慢功出细活 show cooker dishes

糖藕

红烧牛筋

栗子烧鸡

慢锅是厨房懒汉的好朋友哦。说出来，这个菜可是炖了20个小时的哦，其实用慢锅一点都不费事的。这些菜都是周末做的，烧得时间都很长，真正active的工作时间却是很少的。而且不用受油烟之苦。：）

下面的这些菜是快炒的。冬瓜扁机汤，炒豆苗，红烧带鱼。

Recent Plans

Some of recent plans:

• 8/6 - camping in locust lake state park

I am the kind of person who camp for camping. That means, it is not because I need a cheap place to stay over nite so I do camping. I just love it without any other reasons. I enjoy the warm camping fire, the cracks of the wood, the dark star sky, the fresh smell breeze and everything else in the natural form. Only then can I feel peaceful in my mind. :) This trip is going to be the last camping trip this summer.


• 8/16 - picking up my mom from JFK airport

Have no further plan for her trip yet. But I will try my best to arrange something that she likes. God knows I am a naturally-born planner. haha.

There are things I want to do but just cannot find time to do. I have hoped to visit the Metropolitian museum in NYC for long long long time. The varity of things always amaze me. Save this for later.

Weekend Report

Weekend is busier than weekdays... hoho... Let me list the things we did last weekend.

Eating:
1. Had dinner buffet in Royal Buffet. Their crabs and shrimps are fresher than other buffet places.
2. Cooked sugar lotus root, beef (niu2 jin1) and chestnut chicken with eggs. hoho... All slower cooker dishes.
3. Cooked vegetable soup, bean tips, eggplants... all homecook style... love them

Shopping:
1. Visited Office Depot. To get the box for our desktop for rebate. Found 3 phone lines in that box so there must be some unlucky man without any phone lines.
2. Visited Walmart twice!!! Once for cat litter, then another time for planting pots and soil.
3. Visited Farmer's Market for watermelons. They got good fresh ones there!!!
4. Visited Pet's Supplies to buy cat grass and cat finger nail clip.

Working:
1. Finished updated version of presentation.
2. Met boss for 1 hour on Saturday.

Entertainment:
1. Watched 3 movies. :p

Housework:
1. Whole apartment cleaning.
2. Laundary.
3. Clipped kitten's finger nails.
4. Replanted gardenia, separated sun flowers, and started cat grass seeds.
5. Gave plant food to all plants.

Sometimes I cannot believe how I can sqeeze so many things into 2 days... However, those happen again and again and again.... :))

HAPPY MONDAY (hopefully!)

Just bought new desktop!

emachines t3882: Intel celeron D 335(2.8GHz) 533 FSB; 256MB; 80GB, XP home, DVD/CDRW combo, 6 usb 2.0; ethernet;56k, intel extreme graphics 2, keyboard/mouse/speakers

picked it up yesterday from office depot. 209$ + tax - 50$ rebate = 170$. (priced as 399$ in circuit city) i don't expect it to be a fantastic computer but should be better than my current 130$ used IBM desktop. i just need a computer for word processing and tiny programming.

i will pick up a used 17" CRT monitor from a friend for free this weekend. soon i will have another desktop la. :-))

BTW, if anyone is reading this blog and lives around lehigh, the Office Depot in white hall area has really cheap stuff!!!! yesterday i bought 3 packs of 6 notebooks (18 totally). it was 0.6$ + tax/6 notebooks. so 18 books were 1.91$. amazing... ah? of coz they're not top quality. but the notebook is thick and good enough for me. i noticed other stuff in very low price there... very surprising... though the manager is a very very talkie guy... another freaking point i feel at that store...

Another Song to Recommend (Unbelievable by EMF)

I am not copying lyrics because I am lazy... I really love this song and managed to find it online through some efforts.

Pretty stressed out recently... I promise to people what I can do for them: work, family, friends, everything. Then I found I could find little time to complete every of them, while I hate to hand out something less than perfect. YEAH. Perfectionist. Is it ironic to be pessimistic while being a perfectionist? :D

Anyway, I like this song. It is a song I can listen with the volume at the highest while driving alone in the darkness. Then I will feel free to cry or laugh out loud...

===================

Unbelievable by EMF

You burden me with your questions
You'd have me tell no lies
You're always asking what it's all about
But don't listen to my replies
You say to me I don't talk enough
But when I do I'm a fool
These times I've spent, I've realized
I'm going to shoot through
And leave you

The things, you say
Your purple prose just gives you away
The things, you say
You're unbelievable

You burden me with your problems
By telling me more than mine
I'm always so concerned
With the way you say
You've always go to stop
To think of us being one
Is more than I ever know
But this time, I realize
I'm going to shoot through
And leave you

Seemingly lastless, don't mean
You can ask us
Pushing down the relative
Bringing out your higher self
Think of the fine times
Pushing down the better few
Instead of bringing out the clues
To what the world and everything anger to
Brace yourself with the grace of ease
I know this world ain't what it seems.

What the fuck was that
It's unbelievable

Happy Birthday to me!

I am very thankful to all the friends' accompany and warm words! Wish I could be the best me at the age of 28!

周末照片两张 I love weekend!

who doesn't... :)

睡猫

硕果累累

周末，在家里照看花草，猫咪。要是每天都是这样的生活多好！

really upset now...

so try to put some happy pictures to cheer myself up... hope this works...

guess i am just being silly... like the other 364 days of this year...

A Song I Like (Bitch by Meredith Brooks)

Very good song. Quite close to my personality.

My favorite part:

"You do what you do
And don't try to save me"

and

"So take me as I am
This may mean you'll have to be a stronger man"

==========================================
Bitch
Meredith Brooks
==========================================

I hate the world today
You're so good to me, I know but I can't change
Tried to tell you but you looked at me like maybe I'm an angel underneath
Innocent and Sweet

Yesterday I cried
You must have been relieved to see the softer side
I can understand how you'd be so confused
I don't envy you
I'm a little bit of everything, all rolled into one

I'm a bitch, I'm a lover,
I'm a child, I'm a mother,
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream,
I'm nothin in between,
You know you wouldn't want it any other way.

So take me as I am
This may mean you'll have to be a stronger man
Rest assured that when I start to make you nervous
And I'm goin to extremes
Tomorrow I will change and today won't mean a thing

I'm a bitch, I'm a lover,
I'm a child, I'm a mother,
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream,
I'm nothin in between,
You know you wouldn't want it any other way.

Just when you think
You got me figured out
The season's already changing
I think it's cool,
You do what you do
And don't try to save me

I'm a bitch, I'm a lover,
I'm a child, I'm a mother,
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream,
I'm nothin in between,
You know you wouldn't want it any other way.

I'm a bitch, I'm a lover,
I'm a child, I'm a mother,
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream,
I'm nothin in between,
You know you wouldn't want it any other way.

I'm a bitch, I'm a tease
I'm a goddess on my knees
When you're hurt, when you suffer
I'm your angel undercover
I've been numb, I'm revived
Can't say I'm not alive
You know I wouldn't want it any other way...

CAT FUNITURE 

花花的猫树 DIY Cat Funiture

老大，老二没有钱，不能给老四（花花）买猫树（价格太邪门了！50-200不等阿）。不过也不能委屈了花花，就在周末自己做一个.

木料：（homedepot) 7$
别人用下来的边料木块，锯成1：2两块；圆木柱1根，方长木柱2根（对半锯开，成为四根）

包裹材料：（homedepot, walmart）14$
小地毯一块，麻绳两卷

其他：大小钉子若干 2$； 废纸球一个；细棉线若干

步骤：
1。用麻绳把所有木棍缠起来。两端用棉线固定。
2。小地毯剪开，用小钉子钉在两块板上。其中小块要钉双面。大块一面就可以了。
3。用长钉子把木柱钉在板上。（其实用三角铁更好，更加牢固）大块作底，小块作2楼。
4。随便找个地方固定棉线和废纸团。

这就可以啦。花花上上下下玩得很开心呢。下次我准备和老大（劳工）一起做个更好的。有了这次的经验，下次再去homedepot买木头，做个3层楼加秋千的！：）

园丁日记2 - gardener's diary

室内花卉：不知名的大叶子植物，吊兰，龟背竹，富贵竹 （左-〉右）


番茄


栀子花


仙人球和仙人柱


蔬菜：葱，薄荷，向日葵，香菜（左-〉右）



最近家里多了一些花，原来的植物也都一片欣欣向荣的样子。葱已经粗壮得可以入菜，薄荷茂密得剪不光，番茄已经结出了小果子，栀子花移盆了以后又长满了新的花盆，连6个月前朋友送的光长叶子的house plant，都长了花苞要开花了。：）



猫草和小猫


家里最可怜的植物就是这盆猫草，每天给小猫蹂躏， 呵呵。

莴笋海螺片 - seafood stir-fry

第一次买，第一次做，味道却是很不错哦。

原料：
1。大海螺（3个，大约2。5磅，带壳。）千万不要忘了让超市的人帮忙把肉弄出来。
2。莴笋（2个）没有的话，估计用美芹，青椒，中国芹菜都可以代替。
3。盐，姜，料酒，油。

做法：
1。海螺切片，莴笋切片。
2。油锅油略多，大火烧至8成热，加姜片，滑炒海螺片，几分钟就可以。中途加料酒。不要烧时间长，否则成了牛皮筋就不妙拉。海螺片盛出来。
3。翻炒莴笋片，加盐。莴笋熟了以后，把海螺片加入，翻炒均匀就可以了。

特点：海螺片鲜脆，莴笋清香。

Very funny article

男人的收入、女人的年龄，都是约定俗成的非问品，问与不问跟个人的风度与修养有关，马虎不得。可有些时候又非问不可，如男人和女人恋爱准备阶段的初次会面，女人问不清男人的收入跟男人搞不清女人的年龄一样，都算没切入到主。如某人问：“我写的字怎么样？”，你回答说：“墨挺黑。”虽然算不上多大的错误却均属跑了题。这时候就想到传统婚介中有媒婆介绍情况、互换生辰八字的好处了。

我的遭遇应该算是处于媒妁之言和自由恋爱之间，有介绍人，但她老人家也没弄清楚人家女孩子到底多大年龄，只知道长得还中看而我又有恋爱要求就介绍给我了。见了面没说三句话她就借故走了，一切还需要我亲自打探。我趁看菜谱的工夫偷偷地瞄了她好几眼，速度极快且灯光昏暗，于是总体的印象还是模糊。本想仔细饱看几眼，不料正碰上她也在快速扫描我，就赶紧把目光掉转到服务小姐身上：“给我一份牛排，七成熟。”

七成熟的牛排依然坚韧，使我有足够的时间看清楚她浮现在桌面以上的部分，甚至可以很从容地相互观察，看对了眼也没什么不好意思的了。这让我很为刚才自己的高频快速偷窥感到不好意思，好像想结婚都迫不及待了似的。但我还是对她的年龄没有十足把握，女人如牛排，有的表里如一，有的里嫩外焦，谁又能透过现象看到本质呢？

于是我问她：“你父母好吗，老人家多大年纪了？”她说：“还年轻着呢。”我问：“你是哪年参加工作的？”她说：“也算不上个正经工作，有合适的时候就跳。”聊着聊着我说起自己初中时的趣事，就问：“1990年你上几年级？”她说：“我从
小学到高中都在狠命学习，压根就没你上学那么有意思。”我问：“那你是哪年毕业的？毕业时就业形势紧张吗？”她说：“也不算太紧张，要求只要不太高就总能找到工作干。”我问：“你的同学现在都谈朋友了吗？”她说：“嗨，有的从十五
岁就开始谈了呢。”我问：“你最喜欢什么动物呢？我有个朋友卖生肖项链等我给你挑根去。”她说：“我只喜欢养花。”

牛排坚韧如胶皮，也总有吃完的时候，但我脑袋里的问号直到送她回家还没有拉直，只好第二天给介绍人打电话。介绍人说：“你昨天晚上怎么表现的啊，就不会说点有意思的，人家说你是读《十万个为什么》长大的呢。”我连连道歉，说：“不就是想知道她到底多大年纪了嘛。”介绍人说：“人家不想说就别问了，感觉还行的话就趁热打铁，今天再约出来好好表现表现。”

晚上她如约前来，轻轻喝了一小口咖啡，一副很不在意的样子问：“请我喝这么好的咖啡啊，你要工作几个小时才能挣出一杯的钱来呢？”

A good way to train a kitten

:) Finally we find a good way to train a kitten - "pennies in a can".

Just put some pennies in an empty soda can and seal the opening with some tape. Every time the kitten does something naughty, e.g. jumping on table, biting house plants, eating watermelon, shake the pan to make big noise. Our kitten is very scared of that noise and she stopped jumping on table after three tries.

Yesterday we finally have a peaceful dinner. :) The kitten is behaving nicely yesterday and we praised her a lot for being so nice and sweet. hoho.

This weekend we will do some pet shopping again... Target is a nice cat bowl for her food. :p Obviously the kitten spends more than us recently.

名字的由来 my nickname

从来没说过，今天心情还好，就都坦白了吧。

这个名字来自我很喜欢的一个小说“鲜花和”，某一期收获里的长篇小说。我记不太清楚了，好像里面有个人叫“面包”，意思是长相平凡，不怎么珍贵稀奇，却可以把人喂饱的。我就是一个很平常的人。：）

简单快乐 - Simple Pleasure

本来一天都很疲惫，累得都没有力气高兴或者郁闷了。在公司上了12小时的班，晚上9点半独自开车在回家的路上，累得睡眼惺忪。突然看到路的远前方有人放焰火，一朵接着一朵，高高低低，不同的颜色，都是我很喜欢的那种大菊花的样子。不禁在车上一个人傻笑起来。原来快乐也可以这么简单的。：）

有时候想想自己都这么老了，其实心里还是个追求简单纯粹的小孩子，也是会笑起来的。什么时候，我才能真正地成为一个mature的人呢？

(Inexpensive and Local) Camping Trip Destinations

Just know that there are some people reading my blog. :) Let me share some camping trip destinations information here.

===============================================
PA state parks
===============================================
Features:
- Inexpensive (10-15/day)
- Some are modern sites (with shower + flush toilet) and some are rustic (with pit toilet and no shower)
- Closeby
- Most have decent shade and good privacy
- Online campground map and you can reserve for a specific site.
- Not all parks have campground

--------------
French Creek
--------------
+ Modern sites with shade
+ A big lake for boating and swimming pool
- Not far away but no major freeway so need at least 1hr and 30mins (usually 2 hrs)drive

--------------
Promised Land
--------------
+ Sites near lake
+ Huge nice lake with beach and good for boating
+ Huge park
- Rustice sites with pit toilet. No nearby tap water

--------------
Ricketts Glen
--------------
+ Modern sites near lake
+ Very nice trail through 20+ waterfalls
+ Small lake but swimable
- A little far (2hr30min+ drive)

--------------
Hickory Run
--------------
+ Close to Lehigh (1hr drive) and near to major freeway (I476)
+ Famous blouder field
+ Small lake but swimable
+ Modern sites with shade
- Trails are a little boring
- Camping sites are too close to each other

===============================================
Delaware Watergap
===============================================
We used Kittinny Canoes campground. It is pretty expensive (comparing to state parks), noisy (close to major freeway I-84) and crowded. I do not recommend this campground. However, you can rent their canoes/kayaks for a day trip. :)

===============================================
Assateague, Maryland
===============================================
+ Beatiful wild beach
+ Lots of wild animals and wild ponies
+ Crabbing
+ Rustic sites with cold water shower and pit toilet
+ Another flavor of camping - beachside camping
- A little far away (5hr drive)
- Watch for MOSQUITOS!!! Remember to apply "OFF" all over you

===============================================
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
===============================================
+ Big park with many trails/views
+ Modern sites with coin shower
+ We used walk-in site near Big Meadows. Quiet and lots of privacy.
- 5 hr drive
- Watch for bears near camp site... Especially when you are using walk-in sites.