Earth Day every day

1. I went to join Tzu Chi Buddhist organization for street cleaning event for Earth Day.

2. Many booths to celebrate Earth Day in St Louis, Missouri.

I got a free hug from a pretty girl and some free things from the booths.

3. Steve and I had been saving coins to donate. Guess how much?

Saying & Doing

The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.

我翻譯：在溝通時，最重要的事情就是去聽出什麼是沒說出來的。

This is a sentence from the slip in a fortune cookie. 

What is a fortune cookie? 

Most Chinese restaurants here give you a fortune cookie with the bill. 

I read an article that said, according to their strategy, customers would give bigger tips because of it. 

The cookie has a paper slip inside, but the content is different from each manufacturer. Some have Chinese words to learn. Some have a group of numbers for lottery and a saying...

這是從fortune cookie內的字條。

什麼是fortune cookie？

這裡的Chinese restaurants都會在賬單盤上隨賬單附著fortune cookie。

据策略研究，這能促使客人付費時給多一些tip錢。

每個fortune cookie內都夾有一字條，內容各類，有些是教簡單中文字及拼音，有些是一組的lottery 號碼及一句詞語。。

Some Chinese restaurants use paper food packaging for carry out or leftovers; that's the kind I prefer. However, in terms of helping our environment, the best way is to bring our own food container with us! 

I haven't seen anyone here doing this yet. I should start to do it.

我喜歡有些Chinese restaurants的食物包裝是紙皮的，不過最環保的方式，還不如自己帶食物盒吧！

在這裡，還沒看到有人做這樣的習慣。我要先開始有這樣做的習慣了。

Cherry Blossom in Botanical Garden

 

 

 

 

美國人到馬來西亞不用visa

這玩意兒，吸引我。

一位住在美國的馬來西亞朋友告訴我，她終於幫媽媽申請來美國的visa。之前申請了幾次都沒得到。

我2006年未婚前，第一次想要來探訪Steve時申請，也沒得到，不僅拿不到visa，那時的申請費用RM380也沒得拿回。

可能2001的911事件已過了10年，美國放寬了。去年親人朋友都很容易申請得到visa了。

最近我和Steve談起visa的事，我問， “通常大多數國與國之間，要不是互須有visa到對方國家，要不是互不須有visa。為什麼美國人到馬來西亞就不用visa？這很不公平。” 

他回應： “Don't say that（不要講）。” 

為了個人的利益，不用付visa費當然是最好不過。可是自己的國家卻少'賺'了美國人的錢，如收取visa費，應是一項可觀的數目吧。

選舉制度

遲遲還沒知道大選的日子，在外國的馬來西亞人民要安排回國投票是有不便之處。
美國的選舉制度是已定了日期的，而且若當時不在住家，可以提前先投票。

散佈在這城市裡的馬來西亞人不多，D號召我們在他家Malaysian potluck聚餐。

這群來自馬來西亞，有者已在美國10至30多年，安居樂業，對於馬來西亞的新聞已不理會。更何況是在半地球的遠方，所以不要期望關注幾時會大選，或申請海外投票，或準備回國投票。

我只能勸在馬來西亞或附近的你們有機會投票者，真的要好好為自己的未來做選擇！

這小女孩的媽媽是Chinese-Malaysian，爸爸是白人，算不算是Chinese-Malaysian-American？不，不這麼長。是Asian-American？不對。是American。

D 也邀請了一位美國朋友。

這位美國人，他展示其1981年做的相冊。他15歲，隨父母及三個brothers－家人，那年他父親是因工作在馬來西亞－年。那相冊是記載照片、文字、鈔票、車票等紀錄。他就是當時認識D，有他們倆人少年的照片。 對於不是馬來西亞人的他，卻因居住馬來西亞的情感給自己留念。

US - Key West and Dry Tortugas

We had a day trip by ferry from Key West to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas islands.

   

$165 included breakfast and lunch.

It would be nice if by air.

 

The Yankee Ferry company staff provided a guided tour of Fort Jefferson.

The sunshine divides the gates.

Story about cannon...

A boy felt bored sitting there while his mom was listening to the tour guide.

A girl walking on the moat wall, she and her family going to snorkeling.

After the tour, Steve and I went snorkeling, very beautiful coral.

We could see the coral also when we were walking on the moat wall. 

Ferry back to Key West arrive around 5.30 p.m.

We headed to see sunset, with a crowd of people.

A couple having a sunset cruise wedding.

So romantic and beautiful.

Sunset gone, the street performances begin.

These two guys' performance was really awesome, 

and they have good strategy wanting tips from audiences. 

It seems they are successful. 

 The next morning, I said to Steve nicely, I want to see The Southernmost point before leaving Key West. But he said no, and driving about 5 miles then. 

He turned back after my voice louder.

Here, I see the view, southernmost in the continental USA. 

If I didn't see it at that moment, I didn't know when I will back to this place again.

First time we flew by Southwest airline, I love it.

Not only because of their heart shape logo, but their service is good.

We were in nice warm weather at Fort Lauderdale airport but coming home we saw the ground covered in snow.

US - Everglades and Coral Castle

I thought we lost our rental car's license plate. 

We didn't.  Cars don't need a license plate in front in Florida. 

Spanish moss hanging from the trees in the parking lot at Flamingo Point in Everglades National Park.

 Wild life, many kind of birds.

The Great blue heron is the largest of the wading birds.

Special adaptations enable the Anhinga to swim underwater in search of fish. Because its feathers become too wet to fly, it spreads its wings to dry.

American alligators.

A stall having some tropical fruits, like papaya, ciku, etc.

 I had never seen some of the fruits in there.

  

I tasted these two new fruits as they got ripe enough to eat.

  

 This Coral Castle was built by one man, from 1923-1951.

At that time, the visitor just paid 10 cents for admittance. 

2013, the entrance fee is $15.

The chair, carved out of coral, is quite comfortable.

Definitely, I love the big and small hearts-shaped coral 'Feast of Love Table'.  

And I found a heart shaped souvenir in their gift shop.