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Trip to Cuba ---- Day three

2012-01-30T15:41:00.007-05:00

January 19

DAY THREE

DOUBLE DECK RIDE

We decided to choose one day trip to Havana on Friday the 20th so we went to the lounge after breakfast to look for the representative who would be available from10 am to 1 pm daily. There were a couple people in line so we just sat down and wait for him. To our surprise it took us almost an hour for the waiting. I wondered why it required that much time for the booking.
When it was our turn then I found it out why. The efficiency was very low. First we had to fill out a short form to make sure that we were interested in the tour that we chose. With that piece of information he walked to the front desk to make the phone call to confirm that the tour was available. He then came back and filled out more forms. After they were done if we paid Canadian currency he then had to walk to the front desk again to ask for the rate. If we paid by visa he then had to do it manually by putting the card between carbon paper and scratch it with a solid bar to get the print. It was the very original way of processing when visa was first used. The lifestyle remained in the fifties without moving forward with high technology as in the free world. We had to be very patient with their way of handling without the assistance from computer and so on.
It took us for almost two hours to wait and to book for our tour. With the internet booking it would take us just a few minutes. After the booking we walked to the internet room which was empty without users. There were three monitors and two phone booths in the room. My husband sat down and tried to use the computer but was asked for password. We then walked to the front desk asking for the password and were told that it was not free but required payment for the using. The charge was 5 dollars for half an hour for using the internet, the phone call was 3 dollars per minute for international call and 25 cents per minute for local call. There was no urgent call to make or message to be sent back home so we did not make any purchase for the use.
After lunch we walked outside the hotel and waited for the double deck tourist bus that would arrive every half an hour. That bus would give us a ride to downtown Varadero along the strip which was 23 km long. The bus fare was 5 dollars cuc (Cuban convertible peso). Other currency was not acceptable. With the ticket that was purchased we could get on and off the bus at each stop throughout the day when the bus was in service from 9 am to 7 pm. Sitting on the bus we had a chance to view all of the hotels on the strip. There were restaurants, bars, markets, houses etc in the downtown area. Whenever we would like to have a walk then we got off the bus, toured around for half an hour and then popped up the bus to continue our ride. We got on and off for many times. The streets were not that busy but very clean. There were not many vehicles running except tourist buses. We could see coconut taxis, classic car taxis, horse carriages to pick up tourists for ride in the downtown area. We were not interested in the ride so we did not bother finding out about the charges. The houses were flat, very tiny and old. It was tourist area but there was no foreign language to be seen except Spanish which we did not understand and was very frustrated with sometimes.
The ride took 35 minutes for one round but since we got on and off we spent the whole afternoon with the ride. When we got back to the hotel it was getting dark and was about time for dinner. What a wonderful day we had with the discovery! Since we were going for a day tour early starting at 7:45 the next morning we did not watch the show that night but went to bed early at 10 pm instead. We had enough for the day any way.

Trip to Cuba ---- Day two

2012-01-27T17:01:00.010-05:00

January 18

DAY TWO

AT THE HOTEL RESORT

I slept in and woke up at 9 am. Then we went to have breakfast and had a short briefing with the tourist company representative in the lounge at 10 am. There were a few representatives from other companies too. They did not have office in the hotel but just sat with binders on the tables in the lounge.
We just grouped around the table to listen to her briefing about things that we needed to know in the hotel, in the resort, in Cuba etc. She also made a short introduction about the excursion which she would make the booking for us if we were interested in. The company’s representative would be there daily from 10 am to 1 pm to help us to solve any problem that we had encountered. She would like to make sure that everything would be well taken care of during our stay.
After the meeting we walked for only five minutes to arrive at the beach which was beautiful with white sand, with clear blue sky and white cloud, with bright sunshine and with plenty of activities. It was quite busy at the time. There was a bar right by the entrance to the beach. People did not have to get in the hotel to get drink. There were many umbrellas for shade and chairs for resting. Paddle boats, sailing boats, kite surfing equipment and so on were available for rent. I was not interested in them so I did not bother asking for the price. We just had a long walk with bare feet on the beach. It was very comfortable with the mild weather. The water was still very cold for swimming. I enjoyed the walk more than the swimming in the cold water.
After the visit to the beach we walked back to our room in which we found that the bed was made with special decoration from the bed cover. The room was neat and clean. It was almost time for lunch. There was only one buffet restaurant which opened from 7 am to 10 am for breakfast, 1 pm to 3 pm for lunch and 6:30 pm to 10 pm for dinner. The bar by the pool opened through out day and night so food and drink were available 24 hours. There was also a barbecue restaurant close to the beach. It opened for lunch only to make it more convenient for the guests who would like to spend their time on the beach without having to put on clothing to go the buffet restaurant. They could have lunch with their swimming suits on.
Due to many guests going on the excursion and staying on the beach it was very quiet at the buffet restaurant at lunch time. Though there were not many varieties of food available they were never the same. I loved the shrimps which were fresh and very tasty. The salad bar was my favorite. I loved fresh green veggie and pickles. The black bean rice was very delicious. I had to control my appetite for not overeating. The food from the buffet counter was big temptation which lured us to crave for more and more consumption without having realizing. I had to tell myself to watch it very often during dining. Since it was vacation and we were not in a rush we used to spend one to two hours for each meal. We enjoyed it and felt very relaxing.
After lunch we put on the swimming suit and went down to the beach again. I got in the water but it was too cold. It was better to have a walk and then sat down under the umbrella to enjoy the view of the ocean. I could hardly have the same enjoyment in Windsor where there was neither ocean nor beach. It was wonderful. The beach closed at 5 pm so we walked back to the pool where we spent the time watching the activities by the pool. There was competition with the walk on the foam pad floating on the water. I did not take part in but enjoyed with the fun from watching.
Time passed by very easily and joyfully. There was still half an hour left before dinner time so we walked outside the hotel to have a little exploration. There was a big open space in front of our hotel and a classic taxi parking across the street. The hotel on the left side from our hotel was just the one that I would like my husband to book but he refused. It was the most expensive one with almost zero complaint and with the ranking #2 out of 58. My husband considered that it was over our budget. Our hotel had a better look from outside so why had to pay more for it. I was satisfied with our booking any way.
After half an hour walking outside the hotel we got back for dinner. There were more diners than lunch time. People started getting tan after the whole day under the sun. Some even got burnt badly with skin turning red. We kept watching the people around and chatted about their degree of burning. They would definitely feel the pain afterwards. It was fun with the observation. After dinner people started grouping together in the open area where there was a live band performance. They had a good time dancing, listening to the music and drinking. We did not join the crowd which we passed by many time while walking around the hotel property.
The band stopped playing by 9:30 pm so people moved to the open theatre to watch the show which started at 9:45 pm. We also sat down to watch the show for an hour until 10:45 pm. There was different show every night. That night they invited some audiences onto the stage to play game. There were three couples engaged in the performance. It was fun watching them. We all had good time laughing and enjoying ourselves. We kept talking about their performance after the show while walking back to our room. It was quite a good entertainment.
What a busy day with fun and joy! After the shower it was mid night when we went to bed. I had another night of good sleep without stuffy nose as I used to have when I slept in the hotel elsewhere where the air was polluted. That proved that the air quality was clean and fresh in the resort.

A trip to Cuba ------- Day one

2012-01-26T16:27:00.010-05:00

January 17

DAY ONE

FLIGHT AND ARRIVAL

The bad things that I read from the review on the trip advisor did have some influence on me. I worried for being isolated at the Varadero airport, for the passport being switched, for the broken luggage, for the things being stolen, for the rude attitude, for the awful food and so on and so on….. I was very anxious to find out how it actually looked like.
We used to check in 24 hours ahead of the flight to get the seats on internet. With the package that we purchased there was no check in available on the internet but at the airport counter. If we wanted the seats together then we had to pay for them when we did the booking. Otherwise there would be no guarantee for good seats. My husband did not want to spend money on them so we had to wait for the seats assigned for us when we checked in at the airport.
My friend dropped us off at the Windsor airport at 2 pm. To my surprise there was a long line up for checking in for the luggage and seats. We had to wait for more than 15 minutes. Then we were told that there were no two seats together available. There were only two seats on the front role left. Though the seats were not together they were elite with the charge of 20 dollar per seat. Since there were no seats left we were given those seats free of charge. I was happy with them any way.
The flight that came in from Varadero was delayed for twenty minutes so our flight departed late too. It was windy and cold outside. I did not wear the winter coat but just a light summer jacket. The boarding was not inside the building but outside. It was freezing walking out in the cold and waiting for 5 minutes for getting inside the aircraft. I had never had a chance to sit on the front role seat. It was spacious so I could stretch my legs. There were more than two hundred seats which were fully occupied. I found it very comfortable with my seat. When I had a chance to talk to the couple next to me they told me that they booked their seats for 35 dollar per one seat one way. They paid the total of 140 dollars extra. I was happy to be able to enjoy the same privilege free of charge with the temporarily separated from my husband.
Our plane took off at 4:10 pm instead of at 3:50 pm. We were supplied with free meal and free drink. The food was tasty and the service was good too. Since it was only a very short distance flight for 3 hours the aircraft was not luxuriously installed with individual TV screen. Time passed very quickly with serving of food and drink. After having finished the meal it was time for the plane to touch down at 7:25 pm on time.
I started being nervous about going through the immigration. A beautiful lady came to walk us to the custom area which was not far but just five minutes walk. She then pointed me to get in the first cabin where a lady officer was sitting behind the window. I handed her my passport and the visa application form that I filled out on the plane. She ordered me to look at the camera. When the picture was taken she tore the form into two halves, kept one half and stamped on the other half. She then gave the passport and the stamped visa back to me and told me move forward. I then pushed the door open to get to the side where there was a big hall for the arrival of the luggage. My husband was not seen so I stood there waiting for him who got out from the third door after a few minutes. I was surprised to find out that it was very relaxing to go through the immigration without being questioned. The officer was very polite and friendly. There was no hassle about it.
Since our flight was the only one arrived we did not have to wait for long time for our luggage. We were able to get our luggage within ten minutes. The airport was very small one and not very busy. It was quiet when we walked out of the building. There were only big tourist buses and a few taxis parking in the parking lot without many people around as in other airports. We walked toward the guy with the sign of the company that we dealt with. He checked with the list in his hand and told us to look for the bus # 5. We then proceeded to the parking lot to find our bus. There was a girl standing next to bus with many cards in her hand. We told her our names. She then gave us the card and told us to get onto the bus. It was a new luxurious bus imported from China. We had to wait for almost half an hour for the bus to be loaded with all the passengers who came from the same flight.
It was 8:30 pm when the bus departed from the airport parking lot. The girl got on the bus and be our guide who was a university student who worked without paid. She also told us something about Cuba. There was free education from kindergarten to university. After having graduated from the university the students had to work for the government for 2 years in their field before they chose to work somewhere else. There was no unemployment and no hunger in Cuba. The crime rate was low and people were happy with their simple life. She then also suggested that each passenger should give the driver 3 dollars for tip which meant a great deal to the local people. It was the first tip that we handed out in Cuba.
The distance from the airport to our resort was around 20 km but it took us an hour to get there. Our resort was at the very end of the strip. The bus had to make so many stops to drop off the passengers. We had a chance to see different hotels on the way. It was 9:30 pm when we arrived at our hotel which looked magnificent from outside. After having helped us checked in the receptionist put a wrist band on our hand as identification for free meal, drink and service within the hotel. A bell boy came forward to give us assistance. He then put the luggage on the golf cart and drove us to our room. On the way he showed us the dining restaurant, the bars, the pools, the beach etc. Our room was on the second floor. It did not look like the five stars hotel room but 3 stars one in Canada. The restaurant would be closed at 10 pm. It was a quarter to ten so we beat with time to get to the restaurant to get something to eat before it closed.
The buffet restaurant looked great with plenty food in different sections. We were going to have three meals daily in that buffet restaurant during our stay. The meal on the plane was good enough for my dinner. I did not want to eat more but just a small bowl of black bean soup which was very tasty and some fruit like papaya and guava. The place was very clean and neat. The servers were very friendly and polite. They gave me good impression about Cuba which was totally different from what I read and heard. After having finished our late dinner we toured around the hotel property. We walked toward the loud music area which was an open theatre and a show was going on. There were plenty of empty seats so we just sat down and watched the dancing show which was very wild with beautiful body movement. I enjoyed watching it. The show ended at a quarter to 11 pm. We then walked back to our room to have a hot shower and jumped right into bed which was very comfortable. It was quiet so I was able to have a very good sleep that night.

A trip to Cuba古巴之旅

2012-01-25T16:10:00.011-05:00

January 25, 2012

TRIP TO CUBA
(Jan 17 to 24 2012)

I just came back from the trip to Cuba for a week yesterday. It was a fantastic vacation without having to worry about cooking, cleaning, writing, reading, checking the email, watching TV for the news, answering the phone etc but just enjoyed myself with food, walking, sightseeing and gorgeous weather which was at 20 to 26 degree with sunshine.
It was the first time for us to be in Cuba about which we had heard and read a lot of positive as well as negative things before we departed. I prepared for the worst but it turned out to be better than expected. The hotel resort was excellent with its cleanliness, beautiful and well kept landscape. The food and service were great. It was quiet with excellent entertainment activities throughout the day and night. The beach was beautiful with white sand, clear water, umbrellas for shade and numerous chairs.
I enjoyed the walk on the beach during day time and inside the hotel area after dinner with beautiful sky and its shining stars without having to worry about mosquitoes bites because there were no mosquitoes. To be able to stay outside in the open space at night was the part that I enjoyed the most. I felt free to sit in the open bar with free drinks listening to live band music or in the open theatre to watch the shows. There were always entertainment activities going on. The air was fresh without polution. The sky was always blue with white cloud that cheered me up all the time. I was in good mood and high spirit throughout the time with my stay. Watching the shows was the most enjoyable thing for me. The performers were very young and very professional. They were well trained and very energetic that brought us visual enjoyment and satisfaction. I was very impressed with the talent movement from their bodies. I never felt bore watching them.
There were also many excursions available. We chose two excursions that were considered to be most suitable for our age. One was a day tour to Havana and the other was a day tour to sugar plantation. I have learned a lot about Cuba from those tours. To see it with our own eyes and to experience it were always better than to get the information from books or from other sources. That was the reason that we did the traveling. There was so much to see, to learn and to enjoy.
We have met so many people from all over the world like Russia, Belgium, Czech and so on but none from Asia. They had to flight long hours from twelve to seventeen hours. Most of the tourists were from different parts of Canada which required five to eight hours flight. Windsor was the closest one which required only 3 hours for the flight. We were able to get the most benefit out of it in comparing to all other tourists. However it was big surprise to find out that not many Chinese Canadians to be seen during our stay. No one knew that it was Chinese New Year and we had no celebration at all. It was the quietest Chinese New Year that we have ever had.
Sum it all up, we had good time and spent a week wonderfully away from our daily life. It was worth every dollar that we have spent. I definitely would like to go back if there was a chance.

二零一二年一月二十五日

古巴之旅
（一二年一月十七日至二十四日）

昨天，刚从古巴旅游一个星期回来。旅程非常的顺利。气候和暖、阳光灿烂、轻松快乐、无忧无虑、尽情享乐。不用烧饭、做家务、上网、写作、阅读、接听电话、收看新闻报道等等的日常必做的事项。天天，到处游览、观光景点、享受户外美好蓝天白云的和暖天气、尽情地吃喝等等。。。
没去过古巴，但是，听到很多有关古巴负面的新闻。启程之前，都有点担心。要面对恶劣的环境，已经做好心理准备。但是，出乎意料，旅馆到处都很干净、很优雅、宁静。食物、服务都不错。旅馆里经常都有举办娱乐的活动。白沙的海滩、宽阔迷人、有伞、有椅子等等。。游客可以尽情去享受。
白天、晚上，我都可以在户外散步。白天，享受灿烂的阳光、蓝天白云。晚上，享受天空上闪耀的星星。户外没有蚊子，很放心去慢步。空气清新，感到很舒服。走累了，到处都有休闲地方，可以坐下喝水、饮料，作休息。一切都是免费的。晚上，可以观看表演。整天到晚，都有不同的活动给旅客参与、观看，享受。大家都在欢乐中度过美好的时刻。
每天都有很多旅行团从旅馆出发。我们挑选了两个：古巴首都Havana一天游；甘蔗种植园一天游。从那两个旅程，有机会吸收很多有关古巴的历史、经济、政治、地理等等的东西，获益良多。有很多的知识，难以从书本上学到的。那是旅行的好处，可以亲身体会到当地的风俗习惯，非常难得。
从这次的旅程，也有机会遇上世界各国的旅客。有的从遥远的俄国、比利时、捷克等等的国家前来。他们要乘坐十二到十七个小时的飞机。大部分的游客是从加拿大不同的省份前来。他们要花上五到八个小时乘坐飞机。温莎最靠近古巴，只需三个小时的飞行。我们可算最幸运、最方便的。整个旅程，只看到有几个黄皮肤的中国人，比率太少，因此，没有庆祝过年的气氛。我们度过了一个最宁静的新年。
总括来说，可算度过了一个非常美满、如意的假期。见闻多多，享受无穷，感到很满意、很值得。假如，有机会，也会再去。

No more snow on the ground 地面上没有白雪

2012-01-17T13:22:00.000-05:00

January 17, 2012

NO MORE SNOW ON THE GROUND

It is very warm outside at around 10 degree. Comparing to last weekend it is a very big difference. It was minus 10 last Sunday so the snow kept remaining on the ground until last night when there was big rain fall with very warm temperature.
Since there was no more snow on the ground this morning I went out walking and enjoyed the nice warm weather. If the weather were like that I would not have had to do my exercise at home and would not have had the accident. It was lucky that the injury was very mild with my fall. I felt a bit painful with my back and ring finger last night when I went to bed but very excited to find out that all the pain was gone. The worry at bed time was also gone with my sleep. The weather is exceptional unusual this year but honestly I enjoy it very much and have no complaint about it.

二零一二年一月十七日

地面上没有白雪

室外的温度，上升到十度。假如，跟上个周末来比较，相差太远了。上星期六的室外温度，很寒冷，有零下十度。因此，地上的白雪不会融化。经过昨晚下的一场大雨和和暖的气温，地面上的雪全都消失了。
由于，地面上没有白雪盖住，今天早上，到户外去走走，享受和暖的好天气。假如，昨天的天气好象今天，意外就不会发生。昨晚，上床睡觉的时候，感觉很难受，背部和右手的无名指很痛，很担心受伤的部位会恶化下去。今天早上起床的时候，感觉完全不一样，很出乎意外地发现，很舒服，整个身体都没事。一个晚上的睡眠，把全部的担忧驱走，可算非常的幸运。今年的天气变化很异常，但是，老实说，我对它很满意。

Searching for hotel寻找合适的旅馆

2012-01-17T11:25:00.005-05:00

January 14, 2012

SEARCHING FOR HOTEL

I got a phone call from my husband last Monday morning when he was at work that his application for a week vacation had been approved. He would like me to go on the internet to check with the hotels in Cuba. It was thrilled to learn that I was able to make a trip to somewhere for a week soon.
When I clicked on the site with all inclusive and with direct flight from Windsor there were so many hotels popped out. They were in a very big range from couple hundreds to couple thousands. It was hard to make the decision which one to choose. I then went to read the review on each hotel on the site from trip advisor. It was very discouraging from the writing about the two to three star hotels. Though the price was very attractive there was lot of complaint about those hotels.
Therefore I skipped the hotels from 2 to 3 stars but focused on reading the review on the 4 to 5 stars. Even with the 4 or 5 stars some of the hotels were rated badly. I marked down the hotels with the less complaints and their pricing. When my husband came home that evening I pointed it out to him about my research and was mostly interested in the one with 4 stars for sale at 545 out of 1000 original price. He went through with the sum up of the hotels that I quoted and agreed with my pick. When he was about to book it the price went up to 585. There was still time left so he could wait until the price went down.
I checked with the price which went up to 605 instead of going down the next day. The price on other hotels went up as well. It looked like that the closer that we got to the departure day the price was higher. I told my husband to book for it instead of waiting for the price to come down.
To our surprise when he was about to book it the hotel was removed from the list. There was no choice but kept looking for other hotel then. My sister in law and my friend from Vancouver recommended two different 4 to 5 stars hotel to us. I checked with those two hotels. Though my sister in law’s recommendation was a 5 stars hotel most of the writing was bad from the review and its ranking was #18 out of 58 while my friend’s recommendation was only 4 and a half most of the writing was positives and its ranking was #10. Moreover he actually stayed there with his wife while my sister did not but heard about it when she visited Cuba last year.
We’d better go with the 4 and half star. Its on sale price was at 845 out of 1200 original price. It must be a good one. I checked with the price again on Friday morning to find out that the price dropped to 755. When my husband went home and did the booking the price dropped to 725. It should be a very good deal, so he booked it finally with the price 725 plus 310 tax. The total came up to 1035 per person. After he finished the booking he clicked in to check with the price again and found out the hotel that we first would like to book popped up with the price 535. He regretted for not checking it carefully before he did the final booking so he was able to save almost 400.
I tried to explain to him that the two hotels were on different ranking. One was #10 while the other was #39. Money was not that big issue but the quality was. I have learned a lot during the search for the information about the hotels. It was good learning process for me. I have to admit that I got benefit out of it which will have me prepared for the trip ahead of me and I also do hope that it will turn out to be better than I expect instead of disappointing me. Let see when we come back to tell you about it.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

二零一二年十月十四日

寻找合适的旅馆

上个星期一早上，突然，接到老公，从工作单位，打回来的电话。他告诉我，申请一个星期的休假，已经批下来，并叫我到网上去寻找有关去古巴旅行的旅馆资料。得知，快能够外游的之后，感到非常的兴奋和开心。
马上，到网上去查寻资料。在温沙，每个星期二，有一斑直航飞机，前往古巴。那家航空公司，包办一切，包括旅馆食宿、飞机票、专车接送等等。进入那个网站，看到无数的旅馆给挑选。价钱，从几百块到几千块。价格相距太大，难以作出决定。我进入另一个旅游须知的网站，把每一家旅馆的评语仔细地阅读，发现两到三星的旅馆评价好可怕。看了之后，有点畏惧，不想到古巴去。
后来，把两到三星旅馆的评语跳过，不去看它们，集中在看四到五星旅馆的评语。每家旅馆，多多少少都有好和坏的评语。甚至，五星的都有很多不好的留言。看了之后，把最少负面留言的旅馆写下来。然后，开始考虑到它们的价钱。看中了一家，虽然，属于四星，但是，价钱很合理，正面的留言比较多。原价要一千块，降价到五百四十五。那天晚上，老公回家之后，我向他汇报，把搜索到的资料告诉他，并把自己的看法告诉他。他上网，把我写给他的资料，再仔细地看一次。最后，他也同意我的看法。
既然，两人都看好哪家旅馆，那就把它订购。当他打算订购的时候，价格上涨了，要五百八十五块。认为，还有时间，不要急于订购，价格可能会下降的。第二天早上，我再度上网查看的时候，发现价格上涨到六百零五块。老公不肯订购，而等待。星期三，我告诉他，看来价格不会降下去，而不断地上涨。越靠近出发日期，价格越高，建议他最好把握机会订购。他同意，打算订购的时候，那家旅馆不存在了。
我又要再来去寻找合适的旅馆。大嫂，去年去过古巴，告诉我有一家五星的旅馆，听说不错。我上网，查看，发现对它的评语大部分都是负面的，而且，它的排名是五十八家旅馆之中的十八名。在温哥华的一位朋友，也去过古巴，曾经在一家四星半的旅馆居住过，把它介绍给我。我查看，发现对它的评语的确不错，排名也在第十。因此，决定挑选四星半的旅馆。原价，一千二百块，下降到八百四十五。
星期五早上，我再度上网查看，发现全部的价格都下降了。我所挑选的旅馆价格，下降到七百五十五块。老公回家后，我告诉他快把握机会去订购。当他开始订购的时候，价格又下降到七百二十五。结果，订购成功了。每人，要花一共一千三十五元加币，因为，税收要三百一十块。订购完毕之后，老公又上网查看价格，发现原先想订购的旅馆，又出现了。价格降了十块，只要五百三十五。他很后悔，没有查看清楚，才去订购，要多花了四百块钱。
我要给他解释和安慰。两家旅馆的质量完全不一样。我们订那家排名第十，错过了那家排名第三十九。金钱不是个主要因素，而品质、服务、环境条件等等，才是最重要。去旅行，是享受，而不是去受罪，花些钱是值得的。在寻找资料的时候，我也获益良多，学会很多东西，也给自己对旅程有所做好准备，希望，不会使我失望。等待吧，回来之后，会向大家汇报，分享。

祝大家：

春节快乐！

First snow in 2012年第一场白雪

2012-01-16T16:41:00.004-05:00

January 16, 2012

FIRST SNOW IN 2012

It was the first snow in the winter or in 2012 that it was cold enough for the snow to remain on the ground. Snow used to fall starting in November so I used to do my walking in the basement with the use of the machine. It was very unusual and also lucky that I was able to enjoy my walk outside though out the winter until last Saturday when it started snowing.
I went downstairs to do my exercise of walking as usual this morning. When I felt hot then I took off my coat while I was moving as I used to do. I had done like that for so many years. There was an accident this morning when I did it. I lost my balance and my whole body fell backward onto the ground. The landing was very scary for me. It happened just so fast and so suddenly that I was unable to have enough time to have any reaction but just let go my body for it to fall backward as the way it went. I thought that I must be seriously injured by the impact of the fall. It was lucky that there was empty space where I made the land.
Due to the frightening my heart beat extremely fast. I dare not move but remain lying on the ground to calm myself down. During the rest I kept praying for not being hurt in the accident. Then I started collecting my strength to sit up and to move my arms and legs. I was overwhelmed with joy when I found out that everything was fine. There was nothing broken or bleeding. I was still in one whole piece except I felt some pain on my bump and my right ring finger that caused by the impact of the landing.
It was not that cold outside but there was still snow on the ground which was slippery. I chose to stay inside to do the walking instead of taking the risk of walking outside. It ended up that I also got falling. I consider myself very lucky in the accident and also have to admit that I am a very clumsy old woman and have learned from my mistake.

零一二年一月十六日

二零一二年的第一场白雪

入冬以来，这是第一场白雪，也是一二年，首次下雪。雪是在上个星期落下的，但是，由于，天气寒冷地上的白雪不会融化。正常来说，每年十一月已经开始下雪。整个冬天，有长达几个月，不能够到户外去散步活动。这个冬天，算是非常的幸运和特殊，可以在户外享受散布的乐趣。
一直到上星期六开始，才要躲在家，在地下室用脚踏机来做运动。好象以往一样，开始感到热的时候，我会一边踏一边脱掉外套。从来都没有遇到任何问题或者麻烦的事情。今天早上，就不幸遇到意外。当我把外套脱下的时候，失去平衡，整个身体向后倒下。事情发生得太突然、太快，没有时间去做出准备或者反应。只有，让它倒下去。我想这样的倒下去，肯定是很糟糕、很倒霉的，会受重伤。幸好，落地的位置是空的。
由于，受惊过度，心跳加速。躺在地上，不敢动，而不断地求老天爷保佑。休息了一回，平静了自己的心情，才开始坐起来。然后，站起来，把身体检查一下。发现四肢可以活动，没问题，感到非常的意外和高兴。屁股和右手先落地，因而，屁股和无名指感到有点痛。受伤可算非常的轻，该没事的。
外面的气温不算很寒冷，还可以在屋外走走。考虑到地上的积雪还会很滑，不到户外去散步，而留在家里做运动。结果，也会跌倒。我要承认，自己属于笨拙的老人家，也从中吸取教训。这次的跌倒也算不幸中的大幸，安然无事。

Eldest brother found a job大哥找到工作

2012-01-13T13:33:00.000-05:00

33. ELDEST BROTHER FOUND A JOB

The store that my eldest brother worked in was closed so he found a distributing job in the distributor in Long Xuyen where my third uncle was working as manager. My father could not hire him to work in his distributor because they were father and son. My uncle could, because they had no blood relation. There was one distributor in each small town. All the managers had to go to the main office in Saigon to make the report and had the meeting by the end of the month. So we used to see our father monthly.
My brother who worked as a sales representative had to move around a lot and made quite a lot of money. The demand for beer was more than supply, so the black market was created. The sales representative had the authority to distribute the quantities of beer to the customer at the regular price. Whoever paid him more than the regular price he would sell them more. Of course, the extra money was put in his personal account instead of the company account. It was against the company policy which guaranteed regular price with fairness in the distribution but he did not care, because he would not work there forever.
Once he reached 18 years old, he had to join the army. There was not much time left but less than a year only. Therefore it was the only and the best chance for him to make the money as much as possible. Life was very devastated for him as for many other male youth at his age. There was no future for them. Joining the army was just like putting their life at risk. It was very unfortunate to be brought up at time of war. His working attitude was understandable. I never blamed him for it.

33．大哥找到工作

二叔的小店停业之后，大哥到Long Xuyen 去投靠三姨丈。当时，三姨丈在当地的啤酒经销部当经理。他聘请大哥为经销员。父亲，在另一个经销部当经理，但是，他不能够聘请大哥，因为，他们有血缘的关系。每一个月底，经销经理，从各个城市，要回西贡作报告、开会。因此，每个月都会有机会，见到父亲一次。
大哥的工作是要到遥远的农村去经销。当时，啤酒市场需求很大，求过于供，形成了黑市买卖。公司的政策，要按照共价，把分配啤酒和汽水饮料的比例来出售。大哥很有胆量，也很精明地，跟几个大客户联系好，把啤酒的比例多出售给他们。分配权把握在他的手里，用高价者得的规矩来赚钱。这是违反公司的政策，他知道，但是，不在乎，因为，迟早他都要离开那个工作岗位。
十八岁就要参军。他只剩下不到一年的时间，就要到了当兵年龄。时间不多，要趁此机会，尽量去赚钱，赚得越多越好。年轻的男孩子，到了他那个年龄，非常不安，对前途没有信心，对黑暗的前景担忧，对人生失去了目的，是最可怜的一代人。当兵就是送死。怎么办？死路一条。他的工作心态是可以理解和值得同情的。

Lunar New Year 1969 年的农历新年

2012-01-12T15:58:00.003-05:00

32. LUNAR NEW YEAR 1969

The unlucky year of 1968 was over. Life went back to normal after the two crises. There was long holiday for the Lunar New Year 1969 as usual but without firecracker which was completely banned. The fighting was still going on in the rural areas but not in the cities which were well guarded by the Vietnamese regime. Since I had ten days for the holiday I went back to Chau Doc to visit my family.
Mom cooked a lot of food for me. My eldest sister who got to know many friends was busy holding parties for me. She brought me to see her friends. Dad bought her the motorcycle with which we made trips to the countryside together with many of her friends. We had five or six motorcycles and about ten to twelve people to go at a time. It was fun and full of excitement. All boys rode the motorcycles with the girls at the back. Most of her friends were Chinese but went to Vietnamese school like her. I was spoiled with plenty of food, care and love during the stay. It was very happy to see my family out of poverty and living lavishly as many other well to do families.
It was a very memorable holiday for me. I was able to spend the ten days happily with my family. My siblings had grown up a lot after only few months apart especially the two youngest ones who started picking up their language and were not willing to be approached at the beginning. When they got to know me then it was time to say goodbye to them. It was hard to leave them but I must because I had to head back to Saigon to continue my education and work. Life had to move on after the relaxing and wonderful holiday.

32．一九六九年的农历新年

不幸、不愉快、多灾多难的一九六八年，终于，过去了。一切恢复正常，新的农历新年也要到来，但是，跟以往有点不一样，缺少炮仗声。全国都禁止烧炮仗、放鞭炮。市内平静，但是，郊区仍然在战斗中。有十天的春假，我回去Chau Doc跟家人度过春节。
母亲，做很多美食菜肴，来宽待我。父亲，给大姐买进一部摩托车。有了它，她有机会认识了很多华人同学。大家一起开摩托车到郊区旅行，聚会等等的活动。每天，都非常地忙碌，参加不同的约会，使我感到很开心、很投入年轻人应该有多姿多彩的生活。大姐悉心的安排，把我的人生观也得到改变，该要多点参与同学们的活动。
十天的家庭团聚，带给我无穷的欢乐。最使我高兴，是可以看到家人丰衣足食，不用过着贫穷的生活。两位最小的弟妹，也长大了很多，说话也流畅了很多。开始的时候，对我很陌生，不愿意接近我。当他们开始，对我没那么抗拒的时候，我又要离开了，感到非常的可惜、遗憾。没办法，要追求自己的理想、自己的生活方式，一定要离开家，要放下对家的眷恋。短短的重逢欢乐片刻，留给我很深的印象、回忆，是一个非常难忘的春假。

Part-time salesclerk 兼职售货员

2012-01-11T14:36:00.002-05:00

31. PART-TIME SALESCLERK

When I got back to Saigon, second uncle’s farm was still operated, but the hatching section was closed. He also did the importing business of poultry feed supplement supply. My eldest brother used to work for him in the store which was closed. Since I had nothing to do in the afternoon after school he suggested that I should help him out in reopening the store.
The chick farm that I used to work for covered a huge area inside which there were many vacant buildings. Next to the big gate that led into the farm there was a small vacant building. Second uncle would like to refurnish that building into a store and would like me to work for him in taking care of the store. He imported big drums of poultry feed supplement which would be packed into small packages in a building inside the farm. Workers were hired to do the packaging and then shipped the packages to my store.
There was not much retail sale going on in the store but mostly wholesale one. The customers used to come to purchase big quantity once in while. My job was as a guard more than as a salesclerk. Whenever I opened the store I had to close the gate so people wanted to get in and out from the farm had to walk through my store. Second uncle just wanted me to limit the free access into the farm area. Since there was not much to do I spent my time doing my homework. The job was not boring but meaningful to me because I could help my uncle out while he was able to help me out financially in paying my bills including room and board to second aunt. It was a win-win situation.

31．兼职售货员

回到大城市去的时候，二叔的鸡场还在营业，但是，孵化部已经关闭。二叔还有经营别的家禽饲料营养补充剂进口生意。以前，大哥替他打理店铺。店铺关门之后，一直都打算再开店，把进口的货物经销。上午上学去，下午没事干，二叔，建议我该替他打理店铺。
鸡场的范围很广阔，里面有很多空出来建筑物。进出大门隔壁，有一间房子空出来。二叔，把它简单的清理、装修，改装成一家小店。进口的补充剂用大铁桶装载，存放在鸡场里面的仓库。包装工厂，也在鸡场里面。工人，把补充剂打包成小包装之后，把它们送到我的店来，把它们出售。
店铺很少有顾客光顾。久久，会有些批发商前来买大批的货。没有店铺，也可以把货出售。二叔，聘请我的目的，不是来做售货员，而做个守门员。每天下午，当我上班，把店铺的门打开的时候，同时也要把鸡场的大门关上。进出的人，一定要经过我的店铺，因此，我会得知何人进出，来防止非鸡场人事，有机会闯进鸡场。上班没事干的时候，利用时间温书、学习，不会感到无聊，也不会感到白领取工资而内疚，因为，二叔需要帮忙，我也需要钱来给自己日常生活的开支，也要付伙食费给二婶。大家都有好处，何乐而不为。

Summer 1968 年的夏天

2012-01-10T13:47:00.000-05:00

30. SUMMER 1968

It was the first time that I had a chance to come to live in the small city in the south end of Vietnam that was close to the border to Cambodia. My father was supplied with a rental house, a small car and a driver. He was the head of the distributor where beer and soft drink were sold. They were manufactured in the main plant in Saigon and shipped there for him to sell. The store was newly set up and my father was hired to start its business. It was not easy for him because he had to work very hard to get everything on the right track.
The house was built with the front connected to the road and the back on the river. There was toilet but no sewer for the waste which was dumped right down onto the river. Garbage was also not collected but discharged right onto the river too. In other words the river was the sewer, garbage bin and the source for drinking water. The fighting was still going on outside the city. The guerrilla used to shoot the rocket from the outskirt into the city at night. The city people had to live in fear because it was hard to tell when and where the rockets will hit and exploded. It would be peaceful during the day time but night fell it was horrified by the shooting.
My siblings went to take the private Vietnamese summer courses so as to be accepted for the next semester when school started. I tried to join them but found it very difficult to catch up with my study after having attended a few classes. My Vietnamese was not good enough. I did not understand what the teachers talking in the math and physics classes and was very discouraged to move on with my study so I had to put an end to it finally.
It was a quiet town. I enjoyed the whole time with my family. Dad was busy working with his job. Mom was busy shopping for food, cooking and taking care of the family. My siblings were in school. My adopted sister was at home taking care of the two youngest ones. She also did the laundry and cleaning. I stopped going to the summer school so I helped out at home. When the summer was over I decided to go back to the big city. Though the fighting was still going on in the suburbs it was safe to live in the big city.

30．一九六八年的夏天

Chau Doc 是一个很小的城市，在越南的最南部，靠近金边的边界，是我第一次的到访。父亲工作的单位，给他免费供应住所、汽车和司机。他给派到此城市的经销部当管理。这家经销部刚成立，父亲来到把它开业。对父亲来说，非常吃力，是他第一份工作的考验。经销部只出售啤酒、汽水饮品。货源是由在西贡的总厂托运过来的。
住房的后部健在河流上，前部连接马路。设备齐全，有电、厕所、厨房、卧房等等。厨房、厕所下面是河流。没有污水坑，也没有垃圾收集的服务。全部的污水、垃圾都把它们倒进河里去。从河里打水，饮用、使用之后，又把污水、排泄物，还给河流。河水不断地流，把肮脏的东西带走，把干净的清水带来，可算非常的环保。战火，仍然，在郊区爆发。游击队，经常把火箭炮、大炮射进市内。白天，一切都很平静、如常地生活，但是，晚上，就要提心吊胆，经常都会听到爆炸、枪声，难以，得到安宁的睡眠，要在恐惧中度过晚间。
我来到刚好是暑假，姐弟妹们，都上越文暑假补习班去。参加了暑假班之候，学校会接纳他们为下学期的插班生。大姐，建议我该留下读越文。因此，先去参加暑假班。我跟他们一起上学去。上了几天之后，感到很吃力，听不懂老师讲课，并且，对学习没有兴趣。只好放弃跟随他们上学去，而留在家，享受家庭乐。
父亲，每天上班。姐弟妹们上学去。母亲，买菜、烧饭。收养的小妹，打理家务，照顾最小的弟妹。我在家，协助母亲和收养的小妹，分担她们的工作量，度过一个轻松，没有压力，不用上班，不用上学的暑假。生活得非常的快乐、充实、有意义。暑假结束了，我返回首都大城市去。虽然，战争还没结束，但是，在大城市生活，还算非常安全的。

January 7 一月七日

2012-01-09T16:43:00.002-05:00

January 8, 2012

JANUARY 7

January 7 was a big day yesterday with so many pieces of surprise good news, memories and so on. I started the day with an annual blood test in the morning with fasting right after getting out of bed. It was a big surprise for me to see the empty waiting room when I got into the lab so I was able to get it done in half an hour and then went home to have breakfast followed by a walk.
When I went out to have lunch with my husband he brought up the topic about my father’s death anniversary which was on the seventh instead of eighth as he thought. We argued about the day then he checked with the calendar and found out that I was right. We visited him in the hospital on Sunday afternoon and got the call about his death at around 3 am on Sunday morning in 2008. We were surprised in the calculation of the years which had been four. It was hard for me in the first two years when I felt it difficult to let go the feeling that he was gone but eventually the grief faded away with time. I am able to get out of it completely and move on with my daily life without him. January 7 was no longer that sad and miserable as before.
I turned on the computer in the morning but did not have enough time to read the email that my aunt from VN sent to me so I did it in the afternoon after I had done my food shopping. It was a very interesting piece of Chinese writing about the modification on other piece of writing “che ba mau” that the author read. “che ba mau” is a kind of Vietnamese desert with 3 different beans in the drink. The author used that kind of drink as metaphor to compare Chinese originates from VN and then settled down in the foreign countries. The Chinese was no longer a pure Chinese but became a mix of culture from different countries that he moved to. I found it very interesting.
Then I also got the two emails from my eldest sister from Toronto and youngest sister from LA reminding me that it was my father’s death anniversary. I would never forget the day with big grieving in my life. However I did appreciate for receiving their emails which showed their concern and care for me as family members who found it very hard to gather together as in the old days when they were young and grew up under one roof. There are so many sweet memories in the old days.
It was almost bed time when I got a very surprise call from my daughter who called me from Vancouver to let me know that she just engaged and was planning to get married in the summer of 2013. I was very excited and overwhelmed with joy talking to her on the phone. It was her boy friend’s father’s birthday. They were celebrating it in the restaurant where she was giving me the call. She had been dating for more than five years. It was time to tie up the knot when both of them working and having very stable income. I sincerely wish them all the best.
Sum all these up, it was my day with so many surprises yesterday. If every day will be like that it would be great and wonderful.

二零一二年一月八日

一月七日

昨天，一月七日，是一个非常难忘、遇到惊奇多多的一天。起床后，赶快到化验所去抽血，做年度的体检。到了化验所，把们推开的时候，看到房间里面空空的，感到很惊讶，同时也很开心，因为，不用花时间排队等待。半个小时之后，就可以离开，回家去吃早餐。然后，还可以到户外去散步。
中午，跟老公外出吃午饭。用饭期间，老公提及父亲离世的日子。他记得是八号，星期日。我告诉他是七号，星期一。我人生最悲伤的一天，怎样能够忘记。他不相信，打开手提电话去查看二零零八年的日历。那年的星期天，我们去医院看望父亲之后，当晚的凌晨三点钟，接到小弟和大哥来电话，告诉父亲离开的悲痛消息。父亲离去的头来两年，日子非常难过，经常都会想起父亲，难以接受父亲不存在的现实。时间，就是治疗悲伤的良药。慢慢地学会把牵挂放下，学会没有父亲在身边的日子。一月七日，对我来说，不再是一个满怀忧伤的日子。
昨天早上，打开电脑，看到舅母从越南寄来的电邮，但是，不够时间去阅读它。下午，买菜回来之后，打开来看，发现电邮附带文章的论点很有趣。作者，看了一篇有关“三色冰”的文章之后，才写那篇文章，并多加些补充的论点。“三色冰”是越南的一种甜品饮料。里面含有三种豆类。作者，用三色冰来形容，逃难到世界各地定居的越南华人。他们不再是地地道道的华人，而是混有不同文化的华人。那篇文章写得很好，描述华人的根在国外，慢慢地会给以当地的文化同化。
跟着，我又收到大姐从多伦多和小妹从加州，寄来的电邮。她们提醒我是父亲离世的纪念日。那悲伤的日子，我怎会忘记，但是，对她们的关心，表示感激。虽然，大家难以找到机会，聚在一块儿，过着好像年幼时期的欢乐日子，但是，大家心里还记得有姐妹之情的存在。过去的日子，一去不会，只有往事只能回味。
快要上床睡觉的时候，女儿从温哥华，打电话回来，告诉我们她刚订婚，打算明年夏天结婚。接到消息，感到很意外，但是，很兴奋和高兴。昨天，是她男友的父亲生日。他们正在餐厅吃晚饭庆祝。电话，是从那儿打来的。跟她聊了一下，感到很开心。他们认识已经有差不多六年的时间，该很深入地了解对方。一对恋人，都已经出来社会工作，有稳定的收入，该是时候结婚来结束爱情的长跑，进入人生的另一阶段。衷心地祝福他们。
昨天，一月七日，是一个充满喜悦、惊喜的日子。天天都是那样，会多好。

Second aunt was injured 二婶受伤

2012-01-06T13:47:00.001-05:00

29. SECOND AUNT WAS INJURED

That horrible night in May 1968 was unforgettable. When we were soundly sleeping the big sounds of explosion and shooting woke us up. We started running out of the house to a shelter that was dug outside in the open space in the farm. The shelter had no cover so we could look up onto the sky which was brightened up by blast and flying from the cannons and rockets. It was very scary scene to look at.
When the sounds died down we went back to our houses and continued sleeping. Then I found out that second aunt was injured by the explosion from the rocket right on their roof the next day. She heard the noisy shooting and explosion so she sat up from her bed. My uncle was also got out of bed. Then she felt it hurt with her little toe and wet too. She turned on the light and it was shocked to see her little toe was covered with blood and the whole bed was covered with small metals from the explosion from the rocket. If both of them did not sit up on time they must be killed or severely injured by those scattered tiny metals.
It was curfew at night so she had to stop the bleeding, to take care of the wound and to suffer from it until the next morning when my uncle sent her to the hospital and evacuated the whole family including my siblings to my third aunt’s house. I had to look after the hatchers and chicks so I was left behind with the maid, my eldest brother and my uncle.
It was just a minor injury but it took her months to get recovered. She could not wear high heel dressing shoes but sandal to cripple to work after the crisis was over. It was considered unlucky to be wounded but lucky to be alive.

29．二婶受伤

一九六八年五月的一个晚上，正在熟睡的我们，给很多、很大的爆炸声音闹醒。在恐惧、慌乱中，起床，跑到户外去，跳进一个小凹洞去。那个小坑是父亲给我们挖的，来躲避炮火。蹲在洞里抬头，往天空上望去，看到整个天空都在闪亮，由爆炸所导致，也看到火箭炮的飞驰。景色非常的可怕。
过了好久，炮声好像没那么厉害，我们才敢回去房子里，继续地睡觉去。第二天早上，才得知二婶在昨晚的炮轰中受伤。听到响亮的炮火声，两夫妇起床，打算跑到户外去。突然，二婶感觉到小趾有点痛、也好像有点湿，把电灯打开，发现小趾盖满鲜血，床铺盖满碎片，才知道自己给碎片击伤。假如，他们俩还躺在床上，那就不得了，肯定会受重伤或者致死。
当时，夜间实行宵禁、戒烟，居民不能够外出。二婶，要给伤口止血，忍痛，等天亮。然后，二叔把她送到医院去，也把全部家人，包括我的姐妹们，送到姑姑家去。我要留下，因为，要打理孵化机和照料小鸡。女佣人、大哥、二叔也留下看守家园。
二婶的受伤不算很严重，但是，都要几个月后，才能够痊愈。事后，她不能够穿高跟鞋上班去，而要穿平底凉鞋，一步一步，一瘸一拐，地走路。有惊无险，只受轻伤，全家平安，能够保住生命，可算不幸中的大幸。

Second attack in May1968 年五月再次发动攻击

2012-01-05T13:26:00.001-05:00

28. SECOND ATTACK IN MAY 1968

After having been able to live happily, joyfully, peacefully with my family for three months the communist guerilla started another offensive uprising campaign in May again. Rockets, cannons were shot into the capital from the outskirt and the hidden guerilla inside the city started their attack as well. The actual fighting was going on in different spots within the city. Schools and businesses had to be closed. The whole city was under the battle alert. The areas that were occupied by the guerrilla had to be evacuated. Our farm got hit by rocket and second aunt was injured. My third aunt, father’s sister lived in the center of the city where it was safe and undisturbed by the attack. She and her family were very generous and had empathy on all the relatives who came asking for help. They not only gave them shelters but free meals as well.
The capital which used to be the safest one was in danger. My dad sent a driver to his sister’s house to pick up my siblings to his small town. The house that we lived in had to be abandoned. I went back to live with my second uncle’s family. The Vietnamese army with the back up from the USA army had to fight very hard to defeat the communist guerrilla out of the capital. It was long battle for weeks. It was scary when night fell because of the rockets which used to explode at the civilian area if there was error in the calculation of the shooting. We had to live in horror.
For our safety my third aunt, mom’s sister with a driver who drove the car to Saigon to pick up her mom, her father in law and me per requested from my father to the small city, Lomg Xuyen where her husband was working and her family was living. I stayed there for a few days and then dad sent another driver to pick me up and drove me to the small city where my family was living. I had to run away from the fighting for one more time.

28。一九六八年五月再次发动攻击

跟家人，快快乐乐地度过了三个月的温馨家庭生活，共军在五月份，再次发动攻击。从附近的郊区，把火箭炮、大炮，射进首都去。在市内埋藏的游击队，也开始他们的攻势。战斗，就在市内的不同地区进行。全市停顿，一片混乱，紧密戒备。有游击队埋藏的地区，市民要疏散，让国家军队彻底清除捣乱份子。鸡场不幸地受到大炮射中，二婶受轻伤。姑姑的家在市中心，没有受到任何战火的干扰。大家就要跑到哪儿去避难。姑姑、姑丈，很有怜悯的心，把全部前来的亲戚都收容下，也很慷慨地免费供应食物给他们。
首都应该是一个最安全的地方，变成了战场，最危险的地方。得知后，父亲马上派司机前来首都，把姐弟妹们接回去他们所居住的小城市去。刚建立的家，要面临破碎。我要回去寄居在二叔的家。越军和美军联手，跟越共游击队，激烈地交战，有几个星期之多。终于，越军又再次战胜，把共军打退，逼使他们回到郊区去躲藏起来。
在战斗时期，人心彷徨，没有安全感。没有一个晚上，可以睡得好，经常要在恐惧中度过，因为，入黑之后，大炮、火箭炮，会不断地爆炸。目的是政府机构和军事部门，但是，若计算错了，回落在无辜的民区，造成伤亡、死亡。三姨，居住在Long Xuyen小城市，不放心在西贡的母亲和老公的父亲，特地带同司机一起来接他们回去。考虑到我的安全问题，父亲也拜托她，把我接回去。在三姨家居住了几天之后，父亲派司机来把我接到他居住的小城市去，跟家人团聚。我又再次要逃难了。

Taking care of my siblings照料小弟妹们

2012-01-04T13:17:00.001-05:00

27. TAKING CARE OF MY SIBLINGS

I left my second uncle’s family and moved to live with my family in the vacant house in the farm. After my parents left my eldest sister and I had to look after the other younger siblings whom were arranged to go to the Vietnamese elementary school close by. My sister went to Vietnamese high school.
Though my younger sister was very little, at around 10 years old she was a very capable girl who used to come home before us and did the cooking with the help from her older brother. She used to go to the market to shop for food before she went to school too. I gave her the money with which she was able to budget it out for the family expenses. Though my life was not as comfortable materially as when I lived with my uncle’s family I enjoyed the time with my siblings who knew their roles and behaved well. Since there were no screen doors and windows we had to suffer from mosquito bites and slept in mosquito nets at night.
Life was quite enjoyable and easy going at the time. My eldest sister had to work as a tutor to make some extra money to cover the family expenses. She who was also the head of our family took good care of my younger siblings’ study and our daily life as a whole. Happiness seemed never to be with me for long, war broke out again. Our family had to be torn apart.

27．照料小弟妹们

为了照顾小弟妹们，我也从二叔家搬出来，跟姐弟妹们在简陋的房子生活。小弟妹们，获安排到附近的越文小学读书。大姐到较远的越文高中上学。
小弟妹们年纪，虽然，还小，但是，很懂事，很会照顾自己。我要忙着干活，上学去，家务要劳烦小妹去担当。上学之前，她会上市场去买菜。放学时间比我和大姐早，她和小弟两人，烧饭。回家后，马上有饭吃，感到很开心、感激。她也很会打理财政问题，把我给她的家用钱，精明地作好预算开支，把整个家打理得妥当、美满，不用我和大姐操心。
房子没有防蚊设备，晚上要挂上蚊帐睡觉，也经常给蚊子咬。居住条件，没有在二叔家舒服，但是，我感到很温馨，很有家的感觉。大姐除了上学，也要兼职当家庭教师，来帮补家庭的开支。她是一家之主，负责教导小弟妹们，检查他们的功课等等。大家都活得很开心、欢乐，但是，好景不长，战争又要爆发，把我家拆散。

Lunar New year 1968 年的农历新年

2012-01-03T13:23:00.002-05:00

26. LUNAR NEW YEAR 1968

It was Lunar New Year 1968 when Dad was on vacation at home in the orchard and it was also a New Year with money and plenty of food. I had to work so I was unable to go back home for the joyful holiday. As for the tradition fire crackers were burnt for the celebration, especially at midnight eve. It was difficult to tell the difference between shooting sounds and cracker sounds so the guerrilla started their military campaign of attacking the Vietnamese regime from the outskirt to siege the cities in order to end the civil war in a single blow.
It was a kind of chaos. People from the outskirt started running to the cities to escape the fighting. The orchard was in the suburb where the fighting began. My family had to risk their lives in the escape without being able to bring anything with them except their lives and very limited belongings. My father rode the motorcycle carrying my mom and the two youngest siblings and their belongings. My other bigger siblings biked all the way from the orchard to my uncle’s farm. It was lucky that we had our uncle to give the shelter to my family. There was a house in the farm that was left vacant. My family cleaned it up and temporarily dwelled in there. Otherwise they would become homeless like many other people who ran away from war.
The battle took place only for two days. The South Vietnamese army was able to defeat the guerrilla out of all the cities and claimed big victory which left huge casualty and destruction to both sides. Due to the orchard area still being controlled by the guerrilla it was unsafe to go back there. Therefore my dad had to take mom and the two youngest siblings to Chau Doc where he was working and left the rest behind. The city was safe and everything went back to normal after the holidays. I continued working and went back to school.

26．一九六八年的农历新年

在越南，农历新年属于大节日，学校、公司、工厂等都停学、停业十天，到处都放鞭炮庆祝。父亲，有工作之后，的第一年长假期，也是我家过得最富裕的一个新年。很可惜，基于工作需要，只能够在除夕回去看望他们，然后，要赶回鸡场工作。全国人民在庆祝传统节日的时候，越共游击队利用鞭炮的响亮声，发起攻击，从农村围攻所有的城市，希望，速战速决，逼使南越政权投降，结束内战。
果园属于郊区，也是游击队，在除夕夜发起攻势的地方。炮火不断地爆发，家人整晚，要在果园的坑里度过。等到天亮，枪声减少的时候，大家回到家里，收拾一点随身的物品。父亲，要开着摩托车，带着最小的弟妹和少许的衣服。大姐，小弟妹们，各自踏单车跟随后面，逃离战地。几经辛苦，才能够平安地抵达我们的住所。我家再次失去家园和所有辛辛苦苦建立的一切，可算幸运，因为，有二叔接待他们。鸡场里面，有一间空出来的房子，家人就把它收拾、清理，然后，在那儿居住，作暂时妾身之处。不然的话，就会好像很多其它的逃难者，要在街上变成露宿者。战争是非常残酷、可恶的。
南越的军队，在两天内，反击，把游击队打败，逼使他们推出城市，回到村落去躲起来。这次攻击起义，带给双方很大的丧亡、损耗。游击队仍然占领果园的地区，因此，父亲要把最小的弟妹和母亲一起带同回去他工作的小城市去。别的姐弟妹们，就留下来。节日过后，一切恢复正常，安然无事。我也照样上学、干活去。

Photos received during the holiday season 2011

2012-01-02T12:22:00.003-05:00

Back to school 返回校园

2011-12-30T12:46:00.002-05:00

25. BACK TO SCHOOL

Since Dad‘s income was more than enough to raise our family which did not need my help any more I started nourishing the dream of going back to school. When I brought it up to my parents they greatly supported it. It was big joy for me to be able to live my normal life as other kids at my age.
There was not much choice for me in choosing school because I had dropped out for two years. If I continued to study Vietnamese I would encounter difficulties with mathematics, physics and other subjects. I might not catch up with my study. Moreover it was hard to find the school that would accept me. My second uncle and aunt made the suggestion that I should study English. Their kids, my cousins were studying in the English Elementary School in which there was high school section. The tuition was unthinkable for me so I tried to get in the Vietnamese school where the tuition was affordable. With the assistance from my third aunt, dad’s sister who was a housewife I went to many Vietnamese, Chinese Vietnamese schools but failed in making the registration. Finally I had to take the advice from my second uncle and aunt by making the enrollment in the English School where I was luckily accepted.
The tuition for a semester was equal to my earning for three months. It was a school for the rich. I had to wear uniform and shoes. My uniform was white shirt and blue skirt. My fifth aunt, mom’s sister who was a dress maker sewed the uniform for me. My second aunt took me to buy shoes and other necessities. Since I was a very good worker my second uncle helped me out by letting me work half day in the farm continuing looking after the hatchers with the help from a new part time assistance who looked after my job while I was at school. With the help from so many relatives I was able to make my dream come true.
I went to school in the morning and worked in afternoon and at night. It was so excited and delighted to go back to school. Though it was English school students and teachers spoke Cantonese. Teacher taught English with Chinese explanation and writing on the blackboard for the first year so I had a chance to study Chinese as well. My Chinese writing and Cantonese speaking got very big improvement obviously. I did not have friends but books and chicks. With my hard work I was ranked the top in class by the end of the semester. It was excited in receiving my first report card with the stamp of free tuition for the next semester. I was overwhelmed with joy for the unexpected scholarship. It saved me a lot of money which I could spend on other necessities.
To encourage me my second aunt bought me a pencil case as a reward which I valued and which also reminded me to work harder. My cousins went to school for morning and afternoon sessions. Due to the different time for schooling I was unable to take the ride with them in car driven by chauffeur but took a small ferry to cross the river and then walked for half an hour to school. I did not consider it a tough life which I was content with and was much better than I expected. My goal was to work hard and to study hard for the bright future.

25．返回校园

父亲的工资，可以供养家人。我不用为家人的生活操心。因此，向双亲提出返回校园的打算。对此提议，他们都非常的支持。得到他们的同意，感到很喜悦、兴奋、开心。我很快就可以好像别的同年小孩一样过着正常的校园生活。
姑姑是位家庭主妇，不用上班去，有空出来的时间，陪我去找学校。我们去过很多越文、华语中学，都不肯接纳我的入学申请，因为，我已经停学两年，没有证书证明我的学历。在失望中，二叔、二婶，建议我该去读英文。他们的小孩们所就读的学校有中学部。该校是有钱子弟的学校，学费非常昂贵。华语和越文学校的学费比较便宜，适合我的经济状况。在没有别的选择之下，只有去那间英文中学报名去，得到接纳，感到非常的开心。
五姨是一位裁缝师，免费给我缝纫校服，白色上衣，蓝色裙子。二婶带我去买鞋子、上学需要的东西。二叔，也对我很慷慨，继续地聘用我，并且，多聘请一位助手，协助我处理事务。有赖很多亲戚的协助之下，我可以把梦想实现，返回校园读书去。
早上，上学去，下午和晚上干活。生活非常的忙碌和踏实，感到很兴奋、幸运、高兴、满足。在第一年的学期里，学基本的英语。老师，用广东话讲课，把中文写上黑板去。我不懂中文，因此，可以有机会学习中文的书写。广东话和中文书写，都得到很明显的进步。没有要好的朋友，而书本、小鸡是我的友好同伴。整天，用功读书、工作。到了学期结束的时候，成绩单出来了，排名第一，免去下学期的学费，看到自己努力的效果，感到很自豪、自信、开朗，自卑感也慢慢地消失了。最意外的得益，是可以省下那笔巨大的学费。它等于我三个月的工资。真是喜出望外。
为了鼓励我，二婶买个新的笔盒送给我。我很珍惜它。每次，使用它，都会提醒自己要继续努力读书。唐弟妹们，有司机开车接送他们上学。跟他们上学的时间不同，因此，我要乘坐渡轮过河，然后，走路半小时上学去。对此的生活，没有怨言，不会感到辛苦，而感到很幸运、满足。物质的享受，只是次要，追求知识才是最主要。

Father found a job父亲找到工作

2011-12-29T13:01:00.000-05:00

24. DADDY FOUND JOB

After having worked for six months in the farm there was big good news that dad found a job finally. My third uncle, mom’s sister’s husband who was working as distributor manager in the big French beer company BGI got to know that there was an opening for the position as distributor manager made the referral for my father to have an interview. The general manager was very impressed with my father’s past experience and success as a businessman hired him right on the spot.
In his resume he never had any experience of working but managing his own business. The manager told him that he did not need working experience but management in making profit for the company. He was the exact right person that he was looking for. Dad’s salary was five times of mine. He got a car, chauffeur, apartment, health benefit and so on but had to go to work and live in Chau Doc, a small city far away from Saigon and close to the border to Cambodia. A new distributor was just set up in that city. Dad had to go there to get it open after three months of being trained in different distributors to get the knowledge of how distributor was going to be operated.
There was light at the end of the tunnel finally. The whole family was cheered up with his new employment. The financial difficulty was eased off. My family no longer needed to live in poverty. Mom and my other siblings kept on living in the orchard where Dad would come home for a visit to bring them cash once a month. I did not have to give my pay cheque to dad but started my saving. There was a big turning point in my life since.

24．父亲找到工作

在鸡场工作有六个月之后，收到个喜讯。父亲，终于找到工作了。三姨丈在法国啤酒厂工作，担任经销部经理，得知，公司要聘请新的经销部经理，马上推荐父亲去面试。经过面试，总经理，对父亲过去的营商成功个案，非常感兴趣和欣赏，马上就答应聘请他。
父亲没有实际的工作经验。他从来没有给别人干活、工作，但是，有丰富的营商、管理经验。总经理，很开心地告诉他，他就是他需要找的人。对他来说，工作经验不重要，最要紧的是他能够给公司赚钱。获聘后，他会享有很好的福利和待遇。公司会给他安排住所、汽车、司机、免费医疗等的福利，给他的工资也相当不错，比我的高出五倍之多。他要到不同的经销部去实习三个月，去学会怎样去经营、管理经销的工作。公司在最南部的边界小城市Chau Doc，建立新的经销部，会派他到哪儿去开办。
终于，在黑暗中，看到曙光，在绝望中，找到希望。家人非常的开心，不用挨饿，不用在贫困中度过。家境开始有好转的机会。家人，继续地留在果园生活。父亲，每个月回去看望他们，并带钱回去供养他们。我不用把工资交给父亲，而把它储存起来。我的人生从此也得到了巨大的转变。

Egg hatching career 孵蛋工作

2011-12-28T11:26:00.002-05:00

23. EGGS HATCHING CAREER

Second uncle had a poultry farm in which hens and chickens were raised. Three egg hatchers were just purchased and technician was searched to operate the machines. It was a very good timing for me to take the job. I knew nothing about the hatching so I was supposed to be sent for the training when I was hired.
While waiting for the course which would start in a few weeks, my uncle got many books about raising chickens and about hatching for me to read. After having finished reading them I told him that I was able to start operating the hatchers. No one taught me but had to learn to handle everything by myself. The hatchers were just wooden boxes with two big glass doors, with trays to hold the eggs and with a water tank at the bottom. The oil lamps were placed under the tanks when lighted to warm the water for the humidity and for controlling the temperature.
I put the eggs on the trays with bars flexible to be shifted to move the eggs to side way once every eight hours in one of the egg hatchers. After one week of being incubated the eggs were to be checked in the dark under very bright light bulb at night time only to see if they were fertilized. If the egg was fertilized there was a black dot in the yoke. Those were not fertilized were returned to the sales section to be sold as the fresh eggs. After two weeks of being incubated the eggs were checked again to see if they were conceived. The chick embryo was seen very clearly under the bright light bulb. The conceived ones which would be transferred to other incubator in which the trays were different without bars were left to lie still. The others without embryos were returned to the sales section to be sold not as the fresh ones but as the hatched ones without yokes with a cheaper price. Some customers loved them for the price.
The eggs needed to be incubated for twenty-one days. On the twentieth day they were checked for one more last time. If the chick embryo was seen moving it was alive. The dead ones were returned to the sales section to be sold as the eggs with chick embryos which were more expensive than the fresh eggs. The good ones were transferred to other hatcher with different kind of trays with net at the bottom and higher surrounding to prevent the chicks from falling out of the trays. On the twenty-first day the chicks would break the egg shelves from inside and came out. They were wet and were unable to walk. The heat and humidity in the hatcher would dry them out. They tried to stand up and to walk and made a lot of noises. Once they were dried were transferred to the cages to be fed with water only for a day. Then they were fed with fine poultry food and were immunized by drops through their noses and vaccine through their wings. They were lovely little creatures to be taken care of. It was cold at night so they used to cuddle together to get warm. They were under my care for two weeks and then were transferred to other section. I loved my job which I enjoyed working. I got paid by the end of the month when dad would come to visit me for the cash which was left after the payment that I made for second aunt for my room and board. Though the income was not much it was able to keep my family surviving from starving.
It was my first career with actual earning from pay cheque. Though I loved the job I did not want it to be my permanent career. I would like to go back to school as other kids at my age.

23．孵蛋工作

二叔，经营一家养鸡场，刚买进三部孵蛋机，正寻找合适的工人来打理它们。我的到来，很合时，可以尝试担任那份工作。对孵蛋的工作，一无所知的我，聘用后，会给送去受训。
受训课程，还没开班。在等待的期间，二叔给我很多，有关养鸡、孵化等的书籍，让我阅读。细心、用功地把全部的书看过之后，我很有信心地告诉二叔，我可以把孵蛋机开动，开始孵化的运作。孵蛋机不是一部很复杂的机器，使用木料制成，有两个玻璃门，托盘承托鸡蛋，底部有个水箱。下面有个油灯，点燃的时候，会把水弄热，给孵化机保暖、保湿的作用。
把鸡蛋放进盘里之后，每八小时要给它们转动一次。盘上有铁支，分隔鸡蛋，把它们推，鸡蛋就能够转动，很方便。鸡蛋经过七天的孵化之后，在晚上天全黑的时候，把它们在灯光下照看。假如，看到蛋黄有小黑点，证实那只鸡蛋可以孵化出小鸡。蛋黄没有黑点，会给送回销售部出售。等到十四天之后，又来再给鸡蛋检查。小鸡已经成形，在灯光下会看得很清楚。没有小鸡的鸡蛋，会给送回销售部出售。不会当作好鸡蛋出售，而当作怀鸡蛋处理，价钱比较便宜些。有小鸡的鸡蛋，也得转移到另一部孵化机去。那部机的盘没有铁支分隔鸡蛋。鸡蛋也开始不用给转动。到了二十天，又来给它们检查。看到小鸡在鸡蛋里面移动，会把它转移到另一部孵化机。这部机的托盘底部有密洞网子，盘的周围比较高，防止小鸡掉下去。还有那些给挑选出来的鸡蛋，里面的小鸡，不会动、已经死去的，会给送去销售部当作鸡仔蛋出售，价钱比新鲜鸡蛋还要贵。
孵化二十一天之后，小鸡会打破蛋壳出来。刚从蛋壳出来的小鸡很丑、全身湿透、站不起来。过了几个小时之后，它们会站起来，全身的毛干了，变成很可爱、很漂亮的小鸡，吱吱喳喳地发出声音叫。当它们可以灵活地走动的时候，会把它们转移到小鸡的鸡笼去。不会马上给它们吃东西，而只提供水给它们喝。过了一天之后，才供应饲料给它们吃。跟着，给它们滴防疫鼻药水，给它们在双翼注射防疫痘苗。晚上的时候，它们会挤在一起取暖睡觉，看上去非常的可爱。在我的悉心照料两个星期之后，它们会给送到别的部门去。
每个月底才会发放薪水。父亲，会来看我。我会把一部分给二婶当作食宿费，省下的全部工资都交给他。虽然，收入不多，但是，可以给家人解困，养活他们。那是我人生的第一份，真正赚钱的职业工作。虽然，对那份工作，很喜爱，很有满足感，但是，不想把它当作我的终身职业。我很希望，能够好像别的同年小孩一样可以上学去，过着正常的幼年时期的无忧无虑的生活。

Room and Board 寄居生涯

2011-12-27T11:31:00.001-05:00

22. ROOM AND BOARD

I had so many relatives in the big city. The only one that I thought of and relied on was my second uncle who was my father’s younger brother. He was a businessman and a popular amateur tennis player who won numerous champions nationally. His wife was a career woman who worked in the American constructing company. They had four children, two daughters and two sons. My grandma and grand aunt, grandfather’s sister were living with them.
There was a cook who was a middle age Chinese woman shopped for food and prepared two meals, lunch and dinner. She did not live in the house. There was also a maid who was just a teenager girl did the laundry, ironing, cleaning and took care of all the chores. She was supplied with food, dwelling and was available for work for 24 hours. There were four big rooms in the house and a front court. There were two doors to get into the house, one from the kitchen and one from the living room but we used to get in through the kitchen entrance. There was big round dining table, bathroom in the kitchen next to which was the bed room in which there were many beds for everyone in the family except my aunt and uncle who had their own private bedroom next to the living room which was just next to our bedroom.
There were screen doors and windows so we did not have to use mosquito nets at bed time. The house was spotless and neat because it was cleaned up daily. There was TV, piano, laundry machine, fridge etc. It was considered to be quite luxurious at the time. Life was much better than it was in the orchard or in the small city or in the village. I had to learn to adapt myself to the new life which was fantastic.
Since I lived room and board I had to behave myself first. I could not do what I wanted as at home but obeyed to the rules that were set. The freedom was restricted. I also had to learn how to get along with others. Though I was able to live a very comfortable life I missed my family and felt guilty for not being able to share it with them.

22．寄居生涯

在大城市里，有很多亲戚，但是，二叔是唯一的亲人，我可以投靠。他是商人，有一家养鸡场，也是业余钢球爱好者，获取无数的奖项。二婶是一位职业女性，在一家美国的建筑公司工作。他们育有四个小孩，两男、两女。家中，还有年老的祖母、姑母。家庭美满，生活富裕。
家里有佣人来打理一切家务。聘请了一位中年女厨师和一位年轻的女孩处理家中琐碎的事务。女厨师早晚上下班，负责买菜，烧饭。年纪小的女佣人，在家里打扫、搞卫生、洗衣服、大大小小的事都由她来干，日夜工作没有休息。房子是一个平房，有四个房间，两道门，有前院，设备齐全，很舒适。大厅有一道门，厨房也有一道。经常都使用厨房的门进出。厨房的大房，设有洗手间、厕所、一个大圆桌子。房子里面，有四道门连贯起来。厨房隔壁是卧室。里面放置书桌、很多张床和衣柜。家中的全部成员都在那房间就寝，包括我在内。卧房隔壁是大厅，只用来接待客人。大厅隔壁是二叔、二婶的卧室。里面有浴室、厕所、大桌子给二叔办公用。
房子的门和窗口都有安装铁纱网，挡住蚊子、苍蝇进来。因此，晚上不用挂蚊帐睡觉。家里到处都非常的干净、整齐，因为，女佣人每天都要打扫。也有电视、洗衣机、钢琴、冰箱等等。生活非常舒适、方便，跟在村庄、小城市、果园的艰苦生活，有天渊之别。我要努力学习，来适应这个全新的生活方式。
我经常要铭记自己的身份，不是房子的主人翁，而是寄住而已，要遵守规矩，学会跟身边的人相处。虽然，生活条件好，但是，没有在自己的家那种归属感，可以自由自在地活动，感到非常的自卑、不安，很想家，很想跟家人分享物资上的享受。

Unpleasant Christmas morning不愉快的圣诞节日

2011-12-25T11:25:00.005-05:00

December 25 2011

UNPLEASANT CHRISTMAS MORNING

We were woken up by the early phone call at 7 am on this Christmas morning. The security guard called my husband to inform him that the alarm was on in the plant.
Lying in bed I overheard their conversation. My husband asked him what kind of siren it sounded like. He then instructed him to go to the boiler room and turned off certain switches to end the annoying sound. He then quickly got changed and rushed to the plant. I lay in bed and was unable to get back to sleep but kept thinking about what he told me at the dinner table last night.
He came home late at 7 pm last night after having worked for almost 10 hours. It was a very stressful day for him. The plump broke down yesterday when he was fixing it and had to take care of the suddenly passed out worker at the same time. He was in a very messy situation when my brother who was enjoying his vacation in Blue Mountain ski resort called him to help fixing the problem at his plant. It looked like that everything just unfortunately happened at the same time in the most joyful day of the holiday. He had to work his way out of it to take care of all the problems one by one. It was quite hectic for him. Listening to his narrating I felt very sorry for him.
We are supposed to have lunch with our friends at the Chinese restaurant at noon and then have the dinner party at our other friends’ restaurant. I don’t know how long it will take him to fix the problem today and do hope that he is able to make it for lunch and for dinner. It was a very unpleasant Christmas morning for him because he had to go to work but for me it was a big bonus Christmas morning when I was able to go out for a walk in the warm sunshine weather without snow. It is very rare in this time of the year when there should be cold with plenty of snow on the ground.
It is almost noon time and he is back. I am very happy that the repair did not require him that much time as yesterday and we are able to meet our friends for lunch and for dinner. I do hope that there would be no more calls for him during the holiday.

二零一一年十二月二十五日

不愉快的圣诞节日

一大早，七点钟给电话闹醒。老公工作单位的保安人员打电话来告诉他厂里面的警钟响。
我躺在床上，听到老公跟他的对话。老公问他警报系统发出的响声是怎样响的。跟着指示他跑到热水炉房去，把几个有关的控制开关关掉，警钟的响声会停下。通过电话把问题解决之后，老公赶快刷牙、洗脸、更换衣服，然后，出门离开家到工厂去。我躺在床上，无法入睡，而不断地回想昨天晚上跟老公吃晚饭的时候的对话。
昨晚，老公七点钟才回家，足足苦干了有十个小时。圣诞前夕，该在家休息，庆祝节日，反而要在忙乱的工作中度过。好像很多不幸的事情都在一霎那发生。昨天，他正在忙碌地修理水泵的时候，同时要处理突然晕倒的同事。在忙乱中，正在滑雪胜地度假的小弟，打电话给他，告诉他豆芽厂出了问题，麻烦他去协助。老公，难以分身，难以形容当时慌乱的情景。经过镇静的分析，把问题一个一个的慢慢地去处理。终于，都能够完成了任务，回家休息，平平静静地度过平安夜。
今天中午和晚上，都约好朋友外出吃饭。希望，今天的问题不会需要他那么多的时间去处理，而可以及时回家去赴约。今年的圣诞节日，对老公来说，是很不愉快，因为，他要上班工作。但是，对我来说，是很难得的，因为，天气很好，和暖、阳光普照、没有下雪，我可以到户外去走走。从来，都没有尝试过，在冬天圣诞节日到户外去享受美好的天气，经常都是非常的寒冷，地上盖满白雪，寸步难移，要躲在家度过。今天早上，能够照样到户外散步，是个喜悦、开心的事。
中午时间快到来了，刚听到老公推门进来，很开心。今天，他不用花很多时间处理问题，可以外出赴约去。希望，不会有电话再来打扰他，让我们可以度过一个平静、快乐的节日。

Hectic Christmas Eve 忙乱的圣诞前夕

2011-12-24T15:22:00.002-05:00

December 24, 2011

HECTIC CHRISTMAS EVE

I woke up seeing a note on the table that my husband had to go to work at 9 am this morning. Then he called me again at noon that he was unable to be back for lunch. There was an urgent broke down of the machine in the plant.
He called me again a few minutes ago that there was an unexpected accident occurring this morning. The plant is shut down during the holiday. Only the security guard remains working in the plant. A worker is scheduled to visit the plant for the checking with the machines once a day. If anything goes wrong the security guard has to call my husband for advice.
My husband woke up and received a call from the security guard this morning. He quickly went to the plant to fix the problem. As he was working on it a worker who was scheduled to visit the plant came in. My husband asked him to help him out in the repair. As they were fixing the problem the guy suddenly turned pale, passed out and dropped himself onto the ground complaining that he had heartburn. My husband ordered the security guard to call 911. The ambulant arrived with the medical crew within 10 minutes.
My husband was shocked with the accident. There was no one in the plant except three of them. It was big relief when the guy was taken care of and was transferred to the hospital. He told me that the guy must have problem with his heart. It came so suddenly that he did not have time to prepare for it. He then had to call his boss to report the incident and did hope that the guy would be fine. It must be very sad Christmas for the guy and his family. My husband continued working and hopefully got the problem solved soon. He told me that he neither had breakfast nor lunch but a few crackers. It was a hectic Christmas Eve for him.

二零一一年十二月二十四日

忙乱的圣诞前夕

今天早上起床后，发现老公留下的纸条，告诉我他在九点离开家前往工厂去。中午的时候，他也打电话回来，告诉我他不能够回来吃午饭。
几分钟前，他又来电话，详细地告诉我所发生的不幸事故。假期期间，工厂停工，只有保安人员在工厂巡视。假如，发现有问题，会打电话请示老公。每天，也会安排一位工作人员到工厂检查机器的运作。
今天早上，起床后，接到保安人员的电话，马上赶到工厂去，处理问题。他正在忙碌修理的时候，得安排进厂检查的工作人员，入厂上班。老公，要求他留下协助他进行修理。当两人，忙碌干活的时候，突然，那位工人的脸色变苍白，晕倒在地上。慌乱的老公，给吓坏了，马上命令保安人员拨911求救。十分钟后，救护车到来，把他送往医院去。
事情发生得太突然，心又乱、又急，不知所措。厂里面只有他们三个人。有救护人员协助处理事情，他都放心，心情可以平复下来。可怜的那位工人和他的家人，一定很难过，不能够度过一个平静、快乐的圣诞前夕。事后，老公要向上级汇报。然后，继续地进行修理，希望，能够快点把修理工作完成，回家过节。对老公来说，是一个非常难忘的圣诞前夕，要在忙乱中度过。

Christmas Eve 圣诞除夕

2011-12-23T13:54:00.001-05:00

December 23, 2011

CHRISTMAS EVE

I used to spend the Christmas Eve with my other siblings’ families in my youngest brother’s house in the past. It will be different this year because he is going to Blue Mountain for skiing this afternoon.
I am not able to join him because my husband has to work through out the holidays as he used to do. There will be no party to attend on this Christmas Eve when I will be home to spend the time quietly with my husband. It will be good for our age because we need more time to rest. Too much consumption of food will be harmful to our health at our age when the digest system is not that strong. Too much talking will also cause us to feel exhausted. It will be wise and smart to stay away from not very necessary social activities or partying. I definitely will not hold any parties as when I was young.
The Christmas Eve this year will be very different too because there will be no white snow on the ground as in the past as was predicted by the weather forecast. It is very rare to have no snow fall up to now and to have very warm weather. The rain kept falling in the past few days and will continue raining through out the holiday. Without white snow on the ground it does not feel like Christmas time at all. I am sorry for my poor brother who has planned for the ski trip a while ago. He will definitely not have that much fun as in the past years when there was plenty of snow. I wish him good luck with the fun with the man made snow fall at the ski resort.
I am very happy for the warm weather because I am still able to go out walking twice a day. But for those who loved the outdoor activities of skiing, snowshoeing and so on will be very disappointed. With snow or without snow Christmas Eve will be here tomorrow.

二零一一年十二月二十三日

圣诞除夕

往年的圣诞除夕，都会跟家人在小弟家度过。今年的圣诞除夕，会有改变，因为，小弟会在今天下午前往滑雪胜地。
跟往年一样，老公要在圣诞假期上班去，因而，不能够跟小弟同行。今年，会跟老公在家里，安安静静地度过平安夜。可算还好，年纪大了，也不适合参加太多社交活动。进食过多的美食，会把身体搞垮。说话太多，会感到疲累、气喘。年轻的我很喜爱参与各色各样的聚会、活动。现在不行了，要多些休息。
今年的圣诞除夕，也会跟往年有所不同，不会有白色圣诞，是一个非常罕有的现象。气温非常和暖，不断地下雨。地上没有白雪，难以感觉到圣诞的气氛。小弟，在好久之前，已经计划好这次的滑雪度假，没料到天气会变成这样。希望，在滑雪胜地，会有人造雪，让他们玩个痛快。
对户外雪地运动爱好者，和暖、没有下雪的天气，会感到很失望。对我来说，是非常感激，因为，每天都可以到户外走动两次。无论，有雪、没雪，圣诞除夕明天就会到来了，开开心心地迎接它吧。

Funny event ----dog pee 趣事---狗尿尿

2011-12-22T11:14:00.002-05:00

December 3, 2011

FUNNY EVENT ----DOG PEE

I went out walking as usual this morning and saw the dog pee. The way it peed was very unusual to me.
A man leashing two dogs walked in front of me. When he got to the park he just took off the leashes. The dogs that being released got so excited with their freedom started running around. I saw one of them ran to the bottom of a tree, pulled its leg up and peed. It then kept on running to another electric pole did it one more time and then to another one and did it again. I saw it do it three times with his pee within just seconds. I wondered why it did not empty it once like human being did but held it and did it again and again in different location like that. It was so funny.
The other female dog that was not that active just ran behind the male one. I saw it lower its butt and peed only once. The owner did not walk with the dogs but stood where he released them and waited for them to run back there. After having done the three times of urination the dog ran back to its owner with the other one following after it. I did not turn my head to look at them but kept on walking. When I passed by the electrical poles I curiously looked at them which bottoms were still wet with its urine. The wet spots were big.
I was amused with what I had seen and kept thinking about the difference between animal and human being, female dog and male dog during my walk. It was funny. I saw dogs out in the park daily but it was the first time that it caught my attention with its funny way of urinating. Have you ever seen a dog pee like that? To me it was the first time and funny too.

二零一一年十二月三日

趣事---狗尿尿

每天早上，都习惯到户外散步去。今天早上，看到些趣事，有关狗尿尿，非常异常。
有个男人，用手牵住皮带，带领两只狗，在我前面走。到了公园，他把狗放走。两只狗，得到自由，非常的兴奋，到处奔跑，很开心。有一只狗，跑到树脚，把脚举起，尿尿。然后，它又跑到电灯柱，又来尿尿去。然后，又再跑到另外一支柱，再次尿尿去。在几秒钟内，一共小便了三次。为何不一次把尿全部排清光，而要分开三次，在三个不同的地方去排放？感到非常不可思议，很有趣。
另一只母狗，没那么活跃，慢慢地在后面跟随着跑。我看到它只把屁股蹲下来尿过一次而已。狗主没有跟随它们走，而站在放走它们的地方等待它们。那只狗，排了三次尿尿之后，掉头走回主人哪里去。还有母狗，慢慢地在后面跟着它。我没有掉头去看它们，而继续地走。路过电灯柱的时候，好奇地往下面看看，尿的湿印还在，而且，范围不细小。
一路走，不断地在回想狗尿尿的有趣情景。那是人类和动物的区别，也是公狗和母狗的不一样。经常都会看到狗在公园里排泄，但是，这是第一次，给我注意到它们的奇怪行为，感到很有趣。不知道大家有没有留意到？

Holiday atmosphere节日的气氛

2011-12-21T15:16:00.003-05:00

December 20, 2011

HOLIDAY ATMOSPHERE

We haven’t been to the mall for a while so my husband made the recommendation that we should visit the mall last Sunday. It was a good idea because I would like to see how busy it was. I did not go for shopping but just wanted to experience the holiday atmosphere. I found out that the longest line up was in the photo with Santa section. Parents with young kids were very patient in the waiting. I was also in that line up more than twenty years ago when my daughter was little. It did bring back some very sweet memory.
The busiest shop was the stuffed animal store where my niece took me for a visit a couple years ago when I took her for Christmas shopping.

http://susanliblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/video-of-christmas-shopping-2009-with.html

There was a lot of fun for the little kids in there. She is going to be eleven and I think that she is no longer interested in the kiddy activities in purchasing the stuffed animal in that store. Kids are growing up and their interest changes with their age. All of the other nieces and nephews had grown up except that little niece whom I used to buy her gift during special occasion. Since she also reached the age that she would like to have her own personal selection for clothing I started giving her the lucky money instead of gift this year.
As I was browsing around in the mall I saw a dress on the manikin in a high end store. It looked very cute so I got inside and looked for that dress on the rack. That was not a kid store so I asked the saleslady if it was good for the ten years old kid. She told me that it fitted all ages with the wearing of a tan top inside. I walked toward the cash register and was still wondering if I should get it for my niece coming birthday. There was a little girl in front of me on the line up. She who was at the same size as my niece was following her mom who was also lining up for the payment. I asked if she minded putting on the dress for me. Her mom turned around and told her to take of the coat and tried it on.
After having put it on she went to the mirror to see herself with the dress. She came back with a happy face and told me that it fitted her well. Her mom asked her if she liked it and would like to get one. Both of them left for the rack to search for the size that I chose. I thanked them and paid for the dress which I hoped my little niece would like. It was an unexpected gift purchase during my visit to the mall where I just came to spend my time to get the feeling of Christmas shopping instead of doing any actual purchase. It was a wonderful experience during the tour and purchase in the holiday season in the mall. I had a good time.

二零一一年十二月二十日

节日的气氛

好久没去商场购物。上个星期天，老公建议到商场去走走。好提议，虽然，不打算购物，但是，也可以到哪儿去感受一下节日的热闹。发现，跟圣诞老人照相的区域最忙碌、最热闹。家长很耐心地排队，给小孩跟圣诞老人拍照片。二十多年前，我也曾经同样地排队等待，让女儿有个开心的时刻。往事只能回味。
经过毛绒动物店的时候，看到里面挤满客人。

http://susanliblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/video-of-christmas-shopping-2009-with.html

两年前，当侄女还小的时候，她把我带来这个小孩的新天地，购买毛毛动物玩具。当时的她，非常的开心，参与选购、制造毛毛动物玩具的过程。她已经十一岁了，不再喜爱那种小玩儿。小孩长大，兴趣也跟着改变。下一代的侄女、侄儿，全都已经长大，只有她最小，还可以给她买些小礼物。今年，她都已经长大了，不会喜欢我买的礼物，因此，也好像别的侄女、侄儿一样，给她利是钱，让她可以选择自己喜爱的东西。
在商场里，没有目的地游荡的时候，看到一个假人模特儿穿上的上衣很好看。那是一家高尚的成人时装店。走进去，寻找那件上衣看看。找到之后，请问售货员，是否适合十岁大的小孩穿。她告诉我没有年龄的限制。只要里面穿上衬衣就会很好看。拿着她，打算排队付款，但是，心还在有点犹疑。刚好，排在前面是一位小女孩，跟侄女差不多大。她是跟随母亲排队的。我麻烦她给我试穿那件上衣。她的母亲，转身叫她把外套脱下，去试穿。
穿上了之后，她跑到镜前，转来转去看自己，然后，跑过来告诉我很合适。看她的样子，好像很喜欢那件上衣。她的母亲，也看得出女儿的心意，问她是否也想买一件。母女俩人，跑去挑选上衣。我感谢他们的协助，跟着付钱离开。不打算购买东西，反而给侄女挑选到生日礼物，感到很开心。希望，她会喜欢。不只能够感受节日的气氛，走走做运动，经历个意外的购物趣事，可算度过一个不错的下午闲游。

Emails 电邮

2011-12-20T12:43:00.004-05:00

December 19, 2011

EMAILS

Checking emails is my first job every morning when I turn on my computer each day. It is the most enjoyable part of the day because there is always something new, interesting, entertaining etc from those emails from friends and relatives from all over the world.
I got a very unexpected email last Saturday from a girl friend whom I had lost contact for a while. It was so joyful and excited to receive her email in this special holiday season. She used to be my best classmate in Vietnam and then we ran away to China together. We had been through a lot of hardship during the escaping ordeal. She settled down in Switzerland and is leading a very happy family life with her husband and two sons who have grown up and are working as engineer and mechanic now. The happiest thing to learn about her is that she is still very healthy, working in the clinic and making a lot of traveling around.
Another wonderful email that I got this morning was from my friend in Vancouver. He is my daughter’s boy friend’s father who sent me an email wishing me Merry Christmas with attachment of pictures before he headed for Mexico for the holidays. His son left for Poland for the holiday for a month at the beginning of December. He drove him to the airport and took a few pictures which I enjoyed viewing. I am very inspired with their trips ahead of them and wish them having fun and joy during the holidays.
I am really cheered up with those emails and find out that the holiday spirit is with me this year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!!!!!!!!

二零一一年十二月十九日

电邮

每天最开心、最享受的事，是打开电脑查阅电邮。亲友，从世界各地，寄来的电邮，带给我无穷的欢乐、惊喜、娱乐、新消息、新发现、新咨询。。。
上星期六，收到一个非常以外的电邮。是由一位失去了联络有一段时间的好友寄来的。她是我在越南读大学时候的一位同班女同学。后来，我们两人跟她的小弟，一块儿逃难到大陆去。三人在艰苦的逃难过程中度过难忘的日子。跟着，她在瑞士定居。现在，拥有一个幸福的家，有两个儿子，已经长大，在社会工作，一个是工程师、一个是技工，老公还在工作，她也在医务所上班，一切美满。得知情况之后，感到很欣慰。
今天早上，打开电脑，又收到一个非常喜悦的电邮。是由女儿男友的父亲寄来的。在启程前往墨西哥度假之前，在百忙中还争取抽空把电邮先寄给我，祝愿我圣诞快乐，感到很安慰。他也把几张照片附上。他的儿子在十二月初，前往波兰度假一个月。在机场送别的时候，把照片拍下。看到照片，感到非常亲切。能够在圣诞假期，外出旅游度假，替他们开心，希望，他们旅途愉快。
收到那么多的喜讯，感到非常兴奋、开心，给神圣的假期加上了气氛。
祝大家：

圣诞、新年快乐！！！！！

Back to big city返回大都市

2011-12-19T12:54:00.003-05:00

II. TEENAGER IN VIET NAM

21. BACK TO BIG CITY

The dream of being able to live in the big city where I was born had been nourished by me since I left the small city. It was very excited to have my dream come true. After eight years of being away from the big city and being transformed from a Chinese Cantonese speaking little city girl to a Vietnamese speaking country teenager I was fascinated by the life in the big city where there were traffic lights, wide roads, more vehicles, more people, big commercial billboards etc when I came back.
At my age then and with my knowledge I was able to see the challenge ahead of me. I started being aware of the difference from life in the village to it in the small city, to it in the small town and then to it in the big city. Everything was within our reach in the village, in small city and in small town where we could walk or bike. It was impossible to do it in the big city where it was huge and diverted. We had to look for means of transportation to move around. Language barrier was also the problem that I had to face. In the Chinese community people spoke Cantonese and used Chinese as an official language which I had no knowledge about. Though it was my mother tongue I forgot most of it after eight years of speaking Vietnamese. I found it difficult in expressing myself with it and in understanding it sometimes. Chinese writing was entirely unknown to me.
I also came to realize that there were many fun things to learn between the two authentic groups. Vietnamese loved fish sauce and raw vegetable while Chinese ate soy sauce and cooked vegetable only. Vietnamese wore black satin pants while Chinese never wore that kind of pants. The Chinese people did not care much about politics but economic and freedom. It was a peaceful society without being disturbed by the fighting going on in the outskirt. The Chinese just focused on doing business to bring wealth to the community. With the arrival of the US and alliance troops since 1963 foreign product and technology were allowed to be introduced to the Vietnamese market. Motorcycles, cars, household appliances were largely imported from Japan.
Life was so enjoyable and fascinating to a country youngster like me. It was a brand new world in front of me. I started making observation to learn to cope with the new life which was totally different from before and also felt very grateful to be part of the prosperous peaceful society without having to be threatened by the fighting that was going on.

II 在越南的少年时期

21．返回大都市

回去我出生的大城市里去生活，感到非常的兴奋和开心。离开已经有八个年头，当时是一个无知小小只能说广东话的城市女孩。回来的时候，已经长大，改变成为一个只会说越南话的乡下少女，对身边的事物感到好奇、新鲜。大城市已经面目全非，街道车多、人多，高楼大厦林立，非常繁华、热闹。
已经成长的我，会有足够的认知力，看出村庄里的生活跟小城市的生活有区别，小城市跟大城市的生活更不用说，区别更大。在小城市和农村，范围不大，到哪里去都很近、很方便，走路或者踏单车可以到达。在大城市，完全另一回事，地方广大,要学会使用交通工具。不然的活，寸步难移，很不方便。语言也是一个很大的障碍。居民大部分是华人，说广东话，使用中国文字。虽然，母语是广东话，但是，八年里少说，已经变成了一个土生土长地道的越南女孩，广东话说得不流利，难以用它来表达想说的话。听的时候，有时候，也会一知半解，很糟糕。对中文书写，更不用说，一无所知，感到很自卑。
也发现很多有趣的事，有关两个民族风俗习惯的区别。越南人，爱吃鱼水、生的蔬菜。华人喜欢吃酱油、煮熟的蔬菜。越南人，爱穿黑色的丝绸长裤。华人，不会穿它。华人不喜欢参与政治，而只会努力干活，做买卖生意，专注经济，提高生活质素。在一九六三年，美军、盟军，进驻越南，带给当地的华人很多营商的机会。政府也放宽，给大量的外国货进入市场。从日本进口最多，汽车、摩托车、电冰箱、电视机、电饭锅等等的先进器材，把生活大大地改善。
生活舒适、现代活，把我这个乡下姑娘吸引住。这是一个完全不同的世界。要学的东西有很多。我要不断地观察周围的事物，尽量去摸索，为自己的乡下气质改头换面，来融入一直向往的大城市生活，重新开始。最使我开心的事，是可以暂时离开战火的威胁，享受市内和平、富裕的生活。

Stomach flu 肠胃炎

2011-12-16T15:26:00.002-05:00

December 16, 2011

STOMACH FLU

I went to see my family doctor yesterday. He said that I had stomach flu which caused me to have the vomiting. There was virus or bacteria that got in my body through my mouth. It would take a few days to a week to have a total recovery.
Since I had stopped vomiting he did not have to give me a shot to stop it. After the vomiting the stomach needed time to settle down. It might keep on rejecting any food or drink intake that was in large quantities. I did not feel hungry but felt flatulent. It was because there was no food in my stomach. After the explanation he made a few recommendations for me:

- soup or drink - Date and ginger soup was good for the stomach but should not be drunk in large quantities
- food - Stir fried rice with ginger and nothing else would be easily accepted by the stomach but also not to be eaten in large amount

He told me not to eat or drink if I was not hungry and to rest more to save the energy. I also had to try to intake bit by bit to let the stomach get back to its normal function which could not be recovered overnight. It was going to take time for the recovery.
I followed his instruction to make the date and ginger soup and stir fried rice with ginger for dinner last night. It worked and looked like that my stomach started working since last night. I started burped less and felt comfortable with the food that I ate. I dared not intake much but just bit by bit.
I am feeling very well but still very weak though because I think the virus is still inside my gastroenteritis and my immune system is working very hard to fight it. It was lucky that I had made the right decision to see my family doctor to get some correct information about what was going on with me. His recommendation was very helpful. I will keep on resting and hopefully will have a total recovery before the holidays to come.

二零一一年十二月十六日

肠胃炎

昨天下午，去看家庭医生。据他的诊断，我患有肠胃炎，因此，不断地呕吐。肠胃炎，是从口把细菌或者病毒引进肠胃里面去。能够把食物呕吐出来或者把它排泄出去会没事的，但是，需要几天甚至一个星期才会完全的恢复。
呕吐之后，胃部会受到损伤。它有可能会继续地抗拒食物进入胃部，因此，不要大量地饮食。不会感到肚子饿而感到有胀气，因为，胃部里面没有食物。给我仔细的分析之后，他给我介绍事后怎样去调理身体：

- 饮料 – 红枣姜汤对肠胃好，但是，不要大量地喝
- 食物 – 姜炒饭肠胃会容易接受，但是，也不要大量地吃

慢慢地来把胃口调理。肚子不饿，不要进食，尽量休息，不要损耗太多的体力。让肠胃慢慢地恢复正常，也让自己的免疫系统，去抵抗已经入侵体内肠胃的细菌或者病毒。
昨晚，按照他的指示去煮红枣姜汤，姜炒饭。吃过之后，感到好像有些作用，胀气有些减少，胃部好像也开始运作了。
幸好，昨天去看了医生。虽然，他没有给我开任何的药方，但是，他的话带给我很大信心，也安抚我不少，也给我对自己的病情有所认识，也给我对饮食方面有些认知，获益良多。虽然，今天的精神各方面都不错，但是，还是比较虚弱。要需要时间去恢复，希望，能够在圣诞前夕痊愈。

Came so suddenly来得太突然

2011-12-15T13:53:00.003-05:00

December 15 2011

CAME SO SUDDENLY

I was fine and went out for a walk in the morning and afternoon as usual on Tuesday, the day before yesterday. When I got back home at 3 pm I started feeling not very well. It was like bloating in my tummy and caused me to have to let it out.
It became worse and worse so I have to let it out. After the vomit I felt better. I thought that I would be fine and that might be my stomach rejected the food that I ate. After half an hour later I felt sick again so I had to throw up one more time. After the vomit I felt awful. I lost the strength from my four limbs. My eyes just wanted to close up. It was time that my husband came back from work. He was stunned at my complexion which was pale. I was supposed to start my cooking but could not handle it.
It seemed that I was a totally different person who was very, very sick within a few minutes. He made the offer of sending me to see my family doctor right away. I refused but jumped right on bed to rest as what I wanted to do. It came so suddenly that I had no idea what was wrong with me. Lying in bed was the safest place for me. My husband started taking my blood pressure which was fine and taking my temperature which was a bit high. I started feeling very cold and aching in my bones. The feeling was very unpleasant. My husband tried to explain to me that I got a cold that my stomach rejected digesting the food due to the immune system collected all the energy to fight the cold and so on. He kept talking without my involvement. I was too tired to even talking.
He had to prepare his own dinner. I lay in bed resting but was unable to sleep. After a while I started feeling to let go of the stuff in my stomach again. I had to do the throw up one more time before bed time at 9 pm. What came out was what I ate at lunch time. It was the stir fried rice with mushroom, portabella, carrot and celery with boiled cucumber which was the left over from the night before. The after taste of the portabella was in my throat after the vomit and whenever I burped. The taste made me sick and was very disgusting too.
It was hard for me to sleep well during the night. I started having the vomiting feeling at 2 am but I did not get out of bed to do it because I was afraid of waking up my husband. I just suffered from it and tried to hold on to it. It was lucky that I was able to get into sleeping for a while during the suffering until 5 pm when my husband got up for work. The vomiting feeling was not present then so I kept lying in bed until 10 am when I got out of bed with very sick feeling. I did not have the strength even to brush my teeth or to clean my face. There was neither food nor drink in my stomach since the night before so I boiled some water and sipped small amount because I was afraid that it would bring up my vomiting if I drank large quantity. I also cooked a bit of oatmeal and had two table spoons only.
After the breakfast I sat down in the sofa with my eyes close and rest. I also took the temperature which was normal. I then turned on the computer to check the emails and then turned it off right away because I was so tired that I had no mind or energy to do anything. I jumped right back on bed and rest until 3:30 pm when the phone rang. It was because I got up so fast that I felt like to let go the food in my stomach again. After letting it out I felt much and much better. What came out was only the cucumber skin because I did not actually intake any solid food. I did not feel hungry at all so I made myself two cups of tea having it and chatting with my husband while he was cooking in the kitchen.
After having the hot green tea I felt much better. My eye lids were not falling down to make me close them. My body regained its strength so I quickly went to have the shower and to brush my teeth that I was unable to do them the night before and yesterday morning. After the hot shower I felt even better and was able to sit down on the sofa to watch TV in the living room until 9 pm when I went to bed with empty stomach which did not give me any signal that I was hungry and would like to have food. I slept well last night and woke up as a normal person this morning but was still very weak though.
I could get back to my normal activity like writing or reading but not the physical one like going for a walk. For my breakfast and lunch I made myself some oatmeal but did not feel like eating it. I did not feel hungry at all so I dumped it and had some cheerio which I liked with some green tea instead. I am feeling fine now except that I burped very often and had no driving for food. I think that I am going to see the doctor this afternoon when my husband came back from work. I have no idea what was going wrong with me. Is it food poisoning or cold or flu? I don’t know. It was awful and I had been tortured for one night and a whole day yesterday.

二零一一年十二月十五日
来得太突然

前天早上，我还是一个很健康、很正常的人。早上和下午，都按照正常的活动到户外去走走。下午回来之后，开始感觉有点不舒服，腹胀、想呕吐。
下午三点钟之后，越来越难受，没办法，给它呕吐出来。之后，感到好些，因此，认为有可能胃部抗拒我吃的食物，把它排挤出来，该没事的。没想到，过了不久，又来想呕吐。这次，糟糕，呕吐之后，全身没力，双眼不想打开，很辛苦。刚好老公下班回家，看到我苍白的脸色，非常吃惊。我正站在厨房，准备做饭，但是，无法去干，很累，很想倒下床去休息。
看到我的情况，老公提出，把我送到医务所去。我很辛苦，什么地方都不想去，而躺下休息去。床是最安全的地方。躺下床去之后，我开始感到很冷，四肢的骨头很痛，难以把那种辛苦形容。老公，忙着把我量度血压、体温，血压正常，体温高了一点。他不断地在我耳边，给我讲解我的情况。伤风、感冒，会导致呕吐，因为，身体的免疫系统，把全部精力集中在对付入侵的病菌，不愿意把食物消化，是正常的。他不断地自言自语，而我没有精神、精力去理会他，甚至说话。我的确太累、太没有气力了。
老公要自己做饭吃。我躺在床上休息，但是，很辛苦，无法入睡。几个小时之后，又来想呕吐。在九点钟，临睡前，再来给它呕吐一次。整个晚上，都翻来覆去，感觉很辛苦，难以入睡。在凌晨两点的时候，又来想呕吐。不想把老公闹醒，因此，抑制着它，把它压住。在很辛苦的压抑中，可以睡着了。当老公在五点起床上班的时候，我也睡醒，但是，呕吐的感觉好像已经没了，继续地躺在床上休息。一直到早上十点才起床。
起床之后，还是感到很不舒服，很累，连洗脸、刷牙都不想干。没喝没吃过东西，因此，煮点开水喝、煮点麦片吃。不感到肚子饿，也不想吃，只喝了几口热水，吃了两汤匙麦片。然后，到客厅的沙发坐下，量度体温，显示正常，到另一个房间打开电脑，查看电邮之后，马上把它关上，跑到卧房去，上床休息去，我感到太累、太没力气了。一直躺到下午三点半，有电话响，赶快起床去接电话。起来的速度太快，又有感觉好像想呕吐。把它呕吐出来之后，感到轻松很多。都没有吃过多少东西，哪来有食物在肠胃里面。出来的食物全是黄瓜皮。那是我前天中午吃的蘑菇、西芹炒饭和黄瓜。应该是最后剩下的食物。能够把它呕吐出来之后，会有帮助的。双眼也开始愿意打开，坐在厨房，跟老公聊天，喝热茶。老公正忙着烧饭。
喝完杯热绿茶之后，体力也有点恢复，也感到舒服很多，赶快跑去刷牙、洗澡。然后，在大厅坐下，看电视到九点才上床睡觉去。肚子空空的，但是，没感到饿，而有点胀气的感觉，偶尔会打饱嗝，可算可以睡个好觉。早上起床的时候，感到很精神，跟平常没有多大区别，只感到体力没那么充足。
可以恢复正常的生活，但是，体力活动还不能够参与，不能够到户外去走走等等。肚子不饿，也不想多进食。早餐和午餐，煮了少许麦片，都不想吃。结果，要把它扔掉，改吃干谷类cheerio，松脆可口，比较感兴趣。对热绿茶也非常感兴趣，把它喝下去之后，感到很舒服。不知道自己到底患上了什么病，是感冒、伤风、食物中毒？下午等老公下班回来之后，去给家庭医生检查诊断。我已经给折磨了整夜整天了。

My youngest brother was born小弟的诞生

2011-12-13T12:45:00.001-05:00

20. YOUNGEST BROTHER WAS BORN

When mom felt the baby coming she rushed to the clinic. When the midwife detected that the baby’s feet were going to come out instead of the head she was very nervous because it was my mom’s tenth pregnancy. She worried about her age too so she ordered my mom to be transferred to the public hospital in the ambulance right away. It was safer for her to be in the big hospital where there were professional doctors and advance equipment available for urgent requirement.
There was no difficulty in the labor in which a normal healthy baby boy was delivered. It was very lucky that mom was sent to the public hospital where we found out that everything was free. We gave all the credits to my little youngest brother who foresaw the trouble that we would be in had his feet come out first to scare the midwife. He was born when our family was in the poorest condition. When he was a month old I told my parents that I was old enough to go out to look for job. Our family needed the money very badly. I did not want to see the whole family starving. There was not much choice for them but let me go to the city to look for job.

20．小弟的诞生

当母亲，感觉到胎儿快要出来的时候，马上赶到诊所去。助产士，赶快准备接生。当她发现胎儿的双脚先出来的时候，就很慌张。母亲已经是超龄产妇，也是她的第十次的怀孕。考虑到以上的因数，助产士不敢冒险给母亲接生，而马上要救护车把她送往大的公立医院去。在那里，设备齐全，医生经验丰富，假如，万一难产，都可以及时作出急救。
母亲，在救护车上，已经顺产，把健康的小弟生下，母子平安。没料到，出院的时候，一分钱都不要缴交。公立医院全是免费的。好像老天爷可怜我们，给以我们的安排。小弟在母体里，已经很懂事，把脚先伸出来，把助产士吓走。不然的活，不知道怎样有能力去缴付昂贵的医疗费。
当小弟满月的时候，我跟父母商讨，有关到大城市去寻找工作。我不想看到家人挨饿。父母，没有别的选择，只有让我离开去碰运气。

Orange orchare果园

2011-12-12T12:45:00.003-05:00

19. ORANGE ORCHARD

I was very disappointed that we went back to the big city but was unable to live there. Our family settled down in the orange orchard in Hoc Mon which was a small town 15 km away from Saigon. The orchard belonged to a friend of my father who let my family to move in to live in the small house and to take care of the orchard for her. This place was not as primitive as the small village My Khe. Though there was also no running water there were toilet and electricity. The house was small with only one bedroom and a dining room. Our parents slept in the bedroom. We slept on the folding beds in the dining room at night. During the day the beds were folded up and the room was for dining.
Dad built a shed for raising the chickens. I did not go back to school but stayed home taking care of the orange trees and the chickens. My eldest brother had to quit school and worked for my second uncle who let him stay with his family in Saigon. My eldest sister and other siblings went to Vietnamese school. Life which was very tough was not what I had expected. We did not have much money left after my father invested all his money into that plant which manufactured poultry food with the hope that he was able to have a job as a partner with pay too. Dad was responsible for the production and maintenance while that Vietnamese guy looked after the sales and purchase. Dad worked for a few months without being paid. Then one day, the guy who was a crook ran away leaving my father with the debt that he owed. The plant had to be shut down. Dad lost all of the saving that he had invested in that plant
It was very devastated. The only source of incoming that we could think of was to pick the oranges to the market to be sold for cash to buy food for the family. When there were no more oranges left then I had to take the chickens to the market to sell them too. The cash from those sales was not enough to keep us surviving for a long time. Misfortune never came singly because mom was pregnant. The due date was getting close and large amount of money would be needed to pay for the baby delivery charge. She could not do it at home like when she was in the small village but had to go to the private clinic where the appointment had already been booked. We worried for the days to come because we had no more money on hand. Where should we go for help? It was hopeless and looked like that there was no way to get out of the dilemma.

19．果园

带着非常的兴奋心情回去我出生的大城市。很可惜，我不能够在那大城市生活，而要随着家人定居在市外的一个小果园。果园植有芒果树和橙树，是父亲一位越南朋友拥有，也是他们的度假小去处。看到我们一家人没有地方住，她把房子出借给我们，也希望我们能够替她打理果园。
果园比以往的村庄好些。虽然，没有自来水，但是，有厕所和电源供应。房子只有一个小卧室和一个小饭厅。父母亲和最小的妹妹在卧室就寝。全部姐弟妹们，在饭厅用能够收起的帆布床睡觉。大哥也要放弃学业，给二叔干活，也在他家寄住。大姐和小弟妹们继续地到越南学校就读。我继续停学，留在家协助父母打理果园和养鸡。父亲盖了一个小小的鸡棚来养鸡，让它们生鸡蛋。我整天都要忙忙碌碌地在户外干活，不喜欢也要干，因为，没有别的选择。
生活非常的艰苦，因为，父亲，把全部的积储都投放到一家家禽饲料制造厂去，希望入股之后，可以有工作、有收入。那位骗子，负责销售业务。父亲，负责打理厂里的生产业务。辛辛苦苦干了好几个月，父亲还没有得到一分钱的工资。突然，有一天，那位骗子失踪了，用厂的名字欠下一笔大款。在无奈中，把厂房关闭，失去一切。再次，面临一无所有。这次，更糟糕，因为，所有积储的钱都全没了。
往后的生活该怎样去过？连买百米钱都没了。只有把树上的橙子采摘，拿到市场去卖。当全部的橙子都没了，要把养来生蛋的鸡，拿到市场去卖。所有可以换成钱的都拿去卖。一家大大小小有十口人，光吃饭都要不少的钱去买大米。祸不单行，母亲也怀孕了，生产的日子也快接近。她不能够好像在小村庄的时候，在家分娩，而一定要去诊所把孩子生下。我们几个较大的小孩，都在私家诊所出生的。母亲，跑到哪儿去给助产士检查，做好登记，等待那个重要的时刻到来。一切都要付费的。怎样办？从何处去借钱来付款，家境非常贫困，已经到达一个绝望的地步，无法找到出路、办法来解脱困境。

Black color water 黑色的水

2011-12-09T13:02:00.001-05:00

December 7 2011

BLACK COLOR WATER

My husband came home after work and found out that the carpet in the basement was wet last week. It was late when he came home so he had to have the dinner first. After dinner he started working on the wet carpet by vacuuming it to suck the water out. The color of the water was black instead of being clear as it was when there was leaking from the crack on the wall on the left side.
Therefore he assumed that the water was coming from the chimney or from the back. When he vacuumed the carpet he also found out that it looked like that there was a small pit under it. He wondered if it was the drain opening. After having examined the area carefully he came up with the conclusion that the water either coming from the chimney from the wall at the back or from the drain under the carpet when the water level was high outside due to the heavy rain. After having sucked much of the water out from the carpet it was still very wet so he put a dehumidifier next to it. It was too dark to get outside to check with the wall at the back. So he did it the next morning and found out that the lawn was still soaked wet.
We went out having lunch last Sunday and met my youngest brother who asked us if we had any problem with our basement. It was not surprised to hear his story because problem with wet basement was everywhere in the city. He never had the problem with his basement before because he had installed the sump pump. It was different last week when the water level in the storm sewer was so high that the water came coming back. The basement was flooded but not much. It was lucky that he did not have the carpet so he had a chance to clean up the basement when the filthy water was gone the next day when the rain stopped. After having listened to his story my husband was sure that our basement was wet by the water level from the sewer.
There was snow flurry and then heavy rain yesterday but it looked like that there was no problem with our basement. The carpet was dried out after a few days with the dehumidifier being on. I do hope that it happened just once in a blue moon only.

二零一一年十二月七日

黑色的水

上个星期，老公下班回家，发现地下室的地毯弄湿了，但是，已经太晚，他先吃晚饭。晚饭后，才开始去处理湿地毯的问题。他先用吸水机，把水尽量地吸走。吸出来的水颜色是黑的。以前，墙壁有裂缝，雨水漏进来的时候，吸出来的水没带有颜色、很清。
因此，老公可以判断出，雨水有可能通过烟囱溜近来的。当他吸水的时候，也发现地毯下面，好像有个小凹口，好像是污水坑口。有可能外面的污水坑的水位太高，引致污水倒流进来。经过仔细检查之后，他可以肯定污水是从那两个渠道溜进来的。把水吸走之后，但是，地毯还是很湿的。他要摆放一个抽湿机在附近，让它吸走湿气。由于，外面天已经太黑了，无法到后院去，检查外面的情况。等到第二天早上，他才出去检查，发现后院的草皮仍然还是很湿。
上个星期天，外出吃午饭的时候，碰上小弟。他问我们，那场大雨，对我们有造成地下室水浸吗？他把他的情况告诉我们。他的地下室，从来都没有遇到过任何的问题，因为，他建房子的时候，已经把小水泵安装在地下室的小坑里。假如，遇到大雨，外面污水坑倒流的时候，水泵会把水抽走，地下室不会浸水。这次的雨水的确太大、太多，水泵不断地抽水，但是，水依然地溜进来。假如，没有哪个水泵，就不得了。幸好，他没有盖上地毯。第二天，雨停了，污水流走了，他有机会把地下室清洗干净。市内，无数的房子都遇到不同程度的浸水。听他诉说之后，也不会感到很惊讶。但是，从小弟的叙说，老公领会到，我家地下室的浸水，是从污水坑倒流进来的。
昨天，先飘雪，后下大雨，但是，很幸运，地下室没事。经过几天，把抽湿机开动，地毯也给吹干了。希望，这种稀有的雨量不会再来困扰我们。

Tapioca flour purchase 收购木薯粉

2011-12-08T12:51:00.001-05:00

18. TAPIOCA FLOUR PURCHASE

It was tough for dad to get over the death of my sister who died in his arms. Her death drove him to carry out his plan of moving back to Saigon faster. He sold the restaurant and moved back to Saigon a couple months after her death. My sister and I were left behind one more time and my eldest brother was with us too. We moved back to stay in the apartment where we were room and board before. It was summer time so they did not have to go to school.
We started the tapioca flour (tapioca starch or potato starch as used to be called) purchase which was initiated and supported by my third uncle, father’s sister’s husband who was a businessman in Saigon where there was shortage of tapioca flour on the market. He supplied us with money for the purchase of the tapioca flour which then shipped to Saigon for him to sell it. Tapioca flour was made from cassava roots or arrow roots which were planted in the villages that we used to live. The villagers just manufactured the flour in their back yard. I used to see how the roots transforming into flour. The roots were peeled first, shredded, soaked with water for days. Then a piece of cloth was used to filter the juice to discharge the coarse remainder left on the cloth. The juice then left in the big jar for days until the clear water separated from the starch at the bottom. The water was then carefully removed and the bottom solid part was moved onto trays for drying under the sun for days until it became flour. My curiosity brought me to get to know the process which was long and required a lot of hard labor work.
Though I knew the product I was not an expert. We found an acquaintance that was in the tapioca business and also moved to live in the city from the village where we used to live. Her house was just on the side of the road that led into the city. Under her guidance we biked to the market where the tapioca vendors gathering to sell their product. The market was 7 km away from where we were living. It was too far away and also not safe to have the transaction dealt in the rural area. We met the vendors and told them to bring the flour to the acquaintance’s house where we were going to purchase the flour in very big quantities and with a higher price.
The vendors carried the flour in two big baskets. The flour which was sold by basket unit instead of by weight was packed into big cloth bags which were then weighted as were required by the shipping company and shipped to the warehouse that was close to our apartment. The shipping company then shipped the bags to Saigon for our uncle by big ship. First my brother who knew the shipping company was responsible to get the money from them when the flour was delivered to them upon the agreement made by uncle and the shipping company. There was no written agreement but verbal only. The vendors who sold the flour to us got the amount being owed written on a small piece of white paper which was brought to our apartment to be paid at 4 pm in the afternoon each day. For our safety we did not want to bring large amount of money with us to the acquaintance’s house.
The amount of flour purchased was increased dramatically that the shipping company ran out of cash and was no longer being able to supply us with cash. There was no phone call communication or bank in those days but telegram communication in the post office only. My sister visited the post office daily to communicate with my uncle who then wired the money to us via telegram too. The amount of cash that she received daily was huge. It sounded impossible for us who were the minors to be in charge of the big business with that huge amount of cash in this society but there was no problem in those days in that small society where we did not need to provide an identity to receive the cash but with only the telegram as the proof.
With only two months’ period we purchased all of the flour that was available in the region. When there was no more flour left it was also time for us to leave the city and flew to Saigon to reunite with our family. We were separated for only three months during the summer in which we made large sum of money for my dad from the tapioca flour purchase business. Without my uncle’s support it was impossible for us to have performed that successfully and had a chance to learn that life time experience. The credit should be given to him.

18．收购木薯粉

对小妹的死，父亲非常难过，促使他要把离开的计划提早实行。意外发生几个月之后，他把餐馆卖掉，把全家搬回西贡去。我和大姐没有同行，而又再次给留下。这次多了大哥陪同我们。三人搬回去以往的寄居住所去。刚好是暑假，他们不用上学去。
在西贡的姑丈，把购买木薯粉(生分)的任务交给我们三兄妹。西贡木薯粉市场面临严重的缺货。他会把钱提供给我们，也挑选了运输公司。只要我们把货送到运输公司，他们会把钱交给我们。一切都从口头上同意了，要展开大量的收购。在村庄上学的时候，经常都见到村民在后院制造木薯粉。木薯是当地出产最多的农产品。他们先把木薯去皮，把它刨碎，放在水里浸好几天。然后，用布把渣取出。剩下的淀粉水，把它放在大缸里数天。等到水和淀粉分开。很谨慎地把上面的水除去，把下面固体的淀粉放在大筲箕，给太阳把它晒干，变成了木薯粉。过程非常艰辛、也需要相当长的时间。没料到，我所熟悉的木薯粉，会使我要收购的货物。
虽然，对木薯粉有些认识，但是，我不是专家。首先，要找到对木薯粉有丰富经验的人士。她也是从村庄逃难到城市来的一位熟悉的人。她的家就在入城大马路的旁边。木薯粉的市集离开城市七公里。姐妹俩人踏单车到哪儿去，跟卖木薯粉的小贩见面，告诉他们把木薯粉挑到熟人的家去。我们会在那儿大量地收购木薯粉，钱也会多付一些。
小贩用竹篮装木薯粉。每人只可以挑两个篮子。交易的时候，是按篮子的容量来算价钱，而不是按重量。从小贩买下了的木薯粉之后，要请人把木薯粉从篮子，倒入大麻布袋里，把它们称量重量作记录，才把它们送到运输公司去。大哥认识运输公司的老板，让他去负责把钱取回来。木薯粉收购的数量增长得太快、太大，出乎意料之内，运输公司，失去预算，缺少现金，无法把钱供应给我们。
六十年代初，越南的电话网络还没有发展，只靠通过邮政局来联系。大姐，每天都要跑到哪儿去发出和接受电报，以在西贡的姑丈联络。得知，缺少现金，他马上通过邮政局汇款给大姐。在这个完整的法制社会，未成年的小孩不可以领取那么大笔的现金，也不能够参与那么庞大的交易收购。当时的社会制度还没有法律管制，只靠信用，靠电报的纸条，就可以领取汇款，什么证件都不用，年龄也没有限制。
虽然，年纪小小，但是，我们很会保护自己，很会注意安全，不会携带大笔现金到熟人家去，而要小贩们在下午四点，来到市中心，我们的住所来领取现金。大姐，很简单地把欠他们的数目写下在一张小白纸上。他们凭着那不起眼的小纸条来收钱。收买的交易过程，非常的简单、顺利、成功。不够两个月，在当地的全部的木薯粉，都给我们买掉。也该是时候，离开那个小城市，飞到更大的城市去，跟家人团聚。在短短三个月的暑假里，我们给父亲赚得一笔非常可观的收入。那全靠姑丈的灵活商机头脑和信赖，也全靠他有胆量给以我们的机会。该感谢他。

Fatal accident 致命的意外

2011-12-07T12:42:00.001-05:00

17. FATAL ACCIDENT

One day a customer wanted a bowl of noodle soup from the noodle soup restaurant across the street. My mom carried my youngest sister running across the street. She did not realize that my three-year-old sister was following her. As a result a big military truck hit and ran over her. She was still breathing but was unconscious. My dad took her up and carried her to the hospital. On the way to the hospital she stopped breathing and died in my father’s arms. Her eyes, noses, ears and mouth were bleeding. She was injured internally.
The fatal accident took place at around 10 o’clock in the morning when I was at the market purchasing food for the day. When I got home dad, mom, my three-year-old little sister and my youngest sister were still in the hospital. We did not expect to get the bad news that she was dead. Finally they came back. It was bad news. My dad was holding a dead body home. The crying burst out. The whole restaurant was filled with crying sound. My heart was broken. She was only three years old and was still running alive when I left for the market. Her eyes were not closing. Dad laid her down on his bed. He smoothed her eyes with his hand to let them close.
All of the siblings just kept on crying without saying a word to each other. We did not have lunch. Dad, mom and some other friends of my parents discussed about the funeral. A small casket was brought in. My poor little sister was put in it. Dad who told us to stand around the casket to pay her the last respect reminded us that she was sleeping peacefully that we should not cry to wake her up. It was two o’clock in the afternoon when the casket was then covered. It was then carried out to a military jeep. Dad and mom went with her to the graveyard. From that moment my three-year-old little sister was no longer around us. She was sleeping under the ground by herself forever.

17．致命的意外

有一天﹐有一個熟客人想吃一碗麵條。我家的店，沒有出售麵條。店對面有一家粉麵館。母親就手抱最小的妹妹，走過馬路，到對面的粉麵館去，買一碗麵條給哪位客人。沒有注意到三歲大的小妹妹跟在後面。一部大的軍車，來不及躲避就撞了妹妹。然後，還壓過了她小小的身體。父親，馬上跑去抱她往醫院去。母親抱最小的妹妹一塊兒走。
當父親抱她起來的時候﹐她還活。在路上，停止呼吸，死在父親的懷抱裡面。當車禍發生的時候﹐我正在市場購買菜料。兄弟姐妹們還在上學。哪時候是早上十點。当我回家的时候，发现父母親和兩個小妹妹還在醫院。沒有想到車禍會奪取她小小的生命。當父親抱她進來的時候﹐發現她已死去。大家一起放聲大哭。整個餐館都是哭泣的聲音，非常悲哀。早上，當我離開她的時候﹐她還活。父親把她放在床上。她的雙眼還沒閉上。父親用手把它一摸，就馬上盍起來。五孔都出血。因為，受了严重的内傷。多麼的可憐，她只有三歲大。
大家都很悲傷，都沒有吃午飯。过了不久，一個小小的棺木送進來。他們把小妹妹放進去。父親叫我們兄弟姐妹們跟她道别。父親不斷的提醒我們，不要哭泣﹐不要打擾她，讓她好好的安息。棺木給蓋上。然後，抬到一部小軍用的吉普車去。父母親跟車一起去墳場把她埋葬。从此，三歲大的小妹妹，就永遠地離開我們。她一個人孤獨的長眠在地下。

Lucky money利是钱

2011-12-06T13:14:00.005-05:00

December 5, 2011

LUCKY MONEY

In the Chinese tradition we often give out lucky money to kids or the unmarried young relatives in certain occasions like New Year, birthday, Christmas and so on. Giving out lucky money is also a very practical way of giving out monetary gifts to others instead of buying gifts for them.
When I was little I used to get lucky money from our relatives but was not allowed to keep it which had to be given to my mom because kids were not supposed to be in charge of any money. Kids had no authority over anything in those years. They had to obey and did what their parents told them to do. The parents just gave birth to as many kids as possible and never had any planning for the future of their kids who grew up without much supervision or guidance but just followed the footstep of their parents.
When I had my daughter in this advance society I had different point of view about raising a child. I would not follow what my parents had done. First of all I would not have as many kids as I could produce but only one whom I would give all the best from what I had spiritually and materially and whom I also carefully assist to live the life that she chose and preferred. Giving out lucky money is considered to be a very good tradition to me. Since my daughter was born I opened a bank account for her. Whatever lucky money that she got I deposited it into it for her when she was very little and when she was unable to handle it on her own. When she was old enough I let her take care of her own bank account. I never took any money out from her lucky money since she was born. I taught her to keep that money in the saving account for her university education which would be very costly in the days to come.
She was a very good kid who never withdrew any money from the saving account before she left home for the university education. Our relatives were very generous with her and used to send her the lucky money even when she was away from home. She was very cautious with her money and expenses. After seven years of working in the summers and living away from home to support herself through the university education she got her master degree finally in August. She started her full time job since June before graduation. I was very impressed with her hard work and productive life getting involved in the society. She just sent me a very passionate email about her perspective campaign and would like me to tell my relatives not to send her the lucky money this year but to make the donation to EWB instead. I am very proud of her and support her wholeheartedly.

Here is part of what she wrote in the email:

…In the meantime, I've started a perspectives campaign. Here's the link. Please share it with family members. I don't need any lucky money this year. Please ask them to contribute it to Engineers Without Borders instead.

https://perspectives.ewb.ca/belindali

二零一一年十二月五日

利是钱

利是（红包）是华人传统习惯的一种吉利的表示。在大节日中，好像过年、过节、生日的时候，大人、亲友，都会给小孩们、还没结婚的下辈，利是，希望他们听话、长大、有成、快点结婚。结婚之后，就不能够领取利是，而要派发利是了。利是也可以在社会上大作用途，当作礼物来送礼，非常实用。
记得，小时候，收到利是钱之后，全部要上缴给母亲。在那个年代，小孩不能够拥有任何的现金，不能够有任何的自主权力。一切都由父母亲去安排。在家中，父母很有权力，掌管一切。他们不断生小孩，但是，不会给儿女们作出长远的计划、安排。他们跟着传统的轨道，一代一代地传下去，相信“天生天养”的错误观念而活着。
女儿在不同年代出生。我不会跟着上一代的那套来带大女儿。首先，我不相信“天生天养”，不相信儿女多是福气。小孩在幼年时，一定要好好的管教，让他们在幸福、快乐的家中成长，协助他们达成他们的梦想等等。。。儿女不要多，一个已经足够。女儿出生之后，在银行给她开了个存储户口，把所有她得到的利是钱都放进去。当她开始懂事的时候，把存折交给她，让她继续地把利是钱存进去，并给她讲解有关积储的重要性，对未来上大学时，要负担昂贵的高等教育做好准备。
她很乖、很听话、很努力读书、很努力做工赚钱，把钱存起来。离开家去温哥华读大学之前，从来没有从存折里面取出一分钱。七年的刻苦大学生活，做暑期工，自力更生，终于，在八月份获取硕士毕业证书。还没毕业，在六月份，已经找到工作。虽然，离开家，但是，亲友，很关心她，每年在她生日、过年、过节时，都会按照传统的规矩，给她派发利是。今天，她给我发来一个非常动心的电邮，希望，亲友不要给她利是钱，而把它捐给无国界工程师非牟利机构。他们比她更需要哪些钱。女儿，的确长大了。他成熟的思想和积极参与公益活动帮助别人，使我感到很感动，并且，为她而骄傲。我会全心全意地支持她。

以下是她寄来的部分电邮：

。。我正在发起一个募捐运动。以下的网子可以看到我所写有关自己的看法。请你把它转达给亲友，并告诉他们，不要把利是钱给我，而把它捐给无国界工程师的非牟利机构。

https://perspectives.ewb.ca/belindali

Vietnamese restaurant 越南餐馆

2011-12-05T13:32:00.001-05:00

16. VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

We did not have any source of income. It was very crowded to stay in the apartment. Therefore dad bought a restaurant and we moved out of the apartment to the restaurant in which there was only a small bedroom at the back. Dad, mom and two youngest siblings slept in the small bedroom. All of us slept on the tables which were put together to make the beds when the restaurant was closed. My eldest sister went back to school while my eldest brother never quitted school. There was a Chinese grade school in the city. Three younger siblings went to the Chinese grade school. I stayed home helping my parents running the restaurant by working as a purchaser and as a cook helper.
It was a very small restaurant with 7 tables and around 30 seats. Our menu was not very complicated but simple. Breakfast was supplied with fried egg, bread and coffee while lunch and dinner were supplied with rice, soup and two dishes. Most of our customers were army officers who were single or married but lived away from home in the military camp that was close to our restaurant. They used to be educated officers, friendly and nice. Dad was in charge of the restaurant and was also the only server. Mom stayed behind the counter to get the food ready for the order. For the breakfast dad used to make the coffee and mom prepared the eggs and toasts. Only two of them looked after the business.
I went to the market to shop for food in the morning and in the afternoon. It took more than two hours each. Then I spent the rest of the time helping the cook to prepare the food in the kitchen. After the food had been prepared it was passed to the counter where mom got the dishes ready for the order. During the lunch and dinner peak hours, my eldest brother gave daddy a hand while my eldest sister helped my mom. The younger kids looked after the youngest ones. The whole family members had to get involved to keep the business running smoothly.
Doing the restaurant business was just to keep us alive. It was not my father’s long term planning. His dream was to get back to the remote village one day when the war was over but unfortunately the fighting never seemed to cease. There was no hope of getting back to the village. He did not want to spend the rest of his life in the restaurant. There was no future for all of us. Moreover the guerrilla seemed to occupy further and further to the cities. The bigger the cities the safer it would be. Therefore he decided to move back to the big city, the capital of VN, Saigon where I was born.

16．越南餐馆

没有收入，手上的现金很快会用完。并且，寄居的小楼阁太窄小。因此，父亲买了家越南餐馆来经营。全家人就搬到哪儿去居住。餐馆很小，只有七张桌子，三十个座位。前面是铺面。后面有一个小卧房给双亲和两个最小的妹妹睡觉。晚上，餐馆关门停止营业的时候，剩下的兄弟姐妹们，把桌子排列起来当床睡觉。
大姐继续地上学去。大哥，从来没有放弃过学业。市内，有中文小学。三位小弟妹们到哪儿读中文。我继续地停学，在餐馆协助父母。父亲，在铺面侍候客人。母亲，在柜台后面准备菜色。每天，我负责到市场去买菜两次。然后，在厨房帮厨师烹煮。菜单非常的简单。早上，只供应面包、煎蛋、咖啡。父亲，煮咖啡。母亲，煎蛋。菜单不是很复杂，而且，不会很忙，两人可以应付过来。午饭和晚饭，比较忙。全家人要总动员。大哥，要给父亲帮忙。大姐，要帮母亲把食物准备上菜。我把煮好的食物送到柜台给母亲分配。大的小弟妹们带小的小弟妹们。一家人都要分工合作来应付忙碌的餐期。
客人大部分都是军官。军营离开餐馆不远。他们大部分都是熟客、单身、离开家人、有教养、知识分子，很有礼貌、很友善。每天的菜式都不一样，但是，总是有饭和一汤两菜。我上市场买菜的时候，也要动尽脑汁。小小年纪的我，但是，很会算的。每天，都要花上好几个小时在市场里巡视，作出英明的选择。
生意很不错，可以供养一家人起居饮食，但是，父亲感到没有前途。开餐馆来暂时应付家庭的开支，而不是他长远的计划。只希望战争早日结束，能够回去过着他喜爱的乡下生活。战斗不断地升级，游击队占领的地方越来越广泛。想逃离战火，只有向着大城市走去。因此，父亲打算回去我出生的大城市，越南的首都，西贡去。

Wet spot again 又湿了

2011-12-02T14:53:00.002-05:00

December 02 2011

WET SPOT AGAIN

There was a lot of rain fall in the past few days so I went downstairs to check with the floor daily to see if there was any wet spot. It was big relief to find out that the floor was dry wherever I walked on especially on the spot close to wall on the left side where the crack had been sealed and repaired.
Friday is my clean up day. This morning when I vacuumed the floor in the basement it did not move very smoothly on the spot close to the fireplace as if the carpet was wet. I then turned off the vacuum machine and felt the spot with my feet. I found out that my sock was wet. When I checked it yesterday I just walked around without stepping on that spot because I focused mostly on the left side where there was problem. I moved my feet further to the right it was wetter and wetter.
The wettest spot was where the TV and chair was on. It was hard to see it with stuffs on it so I moved them away. The wet spot was very obvious without having to put my feet on it. I kept wondering where the water came from. It was in the middle with nothing around it. The wall next to it was just a drywall that separated the two rooms in the basement. I checked the room on the other side. The floor which was covered with cement instead of carpet was dry. My husband is at work. I have to let him figure it out and take care of the problem when he comes home after work.

二零零一年十二月二日

又湿了

前几天，下了很多雨水，因此，每天都到地下室去，把地板检查，看有没有湿的地方。要特别注意墙壁有过裂缝的地方。在下面，走一圈，看到没事，感到放心。
星期五是我搞卫生的日子。今天早上，在地下室吸尘的时候，当靠近火炉附近的时候，感觉不大畅顺，好像地毯湿了。把吸尘机关掉，用脚踏上去，发现袜子弄湿了。昨天，下来走一圈，没有往哪个地方走去，而且，也把焦点集中在左边有过问题的地毯上。把脚往右边多伸远一点，感到更加湿。地毯上面摆放了电视机和椅子。把它们已走之后，才发现哪个地方才是最湿的。不用用脚去试探，白眼都可以看得到，非常明显。
水从哪里进来的？周围没有墙壁给水流进来。那墙是用来分割两个房间。我走到隔壁的房间检查，地板是水泥，一点都没湿。老公正在上班去。等他回来，去处理，设法找出原因。

Came out alive from the war zone 从战地逃生

2011-12-01T12:55:00.003-05:00

15. CAME OUT ALIVE FROM WAR ZONE

Usually the army troop came down during the day to search for the guerrilla and then retreated back to the camp half way from the city. They dare not stay in our village overnight because of the assassination. One night, the troop stayed overnight. It was lucky that they did not choose our property for the camp base but chose the market in the center of the village where there were houses. They grouped all of the villagers to a small market about 1.50 km from our house when night fell. All of the houses were empty, so they must be safe. No one would attack them at night. We were exceptional and were allowed to stay at home because our house was surrounded by fields where guerrilla was impossible to hide. Their prediction was wrong. At around 2 o’clock in the morning the guerrillas who were experts in hiding themselves started the attack. I was soundly sleeping while my eldest sister who was awakened by the loud noises of shooting and bombing dragged me from my bed to the air raid shelter filled with water. It was very, very noisy. The sound of bombing and shooting was so loud that it sounded like it was just next to us. We were trembling with fear in the wet shelter until dawn when it seemed a bit quiet. We then crawled out of the shelter and got back into the house.
Then we heard moaning and crying for help. We peaked out of the window and saw wounded soldiers who were covered with blood and moaning for help. My sister who was more knowledgeable than me could predict what was going to happen next told me to run away. According to her prediction the U.S. troop would dump the bombs on us if the soldiers were wounded or killed. We had to leave the place as soon as possible. She tore off a white shirt, tied it up on one end of the stick, grasped the bike and told me to ride the bike carrying her at the back. She held the stick with the piece of white cloth to show that we were surrenders. I did not know where she got the idea from. Wounded bloody soldiers lay on both sides of the street moaning for help.
The shooting was still going on. I was so frightened that I biked very hard but it seemed not moving at all. I got off the bike and let my sister bike. Finally we reached the South Vietnamese regime where many reporters and people with relatives in the war zone waited to get the first hand news. We were the first ones to get out of the war zone so the people rushed to surround us and kept questioning us about the situation in the village. We who felt like hero though told them that there were many wounded soldiers behind that we had nothing to disclose but to look for our family. We had to keep on biking for another 7 km to reach the city where neither my parents nor other residents knew anything about the deadly fighting that was going on in the village. Once we saw our parents we ran to hug them tightly and burst out into tears. It was a very touching moment of being alive from the battle field. After six months of living in horror I was finally able to put an end to it. Since then we never went back to the village where I spent six years of my childhood. Daddy lost everything that he had worked so hard for.

15．从战地逃生

国家军队，在白天，偶尔，会到村里来行军，擒获游击队，从来不敢在村里停留过夜。入黑，就马上要撤退到五公里外的军营去。有一个晚上，国家军队不撤离，而把村里家家户户的村民赶出家，集中在市集的范围内。全部的房子都是空的，一定很安全。我家的周围没有房子，全是田地，因而，不用给赶走，可以留在家。他们的估计是错的。游击队很会躲藏起来。很幸运，他们没有挑选我们的家园来做营地，而村中心的街市，房屋、村民集中的地方。
凌晨两点，游击队开始包围市集，展开攻击。炮声不断地响亮，有大炮，也有枪炮。大姐，不是很熟睡的人，听到响亮的声音，把熟睡的我，拖拉到防空洞去。是雨季，洞里浸满水。可怜的两姐妹，要在水里蹲了几个小时，又冷、又害怕，不断地发抖。枪声、炮声，不断地响。一直到天亮，才开始听到炮声好像没有那么厉害，两人才敢爬到地面去，走进屋里。
在屋里，听到外面有很虚弱的求救声音传来，往窗口看出去，看到有伤兵，满身鲜血，躺在路旁。机智的大姐，感到情况不巧，马上要离开。据她推测，美军很快就会来空袭，把村庄夷为平地，一定不能够多留。她赶快把件白衣扯开，把小块绑在一支小棍的尖端去。然后，敦促我赶快把单车取来，上单车，把它踏走。她坐在后面高举白布，表示投降。
由于，路上两旁都躺着无数的伤兵求救，耳边听到子弹飞驰的声音，太过吃惊，手软脚软，失去了体力，用力地踏，但是，单车好像不会移动。心急、胆大的大姐，赶我下车，让她踏，一路把我载到安全的目的地，辛苦她了。我们是第一批的人离开战地。到了国家队所占领的地方，大批的记者、村民的亲属，围绕我们，打听战地的状况。有感觉好像英雄，但是，我们不多留来回答他们的疑问，而只告诉他们后面有很多伤兵，我们要赶快继续地赶路，多踏七公里的单车路程去找家人。
到达城里，看到父母，两姐妹紧紧拥抱父母，才放声大哭。城里的人一点都不知道有关村里的战斗情况，不了解我们从死里逃生的经历，感到有点受到委屈。六个月的恐惧生活，终于，可以告一段落。从此，我们一家人都没有回去村庄。六年的乡下童年生活也要结束。父亲，失去一切，多年来的心血化为乌有。

Too much rain 太多雨水

2011-11-30T14:45:00.003-05:00

November 30, 2011

TOO MUCH RAIN

There was too much rain this year that there was flooding everywhere in the city. It rained without stopping for two nights and two days and just stopped early this morning with flurry of snow.
When I woke up this morning I saw very thin layer of snow on the lawn but not on the ground with plenty of sunlight. It was still raining when I went to bed last night. I was quite surprised seeing the nice weather because I heard on the weather broadcast yesterday that it would be still rain fall and cloudy today. Though it was gorgeous with nice weather and sunshine it was quite cold at 0 degree.
I bundled up and went out for a walk as usual. When I was about to walk toward the park my neighbor who wearing water boot came back from it told me that the park was flooded that it was impossible to walk through the path with running shoes but water boots. I thanked him for letting me know and then turned to other direction for a walk without crossing the park. There was no sidewalk if I walked on this direction so I had to walk on the street. Therefore I used to walk through the park because it was safer.
I started wondering if it was that worse as I walked. After having walked around the circle I got to the sidewalk on the other side of the park. I was stunned seeing the water on the park which was flooded. I would like to take the picture of it but without the camera with me. It was so nice outside so I went out for a walk again with the camera a while ago. I lived in this area for more than twenty years and had never seen that much water in the park like that. We are in the winter season. December will be here tomorrow. There supposed to be snow instead of rain at this time of year. Is it caused by global warming?

二零零一年十一月三十日

太多雨水

今年特别多雨水，导致市内很多地方给雨水淹没。从前天开始下雨，一连两天两夜不停地下，没有中断过。一直到凌晨才停。然后，下飘雪。
今天早上起床的时候，看到外面阳光普照，草皮上有层薄薄的白雪盖住，感到很惊讶。昨天，听收音机天气的预告，得知，今天会继续地有雨、天暗、密云等等，而且，上床睡觉的时候，天还在下雨。看到那么好的天气，心情都轻快很多。虽然，太阳猛烈，但是，不要给它骗到，外面的气温在零度，非常寒冷。
把厚厚的冬天外套穿上之后，到户外去走走，开始向着公园的方向走去的时候，看到邻居，穿上水靴，从哪儿走回来。他告诉我公园给水淹没，穿上球鞋不能够走过，小径有一段路给水淹没。幸好，有他告诉我。感谢他之后，掉头向另一个方向的马路走去。在这个方向走，马路两旁没有行人路，要在马路上走，因此，经常都穿过公园的小径走，比较安全。
一边走一边在怀疑，情况是否会那么严重？拐了一个大圈走之后，来到了公园的另一边，看到公园草皮盖满水，感到非常吃惊。很可惜，没有携带照相机，不能够把它拍下。下午，看到天气还是很好，再度外出走走。这次，把照相机放进衣袋里，跑到公园去把情景拍下。我们在这个地区住了有二十多年。从来，没有见过公园会给雨水淹没得那么厉害。并且，现在是冬季，该是下雪而不是下雨的季节。天气非常的异常。是温室变暖的效应吗？

Guerrilla's haunting 游击队的出没

2011-11-29T14:21:00.001-05:00

14. GUERRILLA’ HAUNTING

I missed home and did not like studying but I had no other choice because I had to keep on doing what I supposed to do. Then one day not long after the flooding, the guerrilla’ arrival kept haunting us. The head of the village was assassinated at first. It was disclosed that was done by the guerrilla who were invisible and active at night time only. It was a big mystery about them. We were frightened whenever we heard the dogs barking, the shooting, the big yelling noise outside on the street etc at night because there must be someone being killed, executed or assassinated by the guerrilla.
The villagers who were involved in the politics or were local authority administrators started escaping to other villages closer to the city where there was no guerrilla. Schools and government run businesses had to be closed. The quiet village became chaos. Since there was no more Vietnamese regime officer in charge of the village the guerrilla had chance to show up during the day time. The secret about them unveiled. I was able to see them with my own eyes. They were just like the ordinary villagers marching on the street in black pajama (Vietnamese aó bàba), wearing sandals made from worn out tire and with long guns on the side. When there was sound of a helicopter flying over in the sky I raised my head to watch it. Then I found out that they were gone afterwards. It was incredible. They were able to disappear in a second and then showed up again just like in the magic show. I also learned out later that they were trained to hide themselves in so many hidden spots that dug under the fields, the streets, the ponds and so on.
Once in while the army would come to the village to search for the guerrilla during the day time and then retreated to the city when night fell. Our house was in the middle of the field where everything could be seen in the distance so the army used our property for the camp base. It terrified my father who was unable to stop it. If fighting took place our house would be the target. The danger of being the sacrifice for the unwanted war drove my father to leave the place. He neither supported the guerrilla nor the Vietnamese army but would like to stay away from them. The army’s camping at our property would cause the misunderstanding for the guerrilla. Therefore daddy found an opportunity to meet the leader of the guerrilla who used to be our former employee to explain to him about my father’s point of view and his leaving for the safety of the young kids. They came up with an agreement that my parents left with the small kids only and that the two older kids had to stay to keep the mill running as usual. When they won the war then my family was able to move back. My father also hoped that they kept the promise of not doing any harm to our property and of protecting his two daughters.
My eldest sister and I had to quit school. Dream which I had nourished long time ago came true. I was happy but I did not expect it to happen that way. Our whole family went to the city to stay in the small apartment where three of us used to stay except two of us who were left behind to look after the business and the property. Two of us took turn to get the money to the city to raise our family. We disguised ourselves as students. The school bag that we carried was filled with money. We biked 12 km to the city once a week. The guerrilla occupied the area from the beach to half way from the city. Over that point it was governed by the South Vietnamese regime. We had to go through two check points, one from the guerrilla and one from the South Vietnamese regime. It was very scary whenever we were stopped and checked.

14．游击队的出没

很想家，不喜欢离开家到城去上学，但是，也要继续地去读书，因为，它是我的责任。大水灾过了不久，有一天，村里的村长给暗杀，引起了轰动。跟着，得知是游击队，在晚上偷偷出来活动扰乱民心。平静的村庄，遇到浩劫，受到沉重的打击、干扰。民心彷徨，学校停课，政府机关要关闭，公务员抛弃一切，设法逃离村庄，跑到安全的城市去避难。
晚上，听到外面有狗吠声、枪声、大喊声的时候，非常的害怕，因为，肯定又有人不幸给游击队枪毙、杀害、暗杀。从来没见到过游击队，对他们的出没，感到很神奇、很神秘。当村里，没有政府官员敢留下处理事务的时候，游击队在白天有机会出来路面。他们的神秘出没给以揭开。看上去，他们跟普通的村民没有多大的不同。他们穿上一身越南黑色的衣服，背着长枪，穿上轮胎制造的凉鞋，在马路上步行、巡视。当听到天空上有飞机飞过的声音，我抬头看去，转过头来的时候，发现他们不见了，感到很惊讶。转来转去，打算寻找他们的踪影，他们又在我眼前出现了，感到很神奇、难以相信，好像看魔术表演一样。后来，得知，田地下面、马路下面、湖水里面，到处都有小小的秘密洞子给他们藏身。他们要经过训练，把自己在霎那找地方躲起来。
偶尔，国家军会到村来行军，搜寻、擒获游击队。我家的周围都是田地，没有建筑物，军队利用我家园的优势驻军当作指挥部。父亲，非常的害怕，但是，无法作出反对。假如，战斗爆发的话，我家会变成了战场，生命难保。不想作出无聊的牺牲，父亲，决定离开。他两边都不支持，而站在中立的立场。得知，游击队长是我家的一位老雇员，父亲，请他来跟他解析有关国家军队在我家扎营的事，希望他们不要误会，也告诉她们我家要离开的理由，希望他们答应保护我家的财产和两位大女儿。她们会留下，把磨坊继续地营业服务村民。
两姐妹要放弃学业，留在村里经营生意、保护家园。不想离开家到城市去上学的我，终于，梦想成真，但是，那不是我所想的，因为，我不能够跟家人一块儿生活。除了我们两姐妹，全家人逃难到城市去，寄居在我们两姐妹曾寄住的小小楼阁，非常难为他们。我们两姐妹的生活也非常的不好过，要在战火中度过，经常都提心吊胆。每一个星期，把书包装满钱，两人要轮流打扮成学生，进城一次，供养家人。每次，都要踏单车，来回十二公里。国家队撤退到离开城市七公里，还有五公里的村庄地区给游击队占有。进出城，都要路经两个把关，给检查。游击队要检查，国家军队伍也要查看。每次，都惊心、恐惧。

Video of my daughter's rehearsal 女儿自弹自唱的练习

2011-11-28T12:32:00.007-05:00

November 28, 2011

UPLOADING VIDEO

This video of my daughter’s rehearsal was recorded by my husband on my niece’s wedding way back in April. I was unable to play it because of its different format. I talked to my husband about it but he was busy and did not care much about it. I tried it again and again but failed so I just had to give it up.
He took vacation leave and spent time off at home last week. With not much to do he suddenly asked me about the video last Friday. I was overwhelmed with joy to show him the problem that I encountered when opening the file and was unable to solve it. The movie maker software would not accept the file because it was in a different format. He started working on it and was able to convert the format. It miraculously worked pretty well. I watched it and was very impressed with my daughter’s performance which I would like to upload onto my blog to be shared.
I uploaded it as I used to but it took so long and was cut off by the automatic shut down of my computer. Then I tried it again by moving the mouse once every 20 minutes to keep the computer from shutting down. When I was a few minutes late, it automatically shut down again. It took more than 3 hours but still had not finished uploading so I just gave it up again. Then my husband reset the computer to cut off the automatic shut down function. I started my uploading at 8:30 pm on Friday night again. When I went to bed at 11:30 pm it was still uploading. My husband told me not to worry about it. The file was very huge so it would take a while to upload.
I woke up the next morning when it was still uploading. It must be something wrong with it. I had to click cancel to terminate the uploading and gave it up one more time. I told my husband that I should use the movie maker to produce the video as I used to but he said that the file would be even bigger. It was weekend so I just put it aside without working on it. This morning I gave it a trial again by using the movie maker software to make the movie out of the file which was already a movie. It worked and the file was eliminated to very small one from 169450 KB to only 35614 KB. I was very excited to see the result of my work which I uploaded again. Finally I sucessfully got the video upload onto my blog after so many ways of trying and do hope that you are going to enjoy watching it.

二零一一年十一月二四八日

上栽影片

为了在表姐的婚礼时有更好的表演，女儿要进行自弹自唱的练习。老公把它录下来。影片是四月份录的，已经有好几个月。老公把影片下载到电脑里去，但是，我无法把它打开来看。把事情告诉老公，但是，他很忙，不理会我。只有把问题搁置。
上个星期，老公放假，留在家休息。突然，在上星期五，问我女儿弹琴的录影片还在吗？当然还在，我很开心地打开给他看，但是，可惜什么都看不到，因为，软件形式不同。经过他的摸索、钻研，终于成功把软件形式做出更改，映像出来了，可以看到女儿的练习。很想跟大家分享，因此，试图把它上载到我的搏客去。
对上载已经很有经验，把它好像以往一样地去做。影片上载好久都不能够完成，电脑的自动关闭功能，把它中断。只有再来尝试，每隔二十分，把滑鼠移动，电脑就不会关闭。忘掉，迟一点来动它，电脑又关掉。上载有三个小时，都不能够完毕，我只有再次放弃。老公很坚持的人。他把电脑自动关闭的功能拆除。在星期五晚上八点半开始，再次上载。在十一点半，上床睡觉之前，检查电脑，看见它还在上载。老公，叫我不要理会它，去睡觉吧，可能要花上很长时间去上栽。
第二天早上起床，看到它还在上载。肯定不对的，从来都没有试过用那么长的时间上载，我只好把它中断，又再次放弃。并告诉老公，有可能要用制片软件把影片加工才行。老公认为不行，因为，影片会变得更加大。没有跟他辩论，也因周末，要把上载的事项放下。
今天早上，用制片软件把影片加工。正如我所预料，效果出来很理想，发现影片的储存数据缩小了，从169450KB减少到只有35614KB，成功了，非常喜出望外，很高兴，很有成功感。把它再度上栽。终于，给我做到了，希望大家喜欢收看。

Big flood 大水灾

2011-11-25T13:54:00.001-05:00

13. BIG FLOOD

Not long after my youngest sister was born three of us went back to the city to start our new semester. The weather was very unusual that year. It rained day and night. There were floods everywhere in the low land so all of the schools had to be closed for one week. Three of us went home during the disaster. There was flood every year but was not as big and bad as that year. The rain which poured down heavily on the mountains ran to the river which led to the big ocean. When the river was over flown the flood was present. Whenever there was flood we used to put the mark on the wall to see how far the water rose. The water usually came up to our ankle in our house and then it would withdraw slowly. It was completely different that year. The water came on rising so high and so quickly. It rose up to my ankle, then up to my knees, then up to my thigh and then up to my shoulder. Three of us were lucky to be at home offering help. Otherwise I did not know how dad and mom could handle the matter.
It was late in the evening when the water came up to my knees. Smart Daddy who was able to predict its uprising went to borrow a big floater from the villager with my eldest brother. They put all of the family members onto the floater which they pushed while swimming to a higher place 1 km away. After having the family members safely unloaded to the destination daddy and my eldest brother came back to our house in which I was busy moving the stuffs onto the upper part of the two bunk beds. When the water rose up to my shoulder the water level outside of the house was over my head so my eldest brother had to carry me on his back and swam to the mill where there was a vibration table high up to the roof.
I had to be evacuated from the house because I could not swim. There were no walls in the mill. In case the water rose to the roof I was able to be rescued instead of being confined inside the house and drown. I climbed up onto the vibration table where I stayed and slept for the whole night by myself. The next morning, a villager paddled a boat to my rescue. I climbed down and got into his boat which carried me to a higher place where I went to join my other family members in one of our employees’ girl friend’s resident. Dad and my eldest brother knew how to swim so they stayed at home to keep an eye on our property. Our employee’s girl friend cooked the food and her boyfriend paddled the boat to take the food to feed my dad and brother.
The flood which stayed still for two days broke the record for the longest time of flooding and the highest water level in history. When the flood was gone a mess was left behind. There were many things needed to be done. We had to clean up the mud which was everywhere. The rice in stock was wet. Dad donated it to the villagers. The damage was huge. There was no insurance to cover the loss. Dad had to work very hard to get the machines and the truck back to work. Once they worked we would have income again. Finally everything went back to normal. We went back to the city to continue our schooling. Dad drove the truck. Mom ran the mill. Younger brother and sister went to grade school. Adopted sister stayed home taking care of the three youngest siblings.

13．大水灾

最小的妹妹出生不久，新的学期开始，三兄姐妹要到城市上学去。那年的天气非常异常，日以继夜地不断地下着倾盆大雨，造成低洼地区洪水泛滥，引起大水灾。学校要停课一个星期，因此，三兄姐妹回家去。在灾难中，幸好，有我们三兄姐妹，协助父母。不然的话，情况更加糟糕。我们的家在低洼，靠近山脚，每年都会遇到不同程度的水灾。父亲，把地基建高，洪水泛滥的时候，都很少有机会升高到盖过地板。假如，遇到大的洪水，最多升到脚脖子，就会退走。每次有洪水，我们都会喜欢在墙上画个记号，看水会升得多高。那年的洪水来势很汹涌，又快又大。水势进入房子不久，马上升到脚脖子、升到膝盖、升到腰部、升到胸部，不断地上升。当夜间开始入黑的时候，洪水瞬间上升到膝盖，机智的父亲，看出形势不妥，马上跟大哥去村里找村民借一个大圆的浮竹兰，把全家人放进去。父亲和大哥俩人，一边在水里游，一边用力推着浮竹篮到较高的地势去。距离有一公里。几经辛苦，才能够安全到达目的地，把他们放下之后，俩人赶回家，因为，我一人在家把东西搬上高处去。当水上升到胸口的时候，大哥要背着我游到磨坊去，因为。屋外的洪水已经盖过我的头。我不会游水，因此，要把我撤离。磨坊四面没有墙壁，贴近屋顶，有一个平面桌子用来筛米。我爬上去，独自一个人躺在那儿睡过夜。第二天一大早，有位村民划船来营救我。他把我送到较高的地势去。然后，走路去找家人。他们在一位佣人的女友家寄住。女友烧饭菜接待我们，也要她的男友划船把饭菜送去给父亲和大哥。那场洪水停留两天，都不肯退走，成为有史以来最大、最泛滥、停留最长时间的洪水天灾。
洪水退走了，留下一片肮脏的家园，到处都粘满泥浆，大家要合力把家园清理、整理。父亲，日以继夜，把磨坊、卡车的机器零件拆开清洗。全部的谷、米都湿透。父亲很慷慨，把它们送给村民。灾难造成的损失非常大，没有购买保险，只有自己承受一切的不幸。努力了几天，终于，雨过天晴，恢复正常的生活去。三兄姐妹回到城市去继续上学去。父亲开他的卡车赚钱。母亲打理磨坊的生意。小弟妹继续上小学去。收养的小妹，在家带最小的三位小弟妹。

Video of the trip to Vancouver 2011年温哥华之旅

2011-11-24T11:52:00.003-05:00

A trip to Vancouver 2011年温哥华之旅 ----- day eight 第八天

2011-11-22T11:34:00.001-05:00

A TRIP TO VANCOUVER 2011

Day eight October 27

There was no bus or sky train that early in the morning so my daughter and her boy friend woke up at 4:30 am to drive us to the airport. I felt sorry to have to drag them out of bed that early. I was very impressed with their good attitude in the morning. They looked very awake and did not show us that they were not willing to do what they were required to. It took only 15 minute ride to the airport. If we took the bus it took us at least more than an hour. I appreciated for their ride. It saved us a lot of time. I gave them big hugs to show my passion for them and my appreciation for everything that they had done for us during our stay. It was wonderful and memorable. My daughter was going to work in Calgary for a few months in a few weeks. Her boy friend was going to spend 4 weeks Christmas holidays in Poland. I wished them all the best for whatever plans that they had ahead of them.
It was quiet at the airport. There was no line up for the luggage check in and security check. We just walked through it without any waiting. There was plenty time left for the boarding. We just bought a cup of coffee and bagel and then sat down enjoying it which would wake me up at the same time. I had not been up that early for a long, long time. The flight was on time. It was only a very short flight for an hour. We had half an hour for the connection to the flight that would take off at 9:30 am. Our plane landed at 9 am but it took 15 minutes for it to park and for us to get out of it. Once we got out we quickly looked for the gate for the boarding which was already took place. It was lucky that we did not have to walk far because the gate was just next to the gate that we got out.
The time was very tight. If our flight was delayed then we must miss the connecting flight which was the only flight to Windsor. I was very relieved for being able to make it. It took only three hours for the flight from Calgary to Windsor so the total hours of actual flying were four hours. The time seemed shorter than the one that we traveled from Windsor with the connecting flight in Toronto. It used to take an hour from Windsor to Toronto and then more than four hours from Toronto to Vancouver. I did not find out the difference until then. Therefore if the flight ticket was cheaper we would prefer to choose the connecting time from Calgary from now on.
Though getting up early I did not feel sleepy or exhausted. I kept recalling the good time that I had spent with my daughter during our stay without paying attention to the three long hours of flying on the aircraft which made the landing on time at 3:30 pm. It had been raining for the whole morning as we were told. The ground was still very wet and slippery but the rain stopped when we got out of the plane. It was very lucky that we did not have to get wet or used the umbrella as when we left for Vancouver. My brother drove our car to pick us up and then we drove him to his friend’s house to pick up his own car. It was almost 5 pm when we got in the fast food restaurant for the meal which was the only one that we had for the day. We just skipped our lunch and would not have dinner afterwards.
Our fridge and freezer were empty so we went shopping for food after having our stomach filled up first. It was nice to be back home to get back to our routine life after a week of relaxing. My daughter was able to get back to her normal life after a week of being disturbed by us. We did enjoy the time together as a family once in while. I value it and will not take it for grant.

第八天十月二十七日

一大早，公共汽车和架空列车，还没有开动，因此，女儿和男友，要在四点半起床送我们到机场去。他们很乖，那么早起床，都不会板着脸或者发脾气，反而，带着笑容地欢送我们。他们的态度，使我很开心，但是，同时也很难过。交通顺畅，不到十五分钟的车程，就已经到达机场。假如，搭乘公共汽车，要花一个多小时，可以省下很多时间。离别的时候，给他们紧紧的拥抱，并对他们热心、细心、宽待和照顾，表示感谢、感激。让我们度过一个非常愉快、温馨的拜访假期。女儿，再过两个星期，前往卡加利出差一段时间。男友，会在圣诞假期期间，到波兰去度假。预祝，他们旅途一切顺利、愉快。
时间太早，机场不会很忙，登记或者经过保安检查，都不用排队。还有一个多小时才登机，找个地方坐下，喝咖啡、吃早点。我很久没有那么早起床了。七点准时，起飞。飞上去不久，又到时间降落，飞行很短，只需一个小时而已。九点，准时抵达地面，但是，要十五分钟，才能够离开飞机。出来之后，马上找上飞机的进口。幸好，进口就在隔壁，马上赶快登机去。时间非常的紧逼，只有十五分钟。假如，到达的班机有迟误，那就糟糕，肯定赶不上。飞往温莎，每天只有一班机而已。错过了班机，就要在卡加利呆一天。心情非常的紧张，平安地上了飞机，才可以放松。
从卡加利飞到温莎去，只需三个小时的飞行时间。算起来，从温哥华经过卡加利转机，比温哥华经过多伦多转机，划算很多，省下两个多小时。以前，每次去温哥华，都从多伦多起飞去，飞行时间要四个多小时，加上从温莎去多伦多要一个小时。一共要花六个小时。这次，因为，在卡加利转机的机票比较便宜，才选择了它，也给我有了新的发现。从此，会继续地选择这条航线。
虽然，早起床，但是，不会感到很疲倦。在飞机上，闭上眼睛养神，追忆往事，尤其是有关在温哥华一个星期的停留，跟女儿一家三口度过的快乐时刻、幸福、开心、忙碌、温馨。甜蜜的回忆，把三个小时漫长的飞行瞬时而过。下午三点半，准时降落。地面还是很湿滑，因为，下了一场很大的雨。幸好，下飞机的时候，没有下雨，不用雨伞。小弟，开我们的车子，前来接我们。然后，我们送他到他朋友的家取回他的车子。整天，都没有吃过像样的一顿饭，肚子很饿。进入快餐厅的时候，已经是下午五点，赶快吃东西。那是，我们的晚饭，也是我们唯一的一顿饭。时差问题，省了一顿午饭。
把肚子填饱之后，要到市场去买菜。家里的冰箱是空空的，什么都没有。度过了一个星期生活无规则的假期，该是时候，把生活带回正常的轨道去，也让女儿恢复到她两人世界的生活。他们的安乐窝，给我们打乱了一个星期。希望，他们不介意，并且，对一个星期的温馨家庭生活，感到怀念、珍惜。

A big opening 有个大破口

2011-11-21T13:23:00.005-05:00

November 16, 2011

A BIG OPENING

My father in law is going to leave for China on Thursday so my husband decided to take him out for dinner last night. We left our house at 5 pm and came back at 7:30 pm.
Before backing the car out of the driveway my husband pointed at the spot on the roof where he put a piece of fiberglass to support the siding that the raccoon broke in before. He also told me that the raccoon was sitting on the spot where he put the fiberglass. He hoped that the piece of fiberglass could prevent the raccoon from hitting the siding to make the opening to find the way to get in.
When my husband pulled the car in the driving after the dinner I saw a big mess on the roof. Looking at the messy scene my husband was very frustrated and regretted for having gone out for dinner. If we were at home the raccoon would not have the chance to do it. It tried to do it last night but failed because whenever we heard the noise my husband rushed outside and turned on the garage door. When it heard the noise of the garage door opening it ran away. We had no idea if it was inside the house or not. The siding was broken leaving a big opening from which it could get in and out easily.
My husband dare not fix the siding but just left it as it was by pulling it down to fill up the opening. In case the raccoon was inside our house it could find the way to get out. With our experience in the past, he just put another new piece of fiberglass on to replace the old broken one temporary to support the siding from falling down. I did not hear any noise last night. Raccoon was very smart creature which would not get inside right away after making the opening but waited to see if we would take any action. If we left the opening without covering it up then it would come back and got in through it.
If the raccoon came back and made an attempt to get in we would know it right away with the fiberglass down. If it was already inside the house and got out we were able to know it too. We will wait and see and then repair the siding after a few days of observation to make sure that the raccoon was not inside our house. I do hope that it will not come back and leave us alone. We already have enough of it anyway.

二零一一年十一月十六日

有个大破口

老公的父亲，会在星期四到中国大陆去。昨晚，请老人家到外面吃晚饭去。我们在下午五点离开家，在晚上七点半回来。
在开车出门的时候，老公特地在门口把车停下，指给我看那块石膏板，就是浣熊坐的地方。他在前晚，才临时把石膏板放上去，来顶住披叠板。浣熊，在几年前，把披叠板冲破，形成大破口来进入我家。希望，那块石膏板能够起些作用。
晚饭后回来，当车靠近大门的时候，往屋顶上看去。天啊！石膏板倒塌了，乱七八糟，境况很可怕，使我们很怒火。只有短短的两个小时，它把我家的屋顶破环得那么厉害。老公，感到有点后悔，不该外出吃饭去。假如，在家的话，浣熊不会有机会捣乱。昨晚，它已经不断地来企图搞破坏，但是，给老公把车门打开吓走它。每次，听到屋顶上有声音传来，老公，马上往外跑。听到有声音，它也马上离开。
它把石膏板，击破倒塌，用力地把披叠板冲破，形成一个大破口。它可以从哪儿进出我家。看情况，难以估计它是否已经躲在我家。老公不敢把破口完全地封闭。他只把披叠板拉下来，用新的石膏板顶住它。假如，浣熊已经进入我家，它可以出来。它进出的话，石膏板会倒塌，我们也会得知。
昨晚，很平静，什么声音都没有听到。浣熊是非常聪明的动物。它造成了破口之后，不会马上进去的。它会试探我们的反应。假如，我们不把破口修理，它才会进去。我们会多观察几天，确定它不躲在我家，也不会再回来，老公才会把披叠板彻底地修理，把破口封闭。希望，它远离我家，不要再来骚扰我们。

The raccoon did come back浣熊再度会来

2011-11-19T15:14:00.002-05:00

November 15, 2011

THE RACCOON DID COME BACK

It has been a while without being disturbed by the raccoon. I heard some noise on the roof during my insomnia last week but there was no evidence that it was made by the raccoon.
After dinner and after having a cup of hot tea in the kitchen I was about to walk towards the living room to watch TV. At that moment I heard some noise on the roof. My husband was with me so I asked if he heard the noise. Without having enough time to reply my question he quickly rushed towards the door and got out with the flash light that was placed on the doorway. It was cloudy and got dark very early at 6 pm. He turned on the flash light and moved it around with the light flashing on the roof. There he saw the raccoon sitting on the roof between the house and the garage. He then stopped moving the flash light. With the light he could see the raccoon very clearly. It was staring at my husband without moving. My husband bent down and was about to pick up a small piece of stone to throw at it to scare it away. It did not wait for my husband to take action but stood up and ran away. When it ran my husband was able to see the whole size of it which was as big as a big dog. He was scared at the size which was hard to believe.
After it left he started climbing up the roof to check with the siding to see if there was any opening or anything being broken. Everything was in good shape without having any sign of being damaged. He came in afterwards and told me what he had seen. It was the second time that he saw the actual raccoon which was much and much bigger than the first one that he saw years back. It started turning cold the raccoon must be in the urge of looking for nesting. Not long after that we heard some noise on the roof again. My husband had to rush outside to check it out but there was no sign of the raccoon. He had run outside for numerous times during the night whenever there was noise on the roof but there was no chance of seeing the raccoon again.
I slept well last night so I did not hear any noise at all but my husband who heard it and went outside once through out the night when I was in bed. It was very disgusting to be visited by raccoon. We were freed from it for so many years. My husband has to keep on checking the roof from now on to make sure that the siding is not broken. Once the raccoon gets inside the situation will be even worse. We have to face the reality that it did come back and have to guard our own property from being damaged by it.

二零一一年十一月十五日

浣熊再度回来

已经有好几年，没有给浣熊骚扰。上个星期，失眠的时候，听到奇怪的声音，但是，找不到证据来证实是浣熊造成的。
昨天晚上，晚饭后，在厨房呆了一下喝茶。然后，站起来，打算到大厅去看电视的时候，听到屋顶上传来些声音。老公刚好站在我身边，马上问他，是否听到屋顶有声音。他也听到，因此，没有回答我，已经赶快往门外跑出去。天暗、下雨，因而，还没到六点，天已经开始全黑。大门处，放置一个手电筒。老公，顺手把手电筒拾起，开关，往屋顶上去照亮。当看见，有一条浣熊，马上停下，把光线照着它。它不动地坐在房子和车房之间的屋顶上，目视、盯住老公。看到它那种挑战的目光，使老公非常的生气，好像火上加油。在愤怒下，他弯下腰打算捡石头，来驱走它。聪明的浣熊，好像知道，站起来跑掉。它站起来的时候，老公可以很清楚地看到它整个身体，好巨大，有像一条大狗那么大。它的巨型，给我老公吓坏了，真的难以相信。
它跑走之后，老公爬上屋顶去检查，发现一切正常，没有地方给破坏。然后，进来告诉我他的所见所闻。这是他的第二次看见浣熊。这一条浣熊，比上次的大出很多，它的样子很可怕、很讨厌。入冬，天气开始转冷，浣熊要抓紧时间找地方过冬。倒霉的我们，要把自己的家好好地防卫，驱赶它们，及时挡住它们的侵略。昨晚，它不断地来骚扰我们。每次，听到屋顶上有声音，老公赶快往屋外跑去，把车门打开。听到有车门打开的声音，它马上就掉头走离开。老公，要跑了无数次，但是，没有机会再次见到它。
昨晚，睡得很好，没有听到有任何的外来声音吵醒我。但是，倒霉的老公，听到屋顶有声音，起床一次，到外面去视察，但是，见不到有可疑的东西。浣熊到访我家，是一件非常讨厌的事，使我们很不安。已经有好几年，安安乐乐地过日子，没有给它干扰。它的确又回来了。要辛苦老公，经常爬上屋顶检查。假如，给它进入我家，就更加麻烦，更难处理。

Unusual noises 奇怪的声音

2011-11-18T13:43:00.003-05:00

November 4, 2011

UNUSUAL NOISES

I got to bed at 10:30 pm and was miraculously able to sleep right away last night, but unfortunately woke up at 1 am and was unable to get back to sleep. It was very frustrated that I was no longer sleepy but very awake.
One hour passed by, two hours passed by but it was impossible to get myself into sleepy stage. Lying in bed with my eyes closed I heard very strange noise that came from outside on the roof. It sounded like very strong hard thing hitting against the siding. I heard the big “bang” sound only once. Then it became quiet. After a while there came another “bang” and then it was quiet again. The sound came back for numerous times. They caused my insomnia to be even worse.
It was very weird. The “bang” sound was heard only once but not in a series. Then I suddenly remembered the incident about the raccoon breaking into my house so many years back. Was it coming back? I dare not get outside by myself to chase away the animal. My husband was soundly asleep. It was very rude to wake him up. Therefore I kept lying in bed being disturbed by the sounds now and then. Then I heard the footstep walking lightly and slowly on the roof. That noise was very familiar. It was the raccoon’s footstep. I started being panic because I thought that the raccoon was already inside my house.
I looked at the clock which showed 5 am. It was already dawn. There was no point of waking up my husband. As I was still hesitating about waking him up the noise of walking was present again. It walked toward the front part. Then I heard the big “bang” again. It must be the raccoon hitting the siding to get out of my house. There was no more noise or sound afterward and I was able to fall asleep as well.
It was lucky that it was Saturday and my husband was off work. When I woke up this morning the first thing that I did was to tell my husband what happened last night and asked him to go up on the roof to see if there was any opening on the siding. The raccoon must be in our house again. He immediately went up to the roof but found there was nothing wrong. I was relieved and happy hearing it but still wondered if the noise was made by the raccoon which hasn’t bothered us for so many years.

二零一一年十一月四日

奇怪的声音

昨晚，十点半上床睡觉，很幸运能够马上入睡。但是，凌晨一点就睡醒，翻来覆去，无法再次入睡，感到没有一点睡意。
一个小时过去，两个小时过去，都无法睡着。躺在床上，把眼睛闭上，但是，脑袋很清醒、活跃，听力也很敏锐，不断地听到有声音，从屋顶上传下来。声音听起来，好像用硬物撞击到披叠板上。响了一声，又停了。隔了不久，又来响一声，又停下了。很奇怪，只响一声而已，而不会一连串地响。响了无数次，使我更难入睡，更难受。
突然，想起好几年前的浣熊事故，感到有点害怕。平静了那么多年，浣熊又会来打扰我们。越想越感到不安。老公很熟睡，叫醒他，有点太过意不去，自己又不敢起床到外面去查看到底是什么一回事。只有躺在床上给声音不断地折磨我。跟着，听到屋顶上有脚步声，慢慢轻轻地走。然后，又没了。脚步声听起来，非常的熟悉。是浣熊的脚步声。天啊！浣熊的确地进入了我家，很倒霉。为何又回来？看时间，已经是早上五点，该天亮了。该叫醒老公吗？还在犹疑中，又听到传来的脚步声。脚步声向大门的方向走去，也跟着消失，但是，又听到一大声的碰撞声。有可能是浣熊离开我家了。然后，一切平静，我也跟着入睡了。
幸好是星期六，老公不用上班去。起床的时候，第一件事要做，是告诉老公，昨晚所发生的事，并要求他上屋顶去检查。浣熊一定已经进入我家。老公，马上爬上屋顶检查，发现没有什么地方给破坏。一切都很正常。听了，有点放心，但是，仍然，对那些声音的来头，有点怀疑。没有破口，浣熊肯定，还没有进入我家，但是，是不是浣熊已经再来光顾我家？它已经有好几年没来打扰我们了。

Raccoon intruder 浣熊侵入我家

2011-11-16T12:56:00.002-05:00

September 14, 2006

RACCOON INTRUDER

I have never seen a real raccoon but saw its picture on television or books. I heard people talking about it but I never have a chance to see it with my own eyes. The idea of my house being intruded by a raccoon would never come to my mind. I often see squirrels and skunks running around in the front or back yard of my house or in the neighborhood. They are small and running very fast. I do not like them because they scare me when I see them. I do not like skunks either. They leave the stinky smell when they get killed by cars on the streets or roads.
I have never thought of the raccoon that would have caused that much trouble to my family. I used to hear noises in the middle of the night especially when I was in my insomnia. The noises came from my ceiling or roof. It sounded like somebody walking on it. Then it sounded like many kids running on it. It was very disturbing. I could not sleep so those noises made me even more awake. My husband was sleeping soundly next to me without hearing it.
At first, I thought that someone broke in my house. I was scared. I tried to listen to the noises to find out where the sound of the footsteps came from and disappeared. The noises came from the ceiling only. They did not come from anywhere else. I could hear them only when I was in bed and when it was very quiet. I talked to my husband about the noises that bugged me at night. He said that he did not hear them. He told me that I was dreaming.
One night when I heard the noises again I woke him up. He was very sleepy and told me that those noises came from the squirrels running on the roof. Then he went back to sleep and left me with the disgusting noises. They kept on bothering me from falling asleep. I talked to him again and again for so many times. I mentioned to him that the squirrels must get inside. They were in our house between the ceiling and the roof. He should do something to take care of the problems. He did not take it seriously but blamed me for worrying too much. I did not argue with him but just suffered from hearing those noises and wished to get to sleep right away once I got in bed. I could not hear those noises only when I was soundly asleep. I had sleeping problems so I had no choice but suffered from hearing those noises at night when it was very quiet.
The noises came more and more often and louder and louder until they bothered my husband at night. He started to realize that there were some intruders in our house. He got up on to the roof to check it out. He was very angry and upset seeing it. Two pieces of siding were broken leaving a big hole on the side close to the roof. There were footprints on the windows like the footprints of baby feet. My husband talked to our neighbors. They came looking at the footprints. They said that those footprints were from raccoon. It was only the raccoon that could break the siding. We were shocked when we heard that. It was the raccoon invader. They made the suggestion that we should call the pest control company to catch it. My husband called the pest control company. They would charge us 70 dollars to have the first inspection. Then if it was the raccoon inside the house it cost over few hundred dollars to set up the trap to catch it.
My neighbor who was very nice told us that he had a big case for trapping small animals. He would lend it to us. We also went to buy some rat glue boards. My husband fixed the siding. He put the case and the glue boards close to the broken siding. I was watching television that night. When I heard a very big banging sound from somewhere I started yelling at my husband. He also heard it. He rushed outside and climbed up to the roof. It was to his surprise that the siding that he had just fixed was broken again. The case was empty. The glue boards were still there not touched. My neighbor said that there must be baby raccoons in the house. The mother raccoon came back to get the babies. So my husband left the siding as it was. He did not fix it. I did not hear any noises that night.
The next day he came up to the roof to fix the siding again. The noises were gone forever. I never have to suffer hearing those disgusting noises any more. I could sleep better but my insomnia was still with me now and then. The raccoon intruder never came back and we were freed from the stressful problem since.

二零零六年九月十九日

浣熊侵入我家

从来都没有亲眼见过浣熊，而只在书本上、以及电视上见过它们照片。也有听说过那种小动物，但是，没有机会亲眼目睹过它们。也从没想过，我的家会给浣熊侵入。经常都会看见松鼠或者臭鼬在我家的前后院或者邻居走动。它们体积很小，而且跑得很快。我不喜欢它们。它们经常都把我吓得一跳。尤其是臭鼬，是我最不喜欢的小动物。它们留下的臭味是最难受的。
从没有想过浣熊会带给我们那么多的烦恼。每到半夜，万物都在睡梦中的时候，那种脚步声就会从屋顶传下来。开始的时候，听下去好像有人在屋顶上走动。然后，听起来，好像有很多小孩子在走动。我有失眠症，很难入睡。那种声音使我更加难以睡得着。躺在身边的老公，就既然熟睡不醒。
第一次听到那些声音的时候，很害怕，使我联想到有小偷进入我家。用心去听着，想找出声音是从哪里传来和消失。很奇怪，声音传来传去都围绕在天花板上。那证实不是小偷。假如，不是小偷，是什么东西？那些声音只会在半夜人静，而我不能够入睡的时候才发出。也跟老公谈过有关那种声音。它很困扰我，但是，老公认为是我在做梦，因为他从来都没有听过。
有一个晚上，又听到了传来的脚步声，马上把老公在睡梦中叫醒。他在半睡半醒的状况下，跟我说“睡吧！那是松鼠在屋顶上走动。不要小题大做”。马上又睡着了，而我就不能够入睡。那种脚步声，不断地困扰我。又跟老公提及有关那种脚步声，有可能那些松鼠已经进入了我们的房子。它们就在天花板和屋顶之间。建议老公，该爬上屋顶检查，看究竟是什么一回事。那些声音没有困扰他，因而，他不会重视事情的重要性。他没有认真地去处理它。我只有忍受下去，使我的失眠症日加严重。
那种脚步声，日益增加，而且，越来越大声。它们开始把老公在睡梦中吵醒。他开始领略到事情的严重性，爬上屋顶去看看。当看见一个小洞子的时候，非常的气愤。接近屋顶墙壁的两块披叠板，给破坏，造成一个小洞子。窗口上的玻璃也有小脚印。那些小脚印看上去，好像婴儿的小脚印。老公，去找邻居查问，看是否他们也有遇到同样的问题。他们没有遇上同样的困扰，但是，从脚印上看，他们很肯定是浣熊的脚印，而且，只有浣熊才会有能力把披叠板冲破。我的天啊！浣熊侵略我的家。真是难以相信。他们建议，要马上去找灭蛇虫鼠蚁的公司帮忙，解决问题。听从他们的劝告，老公马上打电话找那些公司查问。费用是很昂贵，第一次出来视察和了解情况，要收取七十块钱。假如，真的有浣熊进入房子里面，就要付过百块钱把它们擒获。
幸好，我家邻居有个擒获小动物的小笼子。他把它借给我们，而且也教导我们怎样去把浣熊擒获。老公，先把小洞修补好。然后，把笼子放在那个小洞的附近。我也去买些捉老鼠用的粘贴板，放在那小洞的周围。那个晚上，我正在看电视。突然，听到很大的声音从屋子外面传进来。马上，大声地喊老公。他也听到那庞大的声音，马上往屋外面跑去。然后，爬上屋顶去，看见刚修补好的洞子，又给破坏了，感到很吃惊和失望。小笼子还是空的，贴板上什么都粘不到。邻居又来给我们些宝贵的见解，房子里面有可能还有小浣熊，最好不要把洞子修补，让熊妈妈把她的小浣熊先移走。不然的话，修好了也是全功而费。他们的话也有道理。老公没有把洞子再次修补。那个晚上，好像也没有听到脚步声。
第二天，老公再爬上屋顶，把洞子再次修补。从此，也没有再给脚步声吵醒。那种声音也从此消失。晚上，可以好好地睡觉。很可惜，我的失眠症仍然存在。有时候，也会失眠，但是，浣熊不再回来，不会困扰我。

A trip to Vancouver 2011年温哥华之旅----day seven第七天

2011-11-15T13:08:00.002-05:00

A TRIP TO VANCOUVER 2011

Day seven October 26

We expected the soggy weather before we left for Vancouver but it turned out to be very lucky to have four days in a series without rain but with sunshine. It was sad to look out through the window to see light rain outside when I woke up. I had no complaint about it because the mother of nature had been very generous and kind to us in the past few days. We were not going to have any more activities outside for our last day so it was fine if it was wet.
My daughter would like to take us out for dinner but I refused. She was very busy so I did not want to add any more pressure on her by having her rush for the dinner. Moreover it was raining so it was more comfortable to have dinner at home. I did not mind preparing it. The rain was very light when we went out for lunch. We did not want to go back to the restaurants that we had been to. Therefore we chose other restaurant that carried the Hong Kong style tea. It was just next to the restaurant that we visited two days before. To my big surprise that it was very busy. We had to wait in line for the seats. The restaurant was also newly renovated but was still under the same management with the same menu. After looking through the menu we found out that the price was up too.
Coming back after one year we could see the changes of the price in most of the restaurants. Was it due to inflation? I did not see the price was up that much in Windsor. The increase was at least 20 percent or more comparing to last year. It was only the food price in the restaurant that increased dramatically while the food price was not up that much in the grocery stores. After lunch we walked to the raw noodle factory to buy the dumpling skin which was the best. We also purchased some other frozen sticky rice wrapped in the bamboo leaves that my daughter loved and other veggie buns. We were going to leave the next day so I did not have the drive to buy any more fruit or veggie but just got what I needed for the preparation for the dinner.
There were squashes on the counter in the kitchen. My daughter told me that they were picked from her garden a while ago. There was also vegetable that was going to turn bad in the fridge. I took them all out, cleaned them and stir fried them. The squash and potatoes were able to be used for the filling for the dumpling. When the squash was cut apart it looked so fresh inside. My husband quickly shot a photo of it. I had never seen the squash that fresh. Home grown vegetable was always fresher than the one that was bought at the market for sure. I enjoyed peeling them and cutting them because they were very crispy. With the fresh ingredient the dish must turn out to very be very delicious.
The tap water was very fresh and clear in Vancouver. I used to have to filter the tap water and boiled it before drinking it in Windsor because of its odor which was very fishy. I found out that it tasted very good without having any odor. My husband told me that it was because the water came from the mountain instead of from the lake as in Windsor. I did not find out the difference until then because I did not have the good habit of drinking plenty of water before. With its good taste I could drink a couple glasses of it at a time. It was smooth, clear and fresh.
Her boy friend had something to do after work and would not be back for dinner. Three of us enjoyed the time together eating and chatting. She loved the dumpling and stir fried veggie that I prepared. It was our last dinner in Vancouver. Time passed very quickly. We had to start packing up our luggage unwillingly after the wonderful meal together because there was not much time left for us to do it the next early morning when the flight was at 7 am. It was our last night sleeping on the couch bed in her small apartment. Though it was tiny I found it very comfortable with my stay. Our visit was going to end very soon. I was happy with what I had seen and involved in. She had led a very productive and busy life.

第七天十月二十六日

在温莎启程来温哥华之前，从天气预告，已经得知，整个星期都会有雨水。过去一连四天都没有下雨，可算非常的幸运。老天爷，对我们已经非常的宽待。起床后，看到外面下小雨、天暗，心情很不快，但是，不会对老天爷感到不满、有怨言，而感到很幸运和满足。并且，最后一天，都没有什么户外的活动要参与，晴天或者下雨，对我们没有多大的影响、不便。
女儿想陪同我们外出用晚饭，但是，我已经作出拒绝。她非常地忙碌，还要她赶时间来，赴约用膳，感到很难为她，不想给她增加负担、压力。在家用晚饭，时间可以灵活控制，也不用花那么多的时间。我不介意把晚饭准备好，等她回来享用。雨势不算很大，不用雨伞也可以外出走动。喜爱喝港式奶茶的我，当然，不会放过最后的机会去品赏它。在附近，只有三家餐馆供应奶茶。我们已经到过了两家，不想再去，而选择了还没去过的第三家，只需走一个街口，就到达。
小小的餐馆，但是，非常地忙，要排队等座位。看起来，餐馆也刚新装修，但是，菜单没有改变，而价格也上涨了。过了一年后，回来温哥华，发现大部分餐馆菜单上的价格都有上升，有百分之二十之多。但是，杂货店的食物价格，没有多大的变化。算不算是通货膨胀？在温莎，我没有发现上涨的那么厉害。午饭之后，我们前往一家自制的面条店去，购买饺子皮。那家的饺子皮，非常的新鲜。女儿喜欢吃粽子，看到有粽子出售，也买了一些。看到有冰冻的蔬菜包、甜包，也买了些给女儿。明天，就要离开，不多走购买东西，而回去，准备晚饭。
厨房的柜台，放置很多小南瓜。女儿，告诉我是从她的小田地上采摘回来的。可以用它来做饺子馅料。把小南瓜切开的时候，看到里面很新鲜，比市面上买回的南瓜更新鲜。颜色也非常吸引。老公，马上把它拍下。冰箱里，也有很多蔬菜开始变坏。我把全部都拿出来，清洗、煮熟。然后，放回冰箱里去，让女儿慢慢地吃。
这一次来，也给我发现，温哥华的自来水很清鲜、好喝。温莎的自来水，含有一种鲜臭味，很难受。我要把它过滤，然后，煮开了，才喝。温哥华的自来水完全不一样，打开水龙头，可以直接装水来喝，没有鲜味、臭味。跟老公谈及此事的时候，他说，因为，温哥华的水是从山上流下来的，而温莎的水是从大湖里来的。水质，当然，不一样。以前，少喝清水，因此，没有品赏到水质的不同。
女儿的男友，下班之后，有要事去干，不回来用晚饭。我们一家三口，一起进食我做的饭菜。女儿，很喜欢吃饺子。对用南瓜做的馅料，也非常赞赏，不断称赞好吃。大家，一边吃一边聊天，很温馨。很可惜，那是我们在温哥华的最后一顿晚饭。大家都很依依不舍。晚饭后，马上要收拾行李。明天，一大早七点钟，班机要起飞。四点多就要起床，不够时间去整理行李。一个星期的探望，很快就要过去了。那张小沙发床，虽然，窄小，但是，我睡得很舒服。她的家，虽然小，我也住得很习惯、愉快。看到她生活充实、忙碌、快乐、积极、幸福、乐观。。。身体健康。。感到很安慰、放心。

Without travel health insurance没有购买旅行保险

2011-11-14T15:44:00.003-05:00

November 14, 2011

WITHOUT TRAVEL HEALTH INSURANCE

I read an article about a senior who purchased with travel health insurance but was stuck with the payment of 50,000 dollars for 5 days hospitalized in LA because of certain reason of her hidden factor about her health on the application. Medical expense is the unimaginable figure which is hardly affordable by an individual.
She thought that she was safe traveling with the purchase but did not expect the outcome of her dishonesty in the health disclosure on her application form. It was exceptional on her case but what I want to bring up today is the issue about those seniors who travel without purchasing the travel health insurance like our parents who travel back and forth to China without it each year. The article about expensive hospitalization charge is a wake up call for those seniors like our parents. It is very risky for them to travel without buying travel health insurance at their age. They never realize the expensive cost if they are suddenly sick on the international flight that requires landing for treatment or if accident actually takes place that requires medical treatment.
The medical treatment and hospitalization cost is affordable in China but it is not in LA or Hong Kong or in most other countries around the world. Even in China for the short term care it is fine but for the long term or surgical care it is very costly too. I do worry for their risk and would like them to consider the matter seriously. It is safer to stay in Canada at their age without doing any more traveling. I do not know what the point of traveling is if they have difficulty in walking, hearing, thinking, observing and so on. They cannot remember what they have seen or figure out what is going on around them. The most comfortable, safe and happiest place for them was their home. We should do more traveling when we were young, when we could move around freely, when the travel health insurance was easily applicable. When we reach certain age we should not engage in any more traveling. It is smarter to stay where we are and enjoy the time left quietly alone with the recalling of our past and with our family members if there are any or possible.
I just want to emphasize here that it is very risky to travel without purchasing the travel health insurance in all ages and that honesty in filling out application form is very essential too. It is absolutely not recommended to travel without purchasing the travel health insurance.

二零一一年十一月十四日

没有购买旅行保险
今天早上，看到一篇文章有关保险公司不负责住院的费用。有一位年老的女士，去加州旅行。她有购买旅行保险。旅途中不幸发病，要住院。住院五天的费用，要付五万块美元。保险公司不肯付款。
她的个案有点另类，因为，保险公司发现，她填报身体状况不老实。我不想讨论有关她的处境，而想谈及有关没有购买旅行保险的老人家以及有关昂贵的住院费。对那些老人家，经常来往中国大陆，而没有购买旅行保险，该是一个警惕。他们的做法是非常的冒险。他们搭乘的是国际班机。假如，在飞机上不幸病倒，需要紧急降落找医院急救或者遇上意外，那些费用是天文数字，难以付得起。
在大陆，住院的医疗费，不算很贵，可以负担，但是，开刀手术的费用也很昂贵。长期病患的费用，也是难以负担。对年老的父母，经常来往加中两地，很担忧、担心。希望，他们对事情多加以考虑。年纪太大了，走路不方便、视力不好、记忆退化、为何还要不断地作出长途的旅行？太冒险、太辛苦了。以他们的年纪，最好、最安全、最幸福、是留在家里休息、过着安乐的生活。
年轻的时候，有气力、四肢灵活、到处旅行，游览、吸收新的知识，享受旅游带来的乐趣。到了某一个年龄，最理智的选择，该停下来，少些外出，享受在家中的安乐生活，回忆往事，免得儿女担心，免得带给他们不必要的麻烦。不购买旅行保险，而外出坐飞机、旅行等等，是非常冒险的。请老人家门三思。假如，购买保险的时候，也记得要把身体实况老实地填报。不然的话，会自食其果。

A trip to Vancouver 2011年温哥华之旅 ----- day six第六天

2011-11-11T13:04:00.010-05:00

A TRIP TO VANCOUVER 2011

Day six October 25

The mother of nature was very nice to us. We were going to have another sunny day without rain. It was gorgeous out there with plenty of sunshine. I was very thankful for it. My daughter told us to meet her at her office at noon so that she could take us to try the raw food at a veggie restaurant.
We left the apartment an hour early, took the bus, made the transfer to sky train and then got off at the station that closest to her office. There was more traffic and more pedestrians on the street. It was very busy. We got in the building and sat down on a sofa in the lounge waiting for her. There were security guards on duty. The lounge was quiet without many people hanging around. It was quite busy with the traffic flow of people getting in and out of the building. They did not stop but walked straight to the two lifts or got out from them and walked outside. It looked like that they all were in a hurry, that they had something in mind, that they were indifferent to the things around them. I enjoyed engaging in the observation while waiting.
It took us a long walk to the restaurant. In order to catch up with my daughter and also in the same pace with the people around us I quickened my steps. It was lunch hour. Every one was in a hurry walking to beat with the limit time that he had for lunch. To my surprise it was a very tiny restaurant with only a few small tables in the basement. No one served us and it was just like the Vietnamese veggie restaurant that we dined in before. The customers had to involve in the service of getting their own cold water drink and cleaning up the table after dining. We ordered the food at the counter and then it was served to us. Looking at the menu I found out that the names of the dishes were very unfamiliar. It was hard to make the decision because I had never tried the dishes before. Finally I chose the Raw Mien with veggie. I thought that it was a kind of pasta dish. When the dish was brought to me it looked very delicious like cooked noodle with raw green veggie and crushed nuts. My daughter told me that none of the dishes were cooked. They were all raw from veggie. I tried it carefully and agreed with what she said. It did not taste like cooked noodle but crispy like raw chayote. The flavor was very strong with different spicy sauce mixed together. It was very new and unusual. I like the texture of the whole dish and its taste. It was hard to enjoy our food relaxingly while many other customers were waiting for our table. We had to do it in a hurry. Moreover my daughter did not have much time for lunch break too.
After lunch she walked back for work. Two of us had a leisure walk to the water front with my landmarks for sightseeing like the Olympic Cauldron, Canada Place, The Drop and so on. I had been there for a few times but never felt tired of viewing the magnificent scenery on the harbor. It was very enjoyable to have a promenade along the seawall. There were not many tourists as it used to be in summer time or when there were functions or celebrations going on. Due to the gorgeous weather many office workers close by brought their lunches and sat down on the benches in the park enjoying a few minutes outside in the open space during the break. After having enough walking and viewing we headed back to the sky train station.
I had to depend on my husband for direction. He knew how to get to my daughter’s garden where we were going to pick the veggie for dinner. My daughter told us to pick as much as we could but I just picked whatever I needed. There were so many of them ready to be picked. The mint leaves, cucumber and lettuce were the ones that I needed most for my Vietnamese fresh rolls. Mint leaves were quite expensive if they were bought at the market. There were plenty of them at her garden and were healthily grown too. My husband picked the lettuce, spinach, green onion, cucumber and so on. I focused on picking my mint leaves which were very attractive to me. I loved their smell and their healthy big leaves which were much fresher than the ones sold on the market. It was very enjoyable picking them.
I needed rice noodle, rice paper and fried bean curd for the wrap so we got off the bus a few blocks from the apartment to get to the Vietnamese supermarket to get them. We then walked back to the apartment. It was a commercial area with many different food stores, bakeries, restaurants and so on. Everything was within our reach. We did not need to travel far to purchase what we needed daily. It was very convenient. My daughter loved the fresh rolls that I made. Whenever I came to visit her she would request me to prepare that dish for her. I enjoyed making it and also did some frying of noodles and veggie for her.
Both of them had something to do after work and would not be back until 9 pm so my husband and I had dinner early and saved the food for them. It was great reward at seeing them enjoying the food with appreciation. I told them that most of the ingredients were fetched from their garden. They should be proud of their work on the garden which produced so much good fresh vegetable. The fried noodle and veggie were finished but the rolls were not. I had made too many of them. I felt even more positive with the food that I prepared when I was told to have them packed for their lunch the next day.
It was easy to have the day go by very quickly by keeping myself busy with sightseeing, shopping and cooking. I really enjoyed it so far.

第六天十月二十五日

早上起床，第一件事要做，是往窗外看出去，看天气怎样？看到有阳光的时候，心情特别轻快。又可以享有一天美好的天气，该感谢老天爷的关照。女儿，吩咐我们在中午，到她的办公大楼去。她会带我们去吃生的蔬菜午膳。
计算好路程需要的时间，十一点开始出门，乘坐公共汽车，然后，转搭地铁，一直到最靠近她办公室的车站下车。车程只需要半小时。剩下很多时间，我们放慢脚步，欣赏街道上的繁忙情景。星期天，来过，但是，街道很静，不像今天那么多车多人来往。在大厅里，找个沙发坐下。大厅没人，但是，出入的人流很多。他们很匆忙地走。大厅里也有守卫看守，但是，他们不会做出任何的询问或者检查，可以自由地走动。坐在那儿，仔细观察，感到很有趣。
女儿下来会合我们之后，马上前往餐馆去。午饭时间，大家都争取时间，很匆忙地走路。我也要加快脚步，来赶上女儿，也来配合周围的行人。餐馆离开她的办公室，可算比较远，要走十五分钟左右。餐馆很小，只有几张小桌子，座位也不多，而且，设在地下室里，空间非常的窄小，有像快餐的形式。没有服务员招待我们。只有一位收费员在柜台处理一切的事物，收钱、接听电话、接收订菜单、上菜等等。顾客要自己到水。用膳完毕之后，要把使用过的餐具收拾，放到规定的地方去。食客自动自觉地把餐馆的环境、卫生保持干净。看菜单，去挑选自己想要的菜，难以作出决定。全部的菜名都很不熟悉。后来，发现有一道菜名，估计是面条，把它挑选了。女儿告诉我要仔细地咀嚼。没有一道菜是烹煮过的。全部都是生的蔬菜配制而成的。看上去好像面条，但实际上不是。我仔细地咀嚼，果然，给我发现，好像面条的长长白色东西，口感有像生的合掌瓜。调味料非常的浓厚，带有酸甜辣的味道。我喜欢吃生的菜蔬，因而，很喜欢那道菜，而且，浓厚的味道也是我的最爱。不错，好介绍，是一种新奇的尝试。
小小的餐馆，但是，很忙，有些人在等候座位。不能够慢慢地进食，而该快把东西吃完，让座位给下个等候的顾客。而且，女儿的午饭时间也是有限的，让她赶快回办公室上班去。我跟老公，慢步到河边的码头去走走。天气好，很多附近的办公室职员，把午饭带到河边的公园去，一边吃、一边欣赏户外美好的景色和呼吸新鲜的空气。这是温哥华的景点，游客必须来参观不可。我已经来过了很多次，但是，不会感到厌倦。它的迷人、优美景色，使人永远的着迷，看而不厌。
走累了，我们就乘坐地铁到女儿的租用田园去。她在那块小田地上，种植了很多不同的瓜菜。女儿吩咐我，把全部成熟的瓜菜都摘下。对其它的瓜菜不大感兴趣，而只喜欢香花草。它长得非常健康、可爱。在市场上出售的香花草没有那么新鲜，而且价格非常昂贵。我很喜欢它的香味。老公把生菜、青瓜、菠菜、青葱等等该收成的瓜菜摘下，收获良多。
女儿喜欢吃我做的越南米粉卷。主要青菜材料，好像香花草、青瓜、生菜都已经备有。还需要些米粉、米纸、炸豆腐，才能够做到那道菜。因此，回程路上，在早几个车站下车，到越南商场去购买需要的食料。然后，走路回去，距离不是很远。回去之后，就要忙碌地开工清理瓜菜，炒青菜、炒米粉、包米粉卷等等。女儿跟男友下班之后，有些事要处理，要到九点后才回家。晚饭做好之后，我和老公先吃。他们回来，才弄热食物给他们一起吃。我也告诉他们，大部分晚饭的菜料，都是从他们的小田地，采摘回来的，要好好地品尝它们，要对他们的努力耕种，所生产的瓜菜感到自豪。看他们对我做的菜，非常的欣赏，还要把剩下的米粉卷打包给明天作午饭，感到很安慰、开心。
整天，忙碌地游览观光、做饭，时间也很容易过去。来了几天，天天的天气都那么阳光，真逗人开心、开朗、愉快。谢谢老天爷！

A trip to Vancouver 2011年温哥华之旅-----day five第五天

2011-11-09T13:01:00.008-05:00

A TRIP TO VANCOUVER 2011

Day five October 24

It was fascinating to see the sunshine early in the morning when I got out of bed. We were able to enjoy another dry day ahead of us. I slept in and then relaxed in the apartment for the whole morning. It was my vacation so I did not prepare lunch but dined out instead. Since I loved the Hong Kong style tea and there was not much chance to have it in Windsor we looked for the restaurant that carried that kind of tea. We needed to walk only one block from our apartment. We used to be there a couple times in the past. The price was reasonable, the tea, service and food were good. When we got inside we were surprised to find out that everything was changed. It was newly renovated. The waiters and waitresses were all unfamiliar. Its menu was different too. The tea was still available with the price up. The cleanliness and the better environment with new floors, ceilings, tables, chairs etc were worth the couple more dollars that we paid. I felt very comfortable dining in the new environment. The food tasted much healthier than before too. We definitely sure would be back if we had the chance.
My daughter did not go to work in her office at downtown but went to attend the workshop in Richmond. She would like us to meet her in the Aberdeen Center for dinner. We left the apartment at around 2 pm and took the bus to Oakridge station where there was a big mall. Before we made the transfer to the Canada line we walked to the big mall and spent half an hour touring around it. There were many Chinese malls in Richmond. We did not get off at the Aberdeen station but traveled further for a couple more stops before we got off.
We just had a leisure walk from mall to mall, found the food court and sat down for a cup of Hong Kong style tea which I loved so much. It was easy to get that kind of tea in the Chinese malls in the big city but not in Windsor where there was no Chinese mall. I would like to drink it as much as I could. I had drunk so many cups of it that I had no room for food which my husband would like to try. I sat down enjoying my tea while he was touring around to look at the food at different booths. There were all kinds of delicious food available. Unfortunately our stomach had very limited space. We just had our mouth watery instead.

When my daughter and her boy friend arrived we got in the Japanese restaurant to have dinner. We had been there before. It used to be very busy in the weekends, holidays or when there was function going on. There used to be long line up for seats. It was very quiet that evening. Might be we came on the weekdays. The waiters, waitresses used to yell out loudly to place the order and the cooks accepted the orders by confirming it loudly in Japanese. They just made noises to bring up the atmosphere. We had no idea what they were communicating. The food was very tasty. I loved the fish head dish which was prepared in such a way that it was not fishy at all. The taste was even better than the Chinese way of cooking it. I could enjoy a lot of good delicious dishes while my daughter had not much choice for her vegetarian dishes except the veggie rice roll. I felt sorry for her.
It was the most relaxing day for me without much walking except eating and drinking. I used to have early dinner at 5 pm at home. Since I came to Vancouver I had to learn to adapt to the life style there. We had late dinner at around 7 or 8 pm which was early for my daughter who used to have it at around 9 or 10 pm. When we got back to the apartment it was almost time to get to bed as usual. It was so far so good and so enjoyable for me. The weather was cooperative without rain. It was the best bonus for us.

第五天十月二十四日

早上九点多起床后，不用把窗帘打开，已经感觉到外面灿烂的阳光，非常喜悦、兴奋。又可以享有一天美好的天气。在家中，轻轻松松地度过了一个早上。度假期间，该休息，我就不做午饭，而外出用膳。住址附近，商店林立，多元化，想吃什么东西都有。我喜欢港式奶茶，因此，找那些餐馆去吃午饭。餐馆很近，走一个街口，就到达了。每次来看望女儿，都会前来这家餐馆。服务、食物、奶茶各方面都不错。并且，价钱和合理、划算。推门进去的时候，大吃一惊。整个餐室都很漂亮整体。全部都换新了。连服务员、菜单都更换掉，但是，仍然有奶茶供应。价钱比以往贵。但是，我认为很值得的。环境好、干净、卫生、健康的食物，多付几块钱没有问题。
女儿不用到办公室上班去，而前往Richmond开会去。因此，大家约好在华人Aberdeen 商场见面用晚饭。两点钟开始离开住所，乘坐公共汽车，然后，转Canada Line到Richmond去。进入地铁站口处，有一个大商场，俩人进去走走消磨时间。搭乘Canada Line 时候，经过Aberdeen 华人商场，但是，我们没有下车，而继续地多坐几个站，才下车去。Richmond 有很多大型的华人商场。居民有百分之六十是华人。我们从一个大商场，走到另一个商场。商场的距离不远，可以走路去。每个商场都有食街，有休息地方，有奶茶出售。我们走累了，可以坐下，喝我喜爱的奶茶。在温莎没有华人商场，也难以喝到奶茶，我尽情地去品尝它。喝太多奶茶，肚子有点饱饱的，看到很多美食，都难以进食，只有流口水而已。
六点钟之后，女儿和他的男友，下班后，前来Aberdeen回合我们。大家一起到一家日本餐馆用晚饭。这家餐馆，有来过一次。还记得，那时候非常的忙，爆满，要排队等座位。店里的运作非常的新奇，很吵闹。招待员不断地大声地喊。他们把接到的订菜一边写下，一边大声地喊，让厨师知道。厨师听到了，也大声地回应。他们全是用日文对话，我们一句都听不懂。他们这样做来搞搞气氛而已，作用不大。菜肴中，我最喜爱那道油炸炖鱼头的菜，非常可口，不会有鱼鲜味。它的烹饪方法，比我们中国的方式还要好吃。我们可以品赏好多不同的佳肴，但是，可怜的女儿没有多大的选择，而只有蔬菜饭卷而已。对她很不公平，感到非常难过。
今天过得最轻松，不用走很多路，而只会不断地喝、吃而已。在温莎的时候，我们习惯在下午五点吃晚饭。在温哥华，要把习惯改变，来适应女儿的日常生活习惯。每天都要很晚才进食晚饭，在七、八点左右。对女儿来说，哪个时间已经算早了。她经常要在九、十点才有空，可以吃晚饭。看到他们忙碌的生活，有点吃不消，但是，是好事。我们年轻的时候，也是这样的忙碌，昏头昏脑地为生活搏斗，才可以有今天的悠闲、退休生活。让他们年轻一代去奋斗吧。回到住所，已经到就寝时间。得到老天爷的关照，给我们一连几天的好天气，让我们尽情到户外去游览、享乐，度过几天美满的时刻，感到很满足、快乐。

Morning call一大早给吵醒

2011-11-07T15:28:00.008-05:00

November 6, 2011

MORNING CALL

It had been a while without hearing the phone ringing early at 6 am in the morning. The watering machine was down since 2 am at my brother’s bean sprout plant where I used to work before but he dared not wake up my husband until then. It was lucky that it was Sunday. My husband was off work. Without any hesitation he just got up and rushed to give him a hand within half an hour.
The watering machine was first invented by my father who installed it and did the maintenance himself. The first generation of the machine was very simple with timer and motor running to move the bar with shower heads to water the small pails of mug bean for once every three hours in the basement of his Chinese grocery store that he purchased in 1980. My mom got the most benefit from it by not having to water the bean manually, especially at night time. The demand for bean sprout kept increasing. There was not enough space to do the expansion in the small rental building so he made the move to a new bigger location in 1989. The second generation of the watering machine was installed without much improvement but just with more shower heads to water the bigger pails of mug beans.
He reached the retire age and was planning for it. My youngest brother who was studying his undergrad and I who was taking care of my little daughter started working part time in helping him. When my brother graduated in 1990 two of us took over the business gradually. We turned the retail business to wholesale one. The demand for bean sprout was so big that the basement was too small for the expansion again. He had to start to have another move to a bigger location where the growing of bean sprout was no longer in the basement but on the ground floor in a big warehouse.
The third generation of the watering machine was installed with completely new equipment that was different from the old ones. Big bin that was forty times bigger than the pail to hold the bean was installed. The shower heads were no longer used but replaced by the big overhead water pipe with holes to do the watering. The system was industrialized and more efficient. My father entirely withdrew from the management in 1993. My brother and I could run the business but were unable to maintain the operation of the machine. We had no fundamental knowledge about it. My husband who was an electrician and used to be physics teacher had some basic knowledge about the whole watering system started taking over my father’s job voluntarily without being paid.
The business got blooming under our new management. We bought two more bean sprout plants with computerized water system in the state. My husband looked into those systems, got some new idea and started working on improving our own system by adding the alarm automatic dialing feature to avoid the damage that caused by the malfunction of the watering system. The growth of bean sprout required appropriate temperature from the water and the room with regular watering. Lacking any of those elements the bean would not sprout and grow. We could keep an eye on the operation during the day but impossible to do it when every one was off work. The alarm system was helpful. It would automatically dial the phone number to alert us when anything went wrong. Whenever we got the phone call, even in the middle of night we had to rush to the plant to fix the problem.
Before I retired in 2006 my husband helped my brother to set up the fourth generation of the watering machine in a bigger new location. It was the most efficient one with new technology modification. Most of the parts were heavy duty and very endurable. My brother was very well trained in operating it and in maintaining it himself. He could manage it without our help. Some problem must be unsolvable that forced him to call my husband who had to perform the trouble shooting and would be able to fix it at last.
Though it was an unexpected morning call it was not as stressful as the call that I used to receive when I was in charge of the business. I was able to continue sleeping while my husband and brother took care of the problem. It was none of my business then.

二零一一年十一月六日

一大早给吵醒

已经有一段很长的时间，没有在早晨六点钟给电话响声闹醒。小弟豆芽厂的洒水机，在凌晨两点出了问题，无法解决，但是，又不敢打电话请教老公，等到天亮才拨电话。老公，赶快起床，去协助小弟。
第一代的洒水机，是由父亲发明、安装。他在一九八零年买下了一家小杂货店。在地下室种小量的豆芽来出售。母亲每隔三小时要给绿豆洒水，非常辛苦。父亲，买些定时控制器、洒水器、带动器等的材料，很简单地把它们安装，来作出自动按时洒水，来代替母亲。生意越做越好，豆芽的需求增大，地下室不够地方扩大。因此，在一九八九年，他要把店铺搬迁。第二代的洒水机诞生。工厂也在地下室，机器没有多大的改变，只有种植豆芽的塑料桶和地方比较大而已。
父亲年纪已大，打算退休。当时，小弟还在大学读书，我在家照料年幼的女儿。两姐弟开始到店铺去协助父亲打理生意。小弟在一九九零年大学毕业，女儿也开始上学去。两姐弟全力投入工作，把零售生意转型成为批发，也把它扩张到美国去。豆芽市场的需求不断地上升。地下室的工厂太窄小，不够空间扩大，面临淘汰。搬迁的时候，第三代的洒水机诞生。它跟上两代的完全不同，比较工业化。新的工厂不再在地下室运作，而在大仓库的地面。父亲，不再使用属于家居用的零件，而工业用的零件来安装机器。种植豆芽的容器也大出有好几十倍。不再使用浴室的小洒水器，而自制一条水管。在水管上开无数的小洞来作洒水的用途。
父亲，在一九九三年，完全地退出经营业务。两姐弟携手代替父亲掌管一切。经营生意是没有问题，但是，维修机器的重担，难以担当。两姐弟，对机器一无所知，没有基本的知识。幸好，有老公。他有一份非常安稳的电工工作，也当过物理教师，对机器有所认识。他志愿地代替父亲，负责业余维修工作，不领取工资。小弟在美国，买下了两家豆芽厂，有正规的豆芽洒水机。从那些洒水机，老公得到很多新概念的启发。豆芽是非常容易种植，但是，一定要在适合的水温、室温、定时洒水，才能够生长。水温、室温、随时都会有变化。洒水机有时候会坏掉。白天，大家还在上班的时候，可以做出控制、调整、修理，但是，下班之后，有谁来发现问题的出现。
好学的老公，不断地把机器改善，加入新的零件、新的电脑控制软件，让自动拨电话的系统二十四小时运作，有问题出现的时候，及时通知我们去把问题纠正。时间过得很快，我也要进入退休的年龄。二零零六年，在我正式离开之前，老公给小弟设计、安装了第四代的洒水机。零件、机器、设备等等，都很有规划、耐用、容易操作。多年来积累的经验，小弟可以自己学会运作、修理、处理一切的问题。遇到，无法解决的时候，才向老公请教、求救。
以往，还在豆芽厂工作的时候，每次接到电话，都非常的着急，马上要赶快去处理。虽然，一大早给电话闹醒，但是，对我来说，不再是一种压力，我可以继续地睡下去，让老公、小弟，俩人去把难题解决。

A trip to Vancouver 2011年温哥华之旅 --- day four第四天

2011-11-04T14:33:00.010-04:00

A TRIP TO VANCOUVER 2011

Day four October 23

It was Sunday. My daughter was off work so she was able to sleep in. Her boy friend woke up early to go for the training. Due to the long walk the day before, I had very nice sleep that night. It was so cheerful to see the sun coming out early in the morning when I woke up. We were lucky to have another day without rain then. After breakfast she started baking cakes for the bake sales in her office on Monday. We had to wait until the cakes were cool off and then cut them into small pieces which were packed into the plastic reusable containers that were carried to her office. We took the bus and then made the transfer to sky train to downtown where we needed to walk for 5 minutes to reach her office which was on the 8th floor of a tall building. She needed to work for an hour so my husband and I walked around the area which was mostly with office buildings. We then walked to the food court where we could sit down and waited for her. There was a Mc Donald restaurant so my husband went there to place the order for tea with muffin deal. He was very surprise to find out that there was no tea deal but coffee deal only. If he wanted to get tea he had to pay more for the tea and muffin separately. Though it was under the same franchise there was something different in its way of doing business in each restaurant. It was fun to learn the difference as we traveled to different places to have our eyes and minds opened to new things.
It was almost 2 pm when my daughter finished her work. She then walked us to a nearby restaurant for lunch. As we walked I started realizing the changes as we proceeded further to the old downtown area where the buildings were old and not many stores were in business. It looked like that the area was being deserted. My daughter told us that we should not walk any further because it was even worse and not safe. We stopped at an all day breakfast serving restaurant. I was surprised at the waiting for our seats. It was after lunch hour but was still that busy. There were no seats available at the tables so we just sat on the high stools by the bar counter to have our meal. It was the first time that I had my meal that way. The food was good and the portion was huge. The service was not bad and the price was not expensive as we expected. Without my daughter’s guiding we would not have a chance to experience the very special lunch like that. It was fun.
After lunch she walked us through the old down town area where the old buildings were well kept and many high ended stores operated. The streets were clean and well decorated. It was very relaxed walking in the area enjoying the view of the unique antique architectures. When we walked in the deserted area we had to quicken our foot steps with fearful feeling but we would like to slow down our walk when we were in the well organized area with safe feeling. It was the big contrast between rich and poor. Thanks to my daughter’s guiding I could see the real Vancouver in two extremes. I heard about it a lot on the news but was unable to experience it until then.
She kept walking us to the Yale town where I had not had a chance to visit before. I visited Vancouver for a few times but had never heard about this town which was quite new to me. It was an old town and very well organized. The buildings and streets were very well kept too. We just walked to the center of the town and then took the sky train back to our apartment. Vancouver was huge but we could get to everywhere by bus and sky train. It was amazing to get to know the network of the transit system which was very well designed and planed.
Each time we visited Vancouver her boy friend’s parents used to invite us to their house for dinner. It was scheduled to have dinner at their house that evening. We waited for her boy friend to come home and then he drove us there. I was shocked at the numerous marvelous dishes that they prepared. The food was well decorated and delicious. I was impressed with their way of serving. The plates were replaced often like in the restaurant. The dinner wares were very cute with their charming irregular shapes. Their hospitality made me feel very comfortable. We had good time and good chat around the dinner table. I appreciated for their generosity for having us to be their regular guest whenever I visited Vancouver.
Every one had to get up early to go to work the next day so we did not want to stay too late but left at around 10 pm. It took half an hour to drive back to the apartment. Though I did a lot of walking it was not as much as the day before. I did not feel that fatigue. My daughter had two days off in the weekend and had tried her best to spend as much time with us as possible. I really enjoyed and appreciated for it.

第四天十月二十三日

星期天，女儿不用上班去，也没有别的活动去参加，可以迟些起床。她的男友，一大早，就要参加训练去。昨天，走了太多路，很累，因此，昨晚，睡得很好。今天早上起床，感觉不错，往窗口看出去，看到太阳出来了，更加喜出望外。又可以再享受多一天的好天气。早餐后，女儿开始动手，做蛋糕。明天，在她办公室，举办蛋糕义卖筹款。明天，她不用到办公室去上班，而出差去。因此，今天，她要把蛋糕，送到办公室去。我们会陪同她一起去，也有机会看看她办公的地方。
蛋糕做好之后，还要等它凉，才可以把它切成小块，打包带去。要花上了整个早上，才能够把它们制造、包装、完成。在中午十二点，才可以出门去。先要搭乘公共汽车，然后，转搭高空列车，到距离公司最近的车站下车，多走五分钟的路，才到达她的办公室。女儿，要在办公室，办些时，大概要一小时之多。我和老公，在附近走走。她的办公室设在一栋高楼大厦的第八层。周围也有很多高楼大厦。大部分都是用来做办公室。星期天，没有人上班，街道上人流不多，车也不多，也没有商店或者餐馆。要走一段路，才有商店和食街。
看到有麦当劳，我们进去坐下。最低的消费，是买一杯茶和一块蛋糕。很意外地发现，只有咖啡和蛋糕才有尤为，而茶跟蛋糕没有。虽然，也是麦当劳，但是，每家餐馆的做法不一样。多外出走走，会发现很多有趣的区别。下午两点，女儿才给我们发出短信，告诉我们她可以离开了。会合她之后，她带我们走路到一家西餐馆去用午饭。一边走一边观察周围的环境，发现，越走越有点不对，好像进入了穷人区，街道、建筑物、很不像样，感到有点不安。女儿，告诉我们，餐馆的地方差不多是穷与富的界线，不要再多走，很不安全。听了，有点儿放心。
餐馆，全日经营早餐的菜单，价钱比较便宜。已经是下午两点多，客人还是很多，要排队等座位。刚好，高柜台有空出来的座位，我们不介意，坐在哪儿。第一次，坐在高脚凳上进食，感觉很新奇。通常，在酒吧才这样坐，来喝酒。服务不错，食物也和可口，份量也很大，吃得很饱。没有女儿的带领，我们肯定不会来到这个地方来吃午饭，是一个非常难忘的尝试。
午饭后，她带我们向另一个方向走去，也是旧城，但是，旧、古老的建筑物，得到维修、保养、很美观。街道干净、行人衣服整齐，商店高尚。一路走一路欣赏那些古老建筑物的特色。在那有钱人的街道上步行，不用放快脚步，而慢慢地走来观赏。跟在穷人区步行的时候，心情完全的不一样，很没有安全感。我们还没到过Yale Town，因此，女儿带我们往哪个方向一直走。到了那个小城市之后，才乘坐高空列车回去。温哥华的交通网络非常有规划，很方便。
每次，来温哥华探望女儿，男友的父母都会请我们到他们家做客。五点后，我们回到家，男友也回来。他开车送我们一起到他父母家去。他们家在另一个小市镇，要花半小时的车程。他们很热情、好客，准备很多道菜欢迎我们。餐具很高贵、讲究，好像在餐馆一样，不断地换上新的餐具，招呼周到，很亲切，使我们感到很舒服、自在。女儿和男友，吃完了晚饭后，跑到楼上去看电视。我们四位老人家，畅谈工作、生活、儿女、未来退休的打算等等的事项，非常投入、开心。很想多留一下，但是，考虑到明天，各人都要上班去，而告辞。时间，也不早，已经是晚上的十点多。大家，依依不舍的告别。
今天，不算很累，没有昨天走了那么多路，可算轻松很多。周末两天，女儿不用上班去，一直都陪伴我们，感到很欣慰。

A trip to Vancouver 2011年温哥华之旅---- day three第三天

2011-11-03T11:09:00.013-04:00

A TRIP TO VANCOUVER 2011

Day three October 22

It was Saturday. Both of my daughter and her boy friend did not have to go to work but both of them had activities to engage in. He took two day session for the first aid training. She helped out in the farmer market from 7 am to 9 am. Both got up early and left the house. I was unable to sleep in because we were going to join her at the pancake breakfast for the city councils competition election meeting at around 9 am after she finished her work at the farmer market.
My husband checked it out on the internet that it took 20 minutes walk to the location where the meeting was held. I walked slowly so it took me for more than half an hour to get there. There were a lot of people present getting ready for the meeting which was going to start at 10 am with questioning and answering. We were not the local residents and were not interested in the politics. It was no point to attend the meeting. We found our daughter who suggested that we should leave for the visiting to the farmer market instead of sitting there wasting time. After having seen her and having learned what was going on in the gathering in the neighborhood we left the place and started walking toward to farmer market where there must be more fun with.
Though it was cloudy without rain we took the umbrellas with us for in case. We walked for another half an hour then I was very excited to reach our destination. The farmer market was just set up with booths in the outdoor parking lot. It was not very big. The vendors were mostly farmers who grew their own organic fruit and veggie instead of purchasing them and resold them. I did not have the drive of buying anything but just tour around for sightseeing. Then my eyes came across very tiny apples that looked like cherry. With curiosity I purchased a few of them which I saw for the first time and would like to know how they tasted. The taste turned out to be not very good. Though it was crispy it was sour and did not have much taste of an apple.
After having seen enough of the merchandize display we started walking back. Then I saw a beautiful lake in the distance. It was the Trout Lake which was a big discovery for me. We walked toward it. The water on the lake was very tranquil. The leaves of the trees around it turned to different color. It was very quiet as if we were in the scenic area away from the noisy city. The air was fresh with many trees in the park. I enjoyed very much taking a short walk through the park to get back on the street. On the way back, we passed by a small community garden which I thought was where my daughter rented a small piece of cultivated land. It was a very well organized garden with many small pieces of land that planted with different kinds of veggie. When we talked to our daughter about it she told us that it was not her garden which was in other location.
It was 12 pm when I got back to our apartment. I had been on my feet for three hours. It was incredible that I had been on a long walk like that. Not long after we got home she also came back. We then walked a few blocks to have lunch in a Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant which was just newly opened. It was a kind of fast food restaurant but the plates, bowls, chopsticks, forks or spoons were reusable instead of disposable. We just ordered the food at the counter. Then it was served to us but we had to get our own hot tea, set our own table and clean it up too. It was very environmental, neat and clean. I first saw this kind of restaurant in Japan in 2007. This was the second time that I dined in the restaurant with the customers getting involved in the service.
After lunch we took the bus and then made the transfer to sky train to get to my daughter’s garden which was just two minute walk from the Nanaimo station. She planted many different kinds of veggie like spinach, lettuce, squash, cucumber, snow peas, carrot, broccoli etc. They were 100 percent organic. She had the crop harvested numerous times. Some of them were ready to be picked but we could not do it because we were not going home. It was incredible. I just wondered how she could manage her time in getting involved in so many activities. It needed time to work on this small piece of land.
My husband needed the washroom but there was no public one so we got in the Mc. Donald restaurant where there was no free one as in other location but must do some purchase to use the washroom which was locked. We were still very full so I just bought a cup of tea with muffin which was the best deal. Living in the big city was different from living in small city where we could access to a lot of free service. The volume of traffic was very huge. If they did not set up a policy for it people would take advantage of it. I totally agreed with what they had done. It was very busy in the restaurant so we did not sit down to finish our tea but holding on to it on our ride in the sky train and walk to China town.
My daughter walked us around the town then she told us that the stone stamp with her name on it bought for her by my husband was unable to be used with the regular ink that she bought. It required special ink. We then found a Chinese variety store and were lucky enough to find the ink for her. She was very happy to get it. There was not much change in the China town which we had visited for so many times. From the China town she walked us to the Canada Expo Round Building which was under renovation. We passed by it to the Olympic Village which we had not visited before. All of the buildings were not tall but very nicely designed with a lot of open spaces around. They were just close to the harbor front. It was a very quiet residential area.
We walked down to the harbor front where we could see beautiful view of boats running back and forth on the river. My daughter suggested that we should have a boat ride for 45 minutes for me to have my feet rest because I had been walking for another 3 hours. The ride would have three stops at Granville Island, Yale Town and Science world. If we wanted to get off to visit those places and got back on the boat then we should buy the ticket for all day ride which cost 14 dollars. Since we did not have much time we just paid for the ride for 11 dollars per person without getting off the boat at each stop. It was very relaxing sitting on the boat viewing the scenery on both sides of the river. My daughter suggested that we should ask other to take a picture for three of us. I told my husband to hold the camera high with one hand to take the shot. The picture turned out to be very satisfactory. We had very good time during the ride. Time went by very fast.
My feet were really sore. I found it difficult to walk the first step when I got off the boat. After having moved on with a few steps I was fine with my walk. Her boy friend was off training at 5 pm. She just walked us to the commercial area that close to his location. We were going to meet each other at the huge Outfit Store. My daughter then found out that there were some bubbles on the front and sleeve of her coat which she bought at a store close by a year ago. She got in that store and showed the spots to the salesperson who asked her to leave the coat to be returned to the manufacturer without having to present the receipt or anything for verification of the purchase. He said if it could not be fixed then she would be credited with the money or exchanged with a new one. High ended product was very expensive but was guaranteed with satisfactory service though being used.
After having her coat being taken care of we walked to the Malaysian restaurant to have dinner. We had been there before. It was a very busy restaurant. The food was very tasty. I loved the rice wrapped in the banana leaf. The rice was soft with very good smell from the leaf. It was my favorite dish. Each of us ordered a dish and then we all shared the food together. They were all very delicious. I enjoyed the food as much as the time together with my daughter and her friends.
It was tough to get up walking after having sat down for a while. We took the sky train to the Broadway station then we departed from there to different direction. My daughter went to bowling. Her boy friend went to his sister’s apartment. Other boy friend went back to his apartment in Yale town. Young people had so much energy. They never felt tired. I was old and felt very fatigue with the whole day walking exercise. My husband and I went home instead of joining her in the bowling. It was unbelievable that I was able to be on my feet for that long. We were very lucky that it did not rain throughout the day. Otherwise it would be even more miserable and I could not enjoy the day as I did. I appreciated for her time with me and for her guide too. It was a wonderful day!

第三天十月二十二日

星期六，女儿和男友不用上班去，但是，俩人都很早起床外出。男友，去参加急救训练课程。女儿，到农民市场去做义工。她会在市场，从早上七点干到九点，两个小时。九点之后，她跑去参加市议员竞选活动的免费早餐。我不能够太迟起床，因为，约好在九点左右，在竞选活动的地点会合她。
老公，上网查看的时候，得知，竞选活动的地点距离不远，步行只需二十分钟。我走路比较缓慢，要花半小时之多才到达。会场地方很窄小，很多人。大家忙碌地做好准备，在十点开始集会，议员介绍自己正刚、居民发表意见、议员作出回答问题等等。我们不是当地的居民，也对集会一点兴趣都没有。见到女儿，得知活动的内容之后，赶快在集会还没开始的时候，匆忙地离开，前往农民市场去。那儿，肯定会好玩些。
我们继续地走多半小时，才到达目的地。那个市场不是很大，是借用停车场来摆卖蔬菜。每一个摊档的老板，都是农民，而不是商人。他们的产品是从自家的田地采摘、收割，而得来的，而不是从市场买回来，再次出售赚钱的。全部都是有机蔬菜，因此，价钱比市面上出售的较为贵些，但是，很新鲜，很健康。我们的目的不是购买蔬菜、水果、食物，而观光、游览。大部分的产品，都跟市场上出售的差不多。当见到，细小的苹果，我忍不住，要买些回家品尝。从来，都没有见过那么小的苹果。开始的时候，我把它们看成樱桃，看清楚，才得知是苹果。味道不是很好吃。虽然，很爽脆，但是，很酸，没有苹果的味道。
整个市场，很快就给我走完、看够。打算，回去的时候，看到远处有个湖水，不是很大，但是，景色很幽美。我们就往哪个方向走去，欣赏湖边树叶变色的秋意景象，有像世外桃源，远离大城市的繁华、吵闹，非常清幽、安静。在湖边停留了一下，然后，穿过树木林立的公园，向着大马路走去。只要沿着大马路，可以一路走回家去。路上，经过一个社区出租的田地。女儿，告诉我们她的田地是在农民市场附近。我们以为是她介绍的。因而，走进去，观看一下。田地，打理得很好、整体、有规划。很可惜，我们的估计是错的，不是她的那块田地。
回到家，已经是中午十二点，难以相信我的体能。我已经步行有三个小时。女儿，还没回家。我坐下休息不够几分钟，女儿回来了。我又要站起来，跟她走去吃午饭。在她家附近，刚开了一家越南素菜馆，经营手法很环保、特别。它属于快餐形式，但是，不使用塑料、纸制的即丢弃餐具，而使用环保瓷器的餐具。没有服务员招待、侍候顾客，而顾客要自己倒茶，用餐后，把肮脏的餐具，送到指定的地方。我在二零零七年到日本去的时候，第一次见过这种餐馆。这是第二次，但是，在加拿大算是第一次。
午饭后，女儿陪同我们一起乘坐公共汽车，然后，转搭高空列车，到女儿的田地去参观。那块地，离开车站很近，只需一个街口就到达，很方便。田地不大，但是，她种植很多不同种类的瓜菜。她告诉我们，今年很丰收，她已经采摘过很多次。看到有很多种瓜菜，已经很成熟，可以采摘。但是，很可惜，我们不能够把他们摘下，因为，我们不打算立即回家去。打理这个小小的田地，要花时间。那么忙碌地工作、做义工、读书、不断参加户外活动。她的时间是怎样来安排的？使我非常的佩服。
走了不久，感觉有点急，要上厕所去。车站没有公厕，看到附近有麦当劳快餐厅，我们走进去借用厕所。餐馆不是很大，但是，生意非常好，很忙，难以找到座位。厕所不是随便可以进去，要买东西，服务员才把门打开，让顾客使用。没办法，要买杯茶，最低的消费。人流太多，我也赞同餐馆的做法，免得搞到厕所乱七八糟。找不到座位，只有手拿着杯茶，一边走一边喝。
女儿，带我们到华人的唐人街去，看到没有多大的改变，只随便走走。突然，女儿想起她的玉印章。老公，在大陆旅行的时候，给她买的。她找不到适合的油墨。普通的打印墨，不行。幸好，在一家华人的便利店，找到合适的油墨，女儿，感到很开心。跟着，她带我们一路向着河边走去。路径世博留下的建筑物。它正在进行维修、翻新。我们在远处，拍照而已。还没去过奥运村，因此，女儿带我们沿着河边走去。一直到达奥运村为止。奥运村的环境不错，远离商业区，建筑物不高，最高只有八层高而已，靠河边，非常宁静、清幽。
在河边欣赏景色的时候，看到有观光小船。女儿，马上用手提电话上网查看。得知，每十五分钟，会有一度船靠岸，接客。费用每位成人十一块钱，坐在船上游览四十五分钟。假如，打算在每一站上岸游览，就要每人付十四块钱，给一天游，没有时间的限制。女儿，约了男友在某个地方见面。我们只剩下一个小时。利用那个时间，坐船游览，也给我有机会坐下休息。我已经太累，走了太多路了。河两边的景色，非常漂亮。在船上的时候，女儿打算麻烦别人，给我们拍下三人的全家福照片。我告诉老公，把照相机高举，可以自己来，不用麻烦别人。我的建议不错，拍出来的照片还可以。
有了四十分钟坐下休息之后，感到很舒服，但是，糟糕，站起来的时候，好像不会走路。双脚的关节好像给锁上，全硬，难以把脚举起，感到有点害怕。幸好，上岸活动了一下，又感觉畅顺了，没事，可以放心。我确实，走了太多路了。但是，不能够停下，还要多走半小时，才到达商店的地点。找到男友之后，女儿发现外套上有点皱起，马上找服务员查问。检查过后，什么收条证据都不需要，他建议女儿把外套脱下，留给他。他会把它送回出产公司，让他们处理。假如，不可以修补，会退钱给她，或者，把件新的换给她。在高档的商店，买东西，虽然，价钱比较贵，但是，很有保障。
商店附近，有一家马来西亚餐馆。来过一次，很不错，但是，要排队等座位。我记得，上次等了好久。这次，运气好，进去不用等，已经有空出来的桌子。四人桌子，但是，我们不介意，五人挤进去。餐厅生意非常的好，经常都会满座。我最喜欢这家餐馆的香蕉叶包的香米饭，软、滑、香。别的菜肴，也不错，带有马来西亚人喜爱的咖喱辣味。大家，都吃得很开心、满意。
晚饭后，大家一起乘坐高空列车，到转公共汽车的车站下车。在那儿，大家分手，各走各路。女儿，约了朋友去打保龄球。她邀请我们一起去，但是，我要拒绝她的好意，因为，太累了。年轻人，精力充沛，走了一天，还很有活力。要承认，自己已经年纪大，不能够跟他们比较，而需要休息。她的男友，要到他的小妹家去练习乐器。另一位男友，有事，要赶回家去。我们俩老，也自己坐车回家去。
从来，都没有尝试过，走那么多的路程。幸好，没有下雨。不然的话，更辛苦。整天，有女儿陪伴左右，去过很多地方，观看很多不同的事物，品尝不同的食物，感到很满足、开心、安慰。精神饱满，但是，可惜，体力支撑不住。有赖女儿，才可以度过了那么有意义一天，非常难忘。

A trip to Vancouver 2011年温哥华之旅---- Day two第二天

2011-11-02T15:51:00.003-04:00

A trip to Vancouver 2011

Day two October 21

My daughter and her boy friend woke up early to go to work at seven. My husband woke up early to see them off for work. I slept in. When I woke up and peaked outside it was raining heavily. The gloomy weather looked so sad. I wondered if my daughter biked to work in the rain. My husband confirmed me that she was. She wore rain coat that covered her up completely that she would not get wet even biking. It was hard to imagine how she could handle it. I was unable to live that kind of tough life like her.
My husband is a handy man who loves fixing things. Whenever we visited our daughter there was always something for him to fix in her apartment. He spent the whole morning fixing up broken things and I was busy cleaning up. I did not prepare lunch but went out to have it. There were so many restaurants in the area. We were able to have numerous choices. I loved the Hong Kong style tea so we chose that kind of restaurant for lunch. We had to carry the umbrella to walk a couple blocks to get there. The weather was bit chilly too. It was very unpleasant to walk in the rain. The tea was good but the food was a bit too oily. The service was not very appreciable. The waitress made a mistake in calculating our bill by multiplying the tax with 1.20 instead of 1.12. The bill was overcharged. My husband would like to ask her about the mistake. I stopped him by just giving her fewer tip to cover the error that she made. For sure we would not be back any way.
Though it was still raining after lunch we kept walking from store to store shopping for fruit and veggie. It was a very busy shopping area. We got a little bit wet when we got home. Though my daughter did not want me to cook but to enjoy my stay by taking us out for dinner I stewed the veggie soup for her. She had to work a bit late so she would meet us at the Chinese veggie restaurant which was newly opened. Her boy friend came home and drove us there. The Volvo car that we shipped to her was sold. They just bought a new jeep which was more appropriate to their age. It was a nice car which was not driven daily to work and was also better to be driven in winter time with the slippery road condition.
There was a statue just right by the entrance. My seat was facing the door so I could see people waking in very clearly. I noticed that most of the customers came in with their two hands holding together in front of their chest bowing to the statue. It was a kind of showing respect to the statue if they were Buddhist believers who were vegetarians. Other customers like us who were not Buddhist followers would not do that. From that we could also tell that this was a Chinese Buddhist vegetarian restaurant. The food was very tasty and the service was very good too. It was a very friendly environment. We had very good time together enjoying the meal as well.
During our chat at dinner, we were asked if we knew anything about the smart car rental in Vancouver city. I told them that I heard about the bicycle rental in Toronto city where there were many locations for you to pick up the bicycle for the charge of 5 dollars a day and then you could drop it back to any location that you wanted with the condition that you must register to be a member with certain fee. It was the same idea with the smart car rental. There were two hundred smart cars parking in different location in the city. You must register to be a member with the fee of 2 dollars a year. Then you could access to any car you wanted with a swipe of the card and was charged with 35 cents per minutes for driving it. When you got to your destination you just parked the car at any legal parking spot and did not have to worry about parking fee. In the big metropolitan city like Vancouver the parking fee was sky high for at least 25 dollars a day and it was difficult to look for parking spot. It was good idea to have the rental program which eased off the problem of moving around the city. We also figured out that using the car rental was even cheaper than calling the taxi or taking the transit if the distance was short.
There was no more raining when we got out of the restaurant but the roads were still very wet. My daughter continued biking home while we traveled comfortably in the car. When he was about to made the turn to pull the car into the garage there was a smart car parking on the street. He pointed to it and told us that it was the rental car. It was very convenient if he needed the car for a short ride. He had driven it for a couple of time when he was late for work. It was hard for him to find a parking spot where he worked so he had to take the bus instead of driving his own car to work. It was very affordable if he used it once in while in the emergent cases.
We called it for the day which passed by easily and quickly without much activity.

第二天十月二十日
一大早，七点钟，女儿和男友，已经起床轻佻地离开上班去。我很惭愧地还在熟睡中。老公也起床了，目送他们出门。起床后，往窗外看出去，天暗、下大雨，看上去有点感觉很凄惨、心情很郁闷。下大雨，女儿踏单车上班，感到有点担心，便向老公查问究竟。他告诉我不用担心。女儿穿上特制的大雨衣，可以掩盖全身，不会给雨水淋湿。在雨中踏单车的艰难苦境，难以想象。她的坚持、坚定、能吃苦的精神，真使我佩服。老实说，我做不到。
老公，爱修理东西。每次来到温哥华看望女儿，都会找到损坏的东西来修补。我爱搞卫生，就把地方打扫一下。俩人忙了一个上午。中午的时候，不在家做饭，而外出吃午饭去。附近有很多不同的餐馆，各式各样都有。我喜爱港式奶茶，雨势很大，要用雨伞挡雨，走了几个街口，才能够到达有奶茶出售的餐馆。气温寒冷，加上下雨，在户外走路很不好走，而且，很难受。小餐馆的生意很不错。奶茶，还算可以，面条和青菜，太油腻，服务不是很好。服务员，也把我们的账单算错。不知道她是故意或者无意。税钱该是百分之十二，她算成百分之二十。老公，打算向她查问究竟。我赶快阻止他。不要多啰嗦，少给她几块钱小费，就行了。我们也不会再度回来的。这样做比较合适，免得使她难为情。
午饭后，虽然，雨势还是很大，我们在街上跑来跑去，找商店买蔬菜、水果去。回家后，发现给淋湿了。女儿，不想我多劳碌做菜，带我们到外面吃晚饭。下班后，她还要多干点事，不回来跟我们一起去，而让男友下班后，回来开车送我们去。他刚换了部新的Jeep车。我们送给女儿的Volvo旧车，给卖掉了。对年轻人，Jeep车比较合潮流，也适合在冬天时，下雪路滑时驾驶。他们上下班时，不开车，而搭乘公共汽车或者踏单车。周末和旅行时才开车。新车比旧车安全。
华人素菜馆，刚开张不久。进门的时候，看到有供奉观音像的神位。我的座位面对大门。顾客进门，我可以全部看到。有很多华人食客进来的时候，必停下来，把双手合起，诚心地向观音像鞠躬、敬拜。他们一定是佛教徒。菜肴不错，不会很油腻，味道也很可口。环境清静、光亮、清洁、和谐。服务员，招呼周到，有礼，留给我们很好的印象。
进食的时候，大家很开心地聊着。女儿，问我们有听说过有关出租的小型Smart 车。我告诉他们，有听说过有关在多伦多市的出租单车。只要参加成为会员，就可以在多伦多市内，租用单车。每天的费用只需五块钱。使用单车之后，可以随便把它停放在任何的出租地点，非常方便。出租汽车，没有听说过。女儿，给我们介绍。它们的运作，差不多一样。在温哥华市内，有两百部小汽车。它们停放在不同的街道。每年缴交两块钱入会，成为会员之后，会收到一张卡片。想使用汽车的时候，只要把卡片在车门上掠过，车门会打开，可以上车把车开走。按分钟计算，每一分钟三毛钱。到了目的地，可以把它随便的停放在合法停车地方，不用顾虑停车费的问题。在温哥华的市中心，每天的停车费要花高达二十五元之多，而且难以找到地方停放汽车。假如，在市内，上下班、购物、办事，距离不远，使用出租Smart车，比较划算、便宜。他比搭乘公共汽车的车费或者Taxi还要便宜。有了这种出租车，可以舒缓市内居民的交通问题，很不错。
从餐馆出来的时候，雨已经停了，但是，地上还很湿滑。女儿，还要继续地踏单车回家去。我看她，那么辛苦，很心痛，但是，她习惯了，很享受。当车靠近住所的时候，看到有一部小Smart车停放在街上，女儿的男友告诉我们，那部就是出租车。早上，上班赶时间的时候，也使用过它好几次，算起来不算很贵。他办公室在市中心，难以找到地方停放汽车。因此，要搭乘公共汽车上班去。赶时间的时候，那部小车帮了他很大的忙。
没有很多活动，但是，时间也过得很快。两天的假期已经溜走了。

A trip to Vancouver 2011 年温哥华之旅----- Day one 第一天

2011-11-01T13:41:00.006-04:00

October 28, 2011

A TRIP TO VANCOUVER in 2011
(From 10-20 to 10-27-2011)

Day one October 20
We haven’t made any traveling for more than a year. Our daughter got her master degree and started working since June. We missed her and would like to see how she managed her life after she entered the work force. Therefore my husband took a week vacation to make a trip to Vancouver to visit her.
We used to fly out from Toronto in the past because the air ticket was much and much cheaper that way even though we had to drive to Toronto and stayed in the hotel with the parking of our car. It was different when we booked our ticket this time. The air ticket from Windsor to Vancouver with a connecting flight in Calgary was cheaper than the ticket from Toronto to Vancouver. My brother dropped us off at the Windsor airport at around 3 pm on Thursday October 20 when the weather was not very nice. We had to carry an umbrella to walk outside to get on the plane at 3:50 pm. It was nasty. We could plan for most of the things on our trip except the weather which we had to depend on our luck. Checking with the weather broadcast we were very discouraged by it because it would be wet for the whole week during our stay. Therefore we were prepared for the soggy weather ahead of us.
The plane took off on time with only half of seats occupied. We arrived at the Calgary airport as schedule at 5:30 pm local time which was 7:30 pm Windsor time. We looked for the food court and had fast food for our dinner. Time went by very fast with eating and chatting. We boarded the plane which was fully occupied without any empty seats at 7:30 pm. It took off at 8 pm from Calgary airport and landed at 8:05 pm at Vancouver airport because the time different was one hour and the flight was also for an hour.
I was waiting for the luggage while my husband went to the variety store in the airport building to purchase the bus ticket booklet which was much cheaper than buying the ticket per ride at the kiosk. It cost 21.50 for 10 tickets. We needed to insert one ticket with the value of 2.50 into the machine for validation for each person to get the ride on the Canadian line. With the validation of time printed at the back of the ticket which we could use again and again to get on any kind of transit transportation within the time limit for 90 minutes within the Vancouver city. If we purchased the ticket from the kiosk it cost 7.50. We got on the train at 8:45 pm. When we got out from the sky train station at Oakridge there was no rain. I was very joyful to see the nice weather. We missed the bus so we had to wait for 20 minutes for the next bus. It was quite crowded and warm on the bus. I moved to the back and was lucky to find a seat while my husband had to stand next to the luggage in the front part. We never took the bus in Windsor so taking the bus was quite an exciting experience for us.
It had been a year since our last visit but we still could remember the way to get to our daughter’s apartment. Her boy friend was at home when we arrived at 9:30 pm. Just a few minutes later my daughter came back from UBC where she helped out after work. She still had the helmet on because she just biked home. I was very happy to see her and gave her a big and tight hug. That was the moment that I had been longing for since I planed for my trip. Seeing her in person and holding her in my arms were the most joyful moment for me. I was greatly rewarded and felt very thankful.
It was very late but she still had not had dinner. She quickly got some food out of the fridge and freezer and prepared dinner which was done in 15 minutes. We just sat down and chatted while she was eating. During the conversation I got to know that she was very busy with her job which she liked and loved and with many other volunteer works too. She had very positive attitude toward life and toward her job which was stressful sometimes. I was not as courageous and as positive as she was. I thought of quitting my job very often when I encountered problem at her age. She never had that kind of negative thinking. I was impressed with her wise knowledge and endurance. Her maturity and accomplishment were also not normally expected at her age. I learned a lot during the chat with her.
After dinner she brought us very surprised gifts that she bought from her trip in Europe and the bicycle trip to Sidney, BC on the Mayne Island where she visited the glass blowing studio that made art out of recycled glass. She bought me the starfish sculpture. The decorative tile that she bought in Europe was for my husband. The gifts were for our birthdays which were just a few weeks ago. It was very sweet of her for remembering us even in her traveling trip. I had a wonderful time during the first day of my visit. She brought me joys, care and love. It was really worthwhile to travel all the way to visit her. I had very good sleep that night with the room temperature just like in summer time. Though it was only a few degree outside her apartment was just warm without having to turn on the heat. They could not figure it out why it was so warm all year round. It was good because it saved them a lot of money on the utility bill. I slept throughout the night without having to cover myself up with heavy blanket like at home.

二零一一年十月二十八日

2011年温哥华之旅
（十月二十日至二十七日）

第一天十月二十日

已经有一年之多，没有外出旅游。女儿获得硕士毕业之后，六月份已经开始工作。很想念她，也很想亲自看看她工作之后的生活。因此，老公请假一个星期，到温哥华去探望女儿。
以往，去温哥华的时候，我们经常都开车到多伦多去搭乘飞机，因为，机票比较便宜。这次，从温莎起飞的机票，反而比从多伦多起飞的便宜。十月二十日，星期四下午三点左右，小弟把我们送往温莎机场去。天气不是很好，下大雨，要冒雨到室外去登上飞机。还好，有携带雨伞，不会给淋湿。飞机在三时五十分准时起飞。机上的座位，有一半空出来。座位很宽阔，很舒服。三个小时的飞行，很快就过去。五点三十分，在卡加利机场降落。温莎时间是七点三十分，时差两小时。该是晚饭时间，随便买些快餐食物，把肚子填饱。休息两个小时之后，又要登机飞往温哥华去。这次的飞行，比较短，只需一个小时。卡加利和温哥华的时差刚好一个小时。晚上八点起飞，也在八点降落。
下飞机之后，要等二十分钟，才能够领取行李。利用那段时间，老公跑到机场里面的便利店去买公共汽车票。每一张票的价值是2.50，但是，一次买十张只需付21.50。假如，不懂得去买车票，而等到车站的售票机买的话，每人要付7.50。在机场有地铁直达市内。没有人检票，但是，上列车之前，要把票放进检票机去，让它在后面打印有效的时间。在九十分钟内，可以使用车票搭乘在市内的地铁和公共汽车，非常方便和划算。从地铁跑出来的时候，错过了刚到站的公共汽车，要多等二十分钟才有下一班车。在室外等车，感到非常寒冷，上车的时候，挤满乘客感到很酷热，难受。老公要站着守候行李，我比较幸运找到座位。在温莎不用搭乘公共汽车，在温哥华期间要学会步行和乘坐公共汽车的滋味，应该很快就会习惯的。我们的记忆力还算不错，隔了那么久的时间，还认得出路去女儿的住址。
到达她的家，已经是晚上的九点半。男友在家，但是，女儿还没回来。几分钟之后，女儿推门进来，头上还戴着头盔，因为，她踏单车回来的。看到她健健康康地站在我的面前，心情特别的兴奋，上前去给她一个紧紧的拥抱。大家都非常的高兴地享受那温馨的时刻。女儿还没吃晚饭。她匆忙地从冰箱里取些食物出来，用微波炉和烤炉把它们弄热。十五分钟后，就可以进食了。她一边进食，一边跟我们聊天，来得知大家的近况。晚饭后，她进卧房里取出两份礼物出来送给我们。全部都是从她外出旅行的时候买的。她那份心意，使我非常的感动和安慰。来看望她是非常值得的。
外面很寒冷，但是，室内的温度很和暖，有像夏天一样。很奇怪，整年，室内的温度都保持那么暖，不需要使用暖炉，省了很多电费。他们都找不出原因。晚上，睡觉很舒服，不用好像在家里把厚厚的棉被盖上。心情好，很容易入睡，也睡得特别甜。

Life in the city 城市的生活

2011-10-28T16:17:00.002-04:00

12. LIFE IN THE CITY

We stayed in my dad’s friend’s apartment which was right in the downtown area. The front part of the ground floor was for commercial use as a glass store. At the back there was a dining room which would turn out to be my brother’s bedroom at night, a washroom and a kitchen. The two bedrooms upstairs were for my sister and I and the owner’s family in which there were husband and wife and two kids. The wife who had a cousin taking care of the kids and household chores looked after the business while the husband usually went out of town to do the purchase. The couple was very generous, kind and easy going persons. We were lucky to be able to stay with them.
The life was much more comfortable than the life in the village but I felt home sick all the time. Since I live in the city I had to start my life as a city girl by dressing properly. I had to wear white dress uniform and shoes to school. When I was in grade school I used to be top five in class. Once I got to the famous high school I was not doing very well. The students who were from the top students from all of the grade schools in the province were smart and much better than I was. There was very big competition in class. I worked very hard but it was hard to catch up with them. Therefore I was very discouraged, depressed, and not happy. I thought of quitting school very often. There were more than fifty students in my class and I did not know any of them most of whom were Vietnamese. Then I got to know two girls who were Chinese origin lived across the street from my apartment. They could speak Cantonese but we never spoke it. We had the conversation in Vietnamese instead and walked to school together and also became good friends eventually. Even though I was not happy I had to keep on going to school because it was my duty. By the end of the semester, I was on the top fifteen in my class. It was not that bad.

12．城市的生活

父亲，在城市认识有些好友。有一位，愿意收留我们三兄姐妹，在他家中寄宿。他家在市中心。楼上有两个房间，一个给我和大姐，一个给屋主的一家四口，夫妻俩人和两个小孩。楼下前面，用来当店铺，卖有关的玻璃产品，后面，有一个小饭厅、厨房、洗手间、浴室。大哥，晚上在小饭厅就寝。女屋主，有一位表妹给她带小孩和打理家务。她整天在店里打理生意。男屋主，经常都到外地采购货物。夫妇俩人，都非常随和、慷慨、容易相处的人。找到此家寄宿，可算幸运。
城市的生活比乡下舒服得多，但是，我不是很向往那种生活，而经常都很怀念着、思念着乡下的家人。来到城市生活，要学会打扮像个城市的小女孩，学会穿上鞋子、穿上整齐的衣服上街去。校服是全白色的，可以选择穿上越南长衫或者西方的裙子。母亲，不会缝纫越南长衫，给我做了件连衣裙子。一定要穿鞋子，不能够赤脚上学。鞋子的颜色随意，没有规定。在乡下小学读书的时候，成绩优越，感到非常自豪、轻松。到了中学，感到非常的吃力，因为，同学们来自省内各地的精英，比我聪明、用功，形成了很大的竞争。开始的时候，感到很孤独，因为，全部的同学们都是陌生的，没有一个我是认识的。学习赶不上，有点自卑感，很不开心，有时候，会有放弃学业的念头萌生，回到乡下去。痛苦、压力大、也要继续地用工读书，因为，那是我的责任。很幸运，后来认识两位同班的女华裔同学。她们住在同一条街。大家都会说广东话，但是，只会用越南话来沟通。每天，大家约好一起走路上下学。有了朋友，生活过得比较没那么寂寞。学期结束的时候，在班里五十多个同学中，考获第十四名，可算不错的。

From grade school to high school 从小学到中学

2011-10-20T11:39:00.002-04:00

11. FROM GRADE SCHOOL TO HIGH SCHOOL

There were five teachers in our grade school. Each teacher was responsible for one grade. The male principle who was over fifty years old taught students in grade one. He never taught me because I started from grade two. A beautiful female teacher, who was over thirty years old, very stylist, wore make up, rode motorcycle, dressed like a city woman did, was pregnant every other year like my mom, came from big city and got married to her husband who was a local resident taught grade two. Her husband who was also a teacher taught in other village. She was the only female teacher in the school.
There was a male middle age teacher in grade three. He who was also local born resident, very honest had a wife and two kids. All of the students knew him and his family well. He who used to do the farming after school loved to make joke and a very easy-going person. We respected him and liked him. The teachers from grade one to grade three were the same. They taught in those three grades year after year. The teachers from grade four and five were changed each year. They were usually young and newly graduated from the teacher’s college and were arranged to the remote village to teach for the first year. After a few years of teaching they were qualified to be transferred to the big city if there was any vacancy. The teachers that taught me in grade four and grade five did not teach my eldest sister and brother. The study in grade four and grade five was very crucial. We had to go to the big city to write the provincial exam after grade five in order to get in the public high school for grade six.
I was very lucky because my grade five teacher was very responsible and hard working. He used to keep us after school to do more practice of math and essay writing. As a result, I got in the public high school after passing the exam. My eldest sister was not that lucky. Her teacher was lazy so she failed the exam and had to study in the private high school. My eldest brother was lucky too because he also got in the public high school and studied in the boy school while I studied in the girl school. Three of us moved to live room and board in the city.

11．从小学升上中学

小学有五位教师。五十多岁的校长，任教一年级。我是插班生，进入二年级，因此，他没有当过我的老师。二年级的老师，是一位漂亮，三十多岁的女教师。她跟当地的妇女很不同，穿上时髦的越南长衫，打扮，骑摩托车，穿高跟鞋，也好像我母亲每两年就怀孕一次。她是来自大城市，跟当地的老公结婚之后，就定居下来。老公也是教师，但是，在别的村庄小学任教。她是我校的唯一的女教师。
三年级的老师，是一位当地的中年男教师。他很开朗，爱开玩笑，地道的农村人。大家对他的一家四口，妻子和两位小孩，非常的熟悉。爱耕种、勤劳的他，放学就到田地去干活，使大家非常地敬慕他。一到三年级的老师，不会变动。四到五年级的老师，每年都不同，而且，也算年轻和从外地调来的。大部分刚从师范大学毕业的毕业生，要在乡下任教几年后，才合资格申请调回大城市去。四和五年级的教学，需要重视，因为，毕业生要参加省的高考，来进入市里的公立中学。
我比较幸运。五年级的老师，非常勤奋、负责任，放学之后，要全部参加高考的学生留下做课外的数学、写作的练习。有赖他自愿、无私的督促、指导、培训，我考上了，可以进入城里的公立女名校就读。大姐的五年级老师，吊儿郎当，很懒惰，很不负责任。结果，她考不上，要到城里的私立中学就读。大哥也算非常幸运，考上了公立男名校。三兄姐妹离开家，离开村庄，进城去寄宿、上学。

A little girl was adopted收养一位小妹

2011-10-20T11:36:00.001-04:00

10. A LITTLE GIRL WAS APOPTED

When my younger sister and brother reached the age of schooling no one was at home to play and to look after the two little toddlers who were born in the village so a little girl who was at my age was adopted. She who was tiny and skinny was brought to our house by her father who was working in the mill. Her family was very poor. They did not have enough food to feed the whole family. Once she was in our house, she was not willing to leave. Her father begged my mom to adopt her. She then gave her father some money. Since then she became a member of our family with the same last name. She did not go to school as we did. At night when we did our homework she just sat next to us and studied by herself. She was a very smart and diligent girl. When she came to our family she could not speak Cantonese, read and write Vietnamese. After a while, she could speak Cantonese fluently and could also read and write Vietnamese.

10．收养一位小妹

当两位小弟妹到了年龄要上学去的时候，没有人在家陪同在当地出生的两位小弟妹。有一位佣人的女儿，年龄跟我一样大，前来陪着他们玩。她个子瘦小，看上去非常的可怜、可爱。来到我家，住得好、吃得饱、小女孩不肯回家去。家境贫困，收入不够养活一家，因而，他的父亲求母亲把她收养。母亲把少许的钱给那位老佣人。从此，她就变成了我家的一位成员，跟我们的姓氏。她没有机会上学去。晚上，当我们做功课的时候，她会坐在我们旁边，跟着学习。她很聪明、勤奋。来到我家，不过几年，她会说流利的广东话，也会书写、阅读越南文字，非常了不起。

Bigger house and better life大房子、美好的生活

2011-10-19T11:47:00.002-04:00

9. BIGGER HOUSE AND BETTER LIFE

Dad was a restless, creative person who never satisfied with what he was having but kept working towards new goal to improve our life. He built bigger brick house with cement floor, with shower room with sink and running water, with high foundation to avoid flooding and etc. There was a big driving way and a garage for his truck. The outhouse was also built not far away from our house so we did not have to rush to the field when we needed. A small reservoir was erected on a higher level close to the well from where the pumping machine was on when the big machine in the mill was running to pump the water through a pipe to it. There was long water pipe which connected from the reservoir to our shower room and a big water tank so we was able to have running water throughout the day and there was no need to hire the worker to carry water.
The old small one room house attached to the mill was refurnished to be the rice stocking room, dining room and rest place for the employees. The hay roof was replaced with tin shingles. The old clay walls were tore off leaving more open space. The floor was covered with cement so it looked cleaner and easier to be cleaned up. There was more furniture in our new house. Mom and dad slept in two separated big beds. Each kid had his own bed too. There was sofa, dining table, chairs and many big closets. Dad planted some fruit trees in the small garden and pine trees around the house. Our life was improved and became much better than expected.

9．大房子、美好的生活

父亲是一位不肯闲下来，也可算很有头脑的人。他不断地向着新目标去努力，把生活不断地改善。房子太小、太简陋，不适合长期地住居。新大的砖房子很快就建好。每年都会有水灾，因此，他把地基建高，使用水泥覆盖地面。房子里面有浴室、也有自来水。家私也多了好几件。双亲各自有他们的大床。孩子们也有自己的卧床。家里，有沙发、有衣柜、有桌子、有凳子，看起来像一个像样的家。
父亲很聪明和有创意。他把一个小水库，高高地建立在井口的附近。然后，安装水管连接从井底到水库，从水库到浴室和水缸。当磨坊的机器启动，会把水从井里抽到水库去。水库在高处，水会向下流。把水龙头打开，就会有自来水，多方便。这样做，也省钱雇请佣人挑水。旧的小住房也给从新装修成谷坊、饭堂、佣人的休息间。干禾草的屋顶，换上了薄铁皮板。泥土的墙壁得以拆下，看上去比较宽阔。地面也用水泥覆盖，看上去很干净。
家的附近，也建造了一间茅厕。我们不用跑到田地去解决问题，非常方便和合乎卫生。父亲，也建造了车房来停放他的卡车，开设一条马路让车走进。家周围种了松树和果树。生活得以改善，日益舒适、美好。

Three more siblings were born再多三位小弟妹们出生

2011-10-18T14:51:00.002-04:00

8. THREE MORE SIBLINGS WERE BORN

Mom who was happy forgot the miserable moment that she got out of the tri-motorcycle. She learned to get used to the simple life in the village by keeping herself busy running the business with the help from many employees who worked under her supervision and respected her as their big real boss. Her role in the family was no longer as a housewife who only knew how to spend money and to give birth to babies but how to make money. She was very successful in her performance.
Three more babies, a boy and two girls were born at home during the time living in the village. When mom felt the baby coming, she sent my eldest sister and me to get the midwife and the nanny. Their houses were 2 km away. We used to walk to get them. While mom was moaning with pain we stayed outside of the house waiting anxiously. When we heard the baby crying, we were so excited that we jumped and yelled with the knowledge that another brother or sister having safely arrived.
When mom gave birth to a new baby my eldest sister and I used to stay home to take care of the family for one month. We were allowed to be absent from school. Though we were at a very young age we were more matured than we actual were. We knew how to take care of others and knew our role as big sisters and daughters. There were many employees working in the mill and at our house but the job of dealing with cash must not be dependable on others except reliable family members only. I used to take over mom’s job as a cashier in the plant while my eldest sister replaced mom in taking care of everything. Mom who did not get out of the bed until the baby was a month old used to stay in bed. The nanny with the help of other maid looked after mom and the newborn baby. A cook who had been trained by my mom prepared the special food for her. The labor was cheap so we hired as many servants as possible. Dad never cared much about the housekeeping job. He always put his mind in the business in making more money.

8．再多三位小弟妹们出生

母亲，把开始的难过心情遗忘，融入新的乡下生活。她慢慢地学会协助父亲打理磨坊生意，管理佣人等等的事务，不再是一位只会花钱和生儿女的少奶奶，而会赚钱的和管家的好老婆、好母亲。
居住在村庄的期间，母亲再生多了三个小孩，一男、两女。全部都在家里顺产而生。每一次，她生小孩，我和大姐，都获比准停学一个月，在家打理生意和家务。虽然年纪小小，我们比实际的年龄成熟，很会照顾别人，也懂得自己在家中的重要责任。已经生下了五个小孩，母亲对生育有点经验。当她感到作动、快要生的时候，马上要我和大姐走路去请助产士和保姆。他们在房间里忙着协助母亲生产，全部的家人在房外忐忑地等待。只会听到母亲不断地大叫喊痛，心里特别难受。突然，婴儿的哭声，打破了大家的担忧，带来欢乐。哭声，让我们知道，家里又多增加一位新的女或者男的小成员。
坐月期间，母亲不下床、也不干活。她会在床上休息整整一个月。我会替母亲，在磨坊担当收费员。大姐代替母亲，掌管一切的事务。保姆和一位女佣人照顾母亲和婴儿。经母亲训练好的厨师，给她做菜补养身体。母亲很会吃，每天，厨师都会杀掉一只鸡，烹饪给她吃。家里，有很多佣人打理一切。父亲，从来都不关心、过问家里的事务。他把全部精力都投放在事业上。

Public elementary school公立小学

2011-10-17T13:11:00.002-04:00

7. PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

We had to wear uniform in the elementary school but we did not have to wear shoes if we did not want to. Our uniform was white shirt and black pants. After the exam, I was put in grade two, eldest brother was in grade three, and eldest sister was in grade four. There were only five grades in the school. After grade five we had to write the exam and moved to the city to study grade six. If we passed in the exam then we were accepted to study in the public high school with free education. Otherwise, we had to pay the tuition fee to study in the private high school. The Vietnamese school system was like French. There were five years in elementary school and seven years in high school.
The building was in u shape. There were five classrooms and an office in the school building. Three rooms were on each side and a big hall at the end connecting to both sides of rooms. Grade one, grade two and grade three were on the left side. Grade four, grade five and the office were on the right side. There was also a garage next to the school building. It was not for cars but for bicycles. Some of the older kids and teachers rode the bikes to school while most of others walked. There was a river and a bridge in front of the school. Once we crossed the bridge it was the beach and ocean. Dad loved this small village just because of this beautiful beach. He used to take us to swim after school in the afternoon in the weekdays when no one was seen on the beach which would be very busy in the weekends when many visitors who were mostly foreigners came far away from the city. Dad used to swim far out in the ocean. Sometimes he swam so far that we could hardly see him. My eldest sister and I used to play on the beach and in the shallow water because we did not know how to swim. Dad used to teach us swimming but we found out that it was very difficult when there were a lot of waves moving up and down. It was fun to play while dad was swimming.
We had to study for the whole day with the break at noon when we went home for lunch and came back at two o’clock in the afternoon for the afternoon session. There was quite a distance from school to our house. We needed to walk half an hour to school and half an hour on the way back. After having trained a mechanic to run the machines in the mill dad bought a truck to start a new business of carrying passengers to the city. It took one hour to drive to the city which was 12 km away. The road was bad and bumpy. Dad used to drive one round in the morning. If he did two rounds then we were going to have lunch which was brought to us by our servant who rode the bike in the truck parking in front of the school. After lunch dad took a nap on the truck. He then drove another trip to carry the passengers to the city to make more money.
Three of us were doing well in school. We used to be the top five. Our fellow students liked us. The teachers loved us. We were proud of ourselves because we came from a more educated and better off family. Our lives were much better than theirs were. Dad made a lot of money. He kept on improving our lives. With the purchase of the truck he was able to go to the city where he got to know more educated and well to do Chinese and Vietnamese friends and also from where he had chances to know what was going on and happening around the world daily. It was easy for him to get books and newspaper too because he loved reading and explored new things.

7．公立小学

村里只有一所公立小学。经过考试，三兄姐妹得安排进入公立小学就读，大哥读三年级，大姐读四年级，我读二年级。学生要穿上校服，但是，没有要求穿上鞋子，可以赤脚上学。校服是黑裤子，白上衣。越南的教育制度有像法国，小学五年，初中、高中七年。村里的小学毕业之后，要到城里去上初中。经过全省的初中考试，合格就会得到安排进入公立中学，免费就读到高中毕业。假如，考不上，就要在私立中学，缴交学费就读。
小学的建筑物是一个U型的平房，有五个教室和一个办公室。最后是一个大堂，连接两边的教室。一、二、三年级的教室在左边，四、五年级的教室和办公室在右边。附近有一个小停车间。不是用来停放汽车，而停放单车。大部分学生和老师都步行上学。只有少许的骑单车。学校大门前，有一条河和一渡桥。经过桥子，是白白的沙滩和大海。环境非常的宁静，是个度假胜地。那个漂亮迷人的大海，吸引了父亲，使他要迁移到村庄定居的原因之一。周末，海滩非常的忙碌，很多游客从城市前来度假。大部分的游客都是外国人。父亲不喜欢热闹，周末，从来不到海滩去。每天，我们放学之后，父亲，有空的话，会带我们到海滩玩。他独自游进大海去。游得好远好远，有时候难以看到他的踪影。我和大姐会在沙滩玩乐，等待父亲。有时候，父亲也会教我们两姐妹游泳，但是，难以学会，因为，海浪太大。
学校离开我家很远，有两公里之多。每天，要来回步行四次，每次半小时。午饭的时候，午休两小时，学生要回家去。当父亲，把工人训练妥当，可以把操作机器的重任交给他们之后，就去开办另一项的生意。他买了一部大卡车，亲自开车把乘客运送到城市去。城市离开村庄有十二公里。路不好走，因此，路程要花上一个小时之多。每天，父亲只在上午来回运送乘客一次。下午在家休息。假如，在下午再多走一次，那我们有机会不用走路回家吃午饭。父亲，把车停在学校大门口的路旁，我家的庸人骑单车把午饭送来。我们就在车上用午饭。然后，父亲在车上午休。跟着，开车多走一次赚钱。
我们三兄姐妹，在学校的表现都可算不错，成绩优越，在班上的前五名之内。同学们、老师们都很喜欢和尊重我们。对自己的身份，也非常的骄傲和自豪。我们家境各方面都超越当地的本地人。父亲不断地开扩，把生意发展，把生活的质量提高。有了卡车，他可以每天进城去，接触新的事物，结识新的有知识、有教养、有权威、有钱的中国人和越南人，也可以买到报纸、杂志、书刊等精神食粮。父亲，非常喜爱阅读。

Promotion 优惠

2011-10-14T11:34:00.002-04:00

October 11, 2011

PROMOTION

I am using the cell phone with prepaid service that was automatically topped up 10 dollars monthly from my visa. My cell phone is not used very often except for emergency only so the airtime has been accumulated up to more than 200 dollars.
I was informed that the service which I registered for my cell phone was no longer available starting October 23 and was requested to make a new registration after that date. Then another letter was sent to me to inform me that there was a new promotion going on until the end of December this year. I read the letter and found out that it sounded very good with the promotion which allowed me to extend the expiry date for one year with 100 dollar deduction from my airtime. If so I will not have to top up my cell phone for a whole year with the saving of 120 dollars.
I made a phone call right away to request for more information about the promotion which was not as I understood. I can exchange but not use the 100 dollars of my airtime for the extension of expiry date for one year. It means that the 100 dollars will be gone for good once it is put to use. For example, the balance of 200 dollars of the air time will cut down to 100 after a year if we do not use any air time during the year. If we make any call then it will be charged from the 100 remaining not from the 100 that is deducted as I thought.
I started arguing with the guy who patiently explained to me about the promotion that it was a kind of ripping off instead of providing any benefit to the customers. He tried to defend for the promotion by telling me that the airtime was not real money that if it was not used should not be exchanged for money that the promotion was helping the customers to eliminate the unused airtime by saving money. We did not quite agree with his logic when I talked to my husband about the promotion at the beginning. But then after giving some thought about the sale representative’s words I started changing my mind. He was right that it was a kind of wasting our money by keeping so much unused airtime.
The promotion will be ended by the end of December 2011. I still have two more months to have the consideration. I think that I am going to take use of the promotion which will be benefit for me who never uses the cell phone very often any way and it is a kind of wasting my money by topping it up 10 dollars monthly or 100 dollars for a year.

二零一一年十月十一日

优惠

我有手提电话，但是，很少使用它，除了紧急关头才会用。每个月用信用卡，自动把十块钱转账到手提电话的户口里。参加了那个服务，感到非常方便。最近，收到有关公司的来信，通知该服务会在十月二十三日停办。要在二十四日开始，登记加入新开办的服务。
跟着，我又收到另一封通知书，告诉我有新的优待。我可以使用积累的钱换来下一年的费用。少用手提电话，因而，积累有两百多块钱。那个优待不错，可以省下一百二十块钱。我马上打电话询问有关优待的详细内容，才发现我有点误解。假如，我使用优惠，那一百块钱就马上给拿走，没了。省下的一百块钱，就用来打电话时扣除，而不是从拿走的一百块里面扣除。
那就不算是优惠，而是骗取。我跟有关人员争论。他很耐心地给我解析，也为优惠作辩护。要记得，我积累的两百块钱，不是真正的现款，我不能够用它来兑现，而只能够用来打电话时扣除。不使用电话，那些钱是没有用途的。推出的优惠，是为了给客户省钱。跟老公商讨有关优惠的时候，两人都有同一的感觉，是一种做生意的手段来骗钱。后来，经过仔细地分析，感到那位人员的话有些道理。我很少使用手提电话，为何要不断地花钱。参加预先付款的服务，逼迫每月一定要加入十块钱，是无可奈何的。现在，有优惠，可以利用它来省钱。为何不好？
优惠的有效期到十二月底。我有两个多月来作出考虑。服务员的话，把我的决定有所动摇。我想我会使用那个优惠。

My eldest brother came to join us跟大哥团聚

2011-10-13T13:27:00.001-04:00

6. MY ELDEST BROTHER CAME TO JOIN US

I had no idea why my eldest brother did not come to the village with us. He stayed with my second uncle’s family. We missed him. One day when my sister and I came home after school we heard someone calling our names. It sounded very familiar. He hid himself behind the machine. My sister and I kept looking for him who jumped out from behind the machine suddenly and scared us. It was a big surprise. We were overwhelmed with joy. It was excited to see him again. We used to ask mom about him but she always told us that he would be with us soon. Then there he was standing in front of us. We hugged him and laughed with tears. He bought me a ring which was not a real gold but the fake one for kid. I was very impressed receiving it. He was a good brother who remembered his two little sisters and bought them some gift.
He went to the one room school with us until the new semester began. Then three of us wrote the test and got in the public school.

6．跟大哥团聚

为何大哥给留下给二叔，而没有跟我们一起来到乡下？这个问题一直都在困扰我。不断地追问母亲，但是，她经常都只会回答，大哥很快会跟我们团聚的。很想念大哥，天天都在盼望那天的到来。有一天，我和大姐放学回家，路径磨坊，听见有人从里面喊我们两姐妹的名字。声音听起来很熟悉，两人进去到处寻找。突然，大哥从大机器后面，跳出来，给我们下了一大跳。见到他，非常的开心、兴奋，紧紧地拥抱他。喜悦的泪水不断地涌出来，渴望多时的愿望，终于达成。可爱的大哥，很关心两位小妹，也很会逗我们开心，买了两只小指环送给我们。收到礼物，更加的喜出望外，把兄妹情变得更加亲切。
到了乡下第二天，他就跟我们一起走路上学去。跟着，新学期开始的时候，我们三兄妹一起考入公立小学就读。

Date on the photos 照片上打印的日子

2011-10-12T14:22:00.005-04:00

October 12, 2011

DATE ON THE PHOTOS

When I went out to have lunch with my family members on thanksgiving Monday my youngest brother asked if I could remember his wedding anniversary which he forgot. I was very sure that it was in September 1997 but could not remember the exact day.
I kept working figuring out the exact day in my mind with many links in order to look for the clue which would lead to the link of his wedding day. It seemed to be useless. No matter how hard I tried to recall the date was unwilling to pop out in my mind. Then the thought came across my mind suddenly about checking it out with the photos in my album which was very well organized with the sequence of time from which I might figuring out the date.
To my big joy and excitement there was date printed on the photos of his wedding. I did not have to search for the clue any more because it was already there. It was the benefit of the advance technology nowadays. I used to write the date at the back of the photos to remind me when they were taken in the old days when there was no date set in the camera. If I forgot to put it down it was hard to remember the date when it was taken later on. We are very lucky to live in this new era where everything is advanced and convenient that our ancestors never dare thinking of or had the chance to enjoy.

二零一一年十月十二日

照片上打印的日子

星期一是感恩节，老公不用上班，跟家人一起外出吃午饭。闲聊的时候，小弟问我是否记得他的结婚纪念日。他们夫妇两人都把那个重要的日子忘掉，想庆祝的时候，都不知道该在那一天举办。我记得是一九七九年的九月份，但是，想不起在那一天。
那个结婚日子，老在困扰我。我想尽办法从脑袋里面，寻找出有关那年九月份所发生的事情，希望能够想起那个重大的日子。无论怎么样地去努力，那个日子都难以在脑袋里浮现出来。突然，想起相片簿。从哪里，会找到他们的结婚照片。我把照片按时间有程序地放进照片簿里。因而，可以推测出他们结婚的日子。
找到他们的结婚照片的时候，看到上面有打印日子，真是喜出望外，终于给我找到了。现代科技发展带来的好处和方便，老一辈的人难以想象得到，也难以有机会享受得到。以前，数码照相机，还没面世的时候，我要把日子写在相片的后面，来提示自己照片拍下的日子。假如，忘了把日子写下，过了一段时间，难以记得起。有了先进的照相机，省了很多宝贵的时间，也省了很多金钱把照片冲洗、打印。能够在这个先进的时代活着是最幸运、最幸福的。

Rice mill 大米磨坊

2011-10-11T14:37:00.002-04:00

5. RICE MILL

Our grandfather used to own big rice mill in Cholon South Vietnam. Dad grew up in that mill where he used to help grandfather to run the business. He was smart, hard working and loved to learn. With the knowledge of how the machines operated in the mill brought him to start nourishing a dream of setting up a new small rice mill business. When he drove the truck to do the shipping business he discovered that village where the simple and quiet life and its beautiful scenery inspired him. He borrowed the money from the Vietnamese mayor who used to be his friend when he was rich. With the money he bought the scraps and installed all of the machines by himself.
We had no income so Dad had to work day and night to get the machines to work as soon as possible. Mom worried so much about his ability because dad was not a mechanics. He did not have any experience working with machines. When he worked in grandpa’s rice mill he was a big boss who dealt with final decision only. It was also years back. Therefore he might also not remember how those machines worked.
Thank goodness all of the machines did work properly finally. Mom was so happy that all of his hard work was paid back. The villagers who did not have to use the stone grinder to grind the grain at home were very delightful too. The manual grinding job was not only tough but time consuming. They just brought the grain to our mill where the machines would do the job in a few minutes with an affordable charge. Our mill was the only one in the village so there was no competition and the business was better than expected. Mom was no longer a housewife but a cashier helping dad with his business in the mill. Both of them let go their glamorous past and started enjoying their peaceful, simple life without material stressful pursue.

5．大米磨坊

祖父是做大米磨坊的大生意。父亲，在祖父的磨坊长大，好学、有上进心、勤奋学习。后来，接管祖父的家业。对磨坊的机器有点认识，他开始有新的打算。希望，能够从新建立磨坊的生意。开货车去越南中部送货的时候，给他发现一个非常落后的村庄。那里的生活纯朴，环境优美，有山有水，有像世外桃源，非常适合他。好景的时候，他认识不少有权、有势、有钱的人。困境中，也有些好友会伸手协助他。有一位市长，愿意把钱借给他，让他有机会东山再起。运用那笔钱，他购买了机器，运到小村庄去，建立小型的大米磨坊。
到了村庄之后，家里没有收入。磨坊的机器还没有安装好。母亲，非常的担心。父亲，本来不是一位工程师，或者技工。协助祖父打理磨坊生意的时候，他没有管理机器部门，而负责最高层决策而已。对机器的运作他有所认识，但是，没有亲手去安装、修理。母亲的顾虑是有道理的。父亲雇用了一些工人，日以继夜地协助他赶工，把机器妥当地安装。
喜乐的时刻，终于，到来。磨坊的机器，可以启动运作。母亲，可以放下心理的不安，充满信心去迎接未来的日子。农民也非常开心地带谷前来给父亲磨成大米。使用石磨在家里打磨谷壳，是一件非常艰苦的工作，也要花很长的时间。有了磨坊，农民不用那么辛苦。只需几分钟，就可以把谷磨成大米，收费也非常的合理。村里只有我们唯一家的磨坊，生意滔滔不绝，比预算中更好。母亲，不再是一位家庭主妇，而协助父亲当上了一位收费员、打理磨坊的琐碎业务。夫妇两人，努力向前走，而不往后看，把过去的富裕风光日子放下，改变生活方式，放弃富裕物质的享受，追求平静、朴素、无忧无虑、安稳、脚踏实地的乡下生活。

Visit to the memorial garden 扫墓

2011-10-10T11:24:00.003-04:00

October 10, 2011

VISIT TO THE MEMORIAL GARDEN

My sister sent me an email reminding me that the Chinese traditional visiting the cemetery was on the ninth of lunar September which was on Wednesday last week. I was unable to make it because my husband was working.
He was off yesterday so we went to pay our dad’s grave a visit. It was gorgeous yesterday with exceptional warm weather at 28 degree. The normal weather in mid October is at around 15 degree which is cool. The bright sunshine and warm weather gave us a very delightful spirit instead of gloomy feeling as in the raining day when we paid him a visit in the past. The yard was very well kept. It was very clean and well organized. Dad must be very happy with its beautiful, quiet environment.

二零一一年十月十日

扫墓

上个星期三是农历初九重阳节。大姐把电邮发出，提醒我们该去给先人扫墓。很可惜，老公要上班，无法抽出空来去，因而，昨天是星期天，老公不用上班，去给父亲扫墓，在他的坟前鞠躬，悼念父亲。昨天的天气非常和暖，有二十八度之高。阳光普照，美丽的景色，使我没有那种哀伤的感觉，反而感到很欣慰，因为，墓地打理得很干净，环境优美，父亲肯定很喜欢。

Victory胜利

2011-10-07T15:07:00.001-04:00

October 6, 2011

VICTORY

My husband was first hired as an electrician in his company twenty six years ago. After having worked for a while he was promoted to be supervisor who was the head of the electricians in the maintenance department. The new position inspired him to update himself with knowledge about management. He was happy with his job and the new position assigned for him.
Then a few years ago, his manager got him a new assignment which was to be in charge of the housekeeping department in which the workers were genitors who had no skill and had nothing to do with the electrical maintaining service. My husband was very stressful with the new job which not only increased his workload but was not in his field. He was not happy with it and requested to be removed from that supervising job. His voice was not heard. He was about to quit his job for a few times when he could hardly handle the stress. There was no problem with his supervising job in the maintenance department in which the workers were very co-operative. But in the housekeeping department he encountered numerous obstacles in dealing with the genitors who did not take their jobs seriously like the electricians. He spent more time doing the paper work handling the job assignment for the genitors than focusing on the maintaining job in his field. It was very inefficient for him to keep on with the supervising job in the housekeeping department.
His manager was transferred to other department finally a few weeks ago. When the new manager came in the office my husband reflected to him about his complaint that was not taken care of. It was very obvious that there was something wrong with the company’s operation. My husband requested to be removed from the supervising job from the housekeeping department so that he could spend more time on his field to fulfill his duty more efficiently.
His voice was finally heard. I got an email from him yesterday morning that there was big change in the company’s organizational operation and that his job was taken away from the housekeeping department. It was a piece of exciting news. He got victory finally after so many years of fighting. His leaving was not only for his own benefit but for the benefit of the company as a whole. It was wrong since the first day when he was put in that position. He can focus on the supervising job in his field from now on and be happy as he used to be with his job before. The stressful and gloomy days are over. With the victory I think that he can remain with his job which he loves until he retires.

二零一一年十月六日

胜利

老公在他的公司干活已经有二十六年之多。开始的时候，只是一位普通的电工。由于他工作勤劳，表现良好，公司升他为主管。在维修部门，管理电工的团队。他很喜爱自己的工作，也很有上进心地去进修，吸收更多有关管理的知识。愉快、积极全力地为公司拚搏、工作。
几年前开始，他对自己的工作有点不满。压力很大，经常都想离开，因为，上级无理地分配了一份新管理工作给他去承担，加重了他的工作量，而且那份管理的工作不属于他的本行。他要跨部门去管理清洁工人。对清洁工作的知识一无所知，做好管理的工作是非常吃力。并且，清洁工人没有技能培训，工作态度吊儿郎当、不认真，经常都会出现很多难以处理的问题。大部分的时间都要花在处理清洁部门的琐碎事项，而不够时间去打理自己维修部门的主要、重要事务。因此，要求上级考虑把清洁管理部的主管工作分配给别人去负责。但是，上级一直，都不考虑他的要求，不重视他的请求。因为，工作压力大，很不开心，老公已经有好几次，差不多要跟上级反面、辞职。他得到安排的工作是非常不合理，而且，对公司也没有好处，因为，工作效率低。
大家都看到老公的不满，公司管理阶层出了问题。终于，在前几个星期，老公的上级给调到别的岗位去。新经理调来的时候，老公马上对他上报自己一直以来的不满，希望他能给他拿走那份清洁管理的工作，让他专注维修部的管理重任。昨天早上，收到老公的喜讯。公司有很大的整理、调动方案。他的要求已经得到了接纳，不用掌管清洁部门的事项，而只需管理有关维修部的专业技能团队的工作。经过长时间的争取，终于，得如所愿，脱离那份又烦恼、又不感兴趣的无聊管理工作。他的胜利，可算对他个人有好处，对公司也有得益，因为，喜爱他的工作，会带来较高的工作效率。希望，他会继续地快快乐乐地工作下去，一直到退休为止。

One room school 小教室

2011-10-06T12:44:00.002-04:00

4. ONE ROOM SCHOOL

In the big city, Cholon, South of Vietnam where I was born most of the people were Chinese. We mainly spoke Cantonese, our mother tongue. The Chinese school was huge with all kinds of facilities. We had to wear uniforms and shoes. Our uniform was brown shirt and black skirt. It was very neat and clean. The students in the one room school did not wear shoes. Their clothes were worn out too. They all spoke Vietnamese. There were around twenty students in the room. They were from different grades. There was only one public elementary school in the village where the kids must write the exam to enter the public school. If they failed in the exam and could not get in the public school they ended up in that room to get education.
The teacher was a male middle age man who was mean, strict, serious and cruel. He used to spank the students very often. A long ruler which he used to spank the students with was always placed on his table. Sometimes he hit them on the legs. Sometimes he beat them on the hands. Sometimes he spanked them on the hips. It was scary to witness it. I was so lucky that I did not get punished at all while I was studying there.
Kids were very fast in learning the language. Not long after we went to that village I could speak Vietnamese fluently. I could also catch up with my study easily without difficulties. It looked like that we were much smarter than the kids in that village were. Maybe it was because we were born and brought up in the big city.

4. 小教室

在提岸，大部分的市民都学中文和说广东话。我上学读书的中文小学，校园很大，比较正规，学生要穿整齐的校服、鞋子。我的校服是棕色的上衣，黑色的裙子。来到乡下的小教室，大家都说越南话，学习越文。学生不用穿校服、鞋子。他们的衣服大部分都是破破烂烂，赤脚走路，非常贫穷。教室只有二十多个学生。全部都读不同的班级。小村庄只有一所公立小学。每年招生一次。要经过考试，合格才能够进去就读。假如，考不上，就要在小教室接受教育。
教室里，只有一位中年的男老师。他教学非常的认真、严格，也非常严肃、无情，经常鞭打学生。在他的桌子上，永远都会见到有一支长长的竹辫子。学生的成绩不达到他的要求，或者不听话，他会使用它来鞭打学生们。有时候，他会鞭打他们的屁股。有时候，打他们的手掌。鞭打的情景非常可怕，难以接受。很幸运，他从来没有鞭打过我。
小孩很快会适应环境，也很快学会新的语言。到了小村庄不久，就会说流利的越南话，也赶上了当地的功课。看来，我们比当地的小孩聪明。有可能我们是来自大城市的原故。

Waiting for the bus等候公共汽车

2011-10-05T14:16:00.001-04:00

October 4 2011

WAITING FOR THE BUS

My youngest brother called me to pick up my mom at her doctor’s office at 11:30 am on last Saturday. We arrived there 5 minutes late at 11:35 am but my mom was still not seen by her doctor. I had my husband sitting in the office waiting for her while I went outside to walk around the area.
There was a big avenue with busy traffic in front of the office building. The bus stop was just by the corner where many busses stopped to let the passengers to get on and off. The busyness brought me back to the day when I was holding my daughter waiting for the bus at the same spot twenty fives years ago when my mom’s doctor used be my family doctor too.
A week after my daughter was born my husband was sent to work oversea. I was just like a single mom who had to take care of her daughter alone. When she was six months old I had to take her for immunization shot. The weather was very bad that day and the road condition was very slippery. I who was not a good driver did not want to take the risk of driving so I took the bus instead. The bus stop was just by my apartment. There was one bus every 15 minutes. I had to take the cross town bus and then made the transfer after 10 minutes ride. The transferred bus would take me right to where the doctor office was. It was quite safe and convenient I thought.
She was just a little baby who weighted just over twenty pounds. Carrying her around taking the bus would not be a big deal. I overlooked the matter that it was outside in the cold with snowing and the gusty wind. It was the first winter for my daughter who had only a very thin winter outfit which was also a bit too small for her. I did not expect it to be that cold outside and to be that difficult to carry a baby in the outfit. She kept moving when I was holding her. I was afraid that she was going to slip out of my arms. I tried to hold her tight. She on the other hand moved more. I had very hard time carrying her. It might be that the outfit did not fit her well so she did not feel comfortable in it or it might be it was too thin to keep her warm from the cold weather. She was too little to tell me how she felt. I myself did not dress warm enough too.
The fifteen minutes waiting for the bus with her in my arms in the cold, snowing, windy weather seemed longer than the time actual was. Looking back it was not a very pleasant experience.

二零一一年十月四日

等候公共汽车

上个星期六，小弟打电话叫我在十一点半去接母亲。她正在家庭医生的医务所看病。我们迟了五分钟才到达，但是，医生还没有给她检查。我让老公坐在办公室里等候母亲，自己跑到室外去走走。
医务所的前面是一条大道，非常的繁忙。街角有公共汽车站。很多公共汽车不断地停站，让乘客上下车。繁忙的情景，使我想起二十五年前的事故。当天，我在风雪中，抱着女儿在同一个地点等候公共汽车。当时，母亲的家庭医生，也是我家的家庭医生。
女儿出世一个星期之后，老公给派到国外去工作。我就有像一个单亲母亲，独自照顾女儿。女儿六个月大的时候，要带她到医务所，让医生给她注射疫苗针。那天的天气不好，下雪、刮大风、寒冷，路不好走，我不敢开车。家附近有公共汽车站。每十五分钟，有一部公共汽车经过。上车坐十分钟之后，要转车。转车之后，再坐十分钟，就会到达医务所。看来搭乘公共汽车比较方便、安全。
女儿才六个月大，还算是婴儿，体重有二十多磅，抱她上下车该不算件难事。我高估了自己的能力，也没料到，在风雪中抱小孩要那么吃力，尤其是，穿上了棉袄外套的婴儿。那是女儿度过的第一个寒冬，来不及给她添加厚的冬衣。那件棉袄外套，太小，不合适她。有可能，她感到不舒服，也有可能，棉袄太薄，不够暖，她不断地在移动。我很害怕，她会从我的手里，滑下去，把她抱得紧紧。我抱的越紧，她反而动得越厉害。她不会说话，不会告诉我她的感觉。我自己也穿不足够的衣服保暖，感到很难受。
在室外寒冷的天气，抱着女儿等候公共汽车的折磨，难以忘掉。短短只有十五分钟，但是，好像很长很长的时间。