Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
More than a month later, I’m finally getting around to it.
I’m still buried in catalogs, selecting products, entering data into our system and managing our ever expanding selections.
Anyway. For those of you who didn’t see it before or who are new to my blog, I posted this Pay It Forward entry back in January. You’re still more than welcome to enter. Please comment in the original post! Be sure to follow the rules and leave me a valid email address. I will be sending out prizes soon.
Sigh. I think, breath, dream, and eat work. I’m going back to the hundreds of products that needs my attention.
As you were.
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Many years ago, we made a donation to an organization (not naming it here, but let’s call it H so we can reference it easier). It was a one-time donation and it was a good decision at the time. It’s still a good decision. However things change and although we might still donate to organization H if money was not an object, but that’s not the case. Our priorities changed, things that speak to our hearts have changed. We now focus our attention, time and money elsewhere that’s closer to our hearts.
Without fail, organization H continues to send us letters asking for donation at least twice a year, most of the time doubling the efforts. They even have our new and updated address! I finally called and asked to be taken off the mailing list, which is something I should have done a long while ago.
The person who took the call was polite and said it would be taken care of. I went one step further to make some suggestions (gasp!). I said it would be good if they could implement a system where it checks against donors who’s been dormant/inactive for a certain period of time, and to cut back on mailings/trees/resources by stop mailing to those individuals. She paused. And then said “Oh OK, thanks.” Her reply sounded very distant and nonchalant - after all, it’s not her trees or her resources or her money that’s being sent into space without an echo - no sireee Bob, she’s just there to do her job and no more. I wish she took me seriously and at least give the suggestion to her supervisor.
I need to take a closer look at all the mailings that we get, and stop the ones that doesn’t even get a first glance before hitting the recycling bins. If you have time, please check yours and see if you can minimize some junk mail as well.
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Last month there was an article on The Washington Post about overuse of CT scans and its possible affects it would have on patients, especially younger women and children.
In my experience, there is no doubt that CT scans have saved my life 7 yrs ago. From the time I showed symptoms of Hodgkin’s (tiredness, itchy legs, night sweats, chest pains — I know! How can those be considered symptoms of cancer?! But sadly they are truely symptoms of Hodgkin’s) to the time I was diagnosed, was a long 5 month period. Five fat months where the cancer ran rampant and amok within my body, growing from the nodes inside my chest up to the nodes in my neck. And yet, doctor after doctor, copay after copay, test after test, nothing conclusive, but with several misdiagnoses. Isn’t that lovely, not only they don’t know what’s wrong, but they tell you something completely off the wall!
I guess I could say that the x-ray did give the hint (when they finally ordered one!), but really it was the CT scan that really showed it was a mass, a big bad mass. I eventually also got a gallium scan as a diagnostic scan, and a PET scan midway through chemo. I don’t know what doses of radiation these scans gave, but I think it was absolutely worth it for the benefits it provided. After all, the radiation couldn’t have been a small fraction of the two-weeks-long intense frying radiation therapy I received.
However, there comes a point when the scans aren’t necessary in certain situations or for certain people, as the article pointed out. But who determines that, and how does everyone’s interest plays into the final decision?
Are we, the general population, getting more diseases, or do we just have the technology and knowledge of diagnosis, therefore simply are uncovering what would be there anyway?
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
I thought I’d share these nice snippets of pictures with you.
The graphic below is from yesterday. Temperature was updated at 8:00a.m.
The next one is from today. Updated at 2:00p.m. (yes, in the afternoon)
If you live in warmer climates, I’m sure you’re secretly smiling right about now. “Hey,” you say, “at least both days says Sunny!”
I’m so ready to wear sandals and not have crispy frozen hair when I go outside.
Friday, February 15th, 2008
Recently I found out some of the games and tricks our local (monopoly) broadband service provider like to play.
We have the broadband internet, cable television, and phone service package. After the trial period was over, the bill doubled. So I called in to inquire and see if we can adjust the subscriptions.
I waited on the phone for 40+ minutes (at 2 a.m.) Not kidding. Thank goodness for speaker phones. I’ve tried to contact them during human hours before but could never get through. At least I was still up working..
When the elevator music was finally over, this lively person named John came on the phone. I said I want to cut back on some of the services because we aren’t using them anyway, so I’d like to look into what options I have etc. He balked and tried to convince me it is unwise to do so. As he explained it, it would cost us more to take out the phone service (or anything for that matter) than to keep it. Huh?! I was not happy with that because, I don’t want to keep paying for things that we’re only using 2% of the time. He continued to explain…
For the 3 services (and I didn’t realize we were being charged some nonsense wire maintenance fee for the whole time that we’ve lived here!), the total is $89.85 And if we want to cancel the phone service with them, and keep the cable tv and broadband, it would cost $100.90.
It’s the same with the trash service. For a 96-gallon trash can, it’s $13 (I’m pulling the number out of the hat as I don’t have that bill in front of me). For the 32 gallons it’s $12.50. Coincidentally the trash service is also the monopoly in the area.
O_O <— that’s me, wide-eyed and speechless.
Coming back to the broadband service provider here, I’m porting our number somewhere else, and will attempt to slash the other prices into half. If it comes to it, we’ll just junk the TV somewhere and be done with it. After all, we don’t even have time to watch it.
Thursday, February 14th, 2008
Mom says when I was a baby, I was a very good sleeper. She would have to wake me up to feed me (why couldn’t I have gotten one of those babies???). Fortunately I was a chubby one so no one was really worried about me sleeping 90% of the day away. I was a whopping 8.3 lb baby when I was born. I think that’s pretty big for a Chinese.
From junior high and up, I slept in whenever allowed. Especially in college. A few times I’d stay up until the wee hours and wake up only find the dining halls have been closed for lunch. After that, I’d get a sack lunch the night before so I could sleep in and still have food. 
Clever girl.
We all know what happens to sleep when you have a baby. After the 2nd baby, you can pretty much take sleep out of the dictionary, because it’s not going to happen.
For the last several months, I’ve only managed to go to bed before midnight a handful of times, only to wake up again before the sun rises when the two little ones wake at 5:30~6:00a.m.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I came across this gem.
I can’t help but share it with all of my night owl friends, sleepy-eyed bloggers who stay up so you can read just one more blog, and tired mommies who sit there without nary a thought in mind after putting the kids to bed and thankful for a few quiet hours before tending to the fun, loving but demanding children at the crack of dawn. Hope you have a good night sleep tonight! 
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
After putting the kids to bed, I went to the grocery store. The temperature finally rose into double digits and it actually felt a little warm! (Still below freezing. After a couple of weeks of subzero temps and single digits, it’s amazing how it would feel warm…)
The greeting cards, gift wraps, and floral department is right near the entrance of the 24-hr grocery chain. There were at least 8 men browsing in the vicinity for last-minute Valentine gifts. Ironically, I didn’t see any women there.
Is it because women aren’t celebrating or giving their sweetheart gifts? Or are women inherently better planners and have already finished wrapping the presents days ago? Maybe women don’t shop for Valentine gifts at grocery stores? I mean, let’s face it, what kinda thing would a guy want from a grocery store.
“Here love, this is what I got for ya. I’m so glad you’re mine,” as she hands the bulky package over.
“Ooooh beer, and it’s my favorite kind! You’re the best.” Says he as he whips out a huge bouquet of flowers from behind his back, planting a kiss on her lips.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Chocolates on the house.
Sunday, February 10th, 2008
This entry was originally posted more than three years ago, on January 20th, 2005. I must say, I sounded very angry… I had a miscarriage in October, and found out I was pregnant (with Fiona) in late December, and was having all sorts of issues. For the entire first 3 months of pregnancy, I was bleeding bright red blood. Medically it’s called a “subchorionic hemotoma.” It’s a blood clot the size of the baby, sitting right next to the sac. Those 3 months were some of the most excruciating months of my life, ranking right up there with chemo. Thankfully, it resolved itself after 3 months and Fiona turned out to be very healthy.
I’ve grown a bit and learned quite a lot since then. I need to acquire more patience though. Hopefully y’all will still love me after reading this
* * *
1. I have a unique first name.
2. In fact, I have three first names, all unique.
3. English is not my first language.
4. I’m a carnivore. I’ve eaten many a type of meat.
5. I’m also a huge lover of veggies and fruits.
6. I rarely drink alcohol, never smoked, and never taken (street) drugs.
7. I don’t take much caffeine.
8. I’m not a Mormon nor a Jehovah Witness.
9. Some say I’m boring.
10. I say I’m just a good girl. And a cheap date.
11. I’m an atheist. (edited: I grew up in China where religion is pretty nonexistent. Husband is Catholic and children are too.)
12. I didn’t have any toys while growing up.
13. Still, I had a very happy childhood.
14. I had cancer at age 24.
15. I was never ill before that. Ever.
16. I lost a lot of friends.
17. Cynical became my middle name.
18. Anger became my last name.
19. We had just moved to a new city/neighborhood/house.
20. I had just graduated from college.
21. I had just started my first full-time job.
22. I lost every single strand of body hair, except for eyebrows and eyelashes.
23. I hate needles.
24. I will never get a tattoo, aside from the 3 dots I already have from when I had radiation therapy.
25. I don’t believe in all the crap that says adversities are our lessons in life.
26. I say there are better ways to learn those lessons than through suffering.
27. I loathe people who throw their religion at me, especially those that don’t practice what they preach.
28. I got married at 24. Two months before they told me about the cancer.
29. I knew 7 people at our wedding of 170 guests.
30. My husband and I met online.
31. It was not through personal ads.
32. We never dated online.
33. He’s tall. He’s hot. He’s GQ.
34. We have one wonderful child, a baby boy.
35. Our baby boy is tall, chubby, smart, fun, funny, and is multi-lingual.
36. We want more children.
37. I have tiny boobs.
38. I had a lot of breast milk to offer our son while breastfeeding.
39. I have a hard time finding nice clothes because I’m short and small and I don’t fancy fashion in the children section.
40. I’m usually 100 +/- 5 pounds in weight.
41. I’m not a morning person.
42. I’m an engineer.
43. I’m geeky, nerdy, and a tad anti-social.
44. I’m also anti-Bush and his gang. Make that very anti.
45. I don’t wear glasses and I don’t carry pens in my shirt pocket like Dilbert.
46. It’s very easy to get on my good side, just be nice to me.
47. It’s very easy to get on my bad side, too. Be mean once and you’re to remain there for eons.
48. Some say I’m judgmental.
49. I say I have strong opinions and a strong mind.
50. I hate smokers who smoke around children. Or around nonsmokers. Or around me.
51. I hate smokers in general. Not at the person, but at the choice of habit.
52. I had many years of second hand smoking.
53. I prefer Coke. Not Pepsi. And definitely not Root Beer.
54. I don’t understand the whole ice cream on top of soft drink thing.
55. I failed the written driver’s test 3 times, the driving test 2 times before I got my license.
56. I used to get car motion sickness.
57. I used to have road rage.
58. I had 6 speeding tickets in 6 years.
59. I’ve been involved in 2 car accidents; both times were rear-ended by someone.
60. I cannot wear high heels.
61. I don’t like to wear pantyhose.
62. When my hair is short, I want long hair. And vice versa.
63. I giggle every time I hear the name “Harry” and have visions of a man who resembles a baboon. (Sincere apologies to all Harry’s. I just cannot help it.)
64. I have great dexterity with my fingers.
65. I don’t do any knitting/crocheting/whatever needle work.
66. Someday, I want to learn how to quilt. And knit.
67. I have great dexterity with my tongue and can tie a cherry stem with it.
68. I occasionally have pimples on my temples. It drives me crazy.
69. Ignorant people also drive me crazy.
70. I usually make telemarketers hang up before I do.
71. I like to be the center of attention. Unless the group is >10.
72. I snorkeled once. I loved it.
73. When I retire, I want to travel the world with my husband.
74. We don’t have any pets.
75. My favorite color is yellow.
76. My favorite flowers are daisies. All varieties.
77. I’m allergic to mosquitoes.
78. We live in a state where the mock state bird is mosquito.
79. I don’t like the cold.
80. We live in a state where temperature can go as low as -30F.
81. Someday we will move.
82. I once built a bridge using toothpicks and glue.
83. My favorite chocolate is Rocher. I love nuts.
84. I prefer milk chocolate, not dark.
85. I’m frugal. My husband says ‘miser’ fits better.
86. I used to be lactose intolerant.
87. I’m afraid of heights.
88. Am not afraid of flying or climbing / hiking mountains.
89. I don’t like sharing living spaces with roommates/non-familly people.
90. I was not born in America.
91. I’ve never watched The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Casablanca, or any of the ‘American Classics’
92. I feel just as American as the next guy.
93. Somedays I want to move out of the US.
94. I enjoyed photography as a teenager.
95. Some friends call me Photogenic.
96. I don’t have a lot of friends. See #16. Also see #43.
97. Most of the friends that I do have live very far from us.
98. I took a lot of belly pictures when I was pregnant with our son.
99. I always jokingly say I’d like to have half dozen children.
100. Maybe I make fun of it, but it’s truly what I want?
* * *
Looks like we accomplished #81. But I’m not sure if we moved south enough to be any warmer! It’s 2F as I’m typing this, at 10:35p.m. That’s before the windchill is factored in there.
#93 - More so about frustration with the current administration than not liking living in the US, as I love living here.
#95? Hehee. Photogenic. Photojennic. Get it?
#100 - I’m not so sure. I have to get some decent sleep (i.e. not interrupted and not woken up at 5:30a.m. nearly every single day) before I can make that decision.
Friday, February 8th, 2008
Yesterday was the first day of the Chinese New Year. I say first day because it lasts for 15 days, or that’s how my family celebrated it and how I remember it. This year is the year 4706, and is the year of the Rat. However, it was a regular day for us, here in Iowa. There aren’t dragon dances, dimsum restaurants and eatery places to go to, and I didn’t even wear red.
I’m a little sad that our kids wont’ grow up with the same understanding of the Lunar New Year as I did. Chinese New Year just has not been the same for me since we moved here almost 20 years ago.
As a child, every year, I remember being woken up very early on New Year’s Day by the smell of delicious foods my mom and great-grandmother were making. They get up before the crack of dawn and start preparing food. The small brick house has little ventilation and is all steamed up, with smokes hanging around almost in the entire house. My mom would give us sweet dumplings and savory chicken made in a specific way — foods that we only had a few times a year.
Between the 2nd day and the 15th day of Chinese New Year, we would go around visiting all of our relatives. Bringing foods with us as a token of good wishes. We kids would get Red Envelopes with money in them, while our parents would have to pass them to other kids and unmarried adults. It was a great time to be had. Lots of food, gift monies, and school sessions were on holiday. My mom told me much later, that I never wanted to go to my grandmother’s house during Chinese New Year because she only gave one Yuan (that’s equivalent to about 13 US cents) while other relatives would give 5 or even 20 Yuan. Like us, my grandmother was not well to do at all and lived with what little her children provided for her. I had no concept of that and had very little appreciation for all the heartache and hard work she did.
My brother and I really loved playing with firecrackers during Chinese New Year. My brother, being a true brother, taunted me with firecrackers and took most of the good ones from me. But I still enjoyed playing with him and looked up to him. I hear firecrackers are now banned in even the smallest cities.
Mom is somewhat superstitious. She forbid us to wash our hairs on New Year’s Day. The number four is not to be said at all, as it is the same pronunciation as death, and everything said during those first 15 days must be positive, nice things. And say a lot of 8’s, which is said in the same intonation as prosperity or growth or rich. She also made sure the house was all dusted and cleaned from top to bottom on or before New Year’s Eve.
As in western cultures, the Chinese New Year symbolizes new beginnings. With that, I hope this year brings everyone good health, happiness, and prosperity.
Gong Hay Faat Choi!
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008
78 words
I aced Type Writing Class in junior high. No, I did not make up the class name. I remember having a sheet of paper that looked like a keyboard to practice on.
My name is Speedy.
78 words. Zero wrong.
Second attempt.
You would think with such typing skills that I would be able to post more often. It’s just I have very little coherent thoughts in my head these last few days. All the thoughts are still in there, it’s just all mushed up and not very pretty to look at or read. So instead, I hide under the shell.
Give it a try and see how fast you type.
