Sharing a lot of information, some knowledge, and a little bit of wisdom
On My Mind

Feng Shui and intentional living

          

Today I attended a brown bag presentation on Feng Shui and the Power of Intention by certified Feng Shui practitioners Caroline Lehman, Karen Hollingsworth and Mary Conley.

They talked about

It was a wonderful presentation, the best attended one we had so far this year at Mn/DOT.

For more information about the topic, check the presenters' websites or read my articles published in Woodbury Bulletin. You can also find tons of information on the Internet.

Websites:

Articles:

 

Posted by: Qin Tang on Tuesday, March 16 at 10:57 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: feng shui, intentional living

Why scanning documents?

One of the things I always wanted to do was to scan all of my important paper documents onto computer.

Well, I finally did it today. I took out a binder that contains important documents such as ID cards, passports, birth certificates, graduation certificates, marriage certificates, vehicle and house titles, etc. and scanned them all in 2-3 hours.

There are many advantages of having those documents scanned onto computer.

Peace of mind
I can make a backup copy of my computer and store it somewhere else. In case something happened to the original paper documents, I still have a copy in electronic format.

Reduce paper clutter and go green
Scanning paper documents onto computer is a great way to reduce the use and storage of paper. I don’t need to keep multiple paper copies. I can always print copies if needed. This will reduce paper waste and conserve energy.

Easy portability and access
I can keep the electronic documents on my computer and also on a flash drive. I can access the documents whenever I need them.

Easy organization
Electronic documents can be organized much faster, better, and more easily than paper documents. In addition, finding, viewing, and sharing electronic documents can be achieved with unprecedented speed and ease - instantly.

Preservation
Paper documents will turn yellow and become brittle over the time. Scanning paper documents onto computer can preserve and improves the quality of those documents.

For my next scanning project, when I have time and desire on another day, I would like to scan more photos, and school reports and certificates from various activities.

Imagine, when my kids grow up and start their own lives, I'll be able to hand them a disk with important family documents and history, lots of photos and their childhood memories, everything on a disk.

Wouldn't it be cool?

 

Posted by: Qin Tang on Monday, March 15 at 11:16 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: green, preservation, reduce paper clutter, scan documents

A day refreshed in body, mind and spirit

What a nice day we had today!

It was sunny and warm. With a record-high 64 degrees in the Twin Cities, it felt like spring or summer, though there were still chunks of ice here and there on the road.

Kids were wearing shorts and t-shirts while playing balls, biking or scooting outside.

I also came out of my winter hibernation. I did a couple of things I haven’t done in the last few months.

In the afternoon, I worked in my garden. After dinner, I took a walk.

Just last week, the garden was still covered with snow. With rain and rising temperature, the ground has thawed. I was able to dig a trench in my garden and mixed into the ground my food scraps that were accumulated during the last few months.

Since I started the vegetable garden in our backyard when we moved into the new house in 2001, I have been doing composting all year around.

Most of the year, I just dump the food scraps in the trench and cover it with some soil on the top. But during the winter when the ground is frozen, I leave the food scraps in plastic bags under my deck. I compost them all when the weather gets warmer like today.

I feel good that I am able to garden organically using soils enriched with my own compost. It also makes me feel good to reduce trash and help save the environment.

After dinner, it was still bright. I took a 40 minute walk around the neighborhood. It felt so good to breath in the fresh and warm air. I had missed my after dinner walk for a few months.

During winter, I hardly see anyone on the street. Most residential areas feel like ghost towns. Now I can see and feel life in the air again, with people walking and kids playing outside.

As I was walking, I pondered again on the message that my pastor Frank Sanders delivered this morning at Spirit of Life Bible Church.

His message was centered on the question: “What is your priority in life?”

Pastor Frank is passionate about God. His sermons are always insightful and down to earth. Today I was especially touched by his message. He spoke to me, into my mind and soul.

I pondered the questions he asked everyone: “What is your priority and do you have your priority right?”

I think I know what my priority is and should be.

But, do I practice what I know?

As I reflected where and how I spend my time, treasure and talent, I knew in my heart that I don’t always do what I should do.

Even though I know what my priority is, but if I don’t do it right, it’s no different than someone who doesn’t know what his priority is.

Pastor Sanders’ message really stirred my heart today.

Working in the garden, walking in the neighborhood, with Pastor Sanders’ message in my mind, and the fresh air in my body, I felt refreshed and reenergized.

What a beautiful day I had!

To read my article about Pastor Frank Sanders, Living the Spirit of Life with Passion, visit my blog here.

 

Posted by: Qin Tang on Monday, March 15 at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: body, mind, pastor frank sanders, spirit, spirit of life bible church

LMS won 2nd and 4th in Math Masters


 

Two teams made up of ten 6th grade students from Lake Middle School participated in Math Masters Regional competition held at John Glenn Middle School in Maplewood today. They won the 2nd and 4th place in team competition. Each team member received a medal and a certificate.

A few students also won in the Fact Drill and Individual competitions.

My son won three medals, one from each category. He was happy and proud. It was a fun event.

Math Masters of Minnesota provides competitions in mathematics for fifth and sixth grade students in public, private, and home schools. The regional competitions are held around the state of Minnesota each spring.

In 2009, more than 4000 students competed at 35 different sites around the state of Minnesota and in Wisconsin.

Thanks to Lake Middle School for offering and sponsoring Math Masters this year. A especial thank-you to Ms. Tina Van Erp, Gifted Education Specialist at Lake and Woodbury Middle Schools, for coordinating the program, and to Riyad Moe and Hong Ding for coaching the two teams.

 

Posted by: Qin Tang on Saturday, March 13 at 11:43 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: andy, competition, lake middle school, math masters

EXCO - Free, community-led education

Learning is a life long process. I believe everyone should continue education no matter what state they are in their life.

Nowadays, many ways and opportunities exist out there that help us continue the life-long learning.

If you don’t care about getting a degree and a piece of paper to advance your career and financial life, if you simply want to learn for the joy of learning, if you are interested in taking some free classes in Twin Cities, check out the Experimental College of the Twin Cities (also known as EXCOtc) and its website.

“Everyone can teach or take classes, and all classes are free!”
This is the motto of the EXCOtc.

The Experimental College Movement started in the 1960s by college students in search of equal access, social justice and democratic education for social change. It aims to bring alternative voices to the University culture and to provide a forum for learning and teaching in an informal, cooperative setting.

ECXO is generally a school within a school, based out of a college or university that offers classes taught by not just traditional professors, but students and community members as well, often without grades and free of charge.

EXCO has a community-based emphasis. It welcomes members from the community to teach and learn.

EXCO provides an outlet for individuals to share their interests and skills. It provides opportunities for lifelong learning.

EXCOtc was a relatively new establishment. It started by Macalester students in 2006.

EXCOtc is expanding to other college campuses and community groups.
The University of Minnesota (Twin Cities Campus) chapter was created 2007.

A wide variety of classes are offered through EXCOtc by a wide variety of individuals, from professionals to amateurs.

There's something for everyone at EXCO. From theoretical to practical, from politics to languages, from health to spirituality, you will probably find a class that interests you.

If you are interested in teaching or taking a class with EXCOtc, submit an application or sign up a class online at www.EXCOtc.org. To contact EXCOtc, you can also call (651) 998-9268, or send an email to excotc@gmail.com.
 

Posted by: Qin Tang on Friday, March 12 at 10:35 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: continuing education, exco, excotc, experimental college, life long learning

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