Third Income,First Expense

I thought train tickets in UK are more expensive than in China.
Well,I was wrong again.Tickets differ in price according to the distance,so here I give an equidistance example. The one way 2.5 hours(from Shanghai to Nanjing) costs 93 rmb
(hard seat) and 112 rmb(soft seat) while virgin trains(from London
to Manchester) offer ￡7 and ￡9.And in UK you can get cheap train tickets if you book in advance like 2 weeks earlier.
However,in China,the earlier,the more expensive.

Out of Memory

Nowadays most of countries are linking their local currencies with
a basket of stable currencies instead of linking it to the US dollar only.Wise choice!
The dollar will be weak and wont be the most secure currency and euro is very strong now.But UK is still using British pounds,well....
it's hard for ppl of great Britain to scrap the famous British sterling pound.Just like Chinese are unwilling to leave the yellow land.
The Glory of the Past! Sigh...time changes,ppl should change too.
Lately there are some Chinese descent politicians in Canada said chinese should become the third official language of Canada.
I think it's good,since we cannot change China,why not make a brandnew Chinese Kingdom?

Academic Freedom?

Last night I read someone's blog by accident.In his blog he asked what is the purpose of higher education while only a minority of college students have enough wealth to study as a hobby?
Well,I think now the tail is wagging the dog------Curricula K-12 are set by university education coz ppl view college as a step towards a career with higher earnings potential and those institutions are the gatekeepers of the society's mostimportant credential.
So we have to accept professors' core valures and learn what they teach in their classes.

Son Preference

These days in my family everyone's emotions are right on the surface.Well,everyone fibs,especially in complicated situations,
a white one is okay.
But to some lies,I dont know whether mom would forgive grandma
or not.I think it's time for grandma to fess up and accept the consequences so that she can redeem herself,sigh...she chose to get tangled up in more lies down the road.
In my eyes the bond that links one true family is not one of blood,
but of respect and joy...the most important part is LOVE.
And I will always keep in mind that love makes a family,not blood.

Coca Cola Light

I like Coke Zero which is marketed as having zero sugar and zero calories.Well,I think zero sugar is an honest lie coz aspartame is commonly used in diet soft drinks for its sweet taste.
Aspartame is not sugar,it's a kind of chemical.
The point is to average ppl an excess intake of aspartame
might be more dangerous than having sugar.
And it is everywhere ------ table condiment,chewable vitamin supplements,sugar-free chewing gums and etc.I used to snack on snack food but now I should say I snack on junk food because I
have to have something to console my sweet teeth.
Nothing is safe nowadays,snack=junk!

Swallow hook,line and sinker

It is really easy to make dollars in China,lol.
The control of Health food products is not strict and advertising often claims that they can cure certain diseases.Melatonin is a big hit,it's even more expensive than it's in North American(about $10 for a bottle of 100).People think Melatonin is magic but in fact it's basically a hormone which is produced by human body to regulate sleep pattern.It helps in jet-lag and may help one to sleep better in short term.But in long term,who knows if it's harmless or not.

West eats East

Everybody knows KFC.But lots of ppl apparently dont know Chinese cuisine.Well,it is ture there are many Chinese restaurants in the United States,but actually the type of cooking typically caters to western tastes and differs significantly from food of China.
It should be given a specific definition:American Chinese cuisine.
Chinese dishes usually emphasize vegetables while American Chinese food treats vegetables as garniture.And today I found something interesting ------ Fortune cookie.It's a crisp cookie(I must point out the shape is very weird and I've never seen it in China) made from flour,sugar,butter,vanilla and milk with a piece of vague prophecy paper wrapped inside.It's often served with Chinese food as
a dessert throughout the western world.

What is Civilization?

Billy said whether a country is civilised or not is not what the present looks like but how they preserve the past.Good point.Well,he was refering to the historical sites.I think deep ------ how about history? When the history has something bad,should it be removed?Apparently NOPE.No one can remove history,we should learn from it not hide it.Whatever,it's important to admit and learn from mistakes.

Carpe Diem

It's time for me to take my turn organizing a new outing.
Well,it doesnot have to be major and it doesnot have to involve
a lot of different people.
I just need a brief afternoon outing with Alex,sigh,I havenot seen
him for a while,really reallymiss him.
So I have to consciously plan something out because too many schedules are too unpredictable and it's not wise to leave things
up in the air.

Plug the holes

Everyone should be entitled to safe food supply no matter where you are.Sarcastically,nowadays nearly all the Chinese in US and Canada wont buy food products from China ------ the reputation of Chinese products have taken a big hit.Chinese products are cheap but sooner or later people would buy stuff from other countries likeVietnam.Well,although infant formula is closely regulated and
no Chinese companies have approval to export to the United States,that incident has raisen concern about other products' safety.

In God we trust

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and
to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
'Under the God' is one sentense in Pledge of Allegiance,but I think today the meaning of God is not as serious and strict as it used to be.
USA is a malting pot,all kinds of ppl live together and also more religions now,well,ppl are accomodating too.
In this time,Bible is not allowed to teach in public schools.But I dont think the kids wont learn any religion even if the schools dont teach them.Because Christian and Catholic have very strong power in the states,many ppl with higher positions are christians,many rich ppl are christians and many politicians are christians.

Rounded Arrowheads

Sweet taro is the dish my mom used to cook at home,so I've developed
a liking for taro.I'm a huge taro fan ---- taro ice cream,taro soup with sweet-scented osmanthus,taro-layered cakes......I am just too hot on everything about taro.

Dinosaur Valley State Park

It's amazing to see dinosaur footprints,isnt it?Well,dinosaurs live only in my imagination.
But in Texas people can explore up and down the riverbed and find the dinosaur tracks.Interesting,huh?Yeah,it's kind of like being in a Jurasic park.

God huggin' us

The actions of life will be very unpredictable,yes,always.I hope this time not only would Alex's dissertation go fairly smoothly,there is a distinct possibility of an upgrade of some sort.Well,I am trying to stay optimistic and dont worry about the tiny details.

Lehman bankruptcy

The world's economy is like a balloon and all could collapse someday.
I dont know the details but it is affecting everywhere in the world.
I expect that lots of companies will bankrupt or will release lots of
their employees.Well,computers may be crashing,people may be dying,relationships may fall apart.
What we need to do is just to take a deep breath,and reboot.
Life has to go on.

Old-Timey

It seems like everyone uses email nowadays to communicate,but I personally like to give letters in a mail.
Usually I dont want to write a long letter,so I just send a quick note
by postcard.Well,I think post cards are beautiful because they
always have great pics on them.

Motor City

If you have money,sure,now is a good time to buy houses in really rock bottom area.The price of houses has collapsed in some of
Detroit's rural areas.When economy is good again then there wont
be ghost town like that.But what if there is never going to be a new factory near there?Those places usually have no job opportunities.Think about mainteance and property taxes.
Detroit is cold you have to keep the house warm up in the winter.
Even if no one lives in the house the house insurance would cost
twice as much.Besides,it's an industrial city ------ the car manufacturing centre of USA,so the air quality is not good either.

Stone Dolls

I am afraid Billy's worry is necessary ----- Sanlu used infant milk formula which could cause kidney stones in some other products.
Baby forumla should not be changed because babies' stomachs are sensitive and change in the baby formula may upset their stomachs.
If for any reasons parents have to change the forumla then have to
do it gradually.New born to 6 months old have the infant forumla because during these months they depend soley on milk.And those milk powder take up some of the ingrediants while adding others to make it as close to the human breast milk as possible.
Now since infant formula got problems,so did other baby products.

Milkpowder event

It's the best time for western to roll out healthy milk power in China.Nowadays everyone has a good understanding of food's relationship with health.But actually there is no safe milk in China and it's no longer a secret.I feel sad,especially for children.
Adults have responsibility to provide sufficiently great quality food
for kids.Kids are the hope of a nation.

I was cheated

Giant pandas in San Diego Zoo are interesting.At first glance,I thought she's fat,well,her belly was very funny----round as a ball.Obviously she enjoyed deluxe accommodations and extra vegetation,I wondered has she also enjoyed KFC?After my scrutiny,I bet she's pregnant.In fact,the mother panda was gently carrying her baby in her arms and the little baby was drinking milk.They naughty pandas successfully fooled me.

SELF.WASH

Ads say buying a CatGenie is like buying time.
I say buying a CatGenie is like buying sanitary.
It is interesting to see a cat go to the bathroom like a human.
Instead of litter,the modern cat bathroom uses comfy washable granules,drainage,a cold water connection and electric power.
After scrubing and scouring the cat box interior,a built-in dryer
blows hot air through the granules to dry them completely.
Well,I love the self-washing concept.Just push a button or preset
for automatic:scooping,flushing,washing,sanitizing and drying
-----It's ingenious.

Federal Bailout

Now the government tookover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is making waves far off American shores.Well,the good side is to prevent them from going bankrupt which will hurt many investors and home owners.The bad side is that it will cost all people.
It will definitely increase the deficit ---- money doesnot come from nowhere.

Aesthetics

Today mom spelled out the plan in detail to persuade us,well,she's professional in facials and massage for women and I know mom always wanted to be her own boss but she didnot have enough fund to open up a beauty salon.Now she has a nickel and dime business,I hope it'll be the start of something bigger.

Pet Memorial

I am considering buying a pet urn.It's odd to shop for urns,but sometimes you just need one...That is Life.I got into a fuss owning to my cat has blood in her poo.Yesterday morning mom was cleaning Snow White's litter box and noticed a small amount of fresh blood.
I've already put some fibre in her daily diet.Now we need a Vet.

Urbex

It's cool to see photos of urban exploration.
Well,human enviroments can be a lot like mazes ---- both above and below ground,cities,especially very old ones are home to interesting structures.I have no interest in tunnels and sewers at all coz I guess those places usually must have gross rats or other sick creepers.Besides,safety is a very important concern,tunnels and sewers may flood if it rains.But I do like exploring bunkers now lay neglected and forgotten.

Crazy Golf

I played Minigolf today,well,I like it coz it's much easier than golf.
It takes a lot of time,but I'm relatively good at it.
Now I am usually able to get under par.
Practice Makes Perfect.

OMG...IT'S TRUE!

LMAO~~There was a funny program about some areas in Saudi Arabia,in that area women dont let any man see their faces,not even their brothers.So a woman took her husband to the Court to file for divorce because her husband tried to see her face after 15 years marriage.They sleep together and have sex but the man doesnot see his wife's body.

High Adventure

It sounds impossible ---- Sky dining?LOL...Not sky diving.
That's a bit more dangerous activity,but sky dining is where people eat in the sky.First slip into the seat at the dining table,put on a harness and then up up up,go go go!Well,actually people are lift into the air by a large crane.In minutes,diners are suspended 50m above the ground.The high-backed chairs around the table can recline and swivel 180 degrees,allowing guests to take in the panoramic view.Hmmm,my idea is Dont drop the napkin.lol~~

Ash to Ash,Dust to Dust

Supermarkets like to boast that they can provide everthing you need,at Costco,it is true ---- it offers people's every need from the cradle to the grave.Weird? LOL,I thought it's no longer a piece of news.Creepy?Go and check those lovely caskets and cute urns on costco.com.Whatever,I certainly dont think Costco can give the range of services that the independent funeral homes do.

Funny GOP

My first impression was that elephant was urinating and he's appropriately clad in prison strips.LOL,what's with all the blue?
I dont think people would only glance and mistake it for Democratic Party and subsequently vote for McCain.Anyway,I still think McCain may win by a narrow margin.Well,I support Republican Party because it's believe the strength of a nation lies with the individual and that each person's freedom,ability,and opportunity,must be responsibly honored and protected.