January

Happy Birthday to me! :-) And Happy Birthday to my 2 brothers this month! We all have our birthdays in January, so its kind of a special month. Wish I could be there to celebrate with you guys, even if just for a day. Another thing I wish I could be back home for is the Auto Show in Detroit.

The last few years, I made a habit of going to the Auto Show because I really enjoy seeing the new cars, and sitting in many of them, to see if I fit ;-) But us Schultzes' can't fit in all of them, we're just too big! Although I missed the Show this year and last year, I'm still able to keep an eye on what's new in the auto industry in the US; I used MSN Video to check out video clips of some of the new vehicles, see the interiors and hear about new technical advances. The new Lexus LS460 looks very interesting, as well as the Dodge Viper. Can't wait to get back to the States and see how the roadscape has changed!

In other new, I realized I needed a hobby, or something to study, to make my free time more interesting and perhaps income-augmenting. My family remembers I used to show interest in Feng Shui. I can even remember my brother Jason saying to me "Feng SHUI!" on several occasions haha! Well I decided to start studying it again; I recently purchased a CDROM of a distance learning course, from an accredited institution in the UK. If I prove my capacity I can become an accredited practitioner, i.e. consultant. So far its very interesting, and here's an example:

I was feeling tired most of the time, especially hard to get out of bed in the morning. There's this idea of Chi, or energy. There's a similar term for this in many Eastern cultures. Anyway, it hit me one night, as I was lying in bed, that I need to change my room around. Simply by moving my bed from the south wall to the east wall, I instantly felt better and had more energy! This doesn't mean everyone should have their beds on the east wall, thats just how my apartment is set up. Since then (about 5 days) I need less sleep, have more vivid dreams, and less lethargy. I also feel happier in general, and the only change was moving my bed (and dresser).

The practice of feng shui is considered to be over 5,000 yrs old, and its based on man, the environment, the elements, alignment of planets, and many more things which I've yet to learn. I know I'm far from being an expert in any sense, but this is my preliminary venture into the science. I can share more as I learn more. Or I may not say anything until I come back home :-) Nonetheless, this is an interest for me, which keeps this teaching thing from becoming too burdensome.

Also, I'm planning to take a little vacation in March, to Beijing, with my buddy John. Hope to have a functioning camera by then, and I'll take some pics of The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, and anything else worthy or mention. It'll be nice to get out of Korea for more than a few days!