Monthly Archives: December 2011

A Little Bite from My Upcoming Book

It’s official—I have committed to my second book! In the spirit of the season and as a way of stamping and certifying the announcement, I am sharing just a little nibble here, from chapter 1:

Everything worthwhile begins with commitment—our marriages, our career, our friendships and every project we’ve ever undertaken, from the smallest task, to the largest; from cultivating a garden in our homes, to losing weight or leaving an unsatisfying job. In all of these pursuits, we dream of living “happily ever after.” But we fail to understand the true nature of happiness. Just as the sunshine, the droplets of moisture in the sky and our viewpoint, together, bring a rainbow’s colors to life, so happiness too, has conditions. And like the rainbow, once we begin to look for it, it’s nowhere to be found.

PS, I will share more about the scope of the book in a later post! ~DQ

An Asian Boy’s First Yoga Class

I am making my way through a huge stack of end-of-semester project books. Some are incredibly thoughtful and well-presented and many are truly heartwarming. This one not only warmed my heart but made me laugh at the same time. It contains a raw mix of innocence, honesty and shaky English, which together, produce something unintentionally charming. Here is one boy’s extra credit write-up—left unedited—that is both sweet and comical in its unadorned bluntness. In it he describes his first Yoga class—with me. 

My first yoga class with prof. Quesada is unforgettable, because it’s my first yoga class in my lifetime. To be honest I came to this class for my extra credit. I arrived at Yoga West at at 11:45 am then met my classmate Peng. He came here for same reason as me. I have never been interested in yoga because we Asian boys don’t like this kind exercise, we are more interested in playing computer games. Before the class, I try the yoga tea which is taste like ginger soup. Then my first yoga class is begun. I’m looking around the yoga room, there are only a few man that came to this class. But there are some beautiful ladies attending. Their appearance seems very interested in yoga. I’m very interested in this yoga room. It’s the same look as our Chinese temple, it’s kind of dark in this room, because there are only a few lights around prof. Quesada. Some of the yoga movements are so hard for me, I think it’s because I seldom exercise. So, this class is kind of hard for me. Time goes by fast; my first yoga class is over. I thought when I got home I would be very tired; on the contrary, I feel the body is easier and lighter. After a few days, I even bought a book called 26 day yoga plan. All my friends ask me why I bought this book; I think my first yoga class made a good impression on me. So that’s why I am going to my second class with prof. Quesada on Friday. If I have opportunity after, I will take part in more yoga.