The last day of 2007

2007的最后一天，我收到两封從 California USCIS 的信，一封 28/12寄出的信通知我的永久居留（PR）申请已批准，三个星期内会收到 PR 卡; 一封29/12寄出的新居民指南及附上我的 PR 卡。Wow…让我很驚喜美国政府公务員办事的效率！

我的 PR 卡是两年效期，效期滿前須另做申请正式的居民证，这是程序。

呀呼…我可以出国了！

On the last day of 2007, I received two letters from USCIS, California. One letter, dated December 28, notifying me that my application for permanent residence had been approved, and that I should receive my PR card within the next 3 weeks. The other letter, dated December 29, contained a guide for new immigrants and my PR card. Wow…it surprised me that the staff of the American government is very efficient!

My PR card will expire after two years, and we have to apply for a new card before the expiration date. It is procedure.

Yahoo…I can travel overseas!

2007 welcoming 2008

連续前几年，在年终或年始，我们一群朋友，當中某人会安排在某人家聚会，我们共享所準備的食物后，大家輪流谈谈过去一年所遇所做的＇大事＇及对新一年的期许展望… 我不知道这年终或年始，他们是否也一样，我很想念这样的聚会…
The last few years around New Year, someone in my group of friends will arrange a gathering at someone’s place. After we share our potluck food, we take turns sharing our own ‘big stories’ from the past year and wishes or plans for the new year… I don’t know whether they will have the gathering again this year or not. Nevertheless, I miss that gathering…

回首年初吾尚孤家

前景年末吾雙成家

調整身心轉換新生

歡歡喜喜安安樂樂

祝願大家

日日健康歲歲吉祥

詩提夫 ＆ 心憶

2007猪年迎接2008鼠年

Looking back to the beginning of the year, we were still single

Looking now, at the end of the year, we are married

Adjusting physically and mentally to our new life

Joyfully, happily, gloriously, and peacefully

Wishing all of you

Be healthy every day and prosperous every year

Steve & sinE

2007 pig year welcoming the 2008 rat year

Toilet story

I like travel and I have been backpacking with friends several times. Mostly we stayed at guest houses to save some money. I think Asians are more adaptable in accommodations… The first time Steve went to Penang, besides food, the scariest thing to him was...the toilets without seats (squat toilet)! He felt strange that Asians could squat so long…

The first time I cleaned the bathroom here, after I ran water on the toilet bowl and the water ran down onto the floor, I realized that the floor doesn’t have a drain…I stood there and stared at it a little while! I checked the other toilet – the floor is covered by carpet and also doesn’t have a drain. How to wash the toilet bowl?

Herbs soup

我從槟城帶了这些包装食材料到美国，偶爾煮它们，这次煮十全湯… 呵！是不是让你流口水了？

还好Steve说好吃…

I brought a few food ingredients to the US and I cook with them sometimes. This time I cooked ‘ten herbs soup’… Woah! Does that make you drool?

I felt glad that Steve said it is very tasty…

What a great Christmas gift!

Ho ho ho…今天我们收到很兴奋的聖诞礼物！一封來自美国居民证部门的 email，“我们已处理制作你的新身份证…”

上星期，當我问 Steve 想要什么聖诞礼物时，他说最希望得到美国公民证部门寄出我的綠卡消息。这个願望成真了！

Ho ho ho… we received an exciting Christmas gift today! An email from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services saying, “We ordered production of your new card…”

Last week, when I asked Steve what gift he wanted for Christmas, he said he was wishing my Green card would come from USCIS. The wish is coming true!

Christmas presents

St. Louis 和 Kansas City 虽屬同州，但一个東一个西，St. Louis 到 Kansas City 的自驾車程距离如同 Penang 到 Kuala Lumpur。

我们到 Steve 妈及 Sue 家过聖诞… 不管一家大小，最開心的就是得到礼物，如华人新年得到红包一样。

礼物都須擺在聖诞树下，然后聖诞節的當天大家聚在一起打开礼物… 看到是很喜爱的礼物后都会惊喜連連！哈哈…树下的礼物清光了，礼物纸没人要…

这是 Steve 的朋友 Joe 给的礼物…他到槟城参加我们的婚礼时，收集了这些！

St. Louis and Kansas City are in the same state but one is on the east side and the other on the west. The distance by car from St. Louis to Kansas City is about the same as Penang to Kuala Lumpur.

We went to Steve’s mom and Sue’s home for Christmas… All of the kids and adults are happy. The most exciting part is getting presents. It’s like Chinese New Year, when everyone gets ‘Ang Pow’ (money in a Red Packet).

All of presents are placed under the Christmas tree. All the family members gather on Christmas day and open their presents… You will be surprised when you find your favorite gifts! Ha-ha…all the presents under the tree were gone, but not the wrapping paper…

This present is from Steve’s friend, Joe…he attended our wedding in Penang and collected these!

Bak Hu (pork floss)

我们做了多次的肉干，改良從纲上找到的调味料，如加辣椒粉及蜜糖，加 hickory-smoke 燒烤。虽然是冷天不能到屋后，用火炭燒烤，我们改在屋内的电燒烤肉干…

我二姐向我要肉干的 recipe，又问我有没有做肉鬆的。Steve 在纲上找到了… 他很想做，我们就去买豬肉，俩人开始從中午做… 除了调味料如 recipe 的，我们又加蠔油、蜜糖、味盐和辣椒粉。我们买已包装着的肉，比 recipe 的多三倍，所以分为三炒鍋…炒的时间最花时又须要不能间断的炒着，我们俩人輪流炒。五小时后肉鬆终於完成！

2.8 lb/1.28 kg的生肉，做成 1.06 lb/0.48 kg 的肉鬆，耗失62.5%，我们做的肉鬆並不便宜！不過很好吃咧。

啊…很累。

We have made bak kwa (dried meat) several times, and we improved on the recipe we found on the web. Like adding chili powder and honey, and using hickory-smoke while grilling them. Even though the weather is cool enough that we can’t grill bak kwa with charcoal outdoors, we can grill it on the stove indoors instead…

My elder sister asked for the bak kwa recipe from me, and asked whether we have a bak hu (pork floss) recipe. Steve found it on the web… and he intended to make it. So, we bought some pork and we started making it about noon… In addition to the ingredients in the recipe on the web, we also added oyster sauce, honey, seasoned salt and chili powder. The pork that we bought was in a package and it yielded three times the quantity needed in the recipe, so we had to cook it in three batches in the wok… It took a very long time, especially while frying – it needed continuous stirring. We took turns stirring it. The bak hu is served after five hours!

2.8 lb/1.28 kg pork meat became 1.06 lb/0.48 kg pork floss; the meat lost 62.5% of its weight during cooking. The bak hu we made is not cheap! However, it is very tasty.

Ah…we are tired.

Our bak hu (meat floss) recipe 我们的肉松食谱 -

http://eheartrecipe.blogspot.com/2008/11/pork-bak-hu-meat-floss.html

Food with egg

墨鱼，谢谢你吐墨，嘻嘻…

Steve 很偏吃，很多有益的食物都不大要吃，比如蛋… 看得到显性的蛋，他從不吃。什么是显性的蛋？就是如肉炒蛋、荷包蛋、滾蛋（水煮蛋）啦… 看不到隱性的蛋，他才有吃。什么是隱性的蛋？就是如蛋糕、雪糕、kaya 啦… 嗯！Milo加蛋，半显性半隱性的，他也不要囉…

北半球的冬季正式從12月22日起，冬至！

Cuttlefish (a friend’s nickname), thank you for spitting out your ink (comment), he-he…

Steve is picky about food, and he doesn’t like many nutritious foods. For example eggs… If the egg is noticeable in food, he will not eat. What is noticeable egg? They are like meat with egg, fried egg, and boiled egg… If the egg is not noticeable in food, he will eat it. What is not noticeable egg? They are like cake, ice cream, and kaya (egg custard)… Mmm! Milo with added egg, the egg is half noticeable and half not noticeable in it, he also doesn’t want…

December, 22 is the official start of winter in the northern hemisphere!

Way of Lights

西方国家的聖誕節氣氛很濃厚，多数人家都会点缀佈置家… 有些可比美馬來西亞的商场或酒店。

我们去 Illinois 州欢赏由百万盏灯泡以上的聖誕装飾＇Way of Lights＇，真是漂亮極了…还进场去看一场＇Laser Show＇…

去年的聖誕節，Steve 到槟城和我在一起，但不是為了聖誕節庆… 今年是我们第一次共渡聖誕節啦…

祝你及家人聖誕節快乐！

Christmas is grand in western countries; many families decorate their house… Some of them might be prettier than the stores or hotels in Malaysia.

We went to Illinois to view the ‘Way of Lights’ which is decorated with more than a million Christmas lights. They are really beautiful… And we watched a ‘Laser Show’ there…

Last year, Steve went to Penang to see me but not for the Christmas celebration… This year, is our first Christmas together…

We wish you and your family MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hot cocoa with egg

Steve 说在冷天气喝一杯热可可最能取暖，他拿出牛奶及可可粉，用鍋煮热可可。

通常亞洲人喝 Milo 之類，都是用热水冲泡，一杯热可可很快就在面前。我想到有人喝 Milo 加蛋是較特别，要用热滾的水，我看他既然是用煮的方式，就对他说，“我要加蛋的！” 他莫明其妙的看着我说，“那有加蛋的，我不会，你自己煮吧！” 听來他对它很陌生。

Steve told me if I need something to drink to warm up in cold weather, hot cocoa is best. He took out milk and chocolate powder, and put them in pot to heat up.

Normally, Asians drink a chocolate powder drink like Milo (similar to Swiss Miss in the US); they just mix it with hot water. A cup of hot cocoa will be served immediately. I think if some people drink Milo with an added egg, it needs to use very hot boiled water. I saw him heating the milk, so I said, “I want to add an egg!” He didn’t understand and looked at me, “How can you add an egg, I don’t know and I’ll let you to do it!” It sounded very strange to him.

Fund raising for Chinese school

今年從衛塞節前夕，檀香寺的唯悟法師就开始积极多次的为菩提中学搬迁筹款活动。唯悟法師一向來对教育不遗余力，我非常讚嘆！

昨天阅读新闻，得悉槟州民政马华某些议员為菩提中学筹款… 我心中感慨万千，不知是喜是悲还是惑？喜的是款项筹到越多当然是好事，悲的是马來西亞政府对国民型华、印校的待遇远不如巫校吧！惑的是槟州马华政黨员是否借题发揮欲获华族民心？

菩提中学是我的母校，感恩她给我六年培育及陪伴成長，盼她持续更久扶持更多学子…

Since Wesak day eve (a Buddhist festival) in April of this year, Ven. Wei Wu from Than Hsiang Temple was starting to organize a few of activities to raise funds for moving Phor Tay High School. Ven. Wei Wu always puts his best efforts into education; I praise him warmly!

Yesterday, I read news about fundraising activity by some officials from Penang MCA for Phor Tay High School… I have many sorts of feelings well up, and I am not sure if they are happy or sad or doubt? It is happy because fund raising as much as possible is good news. It is sad: The Malaysian government does not provide the same level of support and benefits to Chinese and Indian public schools in Malaysia, as compared to Malay schools！It is doubtful: Did the Penang MCA’s politicians use this topic to win Chinese popular feelings?

Phor Tay High School is my mother school. I appreciate that the school gave me six years of education and accompanied me while I grew up. I wish it will support many students and stay as long as possible…

Survivor

Do you like to watch the ‘Survivor’ game show on TV? The game shows contestants who need to fight each other using their skill, endurance and intelligence. The winner gets US$1 million.

The latest ‘Survivor’ was in China. I had watched the last few episodes of the show and the finale last Sunday. The winner was the one whose personality I do not like…

I like to watch and I also hate to watch this show… I like it because every season of ‘Survivor’ will be in a different country and have different contests; I hate it because most of the contestants were fighting to win the money. They hope they can survive and use their strategies to get rid of the others. You see some of the ugly side of humanity, like lying, stirring up enmity between two parties, speaking glibly, treachery, arguments and etc.

But they also have some contestants who showed their frank personality. They became good friends or dating.

In fact, it is same in reality at work. The personality of colleagues might be the same as the contestants in ‘Survivor’. Hence, a work place is like a big group of ‘Survivor’. I think the fittest might not survive; the survivor might not be the most fit… Ah! The skill, endurance and intelligence of humanity!

Snow

Steve 在切雪糕！是在铲雪…铲开車廂走道的雪，車才能驾出去。連续下了多小时的雪，积厚约半呎…

这么多的雪，让我想起雪人，Steve 给我他的胶手套，我穿上大手套像小孩似的开始要做雪人… 要怎样做呢？Steve 告诉我，“先用手做一小团，然后让这一小团在雪地上滾成大雪团。” 噢！原來须像＇滾雪球效应＇…

第一次我做不成雪人啦…你知道什么原因嗎？因為这次的雪是干雪，雪不大能成团，须要湿雪才能做雪人。

突然间，我看到后家的雪地有很别緻的雪痕… 哈哈，原來是她家小狗的傑作…牠真有艺术细胞！

Steve is cutting an ice cream cake! He is shoveling snow…shoveling the snow away from the garage so the car can go out. It snowed several hours and came to about six inches deep…

So much snow – it made me think about making a snowman. Steve handed his nylon gloves to me. I was wearing these big gloves, and, like a kid, was starting to build a snowman… How to do it? Steve told me, “Grab some snow and make a small ball, then roll it on the surface of the snow until it gets bigger.” Oh! It means ‘snowballing’…

This first time I couldn’t make a snow man… Do you know what the reason is? Because, it was dry snow this time, and dry snow does not stick together well enough to make a ball. The snowman needs wet snow.

Suddenly, I saw the snow-covered yard of the house in back of ours had a beautiful design traced in the snow… Ha-ha, it was made by her little dog… The dog has an artistic soul!

Life in another way

當我看着光凸凸的樹时，感觉就像在欣赏一幅人像赤裸艺术… 它们自然的流露肢態，没有任何造作！

當樹被雪花覆蓋时，它们有如披着白纱绸的幽灵，宁靜的僵立着…

Steve有几本关於風水的書，我读了一本，其中有一项说家中的花瓶不要保留枯萎的花或乾花，要擺花草就擺鮮花草或朔胶花草或假花草。

我的观念是花草從泥土茁長、含苞待放、顛丰茂盛、美丽芳香、到失去生長，没有生命鲜艳的光泽… 但我还是希望尽量保留它们存在的意义，给它们另一种生命的诠释…

When I look at the bald trees, I feel like I am looking at naked human figures in art… They are revealing their appearances naturally without any affected manners!

When the trees are covered by snow, they are like spirits covered by white silk, standing quiet and rigid…

Steve has a few ‘Feng Shui’ books and I read one of them. One of topics advised about placing only fresh or fake flowers, but not to place faded or dried flowers.

My thought is: the plants growing from the dirt, the buds are getting ready to burst, the flowers flourishing, luxurious, beautiful and fragrant, until they cannot grow anymore and lose their colors and energy… However, I still try to save some to extend their ‘life’ in another way…

Expensive glasses

Steve 從我的座椅拾起一小支東西，看了一会，我才知道是我載着的眼鏡近耳後鏡框部份段了一小節。Steve 说他的保險有包括眼鏡科，有某部份费用由保險行涵蓋，我想既然是这样，就去換一副眼鏡框吧！我们还须要打电预约，被安排在一星期后。去到该眼鏡科，就如去見医生般，須填一些关于健康的资料，然后有关医生给我检验眼睛，她说我的眼睛度数与配的眼鏡接近。過后我告诉负责眼鏡员说要換鏡框，她帶我去选鏡框，听她讲解，似乎必须全換新。我看中一副，她就问要怎样的鏡及效果的，我答了之后，她算出所有的驗眼和眼鏡价扣除保險行应付的后，共价 US$428！Steve 交上信用卡，我有点驚嚇向他睁大眼睛示意，但他没意会。走出该店，我们去用餐，我就开始不断讲述那价钱太贵，我在槟城做眼鏡，检验是免费的，若一副眼鏡 RM428 已是很贵！反正我还能載着没有很大障礙的这副眼鏡，我宁愿等回去槟城时再換吧！我们又倒回去取消做眼鏡，付上检验价 US$39。

其实曾阅读某马來西亞人的文章讲述欧洲或西方国家的眼鏡很贵（我的朋友 MX 也告诉过我），勸告要到那里的人最好在 Malaysia 準備…但我並不知多贵，現在算我自己真的領教了。

也许有其他便宜的眼鏡行在美国，但我们还不知道。

Steve picked up a little piece of something on my seat and handed it to me; I looked at it a little while and realized the frame of the glasses I was wearing broke near the earpiece. Steve said his insurance has an allowance for part of the optical fee. Since we have this, I thought to change the frames! We needed to call the optometrist and get an appointment the next week. We went in to see the doctor, and we needed to fill out a form with some health details. Then the doctor performed a routine eye examination, she told me my eye prescription was similar to my existing glasses. After that, I talked to a salesperson about changing my frames. She pointed out the selection of frames and it sounded like she meant they only could make new glasses. I chose a frame, and then she started to ask what types of lenses. I replied and she made an order. After all of the charges were listed, the total after the insurance allowances was US$428! Steve handed her his credit card. I felt shocked and opened my eyes as big as I could to Steve, but he didn’t know what I meant. After that, we went out to a restaurant for dinner and I started talking about the price being too high. If my glasses were made in Penang and cost RM428, I would say they were expensive. And the routine eye examination in Penang was free! I still feel okay wearing my glasses, and I think I will change them while I’m back in Penang! So, we went back to the optometrist to cancel the order and only paid the examination fees of US$39.

In fact, I read an article written by a Malaysian and my friend MX also advised that those who wear glasses should prepare while still in Malaysia if going to Europe and Western countries, because they are expensive… Before, I didn’t realize how expensive they are but I am much obliged now.

Maybe some places in the US are cheaper, but we haven’t found them yet.

Penang hawkers food vs America food

我曾认為马來西亞是天堂的厨房（食物），尤其是我生長的槟城，真的是美食当道，到处林立，不远就会有小贩… 所以像我之前单身在外的，上班的日子通常三餐都是小贩帮我解决，我厨房的煤气桶几年才能用完！有时候还在那些小贩摊前，想着不知道要吃什么好，太多选择了啦！

現我们住的地区，就完全不一样，你要吃外面的一餐，都是餐馆或快餐店，俩人花费约USD15-40。所以不大会煮的我，还是要常下厨了…

我们要去Asian store（离开家约14英里／22.4公里）才能買到进口菜，虽很高兴，但价錢贵得很，如薄荷，在槟城巴剎买约付RM0.30-0.50的量，这兒标价是USD1.39！虽然是贵了点，但我在这兒吃着自己煮的一餐，还是觉得很满足…

CA, 我回槟城时，不能要我煮啦，是要帶我去我不知道的那些槟城角落的美食！哈哈…

I thought that Malaysia is like the kitchen in heaven (food), especially in my hometown of Penang. There are really delicious foods everywhere; you can easily find a hawker nearby… So, when I lived alone, my three meals during workdays were usually solved by the hawkers. A tank of gas in my kitchen needs to take a few years to finish! Sometimes when I looked at those hawker’s stalls, I couldn’t decide what to eat due to the many choices!

Now, my staying area here is totally different. If you want to have a meal outside, you need to go to a restaurant or fast food place, and the bill for both of us is around USD15-40. Thus, even though I am not good at cooking, I need to cook…

We need to go to the Asian grocery stores (the distance from our home is around 12 mile/22.2 km) if I want imported vegetables. I felt happy that I can get some, but the price is so high. Like mint leaves: you can get a quantity and pay around RM0.30-0.50 in Penang’s wet markets, but here they cost USD1.39! Though they are expensive, I feel satisfaction when I am eating a meal that I cooked myself…

CA, when I come back to Penang, you can’t ask me to cook. Instead you have to take me to some corner in Penang where I didn’t know they have delicious foods! Ha-ha…

Chinese-Malaysians managed a few languages

When talking about languages, many Chinese-Malaysians can manage a few different languages. As for me, I grew up in a family speaking Teochew dialect, but speaking Hokkien dialect with local people in Penang. I watched Hong Kong movies in Cantonese on TV. I studied in a Chinese school with subjects in Chinese, English and Malay. We learned a few languages and we have some advantages…

If going to Indonesia, I can use Malay. If going to Thailand, I can speak Teochew with Chinese-Thai if I meet them. If going to Hong Kong and Macau, I understand Cantonese. If going to Taiwan, I can speak Hokkien and understand their Taiwanese (Hokkien and Taiwanese are close). If going to China, I can use Chinese. If going to Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, and other countries, I can use English…

So, are Chinese-Malaysians talented in languages?

Learning

The Chinese class Steve is attending has just a few students, but it has old & young with Asian, Western and mixed people. There is a Chinese teenager (his mother is Vietnamese-Chinese, but speaks Cantonese), age around 13; a young Chinese-Westerner mix (his mother is Taiwanese and father is American), age around 18; a senior American, age around 60. Besides Steve, I think that the senior is the other one who has the most inspiration to learn. The teenager did not want to attend class but was forced by his mother.
Once, they had a conversation:
Steve said to the teenager, “…it is easier to learn Chinese while young, don’t wait until my age.”
The teenager said, “It is better not to wait until his age”, pointing to the senior.
The senior said. “It is true!”

WIN

The TV has a game show called ‘Deal or No Deal’ every week. There are 26 numbered cases, and inside of each case is a different monetary value. The values range from the smallest with $0.01 to the biggest with $1,000,000.00. The contestant selects one of the 26 cases, which will be opened last. It is like a hidden card and nobody knows what it is. The contestant starts by opening six cases. The smaller the value in the opened case, the better it is for the player. It means better chances that the case selected by the contestant contains a large amount. The Banker looks at the value of the cases that are still unopened and offers a value to buy the contestant’s case. If the contestant says ‘deal’, it means he/she will get the money that the Banker offered. If he/she says ‘no deal’ then he/she will continue to open cases and the Banker will give a new offer. If the contestant goes all the way with ‘no deal’ until just one case remains, plus the case originally selected by the contestant, he/she can choose either of them. The contestant will get the amount in the final case that he/she chose… A recent contestant, who was on a football team, brought along a T-shirt with the slogan ‘REFUSE TO LOSE’ printed on it… He got down to the last four cases and the banker offered him over $50,000 (I forgot the exact figure), but he refused to deal. He got $1 in the end! As I said…why use the negative word ‘LOSE’! Even though this game seems like it is based on luck, I think good luck likes to find mostly positive people…

While I was writing this, it reminded me of the Chinese-Malaysian political candidates. In the last few elections, they liked to sing a Taiwanese song called ‘爱拼才会贏’ (‘We’ll only win by working hard’) at public appearances before the election. It sounds like the election will be coming soon. I don’t know if they have started to practice singing this song or not? Although…this song is too old. Perhaps it will not be popular again and the listener might dislike hearing it too; however 贏 (WIN)… it is still so inspiring while you are hearing it! Added to some beautiful lies…

The nicest and most beautiful lie is…the speakers themselves who didn’t realized they lied!

Nobody cares about this; as from the lyric… ‘…三分天注定，七分靠打拼，爱拼才会贏…’ (It means: ‘thirty percent of life is pre-destined; the other seventy percent depends on working hard; we will only win by working hard.’)

A letter to one month old baby

给好友的彌月小儿，

欢迎你來到这个世界！也许地球的自然美貌已大不如前，不过能來到这个人间，是一种福报，所以请珍惜你所拥有的！

哈哈…想不到你这么小就跻进廿一世纪电腦流行的 blog，也难怪啦…你妈是 IT 高手，我想她一定希望在你未有能力前，替你留住动人的画面﹔为你捕捉美丽的回忆，做母亲的都会用心良苦！不过我看了你的简介…你在这世上未到一个月（或在母胎时），你妈就期待你成为金融投資企业…WOW!

噢…忘了对你自我介绍，我是曾和你妈同住五年的屋友，心忆。現我在美国，还未能去探访你，来日相见。

願你身心成长、成为自己、发掘真善美！

To my good friend’s son, one month old:

Welcome to the world! Perhaps nature is not as beautiful as it once was, but it is a merit that we all are part of humanity. Thus, please appreciate all you have!

Ha-ha…I can’t believe you are just a baby, but you have already entered into this popular 21^st century internet blog. It is no wonder…your mom is an IT expert. I think she wants to assist you by freezing the moment in pictures and catching the beautiful memories before you have those abilities. Those who are mothers expend much thought and care! I read your profile… your mom expects you to be in the investment banking industry, though you just came into the world not yet a month (or maybe since you were in your mom’s womb)…WOW!

Oh…I forgot to introduce myself to you. I am sinE, I stayed together with your mom and we were housemates for almost 5 years. I am in the U.S. and I can’t go to visit you now. Let us meet someday.

I wish you growing up with a sound body and mind. Be yourself, search for the true, the good and the beautiful!

I seeing snowflakes dacing

呵…下雪了！第一次看到雪花在空中飄舞，感觉很兴奋。

Steve告诫我说，“下很多雪时，你就不会喜欢它了！” 意思是说会很冷，及駕驶会較危險！

夜晚下了一陣小雪，屋頂变白色了… 我好玩的脫鞋踏雪，哈哈噢噢！不是能持久的玩意兒…

Hoo… it’s snowing! It was my first time seeing snowflakes dancing in the air. I was excited!

Steve warned me, “You will not like it when there is more!” It means it will be very cold and driving is more dangerous!

There was a light snow last night; the roof was turning to white… I took off my shoe and stepped on the snow, ha-ha oh-oh! This is not a game I can play for long…

7.12.07

16 days for little shelves

一个很普通的小架子，我们用了几天的时间才完成，还是因为我（比較性急的人）三番四次的催促下＇只＇用了十六天…

買了一套小架子回來放在家，一星期后再去買多一套及一罐噴漆，三天后将它们噴漆，三天后再加噴一层漆，在三天后鑽嗇装釘终于掛上架子…

小架子一下就被＇侵佔＇了！

It’s a very normal little shelf, but we needed a few days to finish it; that’s my urge or push (I am more impatient) and so it ‘only’ took 16 days…

We bought a shelf. After one week we bought a second one and a can of spray paint. After three days, we painted them. After three more days, we sprayed another coat of paint on them. After three more days, we drilled holes in the wall for screws and hung the shelves eventually…

The little shelves were occupied immediately!

Eating Penang asam laksa in America

电话鈴响了，我放下手上的東西，去接电话。是 Steve 從公司打电话來，我对他说，“…我在煮午餐。”
“你在煮 laksa！”

“你怎么知道呢？”

“看你昨天買了那些菜類，我知道你是等不及要吃 laksa 了。”

我对 Y 说我喜欢她之前寄给我的 curry mee 快熟麵，她又为我寄了几包 curry mee 並有 curry 醬及 Penang Asam Laksa 醬。前个星期，我用那整包 curry 醬煮了一鍋的咖哩鸡，供我们两人吃了两天，咖哩香令我们讚不绝口…

今天我用那三份之一包 laksa 醬煮了一碗 laksa。Y 提议我放沙丁鱼，但我不喜欢罐装的沙丁鱼，而放了鲜白鱼… 吃着味道很接近 Penang 小販的 asam laksa，热辣的 laksa 令我滿頭大汗，几乎忘了我是身在美国，穿着暖衣！这包醬料比我能買到有两个 s ＇Assam Laksa＇ 的粉料煮出來的好吃…

大城市的好处是，可以買到好吃的東西！

The phone was ringing, so I put down what was in my hand and went to pick up the call. It was Steve calling from work. I answered him, “…I am cooking.”

“You’re cooking laksa (a type of noodle sold by Penang hawkers)!”

“How did you know?”

“I knew you couldn’t wait to have laksa when I saw you buying those vegetables yesterday.”

I told Y that I like the instant curry mee (noodle) which she sent me before. She sent me a few packs of curry mee again, and packs of curry paste and Penang Asam Laksa sauce. I cooked one wok of curry chicken with that curry paste last week, and the two of us ate it in two days. The curry smell and taste made us praise it “yummy”…

Today, I cooked a bowl of laksa using one-third package of laksa sauce. Y advised me to cook it with sardines, but I don’t like the canned sardines, so I cooked it with whiting filet. The taste was close to the asam laksa sold by Penang’s hawkers. When I was eating this hot & spicy laksa, it made me sweat. I almost forgot I am in America and wearing a sweater. This laksa package was a sauce, which was better than the one I could get before (spelled with two ‘s’ - ‘Assam Laksa’) which was a powder type…

The advantage of being in a big city is they can buy those delicious foods!