous as the wine-making that I got to see back in September in Napa Valley and Bordeaux....

Not as pretty as the Tanks for Wine

Wooden Barrels for Wine are Sexier

While I was expecting good Korean food on this trip, since I had previously heard Denver has a relatively large Korean-American population, I didn't expect to have the best Korean BBQ I ever had!  Eleanor and Drake took me to dinner at Seoul BBQ for Korean BBQ and it was soooo good!  I told Eleanor that I could visit Denver once a year just for Seoul BBQ.  Of course, having the presence of Eleanor and Drake made the food even more delicious.  Seoul BBQ - hands down best Korean BBQ.  One of the best things I ever ate at one of the best restaurants ever been to.  Probably takes top honors for dining experiences thus far in my 12 in 12 by 2012.

Even the non-BBQ dishes tasted great -- I know I've eaten most of the stuff before with Lisa (Eleanor's sister) in Boston or New York, but even these dishes below tasted better in Denver...

 

Of the 3 things I'll forever associate Denver with, I've saved the best for last -- that'd be Eleanor/Drake & Mirinae, of course!  For the first time in my journeys this year, I didn't feel like I had to go 100+ mph to get from point A to B, run between meetings, and/or rush to go sightseeing to put a check mark on some elaborate list of "to do's."  The highlight of my trip was seeing Eleanor and Mirinae -- that was the purpose from the start.  It was nice just to absorb and enjoy the presence of their company.  But, the unplanned part of the trip is that I left Denver with a very unexpected feeling -- a feeling that I had gained something that I didn't have when I landed in Denver.  The kindness that Eleanor and her family, including her in-laws, showed me in welcoming me into their home went above and beyond, and they made it easy to feel comfortable around everyone.  No matter how much I hate to admit it, who knew the laugh of 2 year-old Mirinae from allowing her to plaster my face with Pororo stickers could warm my heart as much as going snow mobiling on a glacier gave me excitement...  

An unplanned part of my trip was joining Eleanor at her church for Sunday service.  This was the first time I ever went to a church service, as my mother raised me as a Buddhist.  What was unexpected was how timely the sermon was, and how it has stuck with me through the plane ride home and even now in front of my computer.  As it was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, the pastor's sermon focused on being "thankful."  If we fill our hearts with the things we are thankful for, no matter how small, life is easier to cope with and we'll ultimately be happier.  It's common sense stuff I hear all the time from my friends and family, but hearing it in the context of a weekend where Eleanor and her family showed me so much kindness, along with a backdrop of a church setting where all these strangers were so welcoming with a niceness I hadn't seen before from strangers, I think that's why the pastor's message resonated with me on this day -- it was a timely message that tied-together my weekend with Eleanor.

So, that unexpected feeling that tugged at me when I had to say "good-bye" to Eleanor, Drake & Mirinae?  It was being thankful...Thankful that I've gained a friend in Eleanor (friend as in I don't need to keep referring to her as "my friend Lisa's sister").  Thankful that there's a two year-old out there (a.k.a. Mirinae) who calls me "Imo" (Korean for Aunt) even though I'm Chinese and not related.  Thankful for the incredible year 2012 I've had, and grateful that on this 11th month leg, the time spent with Eleanor around her kitchen table and playing with Mirinae in her living room showed me I don't always have to go seek out a snow mobile or set sail off the coast of Thailand to feel thankful and alive (just in time as my plane is about to be grounded as 2012 wraps-up, and I'm gonna have to cope)...

Sure, the 2012 I've had to-date is a testament that prescribing to the Tim McGraw Live Like You Were Dying trifecta of "skydiving, Rocky Mountain climbin' and bull-riding" spirit helps to heal -- I wouldn't give any of it up.  While I didn't go "Rocky Mountain climbin'" in Denver, this trip added an important layer to my year of healing -- by thawing out my heart enough so that I can remember all the things (small and big) that I have to be thankful for.  For that, there are 3 (soon to be 4) people in Denver who will always have a special place in my heart... 

3 Special People (horse not included, hehe)

Asia: Feeling "at home" 10,000 miles away from home...

Tsunami Warning Signs on
the streets of Patong

Phuket is on Southwest Tip
of Thailand

Last week, an offsite sales meeting for work brought me to Phuket, Thailand to meet with our Asia sales team.  The first time I ever heard of Phuket was in Dec 2004 when the Tsunami hit Southeast Asia and all the news coverage that followed in the aftermath.  At the time, I was a senior wrapping-up my undergraduate studies at BU, and I recall watching the tsunami images on TV thinking to myself, "what a shitty place - I would never want to go there and put myself in harm's way."  As usual, never say never...Who would've thought, fast forward 8 years later in 2012, work would send me to Phuket of all places, and I would find myself reveling in all the adventure in one of Asia's exotic playgrounds.  This is the furthest trip away from home traveled thus far for me.  While the perception is that this was a company-paid vacation, all joking aside, I didn't get a chance to leave the hotel grounds and see the outside of a conference room until day 3 of a 6 day stay.  Once again, I found myself at an amazing venue with minimal time to explore.  But, that's not to say I wasn't my scrappy self and managed to squeeze in some fun...If one must be stuck doing work, there are worse places to be "stuck" in than the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa on Karon Beach.  I really can't complain.

Hilton Arcadia Resort & Spa

Hotel Grounds

Speed Boat Ride

Our first team building event outside the hotel was to take a speed boat to Coral Island to replicate the reality TV show "Survivor" by playing various team obstacle games.  Although it was nice to finally see something outside the hotel, this was the most frustrating and hardworking team building event I've had to do to-date.  Most people know I don't enjoy physical activity all that much, but it was compounded by the fact that this was an Asia team meeting, where most of the people learned English as a second language, let alone know what "Survivor" is.  Taking the speedboat out to Coral Island was reminiscent of a similar boat ride I took just two months ago in Dominican Republic with my family heading to Saona Island -- I'm definitely a lucky girl to be able to visit two tropical island paradises within two months, let alone twice in a single year...

Green Team - Seriously?
I even had to paint my face

Team Ski Walk on Coral Island

Some spicy shrimp salad
that was lethal

All that physical activity sure works-up an appetite.  I couldn't wait to get off Coral Island for a cold beer and food!  Of course we encountered some more speed bumps trying to get off "Survivor" island to get to dinner that evening...First, because it was low tide when we departed Coral Island, our speedboat got stuck in some of the bedrock along the shore, so that took some maneuvering by the captain to finally get us back to the main island of Phuket.  Just as our boat docked at Chalong Bay, given the rainy season (April - Oct), we encountered a major downpour of rain.  By the time we walked to "Kan Eang @ Pier" seafood restaurant, the whole team was soaked!  At least the Singha beer and seafood that night was worth all the hassle of the day.  Thai food is wicked spicy!  The majority of items on any given menu is spicy, but the seafood is very fresh and abundant in the region, especially the gigantic shrimp!  I did eat plenty of pad thai, but I forgot to take a photo of one!  It was one of the few non-spicy staple dishes I had for the duration of my stay in Thailand.  Compared to the pad thai that we get here in states, I'd say we're not that far off from getting what the locals get in Thailand...

Grilled Seafood Plate

Tom Yum Soup

My hotel was located on Karon beach, which is the second most well known beach in Phuket (most famous being Patong beach, which is 15 minutes away by car).  Karon beach supposedly was spared for the most part from the Tsunami disaster that hit Patong beach eight years ago.  Most of the locals come to this beach, since it's less crowded from the tourist traffic.  Unfortunately, I was only able to sneak a peak of the beach, as most days it was nightfall by the time I was done with my meetings and couldn't see anything.

 

Karon Beach

Since lying-out on the beach wasn't an option at night, my colleagues and I were limited to either drinking or go get a Thai massage for post-dinner activities.  Given the sketchy reputation that Asian-run massages have in the states, I was wary of going to a Thai massage parlor at first.  But, after hearing my colleagues from Korea, Japan, China, etc speak so highly of the experience and how cheap it is (on average 300 Thai Baht = $10), I decided what the heck - might as well, since I've come so far! A Thai massage entails quite a bit of stretching to supplement the massage, and although I experienced some pain, the experience was descent enough that I ended up going twice!  Once for a full body Thai massage, and once for a foot massage.  Getting a Thai massage with a group of colleagues also provides great comic relief and team building...   

After a team massage, a group of us decided to venture out to Patong to see the nightlife scene, especially since it was a Friday night.  First, we had to take a "Tuk Tuk," which is a rickety rickshaw-like taxi, but added with neon disco lights and blasting hip-hop music during the ride.  I would have tried to take more pictures, but considering there was no door in the back and definitely no seat belts, I had to hang-on during the ride.  But, it's a fun ride which I'd recommend to anyone visiting to at least try once...

Tuk Tuk

Patong is the main "downtown" area on Phuket island.  There's Patong beach with many beach-side resorts that attract vacationers from all over the world.  Then, there's the surrounding streets of Patong with tons of shopping, including a major western-style shopping mall.  But, at night the bars open and the streets become like a "red light district" of sorts.  Soi Bangla is Phuket's version of what Bourbon Street is to New Orleans.  Bangla is lined-up with bars, nightclubs, strip clubs, and transvestites working the streets.  It's not un-common to see old white men with young local Thai girls.  While Bangla is definitely not a family-friendly place, there's something about the craziness that makes you think it's more for show and somewhat harmless.  Maybe it's just my lens on life becoming more progressive and I have developed a higher tolerance for what can bother me.

Bangla street

Most bars had girls dancing
on the tables

After a late night on Bangla street, a small group of colleagues remained in Phuket over the weekend and we did one more team event.  Given the fiasco with the "Survivor" team building, I was in need of a more relaxing team event.  My wish was granted, as the team event for my last day in Phuket was sailing!  We chartered a private catamaran to sail around Cape Panwa, which is the southern most tip of Phuket Island, where we then found a spot to anchor and snorkel/swim.  We even saw a group of dolphins!  While sailing in the Andaman Sea, and seeing nothing but water, there was more than one occasion I thought to myself, "damn, I feel so far away from home right now, in the middle of nowhere."  We sailed through some really remote waters.  But, the sailing was definitely what being in the tropics is and should be about...

Ao Yon Bay

Really? Work paid for me to come here?

Having to leave paradise is difficult on any day, but the blow of having to leave Phuket was softened for me by having a second stop to my Asia trip to look forward to -- I had to visit our offices in Shanghai, as well.  And, in Shanghai, I had a visit with my friend, Stacey, to look forward to.  For the followers of this blog, you will recall Stacey was featured in my February post, as the last time I saw her she was still in Philly.  When Stacey lived in New York City, I would go 2-3 years without seeing her.  In 2012, I've managed to see her twice and on two different continents!  After a week of being so far away from home, it's definitely a treat to be able to see a familiar face outside of work.

Stacey & Me at Shanghai's "The Bund" along
Huangpu River

After a whirlwind week in Asia, I come home with a lot of takeaways from this trip.  First, to open this post, I started with the story of how I first learned about Phuket eight years ago -- by the end of this entry, I'm proud to see how much I've evolved and changed since then; I'd like to think I'm a little less naive and more open to embrace adventure. 

Second, as I look through my photos, I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking "really? I get paid to do this for work!?  What kind of job is this!?"  Seeing my travels, I know it's hard for people to believe I do "real work," but believe me -- for every "luxury" in this world, there's a price to pay.  I don't take my business travels for granted -- it is indeed a privilege when the company sends me on these trips, but it's a privilege that I have to earn and prove that I'm worth sending to places.  I take great pride in these opportunities to go abroad and to do my presentations for work, as it's a tangible measure of how my career is progressing.

Third, I enjoyed being in Asia this time more than I ever thought I could, and I believe a big part of that was being able to connect with my Asian colleagues from Singapore, Japan, Korea, and China.  The camaraderie amongst my colleagues made Asia feel kinda "at home" for me, despite being 10,000 miles away from home.  What I enjoyed most was embodying the "unexpected."  In front of my European colleagues at this meeting, they would see that I am Asian, but were surprised to see how strong my American values are of being an individual and outspoken.  In front of my Asian colleagues, they saw "a banana," but were pleasantly surprised at how natural the Asian culture is to me, as well.  I'm a blend of East-Meets-West, and I think this trip was one of the few times, if not the first time, I could be myself (meaning both cultures that I come from) without any contradiction and as a result, I was at my best in excelling both in work and as a person.

Drinks at the only "wholesome" bar in Patong

Thai Massage Crew

As I left Asia, a senior executive asked me if this trip has "wet my appetite" to go to Asia for a position someday.  I would be lying if I said, no.  My interest is definitely piqued.  For now, I'm just savoring a trip that was both enlightening and satisfying in many aspects for me.  This trip has helped me gain confidence, optimism, and a sense of peace, in more ways than one.  I'm just going to sit on these feelings for as long as I need to, and while I don't know when and for what, I believe one or all of the lessons I've learned from this trip will help me make the right choice for an important decision someday down the road, whatever it might be - a work or personal decision...

Sep 27, 2012: Soaring at 10,000 ft...

As I look back at this past month on this last day of September, I reflect upon an action-packed adventurous 30 days.  I started this month in San Francisco, spent the middle part of the month in Bordeaux, France, and ended the month on a high note by skydiving from 10,000 feet up in the skies!  Skydiving has been on my to-do list for years, and I finally decided to take the plunge on September 27 -- a date with permanent prominence in my life now.  September 27, 2011 was the day that my doctor called me at exactly 2:30pm to tell me that my biopsy results came back positive for thyroid cancer.  No amount of words can ever accurately convey the flood of emotions that went through me at that moment -- all the fear, loneliness, the disappointment and grief that overpowers you -- nothing can ever prepare you for the bomb that cancer is when it's dropped on you.  No matter how cliche it sounds, everything about the process leaves a person shattered.  For the past year, I've felt like I've been trying to glue back the pieces that was my life/me that was blown to bits.  As mentioned in past posts, this blog has been a direct consequence of me trying to heal myself.  As the one-year anniversary of my diagnosis approached on September 27, 2012, I decided that I wanted to celebrate the progress I've made in healing, as well as give myself something more positive to remember September 27 by, so that it's not just the day that I became another statistic of cancer.  I figure, what better way to celebrate and to reclaim this date in my life than to set-out to do something that's both risky and challenging, but would give me tremendous satisfaction in knowing I followed-through on a promise to myself.  Hence, skydiving!

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a walk in the park making this decision.  While I thought about going skydiving for months now, I didn't book the reservation until 2 days prior to the jump.  But, by then, I had gone through the rigorous decision-making process, and I was certain this was something I was committed to doing.  Though, just a week earlier, as I was on the airplane flying back home from my trip to Bordeaux, I remember thinking on the approach to land at Logan airport, the screen in front of my seat read the altitude at 5,000 feet and I thought to myself "gee, this looks so high-up, how am I going to be able to jump out at 10,000 feet!?"  Plus, all the waiver forms you have to sign prior to the jump don't help to calm the nerves, as the first sheet of paper you see is in big red capital letters saying "DANGER, SKYDIVING CAN KILL YOU!"  It was rather fitting that the anticipation and anxieties leading up to making my jump felt similar to the days leading up to my diagnosis -- the waiting and uncertainty is always the worst part.  I was surprisingly calm in being able to drive myself an hour away to the jump site, and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful autumn day in New England to make my jump.  Given that it was cloudy the day before, and it's been pouring rain the last few days, I was so fortunate to have had a window of perfect blue skies on Thursday for skydiving -- as corny as it sounds, it was as if I was destined to do this on this date...

Unless you've been certified, it's a requirement that all beginner jumpers do a tandem jump (i.e., you're strapped to a professional).  My instructor, Keith, was wicked chill (I guess you have to be if you're a professional skydiver), but he was on the older side and I have to admit that I was concerned about his gray hair.  But, at this point, you just gotta roll with the punches.  The set-up of the skydive site was pretty makeshift, given that it's just a bunch of trailers on a field in the middle of nowhere -- another thing that serves as a final gut check that makes you question if one really wants to do this.  The plane itself is rather small, and the rickety sound of the propellers is also unnerving as you wait for your jump.  There's actually quite little training, as the instructor gives you some brief instructions on what to expect, but nothing extensive.  Thursday turned out to be a busy day at the site, as I had been scheduled to jump at 1pm, but got pushed to 3pm.  The waiting is the worst part!  By the time I finally did the jump, I was pretty eager at that point to get this over with.   

Priorities:  Make Sure You Take Good Pics of Me!

 

The absolute worst part is probably sitting on the plane, and watching the skydivers ahead of you get "sucked" out of the door as they make their jump.  It's not until after the jump do you know that it's really not as bad as it looks, but it does look awful when people make their approach out the airplane's door.  Getting to the door and out of the door is by far the biggest hurdle to get through mentally -- once you get past that, it is the most amazing feeling in the world to be floating in the air.  As I had suspected, it's one of those things that once you're in the air, you wish it could last longer!

For the five minutes that I was floating underneath the parachute, gliding back down to earth, I just tried to soak up one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced.  And, it was made more meaningful given the context of the day.  On the same date as the year prior, Sep 27,  I found myself experiencing feelings I again can't accurately convey to another person without them experiencing it first-hand, but unlike last year, this was the anti-thesis of all the ugliness unleashed in the year prior.  Back then, what I felt on Sep 27, I wouldn't ever wish on another person.  Conversely, Sep 27 this year, I hope everyone can get a taste of something similar to what I experienced via Skydiving.

Leading up to the jump, I hadn't told anyone that I was going to go skydiving, with the exception of my friend, Lucia, who had done this before and whom I informed so I could put her down as my emergency contact (just in case!).  It was something I needed to do for me, in the spirit of everything that this year has stood for me -- nothing's easy, but anything is possible if I put my mind to it.  Skydiving was a testament of how much progress I've made in asserting my independence and will to live life to the fullest for me, but it wasn't an easy thing to go through, and I've gained confidence by proving to myself that by handling the waves of emotions I experienced on making the jump, I can apply the same mindset to a lot aspects of my life.  

Lucia had given me a valuable reminder prior to my jump -- she told me to ask myself as I stood at the door of the plane what this jump stood for.  Thus, going into the jump, I knew my purpose was to leave behind all the negative baggage that I've been carrying with me for so long and to just leave all that behind, and just hang onto the more confident and stronger Linda that has evolved since that ugly day of Sep 27, 2011.  Skydiving was just proof of what has been there inside of me all along.  While I'm not so naive as to think everyday will miraculously now be as glorious a day as Sep 27, 2012, just from making one skydive, I will remember skydiving when life gets messy, as it so often is.  I'll remember that with all the hard decisions and tough calls I have to make going forward, I'll remember how scary it looked watching those skydivers ahead of me get sucked out the door of the airplane, but I'll know that once I jump, it's really not as bad as it looks, and the payoff waiting for me thereafter is worth every effort.  The key is just getting over that initial hump at the door...Most importantly, I'll forever remember the grace I showed under a pressure situation...

Like so many things in life, September 27 will forever be a bittersweet day for me.  Prior to skydiving, Sep 27 was just all bitter.  But without Sep 27, 2011, there would be no Sep 27, 2012.  There wouldn't be a skydive to relish in today, and there wouldn't be a 12 by 12 in 2012 in my life.  For that, I guess the cancer was "worth it" in the end.  I mean, how many people can say they went wine-tasting in Napa Valley, wine-tasting in Bordeaux, and went skydiving all in the same month!?  Thank you skydiving, for putting back the "sweet" in "bittersweet" on Sep 27 for me.  While I'll always remember how my heart sank when my doctor called me on Sep 27, 2011, I now have Sep 27, 2012, to remind me how I took a leap of faith and my heart was floating at 10,000 feet above the ground, but this time, I soared.  And, to continue to soar, is what I intend to do.  Sep 27, 2011 is the day I became a cancer patient, but Sep 27, 2012 is the day I turned into a cancer survivor... 

Wine Tasting Marathon Continues: Bordeaux, France

The month of September has turned into a wine tasting marathon.  Two weeks after just having visited Napa Valley, work took me to Bordeaux, France -- the wine capital of the world.  The team from work was in the Bordeaux area for the opening of a new site in Martillac, which is just outside of Bordeaux.  I envy my French colleagues who get to work at this new site, which is literally next door amidst some of the world's finest vineyards.   However, on this business trip more so than others, it was mostly all work and little play.  We were stuck in meetings everyday, all week, inside the hotel.  As we were staying outside of the city, I didn't really get a chance to fully see and experience Bordeaux.

Although it was mostly all business on this trip, the company did arrange to have a wine tasting for us as a team event.  The biggest difference that I found between wine tasting in Napa versus Bordeaux is that I found Napa to be a bit more commercialized compared to Bordeaux.  I recall having seen limo's driving along the main road running through Napa and the wine clubs in Napa try to offer more bells and whistles to lure you to their wineries.  Things just seemed a lot simpler in Bordeaux -- there just seemed to be less pomp & circumstance and a simpler focus on the wine itself.  It's always so cool to see the wooden barrels and tanks that get filled with wine...

Although we were stuck in the hotel for most of the week, the food we got was actually quite good.  However, there was a lot of raw food, such as beef carpaccio, smoke salmon, smoked duck, etc.  I would have taken more pictures of the food, but since I was surrounded by colleagues and senior leadership, I didn't feel quite comfortable taking out my camera at the dinner table as often as I normally would.  Though, somehow I did manage to snap several photos of a lot of tasty desserts that were served.  This was definitely one of the better dessert trips I've taken...

And, of course, I will never forget the strategizing that I had to do to make sure I brought home bottles of Bordeaux wine as souvenirs.  First obstacle was figuring out what to buy.  Thank goodness I had a colleague with a car and we managed to find a local wine shop where we could ask the owner for some recommendations, though she knew little English.  Second obstacle was how to pack 6 bottles of wine.  I ended up "stealing" all the towels in my room to wrap my bottles.  Third, I had to sweat it through the weight issue, as my luggage was super heavy.  Thank goodness for the extra weight allowance flying on business class.  But, every taxi driver made a comment at how heavy my luggage was.  You can't imagine how relieved I was when I got home and the first thing I did was unwrap each bottle from my luggage with bated breath.  I'm happy to report that all 6 bottles made it home safely...

 

I will definitely have to return to Bordeaux someday to fully experience the city itself.  If you've been following my blog, you'd recall that Zurich has been my favorite European city.  Based on what I did see of Bordeaux, I'd have to say Bordeaux would be my second, and that's only getting a very small taste of the city.  While it's not a large metropolis like Zurich, it still offers a lot of city life, European history, but with a contemporary and clean feel to it.  I only wish I had thought to extend my stay into the weekend had I known.  At least my souvenirs made it home safely to add to my collection of souvenirs...