Garden Glow 2016

 The end of all fairy tales: They live happily ever after.

童話故事的結尾：從此過着幸福快樂的生活。

How to live happily ever after in real life? 

從此要如何過幸福快樂的現實生活？

Then you need to write your own fairy tale script.

那就得靠自己去編出自己的童話故事。

祝福！

Flight booking experience

If you want to book flight travel on your own, or know how to find the cheapest flights, or have problems, you can message me. I know some things and have some experience to share.
如果你要自己訂機票旅行，如何找便宜的機票，有問題，PM 我，我有經驗可以告訴 /教你。

I just helped out a friend who missed the first leg of her flights.  She thought all her round trip flights were forfeited. However, she managed to re-book & just paid a little money after my advice.

分享一事件。

A 告訴我，在新加坡的 B 要來美國拜訪她（两年前我是通過 A 見過及認識 B），便自我請纓的說我可以去接機。

B 要出發前我才收到她的 email 她抵達的時間。我即回問是什麽航機班及從那兒飛來？

两個小時後有她的两個 email，但我要出去買東西。

出去两個小時我回來才看她的 email，她很傷心，沒法成行了，不用接她機了，她搞錯起程（新加坡到香港轉機）時間1:15，以為是 pm，實際是 am！半夜12點她才發現後（可能就是我問她航班時？），即刻去機埸但太遲了，已關閘，職員說她没在第一個航機從新加坡起飛，那全部的航票就作廢了。

另一個 email 是 Expedia 供的來回機票資料（價錢 S$1531 不便宜）。

我即刻回覆她，建議她直接打航空公司換起程日期。又提醒她回程的機票還是有效的。又讓她知道我上航空網上看她的來回機票資料都還在（我不認為她的機票已作廢，遇到不知道情况的職員亂說話是很不幸的）。又去谷哥找航空的新加坡電話給她。我寫了幾個 email。

她回說她查了，不可能還有效，換明天起飛却要付 S$3600，也不可能回程還能用，也不可能 refund 賠償。總之她是放棄了，以後再見面的。我們來回了幾個 email。但我還是問她如何可以互通講話的方式聯系她。

我們用 messenger 講話，她說打電話給 Expedia，讓她在電話等很久。我即刻說我也有這樣的情形過，Expedia 的服務没效力，我在 Expedia 訂票，但班機有問題是要直接找航空公司的幾次經驗，一次還得到航空的賠償。

結果她打電話問航空公司她能否換其它起程日期，終於她換到日期，付了更換費用 US$70及S$30。

她高興得謝我及問我要什麼東西帶給我。

我說榴槤，開玩笑的。

Lesson from the Winds

Tornado feels frustration: "I always regret when I hurt all those surrounding me when I become enraged.
龍捲風沮喪的說："我很後悔我憤怒時，常傷害了週圍的人與物。"

Hurricane agreed: "Me, too. I couldn't control my temper." 
颶風也認同："我也是不能控制我的脾氣。"

Wind speaks like giving a lecture: "We all have emotions more or less, that's okay as long as we vent them appropriately."  
大風乘機在說教："我們多多少少都會有情緒，也可以在適當的情况下宣洩。"

Breeze says slowly: "I usually talk to the person who understands me. However, no one has the obligation to bear me forever, especially in the winter, when they shut me out. So I gradually learned to accept and digest my emotions, I take responsibility to care for myself." 
微風徐徐的說："我通常只找懂我的人傾訴，但沒人有義務永遠承受，尤其冬天時，躲開我都還來不及。所以我漸漸學會接受及消融情緒，自我負責，照顧好自己。"

Vegetarian ham bread

There is a potluck in a Buddhist center, so I was making bread.
佛教中心有一個 potluck。
我在做麵包，麵團包裹素食火腿。

Steve asked: "What are you wrapping in the bread dough?"
相公問我在包什麼？

"Vegetarian ham, fake ham."
素火腿，假火腿。

He raised his voice, "Poor fake pigs!"
他提高了聲音："可憐的假豬！"

Zen of Espresso

Steve got a reward for his 30th anniversary working at the same company, so he choose the espresso maker from the list. 

相公工作30年的奬勵禮物中，他選了咖啡機。

We have been using a French press coffee maker for a long time, so we are so excited with this new toy. 

我們用了很久的咖啡壺得讓開，新的玩具被我們寵愛了。

We steamed the milk to make cappuccino.

蒸牛奶做 cappuccino。

I tried make a pattern.. do you think it is heart-shaped?

我的拉花.. 有像心形嗎？

We also tried "affogato", espresso poured over ice cream. Wow, this is really good.

也試了咖啡加冰淇淋 - affogato。哇。。味道一流！

 Very enjoyable.

太享受了！好一個咖啡禪。

Thanksgiving and Pompeii exhibition in Kansas City

Relaxing at Steve's sister's place during the Thanksgiving holiday.  These two fluffy Samoyeds were visiting while their humans were away for a few days.

Of course, Luna, one of Sue's dogs, can't stand when the other dogs are getting all the attention, so she had to join in.

Part of the Thanksgiving feast!

Relaxing after dinner. 

Before heading home on Friday, we went downtown to Union Station to see an exhibition of artifacts from Pompeii.  

Union Station was the old train station in Kansas City, and was built back in the days before air travel, when cities tried to show off their prosperity to visitors by building the biggest and most beautiful train station.

Like many of the old train stations, Union Station is no longer used for train traffic, but has been restored and remodeled into a shopping and entertainment center.  At one end of what was originally the grand hall, where people would wait for their trains, Christmas decorations have been set up, including a small train for kids to ride.

In the entertainment section of the station, the Pompeii exhibition recently opened, featuring artifacts and pictures from the city, buried in 79 C.E . by Mt. Vesuvius.

From the pictures & videos on display, it looks like much of this beautiful city has been uncovered and partially restored.

These are some of the small statues recovered from the city after almost 2,000 years.  They are in amazing condition, and are beautifully detailed.

Many home decorations from the city were on display.  Houses of the wealthy were adorned with beautiful wall murals and floor mosaics.

A water basin and statue from a home's courtyard.

Some of the recovered glassware & pottery, still in usable condition. 

These are a few of the theater masks.

A statue of the Roman emperor, Caligula, found in the city.

Near the end of the exhibit were some of the more gruesome displays.  Cavities formed in the layers of ash and dust where people were buried by the volcano.  During excavation, when archaeologists found these cavities, they filled them with plaster to make castings left by the bodies.  Some of these cavities were so detailed that folds in the person's clothes can be seen in the castings. 

It was a terrible end for the city's inhabitants.

Humans weren't the only ones killed in the eruption.  Pets and farm animals were also found.

Can you guess what kind of building this is?

This is the outside of the parking garage for the public library in downtown Kansas City, MO.

Global warming

"人們一直在說全球暖化。全球暖化？為什麼就不讚嘆我是冰雕藝術家？你看，你看看我鬼斧神工的作品！"

"Humans keep saying 'global warming'. Global warming? Why don't they praise me as a great Ice Sculpture Artist? Please look at these; look at my surreal works!"

大海天真的對地球說。

Ocean talks naively to Earth.