We are once again going back in time. Continue reading “Five Photos – Five Stories Day 4”
Tag: Story
Five Photos – Five Stories Day 3
Okay, I officially feel like I am going back in time with this challenge. The first day, I featured a picture that was taken last year, day 2 (yesterday), a picture from 2012, and now, for day 3, Continue reading “Five Photos – Five Stories Day 3”
Surrounded
Daily Prompt: When was the last time you felt really, truly lonely?
Um, I can’t remember. I actually want to write this post for a while, thanks, wordpress, for giving me this push with a prompt.
If you’d asked me when was the last time I truly felt depressed or angry or annoyed, that I can tell you. Truthfully, I’ve rarely felt loneliness. I am always surrounded by things whether being computers, electronic devices or people. My mom made sure of that.
Even when she left me for six months for basic training, she made sure I’m interacting with people. Every evening, I was told to ride the bus plus walk two blocks to her friend’s house every night for dinner and then wait for her friend’s son to finish his dinner so her friend could take me home. This sometimes took forever because he was like six and he didn’t like to eat unless his mom made him cry.
Anyway, even during those six months of living alone, I didn’t feel alone. I’ve always found something to occupy myself, always busy. Now, my mom is preparing to go on another training next month, this time, for a month.
I am actually pretty excited because I’ve been surrounded with so many things and people lately that I feel a little overwhelmed and like a chance to be alone. Apparently, my mom doesn’t think so. She’s worried I’d get lonely and keeps asking me whether she should buy a plane ticket for my aunt to fly back here to keep me company. I am like “Hello, I’m almost 24, I don’t need a sitter.”
She’s afraid of something, I can tell, but she won’t say. The other night, I asked her, “Why do you not want me to be alone?”
She replied, “I just don’t want you to feel lonely.”
“Why, are you worried that something might happen to me?”
“Even if it happened, no one will know.” Because even though she’d only be 100 miles away, she’s not allowed to come home or use a phone.
At this point, I knew exactly what she was thinking and I said it. “Ah, you’re afraid I keel over and no one’s here to help me or discover my corpse.”
She laughed, “Maybe but if she’s here, she can call 911.”
“And I can’t?”
She laughed some more. “If you can call 911, then it’s not an emergency.”
I guess she’s got a point there. The thing is though, I’m perfectly healthy. I went to my doctor the other day and he said everything was normal. He didn’t even examine me. He’d sounded so relieved that for the first time after 4 years, I finally have some normal lab results. But I think my mom might be worrying about other things. I think she’s actually worrying about me suddenly dying like my dad. I’ve promised her a dozen times, “This won’t happen to me.” But she wouldn’t believe me. I’m still here, am I not?
“I’ll be fine. I think you should worry about yourself than worry about me.” I told her but she wasn’t listening anymore. She was already onto other tasks, searching for plane tickets for my aunt on expedia.
Five Photos – Five Stories Day 2
I actually remembered taking this picture. Continue reading “Five Photos – Five Stories Day 2”
Five Photos – Five Stories Day 1
I’d like to thank Priceless Joy for nominating me for the Five Photos-Five stories challenge, where I post five photos, five stories, each day for five days. Continue reading “Five Photos – Five Stories Day 1”
Encore Post: Awards and Announcements
Okay, since today is Sunday, I think this calls for an encore post. This post will be about so many things, a few things I have to announce. Continue reading “Encore Post: Awards and Announcements”
Free land
Apparently my mom has decided to vacuum at 8:30 in the morning. The house is noisy as hell and you know what noises do to me, it takes away my inspiration. That’s why I don’t listen to music or watch anything during my blogging time. Hopefully, she’ll be done soon and I can hop over to my other blog and create a lovely short story for this beautiful Sunday morning.
Anyway, on daily prompt today, we’ve been given a plot of land and have the financial resources to do what ever we please.
It’s funny because I glanced at this prompt at 6:30 this morning when I was still half asleep, I thought it said “we’ve been given a plot of land with financial resources” as in there’s something about the land that will make money. Oil, perhaps? Maybe gold?
Anyway, after I woke up and read a few responses to the prompt, I was more confused than ever. About 5 minutes ago, I finally went to the daily post page and gave the prompt a thorough read-through. It’s all clear to me now. We have the money to do whatever we want with that land.
What would I do with this magnificent piece of land, given to me by wordpress?
It depends on the answers of the following questions.
1. Does it have anything buried underneath, like gold, coal, or oil? Yes? I’ll invest it in the discovery of that substance whether make it an oil derrick or a coal mine.
2. Will it make me money? Yes? This question is sort of tied to the previous one. Investment in oil, gold, coal, etc.
3. Or will it be a useless piece of earth that cannot be used for anything except build houses on top of it? In this case, I can do nothing but build a gorgeous custom home designed by your truly along with a beautiful farm or garden, depending on the size of the land.
There is one thing I will never do and that is make it commercial. Don’t ask me why.
Image credited to google and pinterest
To Places of Curiosity
Before blogging, I used to spend most of my free time watching television shows on Hulu and one of the show was House Hunter International. I watch this show not because I want to know what fabulous houses people are going to buy. I watch it because it spends a segment of every episode exploring the location, from basic detail like where it’s located to other fun facts like economy and its chief import and export, facts that might just get the viewers curious enough to visit the place as well.
Some of the places I want to visit someday, in general, are South America and Asia (excluding China). Of course, I want to see Europe as well but watching news, travel shows and reading some of the travel blogs got me curious about these places about whether or not the news had been exaggerating about these places or if it’s indeed dangerous to visit. Like Mexico, my mom told me that severed head hung on the highway. Hair sticks out my skin just to hear that. Yet I see people house hunting in Mexico. I know there are good places and dark places and then there are places that are too dangerous to visit but you know what I mean? Curious.
Like my mom, I am sort of a history buff as well. So I want to go into the heart of South America and explore all the places that only a few tourists are interested to go there. I want to mingle with the locals and learn about the culture instead of doing what tourists do, lay on the beach and go shopping.
I have to laugh a little because two years ago, before I even graduated with my Bachelor’s, I was already looking for jobs outside the U.S.. At the time, all I was thinking was getting the hell away from my mom because she wasn’t as tolerable as she had been these past months. Anyway, I showed her the list of location I want to apply and she was like, “you can’t go there. It’s too dangerous. No, you can’t go there either, living is too expensive there.”
Basically, the only places she approved were China and U.K. because she’s got a friend there and told me I could bunk with her friend and her husband. Okay, that would be the last thing I want, have another reminder of home. She also urged me to go down under since she’s got a friend whose son goes to college there. Again, no.
That’s why I choose South America and parts of Asia as my dream destination for if I ever have enough fund to travel. To places of the curious minds and places my mom and her friends would never go.
All images credit goes to pinterest
The Wedding Bells Part 15 (Flash Fiction Chain #6)
Jithin, PhoTrablogger, the host of Flash Fiction Chain, had decided to continue the previous flash fiction chain due to an inconclusive ending. The following parts are inspired by the above image. Due to her busy schedule, Priceless Joy has asked me to write Part 15 of the chain and since she had asked so kindly, I couldn’t refuse.
Character List :
- Anna Brighton- 32 year old CEO who owns and runs a publishing company
- Alex Burns – well established author, Anna’s ex, Toby Blackwell’s cousin
- Toby Blackwell – co-owns the Blackwell estate, Alex’s cousin
Other characters:
- Jenny- Anna’s secretary
- Melissa Doyle –the bride, Anna’s dear friend
- Harrison – Melissa’s fiance.
Recommendation:
If you’re not caught up, may I recommend you to read the previous part before venturing this part.
- Sona
- Click here
- Priceless Joy
- Frenesthetist
- Dr. KO
- Sweety
- Itchy Quill
- I-Read
- First Draft
- Soul n Spirit
- Phaena Says
- The Stardust Elephant
- Sona
- Click Here
Now onto #15
“H-hi,” Anna stammered at the sight of the man on the other side of the door. It took a second for her to notice his bruised lip and cheek and all of a sudden, she was speechless. She cleared her throat. “Alex, wh-what are you doing here?”
Alex shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and shrugged and then followed by a light chuckle. “I just want to check to see if you’re okay and I’m sorry for what happened yesterday what with…”
“Oh, no yesterday wasn’t your fault.”
“But how are you? I’ve been worrying about you all night.”
Really, Anna wanted to ask but instead, she replied. “Oh, I’m fine, just fine.” His eyes wandered while she stared awkwardly at the wooden floor and wondered. Can Alex be it? Is he the person I’d been wanting to fall for all along?
“So, you want some breakfast?” He nodded in the direction of the kitchen and smiled. “The caterers’ gone which means I can finally show you what I can do.”
Anna laughed. “I’ll be the judge of that.” She shut the bedroom door behind her and followed Alex down the hallway to the kitchen.
The caterers had managed to pack up and leave within minutes after the wedding. Upon her arrival in the kitchen, Anna was amazed at the transformation. She remembered when she arrived three days ago, the kitchen was a complete mess, flour and egg shell were all over the beautiful granite counter-tops and even the beautiful porcelain tile floor was dusted with flour and powder sugar. Alex pulled a skillet from the rack above the range. “So what would you like?”
Anna sat down on the other side of the counter and rested her hands under her chin. “Hmm, what can you cook?” Alex went to the fridge and grabbed the carton of eggs. He transferred it to the counter when they heard a blood-curdling scream. Alex froze and Anna jumped off the stool. “What’s that?”
Alex swallowed. “I think it’s coming from upstairs.”
At the landing, a maid rushed to them. “What’s wrong?” Anna asked.
The maid shrieked frightfully, “He’s dead!” She cried.
Chills crawled up Anna’s spine as her heart hammered. “Who’s dead?”
The maid led them down the corridor and pointed at the library. The door stood ajar. Anna slowly pushed the door open and gasped. Lying face-down in the middle of the room was Toby. She covered her mouth, shocked. Was this after the fight? She pondered as she entered the room.
Moving closer like she wasn’t afraid, she clenched her fists and bent over his bodies. Who would do this to him? She skimmed over his ruffled blond hair and slightly ripped jacket. Something caught her sight. In the middle of his back was a small hole. This wasn’t not a bullet hole, she was sure for she’d seen an actual bullet hole before. It was from something thinner but thicker than a needle. She scanned the room, hoping for a clue and there it was, lying on the other side of Toby’s lifeless body was a thin arrow. Its feather tip red and the pointy end was in the shape of a heart.
Uh oh, who could be Toby’s killer? Stay tune for the next part written by whoever it is.
16. Itchy Quill
17. Dr. KO
Don’t Waste Food
The other day, I had to throw the remainder of a pumpkin pie I made more than a week ago down the garbage disposal. All because Continue reading “Don’t Waste Food”
Off to a Painful Start
Happy Chinese New Year!!!
Well, technically, it’s still eve here in the U.S.. In China, it’s Chinese New Year. This year is the year of the goat and I was born in the year of goat. As I mentioned in previous posts, my mom said I’m bound to be unlucky this year and guess what, I’m off to a painful start already. This morning, I was woke by a sharp pain in my back. Not again! Continue reading “Off to a Painful Start”
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.
To you…
Today is Valentine’s Day and my cousin’s birthday, not the pain in the a– cousin. I probably should send him a birthday card, after all, it’s not everyday one gets to turn 19. Continue reading “To you…”
Doubt
So I am just now getting home after spending the past 5 hours touring and learning about a CPA firm. I must admit, I had an interesting time. I didn’t think I’d have a good time talking to people. I thought I’d get bored very quickly. But I got to learn about all the different aspects of working in public accounting as well as go into detail of what an accountant actually do. Continue reading “Doubt”
This takes me back…
My step-dad was always big on music. I think me learning the piano was probably the proudest moment of his life. Continue reading “This takes me back…”
Secretive
Ah, finally, some peace and quiet. Continue reading “Secretive”
Excel: Not For Dummies
I don’t claim to know more about Excel than most people. In fact, there are a lot of formulas in that program that I still have no idea how to use and Excel still frustrates me so very much even after so many years of using it.
Last night, I spent two hours helping my mom with her homework or our homework since we are both in the same class but I’ve already finished mine a week ago and she’s just getting started. It is an assignment to create a template for the Statement of Cash Flows using the data from Income Statement and Balance Sheet.
Anyway, her typing was so darn slow and erroneous. It’s like she’s dragging a ton of bricks with her hands while typing. And the way she punches the numbers, it’s like she’s trying to murder the darn thing.
On the other hand, I am never good at explaining things to people. I am always good at hands-on, do it for them or let them follow me while I perform the task myself.
A few times during the night, I asked her. “Maybe I should give you mine and you can study it.” She refused, claiming she will not learn anything if I just gave it to her.
I know she’s right and it’s completely unethical of me. It can even be classified as cheating but I just don’t think I can sit there any longer watching her type the formulas one by one instead of placing the cursor at the bottom right corner of the cell and dragging the formula down. I taught her how to do that but she seems to forget everything once she begins typing again.
At the end of two hours, we are at near completion. We completed the Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and the Other Detail for Statement of Cash Flows. Now all we need is the Statement of Cash Flows which we are set to complete on Monday night. I bet I’ll have some real fun teaching her to use the “if” formula in excel, huh?
Yuck, No Thanks
About four years ago, I applied for an internship with the city. I remember reading the job description and about a third of a way down, there was a bullet that said the interns are responsible to do routine visit to the sewer pipeline. My skin just started prickling at the words “routing visit”.
I didn’t get the internship probably because of my nervousness and my lack of interviewing skills. Honestly though, the interviewing lady that never smiles will making me anxious. I felt good at the end of the interview but I guess it just wasn’t my destiny to work for the city. I’d tried again two years later, still no luck.
My friend got the internship though but they let her go after a semester. Man, I should’ve asked her, “did you get to look at the sewer?” But it never came up in our conversations.
Anyway, I wouldn’t say I would object if anyone ever needs me to go visit the sewer but I will sure take a lot of precaution (full hazmat suit and everything) because I will never let any skin of mine will ever touch sewage water. But if I have any say in this, no thanks, you can explore the sewage yourself.
Breaking the Rules
I know there are many people who grew up in a household with an established set of rules, probably written on a piece of construction paper on the wall. Continue reading “Breaking the Rules”
Forgotten
May I say I feel a little forgotten and angry at the moment? Continue reading “Forgotten”
An offer I badly want to refuse
In the fall of 2013, my former-boss, Mr. Li came to town. He, his wife, son, and brother-in-law didn’t know a single word in English. They were to enroll at the school I was employing at the time and since my mom and I were the only ones at the school that spoke Chinese and English, we had to helped them to get their son enrolled.
After that, they came to us for everything and I mean everything. We helped them set up and install everything in their rental home from utilities to phone to TV to internet. They even called us once to ask how to eat a pie. They spent a great deal of time over at our place too. Chatting and just about interrupted every aspect of our daily life.
Then he offered me a job. $15 an hour, just interpretation and running, even reimburse for gas in case of travel. At the sound of it, yeah, it sure sounded great but it was an offer I wanted to refuse, horribly. I knew it would be incredibly demanding and with school and work, I don’t have time for other demands. So I refused.
But my mom went on and on about how Mr. Li was handing money to me and how I was so stupid not to take the job and then she called China and made me talk to both of my aunts who too lectured me on my stupidity. It was a never ending battle and it was one I cannot win. I mean three against one, how can I? I had to surrender and take the job.
So I was working two jobs while completing my last few classes at the University. It was ridiculous. During my work time at the school, Mrs. Li would randomly stroll into my classroom and demand I take her shopping. I mean didn’t she see me working?
After school, I was a tutor for another student and my mom was to provide additional help to Mr. Li’s son but eventually that turned into my job too.
That period, September 2013 to March 2014, was most likely the hardest time of my life. I worked three, sometimes four jobs while squeezing time in between to catch up on my homework. I was barely home except for sleeping. It was a wonder how I passed my classes.
The thing is, when I first met Mr. Li, I kind of knew he wasn’t the kind of person I want to associated with. I guess I just have the ability of reading people, to know whether they can be trusted and whether it will be good to be associated with them.
Of course, Mr. Li is trustworthy. Unfortunately, he’s not association-worthy and as usual, my mom ignored my suggestion and as usual, I was completely right.
Because Mr. Li came here on a business visa, he had to gather enough employees to keep his visa. So he dragged my mom down too, made her his employee and handed her a couple of paychecks. Now, it’s tax time and she is in trouble. Because of the extra income from Mr. Li, she now has more taxes to pay. I do too because of Mr. Li’s unethical practices. He claims he’s helping me but in fact he’s hurting me.
And our W-2s still hadn’t arrive and Mr. Li is nowhere to be found. So is it too late to rub it in her face and say I told you so?
Better Together
Daily Prompt: If you had to choose between being able to write a blog (but not read others’) and being able to read others’ blogs (but not write your own), which would you pick? Why?
It’s either or? What?!!! What about both?
If don’t read other’s blogs, where else do I find inspiration? I would probably run out of things to write extremely quickly. On the other hand, if I can only read other’s blogs, I would be compelled to write my own because of all the little ideas that will start to pop in my head.
In fact, that’s why I wanted to write my own blogs in the first place. I bought a kindle with the hotel points my mom had saved up from her trips and began reading. I can’t remember how many books I’ve read before those tiny speck of ideas fill up my head and almost caused me to burst.
But if that’s how you want to play it, I’d say I would choose to read other’s blogs. So what if I can’t write my own blog, I will just write something else, on Word, maybe. It isn’t necessary that I have to write a blog, I just write it to gain attention, to have an audience. I will be either way. I can still read other blogs to gather inspiration. Who knows, I might even write a book. Either way, I don’t think it’s even possible to choose between reading and writing. Those two things are just…
Blogging 201: Set Three Goals
I think I should probably say, “Happy 2-year Anniversary!” to this little growing blog of mine. Yup, it was on February 3, 2013 I wrote my first post on here. I think I’ve mentioned this before. Continue reading “Blogging 201: Set Three Goals”
