Niles Library

Tuesdays are terrific because it means an outing to the Niles Library :)

Gavin and I started our morning at Starbucks after we dropped off Gigi at school. I had a coffee and he had a banana.

The artwork pictured above was created by a resident in celebration of the library's 50th anniversary. I need to warn you that this library is tinnnnnnyyyy. I'd estimate it to be around 600 - 700 square feet. Even still, I heart this place. It is super cute, quaint, and located in historic downtown Niles near the Railroad Station. Another thing I like is you can check out the most current issue of a magazine/periodical. In comparison to larger libraries, current issues are not available for check out and must be read in-house. They are open on Tuesdays only from 10 am - 5 pm.

We read some books on our own and skipped Toddler reading time today to enjoy the good weather to walk around, and of course, take a few pics along the way : )

Gavin found a pinwheel we got from Happy Hallow over the weekend and brought it along.

It turned out to be a good photo prop..

..that kept him busy and entertained while I snapped away.

"Let's go to the train station mommy." Ok :D

Hope your Tuesday is terrific :-)

Coyote Hills Regional Park

I've grown up in the southern part of the east bay and the first time I went to Coyote Hills was early January of this year. Ever since my discovery, I have been coming back to these hills, week after week. Rain or shine, for six straight weeks, I find myself here to run, hike, enjoy nature, and the beautiful scenery. 

The trail I've gotten to know the most is Muskrat Trail. Check out the Muskrat-ish looking creature I met above. Was it following me or was I following it? I don't know. All I know is I got lost (a handful of times.) But, I eventually find my way back. As an fyi, GPS does not work here, I tried it. Please PAY ATTENTION!

This is Bayview Trail which I discovered last week. Can you say beeee-yoooo-ti-ful! Ah... And the feeling you get walking/biking/running this trail is serenely exquisite.

This is Bayview trail heading toward Soaproot Trail..on my way to get a nice incline run :)

Words of advice: the best uphill workouts are off the beaten path. Literally. You have to get off the pavement and find the trails hikers have trodden upon. First of all, these paths are visible and have already been laid out for you. All you have to do is follow it. It's a little safe and a little scary because you're not sure where they'll lead. All of the ones I've chosen have led to very cool, hill top vistas. I highly recommend this!

CAUTION: Running uphill is tough but running downhill, can be scary! Really. BE. CAREFUL.

My "hill days" are usually Sundays. This weekly ritual is not only something I look forward to, but now crave. Being out there just feels right. You know: and Good. Tough. Scenic. Fun. That's all me baby!

Plus, it is a fantastic way to start off the week. I feel like if I can jog, run, climb these hilly beauts, I can accomplish whatever pops up during the week..with strength and a smile :)

Here's to creating happy and healthy rituals!

I hope you have yours and if you don't, please CREATE ONE! You'll thank me later.

Have a charmed & blessed week friends!

= )

For you Yelpers out there, here are more reviews about my new favorite place in town:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/coyote-hills-regional-park-fremont

Leaning out

Sometimes it is the things we really don't want to do that are exactly the things we need to do.

For me one of those things is beginning to end my often abusive relationship with food.

To make a long short, I begrudgingly began eating healthily two days ago by following my brother Lyle's lead (filling up on veggies, meats, fruits, nuts, lots of water..basically cutting out processed food items including bread & rice). Surprisingly.. I feel pretty dang good!! (let's see how long this lasts...)

I will experiment and see what kind of results I get by eating this way for at least this whole month while maintaining my exercise regimen. I will also be tracking my mood, weight loss, strength, endurance, & energy.

Oh, and by the way, I've lost 2 pounds in 2 days. Let the losing & leaning out continue!

It's the beginning of another month ya'll. Let's get crackin' ;-D

Getting out of a ticket

Within the past twelve months I've been pulled over by the Dublin Police, Fremont Police, & Union City Police for traffic violations that I've managed to get out of, ticket-free.


I wanted to share a few observations I've learned that have been key in helping me get out of such sticky situations.


1) Disarm them right away with utter calmness & respect


The Police have one thing in common no matter what city they're from: they risk their lives everyday to do their jobs. That alone in my opinion, deserves some respect. No matter what your feelings are about the Police, understanding this is key in getting them to see that you do not pose any kind of threat to their well being.


2) Tap into your own inner calm


The first thing I do when I get pulled over is to turn off any music I happen to be listening to. When the cop asks for my license & registration and goes back to his/her vehicle to run my data I quickly turn my cell phone on silent. Then I take a few deep breaths and fully accept that I may have committed some kind of infraction. The three times I was pulled over, I was unaware of what I did. (Dublin: female cop pulled me over for making an illegal u-turn. Fremont: male cop pulled me over for driving without a front license plate. Union City: male motorcycle cop pulled me over for going 15 mph over the speed limit.) If you do this correctly, you should feel completely calm and fully receptive of what the officer will tell you and ready for the next step.


3) Ace your two minute interview

This is the make or break time when they return to inform you of what they think you've done

a) If you've prepared adequately and followed Steps 1 & 2 to the T, you should be very calm and centered at this point. The energy that should be emanating from you should be peace and tranquility.. I guarantee that they will feel it too.

b) It is important to note that the more calm you are, the better of a listener you'll be, and the better your response will be.

Whatever you say NEVER ARGUE WITH A COP. Remember the first step of disarming the officer? Once you engage in argumentative behavior, you've LOST any chances you've had of successfully getting out ticket-free. Yes, you still have your pride (foolish) but you stand to lose more with 1) your time and/or 2) your money addressing that ticket.


c) I can't tell you what to say but I can only share the gist of what I said:
 

i) Dublin- "Officer, I was not aware that u-turns are not allowed in this intersection. I met up with some girlfriends for dinner and got lost since I'm not from the area.."
 

ii) Fremont- "Officer, I was not aware that my vehicle needed front plates. Our vehicle is fairly new and now I know I need to ask my husband to put front plates on when I get home.."


iii) Union City- "Officer, I did not realize that I was going so fast..We've recently lost a loved one and I think my mind is elsewhere..I'm very sorry :( .."

All the statements I made were truthful, fairly brief, respectful, and sincerely delivered. As a result, I managed to get out of three tickets, unscathed, and pretty darn proud of myself :)


P.S. My ticket-free days came to an abrupt end when I got caught on camera (photo & all) running a red light after a 4am bleary-eyed-gym- session. I totally remembered the flash from the camera, thinking FML!!! Now the machine got me. Oh well, I fully deserved it and there was no person to potentially win over this time around...LOL.

Adventures with the boy

After toddler time at the library today, Gavin and I decided to do some exploring. We found ourselves at the Niles Depot train station. I've never really stopped and looked around this area, and I figured it would be a fun first for the both of us. Here are a few pics from this morning:

Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday and a very happy birthday to Helen Chou!!

Kauai Days 4-6 part b

Kauai Days 4-6 part c