I feel incredibly thankful to be sitting at my computer right now. The weather’s been horrible and the drive home from school was terrifying and nerve-wrecking. The further north I went, the harder it rained. Several times during the drive, I was down to almost zero visibility. I couldn’t even see the lane lines.
Continue reading “Odd-Shape Garden”Tag: Reflection
Jealousy 2.0
I wrote a variation of this prompt exactly one week ago. I said I was jealous enough to start a fight with my friend. Well I’m not going to repeat that one. I’m going to talk of a new jealousy, one that stemmed from my childhood. Yes, I have plenty of jealousy, maybe too much. In fact, my face should be greener than the leaves of the blooming rose bushes outside the bay window in the living room.
I’m not going to write a letter though. Instead, I am just going to say it straight out.
I’m jealous of my friend, Joyce. There, I said it. She has basically everything I have ever wanted and more. She lives in a million-dollar house both here and in China. She gets to spend her dad’s money however she wants. She wants a car, she got it. In one sweep, an imported European car. She wants to go to Japan for the summer, she got it. She wants to go back to China three times a year, she got it.
What did I get? A nagging mother who’s always on my case of how I’ve made countless mistakes. This is life, everyone makes mistakes. I’m not perfect. You don’t have to state the obvious over and over.
So how did her life end up so perfect while mine end up like this?
I asked my mom this question. What does she blame it on? My dad’s passing. “If your dad was here,” she would say, “you would have everything you want and I would be retired right now.”
It made me wonder, if he was here, would my life really be better? Would my life turn out like Joyce’s? Would my jealousy go away?
I thought about it and the answer is no, I would still be jealous. I would still envy her well-being and beauty and independence. Because if my dad was here, I would never come to the U.S. and I would never get a proper diagnosis not to mention getting the medicine I need to suppress the symptoms.
So yes, there are still a ton to be jealous about because I will always be this short tiny Chinese girl that can’t seem to get away from home.
Daily Prompt – Green-Eyed Monster
Related Post: Jealousy
T-shirt and Sweatpants
Today’s prompt asks: How important are clothes to you? Describe your style, if you have one, and tell us how appearance impacts how you feel about yourself. Continue reading “T-shirt and Sweatpants”
Science is Definitely NOT My Friend
Today’s prompt asks: Which subject in school did you find impossible to master? Did math give you hives? Did English make you scream? Do tell! Continue reading “Science is Definitely NOT My Friend”
Pulling Weeds
Today’s prompt asks: What’s the household task you most dislike doing? Why do you think that is — is it the task itself, or something more? Continue reading “Pulling Weeds”
The Impact of a Mountain Range
I took Utah Geography a few years ago, it was filled with hard work (typically university level classes). Continue reading “The Impact of a Mountain Range”
Jealousy
Oh, you cannot believe how often I get jealous of people who are smarter than me, pretty than me, thinner than me, and taller than me. Guess where I get that from? My mother. Continue reading “Jealousy”
I can’t laugh or joke. No joke!
Before I get into today’s post, I would just like to say that I know at the start of the week, I said there would be a marathon of Writing 101 posts. I’ve decided because of the work situation, I will call it quits with 16/20 completion. Continue reading “I can’t laugh or joke. No joke!”
Writing 101: Death to Abverb
I told you I was doing Writing 101 in random order, didn’t I? Anyway, the point of the assignment to go to a cafe, park, or a public place and write something that is inspired by what I see. There’s a catch, I cannot use any adverb. Continue reading “Writing 101: Death to Abverb”
Writing 101: Your Personality on the Page
The assignment is to write about a fear, anxiety, or worry. The twist is to write it in a style that is distinctive from my own. I’m not exactly sure what other styles there are to writing but I’m going to try my best. Continue reading “Writing 101: Your Personality on the Page”
Writing 101: Don’t Stop Rockin’
Man, I’ve been just so busy this last month, with school, the new job, and the A to Z challenge, it felt like I spent most of April just rushing from place to place. I am just now catching up with the Writing 101 assignments. Continue reading “Writing 101: Don’t Stop Rockin’”
Writing 101: Happy Fast Food
People say childhood are the best years of a person’s life. Continue reading “Writing 101: Happy Fast Food”
#AtoZChallenge – Z For…
Wow, can you believe it’s the last day of April already? I can hardly believe it. This challenge’s been fun even though my theme’s been all over the place. Continue reading “#AtoZChallenge – Z For…”
Writing 101: Give and Take
The assignment is to write a post based on the compare and contrast of two things. This is also a response for today’s prompt: Pick a letter, any letter. Now, write a story, poem, or post in which every line starts with that letter. Continue reading “Writing 101: Give and Take”
Travel Loosely
Today’s prompt asks: What’s your travel style? Are you itinerary and schedule driven, needing to have every step mapped out in advance or are you content to arrive without a plan and let happenstance be your guide? Continue reading “Travel Loosely”
#AtoZChallenge – W For West Coast
When I taught English as a Second Language (ESL) at the private school, I used to ask my students. “Where are you going for college?”
Continue reading “#AtoZChallenge – W For West Coast”
The Barter System
If the world changed its system, from monetary to non-monetary (barter), I think it might either make the world a whole lot better or a whole lot worse. Wars can start because of bad service or people not fulfilling their promises.
This system might actually get people to stop thinking about money. Maybe it’s just me but I feel like it’s all anyone care about these days. Money money money. Do you disagree with me?
I mean, people spend all their time working for money. Some of those people is me, girl who works two jobs. Where do the money go after we work? Taxes, luxury goods, so on. Almost 50% of mine happen to go to taxes. Darn you government for taxing single people.
If the world works on a bartering system, it might get people to focus on necessity instead of luxury. Like service for a house or food for food. Wouldn’t that make the world better? I think countries might even not be in so much debt.
I have to admit, I didn’t know about the bartering system until I took an economic class last summer. I don’t even know what the word barter meant. But once I began reading about it, I was fascinated by it. I thought why can’t we initiate such system again? I say again because there had been numerous bartering systems in ancient times. There are probably still some markets around the world with a bartering system. Now, those people will do fine if the world worked on a bartering system.
Who knows, I might be successful under this system. I know how to do plenty of things. I might not be good at it but I know why does it matter? On the other hand, there are some chances I can fail. Dissatisfaction of service? It wouldn’t be the first time.
#AtoZChallenge – U For Update
This morning, I woke up to something horrific! The time on my alarm clock read 3:10. I jolted up like I’ve just been zapped with a thousand volts of electricity. Is this a dream? I often have dreams about being late for school. Did I just slept the entire day? Why didn’t anyone wake me? Is this like a parallel universe or something?
Anxiously, I reached for the useless cell phone which I only use for the alarm function. I pressed a random button and the screen lit up. 7:55. I relaxed a little and peeked at the other alarm clock on top of the dresser next to me. It was flashing and immediately, I knew what it meant. It meant we lost power during the night.
Just then my mom barged into my room. “Did we lose power?” I asked.
“Did we?” She replied, clueless.
“Uh, my clocks are flashing.”
“I just know we lost the internet.” How does she know that, I wonder? Because if the internet was out when the power went out, then when the power came back on, so should the internet and in minutes. Does this mean she was up in the middle of the night?
I still haven’t reset my clocks yet, maybe later. I just came home a few hours ago after sitting in the testing center for three hours taking an exam about a book with concepts that feels way out of time. It’s a textbook novel about the evolution of cost accounting in a hospital setting. I hope I did well. I still have three more exams before I’m officially done with this semester.
I came home, almost 1 pm, hands shaking and stomach growling. I asked my mom if she’d eaten yet (being thoughtful). She said yeah and told me to eat all the leftover beef. I looked at the bowl of leftover beef. “It’s too much. I can’t eat it all.”
“Then make some noodle for me.”
“I thought you’ve eaten.”
“But I’m not full.”
I threw in an extra ramen and when I was so close to be done, she came downstairs, frustrated. She had just texted her tenant about the air conditioning tuneup appointment she had made for them all by herself. “Put some lettuce in there. We have so much.”
I paused cooking and became irritated. Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. I told myself. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I just want this done. I want to eat.” I said with clenched teeth.
“Fine whatever. Too much, you complain, not enough, you complain.” I took a few more super deep breaths, convinced myself to ignore her.
After the beef was done, I just poured them with the noodles. I sat at the end of the counter and ate my lunch silently. I was in no mood to make conversation, although I had no idea why. The moment I finished cleaning everything up, I bolted for my room. I sat at the computer, wanted to start studying for the next exam but my brain was fried. I had no idea what to write for anything let alone the A to Z challenge. So I spent the afternoon catching up on TV shows.
Now, I think I’m ready to get back to work and study for the next exam now. Anyway, just a quick update. 🙂
Currently Reading…
The Millionaire Next Door. It’s not a fun book to read, although some parts are part, when the authors write scenarios. Some of the scenarios, I have to admit are pretty funny yet realistic.
I’m not reading this book for fun. It’s for that book report for my cost accounting class and until I finish with that book report, I cannot read anything else which I’m dying to. There are so many books in my digital library. They are crying “read me, read me!” It just makes me want to scream.
The book is essentially the results from the research of which the authors has conducted to prove millionaire don’t live a luxurious life. They don’t have expensive clothes, expensive cars, or even expensive houses. They live in middle class neighborhoods and drive batter old cars. Hell, they are not even millionaires, not unless they liquidated all their assets. Apparently, the millionaires in the book don’t actually make a-million-dollar a year. Apparently, their net worth exceeds a-million-dollars and that’s what makes them millionaires.
Okay, I guess even dumbbells know that unless you’re a star or a professional sports celebrity, you’ll make less than a million. I also learned some new terms like under accumulator of wealth (UAW) or prodigious accumulator of wealth (PAW). Probably most of us all UAW because we like to spend money unlike the frugal PAWs which makes them millionaires.
Anyway, I think the bottom takeaway point of this redundant and boring book is by investing instead of spending, it’s possible we can go from UAW to PAW and probably become millionaires. Frankly, I can write on and on about the spending habits but I’m out of words for this darn strict prompt.
Thanks for reading. 🙂
#AtoZChallenge – R For Reminder/Ranch
There are so many words for R. Therefore I’m going to throw out two from the top of my head. Just now, while I waited for my lunch to finish cooking in the microwave, my eyes landed on the calendar. I’ve been very fuzzy lately and often forget the date. I know what day it is, just can’t remember the date. So when my eyes landed on the calendar, I thought it was weird. An eye exam? Today? Oh no!
The eye exam isn’t for me, it’s mom’s. Gosh I cross my fingers to hope she remembered. If she misses the appointment, it will be all my fault and I will be in such big trouble. I’m already in big trouble last night for not calling her immediately the insurance company never put my old car back onto the insurance policy last October.
You see, that’s a downside of not having a cell phone. I don’t know where she works nowadays and have no clue if she checks the texts and I hate texting, did I mention that? Anyway, if she checks it, great, but if she doesn’t, it’ll still be my fault for not taking the aggressive approach to inquire the insurance agent. In another word, scream at the agent.
Therefore, if I screw up again today, I don’t know what will happen to me. I’m scare which brings me to the second word, ranch. If I can get away now, I will probably go to a ranch. After all, a lot of fugitives (joking, maybe) have known to hide out in ranches. Hey, I’m a fugitive, a fugitive of an emotionally abusive mother. Isn’t that reason enough?
I want to go to a ranch because of the vast space. Acres and acres of grass and land. No burning hot asphalt and certainly no pavement. I would love that. Wait doesn’t everybody?
#AtoZChallenge – Q For Quotes
I told you the theme is random, didn’t I? Today, I decided to be lazy, actually, only here. I have to work on my book report for my class. Therefore, I shall present you with some inspirational quotes. 🙂 Continue reading “#AtoZChallenge – Q For Quotes”
Writing 101: Point of View
Okay, I’m going out of order here so I can catch up with this week’s writing 101 assignments. This is Day 9’s assignment. I hope you will enjoy my bit of flash. 🙂 Continue reading “Writing 101: Point of View”
No such thing…
Today Prompt: This just in: let’s pretend that science has proven that karma is a thing. Your words and actions will influence what happens to you in the future. How (if at all) will you change your ways? Continue reading “No such thing…”
This is Another Story 