Diary of a Poker Diva - Liz Lieu

I’m back in the States everyone!! I just flew back earlier in the week from the Philippines. What a long and exhausting trip but in a very good way. I played in the APT event in Manila and was able to make my first final table in my first attempt of 2009! Hooray for me. Not a bad start to what I feel like is going to be a very good year.

(photos courtesy of Pokernews.com)

I am currently resting up in Vegas from the long trip in Vietnam and I look forward to driving to L.A. soon to play in some cash games at the Commerce and play in some Los Angeles Poker Classic (LAPC) events. Including the Main Event. I just need a little rest first.

I know many of us like to look at a new year as a fresh beginning and a break from the past even though it really doesn’t make as much sense as we think it does because life is just one long continuous series of days, weeks, months and years but like many of you I still believe in starting fresh and 2009 is no different. I have high expectations for a great year, both professionally and personally!!

I will start off by reporting some very good news. As you know in December I made a “Dear Santa” list about some possible gifts I would love to receive for Christmas. I want to let you know that many of those actually came true! Here is a quick update:

Visitation with my Dad in my dreams. I was able to have a spiritual visit with my Dad while I was in Vietnam. It’s a little difficult to explain but I definitely had a chance to spend some time with my Dad in a positive way.

Receive a little Puppy. Hopefully this will come true soon. A very special person in my life has purchased a puppy for me!! Yippeee. I haven’t received him yet but I have been told to expect my puppy very soon.

Secret Santa for my charity work in Vietnam. I have had one person step up and offered to contribute some money for the work I do in Vietnam. I would like to mention the name but I suspect they prefer to stay anonymous because they do the charity work for the good deeds and not for the recognition.

Good luck in Poker. I made the final table in my first poker tournament in 2009. Most importantly I was able to avoid bad luck and I did get quite lucky when we got down to 12 players to avoid elimination when I was short stacked and pushed all-in on the blinds with J-10. I already feel my luck changing for the better. Watch out!!

(photos courtesy of asianpt.com and pokernews.com)

I’d like to give a shout out to Chris Parker, Tom Hall, Martin Elliott, and all the floor staff at the APT Manila Event for the wonderful hospitality during my stay in the Philippines. As always, a fabulous event!

(photos courtesy of asianpt.com)

More time with family. Okay, I didn’t get to exactly spend more time with my immediate family but I did spend a lot of time with my family in Vietnam in January. I was able to get re-united with my half sister and of course I was able to have that visit with my Dad. I really value my family more than ever.

Happiness and health for my Mom. So far so good.

I also received a very high quality camera from my close friend Doc. Now that I am putting pen to paper, I am realizing that I pretty much received everything on my “Dear Santa” wish list. I guess that means I was a really good girl!!!

I also have something funny to share. If you remember I had a request in my “If I were a Boy” blog for a good guy to submit a resume. Well, I did receive a resume. I will keep his name anonymous but it was a good response to the blog and I found it quite a surprise!

Now that I am back home in Las Vegas, I look forward to prioritizing for the year. One of my first priorities is to get back to the cash games in Los Angeles and Las Vegas a little more often. I will be less distracted by stuff going on in my personal life which is really the most important goal.

I vow in 2009, the attention and time I spend thinking about people who have negative intentions will be minimal. I really do want to make a clean break from everything that went wrong in 2008 and really embrace everything that went right!! I have a great foundation of friends and supporters and I want to build on that.

I do want to have the proper perspective on everything that has happened in 2008. Tonight’s Grammy awards was a great example of that. I am not sure if you are familiar with Jennifer Hudson’s story but she had her brother, mother and nephew murdered in October of 2008. This is her rendition of the song “You pulled me through” at the Grammy’s earlier tonight. At the end of the song she was extremely emotional and I cannot imagine the strength and perseverance she’s needed to pull her through.

I think that is an important lesson for all of us to hold on to dearly. Keep life in perspective!! Sometimes our problems really aren’t that big in comparison to other people’s problems. Occasionally my blog will come across as a little melodramatic and it’s really not the intention. It’s just a cause and effect of sharing one’s inner personal thoughts. So, I would really like to share this following video because it’s very inspirational to me and it’s a reminder to keep life in perspective.

Read more about my poker experiences on the felt and The APT Manila ME at Pokerlistings.

Cheers everyone! I will keep you posted about L.A. and the LAPC soon!!

It’s a Beautiful day and I look back upon Vietnam with great happiness. I think I am going to be able to get back to a more normal blogging schedule. I apologize I’ve been travelling around Vietnam and spending a lot of time with family and simply haven’t been in front of my computer very much.

Now that I am in the Philippines, ready to play the APT Manila main event Day1B tomorrow, I want to share some of the moments that stand out most during my Vietnam trip.  I mostly want to share with everyone that I was finally able to fulfill my father’s two remaining last wishes before he passed away.

My dad had always wanted to get cremated then have his ashes placed right next to my grandmother, which was something I was unable to do for a number of reasons. Firstly, there were no spots available next to or around the area of my grandmother’s resting place. Secondly, my grandmother’s second husband side of the family disapproved and turned down my request numerous times, so without any paperwork and their family’s approval there was nothing I could do. After I returned to Saigon from my trip to Hanoi I decided to call the other family and try again, luckily through some negotiation and diligence I was able to fulfill one of his remaining wishes. On Jan 20th I brought my grandmother and her husband’s ashes over to Lam Te Temple.

My father’s other wish was to find and reconnect with my younger half-sister. I was able to track her down through the help of some other family members and I am so glad to see that she is much better off than I had originally heard. It was very nice to be able to reconnect with somebody who is not only my half sister but meant a lot to my father.

I was able to spend my first Chinese New Years in Vietnam and learn firsthand why my dad always wanted to be back in Vietnam for Christmas and Chinese New Year! It’s quite the celebration. They blocked off a mile of road near where I was staying and decorated the entire stretch of road with flowers, beautiful pots, lanterns and other decorations. There were tons of bright lights and it was a great big celebration!! And they decorated the flowers to be in the shape of an Ox because 2009 is the Year of the Ox!!

 

I was able to fulfill some of my charity work although I didn’t have the time to do the same type of charity I have in previous trips. Between the wedding, fulfilling my fathers last wishes and dealing with other personal and family matters I decided to donate money to numerous Temples and Monks and have them fulfill the charity work.

The one truly bad thing that happened to me while I was in Vietnam occurred when I first arrived to Vietnam. The main Monk gave me some bad news about a very precious item I had donated the year before. A beautiful Pagoda which was blessed and approved to be placed on the fourth level in the temple was stolen by somebody the day before I arrived.

I’ve felt extremely honored and always sensed a strong feeling of protection with me at all times knowing that the Pagoda I donated sat right underneath the temple’s big Pagoda. I quickly went back to the place where I had bought it in hopes of finding the exact one to replace it but no luck. After about three weeks of looking, I finally found another pagoda statue suitable and unique enough to replace the one that got stolen.

I also came across this description of my Chinese Zodiac sign which is the Tiger and it was so accurate I couldn’t believe it. I even passed it along to a couple of very close friends and they were astonished how closely it resembled me as well. I thought I would share this with you because it’s such a stunningly accurate depiction of my personality and life.

Year of the Tiger

(photo courtesy of (Doc) Phu Vu)

“Born leader” is the key word for the Tigers. They are always in the lead and are most likely the ones to cry out “Let’s Go”! Noble and Fearless, Tigers are respected for their courage, even from those working against them.

Tiger people are daring fighters, they are capable of standing up to the better end for what they think is right. Although they could be selfish from time to time in the little things, they are capable of great generosity. Tigers are unpredictable, always tense. and like to be in a hurry.

Tiger people are difficult to resist, for they are magnetic characters and their natural air of authority confers a certain prestige on them. They are tempestuous yet calm, warm-hearted yet fearsome, courageous in the face of danger yet yielding and soft in mysterious, unexpected places.

Tigers are very confident, perhaps too confident sometimes. Although they love adventures, and are addicted to excitement it is better not to challenge a Tiger’s confidence. They likes being obeyed and not the other way around.

Because Tigers are urgent people and always in a hurry to get things done right, they usually choose to operate alone. Tigers like to work, they are hard-working and dynamic. If you assign a task to a Tiger, the job will be undertaken and accomplished with enthusiasm and efficiency. Tigers make money, but they are not directly interested in money. Still, the Tiger needs not worry about money: just when he fears the money is gone, more seems to show up.

Tigers are sensitive, emotional. They are capable of great love, but they become too intense about it. They are also territorial and possessive, if you are a friend of a Tiger, he wants you to take his side against the bad guys and because the Tiger is so adorable, you often do. As lovers, Tigers are passionate and romantic, but the real challenge for the Tiger is to grasp the true meaning of moderation.

The Tiger, the living symbol of strength and power, generally inspires fear and respect. Tigers’ compelling dynamism, intense activity, independence and curiosity about others make them irresistible, persons of multiple charms; Tigers attract followers and admirers. The Tiger is courageous, active and self-assured, and makes an excellent leader and protector. However liberal-minded Tigers may be, they are passionate, rash, and resist the authority of others. Although they are selfish in the little things, they are capable of great generosity, even of altruism, in the larger. Tigers are men and women of action, thrust by destiny into the spotlight.

Tigers are fearless creatures in as much as they blind themselves to dangers and impetuously rush in where more cautious individuals would fear to tred. Outspoken in the face of injustice, their strong humanitarian instincts will not allow them to pass by if they see a wrong perpetrated upon another.

Tigers tend to renounce confining traditional roles, opting for a more unfettered life. With a wide ranging mind, they can adopt any number of careers. Their many experiences serve to enrich their life and add depth to their nature. Material benefits matter little to them.

Tigers have an inborn magnetic personality that attracts people to them like bees to honey. Warm-hearted, sociable and friendly, they are characterised by their frank, honest and open approach. Their immense kindness and generosity will always shine through except when crossed or backed into a corner, for then they can become vehement and ferocious.

Solitude is often the price Tigers pay for their position of authority, but they become accustomed to it. Better still, they draw on the experience, gaining new energies and great strength.

Chinese say the life of a Tiger born at night will be less hectic than that of Tigers born after dawn and above all, those born around midday. It will be a stormy life full of dangers, but the Tiger will never be bored. Neither Night Tiger nor Day Tiger will have an easy life. The Western term for a particularly fierce woman is “dragon lady,” but the Chinese call her an “old tiger lady.” For this reason some Chinese avoid having children in the Tiger Year — for fear of having a daughter.

The lucky Tiger represents the greatest power on earth, and is the emblem of protection for human life. A Tiger in the house minimizes the Three Great Risks — thieves, fire, and evil spirits. If there are two Tigers in the house, however, one of them has to go!

Happy Lunar New Year Everyone!

Cheers!