Oh my gosh, I cannot believe that after so many days, I still fail to mention this… Continue reading “My Walk to My Job”
Photo shot from beneath a tree
Tag: blogging
#AtoZChallenge – D for Deadlines
This weekend’s going to be hectic once again. It doesn’t matter that it’s Easter, exams and homework wait for no one. Continue reading “#AtoZChallenge – D for Deadlines”
#AtoZChallenge – C for Celebration
Two days ago (A), I failed to mention my excitement. I wrote I was absolutely excited. I actually meant today. Continue reading “#AtoZChallenge – C for Celebration”
Smoother in Words
Today’s prompt is a tricky one, so I’m going to have to think about it. Meanwhile, I’m going to answer yesterday’s: How do you communicate differently online than in person, if at all? How do you communicate emotion and intent in a purely written medium? Continue reading “Smoother in Words”
#AtoZChallenge – B for Breakfast
I peeked at my fridge this morning for a little breakfast, it’s practically empty except for the overwhelming amount of vegetables my mom bought on Saturday before coming home to hassle me to write her paper on Argentina for her. Essentially, I am out of breakfast. Continue reading “#AtoZChallenge – B for Breakfast”
#AtoZChallenge – A for Absolutely
Absolutely, what? You ask. I can think of a lot of adjective that can follow that word like annoyed, poofed, tired, exhausted, excited, psyched… Continue reading “#AtoZChallenge – A for Absolutely”
So Not a Fan
I hate it and dread it every year. Will someone pull a prank on me? Will someone prank me so hard that my chest pound and I have to watch my back the entire freaking day? Will I get hurt? I might be able to stand pain but I hate to get hurt. Continue reading “So Not a Fan”
Surprised (Very)
I suppose everybody has a tagline, a short phrase or slogan that describe who we are, what we do (occupationally) or just something that sums up what we are individually, kind of like a brand or logo. I used to have no tagline of my own but I acquired one two days ago. Okay, I’ll tell you about it now.
About two months ago, after seeing and listening to people raving and booing about twitter, I finally opened a twitter account. I didn’t start using it until two days ago, as a curious little experiment and as a way to ditch my Facebook “friends” who basically ruined the term social media for me.
After joining Facebook for eight, nine years (wow has it really been that long?), no one liked the pictures I posted or read the things I’ve written. The only time my “friends” talked or, in this case, messaged me was on my birthday. Each time, we just go back and forth twice maybe three times.
They’ll say, “Oh, I missed you. Are you coming back to Cali anytime soon?” Um, I’m in school. Do I look like I have the time to travel? They’ll replied, “Oh, well I missed you,” and that’s the end of the conversation.
Anyway, I wanted to start fresh, I don’t want the situation over at Facebook ruin social media for me, too late. So I turned to the other source for social media, twitter. I didn’t know, I still don’t know how to use twitter, how to read tweets, and so on. The short-hand notations and the hash-tags are driving me nuts.
Anyway, I finally went on after two months and posted my first ever tweet, possibly to let the world know I’ve finally registered for an account.
After so many years of watching and listening to everyone talk about twitter this twitter that, I’m finally on.
— Yinglan Zheng (@yinglanzheng) March 29, 2015
I wasn’t expecting anyone to read that or even follow me but just for the heck of it and because everything on twitter is about shortness, I posted a few more.
I am very rusty at this social media thing. Bear with me.
— Yinglan Zheng (@yinglanzheng) March 29, 2015
I completely set up my profile and even connected this blog to the account and set up the widget in my sidebar. You see that below? That’s my tagline. It said to write a bio but come on, in that tiny space?
I am a blogger, a writer, an engineer, and a will-be accountant.
Well, that basically describes what I do.
Then something unexpected happened. Monday morning, I woke up and checked my stats on WP, 5 followers for twitter. I could feel my eyes bulge as I did a double-take. For some of you out there, it’s not a lot. To me, it’s a lot just like it’s a lot for me to have over 700 subscribers on this blog.
Just now, I checked again, 28 followers and all of them are associated with writing. Most of them authors and writing club. You can tell, I’m still very surprised myself.
Blog Tour Award: My Creative Process
Last week, I was surprised and amazed when I received a ping-back from Izzy of Izzy-grabs-life. Izzy has nominated me for the Blog Tour Award! I didn’t even know such award existed, I’m so honored.
RULES:
- Compose a one-time post on a specific Monday (date given from your nomination — I was given March 30)
- Give them the rules and a specific Monday to post by – for the next round, I will go with Monday April 6, 2015
- Pass the tour on up to four other bloggers.
- Answer four questions about your creative process which lets other bloggers and visitors know what inspires you to do what you do.
QUESTIONS:
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
I’m currently working on my homework. Ha ha, just kidding, I’m taking a break from my cost accounting homework.
Um, at the moment, I’m actually about half-way done with what-I-think is a short-story but it’s turning into a novelette. I’m think probably another 3000 words on top of the current 4800 should do it. It’s a rewrite and it used to be called “The Forgotten” but I think the title’s a little lame. So I’m coming with a new title at the moment.
HOW DOES YOUR WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS IN YOUR GENRE?
Honestly, I do not know. We all get our inspiration somewhere, whether be TV shows or movies or books. I pull ideas for my stories from those places but at the time, I would try to add something different, my own touch but I suppose, in a way, my work can be comparable to others in my genre.
WHY DO YOU WRITE OR CREATE WHAT YOU DO?
My head is filled with pictures and ideas. Every time, I watch a TV show or a movie or read a book, I instantly get pictures, pictures that once I lose them, I am not getting them back. Since I am not an artist (I can’t even draw a car right), I choose words as my medium. So writing is really my way of painting those mental pictures. The paper is my canvas, as some would say, and I’m painting it with words.
HOW DOES YOUR WRITING/CREATIVE PROCESS WORK?
Well, like I said, I get pictures and I just writing it down as to artist painting the canvas. I don’t exactly have a process. I just get these flashes in my head and as soon as I get them, I would jog them down somewhere, anywhere, be it an existing story or a new story. Otherwise, it will feel like what Maya Angelou says.
However for the flash fiction challenges and prompts, it’s different.
- I look at the picture prompt or the word prompt.
- For the picture prompt, I would then run through a variety of scenarios in my head. I would ask, can this happen? or is this situation logical? I usually try to pull from my life before going fiction.
- For the word prompt (the prompts that are words-only, no picture), those are usually pretty tough for me to write any fiction stories. I usually just stick to non-fiction for those.
- Of course, I can’t post or publish anything without proofreading and editing it. This would be my last step. I usually go over it 2 or 3 times until I’m satisfy with every word.
MY NOMINEES
It is my pleasure to nominate the following individuals:
I am looking forward to hear about everyone’s creative process!
A Behind the Scene Performer
Daily Prompt: If you were involved in a movie, would you rather be the director, the producer, or the lead performer? (Note: you can’t be the writer!). Continue reading “A Behind the Scene Performer”
Before Photoshop
After Photoshop
Asian Pear Blossoms
As promised, I am presenting the shots for the pear blossoms which I seized the opportunity to capture it yesterday morning. I think they might only be around for another week or so. Continue reading “Asian Pear Blossoms”
Banquets and Roast Pig
Today’s prompt asks, Tell us about your favorite meal, either to eat or to prepare. Does it just taste great, or does it have other associations?
I don’t think I have a favorite meal. Oh, wait, nah, my favorite meal involves a banquet and a roast pig. Oh man, you have no idea how gruesome it was to find a suitable picture. All the roast pig pictures are so graphic. I almost feel bad for looking at it.
Anyway, I’ve been to a few of these banquets, always either someone’s just had a baby or they are getting married or it’s just one of those family reunion things. In a word, celebration. It was one of those occasions where we just eat and talk insanely loud. The noise bothers me but the food is insanely good.
So I have to go change the turtles’ water. It’s been three days (I’ve been busy) and the house really smells of turtle waste now. Boy, turtles poop a lot, don’t they?
I’m going to leave you with another flash fiction piece I’ve written about the curious boy name Michael. I think it fits the prompt since it’s food-related. See ya!
Curious Michael – Did you lay those eggs?
Michael sat at the table in the breakfast nook as he waited for his mother to bring him his favorite weekend favorite breakfast, Scrambled Eggs and French Toast.
A moment later, his mom slid a plastic plate onto the table. “Here you go, sweetie.” His mom smiled and sat across from him.
Michael stared at the eggs and asked, “Mommy, did you lay those eggs?”
His mom’s fork was half way between her mouth and the plate, she paused and dropped her fork, “What? Of course not, why would you say that?”
Michael pinched a piece of his toast and shoved it into his mouth, “Because some boys at school called me a chicken. Since I’m a chicken, you are a chicken too. Chickens lay eggs, don’t they?” His brows knitted together.
“Honey, those kids don’t know what they are talking about. You’re not a chicken and I didn’t lay these eggs. Now eat your breakfast.”
Ephemeral Flower and Sunrise
For this week’s photo challenge, I actually had to look up the word, ephemeral, in the dictionary. I’m still developing my vocabulary, you see. According to dictionary, ephemeral means… Continue reading “Ephemeral Flower and Sunrise”
Life’s risks and codes
Today’s prompt asks for: Have you got a code you live by? What are the principles or set of values you actively apply in your life?
I was never taught to have a set of code I must live by. I think it’s probably because I grew up in a household where it’s basically a dictatorship. One person controls everybody and everything. Even then, there’s no code.
For myself though, I just want to live life with relatively low risks. I try to not break any rules and laws. I try to make and keep everyone happy. Although sometimes, life is not exactly low risk, is it.
This morning, I’ve been trying to jump on board and buy this stock. I’ve been observing for the past two weeks and it’s been falling these past few days, finally to the level I want. Too bad I slept through the point when it hit its lowest this morning, otherwise, I would’ve snagged it. Now, it’s rising again but a few cents. I’ve set a price and I wish it would just drop a penny now so my order will come through.
Since I have no more to write about this uninspiring prompt, I will just leave you with this picture I took yesterday while I was bored to death waiting outside the orthodontist office. It is a look at downtown. It’s not a very good picture due to the glass. Although spring is here, you can still see a layer of haze trapped in the valley.
So Close!
Today’s prompt calls for: Tell us about a time things came this close to working out… but didn’t. What happened next? Would you like the chance to try again, or are you happy with how things eventually worked out?
Finally, a prompt I can answer in the short time that I have today. I’m leaving in a little bit to get my retainers adjusted. It’s time. Can you believe it’s been over two months since I’ve gotten my braces off? Time flies, doesn’t it?
Anyway, back to the prompt. The answer’s easy, October 2013. I took the Fundamental of
Engineers (FE) exam for the third time. I think I blogged about it at the time since I found this picture in my WP media library. It was a long and difficult exam; 8 hours and 180 questions. Every second counted and you had to know just about everything and anything to pass it. For my major, civil engineering, I only needed to get 50% to pass which was 90 questions.
I thought I did quite well that time. It was two months later in December when I got the results. Failed! I was super pissed because every single job out there required me to pass this damn exam. I felt like something was out to get me. How can I not pass this thing after three time? Most of my classmates passed the second time around and the Chinese international students even passed it the first time. So how can I not pass? Do I suck this much in engineering?
So I went to the detailed report to find the cause. It told me how many I got right in each of the 10 or 12 categories. I pulled out my calculator and punched in the numbers. 85! 85, that was the number of questions I’ve gotten correct and I needed 90. At that moment, I wanted to punch somebody’s lights out. 5 Questions, that was all I needed to pass and those 5 questions killed my chance of getting a job.
Now, of course I could take the exam again but honestly, I don’t even want to study another round for it. The material was too broad and there were too many things I couldn’t even ingest. Also, I hear now that the exam is on the computer and it’s even harder even though they reduced the number of questions from 180 to 110. I don’t think I will ever get my engineering license. At least I graduated, that’s all it matters, right?
I Will Try
Remember these guys?
That’s right, I’m writing another post on them.
When my “rich friend” had asked me to “take care” of them last month, I knew it wasn’t temporary. My mom had asked her if it will be okay to ship them back to California along with the car. Well early yesterday morning at 7-something, the shipping company finally came to pick up the car and when I asked him if he could take the turtle too, he said no.
He told me anything alive would not pass inspection when entering California. So I’m stuck with these guys until who knows when. My “rich friend” had called me shortly after and I told her the driver would not take her turtle. She had said, “That’s okay.”
Well, that’s easy for you to say. I would have to take care of it and I still know nothing about turtles. I googled how to take care of aquatic turtle and all the results only pointed to how turtles survive in the ocean. Is my friend the only person raising turtle?
Anyway, I have no clue how much to feed them so at the moment, I’m just giving them pellets twice a day and a protein treatment whenever they’re restless. I’m just trying to keep them alive until my friend comes back. I just hope I don’t kill it but I think if I do, I’d be doing these guys a favor because they seem miserable stuck in that tank all day. If my friend asks, I might tell her, “Everyone makes mistake.” But I will try not to kill them in the meantime. 😉
My Big Theme Revealed!
I’ve been feeling very tired and sleepy lately and no matter what I do, I cannot wake myself up. Maybe I just need another walk. Continue reading “My Big Theme Revealed!”
Who would I choose?
Today’s Prompt: If you could have any author –living or dead – write your biography, who would you choose?
I don’t think I will choose any author to write my biography. I want to write it myself because I really don’t think anyone can truly portray me as a person except me. Well, except if something like body switching exist, I think I will write it myself because anyone can capture an event perfectly but can they capture an individual person’s thoughts and feelings?
I’ve actually had a classmate write my biography before. It was for a class assignment. She actually did pretty well, so well that my instructor felt sorry for me which is a little embarrassing to talk about. I was going through a bad time. I was stressed both at school and home and my mom was way way way worse than how she is now. My classmate focused on that part and my genetic disorder more than anything else. She kind of made my life sound like a soap opera.
If I wrote my biography myself, I would’ve tuned it down or something. I don’t think I like my life to be so dramatized. I mean look where that landed me, 5 sessions with a psychiatrist.
So thanks for the kind thought of having the author I wish to write my biography, WP but no thanks, I would rather to write it myself.
A Walk in the Park
Here are some more photographs I took on my photo walk to the park last Thursday which felt like the first day of spring. The air was fresh and the mountains were still snow-capped.
These pictures were actually taken with the camera set to “landscape”, a setting I frequently use because I found it takes better pictures than just the normal manual settings.
These dogs were running and barking at me as I walked by. I am just passing by, guys, not an intruder. Calm down.
We’re pretty much surrounded by mountains on all sides and this is pretty much the most boring park I’ve ever been to. No hidden creek, no hidden woods, nothing! Just laps and laps of asphalt.
See what I mean? We’re surrounded!
My shadow which the wind had blown way out of proportion.
Until next time…
Going Under
Want to know a surreal experience? How about going under?
I am talking about going under gas, as in surgery. I think it’s surreal because if you’ve ever experienced it, it’s almost like a first-person account of death in novels, except this is temporary.
I went under twice in 2013. The first was in May that year when I finally committed to get rid of the calcification in my left leg. My doctor/surgeon originally didn’t want to put me under. He was originally just going to inject me with anesthesia and be done with it. Unfortunately, I have tiny veins and the anesthesiologist wasn’t skilled to find one that will work. I guess it’s their fault to tell me to go on an empty stomach.
Anyway, they wheeled me through the narrow corridors into the operating room. Then it felt just like in TV shows and movies when they put a mask over my nose and mouth, told me to take a few breaths and said, “You should be out in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.” I was still awake after he said one. Then just as I lose my last shred of consciousness, I could almost hear him say, “Now close your eyes and drift off.”
Anyway, this isn’t the surreal experience I want to tell you.
I want to tell you about the second time I went under in September. It was the day of my oral surgery. It was a procedure I paid for all on my own and frankly, it was a huge waste of money because it didn’t work. That morning, as usual, my mom was cranky because first she had to miss an hour of work and secondly, when we got to the office, we had to pay an extra $250 for the anesthesiologist, all because the oral surgeon was afraid to work with my small veins.
Anyway, she left right after writing a big check, much more angry than before, and I was left waiting alone with nothing to do in the waiting room. They told me the anesthesiologist was running late and wouldn’t be there for another 20 or 30 minutes. Well, that’s not good.
Finally, about thirty-minutes later, the anesthesiologist finally came out and called me in. I was expecting an OR like the last time I had surgery but this room was bright and was lined with windows. There was even music playing.
He showed me the gas mask as I sat down. “I need you to take a few deep breaths into this mask for me, okay?” The anesthesiologist instructed. I nodded and he placed the mask over me.
I was nervous and anxious. So I focused on the music to calm me as I breathed in the gas and before I knew it, the music became slower and slower and then it stopped.
I don’t mean it stopped playing. I mean it sounded like a CD or a vinyl playing on a turntable and it’s caught at a place and the same note just plays over and over and over. If you watch I Love Lucy, the episode where the apartment was dressed like Cuba and Lucy was serenading Ricky with Spanish music, you’ll know what I mean.
The other strange thing is I don’t think I even closed my eyes because all I could see was that florescent light above me and I couldn’t blink. Maybe in reality, my eyes had been closed but in my reality, they had been unblinkingly open like someone had kept their eyes open during their last moments.
A while later, when I finally came to, I found myself on a wooden table in a tiny room. It was odd and uncomfortable and it made me wonder. Is this where they let the patients sleep until the gas wear off? Do they not have a bed or anything?
At the same time, I really want to sleep. Unfortunately, I think someone knew I was awake and sent my mom to come and get me. She helped me off the table, apparently, it was a table because she was complaining about a few hours later when my mind was once again crystal clear. Then with her aid, I stumbled across the parking lot to the car like a drunk and before she even leaves the parking lot, I was asleep again.
So how’s that for a surreal experience?
Spring: Fresh and Colorful
Yesterday, I took my camera on a walk with me to the park. It was such a beautiful day, the first this entire week, it seems. I couldn’t resist. It’s spring, everything is blooming. Even the air feels fresh. I walked out my front door and notice that even the plum tree in my front yard was blooming…
I tweaked my camera setting to “flower”, a setting apparently I didn’t know it existed. The resolution came out better than any other settings and now I know. I think these are my best yet. Plum flowers are incredibly gorgeous, don’t you think?
Anyway, I think more photos will come. I just have to wait for the roses and tulips to bloom.
The calm before the storm
Today’s prompt asks: If you could be a “fly on the wall” anywhere and at any time in history, where and when would you choose?
This is a tough choice. I would really like to be a “fly on the wall” in a lot of places in many different points in time. But if I can really choose one, I would choose the roaring 20’s when everything was booming – market, jobs, and people were going out nightly seeking entertainment. I would really like to experience that before the stock market crashed in 1929 and ruined everyone and everything.
The calm before the storm, I call the roaring 20’s.
Speaking of stock market, I’ve decided to invest 1000 dollar of my money into the stocks. I don’t know which one yet. My mom’s giving me a few choices to choose but I really need to do some research on my own before I willy-nilly throw my money away. I am not that bold of a person. $1000 isn’t much to invest but I guess it’s better than sitting in my account. So that’s what I’ll be doing today aside from studying for my cost accounting exam.
I’m also saying goodbye to this little guys today. My mom’s stingy friend has finally ordered a tow service to tow her car back to California along with these guys. I just hope these guys will be able to adapt when they get back home. They’ve been so spoiled since we took them into our home.
Two meals a day plus a snack in between along with a bath almost every single a day. Before, they were only having a teensy meal a day and no bath for days at days a time. They were living in a tank of horrendously dirty water full of pee, poop, and god knows what when we got them.
So goodbye, guys and good luck!
What’s not to like?
I feel like this prompt is very similar to the one on Monday. So I don’t think I need to emphasize again how much I hate living so close to the freeway and the air force base.
The town I am living in. Some people may call it a city while others will call it a town. I call it a town because I have always lived in a city, Los Angeles, Austin, and even China even though my hometown is technically still a town. What’s similar about those three places? The population of those places are all over 100,000. Last time I checked, the population was at about 58,000 in 2000 and 67,311 in 2010. Grown 9,000 in 10 years, not bad but still under 100,000 people to me, is still a town.
One thing I like about Layton is that everything’s all in one place like all the shops, hotels, and restaurants are grouped together while all the municipal like the library, police station, fire station, and the city hall is grouped in another part of town. The other thing I like is this town is the variety of commercial businesses. My mom often jokes that Layton has every major franchises except it doesn’t have a Costco because it already has a Sam’s Club.
The things I don’t like about Layton, well, there’s plenty like the inconvenience of getting around. If you’re trying to get somewhere by walking or public transit, unless you have a lot of time on your hands, otherwise, it is not advised.
There are barely any public transit here except for maybe two, three max bus routes. Walking? It takes about 90 minutes to walk to Walmart and back and it takes about 40 minutes to walk to the nearest Target and back. With all that time, I can do lots of other things like blogging or reading. Why would I spend all that time walking next to pollution and possibly dodging traffic while trying to cross the street.
Oh and let’s not mention the noise. Whenever the day’s beautiful, sunny and cloudless like today, planes would fly and make a ton of noise. That noise comes with other problems as well. If you’re using an antenna to watch TV, the reception would suddenly disappear whenever a plane flies over our heads. It constantly feels like the World War II era without the bombs of course.
If I somehow earned a degree in law and became the mayor of Layton city, I would set up noise ordinances. No flying before 8 am and after 9 pm. Let people sleep and enjoy their weekends for crying out loud.
Of course, that would come with consequences because no flying means no money. So that’d be a problem I can’t fix even as a mayor because the town would go broke without the planes roaming over our heads.
The problem I’d definitely would fix? Trees! You see the picture of my street up above? You see how bare it is? We seriously need some lush green trees around here! Not bushes and spruce trees, we need real trees.
This is Another Story 