The room was utterly quiet as I opened my eyes and registered to the fact that it was morning, Saturday morning to be precise.
Continue reading “It Must Be Summer”
It Must Be Summer
Tag: Daily Post
More Sleep, Please?
Today’s Prompt: 6:00AM: the best hour of the day, or too close to your 3:00AM bedtime? Continue reading “More Sleep, Please?”
Photo101: Moment and Motion
This is a picture of the University of Utah fountain. Continue reading “Photo101: Moment and Motion”
Photo101: A Pop of Color
So I haven’t really had the opportunity to go out and take some new photographs since mom has decided to only work one day a week now that she’s getting closer to being laid-off. It affect me going outside and taking pictures because she doesn’t believe in taking pictures without people in it. Continue reading “Photo101: A Pop of Color”
Evolution of my Childhood Toys
Up until the age of 6 when my mom left for the U.S, I played with barbies and dollhouses. No, I’m not ashamed to admit it. I enjoyed it actually. It was what girls my age played at the time. Continue reading “Evolution of my Childhood Toys”
What is Father’s Day?
Just a short interpretation post I published last Father’s Day. Enjoy and Happy Father’s Day, everyone! 🙂
What is Father’s Day? What is this day about?
Honestly, to me, it’s just another ordinary Sunday. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a proper Father’s Day even with my step-father. I guess we just never been the traditional type but then what’s true definition of traditional?
In the past 15 years or so, even when my step-dad was in our lives, my mom was constantly on double-duty. Then after my parents separated, my mom’s double-duty as dad became more prominent than ever before. She cooks, cleans, mows the lawns, plucks the weeds, and even joins the army, doing activities people at her age should not be doing like climbing ropes and going through rugged training.
So what is Father’s Day, really? Other than the obvious answer that it’s a day all about dad, traditional barbecue, and the great sales at home improvement stores and department stores, what is it all…
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Great News: Done and Finished
Today’s prompt asks: Explain why you chose your blog’s title and what it means to you. Continue reading “Great News: Done and Finished”
Red Roses
Orange Pumpkin Pie
Yellow Tulip
Green leaves with pink elephant ear roses
Yellowstone Lake
I guess this can be classify as violet, right?
I can’t tell, violet or indigo
Rainbow and More…
Last night, I sat in my new basement bedroom and looked around. I see a variety of things that fit the criteria of Roy G. Biv. But under this bright florescent lighting, the photos do not turn out so good. Therefore, I have decided to again, go to my archive and dig. I’ll show more later, if I have time. Enjoy. Continue reading “Rainbow and More…”
Photo101: Warmth
It’s quite hard to capture something using the sun as the source of light, I think. I’ve tried in the past as you can see in the picture below. It is a picture of the sun on a cloudy day. I was pulling the camera to its maximum zoom (3-times). That’s why everything else look like it’s taken with a cheap phone camera. Continue reading “Photo101: Warmth”
Definitely Out of Season
This year has been undoubtedly wet and warm. However, it’s not just here. Looking at other people’s posts, it looks like it’s happening around the world as well. Yesterday evening, when my mom and I went for a walk in the park, she pointed out the mountains are not snow-capped anymore because normally, a tiny bit of snow would stay remain on the mountains in June or July but this year, there’s none.
Meanwhile, it’s been raining almost everyday. There has hardly been a day where the dark clouds don’t roll in, where we just have blue cloudless skies and plenty of sunshine. Ugh, this weather is killing my mood and inspiration. Please make it STOP!!!
Unfortunately, I’ve already jinxed it. This post was written approximately four days ago and since then, the clouds had cleared up and it’s been one word, HOT! Guess summer has arrived.
Anyway, enough complaining, I want to show you this picture which is definitely out-of-season, trudging in snow in short-sleeves and sandal. This was Yellowstone in July 2011, by the way, and that is NOT my brother (only-child), it’s my friend’s.
Photo101: Natural Worlds
Talk about an easy task. Even though I don’t interact with nature much especially these days, when I step out of the house and something immediately bites me all over but that doesn’t mean I have to be stuck in the house all day long. Therefore, early morning yesterday, while my mom ran to the post office, I took the opportunity and went out to the garden to take some close-up pictures, hoping I can use them for the POV assignment but this is better.
I tweaked this picture just a little bit with Pixlr, a photo-editing app I use but it is a macro picture. Does anyone want to hazard a guess as to what you’re looking at? Hint: it’s a vegetable you eat almost every day, that is, if you eat vegetable.
It looks like the apples from the combination apple tree is coming in nicely. We are going to have lots of apples this year. This is just the Golden Delicious branch. We’ve got Granny Smith, Fuji, and Honeycrisp. All in one tree!
Lastly, blackberries! Last summer, I remember I was harvesting them like I had just harvested snow peas. I think this year will be more or less the same.
Of the three pictures, I am most in love with the blackberry picture. I think the effect I’ve chosen really suits the picture well. Without this effect, the color would look way too bright and the picture would be missing that, oh I can describe it, element.
3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 3
So it’s day 3 and the last day of my 3 Days 3 Quotes challenge. I want to once again thank all my nominators (A Storyteller’s Abode, It’s PH, and Yarnspinerr). It’s been a fun challenge and I’ve enjoyed it very much. Once again, because I’m just being lazy, I will leave the nominations open to all want to join. Just link your post back to mine is all I ask if you choose to participate. Continue reading “3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 3”
Photo101: Connect and Tags
For some of you, this picture is not new while for most, it probably is. Yes, this is the same staircase picture I used for my post a few weeks ago. And I’ve decided to use it again for this assignment.
This rickety staircase happens to connect the lower and upper deck of the yard at the rental property. Without it, I probably will not have enough guts to get on the upper level to clear the weeds and distribute the mulch. So thanks to these stairs, I am able to complete that job without my mom throwing a fit about how I’m a scaredy-cat.
3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 2
Since yesterday, I have been nominated by two more people (A Storyteller’s Abode and It’s PH) for this challenge. Wow, thank you! Today is day two of the three days challenge which I was first nominated by Yarnspinerr to participate. Continue reading “3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 2”
3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 1
I will be out most of the day. So I will be back later to write other posts. Therefore, I will start the day with the 3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge which I was nominated by Yarnspinerr to participate. Continue reading “3 Days 3 Quotes Challenge – Day 1”
Photo101: Solitude
The latest assignment from photo101 is solitude which in my view means a picture of someone looking out into the distance, sad, alone, and may I add, looking completely lost. This kind of photo is quite hard to take and even find because one, I don’t like taking pictures of people because I feel like it’s an invasion of someone privacy to take their pictures without telling them first and two, I’ve never actually seen anyone looking sad, alone, and completely lost. Even when I was in the city today, I didn’t see anything or anyone that fit the description.
So once again, I have dig into my archive and fortunately I found what I needed but first I want to show you this picture:
This is from last May when we went house hunting down by Utah Lake, a large fresh water lake by Provo, Utah. Mom wanted to buy a second house so she wouldn’t have to commute 100 miles daily for work. What you’re looking at is the land. Unfortunately, after we saw the model, we were convinced that it was way too small. It felt smaller than our current home. So we bailed.
That’s me, looking alone. I guess that looks like solitude. I didn’t mean to look like that. I was just standing there when Mom snapped the picture. Honestly though, I felt kind of tired and frustrated because it was all Mom could talk about at the time.
Why is it both black and white and color?
When I messed with the picture just now, I wanted the picture to show that solitude feeling, that loneliness. I guess I failed, huh?
Photo101: Bliss
When I saw day four’s assignment, I was a little stumped. Bliss? I mean I’m not a big gesture kind of person, I mean I don’t do big poses when taking a picture. Where can I find a picture of bliss? Continue reading “Photo101: Bliss”
Photo101: Water
Have I ever show you pictures of that time I went to Great Salt Lake? No? Continue reading “Photo101: Water”
Photo101: Street and Established Shots
Yes, I have joined Photo101 but unfortunately, I couldn’t find a picture of home, well, unless, I went on pinterest and just find a picture but that wouldn’t be Photo101, would it. Then Day 2, I could’ve just gone outside and taken a photo of my street but everyone’s already seen that and it wouldn’t be fun to see it again and again. So I chose one from my archive. Continue reading “Photo101: Street and Established Shots”
Late Night and Awkward Morning
Last night, right before I went to bed, mom burst into my room, tablet in her hand, and told me sadly my grandfather had passed away. Continue reading “Late Night and Awkward Morning”
I Just Had to Write About This
Today’s prompt: What’s the strangest place from which you’ve posted to your blog? When was the last time you were out and about, and suddenly thought, “I need to write about this!”?
Strangest Places? I’m not sure what you mean by strange. There are a lot of things in the world that can be classified as “strange” like that tower to the left. Posting in a strange place, no, I don’t think I’ve written posts in strange places yet.
In the meantime, I can answer the second question. I have encountered several circumstances when I just have to write about it. When was the last time? That is a good question. Let’s think.
Still thinking…
Ugh, I can’t think of anything with my work in the way. I’m hoping to complete my translation work today so I don’t have to have it hanging over my head for the rest of the month but I don’t think that is likely to happen since I have to seize the opportunity and go work for my other job today.
Still thinking…
Ha, here we go, I can think of two circumstances.
The first “couldn’t wait” post is called, “The Unwinnable War“.
It was written and publish about 13 months ago. So basically, last summer. Now that I reflect on this post, last summer was probably the worst summer in the history of all the summers I’ve had counting the ones as a kid in China. When I wrote this, I felt like I was literally about to blow.
Two weeks after graduating college, mom was making me go back to school. Every conversation we had led to a fight because it’s always about me not finding a job, don’t want to go back to school, not wanting to work, not wanting to study etc. You get my point.
I remember my hands were literally slamming the keyboard when I typed that post. Mom was still bursting into my room every 5 minutes telling me how useless and worthless I was while occasionally throwing something at the back of my head. 2014 had really been a dark and miserable year for me but it’s behind me now and it looks like 2015 is getting better already.
The second “couldn’t wait” post is called, “Is this a Library or a Freezer?“
I don’t know, why don’t you click and find out?
I was literally freezing my ass off in there. When I worked as an ESL tutor, every week, there was one or two days when I couldn’t be in the classroom. The classroom was shared between me, mom (Chinese teacher), and the Spanish teacher. I couldn’t leave the school’s premises and so I had to find another place to go.
Anyway, there’s no thermostat in there and as I sat there trying to do my homework, it would get colder and colder. Even with a t-shirt underneath plus a sweatshirt plus a light jacket plus a large ski jacket (I’m not joking), I still felt cold in there. That room was colder than outside. I couldn’t do much homework in there so I decided to write.
Anyway, I hope you will click the links to the posts and check them out. Although they’re more than a year old, I’m sure they’re still quite relate-able to some people. Looking forward to your likes and feedback on those old posts. 🙂
A Tale on World Ending
Okay, this is the second part to the previous post and since I’ve gotten everything off my chest, it’s time for the prompt. When I saw the prompt this morning, I was like, “No, you’re not serious. Are you serious?” Yes, WordPress was serious.
So here’s my short answer for the prompt. No, the world isn’t ending tomorrow and I’m not going to tell about my last dinner. In the last week, I unconsciously gained a pound. It will take forever to go back down. However I will tell a story on the matter of world ending.
In 2011, mom’s friend came to visit us and we spent two days visiting Yellowstone. On the first day, we visited the north part of Yellowstone and the south on the second day. As we drove along Yellowstone River and eventually reached Yellowstone Lake, her friend’s son, Ryan, looked out the window to the lake and said excitedly, “This is just like in the movie.”
“What movie?” Mom asked curiously.
“2012,” Her friend told her and began elaborating the movie. She revealed the plot and all the different locations that were used to shoot the film.
I tuned out because I did not want to know and if you haven’t seen it yet, I don’t want to spoil it. F.Y.I., it’s a movie about the world ending. But typical mom’s friend. People around me’s more or less the same. They like to spoil things. When we watch a movie or a show, they tend to focus on what everyone in the movie’s wearing instead on the plot or they’ll tell you what the entire thing’s about before watching it.
In late 2011, mom became so curious that she got a copy of the movie. We watched it together and as usual, when it
came to TV shows and movies, mom’s got the attention span of a baby. If the plot isn’t fast enough, she’ll quit watching in about 15 minutes, 30 minutes tops. And she did, leaving me to finish the bloody and graphic scenes all on my own. I didn’t want to watch it but I was too damn curious and it left me wondering why. Why December 21, 2012? Because coincidentally, that is the eleventh anniversary of my arrival in the U.S.
I remember in 2012, some people were particularly antsy, probably having seen the movie, they were convinced the world would end. So on April 21, 2012, there was this big event. I can’t remember the name but it’s like a preparation for the apocalypse sort of thing.
It was a ridiculous idea, the apocalypse and world ending. It was merely based on books and the ancient Mayan Calendar. I even recall my science teacher telling me in high school that the world is not set to end for another 1000 years. Pfft, 1000 years? I’ll be dust and I’ll be careless then. My descendants can fend for themselves then.
I did watch the movie, 2012, again when the rest of the family came visit the summer of 2012. I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to spend the entire movie translating every sentence and every word when no one else was watching it but me. But mom said I had to let it play through and that’s through my computer via HDMI. So there went my three hours.
As for the apocalypse, obviously, it didn’t happen. The world was safe and sound as I ushered in another year in the U.S. on December 21 that year as well as many years after that. I know some people was braced for the impossible though. The news reported it that evening and I had a good laugh about it.
Waking Up to Irritation
I have been undoubtedly asleep the entire morning. Not physically but mentally. Either that or my brain’s fried. I’ve been in my GMAT class all morning and haven’t been getting a single question right. I got home about two hours ago, made lunch, and drank a cup of green tea. I needed the slight boost of caffeine. About half-way into green tea, aw, it’s like slamming into a wall. My entire upper body itched like crazy and so many other things jolted me at the same time.
Like the fact that mom had been nagging me to charge the camera for the entire week so she could take it to training this weekend and I’m just now realizing she had forgotten it.
And it also hit me that today is somewhat of a significant day. It is exactly 9 years since my father’s passing. Mom told me two days ago, June 4, while she was noting that it was the anniversary of the student protest at Tiananmen Square.
This was how the sky looked about 1 hour ago, right before it started hailing and raining, right before I was interrupted by a loud bang at the front door. I was surprised I heard that despite the hail. I opened up and saw a half-naked man demanding money. “What for?” I asked.
It turned out he was the shady handyman mom hired to fix the spouts for the rental property. He wanted $169. I looked outside, it was pouring. “Does it have to be right now?” I asked, realized immediately I had just asked the stupidest question ever. That question is like asking the cashier at the grocery store’s check-out counter if I can pay later. Inside though, my anxiety was building up and I don’t do well under pressure. My heart pounded as my thoughts hurled at me at 100 mph. Is this guy serious? He could’ve done it all afternoon and he chose now? “Can I write you a check?” I proceeded.
“No, I need cash, like now.” He answered. I don’t have $169 on me. I gave $200 to mom a few days ago to fix something else and I remember mom telling me someone’s going to do some work today but she didn’t say anything about paying. Have I been scammed? Please don’t tell me I’ve been lied to. I’m not in the mood for craps.
So I got in the car and drove to the ATM machine to get $200 out of my account. The inside of the car got completely wet as I was trying to working the damn machine and I hate getting wet. Then, instead of coming home to do the transaction, he insisted we do it right then and there in the pouring rain. I was super irritated but consider I’m a tolerable person, I didn’t go off on a temper tantrum. We just exchanged bills and receipts and I drove home. I just hope I didn’t do anything wrong.
Great, now I have to do this in two posts because it’s too long. Oh well, the more the merrier. Read the next post! It’s a lovely story related to the apocalypse (my own experience).
An hour later, I texted mom and told her. She texted back, “Do Not Pay.” Instantly, I knew I fell for one of those things she expects me to do even without told. You know, I’m not a mind-reader. I don’t know your expectations. When a half-naked man is standing outside my door demanding money, what am I really supposed to do?
Minutes later, she sent another text, “Tell him to call me.”
Um, okay. So I called the shady handyman who answered the phone blasting me with a creative bunch of swear words. I told him who I was and that my mom wanted to talk to him. He cursed some more and hung up.
I ended up calling mom, told her what happened and got a big fat lecture, calling me stupid, blah blah blah. I swear, at that moment, stuck in the middle, dealing with both of them, I wanted to cry, to run away, to drown myself, something. I don’t want to deal with this. This is scary and crazy and suddenly feel regret of not sticking to my original day plan. My day plan was I was going to spend the afternoon downtown. I think if I did that, none of this would’d happened.
I’m scare for what will happen tomorrow and I don’t want to find out.
This is Another Story 