11/28/13 Woo hoo! I’m Starting a Blog!!

This year there have been and will be a few big changes.  Most of them are blessings, and some were challenges that made me stronger.  Now as we approach December month, which is my birth day month, it’s time for me to plan to fulfill some of the things that God might have designed me to do in my life journey.  One of the things that I would like to do is writing.  In my previous life, I have been in academic field with a brief stint teaching Managerial Accounting, and later teaching Economics in a university well known for law and political economy in Thailand.  My last position there was Associate Professor in Economics with a few research papers and books.  After immigrating to the US, I changed to a second life, following the path of Civil Servant with emphasis on accountability and financial management. My past 15 years have been dedicated to the issues of Affordable Housing and Homeless Services in LA, and more recently with community investment programs and services.  Beside the work, I’m interested in arts and music, and that’s why I’m contemplating doing something new that will lead to writing a novel some day in a not too distant future. I’m following UCLA Extension Writing program page on FB, and found encouragement from one of its posting that "one needs to start writing to become a writer, even when it may not be the best."

Why do I think I can write?  Well, during my elementary school days, when I studied Chinese and wrote Chinese essays, my Mother, who was my teacher at the time complimented that they were good essays.  She encouraged my to write by posting on the class bulletin.  Unfortunately, after elementary school, Thailand at the time did not allow teaching Chinese in high school; so my Chinese writing skills have said good-bye long time ago.

Last year, I discovered that my eight-year-old grand daughter who went with her missionary parent to Thailand was typing on the computer a long story about the love of a horse named “Midnight Forest”.  (I will post her writing in the future) This stirred up my desire to try my hand at writing a story about my parents; their story was set in multi-cultures and extended across the sea to several countries, social, and political changes before and after World War II.

When I was a little girl until late elementary school, I didn’t remember I had a father, and when my mother said that he died, I just accepted it and occasionally wondered what my father was like.  Later on when I was about to finish four years of elementary school, he showed up but was not quite successful in talking her into investing in a venture.  I was surprised, however, that my Chinese neighbor knew about him, and I learned later that the big Bangkok Bank founder knew him well.  My brother in law who knows how to read Chinese told me recently that my father was a very famous Chinese Newspaper Editor that commanded respect from the Chinese community.  So I thought there might be some writing gene in me that I should explore.  So here I am starting a blog, which will be about this journey to discover and develop my artistic side of the brain, and stories that show that my life journey thus far has been led by the Mighty Hand of the One who loves me more than any one in this world.  As I have described that “My Potter is not done with me yet”.

Today is a good day, a very good day, it is Thanksgiving 2013, when I start a blog and venture in the journey to exercise my left side of the brain to prepare for my third life journey.  I chose “Bee-Attitude” as the name of my blog because it is an endearing nick name that my father called me, plus I love the encouraging words of Beatitude, Sermon on the Mount, from the Master as told in Mathew chapter 5.  Beatitude was “The Secrets of Happiness” as explained by Dr Billy Graham in his book of the same name.  Also a member of Hollywood Adventist Church, Karin, the church children Sabbath School made a poster that was so cool with picture of bees and a title “Bee-attitude”, which I liked so much and now have to borrow it to become the title to describe me and my blog.  With my name sake combined with blessings in life according to Sermon on the Mount, which is the principle that guides my life.  It is better than my real Chinese name that my father gave me, “Hot Beauty”, or as my sister pointed out, “Summer Beauty”.  Although I wouldn’t mind being a “hot beauty” from the inside out, just saying.

Also, I have additional encouragements to be inspired and stay focus from watching self-development videos of Inspired Ling Application (ILA).  Thanks to my friend, Lennox Fleary, who introduced ILA to me, and is a good role model for self-development.

Watch for more of my life stories and thoughts in my next blog.  Happy Thanksgiving week end every one!!