I am glad to partner with these great companies for my new book, The Adventures of Monkey (based on The Chinese Zodiac and Monkey King, a traditional Chinese tale. I believe that bilingual/ multilingual education and diverse books are so needed now. I advocate practicing self-care and self-love to stay healthy during these challenging and stressful times. I myself have been dealing with anxiety and sleep issues. I find that yoga, meditation and writing help me relax. I hosted a Fill up with Wellness Zoom event where we sipped hot wellness drinks with a few drops of CBD and shared tips on how to deal with all the chaos and uncertainty,
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The Adventures of Monkey
Chapter 1. The Quest for Immortality
Monkey is curious about the legend of the Peach of Longevity. She wants to find the Peach and eat it so she can live forever. Monkey goes to wise Goat for advice.
"The jouney is a long and difficult one. You must go ask Horse to take you up Gold Mountain." Goat says.
"Thank you. Goodbye." Monkey replies. So the quest begins.
Horse agrees to take Monkey to the top of the mountain, but wants a share of the Peach. Monkey nods yes and they go up the steep slope. On the way, Horse sees Snake and is afraid.
"Please don't bite me." He says.
"I am the guardian of the path. No one shall pass unharmed." Snake replies.
Monkey has a good idea. "Let us pass and we will give you a treasure."
"What is it?" Snake asks.
"It is the best thing in the world."
"Tell me."
"I can't say more but you won't be sorry." Monkey knows Snake loves secrets and it works.
"I will go with you, but beware."
"Are the more dangers ahead?" Horse asks.
"Dragon guards the Tree of Life. He is the one you need to be afraid of." Snake replies.
"I'll think of something." Monkey assures them.
On the way, they meet Rat and Dog. Rat knows a secret path up that passes by Snake. Dog guards the Middle Road.
"Halt! No one shall pass unharmed." Dog says.
Rat is afraid that Dog will bite her, but Horse is not.
"Let us pass or I shall trample you."
When Horse tries, Dog grows so large that she is as big as Horse.
"Join us on our quest and share in the treasure." Monkey says.
"What is it?" Dog asks.
"I can't say more, but soon you shall see." Monkey knows that Dog loves treasures and it works.
"I will go with you, but beware." Dog replies.
"Are there more dangers ahead beside the Dragon?" Horse asks.
"You need to ask Pig for the gold he keeps so we can bribe Dragon. He is old and grumpy. He is most likely to say no." Dog says.
"Don't worry, I'll think of something." Monkey assures them.
"Let's go see Pig." Snake says. She doesn't tell them that Pig is her husband because she loves secrets.
They go to the Upper Level and see Pig's large mansion with a mud pool. Snake knocks on the door even though she has the key.
"Who is it?"
"We are here to see Pig." Snake tells Rabbit.
"Come in Madame."
"Meet my husband." Snake says, revealing her secret.
"Sir Pig." Monkey bows to the elderly man.
"What do you want?" He asks.
"And what are you doing here, wife? Why aren't you guarding the path?"
"Monkey wants to get the Peach of Longevity."
"It's impossible."
"We'll give Dragon the gold and he shall let us have one of the Peaches." Monkey says.
"You think I haven't tried? Ha! I thought of it a decade ago." Pig replies.
"It didn't work." Snake says. "Dragon laughed at us and told us to go home. When He made me promise to guard the path in return for sparing our lives, I hired Rabbit to take care of my husband."
"Only then did we escape certain death." Pig adds.
"Don't worry. I'll think of something." Monkey assures them. Since everyone knows how clever Monkey is they nod, but Pig shakes his head because he doubts she can succeed.
"Are there any dangers ahead?" Horse asks.
"I hear that Tiger guards the final pass." Dog replies.
"Let's go." Snake says.
They walk for a long time before they come close to the fierce Tiger who bares her fangs.
"Halt! No one shall pass unharmed." She growls.
"We are on a quest for the best thing in the world." Monkey says.
"What is it?"
"The Peach of Longevity."
"Ha! Do you thing I haven't tried to take the Peach? I fought the Dragon for it and lost. He was going to eat me, but let me go after I promised to guard this path."
"Don't worry. I'll think of something." Monkey assures them.
Since everyone knows how clever Monkey is, TIger decides to join them. They travel for many more miles before the are almost to the top. They are surprised to meet Ox and Rooster.
"How did you get up here?" Snake asks.
"Ha! You think there's only one way up? I found another way and got Ox to take me here." Rooster replies boastfully.
"If you are so smart where is the Peach?" Monkey asks.
Rooster looks down and shakes his head.
"I tried to distract Dragon while he went for the Peach, but Rooster was too slow." Ox says.
Tiger growls, Horse neighs, Dog howls, Snake hisses and Rat squeaks.
"Don't worry. I'll think of something." Monkey assures them. Rat has kept quiet all the way because she loves to be as quiet as a mouse.
"Someone else is here." Rat says. "Look at that hole."
"Hello everyone." Rabbit pops his head up and greets them.
"How did you get pass me?" Tiger asks.
"He dug his way through." Monkey replies before Snake can because Monkey likes to show how clever she is.
"I plan to dig my way to the Tree of Life." Rabbit tells them.
"How will you get the Peach?" Rat asks."I thought of digging my way there too. If only I can be faster than Dragon or before I know it, I'll be his snack."
They all shiver at the grisly image, except Monkey.
"Don't worry. I'll think of something." She assures them.
"I can almost taste that juicy Peach!" Rabbit hops high and cheers.
"Let's go." Snake says.
They finally see the Dragon guarding the Tree of Life and stop at a safe distance.
"Halt! Don't get any closer." Dragon roars.
"We meet again." Tiger growls and attacks the Dragon for that is her nature.
Monkey dashes up the Tree and gets the only Peach before Dragon defeat Tiger again. She takes a bite of the juicy fruit and throws it to Horse who takes another bite. Snake eats a small bit, then Ox and Rooster have their share. Rat sneaks a tiny bite before Dog and Rabbit crunch the Peach almost in half. Monkey jumps down and grabs it. She is so fast that all they see is a blur before TIger opens her jaws and eats her share.
"Thank you." She tells Monkey, licking her lips.
"Oh no! What about my husband?" Snake asks.
"And Goat won't get her share." Ox says.
"Don't worry. I broke off a piece of the fruit before I gave it to Tiger." Monkey says.
"How clever you are." Snake replies and the other agree.
"Now that you are all immortal, what do you plan to do with this gift?" Dragon asks.
"I will share the last piece of the Peach with Pig and Goat. Then I will go on many adventures." Monkey replies.
"I will enter the thousand-mile race." Horse says.
"Good luck." Snake replies."I will enjoy a long vacation."
"You deserve it." Dog says. "I will eat all I want and go on a long walk."
"Cheese. I will enjoy all kinds of cheese." Rat whispers.
"I'll eat lots of carrots and spend more time with my kids." Rabbit says.
"I'll retire and enjoy lazig under the sun." Ox adds.
"I'll crow about my long life to all the world." Rooster tells them.
"Don't boast." Tiger says. "I will entere the Ultimate Fight of Big Cats."
"I'll fly up to heaven and rest." Dragon adds.
"Who will guard the Tree of Life?" Snake asks.
"Once the Peach has been eaten, the tree will not have more fruit."
So they say goodbye and go their separate ways except Monkey, Snake and Rabbit. They go to the mansion on the Upper level and give Pig a bite. Then Rabbit tells his boss that he will quit in a week and to look for a new helper. Snake gives him a gold coin as a bonus. Monkey says goodbye and goes to Goat who is content o graze on grass.
"Here is your share of the Peach. I have so much to tell you." She gives Goat the last piece and starts to fill her in on all the good parts. So all the horoscope animals get their immortality and everyone is happy.
"What about humans?" You ask.
"Sorry, animals are smart enough not to make war and deserve this gift. Humans are not worthy yet.
Day 1: Start out with some stress relief tips by Calm by Wellness
1. Have a regular practice each morning do some a9exercise like) yoga (even just 10-15 minutes)
2. Be grateful, pause for 10 seconds before you eat or write down 3 things you're grateful for
3. Guided meditation
4. Breathwork/ pranayama
5. Take a cold shower for 30 seconds builds resilience
Day 3: CBD and TCM with Belen Saavedra (CBD Girl) @belensmastery
1. Do your own research. Make sure the CBD is harvested and extracted the right way. The company's website should show that its products are third-party tested, organic, non-GMO and extracted with CO2 not solvenresearch. Make sure the CBD is harvested and extracted the right way. The company's website should show that its products are third-party tested, organic, non-GMO and extracted with CO2 not solvents.
2. There are 3 types of CBD products:
Full spectrum: contains < 3% THC, CBN, CBC, CBG, terpenes and flavonoids
Broad spectrum: contains all the beneficial compounds without THC (what makes you high)
Isolate: just pure CBD, no other compounds
Smaller, craft companies often have better quality
TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine: I grew up in Hong Kong where my Chinese doctor treated me as a whole person and spent time to find out the root cause of my symptoms. Often, it's an imbalance of chi. Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on Chi (the energy in our bodies). There is either too much or not enough yin or yang in the body and the cure involves acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine, time and patience. Our health care system is actually sick care because it mostly focuses on treating symptoms not prevention or addressing the root causes of illnesses.
Ingrid Cheng
Author of The Anti-aging Secrets of Yoga
"This book is engaging and easy to read. It made me think about trying yoga." Raymond Aaron, New York Times Bestselling Author
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