Ever since my aunt and cousin left, the fridge has been mostly empty. We went from going grocery shopping every few days, which is crazy, to every two weeks or month, which is what we do now. Continue reading “What’s For Breakfast?”
Tag: health
An alternative to the Water Cooler
I would love to un-invent the water cooler. It had turned my life upside down ever since my mom bought it a year ago. Every two weeks, I have to go to the local supermarket to pump 5 gallons of water, $0.41 a gallon. Do you have any idea how heavy water is? I almost always end up bumping my bad knee against the shopping cart when I’m trying lift this thing to place inside the cart. Oh and don’t forgot about the possibility of tipping over on the car ride home even after I strapped it onto the backseat.
Having a water cooler also means my drinking water supply had been limited. Before when we’re still buying the filter for the refrigerator, I can fill my bottle water whenever I want. You see, I don’t want to go up and down the stairs to get water. I like to have drinkable water in my room.
However, the filter for the refrigerator is more expensive than what we have now, supermarket drinking water. So that’s all the more reason why this thing needs to un-invented. It had caused me to have to resort to filling my water at the school fountain even now that my aunt and cousin had left.
Trust me, when they’re here, 5-gallons of water would be gone in 2-days without me and mom hardly drinking any of it. They like the hot water function and are so accustomed to drinking hot water since tap water in China is just a big fat joke and everything needs to be boiled before it can be drunk. When they were going to community school here, they’d take 3 large liter-bottles to school each day since the fountain water is too cold for them.
Now that they’ve left, we once again have the water supply to ourselves and so far, it’s been more than a week and only half of bottle has been drunk. I will have to go fill a new bottle on Friday though since the pharmacy’s next door to the market and I don’t want run twice.
As for the consequences of un-inventing the water cooler, perhaps, companies and businesses can put out bottles of water or put a refrigerator with filtered water function in the break room. There problem solved.
Oh by the way, for those of you who are curious why we don’t drink tap water either is because the water here come from snow melt and as it make its way down the mountain, it collect too much mineral and sediment like Calcium. Calcium is good to build strong bones but too much will lead to kidney stones and that’s yikes.
Please Come, Thursday
May I just say, I am absolutely positively not looking forward to tomorrow. In fact, I wish it would just fly by quickly and Thursday would come. I’d rather go to school than do what I have to do tomorrow. Not only it would take the entire day and it disgusts me a lot. It makes me shiver just talking about it. It’s got that “Ick” factor.
This would be my second year doing it though I don’t know why. My doctor finally called me back last Friday after making me wait anxiously for two days. He said my lab results looked okay except my hormones were a little high. No surprise there. He then told me I have to do a 24-hr urine test.
I was like “What?” Again? “You just told me everything was fine.”
He replied saying he needed to make sure my Calcium wasn’t out of whack. Didn’t it show in the lab results? I saw it. But he kept sticking to his reason, prevention of my hypocalcimia returning.
Anyway, just now on my way home, I stopped by the hospital to pick up my kit. I was a regular customer at the lab and the lab technician took my word that I needed to do this test. She didn’t even look at my lab order to make sure before disappearing to the back to gather the kit. She returned almost 5 minutes later with one of those large white personal belongings bags. Still, I had to make sure I didn’t hear wrong, hopefully, I did and don’t have to do this icky test. Unfortunately, that was what my doctor ordered. I peeked at my lab order and my doctor wrote specifically at the bottom, “24-hr urine test.” UGH! There were a lot of check marks on there also so I have a faint sensation he is doing so much more than just check my Calcium.
So now, the kit sits in my bathroom which I have already told my aunt she has to use the bathroom downstairs tomorrow while I spend the entire day at home doing this yucky test. But I don’t think my aunt has a clue of how the test will be conducted. She’s 4’11”, 80 pounds, and never been the doctor a day in her life. No, she has no clue of how anything works. How lucky is that?!
To Start the Day…
I do a lot yet I also do very little in those 30 minutes after I awaken from my long 6-10 hours slumber and none of those thing will ensure my day is off on the right foot. Continue reading “To Start the Day…”
3 Ways to Go Viral
Daily Prompt: Your blog just became a viral sensation. What’s the one post you’d like new readers to see and remember you by? Write that post.
My blog had just became a viral sensation??? How did that happen? I wonder, hmm…
I think there are probably only three ways that this blog can ever go viral.
- I’ve done a crazy stunt and got taken down and uploaded onto Youtube.
- I finally finish a novel and some big name producer read and decided to turn into a TV show or movie and everyone’s flocking to find out who I am.
- All my doctors got my symptoms wrong and misdiagnosed me AGAIN and I really have days to live.
I don’t think any of those situations are very likely though.
- I am not a risk taker so I won’t do dangerous stunts.
- Some big name producer is going to read what I write, yeah right.
- The third way? Ha, I’m healthy as a horse and unless I suddenly come down with something and I don’t get better, that’s not going to happen.
As for the one post I would like readers to see and remember me by? I haven’t written it yet and I don’t think I’m ever going to because if I ever feel the need to write that post, let’s just say it’ll either be the end of me or the end of this blog.
My Hero
My hero? Who else? Continue reading “My Hero”
Resolutions
I spent yesterday celebrating my yet another year in the U.S. I arrived in the U.S. on December 21, 2001 and so yesterday was a special day. I began a post yesterday morning but my mom insisted on heading out. She wanted to show my cousin how far far away the community college really is and that him wanting to go to the community or any colleges and universities in the state of Utah is a naive and unreasonable plan.
To be honest, the community college isn’t that far. It’s a 45-minutes drive and the route is incredibly slow and boring but isn’t far. But if you want the fun 😉 or long route which my cousin has to do since he can’t drive, it can take anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours. Anyway, I tagged along in case she got lost.
We went home after going one round about the college and lunch at Costco and then I spent the afternoon watching movies and shows on the TV and writing a post just slipped my mind. Besides, I was having a hard time writing it since I had no clue what the prompt meant. Today, however, I have a slight idea.
I don’t do New Year resolutions, I used to but not anymore. I don’t see the point in making one since every year, I have the same two goals for myself and every year, it gets harder and harder to achieve those goals especially this year. So why make it?
The best part about this year has been getting this job but with my mom rushing me to complete the job day after day, I haven’t been able to keep up with my health. I’ve rarely seen my doctor or gone to the gym. It’s always just school and work.
Another reason for not going to the doctors was because of my insurance. When the insurance got switched to a new company at the beginning of this year, it started having problems. Most of the time, it wasn’t paying anything for me and I had to spend countless hours calling, trying to resolve dumb problems. Even a month ago, I was trying to resolve something that happened in June. I’ve already had enough to do. So you can see why I stopped going to the doctors.
I promise myself that once we’re in 2015, I will go to the doctors as well as the gym regularly. I’m not sure how well I will be able to keep the gym part going but the doctors, definitely, since I’m paying for my own insurance now.
Also when my mom’s away at training during March and April, I will try a self-controlled diet. Oh, and once January comes, I need to go see a doctor or a cardiologist or whatever to get my heart checked out. Let’s just say I haven’t been kind to my heart and it’s a little angry.
Other than that, all I wish for is to just get through the year as safe as 
possible. No casualty. No jitters and ignore my mom’s attempt to creep me out about the year of the goat thing. Apparently, she believes that if the current year is your Chinese Zodiac year, i.e. I was born in the year of the goat and next year is the year of the goat, bad luck will come to my door. I won’t say more otherwise I’d be jinxing it. Just wish me good luck in 2015, no more accidents or terrible news of any sort.
Anyway, my aunt wants me to take them downtown today. So hopefully the storm will stop soon and the sky will lighten up just a teeny bit.
Happy Winter Solstice everyone!!!
Here’s a beautiful painting to admire.
Christmas Trees, Presents Delivery, Time Off, That’s the Holidays
I have been trying to write a post all day today but for some reason, I haven’t been able to finish it. This morning, I woke up, washed my bedding (finally!), and had breakfast. Then I went back up to my room, trying to write something about the prompt today but somehow, I was feeling rather frustrated and uninspired. I mean, it’s not that difficult of a prompt but at the present moment, this is my third and possibly fourth attempt at writing anything today.
My first attempt was kind of awful, talked about how I’ve grown to somewhat fear the end-of-year holidays. I’m not sure if anyone wants to hear anything that negative today.
My second attempt was a list of my love and hate for the holidays. That list was going successfully until my mother interrupted and said she wanted to go out. I’ve been stuck at home all day and thought that was the culprit for my lack of inspiration. So I accepted and we all went out. First, it was to the air force base to pick up my mother’s medicine as well as to get some groceries but then it turned into a 30-mile road trip to Morgan, Utah, a rural little town just beyond the canyons.
It’s a beautiful town, quiet and serene. The moment we exited I-84, my mother saw the sign to East Canyon State Park and immediately wanted to go similar to a child wanting candy. Am I the only mature one in the family?
The sign said the park is just 12 miles north. So northward we went. The road was narrow and twisty like riding a slow boring endless roller coaster. My mother’s patience was running short and after 5 minutes or so, she began to wonder if we’ve gotten lost. No, we haven’t. I began to doubt too but on the other hand, I was sure we were on the right route.
When we reached mile post 7, my mother decided to turn back. “I’ll bet you anything that the park is when you reach mile post 12.” I told her but as usual, no one listened to me. So after 40 minutes or so, we’re home.
To be honest, I enjoyed Morgan, it seemed like one of those places I like to see myself living when I finally move out of my mother’s house. It’s quiet, quaint, and just rural enough for my taste. Best of all, there are no planes!
Anyway, I’ve returned to my computer to try to compose my daily post again. When I finally got two paragraphs done, I was interrupted again! Now what?!
I went downstairs to find out what my mother had wanted. Apparently, she suddenly want my aunt and I to play Santa and deliver all the presents to all neighbors, ugh, one of the things I dislike about the holidays. Every year, it’s always me who had to deliver presents and never get anything as nice or anything at all in return.
I just came back a few minutes ago, delivering presents to one of our tenants. My face as well as my hands and legs are still freezing cold and I’m feeling a tad dizzy. I need to go see a doctor soon to make sure I’m still as healthy as I used to be. But for the rest of today, I have no wish to go anywhere else. I wish to rest a bit in my room while waiting for a little inspiration to struck. Until then, I think I’ll leave you with the list from my second attempt at the prompt.
Things I love about the end-of-year holidays:
- Time off! Oh yes, definitely the time off. For one thing, no homework and no school. The thing I don’t like though, grades. The end of semester grades are coming out and that is my fear for every year. Thankfully, I’ve done alright this year.
- Pies, pies, pies! The only time of the year when my mother buys pies. I’m a pie lover and so that’s good.
- Family gatherings! I used to love this back before my mother and I left Texas.
Things I dislike about the holidays:
- Lack of things to watch on TV. All my favorite shows wrap up with its mid-season finales and won’t be back until mid-January. What does that leave me to watch? Not much but reruns and Christmas specials.
- The holiday music on the radio. They all sound the same, just sang in a different way. The jingling, joyful-themed, as well as some of the sad-themed songs just feels a tad annoying.
- The cold winter and the inability to go out and not get a red nose. This year is especially worse. There’s no snow and it’s incredibly cold. It’s like being stuck in an ice chest.
Gut Instinct
My neck is feeling a bit better today, at least I can turn it left and right even if still hurts. Thanks to my mother for rubbing this Swiss ointment on me last night. It works better than Bengay and electromagnetic therapy!
Anyway, there are only two areas where I am confident about my gut feeling, cooking and driving. Because well, in cooking, most of the time, I don’t have recipe for me to follow. The amount of salt, sugar, and seasoning to put to marinade something, it’s all based on feel and instinct.
And driving, well, I need my instinct to tell me sometimes when it’s safe to change lanes or when it’s safe to turn. Like yesterday, I couldn’t turn my head and I had to change lanes a couple times. I could only rely on my instincts that it was safe to make the maneuver and maybe getting a small painful peek into the passenger side mirror. But sometimes, even my instinct is wrong. Otherwise, I would not have that accident in 2010.
That’s why I don’t usually rely on my instinct because it’s wrong. Like when my instinct told me to skip the second class on that unfortunate snowy day despite the weather wasn’t that horrible outside, well, my instinct got me in a crash. How is that for making the right call?
Although it wasn’t my fault but the car is still slightly damaged and who knows what it’ll do to my mother’s insurance premium.
At the moment, I’m fighting with my instinct on something, health insurance. I’m shopping for health insurance right now and all these words, deductible, out of pocket, coinsurance, just sounds like gibberish to me. My gut is telling me the lower the deductible, the better but honestly, I don’t know whether to go high or get the minimum.
Any suggestions???
Life is too short…
Life is too short to lead an unhealthy life. Yes, life will be short when you’re eating unhealthy food everyday as well as not going to exercise. I learned this the hard way when I moved to Texas. Continue reading “Life is too short…”
Basic Hygiene and Etiquette
This is the second maybe third post I’ve done on manners and etiquette. The reason I am writing this post because first of all, my observation around my home in the last couple of weeks has prompted me and it’s been something I’ve been trying to enforce. Continue reading “Basic Hygiene and Etiquette”
What did the doctor say?!
I DON’T KNOW!!! Continue reading “What did the doctor say?!”
The light at the end of the tunnel
I just got back from the orthodontist. Continue reading “The light at the end of the tunnel”
This is Another Story 