Even after almost two years of blogging, I still haven’t really shared the space that inspired all my posts. Continue reading “Sharing Creative Workspaces: A Project from WeWork”
Tag: New
Flashback Thursday: An Unforgettable Summer Solstice
I have always wondered why we need to rehearse for our graduation. After going to four graduations, I can honestly say graduation rehearsal is a big waste of time even if it’ll get you out of class. Continue reading “Flashback Thursday: An Unforgettable Summer Solstice”
The Trickiness with Online Classes
It’s been a slow and frustrating day so far. I woke up at 7-something this morning, eager to start the new semester for my Masters program only to find both of my classes incredibly difficult to get in, the websites that is.
What is the deal with the teachers running these online classes? Are they trying to give the students enough headaches and hope they’ll drop the class the first week?
Seriously, I have taken plenty of online classes before and never had I have such a headache with an online class before. Sure, the syllabus said the course would be a piece of cake and blah blah blah but it doesn’t say anything about accessing the course. I’ve already paid the tuition plus a bunch of expensive small fees for each course. Shouldn’t you at least make this tiny thing easier for me? For everybody?
Just getting into the course part took me almost two hours and in the end, I still couldn’t get in. I had to call the customer service. The customer service! I’ve never had to do that before! For all the engineering and history online classes I’ve taken as an undergraduate. What, now I’m a graduate, you decided to up the computer difficulty level?
It’s just an economics class, not a computer class. Don’t make it so complicated.
Another frustrating thing is I used to be a computer nerd, now I can’t even figure out a simple website?! I feel like my patience level just went from way up there to way down here. Hmm, I wonder, am I getting old?
Just looking for some place to vent my frustration, thanks for listening.
In 90 days…
In 90 days comes the day I dread. September 16 will be the end of the two-some life, just me and my mom because we are adding two more members to the family. Well, maybe four but I’m hoping not. Continue reading “In 90 days…”
What is the difference between an astringent and a toner?
I know many people out there’s probably read an article or two about the differences between an astringent and a corrective toner. In fact I think I am probably one of those people who’s been unknowingly using the wrong product for the past 10 years. So maybe this post can help you or maybe you’ll learn nothing out of this other than some laughs because you don’t use either of the products.
Continue reading “What is the difference between an astringent and a toner?”
A Little Pick-Me-Up for Monday
Obviously, I know what you all are thinking, not a very good and attractive title but I couldn’t think of a good title and I’m too stubborn to leave this title-less. So moving on. I would first like to present this inspiring quote for your Monday.
“Never Give Up,” that’s the most important part of the quote because I managed to get through a frustratingly disoriented and distressing weekend no thanks to a certain minor disorder I call Graves’ Disease.
I sat in front of my computer yesterday, wanting to write a post, work, read a book, do something but I couldn’t. Not because of writer’s block or anything but because even after 12+ hours of sleep, I was still exhausted, the back of my head felt like a ton of bricks, and my hands continuously trembled like a 90-year-old woman trying to walk a step holding a cane. Mainly, I felt just plain disoriented, like I wasn’t the driver of my body anymore, I was the passenger hitching a ride. In the least to say, I was horribly moody and shaky all weekend.
Why?
At my last meeting with my doctor, he told me these were all symptoms of Graves’ Disease or hyperthyroidism, a small, common, and incurable thyroid disease I somehow mysteriously contracted more than a half decade back and now, the subject of my frequent doctor’s visits. Anyway, it’s never been this bad before though. Usually, the symptoms will just last for a half day max. It’s never gone on for two straight days before.
Hmm, I wonder. Can it be getting worse? Can it be the medication doing this? I’ve already reduced it to a bare minimum. Of course many other thoughts crossed my mind as I am sitting here right now trying to contain my hand muscles but honestly I think it’s either the medication or the disease.
Ugh, I just wish I can just feel good for one day and not just hoping. Everyday the same symptoms pops out at a random time, you know, irritability, rapid heartbeat, and shaking hands and legs. It just makes me miserable and frustrated. Even now, I feel like my heart is about jump out at me. I may be hopeful and optimistic but not when I have a giant headache and shaky hands.
What’s worse? The doctor is so damn calm and level-headed. He never look a bit worried when someone tells him some horrifying symptoms. He was like one of those actors from the Twilight movies! Just blank and emotionless, even when I tell a joke, he doesn’t laugh. Can you believe that? Do they train doctor at medical school to not laugh at jokes and worry about patient’s worrisome symptoms?
When I tell him my symptoms, he’s like keep taking your medications, you’ll feel better.
I’m like WHAT???
REALLY????
That’s the best you can do? He makes me feel like the boy who cried wolf! Like I’m just exaggerating about my sufferings. Unfortunately, he the only specialist within a 50-mile radius. So what can I do?
Thanks for listening to my long and tedious babbling and Happy Monday. 🙂
The Weekend I’ve been waiting for
Happy Saturday, Everybody!!! Continue reading “The Weekend I’ve been waiting for”
A Sign-off to a Hectic Friday
I am absolutely exhausted today. Continue reading “A Sign-off to a Hectic Friday”
An Eventful Thursday: A record setting week
Whew!!! Finally, a load off my chest.
After getting just three hours of sleep and a protein-rich breakfast (Hot Cocoa and scramble egg sandwich) , Continue reading “An Eventful Thursday: A record setting week”
Liebster Award: First Nomination!
First of all, I just want to say thank you Artfullyadelie for nominating me for the Liebster Award. Aww, I have to blush a little. It is currently the second achievement I’ve gotten since I started blogging. At this point, I should probably put up an achievement page. Last year, I was nominated for the Sunshine Award. I am extremely honored. It’s not everyday you get nominated. Of course, I was going to write the post yesterday but excuses, excuses, excuses!
I had a large weight loss shake yesterday, then a large bowl of grapes, and finally, a large bowl of Ramen noodles for lunch. Of course, Ramen noodles are no good without the soup base which by the way is full of MSG. Not soon after I finished, I was exhausted. I stumbled through work, thank god I work at home 🙂 and I wasn’t completely awake again until a few hours ago, after I had dinner, a shower, and begin fiddling with some of my old short stories (I’ve posted them too! Click here to check it out!).
Now, it’s 11:30, planes had stopped rumbling outside (long story), my computer’s off and I can’t sleep. Great!!! Oh well, at least I have my tablet handy, might as well take the time to get this started and finish it in the morning. So, according to Adelie, I’m supposed to:
- Write 11 facts about myself
- Answer 11 questions
- Ask 11 questions
- Nominate 11 other fellow bloggers.
So first things first, 11 facts about me:
- I do NOT know how to write a happy ending! If you’ve read my flash fictions and short stories on my other blogs (Click here), you’d know that none of them has a happy ending. I don’t know, maybe a sad ending just tricks people into thinking there might be sequel?
- Two of the most annoying sounds in my ears is a baby’s cry and a child crying. It just make me want to scream and throw things. So if you don’t want me to go insane, control your child! OR keep your child away from me! 😦
- I am the most awkward person at parties and gatherings. 😮 I don’t know what to do there. Everybody’s talking to each other at the same time and everywhere’s crowded and full of plastic cups. Maybe I just need to be go to more parties and get used to the atmosphere.
- I can either be the loudest, most social person you’ve ever met OR I can be the quietest, most invisible person you’ve ever met. It all depends on the place, occasion, and the familiarity of people and topic.
- I have a very severe case of stage fright. Even now, after I’ve joined Toastmaster for almost 3 years, my heart would pound and I would forget everything the moment I hit that podium.
- I love to cook and travel but I don’t have the money or the time right now. Maybe someday.
- I used to play the piano and a little guitar but without practice for 7 years, I forgot it all. 😛
- I used to want to be a singer, a director, and an actress. But I don’t have the look, the voice, and the emotion. So oh well, I
A Maglite still pretend the maglite is a microphone and sing to my stereo for fun though.
- I am extremely old-schooled. I didn’t start listening to music, using a computer, and watching Tv until 2002 when I was 11. I’m still using a flip phone when everyone’s got a smartphone and tapping away. I dislike texting too!
- I wanted to be a website/graphic designer but my mom’s friend wanted me to be a civil engineer. Naturally, she listened to her friend and pulled me along with it.
- I went to three different high schools in 4 years after moving from California to Texas to Utah. The moves were adventurous but meeting new people is hard.
Now, 11 questions from Adelie:
- What is one thing you have been meaning to do but haven’t seem to find the time? I’ve been meaning to finish the two 1000-piece Ancient Chinese painting jigsaw puzzles my mom’s family brought with them when they visited two summers ago. Wow, two summers? Has it really been that long? Anyway, my mom bought these for me when I was 6 and I do not like to leave things unfinished. I said I was going to do them two winters ago, then last Summer, then last Winter. Well, someday, I’ll get it done.
Are you motivated by fear or hope? Of course, I’m motivated by hope, if a person’s motivated by fear, how are they going to get things done? I believe that everything has a start and an end, you just need to get over that hurdle to the finish line.- If you could invent an ice cream flavor, what would it be? I’m not very creative but if I could invent an ice cream flavor, if would probably have all the things I like and probably all the things my mom hates. Yes! We are completely opposite when it comes to ice cream. It might be plain vanilla with mint, fruit (probably strawberry maybe peach), plus marshmallow swirls. NO nuts though.
- What is the one word you love for people to describe you? It all depends on the situation. I had people describe me as lovable, tolerable, stubborn, and even lazy. Obviously, lazy is a horrible word to describe people. I do like it when people describe me as stubborn though because it shows I’m persistent. It shows that I’m not the kind of person that give up easily. However, I would love to be described as fun and cool because I’ve never been those things. So being described as fun and cool will definitely make my day.
- Who do you most look up to and why? Well, there hasn’t been a lot of people in my life because I don’t really stay long enough to get to know them. Like my dad and step-dad, my dad passed away before I could properly register his voice in my head and my step-dad, well we talk but most of the time, it was about him teaching me stuff or we’re just having fun. So the person I look up to would probably be my mom because she’s hard working and cunning. She wants me to be like her everyday and I try very hard at it too.
- If you could master one dance style, what would it be? Ha Ha 😀 If I can master one dance style, it would be ANY since I do NoT know how to dance! I’m the most awkward and clumsy dancer you’ll ever see. So don’t expect me to dance at parties.
- If you were a superhero, what would your name be? Hmm, I’ll have to think about that.
- What is the one thing you’ll never regret doing? Coming to the U.S.! That is the one thing I’ll never regret doing. If I am still in China, I would’ve never gotten my diagnosis and been a goner at 33! Besides, I would have never discovered the joy in blogging and be blogging in my bed at 4 AM in the morning! Can’t Sleep! Darn you, fluctuating temperatures! 🙂
- What’s one word you always second-guess yourself when spelling it out? Lately, that list seemed to be growing! I used to be a whiz at spelling. Maybe I’m getting old. 😀
- What’s the nicest thing anyone’s has ever said to you? Hmm, I don’t know. I love you, you’re adorable? We express our feelings very differently in Chinese.
- Fill in the blank: In a perfect world, love and peace would be everywhere.
Now, for my 11 questions:
- If you won a free airplane ticket to travel to anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- What is the one word you dislike when people are using to describe you?
- If you can change the name of a food, what would it be?
- If a stranger hands you a hundred dollar (pound, euro, whatever your currency), what would you spend it on?
- If you’re a reincarnation of a famous person, who would you want it to be?
- If you can have any job in the world, what would it be?
- If you were a pop icon living a double life, what would your pop icon name be?
- If you can have an ice cream flavor named after you, what would be?
- What is the one word you like people to describe you?
- If you can time travel to any destination in time, what year would it be?
- If you can wake up to any sound, what would it be?
Now, for the hard part, nominating 11 fellow bloggers. It’s going to be very difficult, real difficult. Also I cannot guarantee that any of these bloggers hasn’t been nominated.
So here it is:
- Brainstorm
- From Pickles to Paris
- bluchickenninja
- Wake Up Your Luck
- Osomann
- P.s Meganelizabeth
- VintageDahl
- Release the Mind
- Older Than Young
- Gwenism
- Fortiesgirl
Well, there you have it, my total of 11 facts, 11 answers, 11 questions, and 11 nominees! Looking forward to hearing for you! 🙂
Took my dear old car for a drive…
Yesterday, I took my dear old car out on a drive. Yes, dear and old. It’s a ’95 Ford Escort that I do NOT ever want to sell. Continue reading “Took my dear old car for a drive…”
How I almost went deaf yesterday?
I had almost gone deaf yesterday. 😮
It was all because of this incessant beeping coming from somewhere within the house. It beeps every 5 minutes or so and it’s been driving me crazy for the last three days. Of course, as usual, mom had a gut instinct but she did not want to go explore and find out exactly which of the many alarms and detectors in the house was making that sound. She put me in charge.
Well, I had a gut instinct, too. I knew it was coming from basement. So yesterday, after working for 5 hours and listening to that beeping, I went downstairs to explore.
As I made my way down, I began to feel a little like a detective solving a case. I got the very bottom and stared up at the smoke detector even though my gut was telling me it was Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector but we just changed the batteries a few months ago. Anyway, it’s good to make sure.
I stared up at it for what felt like a long time, 5 minutes feels forever when you’re doing nothing but waiting for a sound. As I became unaware, that beeping sounded, louder than it was upstairs but it wasn’t coming from the smoke detector, it was coming from inside that mechanical closet.
It was just as I thought originally. It was the CO detector, not the smoke detector. I picked it up from its place next to the pipe and stared at it. It wasn’t beeping. Then I turned it over and read the fine print.
It said, “Low battery, 1 beep every 4 minutes”. Well there’s my answer.
I began to try to remove the lid standing up and then it happened. It beeped all of the sudden. I jumped back, scaring the heck out of me. Not only that, it was so loud, and for the next few seconds, everything I heard was muffled.
I placed the detector on the desk and removed the lid and saw the batteries. No wonder, three batteries, two same, one different. No wonder it was out of battery.
I took out the first battery and a loud beep once again rang in my ears, making me jump and everything I hear muffle again. After my heart stopped pounding so hard, I continued removing the remaining batteries and put fresh ones in.
Another loud beep sounded after I put the third battery in. “Jeez!” I muttered. At this rate, I’d be deaf. I replaced the lid and pressed the test/reset button. Four loud beeps penetrated my ears and the room making me jump yet again. Looks like it works to me, I thought while the back of my mind was praying. Please please please be a long long time before it beeps again.
I placed it back to its original location and went back upstairs.
Two lessons here:
- Never buy batteries at the dollar store. They never last.
- If one battery’s out, change all of them instead of just changing one.
Thanks for listening!
Back to Work
It’s Monday and that means it’s back to work! Continue reading “Back to Work”
Tips when choosing your college major
Having just finish my first degree, I think I can say I know a few things about choosing a college major. Continue reading “Tips when choosing your college major”
Last Day of May
It’s hard to believe May just flew by and it’s June already. May has been an over-productive month for me Continue reading “Last Day of May”
Thank god for the cooler day
This past week has been so crazy! At the beginning of the week, the temperature suddenly jumped from the 60’s to the 80’s and yesterday, 90’s! Continue reading “Thank god for the cooler day”
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”
You snooze, you lose
You snooze, you lose. That is just the lesson I learned today. Continue reading “You snooze, you lose”
My Journey to Blogging
This picture is so right, blogging is a journey. After more than a year and 50 posts later, I think I should dedicate this single post to tell about my journey to blogging.
It all started with an idea…
One day, I was in the university’s coffee shop having lunch. I noticed the guy sitting next to me was eating a bagel. Of course, at the time, I thought about food and eating more frequently than usual. Then a completely unrelated thought hit me. My mom always said that bagels are the most traditional American food she’d known.
At once, I opened my laptop and googled “bagels” and clicked on the wikipedia link. As I read the article, I was surprised that bagels came from Poland and not what my mom said at all. I immediately opened Microsoft Word and began typing. I didn’t know what I wrote at first but after a short while, it was starting to come together like a jigsaw puzzle.
After researching two more different foods (Fish and Chips and Pizza), I became convinced that this was my 7th speech for my Toastmasters Competent Communicator. The different varieties of foods influenced by different cultures. (Need reference? Look back at my very first article from last February!)
I was beyond excited and believe me, in those days, I don’t get excited about writing. So I finished my speech about two weeks ahead and all of the sudden, I wanted to write MORE!!! But what should I write about? Also, I wanted to not only write everyday to improve my writing and communication but I also need some feedback from someone other than myself, from total strangers perhaps? 😀
A few days later, while I was doing my homework, my mom came in and asked me about microblogging, you know, what it is, how to set it up, and whatnot. The term blogging collided into my brain like a meteor. This was it! This was how I was going to get my feedback. I’m going to share my writing with the world!
As I waved my mom away, promising her I would research it later, I quickly googled “blogging websites.” A bunch of links came up but the one that caught my attention was wordpress. It sounded familiar like I used it before and I was right. I had to turn in a blogging assignment more than two years ago for my American Economic History course.
I signed a blog and posted the essay I wrote about food. Within a couple days, I noticed people were liking it and some even became my followers. Not a lot, I might add but it was progress because I never had anyone like anything I did before. I’ve been told I’m flawed at many things but maybe I’ve finally managed to find something I’m good at.
The bumps along the road…
However, with my busy full-time schoolwork and two-hour exhausting commute trips between home, school, and work, I didn’t have the time to keep writing. So I went into a long blogging hiatus until last September when I suddenly thought of blogging again while sitting in my empty classroom. I began writing again.
Since then, although I’ve been spotty with posts, I managed to keep up, writing about my observations, my daily life, and most importantly, about what I know. As I posted my own articles, I was reading other people’s posts to get a sense of how can I improve in my blogging and writing.
It was a good journey for me to be able to reach 50 posts and more than 100 followers in a little more than a year. For the past three weeks, I have been persistent with my blogs and writing almost daily even though I’ve hit many bumps along the way. Like work and slight writer’s block now and then but I have fun though and I’m looking forward to reaching my next goal.
Next goal: 100 posts and 500 followers!
8 pounds of ham and a whole lot of toothache
My mom loves ham and all sorts of other meats. When I first arrived in the United States and was in a car the very next day driving two days to my grandparents in Texas. Continue reading “8 pounds of ham and a whole lot of toothache”
Title and Hook – Ways to Capture Readers’ Attention
Everyday, millions if not billions of internet articles, books, journal articles, etc. are waiting to be read. However we don’t have time to read so many while some is just not appealing to us. Therefore, as a writer and an avid reader, the first ten seconds is the most important. Continue reading “Title and Hook – Ways to Capture Readers’ Attention”
Tantrums
Tantrums. In my opinion, a risky thing to have especially around love ones. Continue reading “Tantrums”
My Conversations with an indecisive friend
Over the years, my mom has turned to her friend, Christina, for advice especially regarding my education since Christina has three successful daughters. Continue reading “My Conversations with an indecisive friend”
This is Another Story 