Monthly Archives: October 2010

Winter squash -my favorite food

Posted on October 31, 2010 by Qin Tang

When it comes to fruit and vegetables, there is hardly anything I don’t like. However, I do have some favorites. This time of the year, in the fall, my favorite food is winter squash. Winter squash come in all kinds of varieties, colors, shapes, and … Continue reading →

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101 Important Questions To Ask Yourself in Life

Posted on October 31, 2010 by Qin Tang

101 Important Questions To Ask Yourself in Life This is the title of another great article by Celes Chua posted on her Personal Excellence Blog.   I think anyone who takes the time to answer these questions and then follow through … Continue reading →

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Halloween Bash at Middleton

Posted on October 30, 2010 by Qin Tang

My daughter wanted to go to the Halloween Bash at her school. So we went there after her swimming lesson. Once we got there, she said: “Bye mom, see you later.” Off she went to be with her school friends. While waiting … Continue reading →

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Magic words work wonders

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Qin Tang

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the importance of saying the two magic words “Thank You” in our every day life.  Say “Thank You” to everyone who was kind to you, helped you, touched you in any way. It can work … Continue reading →

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Conquer closet chaos

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Qin Tang

Today I attended a presentation by Karen R. Hollingsworth and Caroline Lehman from the EIGHT-HANDS Collaborative on how to conquer the closet chaos and bring harmony to your closet and life. It was great. Below is the information from the handout. … Continue reading →

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10th anniversary with Mn/DOT

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Qin Tang

Time surely flies by fast.  It’s been 10 years since I have worked at Mn/DOT Library. When I moved from Chicago, Illinois to St. Paul, Minnesota in summer 1999, I was pregnant with my second child. Therefore I stayed home. My daughter was born … Continue reading →

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Goodbye, Stuff

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Qin Tang

I loved reading the following post by miss minimalist and would like to share it here. Dear Stuff, I’m not sure how to break this to you…but the time has come for us to part ways. Sure, we have a long … Continue reading →

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Clean eating

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Qin Tang

I know quite a lot what healthy eating is, but had no clear idea what clean eating is until I went to a workshop about it today. Clean eating is consuming food in its most natural state – eating whole and natural foods and … Continue reading →

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Gone with the wind

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Qin Tang

I have four trees in the front yard. They were planted in spring 2001 after the house was built.  I bought two trees from a local tree farm, a maple tree and a crab apple tree, and carried both small trees home in the back trunk of a small car.   At the suggestion … Continue reading →

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Photos of bridges

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Qin Tang

In a previous blog post, I posted a few photos of bridges taken in Zhejiang, China. Today I posted more bridge photos on my Facebook page. I took those photos in the afternoon on June 5 while on my way from Ningbo to … Continue reading →

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Little-known facts about GMOs

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Qin Tang

Yesterday at a dinner party, we were talking about genetically modified crops (often abbreviated as GMOs, i.e. genetically modified organism). A friend said GMO foods in the US have to be labeled which surprised me. That was not my understanding.  … Continue reading →

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Fellowship

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Qin Tang

Tonight (Sat. 10/23) a few Chinese families in my neighborhood gathered together for a party. It was a farewell party for the parents of one family who will be returning to China after 4 month visit. When Chinese families get together, there is always delicious food. Eat and drink, … Continue reading →

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Photos from Chiang Kai-shek’s birth place

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Qin Tang

I posted some photos taken at Chiang Kai-shek’s birth place on my Facebook page. Chiang was born in Xikou, a town approximately 30 kilometers southwest of downtown Ningbo, in Fenghua, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. We visited Xikou on June 5.

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Book on simplicity

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Qin Tang

In a previous post about my favorite blogs, I talked about Leo Babauta, creator and writer of Zen Habits,  mnmlist.com (on minimalism) and Write To Done (for writers and bloggers).  Leo has just released a new book titled Focus: a Simplicity Manifesto in … Continue reading →

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A burden lifted – procrastination

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Qin Tang

Today when I finished a project that I had been working on for more than a week and should have completed a few months ago, I felt like a burden was lifted from my shoulder. Finally I could cross it off from my mental to-do list. The … Continue reading →

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On autopilot

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Qin Tang

Today I did something unbelievable. Well, I really should use the word stupid here.   I had a parent/teacher conference for my daughter at Middleton Elementary at 4 pm. I was rushing to get to school after work. Apparently I was not thinking … Continue reading →

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Get a second opinion for health care

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Qin Tang

When we make purchases of big or small items, we often do comparison shopping to find the best deal. The same practice should apply when it comes to making health care decisions. Because I have had unpleasant experiences with doctors and … Continue reading →

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Photos from Xikou and Mount Xuedou Scenic Area

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Qin Tang

One of the most memorable places we visited during our 4-day stay (June 4-8) in Ningbo is the Xikou and Mount Xuedou Scenic Area. The scenic area, one of the well-known scenic areas in Zhejiang Province for its serenity, seclusion, magnificence, and wonderfulness, is located  in … Continue reading →

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Volunteering at Afton State Park

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Qin Tang

My kids and I spent two hours this morning at the Afton State Park to do some volunteer work. The event was organized by a state agency for the state employees. Four other state parks in Twin Cities also participated in … Continue reading →

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How Successful People Think – Book interview

Posted on October 16, 2010 by Qin Tang

I recently interviewed Tom Halverson, Mn/DOT Chief Financial Officer. We talked about the 8th book in the Commissioner’s Reading Corner Book of the Month series, How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life by John  Maxwell.   Tang: You … Continue reading →

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Get moving at work

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Qin Tang

Nowadays, more and more jobs are office work where people work on a computer and sit all day in the office. Then at home we sit more, either to watch TV or work more on a computer. Our modern lifestyle of not exercising well and … Continue reading →

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Photos from Ningbo – yummy Chinese food

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Qin Tang

For many Chinese living abroad, one of the things we miss the most about our home land is the authentic Chinese food. Going home to China means a much desired opportunity to feast on Chinese food – food we grew up with and … Continue reading →

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Inspired by tinybuddha

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Qin Tang

Tonight while checking my Facebook page, I came across tinybuddha, a website/blog recommended by a Facebook friend. Tinybuddha sends out daily wisdom quotes, shares tips and stories about applying wisdom to real life. You can follow Tinybuddha on Twitter or be a friend … Continue reading →

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Woodbury Photo Contest – update

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Qin Tang

This is an update to the Woodbury Photo Contest I wrote about in a previous post. The results have been published in the Oct. 2010 issue of Woodbury City Update, see below. Here is one of the entries I submitted, taken from the … Continue reading →

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Photos of Hangzhou Bay Bridge

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Qin Tang

 On June 4, we left my hometown Suzhou in Jiangsu Province to go to Ningbo in the neighboring Zhejiang Province. We traveled by car via the Hangzhou Bay Bridge (杭州湾大桥, also see Wikipedia). The amazing Hangzhou Bay Bridge, opened to the public in May … Continue reading →

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10.10.10

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Qin Tang

Just remember now that today is a special day, at least on the calendar. It’s Sunday, October 10, 2010 – 2010.10.10. Two years ago, China picked the date 08.08.08 and the time 8 minutes past 8 pm to start the opening ceremony … Continue reading →

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My girl

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Qin Tang

Last Friday my 10 year old girl Amy was invited to a birthday party by the daughter of a good friend of mine. A group of 6 girls went to Mall of America after school for fun rides and shopping. … Continue reading →

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Photos from Li Garden in Wuxi

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Qin Tang

On June 3, after we visited the Lingshan Buddhist Scenic Spot, we stopped by at the Li Garden(Li Yuan Garden, 蠡园) in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.    Li Garden is  a famous garden and a major Chinese tourist attraction, similar to those in Suzhou, my hometown. The two cities … Continue reading →

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Photos from Lingshan in Wuxi

Posted on October 10, 2010 by Qin Tang

I posted over 40 photos taken at the Lingshan Buddhist Palace on my Facebook account. A few photos were also posted in a previous blog post.

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Photos from Maanshan and Wuxi

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Qin Tang

I posted over 60 photos taken in Maanshan and Wuxi during my China trip to my Facebook account today. A few of them were posted in a previous blog post. I apologize that the photos can only be viewed by people who have … Continue reading →

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Chinese dissident wins Nobel Peace Prize

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Qin Tang

This morning I was really happy to find out that the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese dissident who is currently serving an 11-year prison term in China. As a native Chinese, I am proud for him and … Continue reading →

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Photos from Nanjing, pt.2

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Qin Tang

Today I uploaded a few pictures I took in Nanjing in June to my Facebook account.   While in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, we visited the BenQ Hospital which opened in May 2008. It covers about 600 acres and so … Continue reading →

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The Southwest story

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Qin Tang

Today I helped Bernie Arseneau, Mn/DOT Division Director for Policy, Safety and Strategic Initiatives, facilitate the book discussion on Nuts! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg.  It’s the 7th book in the Commissioner’s Reading … Continue reading →

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Photos from Nanjing, pt.1

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Qin Tang

I had fun posting my China trip photos to my Facebook page yesterday. I added more today. They were taken in Nanjing on 06/02/2010. On that day we visited the Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum (ZhongShan Ling, 中山陵) and the Nanjing Confucius Temple (Fuzi … Continue reading →

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Photos from my China trip on Facebook

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Qin Tang

Finally, I took some time to post some of my photos from my trip to China this summer to my Facebook page. I posted the first batch today. They were taken in my hometown in Suzhou. I have about 5000 photos, more to come … … Continue reading →

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Nuts! – book interview

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Qin Tang

I recently interviewed Bernie Arseneau, Mn/DOT Division Director for Policy, Safety and Strategic Initiatives. Berine is my boss’s boss’s boss’s boss We talked about the 7th book in the Commissioner’s Reading Corner Book of the Month series, Nuts! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe … Continue reading →

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Day 30 – Last day thoughts

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Qin Tang

Today is Day 30, the last day, of Live A Better Life in 30 Days Challenge. Day 30 is about reviewing and reflecting on the past 30 days, setting goals and creating a plan for the next stage ahead. Celes asked for feedback regarding … Continue reading →

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