song

Strange things are happening everyday
I hear the music up above my head
Though the sight of my heart has left me again
I hear music up above

Secrets are written in the sky
Looks like I've lost the love I've never found
Though the sound of hope has left me again
I hear music up above

Standing in my broken heart all night long
Darkness held me like a friend when love wore off
Looking for the lamb that's hidden in the cross
The finder's lost
I know I loved you too much
I'll go alone to get through

I hear Rosetta singing in the night
Echos of light that shines like stars after they're gone
Tonight she's my guide as a girl on the moon
With the music up above

在 “奇怪的事情每天都在发生...."的歌声中，楼上的年轻夫妻在阵阵尖叫大吼声中互相扔着椅子。椅子落在地板上，楼下的我一阵心惊。我尽量不为所动. 那混杂的合声，竟然是莫名其妙的和谐。

frenzy

Kate and I are so materialistic; we got caught in black Friday frenzy. In addition to many other items we bought, each of us got a pair of boots and have felt no guilt about wearing those super high heels.

As she were trying her boots a while ago, she leaned on me in the sofa and lifted her right leg in the air, showing off her 4 inch high heel. She said, "I can knock someone out with my heels!"

chat

had a long chat with kate. this is one of those rare but precious moments when i feel that having a sister is actually not a bad thing. call me cheesy, i suggested to have a sister day each month, so we can remedy the relationship which might be damaged over the month. we said we will do things together. dining, shopping, visiting places, or simply being lazy at home together. today was our first sister day. i made breakfast/lunch/dinner for both of us. we shopped online together. laughed a lot. and had few small quarrels. by the end of the day, we got together again and had a profound chat about life, work, and self. the conversation went well. so our sister day ended perfectly.

to do

it's always exciting to plan things out. plans after plans after plans a person can make. it's the matter of carrying them out. without really carrying them out, plans remain as plans. nothing changes. nothing happens.

最近

-最近在youtube 追看《珠光宝气》 . After first few episodes, I started to get interested in it. And then I found that there are in fact 82 episodes in total. I wonder if I will ever finish it all. But I really like the sound of Cantonese, and thus enjoy these episodes even more.

-Periodically, I feel lost and mysteriously miserable about my life. But talking to friends is always the cure. It is especially relaxing after a stressful day of working. So I talked and talked and I feel better and better.

-It's so cold now. The heater in the room keeps breaking down. I got impatient, so is the landlord who comes almost everyday to fix it. He should get a new heating system for this building.

-I find out that my stomach reacts badly on cream and half-and-half. As long as I avoid consuming these two coffee companies, I can drink 3 cups of coffee a day!

a thought

clean your eyeglasses

one thing that's frustrating about wearing glasses is that you have to constantly clean the glasses and there seems to be no way to actually clean them thoroughly. well, there is a way,
how to clean your eyeglasses? here is the methods. and I have seemingly done all the wrong things....

.

yay again!

i got my learner permit. finally :D

hair cut

it's not that bad... i think i am not going to saloon for a while. :) yay~

haircut

still think about if i should go to a hair saloon tomorrow. a couple weeks ago, i chopped my hair at home, and since then, mom suggests me that i should have a professional to fix my hair. but i am still hesitating. after all these years of saloon going, my hair styles haven't changed a lot. i was never satisfied with the haircuts i got from saloon. so why bother to go through another disappointment? this was the rational i had when i decided to cut it myself.
as i am writing this post, my hands start to itch again. i think i am going to fix my hair again... tonight. lol

a good movie.

i wish....

i did two loads of laundry this evening. all bed sheets. the work was tedious and time consuming. unfortunately i had to do it. i just wish we had a wash machine and a dryer. doing laundry should be fun if it can be done at home. i can just throw in whatever i want to wash, set an alarm, leave to mind my own business, and then come back later to move them to the dryer. no excessively tiresome traveling, no need to smell horrible bad air in the street (you can't tell how many cars are running on Northern Blvd. It's just terrible.), no need to worry about whether or not the staff at the laundromat would remove your clothes if they stay there for too long...

保济丸

po chai pills, originally uploaded by thepooler.

一日晚饭后，马克西腹痛如绞，坐立不安，出外散步时许不见缓解。正一筹莫展，突想起抽屉某处的保济丸，立马拿来服下。一分钟不到，跑洗手间，两分钟不到，腹痛消失无踪。马克西大呼不可思议后，马上从我妈妈那里“A”来两盒。意犹未尽，特此广告。

smile

IMG_2506, originally uploaded by thepooler.

guess what

ziyao 100 days, originally uploaded by thepooler.

Ziyao's 100th day in this world...
Earlier on, her parents and grandparents decided to shave off all her hair when she is still tiny, so she can have beautiful and healthy hair as she grows up. I was easily convinced when my mom told me about it. I still remember my sister being bareheaded when she was little, and now her hair is just gorgeous.
anyways, little Ziyao looks like a boy now~

semi-conclusion

IMG_2073, originally uploaded by jiajiathepool.

the first part of this weekend...

周末 电影

最近除了工作没什么大事发生, 只是上周末和朋友去看了场露天电影。

看到"露天电影"这个词，就想到小时候抱着小板凳和雅一起在她那山岙老家附近看露天电影的模糊情景。那些陡斜的山坡，摇摇欲坠的草房，黑漆漆的天空，和人群中不知是谁露在外面的一截小腿都是记忆里摸不去的印象。不知雅现在有没有回想过那些山岙老家的风光。我还记得我们在郭溪镇下车后，一路往山里去的小平路，两边清澈的溪水，和溪旁那只翠绿鲜艳的小鸟。

上周末的电影August Rush是今年夏天中央公园电影节的最后一场。依然是人潮攒动，我去时已经迟到了，朋友已经在人群中央坐定，我只好就地坐在人群边缘，还算不错的位置。不久之后，又有一些人陆续到来，坐在我的身后，我的位置就不再是边缘。

很童话的电影，气质很出色的小男孩，很美妙的音乐，是典型的“feel-good movie“ 。
很多时候， 我是有点懒，懒得出门，懒得做很多事，但却也明白每次出门后所经历的事情总不会让自己后悔。 所以，不要懒，我该要多出出门，生活是美好的。

俱樂部

俱樂部事件又幻滅。。。 聼説一個月的會費是35左右，但必須要一次性付清一年的費用，等於是420。但我想啊，這一年中，我都不知道我將發生什麽事情。我連自己什麽時候會出門遠行都不知道，我哪能期望自己一年内風雨無阻地去上課？如此一想420便覺得不划算了。計劃只好作罷。

神猪养成计划

从上周末开始，每每吃完晚饭都要爬到床上小睡一会儿才能起来过正常夜晚，大有养猪仔之架势。

神猪能养成也好。 上次去见表妹，她一声“你怎么瘦成这个样子？！脸色好差”的惊呼至今萦绕耳边。 之至于最近揽镜自照时，总会想，我有这么瘦吗？

见面前，她对我的印象显然还是停留在当初我白白胖胖红葱里白的青春模样。所以才会在刚见到我下火车时脸色暗沉地挂着两包眼袋又因为风大而拱着身子的拙样时发出一声惊呼。 其实我才是那个该讶异的人，好不好。她和我同龄，肤质和8年前的竟无多大区别。厚。

说到要胖点，其实我更想自己结实点。饭后小睡毕竟不是很好。我还是规规矩矩地去运动比较好。

上次说的瑜伽中心价格竟然贵得离谱。又昨天听说，社区附近有家小规模的club，似乎不错。。。明天下午探探去吧。

a recommended blog

friends, i don't know if you read bbc news. here is a blog updated by BBC’s Beijing correspondent, James Reynolds, which is... just eye-opening.

"poor but sexy"

i didn't go for obama's speech. it was around 7pm, and our train was scheduled to leave just few hours after that. so after a little struggle, we decided not to go. it's a shame. this is once in a life time event, but we gave us a break on this last day, a historical day. you know, visiting a city can be exhausting. must not rush. should take it easy and enjoy :)

berlin is a city of rising. compared to munich, which is calmer and more established, berlin is more dynamic. numerous international visitors are here, especially in the newly constructed central stateion; construction sites are everywhere; hammering can be frequently heard; rising cranes and unfinished buildings are a big part of the berlin skyview. everywhere we went, there is a mark of history. the introduction of the sites normally starts with something like "during the wwii, this site was heavily bombed... what you have seen now is a rebuilt on the original site." many completions of the rebuilts are not long ago. lots of them just finished in late 1990s.
so after few days of being in the city, what i felt is the city seems to be still in recovery from the ww2 and cold war. or... the entire germany is.

online book sale

Queens library is doing her online book sale. if you are interested, you can take a look at them by visiting her webpage following.
http://www.queenslibrary.org/index.aspx

Hope i can find something interesting too~

ya ya

the trip to berlin was fun. the nicest thing is that I finally got to meet one of my best childhood playmates, my cousin, ya. 3 years after my family moved to ny, she moved to germany and lived with my another cousin who is much older than us. so after 8 years apart, you can imagine how excited we were when we saw each other. my first impression on her was, she is still as cute as she was 8 years ago. time barely leaves any traces on her face; she has perfect flawless skin and is still as slim as she was. and her hudsband, kind and sweet he is, is seemingly a perfect match for her; one talkative, and one, tacit.

we took these two pictures when we were in an Italian Restaurant.

24

obama is going to give a speech in Berlin on 24th. hope i can attend his speech that day. let's see~~ :)

柏林 车票

决定去看看身在柏林的表妹和她的家人。彼此8年没有见面，所以决定后，大家都是兴奋不已。

从慕尼黑到柏林，是由南朝北走，需要坐9个小时的火车。如果车票买得早，可以买到29欧元一程的车票。如果那样的话，两人只用花12o欧元就可以来回。 但是，我们要买的是这周日的票，所有便宜的车票均已售完，只好买贵一点的。在DB网 上买，结果两张车票自动打折后，又拿max的25%off 卡打了一次折，才买到300欧元的两张来回车票, 卧铺。软座只要200欧元。

周日下午参加完“日本祭”后，晚上11点的火车，第二天早上8点左右到，所以周日晚上就准备在车上度过了。

也想过坐飞机，花费也是300欧元左右，但加上入关和出关上的等待时间，所需时间也就差不多。重点是，max 和我没 试过火车上的卧铺，所以都想坐坐看，一路睡到柏林听起来也不错。

所以就这么定了，我们周日之后会在柏林。

梦魇茶

baldrianwurzel - valerian root - 颉草根茎

颉草，生长在欧洲和北美州的一种多年生植物，拥有温和的镇定效果，能帮助失眠的人提升睡眠品质。

max 很喜欢睡前来一杯颉草茶，说是能帮助他睡眠 （和老人家一个模样）。虽然我一向好眠，但好奇它的功效，所以在他泡时，偶尔会讨一杯喝喝看。前几日连着两三晚都在睡前喝了，结果连着两三晚噩梦不断。不是非常噩，但就是自己的想象力在梦中被stretch到一种令人惊讶的地步。

今早半睡半醒之间，灵光一闪，想起不久前在wikipedia读到的一段话: ... While shown to be an effective remedy for the reduction of anxiety, it has also been reported to cause headaches and night terrors in some individuals. This may be due to the fact that some people lack a digestive conversion property necessary to effectively break down Valerian... 如此想来，我是"some individuals" 当中的某位了？

“蛋糕“

因为里面有蛋，所以姑且称它为“蛋糕”， 不然我实在不知道它该叫什么。

重点是，这是我生平第一个自己烤的蛋糕耶！！ 烤炉真的是非常好用啊。

过程是相当的简单：一包从超市买来的特殊面粉＋3个蛋＋250ml的牛奶＋176g的奶油就可以了。因为max抗议奶油太肥，所以只好含泪在他的严厉监督下把奶油从176克减到100克。
用量放好后，用力搅拌个5分钟，然后把自己喜欢的水果摊上去，放进烤炉里，用180C烤个30分钟就可以了。

味道呢，就是很像大型加工厂中流水线上刚拿下来的那种商业蛋糕，充满artificial的味道，但还算好吃。

总 结: 以后还是不要买那种已经加工好的面粉好了。还是买生面粉，然后自己加糖加料，会好吃一点，至少有homemade 的味道。蛋糕一边放了一种叫redcurrant ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redcurrant ) ，红醋栗。原产自西欧，惯用与烹饪或者做果酱用。酸酸甜甜，也算好吃.但草莓是做蛋糕时可以用的王牌水果，所以另一边的草莓蛋糕好吃一点。

小子窈两个月多一点

小子窈最近期的照片。 小小人儿不在这儿，只能以照片解点相思了，特别是我妈妈。

我的小希望

又是谈煮饭。

来这里仅一个星期，我就发现原来一个女人“真”是可以在柴米油盐里过一辈子的。 自己以前当然听过这样的话。只是听到的和自己感悟的总是不同。就像你曾听说过这世界上有过恐龙，但真正在博物馆看到恐龙化石后，你才会真正感悟到，“这世界上是‘真’ 的有过恐龙。”

今天中午做鸡肉沙拉时，正在感叹这样的柴米油盐人生，立志以后要尽量减少在厨庖的时间，却又在下一秒，夏日惊雷般地霍然意识到：这一星期以来，我竟然迷了魂似只想着max 要吃什么，而忘了问自己到底想要吃什么。患得患失别人的想法，完全没了自我。 瞬间的了悟让我情绪低落却又有一点庆幸，赶忙告诫自己说，还好醒的早，从这刻开始，对别人好的同时，不能忘了对自己好。 在意别人的想法的时候， 也要在意自己在想什么。其实维系感情很重要的一个条件就是双方要有自己个人的独特性，这样才可能两看不相厌。这样想了之后，饭照煮，心情就有点不同了。 :)

从学校回来，在超市里买了盒 spinich pizza (我吃过最棒的比萨口味) 当晚餐。
max还记得我说过要买葱种子回来种的事情，所以又买了包葱种。读读包装，说要2个星期到一个月才能发芽。。。希望它快点快点发芽，好期待哦。。。

so green

因为一大盆新鲜水灵的迷迭香长在那里，不摘些叶子去做饭是不是太可惜了？ 所以每当我觉得自己做的菜缺少绿意的时候，就是迷迭香大显身手的时候。

首先，我会的菜就那几样，一星期吃下来不重复是根本不可能的事情，然后冰箱里也就那么几样东西，我不重复拿来用也是不可能的事情。 所以，今天晚上当MAX吃完晚餐后，他宣布，他可能接下去很长一段时间都不能再碰迷迭香了。 好吧，那我换别的来点缀绿意好了。

逛超市

很多人觉得我来这里是度假，所以会带问一句，要去别的地方玩吗？ 我总是说，暂时不知道。其实我可以说，没有，我不是来度假的。我是来这里生活的。。。。

今天下雨，前几天的艳阳天消失无踪。出门要穿长袖，一件就好。 冰箱里的食物快要吃完，最重要的是卫生间里已经“断纸”了。因为max要去学校，我只好一个人去逛超市。

要带上一个硬币，5毛，一元，二元都好。超市的推车是被锁住的，所以要用硬币塞进红色的锁里开锁。 有点像机场里那种付费的推车。唯一不同的是机场的是吃硬币不吐骨头，这个是用完推车后可以拿回来的。这样的推车不是很好吗? 用完后每个人都要规矩地把推车放回去，而不会随意乱放。

要带自己的购物带。因为超市的袋子要自己花钱买。 max已经不只一次感叹为什么纽约的超市没这样的硬性规定。汗颜。

这里的路划为三道。车道，自行车道，人行道。因为人行道和自行车道是连着的，所以每次过马路不仅要看车道上的交通灯，还要首先左右看自行车道上有没有人。 刚开始时，我完全没有这种习惯，每次不是走上自行车道，就是穿道时忘看。每次都是max死命扯我回来。 这次是自己一个人出门，居然一次都没有忘记看自行车道。

超市其实和我们纽约的差不多。没什么好讲的。东西特别是蔬菜很贵。 牛奶便宜。0.5 gallon 左右只用要 0.69 欧元。每种食物都会标明在哪里出产。今天我买了四个苹果1.5欧元，意大利产。

收银员手脚很快。顾客动作慢点会被催。上次和max逛时，我们只是犹豫了一下要不要放回两样东西，她当场飙出一长串德语。max是满脸尴尬，我倒无所谓，反正听不懂。其实max很早就曾问我，为什么纽约的超市收银员动作这么慢。我还一脸难以置信地反问，“还不够快啊？！” 不过现在看来，果然是这里的快很多。这次我是一个人，一切要快。。。

顺利过关，放回推车，拿回钱币，肩上挂了两袋食物，手上抱了一大包厕纸，回家。

食神?

基本上，如果我说我会煮饭，我首先会被娜娜笑掉。我到现在还记得自己整治过的一道所谓正宗地道美味无比的温州敲虾是苦的。所有食材，倒掉。
一个多星期前，我说要带食谱的，结果真正的没带，却上网搜了很多回来。
相信吗，我竟然整治出了几道像模像样的菜哦。。。例如这道。。。

迷迭香烤土豆的制作材料：

主料：迷迭香叶　土豆　青椒　黄甜椒　红甜椒　香菇　浓缩牛奶　起司丝　奶油 盐　糖　黑胡椒粉

迷迭香烤土豆的做法：

浓缩牛奶的作法：
将两碗比例的鲜奶用小火熬煮成一碗，即成浓缩牛奶。
迷迭香烤土豆作法：
１〉先将土豆煮熟去皮后，切块备用。
２〉香菇、青椒和黄、红甜椒皆切成小丁备用。
３〉将迷迭香叶稍微切碎后，入锅用奶油爆香，接着放入香菇丁、甜椒丁和土豆块 一起拌炒。
４〉洒上黑胡椒粉、少许的盐和糖调味，最后再倒入浓缩牛奶拌煮。
５〉当汤汁煮滚后，即可起锅乘入烤碗中，铺上起司丝放入事先以250度预热的烤炉里，以250度烤7分钟即可。

frantic hypocritical gardeners

妖孽
max曾经有一盆长得异常茂盛的绿色盆栽。因为太茂盛 了，我甚至不敢碰它，总觉它会突然跳起，然后张牙舞爪来咬我。这次看到它，发现它已经 魂归九天！

看看这妖物，虽然已翘辫子了，但样子还是乱妖孽一把的。

我问max，这么茂盛的盆栽怎么会被养到如此地步。他答，“因为它太丑了。。。”

迷迭香之迷思
去逛超市，买了堆鸡鸭鱼肉，也顺手买了盆迷迭香。

现代人奢侈。吃鱼要新鲜，最好是活的买回去再宰。吃肉也要新鲜，赶在凌晨屠宰完的猪肉就好。

连当香料的迷迭香也可以整盆整盆的买回去，不想吃时就当是观赏性植物，想吃时就去摘几片叶子。
熏衣草秀女
买了盆迷迭香后，突然之间对盆栽感兴趣起来。一天回家的路上，看到楼下的性格花店外放着几盆小花，就驻足看了一下。一株熏衣草就这么被我挑走了，像选秀女一样。

不怎么养花草的我突然之间有了两盆花草后，一颗平常心顿时不平常起来。觉得盆子太小啦，土壤不够营养啦，它们太孤单啦什么的，心里躁动着还要 更多更多的花草。

max也在那里蠢蠢欲动。他早就看上附近超市里的一株绿色植物，虽然上次被我小小地劝阻了一下(因为长得也是太张牙舞爪了），但他还是不 气 馁，正安静等待时机把它搬回来。

在这样的狂热中，我们坐车去了“花市”，买了一些花草和一些相关的东西，然后兴高采烈地回家了。

移植，浇水，上网查怎么去养，我甚至荒唐地决定从明天开始要早起把迷迭香，玫瑰，和熏衣草拿到厨房窗户去东晒，然后下午再拿回居室去西晒。

我要过把伪园丁的瘾!

他很爱他的学校

MP住校外，坐车转车的，到学校大概需要20分钟。按照他的习惯，清晨10点前要交的东西，他要么在前一天晚上回校交掉，要么就熬到当天凌晨6点半去交掉，回来后再补眠。

今早一起和他出门，邋邋遢遢地混在一群衣冠楚楚的上班族和众多青春清爽的学生中，感觉像回到了住校时熬夜写完论文后穿着睡衣穿过校园到教授办公室门下塞论 文的日子。又感觉自己实在是太太太随意了。 舒服的穿法在自己城市里觉得理所当然，众多风格中的一种而已。而这个城市感觉，真的是不随意，竟然让我开始反省自己的穿着了。。。

回来的路上，两人牵着手，边打哈欠边聊中午要吃什么（早餐自然是跳过）。MP竟然兴致勃勃地问我等会儿要不要再回去他学校食堂吃午餐，因为早前他上网查过，今天的伙食不错？！

哈欠打到一半，我毫无兴致地回答，"哦。。。好吧。。不过，你问的时机非常不好，一大早舟车劳顿的，我们才从学校回来，你就问我要不要再回去。。。 这问题太难答了。。。“

不想太坏他兴致，又问，几点？ 两点以前。 无语，两点左右我应该还在昏睡中吧。。。

due or not due

my library items are due on July 2nd. And I completely forgot about it until 3 minutes ago my mom told me over the phone that she is watching the TV series.

I asked max, what day it is today, and he said July 3rd. I was so pissed. three TV series overdue means that they would charge me 18$ fines and my account will be inactive until i pay back the fines. Since it was already July 3rd, the only thing i could do at that moment was to go online and log in my account and to see the exact amount of fines and with my dim hope, to renew my overdue items.

It turned out that although it is July 3rd here already, but it is still July 2nd in the United States! So no fines occur in my account and I am able to renew my items until the 9th! I am so glad that there is actually a 6 hours difference between NYC and Munich! yay~!

好久不见

在抱怨了无数遍American Airline的伙食很差后，终于转机到了目的地。 8个小时的机程，不算太差，但真的不能算愉快。Max站在出口等我，走到他身边时，发现他竟然比我印象中要高许多，忍不住问，“你是不是又长高了？” 他摸摸头，笑着说，“上次你也是问这个问题。” 是许久不见了的缘故吧，每次见他都有种很新鲜的感觉。

EY， remember this sunglasses?

出门前的大红包和未出世的蛋糕

出门在即，每个人都是笑眯眯地问我，什么时候去啊？什么时候回来啊？然后再更加笑眯眯对我说，多好啊！好好玩！ 我笑眯眯的道谢，不多置言辞。 还是没有出门的轻松惬意。

可能是最近工作忙碌的缘故，每天上班时是精神充沛，战斗力十足，回家以后便累趴趴的。虽然一个月前，我就报备说要去度假，然后另找工作了, 但我还是天天认真地上班, 甚至是更认真的。我是真正喜欢在这里工作, 一群好相处的人 和一个非常慷慨的头头。

今天是在办公室的最后一天, 下班时候，头头把我叫进办公室，给了个信封。我一脸好奇接过来， 对着日光灯照照，”咦？是给我的工作介绍信吗？” 头头笑笑，拍拍我的肩说，“自己知道就好。” 结果回家一看，不是介绍信，而是个超级大红包。

唉，头头人好得没话说。但是，人总是要做自己喜欢的事情才会开心。虽然这里很好，但毕竟不是我最向往的工作。人有改变是好的。希望自己的将来能够越来越好。
_________

几天前MP生日。他生日前我还在不停跟他唠叨要买什么东西给他好。结果当天居然要靠他提醒。。。 还是他爷爷奶奶比较贴心，办了个家庭聚会。一是庆祝他和另一个同月生日的堂哥的生日，二是庆祝他们两人顺利拿到学位。我已经想好了，看到他时，我会乖乖给 他做个蛋糕......

合二为一

赶在图书馆关门前借了3张DVD。在check out 时才发现自己没有带Queens的图书卡。因为记得几个星期前曾看见一个小女孩用曼哈顿的图书卡借书，所以就想试试运气。

询问中，工作人员告诉我，纽约图书卡（也就是我自己的曼哈顿图书卡）可以和皇后区图书卡合并，但两个帐号connect以后，我必须要即时放弃我的皇后区图书卡，也就是说我以后只能用纽约图书卡来借书。

我开始还不懂“即时”的意思，反應过来才知道，他要我当下就做决定放弃，否则就不能借。心里顿觉得不舍，想起自己竟然要马上放弃陪伴了自己差不多8－9年的图书卡，感觉好像是割舍了什么。

管理员问了我的地址又向我要了ID，3秒钟的事情，我的图书卡从两张变成了一张。

皇后区图书卡不能再用，连网上的帐号也当即失效。如今统一用一张卡固然方便很多，但想起还要上网更新几年前的登记的帐号，惰性马上就上来了。

唉，好懒，明天再弄吧。

良方

坐在床上发呆。
昨晚没有睡足，今天下班回家，替妈妈煮了碗面后就回房间睡觉了。 本以为会一觉睡到天明，却不料2个小时后就醒来了。 坐在床上发呆。 四周安安静静的，没有一丝声响。 开始浮躁，心跳也开始加速。 就在不久前，在一份杂志上看到说，不要把孩子安置在一个静声的地方，孩子会因此感到恐惧，浮躁，啼哭。 原来一个人不管长多大，内心深处还是和出生的婴儿一样对寂静存在着一种恐慌。。。
想起自己从图书馆借的瑜伽DVD，决定跟着带子来meditate. 闭着眼睛胡乱跟下来，发现自己心真的静了很多。 在柔和的音乐中睁开眼，才发现自己忘了，音乐也是一种舒缓情绪的良方。

变身食神之前要说的。。。

离去慕尼黑还有十天。在想要带什么东西过去。

根据上次的经验，我一定要在抵达之后，马上拖他到超市买一堆东西回来把冰箱塞满。

max 曾说，举凡买东西都是件压力很大的事情，包括逛超市，买食材。我曾亲眼看见他拿着洋葱站在那里感叹说，“i don't know what to choose. this is so stressful." 他所谓的压力可能和做不出数学题物理题的压力一样大吧... 看他皱着眉头选东西是件很好玩的事情，所以我还是满期待和他逛超市的。

我不怎么喜欢煮饭，因为很麻烦。 但是我也不敢让max煮。因为惨痛的经验告诉我，煮饭对他来说也是件压力很大的严肃事情，因此照他一板一眼的个性，他还没煮好一顿饭，我就已经饿死了。所以和他在一起时，我总是煮饭婆附身，很积极地做饭。

所以这次我准备带的非常重要的东西是....................食谱。

hot

indescribably hot today. this is the type of weather that could kill people...

breaking news?

cnn headlines obama's "win" as "breaking news." but it's hardly a breaking news, isn't it?

sick

somehow got cold and then got fever yesterday. i just sneezed twice before going out to meet a friend. and then by the end of the day, i had a severe cold. by this afternoon, i started to develop a fever. the cold medication didn't work well, but the medication for fever was quite good. Just two hours after taking the medication, I started to sweat, and an hour later, i felt perfect... well, i still got running nose, but i feel much better! nice!

experiment

I had lots of fun cooking today. With a blender, I was able to do lots of experiments. I blended a bunch of green vegetables, and added them into the pork bone soup that I was making. It was disastrous. Mom commented, "it smells like food for pig. hahaha... I had to admit it was true. I still don't have the guts to try that vegetable/bone soup yet.

cut back!

I am going to cut back the hours I surf online at nights. it's just as difficult as losing weight in my opinion, but i got to try.

rain boots!

My new pair of rain boots remind me of my happy childhood. Can't wait to try them out .

图书馆外

经过社区图书馆时，发现馆外窗户上不知什么时候印了个唇印！ 大街旁，车来人往的，窗户上灰尘都不知积了几层了，居然有勇气拿自己油亮的嘴巴亲吻碰玻璃，佩服佩服！
另外，窗户另一角也放了一个盆栽，真的好漂亮，就是不知道叫什么。

不能错过的好书

不要这么做

刚在新华网上读到青川县开始捕杀犬只防疫。
可能是因为我有过与狗朝夕相处的日子，所以真正明白为什么别人会说狗是人类最好的朋友。 因为狗的灵性和可爱真的只有在相处之后才能体会到。 所以当我看到那则新闻，直觉反應就是，不！不要这么做。如果要花大量精力和时间去捕杀犬只，为什么不能花同样的时间去把它们聚到一起，消毒然后送到某处关好，看将来谁能来收养。

或许我不在灾区，因此无法感受到那种devastation. 也或许地震之后，人们只能养活自己没法拿多余的口粮来养活狗。或许捕杀真的很有必要。 但真的好希望好希望政府不要这么做，因为这些天来，一些与狗相关的灾区报道也触动人心的啊： 有报道说，一个警察说狗儿冲进会议室咬他的裤管，拖他出去，结果全会议室的人因此得救。 也有报道说，尽管家没了，狗而还是很忠诚的守在家门口。

难道真的没有别的办法了吗？ 无论是人或动物，能在这样惨烈的情况下生存下来都不容易啊。

太过份了吧

我吃啥了？

上班时小玲珑问我，你是不是胖了？
无语。我最近胃口不大啊。。。
检讨中。。。我这个星期到底是吃啥了？

想想应该是昨天晚睡，起来后整个人浮浮的。可我真的是不好意思说，“是因为没睡好，浮肿。。” 因为说起浮肿，我就想起猪头。。。。

我是个意志不坚定的家伙

戒网真是好失败。网上的事情真的好像是在一个小时内是做不完的。 最好的办法应该是电脑都不要开。要不然，一个小时就会变成两个小时，三个小时...
there is a must-hear report on what happens in sichuan. here

更新

戒网失败！
再戒。

empathy

缅甸的大飓风灾难持续超过10天。初时对于他们，我除了偶尔关注和寄予无限同情外，并没有深刻的反應。但自从中国发生地震后，我反而更加注意缅甸的情况。恨不得在两处都尽自己的一些绵薄之力。 这就是empathy吧。只有自己经历过了，才知道别人的不容易。

这里

如果谁和我一样在关注昨日发生的四 川 地 震。我建议这个网页。http://www.npr.org/blogs/chengdu/

N P R 最初在中国建立一个branch时，决定和别的媒体不一样；他们把跟扎在了成 都。因为他们相信作为中国地理中心的那里，可以让他们听到有别于在北京上海所能听到的声音。结果他们在扎根不久的昨天在第一时间听到感受到了这次重大灾难事件。

***check this out... the last few sentences.. of (click here: this website, it was exactly what i had in my mind when i heard of the quake... i truly don't want this to happen. but i couldn't help think of it. for the best or worst, we should be alarmed. natural or man-made disasters must have ways to be (click here: predicted.

戒网

写了这么多，我决定发一下小狠: 我要戒网。从13日起，我要限定自己上网的时间。如果不这么做的话，我可能永远做不到我想要自己做到的。 想想真是罪过。。。我的美好的青春啊，不节制的话，就只能浪费在冰冷的电脑面前了。

我还是要且行且记，但不能让自己在网上surfing 太久。看了要看的新闻，更新了要更新的space，就要下去。 踹下去，毫不留情的踹下去！！

手机和我的问题

我的手机一向都有问题。可能是机型太老的缘故，所以没有太细致的功能。总之，无论是谁留言给我，一律没有时间的提示。 也就是说，我如果三天不查自己的voicemail 的话，4条新留言，我是根本不知道哪条是哪天留的。

今早起身，难得查了一下留言，发现里面有5条新留言。看到这里一些看官可能咬牙切齿了：不按时听留言，开放手机的留言功能做什么？ 请原谅我，我真的很驴的要保留我这个令人咬牙切齿的习惯。其实写电子邮件可能可以更快找到我。。。 所以当5条留言中4条是max留的时候，我已经心里嘀咕了，这怎么分得清哪天是哪天啊。

第一条：我刚起床。。。。
第二条：我要出去了。。。。
第三条：我回来了。。。
第四条：。。。

我听了傻眼。 头三条几乎是我们的日常对话中必讲的。于是，我是完全不知道他是昨天? 今天？ 前天？ 留的了。。。。

恩。。。我想等某天换了手机之后，这种情况就可能改善了吧。也可能我会像max一样出门时都不带手机。。。这样多好啊。。

我要运动！

夏天快到了。 我要减肥了。。。
虽然最近的体重保持在118磅左右，但离理想的体重110磅还多了8磅。 把这八磅的肥肉甩掉不是件容易的事情啊。
其实人瘦到一定程度，身上的多余脂肪可能不多了，但shape却可能走样。 所以必要的运动是绝对需要滴。
每天睡觉之前，我都会暗暗咬被下决心，明天早起先去运动。 结果。。嘿嘿嘿。。。

也想过干脆去上个瑜伽课好了，但是没人和我去时，也担心自己坚持不了多久。 算了，想来想去，犹豫来犹豫去也得不出个结果来。干脆等会上网注意一下附近哪里有GYM，我这次要下狠心，真的去报个班了！！

好棒！网上查了查，在离我家三条街的地方就有一个瑜伽中心叫 Dahn Center，不知现在还在不在。 明天去探探～～～

amen

对物质的渴望在这 春夏交替之际达到至高点。。。忏悔中。。。

people mountain people sea

went to bryan park. can't believe there are so many people in the park during the lunch time. the whole new york seems to enjoy the weather at that moment.

茫茫

kate is a bit of clumsy recently. me too. she is bothered by boy stuff. me no.
最近有点灰心，看不到未来的样子。不知该怎样让自己开心点。玲玲寄了篇很好的小文给我们。觉得文中都说的很对。只是做起来不是很容易。
从一两年前开始，我就一直在想要不要去信仰宗教。 是不是有了宗教以后，心灵上才有依托。但我一直没有信心自己能在宗教中得到安慰。我也不知道自己怎样才能让自己好起来。 这样时好时坏的日子过得很难受。。。。

文中说：
“人们通常会说：幸福是一种抽象的感受，而美国一家把幸福作为研究目的的科研机构得出结论，幸福与年龄、性别和家庭背景无关，而是来自于一份轻松的心情和健康的生活态度。研究者通过对生活得轻松而幸福的人的研究总结了10条在生活中令自己幸福的秘诀。
1、不抱怨生活
幸福的人并不比其他人拥有更多的幸福，而是因为他们对待生活和困难的态度不同，他们从不问"为什么"，而是问"为的是什么"，他们不会在"生活为什么对我如此不公平"的问题上做过长时间的纠缠，而是努力去想解决问题的方法。
2、不贪图安逸
幸福的人总是离开让自己感到安逸的生活环境，幸福有时是离开了安逸生活才会积累出的感觉，从来不求改变的人自然缺乏丰富的生活经验，也就难感受到幸福。
3、感受友情
广交朋友并不一定带来幸福感，而一段深厚的友谊才能让你感到幸福，友谊所衍生的归属感和团结精神让人感到被信任和充实，幸福的人几乎都拥有团结人的天才。
4、勤奋工作
专注于某一项活动能够刺激人体内特有的一种荷尔蒙的分泌，它能让人处于一种愉悦的状态。研究者发现，工作能发掘人的潜能，让人感到被需要和责任，这给予人充实感。
5、降低负面影响
少接受些有关灾难、谋杀或其他的负面消息，这样，无形中就保持了对世界的一份美好乐观的态度。
6、生活的理想
幸福的人总是不断地为自己树立一些目标，通常我们会重视短期目标而轻视长期目标，而长期目标的实现更能给我们带来幸福感受，你可以把你的目标写下来，让自己清楚地知道为什么而活。
7、给自己动力
通常人们只有通过快乐和有趣的事情才能够拥有轻松的心情，但是幸福的人能从恐惧和愤怒中获得动力，他们不会因困难而感到沮丧。
8、规律的生活
幸福的人从不把生活弄得一团糟，至少在思想上是条理清晰的，这有助于保持轻松的生活态度，他们会将一切收拾得有条不紊，整齐而有序的生活让人感到自信，也更容易感到满足和快乐。
9、珍惜时间
幸福的人很少体会到被时间牵着鼻子走的感觉，另外，专注还能使身体提高预防疾病的能力，因为，每三十分钟大脑会有意识地花90秒收集信息，感受外部环境，检查呼吸系统的状况以及身体各器官的活动。
10、心怀感激
抱怨的人把精力全集中在对生活的不满之处，而幸福的人把注意力集中
在能令他们开心的事情上，所以，他们更多地感受到生命中美好的一面，因为对生活的这份感激，所以他们才感到幸福。”

a great article

Who Will Tell the People? by Thomas L Friedman from new york times.

pig

max and i went to sleep at the same time last night. I went to bed at 9pm, and he went to bed at 3am. 9 hours later, he woke up. 13 hours later, he tried to woke me up. he attempted 4 times, unsuccessful. So in total, i slept for 16 hours.

i need this

nap / fish dish

after a sleepless night, taking a nap after work sounds heavenly. but kate woke me up soon after i laid down. I would'd been angry at her for disturbing my nap. but she said, "mom cooked fish for dinner. it's fresh." so I jumped out of my bed without a second thought. mom's fish dish is heavenlier than taking a nap.

panda says

needs a cup of tea; she had a sleepless night.

a turtle

kate went to carnival cruise in los angles, which at some point, harbored a Mexican coast and an islands on its way. five days four nights on the cruise costed her only around $350. a great deal. but considering to spend another $350 on ticket to fly to LA, I find the deal not so attractive to me.. anyways, she had lots of fun with her friend there. And she bought me a Mexican turtle! the shell of the turtle is removable. i am thinking what i can put in the turtle's stomach...

testing testing.

max got a camera, and he is testing his camera. :D it's a canon... I don't know what brand name i want to buy yet...

M&Ms

a song

heard of her songs for the first time last night. she is quite good, so is the music

amy winehouse - rehab

naming the baby!

my sister-in-law gave birth to a girl a few days ago. i was SOOOOO excited. it feels absolutely different. i am officially a 大姨 now. sounds so old but good! my sister is 小姨。 i am here to share my family's happiness with our friends and to bring luck to this little baby!

Last night, my dad (who is currently in China) called and asked us for suggestions about the baby's name. my sister and i both wanted the name to be profound and solid. But my dad apparently has a mind of his own. he insisted to choose a meaningful girly name. okay, he is the grandpa. and he named the baby 黄子窈。 isn't it girly and 琼瑶?! i think she will grown up as a beautiful girl. i haven't seen my little niece yet. but according to my dad, my little niece was the most beautiful baby among those who slept in the nursery room. every baby looks like an angel in the eyes of her/his family.

Later, my sister and I thought it would be nice to give the baby an English name. we decide to suggest the name Ramona to our brother and his wife. it's Spanish and Old German origin. people can nickname her as Mona, Mona Lisa... the beauty. the name, Ramona itself means "wise protectress." 子窈 (Ramona) is the first child in our family. we hope she can act as a wise and protective elder sister to her future siblings and cousins. we also hope she can be a wise protectress to her parents when she grows up. and of course, be wise to her own life. the fact that Ramona sounds rare, formal and serious can balances out the potential playfulness in her Chinese name.

But we will suggest to have Ramona as her middle name if she comes to the states. Overall, 子窈 is going to be her registered name in China. So, if my brother and his wife agree, the baby's name is going to be written as Ziyao Ramona Huang = Ziyao R. Huang. how NICE!

hot soup

i wasted an egg, a tomato, and half lime. i tried to make a hot soup without any recipe in mind. it turned out to be bitter?!! i am not sure if it was because of the rice wine i put in at the end... my nutritious vitamin rich soup was not eatable. what a shame...

!

i need stamina!

shopping hectic

I am doing a little bit too much of shopping recently, perhaps because the spring is coming! it's always like this. I don't do shopping often, but once i start it, it will go on for really a while...

i am especially interested in skirts and dresses. after so many years of being 中性, i've developed some kind of addiction on feminine stuff... pink! yes, pink. sorry, larlar, i used to tease you for loving pink so much. now, i am eating my words; i love all the colors. but remember? we were such a good pair of crazy shopper; once we started it, we just went crazy. and now I am doing it alone... :(````` or are you also doing it?

last wednesday

max and i went for a broadway show "The Lion King" a few days ago. it was my second time watching it, and i realized some minor details in the show have altered. but the show overall is always unspeakably stunning. we loved it.

We bought the afternoon show tickets. By the time we got to the theatre, we were first not impressed by the theatre or show itself, but its audience... because besides visible size of adult audience, we saw a sea of children aged 1 + brought by their parents, teachers, and other kinds of guardians probably. All of them looked so cute.

the theatre basically filled with laughters screams as the show progressed. i wonder if the cast had decided to make the afternoon show funnier or more light-hearted just for children since i don't remember so many laughters during my first experience... it was a fresh experience; i enjoyed the show and was happy to hear the little 4 year-old (maybe) girl in beautiful floral dress behind me giggling.

After the show, following several friends' suggestions, we went to brooklyn and took a walk at the both sides of Prospect Park. We took Q train and got off at prospect park station at the west side of the park where the botanic garden is across street. The neighbourhood looks rather shabby. And the botanic garden was almost closed by the time we arrived. so we decided to go for somewhere else.

I wasn't too fond of the idea of walking through the park to reach park slope since i couldn't estimate how long it would take us to cross the park. but max thought it would be nice to walk through the park. and since i am wearing comfortable shoes that day, we took off. It didn't take us too long, and it proved that it was actually a pretty nice walk. As we walked through the park from west to east, the scenery got more and more beautiful.

There is a difference between park west and park east; park east is apparently nicer than park west, and even the park itself is arranged in this way. Neighbourhoods around central park also seems to evolve in this way...

miss school?

watched a movie, Dead Poets Society last night. the professor Keating definitely reminded me of my freshman year...
max loves this movie. I found it fine. but the movie is absolutely educational... makes me feel guilty for not doing too much work...
whoever feels lazy doing work should watch this movie...

dsl

i finally subscribed the dsl. thanks to the suggestions from many friends. very nice. :)

房赁事宜

這幾天一直在為Max來的事情忙碌。到網上登廣告，寄信詢問幾天，都沒什麽好的著落。廣告登出，只有一位名為鮑拉的女子回信給我。與她來往了幾封郵件后，雖然租賃事宜沒有談成，但你來我往之間，彬彬有禮，最後還為我們找到住處（不是選她的）而為我感到高興。。。

最後Max是“花落誰家”？是我家。。。 厚~~ 因爲最後關頭了，實在沒有找到滿意的地方，只好硬者頭皮和家人商量，結果他們竟然認認真真地商量了一下，然後嚴肅地告訴我，鑒于Max家人曾那麽麽熱情招待你，他這次來是可以住到家裏的。。下巴都掉到地上了。

總之，一切順利。

broken

my glasses are broken... after 10 years of service. I feel strange wearing contact lenses; i look weird without glasses...

嘮叨嘮叨

如今的熱門話題，我們的州長大人。

了解了他以前的功績有多輝煌時，再看他如今的尷尬處境，真是不得不感慨政治和政治人物的複雜性。

是被 在手的權利衝昏了頭腦嗎？又或許，他本來就是會做刺激性的事情的人？紐約時報上說的，權與性向來緊密聯係。政治向來是尋求刺 激，勇於冒險的人物的舞臺。 在公衆面前和政治場合中要當個道貌岸然的穩重君子，心裏個性的壓抑很可能在私底下由其他渠道發洩。性便是，既刺激，又痛快。心想著，坐上州長的位子，還有什麽 事情不在他的掌握中呢。

許多留言的讀者所說，招妓是私事與他的政府辦事能力無關，但是他自己又恰恰在公衆面前，以正義之士的姿態，嚴厲指責過社會中的招妓賣淫行爲。這如同搬起石頭砸自己的腳事情不免讓大家嘀咕，除了這個，他還有什麽口是心非，言行不一的事情沒被曝光？

現 在的情況對他來説是天不時，地不利，人不和。 不僅上任以來辦事不順利，樹敵多多，而且正值競選季節。 上頭忙著競選總統的女參議員必定會對他打壓 - 因爲她根本不會想回答任何有關他的話題。他早點收場下臺，她就少點機會被媒體詢問，隱射她的傷疤。不僅如此， 下頭市民也對他叫囂不已。僞善者。這是公衆的抨擊。苦心經營的正義形象被徹底顛覆，威信蕩然無存。他已無顔面和能力繼續留在位子上。

有一點，一位讀者指出，他是客戶9，那麽其他8位（至少）客戶呢？

。。。 這就是政治吧，總是有針對性和目的性的。。。

to do list

I start to eat less and less, not only less amount, but also less frequently. As for today (so far), i only had a bowel oatmeal and a cup of coffee. Now is the time for dinner. I still don't want to eat...

I don't feel like want to eat serious meals; not that I am on diet, but feel uncomfortable to have too much in my stomach... i could just have a tiny bit of food, and then I can survive with it. feel like I am about to have an eating disorder. worried.

So I decided to mark my calender for tomorrow: have a serious lunch
i really should eat more...

打邊爐

被朋友拉去吃火鍋。真是名副其實地拉去。從周四開始說不去，卻抵擋不住攻勢，在今日最後一刻失守。慚愧。
還是原班人馬，衆人坐下，嘻嘻哈哈，沒有任何營養的話題。越是久了的朋友，聊起的話題越是粗茶淡飯。我們在乎的只是那份相知相識的依靠。只是坐在一起，靈魂便輕輕靠近。再美妙的言語也就蒼白了。多說無益。自己默默感受去了。。。。

whatt's called coincidence

in the past month, I've been a regular customer of a coffee shop in my neighborhood. although i complained about the noise in the shop, i surprisingly find my peace there; i could read there.

however, as it becomes a routine for me to spend some times of the day there, he showed up, my ex. the first time i saw him, i thought it was a coincidence, so i left quietly. there is no point for me to meet him. he has his life; i have mine. but the next day, i saw him there again, wearing the same outfit, sitting in the exact place, talking to the exact people, i was suddenly in a moment of confusion; i wasn't sure if i was living yesterday or today. "has the time gone backwards?" i turned around and went out of the shop.

tonight, i went there; i didn't want o, but my friends asked me to meet them there. so i thought i wouldn't be so lucky to see him there again.... but i was wrong; he was there... sigh... apparently, my "territory" has been intruded... i would no longer find my peace there. i think i am not going to that shop in my neighborhood anymore....

乍舌

天氣很好. 步行回家.

路上經過了一個非常安靜residential neighborhood.

只是不經意的一瞥, 卻看見一位白髮蒼蒼的老先生很神勇地騎了一輛10嵗兒童才騎的粉紅腳踏車, 優哉游哉地從我身邊經過.

乍舌.

老人家

問max都淩晨了不去睡覺還在做什麽。
答 出去河邊散步，然後回來睡覺。

我好奇，都快要睡覺了，怎麽還出去散步？
他答，散完步后可以睡個好覺。

無語問蒼天。
真是。。。。。。老人家啊。。。

抱头鼠窜

当你看到你的前男友时，你会有什么反应？从容不迫地say hi，还是像我一样落荒而逃？
唉， 我发誓我真的什么都没有欠他；相反地， 他欠我的比较多， 我是说解释。 知道我的那段血泪史的朋友知道啦。
那我干嘛逃得那么快？

-----------------------------------------------------

妈妈手术顺利，当天就已回家。休养当中。 但对我这个不孝女，脾气还是照发不误。因为手术缘故，暂时不能发高声。所以发脾气的时候， 不再是提高嗓门，而是拍桌子瞪眼。拍得我抱头鼠窜，却不得不佩服医生的手术技术和妈妈的复原功力，只隔24个小时，她就可以生龙活虎了。。。

...

聚會

昨天的聚會一如既往，雖然短暫卻令人心滿意足；可惜Diana 因故不能參加。

我的相機不爭氣，沒拍幾張就“挂”了。 倒是w在最後關頭拍了不少

想想，我們這幾年有幾張大合照了？改天一一把它們找出，貼在一起會是怎樣的情景？

just a tiny bit about what's going on

i am tired of reading about clinton's attack on obama in the news now... especially attacking him for something that she said she didn't say or do. "shame on you"? this is a little bit too much... if she didn't say or do it, why does she have to make such a big fuss out of it? you are a politician, don't get too hysterical. just clarify, restate your points, move on, do no linger.... if she continues to do so, her attack is going to be the only thing left to be remembered at the end of the race, at least in my mind... i think clinton's tactics are not working very well. first, Mr. clinton had said something about obama disapproved even by their own supporters; now mrs. clinton does the similar thing. i really wonder who that person is to advice the clintons to attack the rival in such a frequent way. attacking people does not necessarily show your strength, instead it might expose the deepest fear inside of you...

various

- dreamed of my beloved grandparents who were deceased not long ago. we sat together and had a very nice short chat in a dark house; they offered me fruits, various fruits.... :) I told them that I have a boyfriend who lives in Germany. My grandpa said, "oh, this is not convenient. you have to take a taxi..." i corrected him, "no, airplane" "to see him..." "yes." i laughed and then woke up. still thinking it's amazing... I am glad that i dreamed about them...

- okay, here is my new year resolution (although it's kind of late); i will try to be nice to my sister, which means i will minimize all the chances of fighting with her.

pulling my hair out :(

sigh...people, how do you get along with your siblings? She is driving me crazy. vice versa

random chapters

a friend, Stephanie sent me a picture of me painting a wall. that was the first wall I ever painted in my life. such a significant moment :D


isn't today a nasty day? by the time i got to my office in the morning, my so-called waterproof boots were completely soaked. nicely enough, my manager offered her sneakers to me, so i could wore them while i was in the office. few people said i looked weird in that pair of shoes and the shoes were too big that didn't look like mine... of course... they aren't mine.... hoho...


my sister and I ran out of the house a couple times the night before last night to check the moon. it was said to be the last total lunar eclipse until 2010... my initial reaction was, "wow, the LAST total lunar eclipse until 2010!!!! but...then, i realized... isn't 2010 just 2 years away? so why did i react like it's a millennium event?
anyways.... my sister tried to catch the eclipse using her cellphone... you can imagine the effect... I was surprised that there was still a dim dim light seen on the picture. I made fun of her saying that was actually the light from a street lamp...

But her friend apparently made a better attempt.

backforward

had a bowel of ridiculously expensive chicken soup in Manhattan. size? small. And the soup looks exactly like what we normally had in Kline.... maybe not... it was a bit of too salty and a bit of too much taste of MSG. Later, I had a headache, not sure if it was because of the soup or something else...

I have the tendency to think that I can remedy something I've done wrong before... but in reality, it's not always the case; once you've done something wrong, the consequence is there and will always be there...

life, doesn't go backward, so move on.

yay!

The interior on the ground floor in American Red Cross is not interesting at all. Few posters hanged on the wall, as you will see here. And that is about all. Probably the spacious ground floor is deliberately designed to shelter a maximum number of people in case something happens.heavenly looking.... somehow reminds me statue of liberty.... Uncle Sam and... Isn't this Hollywood?

my very first printer

just realized this blog only allowed registered bloggers to leave comments, so I have changed the setting to allow everyone to leave comments. so be nice to me, okay :)

hey, by the way, I bought the first printer in my life!!!
This black and white Brother printer originally costs about $120, and had been on sale for $70ish at Staples. For this coming week, however, the printer is on Presidential Sale until 02/23 for around $50 after rebate. A good deal in my opinion. :)

piles of stories

The heater still doesn't work in the apartment. According to my dad, the technician literally just came, took a look at the heat system, and then left without a word. so the problem of heater... remains unsolved...

I came back from work, and my dad was home already. With a smile on his face, he invited me for a dad-daughter talk as I put down my bag. so we sat on the sofa and had a heartfelt talk. Our conversations touched upon various topics. Overall it was about one word, "respect."

Yes, respect. People live their lives in billion different ways; and their lives are generally wrapped or piled upon by layers of layers of layers of stories, hidden, distorted, faded... One day, when a person comes to me and reveals one of his/her stories to me; how can I judge the essence of him/her by simply reading their one single story......

peaceful day overall

i started to record my valentine's day by refreshing my memory. :)

I signed up for my very first CPR course finally. I've been thinking of taking the course for years. But without a spontaneous act yesterday, the plan would never be fulfilled. So here I go, I registered and will take the class next Tuesday. From 9am to 4pm, we are going to have an intensive training at 49th Street. The first thing I need to make sure is to review the related materials online in case the course is difficult. Overall I need to pass the course in order to get the certificate.

The AC in the apartment is off today. As I woke up in the morning, i could feel the coldness on my forehead, my body ached as well. so as I got up, the first thing I did was to boil water, so I could make a cup of tea for myself.

Since Max is not here, there is no point for me to celebrate. So as usual, we called and talked over the phone for a while, and then I set to go out to work.

on the way home, I stopped at Starbuck for a while. sitting there, I did a little reading. A young couple in front of me (I bet they are younger than 18) had been sweet to each other from the first moment they had sat down. A bit of silly, but in a sweet way, reminded me of my long-faded-away youth... :D