I'm so happy to be finally in front of a computer. I'm staying at this spiritual retreat in the suburban area of San Diego, so there is absolutely no computer access. The rooms are nice except they have pretty much everything you need and nuthin' more. Then I have no car, and getting everywhere requires a car, so I have to get rides from my classmates everyday. I plan to rent a car after the workshop to go see friend Karen in Coronado Island. Good luck with that given my absolutely poor map reading and direction skills. keke.

Quickly let me gloss over what I've done in the past two weeks. Arrived in LA and stayed with friend Michelle for 4 days - shopped, ate, watched some Sex and the City and saw the play Les Miserables (which we both absolutely abhorred..). I took the amtrak to San Diego last Saturday and the train was delayed for 2 hours because there was a power shortage in Anaheim and loads of sweaty men that just came out of the baseball stadium packed in MY cargo with no airconditioning for a long long time. So when I arrived I was 3 hours late (cuz I also missed the train I was supposed to be on) and thank god the lady who was supposed to pick me up from the train station waited for me!! and took me to Questhaven Lodge (the retreat I'm staying at), which would've been impossible if I haven't had a car. I really dun think there are any taxis here. On a separate note, San Diego is absolutely beautiful, I was surprised to find that it's miles different from LA - rolling hills with masses of green lands that're becoming filled up by low rises, but still, very nice!

So I've done 6 days in my 10 day Soul Memory Discovery course with Ellen. Today is a break, which is much needed. Learning too much to share them all here so will share more when I come home. All in all I'm really enjoying it. On my third day in LA, I received a message from my guides that I need to go to Peru first. So I got my plane ticket to Peru leaving on July 5th and as of now, I'm not sure about Mexico. Am already feeling a bit tired, guess the course is just too intense, so hopefully after my lil' break in Coronado Island I will be recharged to travel more.

More and more later..

(Photograph: Casa de Angeles, Questhaven Retreat, San Diego)

Alright, I'm 85% done with packing as of now, still got a mini-list of things to buy tomorrow, among which is the most important digital camera that for some reason I've put off getting until now! Just another act of procrastination, but I have identified the model and the store from which I'll get, so it should be ok. Many things have occurred in the past few days to give me clarity on what is to come in my trip. Of coz, surprises will always be nice! This will be a journey full of fun discoveries about self and planet earth, my home at the moment. The most difficult thing about leaving is to rise up to the challenge of becoming fully loyal to myself alone, which means letting go of attachments to my family, their expectations, worries, which are like invisbile leashes that tug on my back every now and then. My doggie knows I'm leaving as she's just psychic and is especially sensitive to people leaving given her abandonment patterns. For the past two nights, she's been sleeping next to my backpacks, hoping that by doing so, I will bring her along on my trip. Nice try. So I had a conversation with my beloved Bee Bee, (rarely was she so patient to sit on my lap as she hates to be controlled in any way). I told her I will be back in four full-moons (i think that's about right!) and told her to send me telepathy if she misses me or if anything happens at home that makes her unhappy. Mom has promised to let Bee Bee sleep in her room so she will not feel lonely without me, so sweeeeet. Time to go to bed.

Oops, forgot to share an interesting thing I learned few days ago. I met Eva's husband last Thursday who shared with me his experience traveling alone in Central America and how he successfully dissipated dangers by simply saying out loud from his heart "I'm a light of God". One time he was at a bar and there were gangsters speaking Spanish. Then out loud he yelled "I'm a light of God", from his heart! and everybody just froze in shock. At the end, the man he said it to who was trying to mug him, even helped me. Amazing! Anyway, I don't hope to practice this as it would mean I'm put in a place of danger. But if I am in a place of danger, I believe this will really save my ass. I hope I'm not sending the wrong message to the universe, but anyway, I can see how powerful this can be.

Hello. It is now a lil' less than a week before I take off to my travels. I'm feeling a bit nauseous as I guess a part of me still holds much fear about the changes that will come during my travels. Also I'm feeling anxious about packing as I do not like to pack and I've been procrastinating on it, but today I'm feeling I must get my ass going on it. So after I finish my first blog entry I will grab my brother's big backpack (which I'm borrowing cuz' it's big) and start to put in the winter clothes first, since I expect to tread South America at the latter part of my trip.

My thoughts about the trip are scattered at this moment. It's like the stillness before a storm, yes, that's how I'm feeling. Much will be unfolded in this trip, yet I'm blindfolded at the moment. The only channeled messages I've received so far about my travel is that I will be prepared for what I'm being prepared for - wow, what an insight that brings me no where. At the same time, what fun will there be if I know what is to come!? Great! Anyhow, yesterday I did pick up a book from Ruby's called "The Heart of Cristos" and to no coincidence, it contains many interesting pastlife memories of the writer in Mesoamerica and apparently the Mayans had access to star wisdoms from Pleiades. So I'm looking forward to visiting some Mayan temples in Mexico where I will possibly download for myself these wisdoms while I'm there! So this part makes me very excited!

Ok. All for now. Expect to write every now and then. So pls come back when you think about me while I'm away...