Moving

Moving house is so so painful. The whole process of packing, moving, unpacking, cleaning the old apartment takes me nearly a week. I feel myself have disconnected from outside world - without internet, i could not read news (Malaysia news especially), check emails, chat with friends, write blog, and also I could not read my friends' blogs. Fortunately the internet service will be installed in my new apartment on Saturday, then my life will back to normal again. Friends, I will back to the loop soon. See ya.

I got them finally!

Finally, a postman knocked my apartment's door at 3pm today. I was laying in the bed while hubby went to open the door. He then passed the box to me and wanted me to open the box by myself. I opened the box, got the book, and walked out from the bedroom to the living room. Hubby knew that I couldn't wait to start the big project, so he quickily said: "Don't forget to cook the rice tonight huh." Hihi ... I have already sat comfortably on the chair and turned the book to page 1.

Waiting is Torture …. Ahhhh!

While every Potter’s fan is enjoying Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I am still waiting for the shipment from Amazon. I regret not ordering the book earlier. I also regret buying the book online – if not, I could just pick up a book from a nearby bookstore. Waiting is painful! During the period of waiting, I have to curb myself from reading any reviews about the Potter book, so that I can discover the story and the ending by myself. I don’t want to let any resources to spoil the excitement. But… the enticement is so strong. I don’t know for how long I can still refrain myself. Please, Amazon, send me the book in no time.

Home-made Malaysian cuisine

PA Greenwood Furnace

Last Saturday, hubby and I went hiking again with Alice and Brian at Pennsylvania Greenwood Furnace. We used two hours to finish a 6-mile-trail (around 10 km). Along the trail, I learned a lot of new knowledge from Brian who has wide-ranging knowledge about animals, birds, plants, geography, English literature, and maybe some others talents that I have not yet discovered. Anyway, along the trail we talked from plants to trees and from animals and birds. Now I can recognize some tree species and have more understanding about them. The Hemlock - Pennsylvania State tree - is an evergreen tree that has small cones and short dark leaves. Since Hemlocks do not lose their needles, they symbolize faith in immortality. Tulip tree that has flowers that resemble tulip flowers is Indiana's State tree. Early morning in the wood, we listened to various sounds from singing birds. Although I still cannot differentiate which song is sung by which bird, I am glad at least my ears are sensitive to birds' songs. We were lucky enough to listen to a beautiful, flutelike song from Wood Thrush (click to listen). Finally, my biggest satisfaction and excitement about the hike was I saw a whitetail deer in the wood for the first time. She is a pretty and lively creature that constantly alert and vigilant to her surroundings. I hope next time I will have chance to see male deer that have a pair of antlers. Also, I wish I can see black bears walking in the wood in the new future.

Sty

After taken antibiotics, my swollen eyelid (or they call it sty) is much better now. Now, I have a total different understanding about sty. From my old knowledge, I thought sty would transmit the virus to other people, so I should avoid seeing people in their eyes. Also, I should tie a black thread on the middle finger to prevent transmission. These are archaic thinking before the invention of advance medicine. I don't know why but I have started to inquiry about my past belief since I came to this country. I will not deny that this environment has influenced the way I think. My mind inclines to scientific thinking now.

Anyway, my new understanding about sty is that it is an infection of the eyelid caused by glands (or cells) that secrete from our skin that lubricate the eye. This is a common infection that sometimes will resolve on its own other times antibiotics are required. Although this is just a small matter, I learned a lesson from this experience. Learning is not confined by place and time; knowledge is somewhere surrounding us where we can grasp easily. Pay a little more attention to everyday life that you call it "tedious", you will find out that life is exciting and has richer meanings than you have ever thought.

y'know

"Y'know, I was going to fix that truck this weekend"
"People in this world have gone crazy, y'know?"
"I'm not very good at public speaking, y'know. Like I get nervous y'know."

Are these sentences sounded familiar to you? Are you saying this filler word - you know - too? To be honest, I do include this expression into my speaking to sound like a native. It was not until I read a grammar book yesterday that I realized I picked up a wrong English term.

You know is a vacuous expression that has been spreading (in speech) like the most virulent cancer for decades. It is described as one of the most far-reaching, depressing, and disfiguring conversation wherever you go.

But it was left to Barney Oldfield, a retired air force colonel, to launch a vigorous campaign against you knows. In 1997 Colonel Oldfield offered a $1,000 scholarship to the Nebraska student who submitted a tape recording of a radio or television broadcast the most you know in fifteen minutes. The first year's winner submitted a tape with forty-one you knows in four minutes, thirty-eight seconds. The next year, a fifth grader took the prize. His tape had sixty-four you know. After that, the contest had been continued for several years.

"Y'know, have you know in your conversation is not a good practice."
"I know it now! So, I determine want to toss out this inane expression."

Idiomatic Expressions

Following are some sayings that i collected from my previous reading:-

• Resilience speaks louder than despair.

• Poor oral and written communication skills are rampant no matter what the student educational background or college ranking.

• No matter how busy you may think you are you must find time for reading now, or surrender yourself to self-ignorance.

• Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies.

• Take advantage of the opportunities, no matter how few they were.

• The potential to save lives makes the risk worthwhile.

• It is by studying others that we learn about ourselves.

• If we witness injustice or the violation of another human being's rights it's our duty to take the gloves off and speak up -- even if it hurts some feelings.

• Exercise can chase off the blues.

• The cause [of quarell] was so trivial that the whole thing was a pure waste of breath.

• Hustle -- you can't survive without it. A quitter never win; a winner never quit. It's easy to be ordinary, but it take guts to excel.

• The Unied States is still the dominant force in technology innovation, productivity and profits. But American don't quite realize how fast the rest of the world is catching up.

• "Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do.Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it. Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others.Don't assume that it's too late to get involve." -- Tuesday with Morrie, Mitch Albom (1958)

• Americans becoming a postindustrial society that specializes in consumption and leisure.

• No worker from a rich country can equal the energy of someone trying to move out of poverty.

• History is more than just a quilt or a stick of furniture. It's time to use history to understand and appreciate the role of change in our lives.

• When you forgive someone, it doesn't excuse his actions; it frees you from stress and suffering.

• When she was just a few weeks old, and I was rocking her because she was crying. I just looked at her and said:

"Chelsea, you're never been a baby before, and I've never been a mother before, and we're just going to have to help each other get through this." -- Hillary Rodham Clinton

• Putting yourself in the moccassins of the victim.

• Everything worth doing is worth doing right.

Black Moshannon State Park

Alice, Brian, hubby, and I explored an 18-mile trail network in Black Moshannon State Park Trails this morning. The park is located in Centre County on PA Route 504, and it takes about 30 minutes driving time from State College. The park covers 3,394 acres of forests and wetlands that provide recreational opportunities for thousands of visitors. Besides hiking, other outdoor recreation activities that visitors can explore include boating, bicycling, fishing, camping, picnicking, hunting (special season), and ice sports (winter).

Our mission in this morning was to hike a 6-mile trail (around 10 km). Without doubt, we accomplished it, and our record was 2 hours (Whao!!). The consequence of this attainment is that I have footsore now. However, I enjoyed the feeling of walking in the wood - cold fresh air, wet grass, beautiful birds songs, blooming wild flowers and plants (wild blueberries and strawberries are blooming), and reading wildlife signs (such as tracks and droppings ... haha, this is fun!). I hope we will go hiking again in another 2-3 weeks. At that time, our mission will be ... eating blueberries and strawberries!

Interior vs. Exterior

In the book club meeting today we discussed Harper Lee's famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird. One of the scenes in chapter 12 was about Capulnia helped Jem and Scout dressed up nicely for church. Then I raised a question: Why do people have to dress up nice for church? Arthemesia answered my question. She said, "This is because people want to show their vanities to the God." Well, perhaps she is right, but I still don't understand why is it so important to show vanity to the God. In my country, we care about human interior more than exterior. In other words, humbleness, sincerity, and respect to the God is much more important than how they dress. We do have clothing codes for every religion in my country, for instance, Taoists and Buddhists should wear clean and appropriate dresses in temples, whereas Muslim has its special dress codes for Islamic women, like clothing must cover the entire body and must hang loose so that the shape of the body is not apparent. After all, I do not mean to compare the dress code of every religion because I know every religion has its own rules. I am just currious why people wear what they do.

U.S. History Terms

abolitionism	The belief that slavery should be abolished.
Alien and Sedition Acts	Laws passed during the second presidency (John Adams) that restricted public activities of radicals who sympathized with the French (who were fighting the British in Europe.)
antebellum	Things and houses built before the Civil War (ante=before, bellum=war).
Articles of Confederation	The 1782 agreement among the states before the Constitution was signed in 1789.
Battle of Bull Run	The first battle of the Civil War. The Confederates won.
Battle of Bunker Hill	The first battle of the Revolutionary War. The British won.
Bill of Rights	The first ten amendments to the Constitution, giving freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly and limiting search and criminal laws.
Boston Tea Party	In 1773 colonists threw tea shipment into the harbor, an act moving toward Revolutionary War.
Civil War	1861-1865, between the Union (northern states) and the Confederacy (southern states). The Union won.
Declaration of Independence	This declares the U.S. independent of the British king; adopted July 4, 1776.
Emancipation Proclamation	President Lincoln declared all slaves to be free, 1863.
French and Indian War	British fought French in America 1754-1763. The British won and kept Canada. Some French people moved to Louisiana.
Gettysburg	The greatest Civil War battle and a turning point. The Union won.
Jamestown	The first English settlement in America; Virginia, 1607.
Lewis and Clark Expedition	President Jefferson sent two explorers to the north-west (later Washington state) to see what he bought from France.
Mason-Dixon Line	Essentially was the division between northern (free) and southern (slaveholding) states.
New Amsterdam	City founded by the Dutch in 17th century; no called New York.
Plymouth Rock	Landing site for early Pilgrim on the Mayflower in 1620.
Revolutionary War	The thirteen American colonies fought the British for independence 1775-1781. The French helped. Official end was the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

(From The Vocabulary Teacher's Book of Lists. 2004, Edward B. Fry)

The onset of summer holiday

Fifteen weeks of summer holiday is pretty long, but time flies like an arrow if one doesn't weigh it carefully. One week has been passed and what have I done? I asked myself. Well, I went to the biggest book sales of the year in State College, gathered together with my language partner who will soon move to Texas for goods, attend a training course and a friend's birthday party, and did a little of preparation for summer ESL classes. I think in overall I have gained something for everything that I did in the past week. First, I got few inexpensive books from the book sales. Second, I attend a really good training course which was given by a well-known professor from San Francisco State University. I admired her vigor in doing education works while she is fighting the stubborn disease -- Cancer. Then, in the farewell party with my language partner, I got a new language partner who is her good friend. Last but not least, I learned to play Bridge, a card game, in the birthday party (no money was involved in the game, so it was not gambling ... hihi). That's all I did in the past week and I am looking forward to a productive new week.

Life is beauty

Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

Primary Election 2007 of Pennsylvania

I have just learned a lesson in Primary Election in the United State. This lessson was given not in the classroom but at the poll. Tuesday, May 15, is Primary Election Day here in Pennsylvanian, my Brasilian friend and her husband and I had gone through the whole process of voting with Alice Clark, a resident of State College. So I knew who she voted for, but I won't tell you :-p

A Primary Election is an election held to decide which candidates will be on the November general election ballot. Having closed primary election here in State College, voters may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party. Independents cannot participate. They are two things impressed me about this election. The first is that citizens of this country are given the right to vote for Justice of the Supreme Court, Judge of the Superrior Court, Sheriff, Treasurer, and other important positions (refer to the sample ballot for more detail). It this is amazing. But, on the other hand, I wonder about the reliability of the decision make by the grass-roots. The second, judges in this country need to participate in a political party. In this case, I wonder how a judges can make decision indifferently. Well, these are just some foods for thought.

Reflections on life 生命的倒影

Our life cannot always be full of happiness but it can always be full of love!
生活盡管無法經常充滿快樂，但我們能夠讓它盈溢著滿滿的愛！

He who is blind to the view of our souls, will not enjoy and see life as it is.
看不清我們靈性面貌的人就無法享有真實的生命。

The more you plan, the less likely you will experience chance, therefore live life to the fullest.

A true friend is one who holds your hand and thus touches your heart.
真心的朋友會緊握著你的手並且緊挨著你的心

When we get married, we won’t know what lies ahead. Until we hit the waves of life at sea.
結了婚我們並不知道將遇到什麼，直到生命之海的波浪襲來

Life is reality without an eraser!
生命是真真實實的，不能擦拭掉再重來

Nothing in the future, will correct those moments that you have missed in the past.
已經錯失了的過去，將無法從未來得到彌補

Don’t waste time with someone who won’t support you in time of need.
別浪費時間給那些不能在你急需時能支援你的人身上

Always look at the bright side of life. If there is no bright side, wait until the future turns to light.
經常關注生命的光明面，萬一找不到光明，耐心等候光明到來

Don’t cry over what has happened in the past, but be happy that you could enjoy the moment.
別為已經發生的過去哭泣，要為能享有的當下而快樂。

Always remember the words from a true friend: “I’ll be there for you”
永遠記得真心的朋友給你的話：「為了你，我會適時出現在那裡！」

Work, as if you don’t need money. 工作，要像你並不需要錢那樣
Love, as if nobody has hurt you. 愛，就像並沒有人傷害過你一樣
Dance, as if nobody was watching you. 舞，就像沒有人正在看你那樣
Sing, as if nobody was listening. 唱，就像沒有人正在聽那樣
Live, as if this was paradise on earth. 生活，就像是地上的樂園那樣

Don’t dispair, the nicest things will happen to you when you least expect them...
別氣餒，因為最好的事情都會在你最少企盼它們的時候碰巧發生！

And remember: “Everything that happens, happens for a reason!”

Special Exhibition Gallery

After reading the short story "Everyday use" from an African American author, Alice Walker, Tom organized a trip for our class to the Palmer Museum in the Penn State University last Tuesday. His wife, Ann, escorted eight of us to the exhibition gallery entitled Family Legacies. Ann, an artist, is a volunteer in the museum. She patiently explained one master piece following by another master piece in great details. I learned a lot of new information fromn her explication. The gallery exhibits the art of mother Betye and daughters Lexzley and Alison Saar who share passion for transforming found objects and materials in their richly evocative art. Influenced by their mixed-race heritage, (African American, European, and Native American), the three artists explore issues related to family, identity, race, and gender. In one of the art piece showing two girls, one with white skin and black straight hair, another with black skin and black curly hair, Lezley Saar wrote "I find contradictions more interesting than looking at the world in terms of black and white."

• A votive candle is a small, typically white or beeswax yellow, candle, originally intended to be burnt as a votive offering in a religious ceremony.

• Snowball's chance in hell: No chance at all, as in He hasn't a snowball's chance in hell of getting there in two hours. This idiom, nearly always used negatively, alludes to the traditional view of hell as extremely hot, causing snow to melt at once.

• Elizabeth Keckley, a black woman, was Mrs. Lincoln's seamstress.

• Thomas Jefferson had a mistress after his wife died. His mistress was a black woman and they had a daughter named Harriet Hemings.

• Mulatto: a term of Spanish or Portuguese origin usually describing a person with significant amounts of both white European and black African ancestry.

• Book: In Darkest Africa, by Henry M. Stanley

World Map!

“The Personal Touch” vs. “Thief”

“The Personal Touch” by Chet Williamson and “Thief” by Robley Wilson Jr. are two considerably different stories. One sets the scene at home and the other takes place in an airport. One is about subscription renewal and the other is about a pickpocket. However, when comparing the themes of each story, similarity arises. Invasion of privacy is the common theme of both stories. As seen, both protagonists in each story and the events of each plot reveal how intrusion happens in our everyday life.

In “The Personal Touch”, the author uses subscription renewal letters as a course to discover the protagonist Joe Priddy’s misconducts and the consequence that he must payoff. The story begins with a Snoop Magazine subscription renewal letter that Joe received. He is irritated with the message that tries to appear personal, but indeed is a computer-typed message. He replies to the subscription renewal letter in a nasty manner. In return, there is a steep bill that he needs to pay. The magazine company holds a picture of his indulgence in tasting forbidden fruit and knows the exact money that he squirrels away from his wife. Joe is unfaithful to his wife; not only has he an affair with another woman, he watches a girl undress in an apartment. By using snoop technology, he invades a girl’s privacy, and he, however, never expects that the magazine company will use the same strategy to pry into his affair. This lesson makes him learn about the feeling of a victim in an invasion case.

In Robley Wilson Jr.’s “Thief”, the story develops around a business man who is waiting in the airport for his flight to leave. In this busy place, a young black-haired woman catches his eye. He stares at that woman and his mind is filled with lascivious imaginations. The woman becomes aware of the harassment, but she ignores him. Often, a man is off his guard when temptation has arisen. At least, this theory is applicable to the protagonist in the story. When he feels the brunette jostling him from behind, he is startled at first, and then disregards it and smiles at her. He does not realize that the brunette has picked his pocket, until he cannot find his wallet. A series of events that happens in the airport makes his life a chaos (or into a chaotic): first, he has to clear his name from incrimination, and then he has to cancel and reapply for all the documents and identifications in his billfold. Paradoxically, his billfold is returned to him intact in the mail two weeks later. The best way to explain this situation is that the brunette wants to give him a lesson for the invasion he did.

Invasion of property is condemned everywhere. Sexual harassment is a kind of invasion because body is one person’s property. The actions of both married reprobates trespass beyond accepted boundaries. The final moral message that the two authors want to convey through these stories is that people get their comeuppance for transgression.

Cry Uncle (or Say Uncle)

Meaning: Concede defeat

Example:

1. The Serbs want the Bosnians to cry uncle.
2. If you say uncle right now, I'll let you go first in the next game.

Origin:
It seems that while "crying uncle" is today regarded as an Americanism, its origins go all the way back to the Roman Empire. Roman children, when beset by a bully, would be forced to say "Patrue, mi Patruissimo," or "Uncle, my best Uncle," in order to surrender and be freed.
As to precisely "why" bullies force their victims to "cry uncle," opinions vary. It may be that the ritual is simply a way of making the victim call out for help from a grownup, thus proving his or her helplessness. Alternatively, it may have started as a way of forcing the victim to grant the bully a title of respect -- in Roman times, your father's brother was accorded nearly the same power and status as your father. The form of "uncle" used in the Latin phrase ("patrue") tends to support this theory, inasmuch as it specifically denoted your paternal uncle, as opposed to the brother of your mother ("avunculus"), who occupied a somewhat lower rung in patrilineal Roman society.

Chinese Wall

Definition :

1. a fortification 1,500 miles long built across northern China in the 3rd century BC; is 1,500 miles long and averages 6 meters in width
2. A barrier, especially one that seriously hinders communication or understanding. ["still believe a Chinese wall can exist between public and private selves"]
3. In business, Chinese Wall is a barrier against information flows between different divisions or operating groups within banks and securities firms. Examples include a policy barrier between the trust department from making investment decisions based on any substantive inside information that may come into the possession of other bank departments. The term also refers to barriers against information flows between corporate finance and equity research and trading operations.

Potential phrase origins

The term Chinese wall is said to have originated after the catastrophic stock market crash of 1929, when the largely unregulated United States market suffered a 40% drop between September and October. According to one theory, the crash resulted from inflated stock values created by price manipulation and insider trading. After the crash, Congress passed a law mandating the separation of commercial and investment banks, in an attempt to prevent conflict of interest. Rather than enforcing physical or corporate separation, however, the law only mandated that policies must be in place to create a logical division between these segments.

Chinese wall is usually said to be a reference to the Great Wall of China, erected over 2000 years ago to protect inhabitants from invaders. However, other theories exist. In a Wikipedia entry, for example, the author argues that the term probably derives from a diplomatic contrivance of the Late Imperial period in China: "...if a junior mandarin saw a senior mandarin on the road he was expected to bow and present his compliments. In Beijing this tended to happen quite a lot and so traffic was frequently blocked. Instead mandarins came up with a method of pretending they did not see each other on the road by the clever placing of a retainer with an umbrella. Because they did not "see" each other, they were not obliged to stop." (~excepts from whatis.com)