California Bucket List

Even though I live in California, there's still many places I haven't been to yet. There's still plenty of things I want to do.

I think it's a good idea to create a list, so I can remember everything I want to do and it might even help others with travel ideas in California. I'm also going to list stuff I've already done, but can't wait to do again. I'm well aware that the list won't be completed within a few years or at all.

Places I have yet to go...

• Klamath’s National Forest, Yreka, CA
• Pluto’s Cave trail, Mount Shasta, CA
• Redwoods National Forest, Eureka, CA
• Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, CA
• Universal Studios, Universal City, CA
• Santa Catalina Island, CA
• California Adventures, Anaheim, CA
• Stanford University, Stanford, CA
• Charles M. Schulz Museum, Santa Rosa, CA
• Monterey Bay Aquarium & beaches, Monterey, CA 
• Yosemite, CA
• Coronado Island, Coronado, CA
• Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, Lancaster, CA
• Legoland, Carlsbad, CA
• Sequoia National Forest, Visalia, CA
• The French Laundry restaurant, Yountville, CA
• Natural Bridges, Calaveras, CA 
• Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside County, CA  
• Daffodil Hill & Black Chasm Cavern, Volcano, CA 
• Apple Hill, Placerville, CA 
• Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, CA

• San Francisco, CA 

1. Twin Peaks
2. Stow Lake 
3. Walt Disney Family Museum
4. Mosaic Stairs
5. Painted Stairs
6. Legion of Honor

• Los Angeles, CA

1. Venice Canals 
2. LACMA
3. University of South California (USC)
4. Asian History Museum 
5. Japantown

 Places I want to return to...

• Morro Bay, CA
• San Luis Obispo, CA
• Carmel, CA
• South Lake Tahoe, CA
• Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CA

I want to say that just because a place isn't listed here, doesn't mean I don't ever want to go there or that it wasn't special to me. When I created the lists, I imagine myself pursuing these places and things to do mostly within the next 5 years. After all, I did title this post "California Bucket List". It's not a rank of special places since I never been to all the places. Not all of my favorite places are listed on this post. I chose to keep those places in my mind longer and revisit them at a much later time. I will also discuss some of my favorite places in a later post.

I want to...

• go horseback riding on the beach
• wagon or Horse riding in the snow
• be in a place that's covered with snow and while it's still snowing
• go dog sledding
• visit more beaches in California
• eat ice cream & BBQ on the beach
• have more potlucks or food gatherings with friends 
• go on a nice boat ride
• try more different foods and popular dishes from places all over California
• go on scavenger hunts
• go whale and elephant seal watching
• beach bonfire
• camp bonfire

There's some things I already did on the list of "I want to...". The reason why I listed some things I already did is because that's one of the things I really love doing. It's too bad I don't get to do most of these activities often. Some of the stuff listed might be expensive and/or far. But, it's always good to remind yourself of your goals and to do things that keep you happy.

UC Davis China Summer Abroad 2010 Reunion

Since we last studied abroad together in 2010, we managed to have some reunions with most of the group. I've also had other classes with the group and saw them on campus. However, as time passes, we all went our different directions.

But, no matter what, I will always remember all the good times we spent there. It definitely called for some interesting stories.

Wang Lin (Michelle) who was our tour guide and interpreter in China made a trip to America. Upon her visit, Adrian coordinated a reunion meet up in San Francisco. I struggled with the decision of whether to attend or not, but decided I should because it's not often I would see old friends. So,  I decided to drive to San Francisco all by myself for the first time. It was alright, but I hated that traffic delayed my arrival.

My first stop in San Francisco was Purple Kow. Afterwards, I drove to B*Star to eat dinner with the group. It's the first Burmese restaurant I ever been to. I actually wanted to try Burmese food since my last time in San Francisco. I knew I had to try Burmese food in San Francisco because of its diverse populations and the high ratings for the Burmese restaurants. The first time I heard of Burma (Myanmar) was when I was studying abroad in China. Regina told me that her family is from Burma and some other background of Burma. Regina, Shoun, and I also visited the Myanmar pavilion while we were at the Shanghai World Expo in 2010!

I ended up ordering the Pork entree with vegetables. And, it was unbelievably delicious. The meat itself was the best part. I especially loved the skin. I like the rice and bok choy that came with the dish. The soup that was shared among us, I didn't enjoy it that much. I will definitely have Burmese food again. I'm looking forward to trying their curry, desserts, and some other dishes :).

When I arrived at B*Star, everyone else was already there, but didn't order yet. It was nice seeing everyone again. Everyone looked the same to me.

I was able to meet Matt's girlfriend at the restaurant, who helped us take some photos.

It was great catching up with everyone. I had a really good time hearing everybody's stories of how they been and just catching up. I hope we have more reunions in the future. I also hope Wang Lin comes to California more, so we can see her.

After finishing dinner, we walked to a boba place since Michelle wanted to try boba in San Francisco. We also meet Andrea at the boba place called Little Sweet. I'm glad that a good number of us managed to meet up for a reunion. I understand it always gets harder as people move and have too much commitments.

While we were at Little Sweet, we had a discussion of the boba place we used to go in China that was near our hotel. We knew that the name had the word "girl" in it, but forgot what it was. I thought it was "ok girl". I remembered having a photo of it and its "My.girl".

Ah, good times :). I can't wait for the next reunion we have together. Maybe next time, I will see more members of the group.

How to get an introvert to open up to you

I think that when some people notice a shy or quiet person some people believe they can just tell the person to be more "talkative". That's not exactly the greatest method since most people would not suddenly become more talkative because they are told so, especially if being quiet or shy is what they been for a very long time. So, how do you get a person to open up to you?

Smile
Smiling is one of the easiest ways to make people like being around you. Once a person is used to the idea of your presence, its a bit easier for them to open up to you.

Trust
When you gain a persons trust they are more likely to open up to you. Trust is gained in different ways depending on the person. Trust can be shown through helping a person or doing something nice. Protecting a person is always a good way.

Opening up to the person
Sometimes when you open up to a person you can get a person to feel more comfortable with you. A good way to open up to the person is through a story that may be short, funny, or recent. When you open up to someone, they can get to know you and find a way to connect to you and in return the person might share a story as well.

Listen
If you want someone to open up to you, you better take the time to listen to what they have to say. Don't always try to be the one that dominate conversations. Sometimes, you just have to let others control the topics of conversations and provide their inputs.

Be a friend
It's easier to open up to people when you know they are on your side and not working against you. Exhibit enthusiasm and do things with the person and not just talk to them on occasion. Catch up with the person and be genuinely interested in getting to know that person. It's much easier to talk to someone when you get to know them and what they like or don't.

Understanding interests and experiences
I really believe that one of the easiest ways to connect to a person is through a common interest or hobby. It's so easy for people to tell you what they like or not like. That's a good start.

Also, each person has their own story of life that shaped who they are today. If you are able to understand some of their story, you might also understand their behavior, common phrases, as well as likes and dislikes. You may not have had similar experiences, but you can sympathize and be there for the person.

In short, the process of having someone open up to you is not short and effortless. Some people may choose to keep secrets and respect opinions of others. But, there is always a way to connect with someone and sometimes it takes time and work. It's not merely a matter of stating problems or getting someone to change. Sometimes the effort has to come from both sides.