I need to take a breath. I’ve worked 8 hours today and translated over 2000 words. Continue reading “Blogging 101: Write For My Dream Reader”
Tag: inspiration
Sanctuary
Daily Prompt: A sanctuary is a place you can escape to, to catch your breath and remember who you are. Write about the place you go to when everything is a bit too much.
My place of sanction is a small area in the entire house where I can store my personal stuff, blast loud music and sing along, is the place where I finally feel at home after a long day. That place is my room.
It’s like my own little studio. I’ve got food, water, bed, basically everything I need to survive. Not long but you get my point. I basically live in my room. I stay there most of the day, to work, write, whatever.
It’s not the brightest spot of the house though. I keep the blinds shut so the sun won’t hurt my eyes and make me feel sleepy. It tends to do that.
Anyway, I feel like this post is more or less a repeat from a project I recently did for a company called Wework where I share my workspace with everybody. You can check out the article here.
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.
Blogging 101: Introduction
In less than a month, this blog turns 2! Continue reading “Blogging 101: Introduction”
To the Rescue!
Daily Prompt: Tell us about the time you rescued someone else (person or animal) from a dangerous situation. What happened? How did you prevail?
Ha, ha, me rescuing someone? That’s hilarious. It’s more like people rescuing me. I don’t think I’ve been rescued by someone before. I’ve always managed to come around on my own. Even the time when I was squirming crazily on my bed, my body going into full spasm. When I came around, I was shocked to find my step-dad, the one who’s training to be a RN was the one freaking out.
But no, this is a story for another time. This is a story about how my mom prevented a major house fire. I know, the prompt said a person or animal but a house, to me, like most inanimate objects are looked at like a person.
It was September, 2013 (wow that feel a little weird to say), it seems everything happens in September. Anyway, an international student came to stay with us because the school had no host family available. I had just begun my job with my former boss, Mr. Li.
It was a Saturday, it was my first day on the job. I reported for work early that morning and my tasks that day were to assist on his trip to the accountants’ office as well as the supermarket. Basically, I was supposed to trail behind him like a puppy while my mom was his wife’s volunteering driver for the day.
When I finally came home that day, my mom said, “She almost burned the house down!”
“What happened?” I asked curiously.
“I just stepped out for a few minutes and she left the toaster oven on! If I didn’t see it, the whole house would have gone up in flames.”
After a few days, weeks, months and even now and then, she was still talking about it, telling about her heroic rescue of the house. Unbelievable! The story became horribly annoying after a while but hey, she did prevent a fire and saved the house.
The First Day
So I wanted to write yesterday but I couldn’t get myself to. First of all, I am home, finally. I was dead tired. I slept 12 hours, from 9 to 9 and I was still tired. I worked 7.5 hours yesterday and went to bed extra early. Continue reading “The First Day”
Out of Place and Stuffed
So we’re waiting for the rest of the house to wake up before we can get a move on. I feel so out of place here like my mom’s friend’s American husband. I wonder Continue reading “Out of Place and Stuffed”
A Change of Scenery
Hello and greetings from Idaho! Continue reading “A Change of Scenery”
Different Generation, Different Attitude
I hope you all are having a Happy New Year. Continue reading “Different Generation, Different Attitude”
A Quick Reflection on 2014
It’s hard to believe that at this time last year, I was sitting in front of my computer, bored out of my mind and resorted to watch House Hunters on Hulu. My mom had already left for California with my then-boss and his family, leaving me alone at home for the new year.
This blog had already been born then but I was a super duper slow writer. It would had taken me hours to write this entry I am writing now last year because my thoughts are warped and jumbled and I had little confidence that anyone was going to read it since you’re probably getting ready to usher in the new year. Plus the fact that I knew nothing about blogging or tagging posts. So basically, no one was browsing my site and anything I published just felt like I was blabbering to myself.
I managed to squeeze in two posts in January and one in February and March. The first post was really an ad to hopefully get people to come join Toastmasters but I doubt it was doing anything since everyone in the blogging world are so scattered, spread around the world. The second post was really a rant written right after my fight with my grandparents. Yeah, it’s not really a good idea to fight with grandparents. Now my first cousin gets the fortune. Oh well, it’s not like I was going to get anything before.
The biggest thing that happened was in February when I finally got a work at home job with a semi-decent paycheck. It interrupted everything from school to meals, and even blogging. The most annoying thing is, no matter how busy I got, March just wasn’t coming quick enough.
I could finally breathe a little by the time April arrived. I actually published seven posts! That was a record for me then but as I looked back on them today, I felt like all seven posts seemed exaggerated like I was trying too hard.
May first came my graduation. It was easily the best night of my life. I mean how many times does a person get to walk in their graduation? Unless you keep going to school. Anyway, I really really really enjoyed it, strutting proudly in my cap and gown down that long flight of stairs to shake each and every one of instructor’s hands and receiving a blank diploma holder.
A week after graduation, I did something unexpected. I went back to school for my masters. That wasn’t unexpected, it was the degree that was unexpected. I went back to school to get a Masters of Accounting. When I went to meet the firm in September, every one I encounter thought it’s a little odd for an engineering bachelor graduate to get an accounting degree. I’m starting to wonder if that’s the reason I didn’t get hired for that internship.
Over the summer, I enrolled myself in two online economic classes at the community college and during that, I worked as well as prepping for the GMAT. Beside graduation, May and June are easily the worst months of 2014.
July was okay. I began participating in daily prompt and met a lot of blogging friends there and I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s response to the prompt. I am always curious to see what others write for the same topic.
At the end of August, I went back to school. It felt like I was starting over. My old major and cumulative GPA no longer mattered. It’s like I’ve been given a second chance. It was then I made a promise to myself to maintain a good GPA this time, don’t let it fall below a 3.0.
I did well this semester, I took so many mouthful of deep breaths when I saw the two A’s and two B’s and the 3.5 GPA posted in my account. I hope to keep it up next semester. Actually, not hope, I have to keep it up in order to get hired as quick as possible. Employers don’t like low GPAs.
So that’s my year. My goal for 2015?
- Maintain an excellent GPA.
- Maintain my health. I’m still waiting for my welcome package from the health insurance company that contains my insurance card. Then I can make an appointment with a doctor to renew my prescription and see what can be done with my inability to lose weight and my acne-filled face.
Something I learned about blogging this year?
I don’t need to be funny and informative in order to get people to read what I published. I just need to be myself and write what I know.
One last thing…
I want to thank you all for visiting my site and reading as well as commenting all that I’ve published. Without you, I might had quit months ago. You’re the inspiration and motivation that kept this blog alive.
Thanks to all the nominations as well:
- Artfullyadelie, for nominating this blog in June for the Liebster Award
- Vik Tory Arch for One Lovely Blog in September
- Sueju Takeshi for Sisterhood of the World Bloggers in September
- Sugar for Very Inspiring Blogger Award yesterday 😀
Thanks for all the nominations. It’s hard to think that this blog began this year with a little over 50 followers and ended with just over 500. Let’s shoot for 1000!
Tears, can’t live without them, just have to live with them
Daily Prompt: We cry for lots of reasons: sadness, pain, fear . . . and happiness. When was the last time you shed tears of joy?
Hmm, that’s interesting. I don’t remember crying for joy, ever or maybe I just haven’t yet.
Do people do that? Crying for joy just seemed a little funny to me because why would happiness provoke tears? Wouldn’t it provoke laughter and smiles?
Ah, I get it. It’s not the kind of joy that makes a person smile but the kind of joy that causes one to feel surprised, glad, or even relieved like right after a mother gives birth. I’ve seen it in the news and movies. Or when someone realizes that person’s been there for him/her all along and is grateful. I guess I just never had that kind of thing happen to me yet but I’m not giving my hopes up. Someday.
I remember exactly the last time I cried. It was tears of anger. It was at the end of September right after my aunt back my mom’s car into a pole. Then the very next day, my mom blamed me for it. My fists and teeth clenched and tears fell from my face while fire looked like it’s about to flare from my nostrils. There was this pull inside me rendering my ability to speak or fight back.
It’s not my fault, I wanted to say but couldn’t. Ultimately, I just had to ignore every hurtful my mom said that day.
The result of that event?
It set off a domino effect and it went on for almost two weeks that ultimately ended with my mom buying two airplane tickets for my aunt and cousin to go home at once but fate intervened. And they’re now staying until February.
It was strange for me to cry because I don’t usually cry when I’m angry. Actually, I can say I’ve grown stony and hard ever since I’ve been living with my mom alone that it’s hard for me to cry any sort of tears. But tears are meant for cleansing, so I guess everyone has to shed some tears once in a while whether it’s for joy, sadness, or anger. Tears are tears and everyone needs them.
I Wish the New Year Would Arrive Already!
For some reason, I am feeling very eager to have the new year come already but at the same time, I am Continue reading “I Wish the New Year Would Arrive Already!”
Wrapping up 2014: Very Inspiring Blogger Award
I would like to thank Prakash Hegade for nominating me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. It’s my first time to be nominated for this award and this would make it my second award nomination for this blog just this year alone. That is amazing!
I would like to thank everybody for visiting this site as well as reading the stories and tales I have written and giving me feedback.
The rules for accepting this award nomination are:
- Thank the person who nominated you by linking his/her blog and display the award logo.
- Nominate at least 15 other blogs (more or less). Link their blogs and inform them about the nomination.
- Mention three things that inspired you the most this week (you can talk about last week’s inspiration too).
Nominations:
- I’m a Writer, Yes I Am
- Blog Blogger Bloggest
- In a small compass
- Sugar-coating since ’91
- The Moving Quill
- Raven Apotheosis
- Funny Dog Moments
- The Excessive Gardener
- Ivy Mosquito
- teleportingweena
I didn’t think I can name this many wonderful blogs but these are as many as I can think of at this moment. Congratulations. Go check them out!
Three things that had been inspirational this week and the last:
- The weather. The first ever “real” snow storm hit on Christmas but the real storm was really Sunday. It delivered about 3 or 4 inches of fresh powder snow and made the whole neighborhood look like a winter wonderland. It’s inspirational because I can finally sit down at home to read and write.
- My second inspiration is definitely to be able to sit down and finally finish reading two novels. My inspiration was running low and reading just help charge me back up.
- Of course reading other people’s blogs. I am always curious about what other people writes on their blogs and that often gives me an idea or two to help me write.
2014 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 6,700 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.
A Grown Up Trapped in a tiny body
I just spent the entire morning shoveling ankle deep snow on my driveway and the incredibly long sidewalk. Oddly though, the only places aching are my shoulders and neck. At the moment, I do not want to move from this couch.
My mom said I needed the exercise and for once, I couldn’t be more agreeing with her. This entire holiday season had been nothing but eat eat and eat. Honestly, I can’t wait for this to end. The biggest consequence? I haven’t been able to get some exercise and I gained 2 pounds from all that hot pot. That’s the down side to eating hot pot, you keep putting food into the pot and eating more, never knowing when you’re full.
I wasn’t really going to write today. I’ve been obsessed over reading the Night World series. I began reading book one yesterday and finished it this morning. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. Besides, today’s prompt feel kind of repeated, oh look, it is. It’s a recycled prompt and what’s point in writing when there are already 130+ posts waiting to be read?
But what the heck, I’ll answer it anyway. I can’t remember when was the first time I felt really grown up. I guess I’ve always felt like I was a grown-up trapped in a child’s body. I’ve never partied nor have I taken advantage when my mom left me in charge of all her credit cards and money when she went off to basic training. I responsibly spent and paid the bills. I think that’s the one thing she’s ever admitted to be proud of.
On the other hand, I can say my aunt’s the opposite. She’s like a child stuck in a grown-up body. Over the years, I feel like she’s becoming more and more child-like.
I’ve written a post about a similar topic about grown-ups, you can read it by clicking here.
One is Enough, Two is Too Much
I am frustrated and that frustration is growing by the day.
Last year, my mother purchased two additional houses. She planned to use those houses for investment and rental. To be honest, both of those houses are a pain in the neck. After closing on the first house last April, we spent almost the entire month cleaning, repairing, and re-painting the wall.
When I say “we”, I mean my mother and her friend. Meanwhile, I am not allowed to touch or do anything, I am to just stand there and watch. I hated it. I mean, what am I doing there? I could be doing so much more at home.
Thank god that house rented out quickly and the tenant had been stable. A few months later, my mother closed on a house at the end of our street. This house is a bucketful of problems.
First it was the furnace, then the AC, and then at the beginning of this year, we found out there’s no return vent in the basement, making the basement of the house freezing cold.
It’s a crappy house. Well, what do you expect when the first owner of the house was a know-it-all handyman?
Anyway, in the latter part of 2013, after yet spending a few weeks cleaning up the place, we rented the house to a very nice family who was waiting for their house to be built in another city.
They moved out early January of this year. Thank goodness, the wife of the tenant was a clean freak and kept the house sparkly clean. We didn’t have to do much and within 2 weeks, the house was again rented to another family from Texas and that’s when the problems began. They built a bathroom in the basement without consulting us. The bathroom turned out awry and weird. Don’t get me started.
That family moved out suddenly before Thanksgiving. It was ridiculous. Not only they broke the contract but the house was a mess!
My aunt and cousin spent the afternoons in the days followed at the house cleaning and picking up dog poop in the backyard. It’s disgusting and I would never ever do it. I couldn’t be more grateful to have them here.
A few days after the advertisement for our rental house went online, two families came and browse. One family was so so eager to move in that they didn’t even cared if the carpet was cleaned. I wasn’t having a good vibe about this candidate. They seemed nice and all but there’s something off.
I told my mother to go with the other family, but she didn’t listen. I was completely right, by the way. The “bad vibe” tenant has an excellent credit score but he didn’t even had the money to pay the first month rent and deposit.
My mother got scared and turn them down. That left the “good vibe” tenant but unfortunately, they grew impatient waiting for our response and had already found another house. That house has been empty for past month. My mother’s incessantly worried about the furnace failing and constantly nudging me to go check.
Yeah, like I know anything about the mechanics of a furnace.
In the recent day, it’s become my dread to go into that house. It’s not haunted or anything. There are just too many stairs and the stairs are thickly carpeted. Did you know it takes more strength going up a flight of carpeted stairs than any other kind of staircase?
My consensus: that house is horribly designed and I would never live in it.
I still don’t understand why my mother had to purchase that house. Why couldn’t she be happy with just one rental home? This other house is going down the drain if we don’t get some tenants soon, I tell ya.
When she bought the house, she says my aunt wanted it but I highly doubt it. For all I know, my aunt could’ve said, “随便吧!” or “Anything’s fine.”
A Wrap-up of 2014: Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award
A few months ago, SUEJU TAKESHI nominated me for the Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award but as usual, my procrastination prevails. But since I am on my winter break, I thought what better time to publish this than before the new year. I like to give a big round of thanks again to SUEJU TAKESHI for nominating this blog for this awesome award. Continue reading “A Wrap-up of 2014: Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award”
My Tight Little Corner
Something has happened in my neck of the woods. I can’t figure out what but it’s making me feel singled-out, like I’m being forced into a tight little corner of my own. It’s like my spoken words are not being understood and there’s no one ’round here to clarify my words for me.
I’ve been searching and wondering far and wide and I have arrived with these three explanations:
- Language barrier
- I know, we all speak the same language here. But they seem to forget that I just know to speak everyday language, slang. My education level for this language is only up to the 4th grade. Still, they talk to me like I graduated college there, saying politically related college-level term that I probably will never understand.
- And if I say the wrong thing, they’d just burst out laughing and it’s not just in the moment, they laugh for days and it’s really frustrating sometimes. Like yesterday, I accidentally mispronounced the word for Mount Everest and they laughed and laughed, making fun of me, making me feel like an idiot. Yes, I know I said the wrong thing but don’t forget I never went past the 4th grade.
- Ethnic culture differences
- Yes, there is a tiny or huge ethnic culture difference here, depends on one’s perspective. For example, my aunt doesn’t like to use the dryer. She hang wet clothes in the laundry. I hate that. When the clothes dry, it becomes cold, stiff, and wrinkly. It’s like wearing cardboard.
- Too many personalities
- Yes, I understand everyone has their own personality, no people are the same but my aunt’s personality is driving me nuts. She is so childish sometimes with her silly clothes. Yesterday, when it was snowing, she didn’t want her hair to get wet, so she wore a husky hat. I don’t mean a hat that looked like husky fur, I mean a hat that was an actual husky (dog) head. It’s the stupidest hat I’ve ever seen.
- Often times, she’s been sitting at the kitchen counter watch funny babies video on her ipad. If you like watching babies so much, why don’t you have one of your own?
Meanwhile, my mother is not helping with my situation, she laughs along and her teasing had been increasingly irritating. I wish I can just tell them that but everybody in this house feels super intimidating and it’s making me feel frightened.
Just two more months, I will tell myself from now on. Just two more months and they’ll be gone.
Merry Christmas!
I think this has been an okay Christmas. Other than the fact that it’s been snowing all day and my mother’s constant nudging to make me go outside with my aunt, it’s been all right. Continue reading “Merry Christmas!”
My Hero
My hero? Who else? Continue reading “My Hero”
A Super Awesome Gift to…
I hand my mother a white envelope. From the outside, it looks ordinary but it’s really a month-long all expense paid trip (hotels, transportation, etc.) for three to Europe plus cruise around the Mediterranean. My mother has dreamed of touring Europe but she’s always complaining about not having the time nor the money. Well, now she does.
Of course she won’t be going alone. You cannot expect to travel such a vast continent with a companion, in this case, companions. My aunt and I will accompany her on this expedition. If she gets lost, who’d be there to help her? What about the language barrier in a few places? Also, who will help her to take pictures to prove she’s been to these places?
Besides, I kind of want to go to Europe myself and this gift is price unlimited. So why can’t I tag along? She won’t know I’m the person who gifted her with this awesome gift, not unless I reveal to her I am the Secret Santa who sent her the gift. Knowing my mother, she will probably thinks I’m joking and will probably laugh in disbelief. I’m okay with that because I have just toured Europe too.
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.
What Happened Next…
Continued from Breathe in the Fume… Continue reading “What Happened Next…”
This is Another Story 