Parenting

Case 1:

This past Sunday at church during lunch time I overheard a dad was scolding his son who said, "it's ok if you are at home, but now you are outside, you better behave yourself or else..."

Why this double standard? Is that right? Or what kind of message is he is teaching his child?

And he seems very confident with the way he teaches his son?!

Case 2: 

The daughter of a pastor was crying desperately. I walked over to check if everything okay? And found that her 2-year-old daughter wanted to watch videos on a cell phone, the mom won't budge. But why are you giving her the cell phone to watch videos the first place?!

Case 3:

Another pastor's 2-year-old son was so quiet sitting still by himself while his mom was using a cell phone nearby. I wondered what was going on?! Turned out her son was watching videos on the computer alone.

No break

Suddenly remember that it's been almost a year, I've been working every Monday to Friday without any break.

Doland’s Uyghur Cuisine

Not quite a fun dining experience, our first dish came 30 minutes after the ordering, the beef is too tough to chew, the milk tea came the last and they forget our rice completely.

Done wrong serving of food twice with us.

No greetings when we are entering and leaving the restaurant.

The takeout menu all in one side, the other side is totally blank (white).

Lack of manpower, training and preparing.

Testimony

Testimony is not about the word-of-mouth.

Testimony is the act of caring, kindness, love, passion, compassion, encouragement, giving, sharing and with listening ears.

自我介紹

甲：和大家介紹一下您的大名是？
乙：Alice 陳
甲：那就稱您陳小姐，好不？
乙：不好！院長，姓陳、復健師，姓陳、社工，姓陳、護士助理，還姓陳。
甲：那就稱您 Alice，行不？
乙：不行，護士叫 Alice。
甲：那該如何稱呼您呢？
乙：您可叫我大陳、小陳、老陳，就是別幫我改姓。
甲：您，打哪來？
乙：台大。
甲：喲！問您打哪來，您道學歷來了！？ 感情您是院長的校友，台灣大學畢業的！？
乙：您這可反應太快了。我不是台灣大學畢業的，我是台灣出生長大的！簡稱， 台大。
甲：明暸，明暸，聽說您興趣廣泛，其中還包括相聲。
乙：說到這相聲啊，我可有研究了，舉凡『說』、『學』、『逗』、『唱』這四門口技，我是樣樣都不會。
甲：這小孩還挺誠實的！還聽說您用一句英文形容您的工作狀態。"I'm here, I'm there, I'm everywhere, but I'm nobody. " 這是什麼意思？
乙：四句成語，狡兔三窟，居無定所，四海為家，隨欲而安。
甲：您這一解釋我更糊塗了。
乙：營養師來了，我搬家。復健師來了，我搬家。
甲：您還搬，搬哪？
乙：所以我是四海為家，隨欲而安哪。
甲、乙：下台一躹恭。

Smoothie , delicious colorful drinks

Do you drink your smoothie or eat your smoothie?

For most of you, without thinking, must be drinking, right?

What else it can be!?

If it's for myself, sometimes, I will have all the ingredients, fruits, milk, yogurts and more individually.

Why? Because I'm lazy, and besides, I love fruits, I always joke that I have a separate space for fruits same thing as for sweets even when I am full.

Why bother to blend them, and, do the extra cleaning afterward?

But if it's someone, like my kids, are even lazier to eat the fruits without someone's reminder or pushing.

I will make the smoothies for them, even it can be tedious, yes, I do so.

Also, it's the best time for me, again, blend in some tiny little bit of secret ingredients that they won't enjoy having them alone, stuffs like plain yogurt, pineapple, dragon fruit, flax seed powder etc.

And this just gives me an idea, next time, for our small group gatherings, I should have the make-on-site-smoothies for them.

Lastly, I should admit that making the smoothies can be joyful too; to see someone you love consume healthy food, to practice your creativity, your imagination, your artistic, to enjoy and appreciate our creator's creations.

The mad scientist of music | Mark Applebaum

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=46w99bZ3W_M

This is one of the Ted Talks that I listened to most recently.

Two, three years ago, a senior friend that I met at the Live Oak Rehabilitation Center, he introduced this brilliant channel to me.

Lately, I've been listening to it a lot.

Many, many interesting, awesome and inspiring topics of professional speech under 20 minutes out there. 

These open my heart, mind and vision to different fields.

And you never know someone who will be your mentor at any stage of your life.

Church bulletin

Finally, I remember to give our church's bulletin along with my phone number to my dear coworker.

Being a good listener is important, to leave a contact info also can show you value her / him as a friend that she / he can always count on.

Birds singing in the rain

After work, I saw birds singing in the rain, I said to myself, "they must enjoy the rain in Southern California like me!"

So, I thought I should take a picture or video and then share on my Facebook.

But just right when I was getting ready for it, they flew away.

Boy! They must hate being shot.

To dear friends

Dear all, (Sara, Jerry, Karen, Michelle, Hermon, Michael, Gary)

Time flies, it's almost a year since I starting my new job at the Adult Day Health Care Center.

I am blessed to have friends like you guys around me, especially at the down time in my life.

More than one year ago, I was so depressed and struggled with my previous toxic working environment.

Then finally, I decided to change my job, you guys walked through with me when others disapprove my determination.

The truth is, yes, it's tough for someone like me is over a certain age and not working 9 to 5 for more than 10 years to have a career change.

Yet it's not a simple thank you that can express my gratitude to you guys. I'll continue to pass on the blessings to people who is in need just you guys do to me.

2 Corinthians 9:8-11
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

Breakfast Scone

2 C Wheat Flour
3 C Oatmeal
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 Egg
1/2 C Butter
3/4 C Sugar
1 C Walnut (chop into small piece)
1 t Baking Soda
2 t Baking Powder

Again, as usual, I do, mix well the dry ingredients first, then cooperate the wet ingredients in.

For the butter, since we need to knead all the ingredients together into dough, it's not necessary to melt the butter, simply cut them into small pieces to use it.

The reason why I call it "breakfast" scones, I have the oatmeal in it, and the main purpose to have the oatmeal in it, my older son won't eat the oatmeal that I cook for breakfast, therefore, I sort of invent my own ingredients for it.

At the same time feel free to substitute walnut with other kind of nuts or dry fruits or fresh fruits or mixed or something that your love one(s) won't take it as bland or non-flavored.

Lastly, divide the dough into three equal pieces, patting each into a circle that is one inch thick.

Cut each circle into 6 equal pieces.

Bake them at 350°F until golden brown or until you can smell the delicious aroma.

10 % off / scallion pancake

Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? 
I don't have the answer for you.

But I do know, last week, I found the 10% off discount coupon for Monja Taiker when I visited Douglas Auto Body & Paint where my friend woks there, one day after my son's fellowship decided to eat at Monja Taiker together before their Friday night fellowship meeting.

This Friday, I bought 2 packs of scallion pancake couples of hours before my son ate with fellowship friend at Hui Tou Xiang Noodles House, both my and another friend order scallion pancake, only found that the store ran out of scallion pancake.
So we had scallion pancakes for breakfast this morning.

California Monarch Butterfly / Lonely George the tree snail

Pollution, climate change, habitat loss, introduction of invasive species and the like, cause the extinction.

Extinction, is merely one of the effects from these environmental changes mainly driving by human beings, it can't be reserved, yet we are part of this ecosystem.

Lonely George the tree snail dies, and a species goes extinct

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/01/george-the-lonely-snail-dies-in-hawaii-extinction/

“The land snail extinction crisis hasn’t gotten as much publicity,” Rundell notes, even though “these species are an important part of life on earth, and when they start going extinct, it means that something is really wrong with the environment that supports us.”

California Monarch Butterfly Numbers Decline 86% in 2 Years

https://ktla.com/2019/01/06/california-monarch-butterfly-numbers-decline-86-in-2-years/

Researchers with an environmental group have labeled as “disturbingly low” the number of western monarch butterflies that migrate along the California coast.

Cauliflower

Son: Why is there one broccoli in the Cauliflower dish.

Mom: I call this left behind (it came out of the cooking pot while I was cooking yesterday accidentally without noticed it, so I cook it with Cauliflower today).

Will I

Will I be OK, when my kids grow up and leave home and hardly have time to visit me?

Will I brave enough to say I’m not afraid of death?

Will I tell my kids, not to resuscitate me, if there is no chance of full recovery?

Will I dare to sign up as an organ donor?

Will I willing to join the anatomical donation program?

Praying

Today Ms. Wu came to the center, but was not feeling well, after lunch, I went to her and kept her company while she trying to eat some food for lunch.

And she asked me to pray for her, I was thrilled, I thought that I will never get the chance to pray for others at work.

I prayed God the healing and comfort for her.

Then she told me that she wants to spread the gospel to others in the center, God knows that  that actually is my mission too, but we just don't how to start it besides caring and trying to kind to others.

Something in my mind, once a week of worshipping, bible study and prayer group, both in Chinese and English, so that might attract some nonbeliever to join us.

But this is a public facility, that might not be possible.

1/4/2019 (2)

Sang some worship songs in English, Mandarin, Taiwanese and Cantonese with Ms Yang who used to come to our center. 

She is always eager to learn new stuff.

Though it's sad to meet an old friend there but thanks God to give me this chance to keep company with her, yet it's only 20 or 30 minutes a time, we talked and worship God together.

Knowing that our voice is considered a musical instrument because it creates notes and pitches. In addition when we sing we adjust and tune our voice to make the sound we want it to make just like a musical instrument.

A musical instrument, I will never forget to bring.

Therefore, proudly, I can say that I do know how to play some kind of music instrument.

1/4/2019 (1)

The past Friday, when I paid my regular visit to my senior friends at the local rehabilitation center.

Finally, I got the chance and courage to open my bible and read some verses with Bill.

Bill is so smart and active, though, he has Parkinson's disease, he is tremor uncontrolled all the time.

Surprisingly, found that Bill is super familiar with bible.

Bill is a strong-willed person, once I saw him feeding himself with his quivering hand he won't give up, he won't bother others for help.

And he also say that maybe we can some bible study next time, king forward to meet him again this Friday.

Alice's cake

2 c wheat flour
1 c coconut flour
1 c cornmeal
1 c milk powder
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter
3 eggs
3 c half & half
5 t baking powder

Originally, I want to make waffles, but, feeling too lazy to do it, I made something easier with my own random ingredients, therefore, I name this Alice's cake.

"get born". "24 hours" "to die"

We are all born on earth and will all die someday.

And we all have the same 24 hours in a day.

No matter who you are, rich or poor.

Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, today is full of opportunities.

Opportunities of making changes, to be creative, to help others, to learn something new, to be joyful, to be inspired, inspire others and so on.

Embrace yourself and live a meaningful life.