Wednesday, 7 August 2013
Mike has booked to fly Tampa/Atlanta/Little Rock (5:25/6:48 - 7:45/8:13) but couldn't get on the flight because he had to conceal his unloaded gun in a box. He ended up buying a tool box and a lock. He was put on a 8 something flight and arrived in Little Rock at 1:30 pm.
Question: Didn't Mike check the carrying of gun policy on flight? If he did, there must be a misunderstanding.
Mike booked to pick the budget truck from a place near the Little Rock airport but the truck was not available. Thankfully our friend SeanM who was meeting Mike at the airport offered to drive 40 miles to the nearest dealer to pick an available truck. I had confirmed with the landlord that we are moving out of the condominium this day.
Question: Why didn't Mike write to the budget truck to voice his grievance of unavailable truck and the distance to get one? Budget truck should compensate us for the mileage incurred.
Wednesday, June 04, 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
Don't trust the rolls of coins are 100% correct.
Friday, 16 May 2014
Can you trust the rolls of coins from the bank? I think we all do. I don't know of anyone who would question or check the rolls of coins that they obtain from the bank teller, even if it is only a roll of quarters, which is $10.
This morning, while waiting for my companion, I killed my time by counting the quarters through the clear plastic that hold the 2 rolls of $10 quarters. Already I do not have 100% trust in the accuracy of the rolls. I had worked as a cashier and even though I was sure I was accurate with my cash handling, I could not understand why I was short of coins, at the end of my shift at times. Either the counting machine in our business was wrong or the rolls of coins from the bank were short! Or the person who counted my till had counted wrongly. It is not like there is another person recounting to ensure its accuracy. Anyway, another person recounting would be impractical because I would think the minus and plus are minimal.
So I counted the 2 rolls of quarters, and recounted the roll that was short of a quarter! Someone else counted it too and confirmed it was short. So
I went back to the bank teller. Her supervisor witnessed as the bank teller removed the plastic cover and counted the quarters on the table. I could hear the coins being counted. They gave to me a new roll, which I counted on site, before leaving.
I think this incident is rare.
Friday, 15 August 2014
So another 2 weeks and I would be a year in the company and for some reason I wanted to check a roll of paper wrapped quarters in my till. I have not done it before with rolls of coins. I was also not instructed to count our tills when we logged in the 1st time to our assigned cash register. I was told that I could ask for an audit of my till before I start my shift.
Must be a sense of prompting to check today. The $10 roll was short of 40 cts! Instead of 40 quarters, there were 38 quarters and 2 nickels!
The manager said it was probably rolls of quarters that was remitted to the bank by public.
My till balance was exactly 40 cts short because of that 2 nickels!
Can you trust the rolls of coins from the bank? I think we all do. I don't know of anyone who would question or check the rolls of coins that they obtain from the bank teller, even if it is only a roll of quarters, which is $10.
This morning, while waiting for my companion, I killed my time by counting the quarters through the clear plastic that hold the 2 rolls of $10 quarters. Already I do not have 100% trust in the accuracy of the rolls. I had worked as a cashier and even though I was sure I was accurate with my cash handling, I could not understand why I was short of coins, at the end of my shift at times. Either the counting machine in our business was wrong or the rolls of coins from the bank were short! Or the person who counted my till had counted wrongly. It is not like there is another person recounting to ensure its accuracy. Anyway, another person recounting would be impractical because I would think the minus and plus are minimal.
So I counted the 2 rolls of quarters, and recounted the roll that was short of a quarter! Someone else counted it too and confirmed it was short. So
I went back to the bank teller. Her supervisor witnessed as the bank teller removed the plastic cover and counted the quarters on the table. I could hear the coins being counted. They gave to me a new roll, which I counted on site, before leaving.
I think this incident is rare.
Friday, 15 August 2014
So another 2 weeks and I would be a year in the company and for some reason I wanted to check a roll of paper wrapped quarters in my till. I have not done it before with rolls of coins. I was also not instructed to count our tills when we logged in the 1st time to our assigned cash register. I was told that I could ask for an audit of my till before I start my shift.
Must be a sense of prompting to check today. The $10 roll was short of 40 cts! Instead of 40 quarters, there were 38 quarters and 2 nickels!
The manager said it was probably rolls of quarters that was remitted to the bank by public.
My till balance was exactly 40 cts short because of that 2 nickels!
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Be Honest and Be Blessed
Friday, 14 March 2014
I was ready to pay $1.00 for the Kids Sun Hat. The receipt showed $0.01. So I walked back to the cashier and enquired. She said it must be a mistake and suggested that I paid the remaining $0.99. I asked her to check with the store manager because it might be marked down to $0.50 since it was the only one left on the shelf. Cashier returned and remarked that it was my lucky day. Forget about the $0.99.
Monday, 17 September 2012
$12.44, that was spent at a fast food, on the 27 June 2012, had not appeared in our bank statements. I remembered taking one wrongly delivered drink to the cashier, and asking for a replacement. And I remembered the cashier cancelling the payment and remarking that she will recharged. And I guess the recharge did not went through.
So I rang and spoke to the manager of that particular store, who told me to call the district manager about my debt of $12.44. I was ready to pay that debt, but instead I was told to regard the $12.44 as a early Christmas present. What a blessing to be honest. My debt was waived and my conscience cleared.
I was ready to pay $1.00 for the Kids Sun Hat. The receipt showed $0.01. So I walked back to the cashier and enquired. She said it must be a mistake and suggested that I paid the remaining $0.99. I asked her to check with the store manager because it might be marked down to $0.50 since it was the only one left on the shelf. Cashier returned and remarked that it was my lucky day. Forget about the $0.99.
Monday, 17 September 2012
$12.44, that was spent at a fast food, on the 27 June 2012, had not appeared in our bank statements. I remembered taking one wrongly delivered drink to the cashier, and asking for a replacement. And I remembered the cashier cancelling the payment and remarking that she will recharged. And I guess the recharge did not went through.
So I rang and spoke to the manager of that particular store, who told me to call the district manager about my debt of $12.44. I was ready to pay that debt, but instead I was told to regard the $12.44 as a early Christmas present. What a blessing to be honest. My debt was waived and my conscience cleared.
Thursday, March 06, 2014
Chinese New Year Dinner 2014
Thursday, 6 March 2014
Finally I was able to have the special Chinese New Year dinner. I was not able to celebrate the reunion dinner on the 30 January. The celebration of the year of the Horse started the 31st January and finished the 14 February. 2 guests at our table thought the Chinese New Year was over. I said it is 365 days! I just celebrate it late. Don't know if anyone else did that? Grateful that the 4 guests joined in the dinner.
I was a little worried when we had a power outrage at 12:05pm because of thunder storms. After an experience of an outrage that lasts 80 hours because of winter storm, I am somehow scare of the timing of restoration.
I am grateful I had all the stuffed beancurd (with minced pork) deep fried a couple of minutes before the outrage, which was restored at about 12:45pm. Cooked the other 4 dishes an hour before the dinner.
Bought these food from an oriental store:
(1) Roasted pork ($6.99 for 1 lb)
(2) Barbequed pork ($5.99 for 1 lb)
(3) Roasted duck ($15.99 for a whole duck)
Finally I was able to have the special Chinese New Year dinner. I was not able to celebrate the reunion dinner on the 30 January. The celebration of the year of the Horse started the 31st January and finished the 14 February. 2 guests at our table thought the Chinese New Year was over. I said it is 365 days! I just celebrate it late. Don't know if anyone else did that? Grateful that the 4 guests joined in the dinner.
I was a little worried when we had a power outrage at 12:05pm because of thunder storms. After an experience of an outrage that lasts 80 hours because of winter storm, I am somehow scare of the timing of restoration.
I am grateful I had all the stuffed beancurd (with minced pork) deep fried a couple of minutes before the outrage, which was restored at about 12:45pm. Cooked the other 4 dishes an hour before the dinner.
 |
| Stuffed bean curd with minced pork |
 |
| Spicy prawns with tomatoes |
 |
| Chicken with black mushrooms |
 |
| Bean sprouts with carrots, chives and minced pork |
 |
| Blanced bak choy with garlic oyster sauce |
Bought these food from an oriental store:
(1) Roasted pork ($6.99 for 1 lb)
(2) Barbequed pork ($5.99 for 1 lb)
(3) Roasted duck ($15.99 for a whole duck)
 |
| Roasted pork and barbequed pork |
 |
| Roasted duck |
Monday, March 03, 2014
The Lord Calls (2)
2000 - December 2013
Met Christina Tilisit Jendili mid-2000, when we were both attending the church meetings at a rented house in Likas, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. And we had been friends since. When I moved back to Miri, Sarawak, in February 2005, we had kept in touch, through sms and email since it was cheaper than talking on the phones. We had supported each other morally and emotionally, during our respective troubled times. When I moved again further away in 2007, email and then the Facebook was our means of communication. Even though sometimes we went for months without communication, there was a special friendship bond between us. If we did write to each other, the email were usually free sharing of our feelings.
Met Christina Tilisit Jendili mid-2000, when we were both attending the church meetings at a rented house in Likas, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. And we had been friends since. When I moved back to Miri, Sarawak, in February 2005, we had kept in touch, through sms and email since it was cheaper than talking on the phones. We had supported each other morally and emotionally, during our respective troubled times. When I moved again further away in 2007, email and then the Facebook was our means of communication. Even though sometimes we went for months without communication, there was a special friendship bond between us. If we did write to each other, the email were usually free sharing of our feelings.
.JPG) |
| Christina & I, 28 June 2009 |
Christina was diagnosed with cervical cancer and was cured in 2012 after radiotherapy, chemotherapy and brachytherapy.
2013 she started to have excruciation back pain. ST-scan showed she had cancer near her lungs. We were still writing long messages to each other on the Facebook from the month of August, when she started chemotherapy. The last messages, on the Facebook, that we exchanged with each other, was on the 30 October.
On the last week of November, I felt strongly about snail-mailing Christina a Christmas card. We had never written each other a snail mail because it cost nothing by electronic mail. I was thinking that Christina would love to receive a paper card for a change. I also intended to send a well-wish card from time to time, from then on to keep her spirits up while she was fighting the lung cancer. To ensure what I had in my record is correct, I wrote to one of Christina's daughter for confirmation of Christina's postal address. No response to my 5 messages sent from the 28-30 November.
30 November 2013, I wrote to another daughter. I was so thankful she wrote back on the 1 December 2013, with Christina's correct address. The Christmas card was snail mailed on the 2 December 2013.
23 December 2013, from the Facebook timeline and message to Christina's daughter confirmed that her mother had passed away on the 22 December, at the age of 52. I was grateful to learnt that Christina received my Christmas card and had my special message for her. I am thankful that it did not take a month to arrive, as in other snail mail that I have sent from US!
Sister Christina, I am thankful for the opportunity to know you while I was in Kota Kinabalu. Even though I had moved further and further away from you, we have kept in touch whenever we could. Even when we didn't get to communicate as much as we would love to, and even when we didn't hear from each other for a time, we will always be special in each other's heart. I love you, my friend. I am going to miss you if I come and visit Kota Kinabalu. You will always be in my heart forever. You have been a devoted Christian and I know that you are helping Heavenly Father in the spirit world. Until we meet again, God be with you.
2013 she started to have excruciation back pain. ST-scan showed she had cancer near her lungs. We were still writing long messages to each other on the Facebook from the month of August, when she started chemotherapy. The last messages, on the Facebook, that we exchanged with each other, was on the 30 October.
On the last week of November, I felt strongly about snail-mailing Christina a Christmas card. We had never written each other a snail mail because it cost nothing by electronic mail. I was thinking that Christina would love to receive a paper card for a change. I also intended to send a well-wish card from time to time, from then on to keep her spirits up while she was fighting the lung cancer. To ensure what I had in my record is correct, I wrote to one of Christina's daughter for confirmation of Christina's postal address. No response to my 5 messages sent from the 28-30 November.
30 November 2013, I wrote to another daughter. I was so thankful she wrote back on the 1 December 2013, with Christina's correct address. The Christmas card was snail mailed on the 2 December 2013.
23 December 2013, from the Facebook timeline and message to Christina's daughter confirmed that her mother had passed away on the 22 December, at the age of 52. I was grateful to learnt that Christina received my Christmas card and had my special message for her. I am thankful that it did not take a month to arrive, as in other snail mail that I have sent from US!
Sister Christina, I am thankful for the opportunity to know you while I was in Kota Kinabalu. Even though I had moved further and further away from you, we have kept in touch whenever we could. Even when we didn't get to communicate as much as we would love to, and even when we didn't hear from each other for a time, we will always be special in each other's heart. I love you, my friend. I am going to miss you if I come and visit Kota Kinabalu. You will always be in my heart forever. You have been a devoted Christian and I know that you are helping Heavenly Father in the spirit world. Until we meet again, God be with you.
The Lord Calls (1)
June 2007 - June 2013
This is written in rememberance of a dear friend, Frances E. Graaf, who passed away on the 28 June 2013. I miss her. This is the story of our relationship, that I want to share.
June 2007: I was assisting with the pest control appointments in Yuma, AZ. A loyal customer, Frances, and I got a liking to each other and we became friends. We talked to each other on the phone, got to visit each other at our respective homes. Even though she is in her 80's, she would drive (I didn't have a US driving licence yet) to my house and take me with her to do things together. Alternatively Mike would take me to her house and then we would go out in her car. She was living alone in a big house with a cat, and my heart goes to her.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008. I went with Mike to collect the business truck back from the home of an employee who had resigned this day. There was only me to drive Mike's car back home while Mike drove the business truck. I had no choice but drove (using my Malaysian driving licence) the car by myself, followed behind Mike's truck. On the way home, I couldn't keep up with Mike's speed, lost sight of him and landed in a strange lane - Araby Lane. There was a GPS in the car but I did not know how to use it. I dialed Mike's cellphone but there was no answer. Like a frightened child lost, I managed to get Frances on the phone. I cried and told her I was lost. She asked me where I was. I didn't know what that lane was then. Mike found me an hour later.
Sunday, 8 February 2009, Frances & I saw the American Boys Chorus at the Yuma Performing Arts Center. She got 2 admission tickets free from a neighbor who had left town. I am so blessed that she invited me to go with her. I enjoyed the performance very much.
Tuesday, 17 March 2009, I went with Frances for luncheon, in conjunction with St. Patrick's Day celebration, at the Foothills Assembly of God. It was my 1st experience of St. Patrick's Day!
Last I saw Frances, at her home, was 3 April 2009. I had brought a friend, Patricia, with the hope that they would get together when Mike & I moved away in 21 days to Sunray, TX. Even since then I had moved to other places. I am thankful that the landlines and the snail mail had kept us connected, as Frances did not do the email.
I remembered talking to her early 2013 and she told me her annual blood work was good. For a number of weeks in June 2013, I had tried to call Frances but nobody answered. I wanted to tell Frances that we were moving again on the 7 August 2013. 11 July 2013, the same tel. no. that I had been calling for the past 6 years was no longer in service! I felt something was wrong. I know Frances would have told me if she was selling the house or moving away. The next day, 12 July 2013, I wrote a snail mail, addressed to Frances, at her address hoping that the letter would be forwarded to her, if she had moved, or someone would call me and tell me how she was doing.
3 August 2013 postmarked on postcard from Frances' son, Scott, reported that his mother had passed away. Scott did not reply to my query as to the cause of his mother's death.
Frances would be in her mid 80's if she is still alive. Frances and I chatted on the phone for an hour or more. We shared our lives like mother and daughter. Our conversations had been a blessing in my life. She listened to me patiently as I confided in her. Frances would be in her mid 80's if she is alive now. My mother would be 88 years old if she is alive too. My mother had passed away in November 2007. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for sending Frances into my life.
This is written in rememberance of a dear friend, Frances E. Graaf, who passed away on the 28 June 2013. I miss her. This is the story of our relationship, that I want to share.
 |
| Frances and I, 18 August 2008 |
June 2007: I was assisting with the pest control appointments in Yuma, AZ. A loyal customer, Frances, and I got a liking to each other and we became friends. We talked to each other on the phone, got to visit each other at our respective homes. Even though she is in her 80's, she would drive (I didn't have a US driving licence yet) to my house and take me with her to do things together. Alternatively Mike would take me to her house and then we would go out in her car. She was living alone in a big house with a cat, and my heart goes to her.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008. I went with Mike to collect the business truck back from the home of an employee who had resigned this day. There was only me to drive Mike's car back home while Mike drove the business truck. I had no choice but drove (using my Malaysian driving licence) the car by myself, followed behind Mike's truck. On the way home, I couldn't keep up with Mike's speed, lost sight of him and landed in a strange lane - Araby Lane. There was a GPS in the car but I did not know how to use it. I dialed Mike's cellphone but there was no answer. Like a frightened child lost, I managed to get Frances on the phone. I cried and told her I was lost. She asked me where I was. I didn't know what that lane was then. Mike found me an hour later.
Sunday, 8 February 2009, Frances & I saw the American Boys Chorus at the Yuma Performing Arts Center. She got 2 admission tickets free from a neighbor who had left town. I am so blessed that she invited me to go with her. I enjoyed the performance very much.
Tuesday, 17 March 2009, I went with Frances for luncheon, in conjunction with St. Patrick's Day celebration, at the Foothills Assembly of God. It was my 1st experience of St. Patrick's Day!
Last I saw Frances, at her home, was 3 April 2009. I had brought a friend, Patricia, with the hope that they would get together when Mike & I moved away in 21 days to Sunray, TX. Even since then I had moved to other places. I am thankful that the landlines and the snail mail had kept us connected, as Frances did not do the email.
I remembered talking to her early 2013 and she told me her annual blood work was good. For a number of weeks in June 2013, I had tried to call Frances but nobody answered. I wanted to tell Frances that we were moving again on the 7 August 2013. 11 July 2013, the same tel. no. that I had been calling for the past 6 years was no longer in service! I felt something was wrong. I know Frances would have told me if she was selling the house or moving away. The next day, 12 July 2013, I wrote a snail mail, addressed to Frances, at her address hoping that the letter would be forwarded to her, if she had moved, or someone would call me and tell me how she was doing.
3 August 2013 postmarked on postcard from Frances' son, Scott, reported that his mother had passed away. Scott did not reply to my query as to the cause of his mother's death.
Frances would be in her mid 80's if she is still alive. Frances and I chatted on the phone for an hour or more. We shared our lives like mother and daughter. Our conversations had been a blessing in my life. She listened to me patiently as I confided in her. Frances would be in her mid 80's if she is alive now. My mother would be 88 years old if she is alive too. My mother had passed away in November 2007. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for sending Frances into my life.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Sunday, December 09, 2012
Birthday Present
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Rachel Gr.... knitted this pair of shoes and gave to me for my birthday present. That was so nice of her. I am not sure if I will wear it at all. It is too nice to be dirtied.
+on+my+birthday+July-25-2012.JPG)
Rachel Gr.... knitted this pair of shoes and gave to me for my birthday present. That was so nice of her. I am not sure if I will wear it at all. It is too nice to be dirtied.
+on+my+birthday+July-25-2012.JPG)
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Children and Parents
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
It has been a while since I last posted on this blog. What I am going to share is my own personal feelings of the subject.
I am not a child psychologist nor am I undertaking any child psychology study. I am thinking of the many pictures of missing "children" that I saw in the newspapers. Some of the "children" have been missing for over 20 years and are now adults.
With the increase of technologies, information are available on the media (TV, internet, radio, magazines, movies, video games, music, etc.). Children learn fast. To a big extent, the example of their parents, relatives and the related parental guidance and supervision have a lot to do with the children's attitude and mentality. There is also the negative influence around them - friends, peer pleasure. And there is also their own unique characteristics. Children think they know a lot and so they behave like they know a lot.
It is said children mature faster these days, but I said they are not matured mentally or emotionally. Maybe physically, because they look like they are 17 when they are only 13 years old. No thanks to the chemicals that were incorporated in the production of the food they are eating and drinking, especially the commercialised processed food and milk!
It is very sad to note that there are children who run away from home. Some children run away because they could not take the emotional pressure of a nagging parent. Some run away because of physical abuse. I probably would run away if I am being physically abused. But what is considered physical abuse?
When I was growing up, I was canned by my mother not just once but each time I needed to be taught what I did was wrong. I was canned on the arms or the legs. Mum didn't hit me on any other parts of my body. I was canned because I stole money from her cupboard. I was canned because I bullied my younger brothers (I don't have any younger sisters). I was canned because I lied. While she canned she told me why I was wrong. And being scared of the canning, I didn't dare to lie, steal and bully my younger brothers anymore.
Did I consider that physical abuse? NO. It is not like I was canned until I fainted, bled or die. The canned marks were there but it went away after a day or two. Physical abuse was NEVER in my mind.
These days, it is considered physical abuse.
My mother scolded me a lot too. I was still scolded when I was in my 50's. I thought I was an obedient child and a respectful daughter but there were many things that I did that didn't jive with her moral values.
Did I consider that mental and emotional abuse? NO. I did reason and argue with her why I did what I did. I was upset for being scolded so I withdrew from her for hours (when I was a child and a teenager) and for days (when I was an adult) but we always reconcile after that. Mental and emotional abuse was NEVER in my mind.
These days, when children are being scolded, disciplined, punished, they cried physical, mental and emotional abuse. So they run away. If they can't run away by themselves, they refuse to go home when they got the opportunity to be with another family in another place. They also refuse to speak to their parents or the people who are trying to raise them up their way. I read of children who lied about their professed abuse and interestingly they were convincingly enough to get them out from "hell".
I am so sorry for these children. If these children can't accept the kind of upbringing (say the normal disciplinary acts to a disobedient child) that they were born into, then how are these children able to cope, as an adult, in the real world? There are rules in the school, in the workplace. Every where there are rules and regulations or the world would be chaotic.
Did I cane my own children? I don't remember I did. I don't like being canned so I don't canned them.
Did I scold my own children? Yes, I do. I don't like being scolded and it is not a good feeling after scolding anyone. There are times that I can't help being verbally harsh. Sometimes I got so angry that I could slap them on their faces but I can't bring myself to do that. Instead I ended up crying to release my anger. And yes, I cried a lot.
It is sad some children "disown" (cutting off) their parents, just because of:
They don't love me at all. (Their definition of love is freedom.)
They scolded me so much.
They don't allow me to do this and that.
I am not allowed to go out with my friends.
They only want to work and work and help them with the farm, the business, etc.
Etc. Etc.
Children's definition of love is freedom. They want:
No scolding or any disciplinary acts.
Give them whatever they want.
Let them do whatever they feel like.
Let them eat and drink what they want to.
Let them sleep whenever and however long.
No work because they are tired to do any work.
But they are not tired to watch television or sit in front of the computer the whole day.
Etc. Etc.
I am thankful for my mother, who loves me enough to cane, scold and discipline me where I needed to be. God had me born to my mother and it is her calling to teach and bring me up her way. There were good times and there were bad times. And I am thankful I got to spend time with her until her dying days.
I have been born to one mother only, and she is gone. How I wish she is still alive. In a few years I would be sixty but I still cried because I miss my mother like I am a little girl.
I hope that no children would "disown" their mothers or their fathers. When children realised they are wrong and want to reconcile with their parents, it might be too late.
As God had taught us in the 5th commandment (Exodus 20:12) "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee".
I like Luke 6:37 which says "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven"
2 Chronicles 19:6 says "And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgement".
It has been a while since I last posted on this blog. What I am going to share is my own personal feelings of the subject.
I am not a child psychologist nor am I undertaking any child psychology study. I am thinking of the many pictures of missing "children" that I saw in the newspapers. Some of the "children" have been missing for over 20 years and are now adults.
With the increase of technologies, information are available on the media (TV, internet, radio, magazines, movies, video games, music, etc.). Children learn fast. To a big extent, the example of their parents, relatives and the related parental guidance and supervision have a lot to do with the children's attitude and mentality. There is also the negative influence around them - friends, peer pleasure. And there is also their own unique characteristics. Children think they know a lot and so they behave like they know a lot.
It is said children mature faster these days, but I said they are not matured mentally or emotionally. Maybe physically, because they look like they are 17 when they are only 13 years old. No thanks to the chemicals that were incorporated in the production of the food they are eating and drinking, especially the commercialised processed food and milk!
It is very sad to note that there are children who run away from home. Some children run away because they could not take the emotional pressure of a nagging parent. Some run away because of physical abuse. I probably would run away if I am being physically abused. But what is considered physical abuse?
When I was growing up, I was canned by my mother not just once but each time I needed to be taught what I did was wrong. I was canned on the arms or the legs. Mum didn't hit me on any other parts of my body. I was canned because I stole money from her cupboard. I was canned because I bullied my younger brothers (I don't have any younger sisters). I was canned because I lied. While she canned she told me why I was wrong. And being scared of the canning, I didn't dare to lie, steal and bully my younger brothers anymore.
Did I consider that physical abuse? NO. It is not like I was canned until I fainted, bled or die. The canned marks were there but it went away after a day or two. Physical abuse was NEVER in my mind.
These days, it is considered physical abuse.
My mother scolded me a lot too. I was still scolded when I was in my 50's. I thought I was an obedient child and a respectful daughter but there were many things that I did that didn't jive with her moral values.
Did I consider that mental and emotional abuse? NO. I did reason and argue with her why I did what I did. I was upset for being scolded so I withdrew from her for hours (when I was a child and a teenager) and for days (when I was an adult) but we always reconcile after that. Mental and emotional abuse was NEVER in my mind.
These days, when children are being scolded, disciplined, punished, they cried physical, mental and emotional abuse. So they run away. If they can't run away by themselves, they refuse to go home when they got the opportunity to be with another family in another place. They also refuse to speak to their parents or the people who are trying to raise them up their way. I read of children who lied about their professed abuse and interestingly they were convincingly enough to get them out from "hell".
I am so sorry for these children. If these children can't accept the kind of upbringing (say the normal disciplinary acts to a disobedient child) that they were born into, then how are these children able to cope, as an adult, in the real world? There are rules in the school, in the workplace. Every where there are rules and regulations or the world would be chaotic.
Did I cane my own children? I don't remember I did. I don't like being canned so I don't canned them.
Did I scold my own children? Yes, I do. I don't like being scolded and it is not a good feeling after scolding anyone. There are times that I can't help being verbally harsh. Sometimes I got so angry that I could slap them on their faces but I can't bring myself to do that. Instead I ended up crying to release my anger. And yes, I cried a lot.
It is sad some children "disown" (cutting off) their parents, just because of:
They don't love me at all. (Their definition of love is freedom.)
They scolded me so much.
They don't allow me to do this and that.
I am not allowed to go out with my friends.
They only want to work and work and help them with the farm, the business, etc.
Etc. Etc.
Children's definition of love is freedom. They want:
No scolding or any disciplinary acts.
Give them whatever they want.
Let them do whatever they feel like.
Let them eat and drink what they want to.
Let them sleep whenever and however long.
No work because they are tired to do any work.
But they are not tired to watch television or sit in front of the computer the whole day.
Etc. Etc.
I am thankful for my mother, who loves me enough to cane, scold and discipline me where I needed to be. God had me born to my mother and it is her calling to teach and bring me up her way. There were good times and there were bad times. And I am thankful I got to spend time with her until her dying days.
I have been born to one mother only, and she is gone. How I wish she is still alive. In a few years I would be sixty but I still cried because I miss my mother like I am a little girl.
I hope that no children would "disown" their mothers or their fathers. When children realised they are wrong and want to reconcile with their parents, it might be too late.
As God had taught us in the 5th commandment (Exodus 20:12) "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee".
I like Luke 6:37 which says "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven"
2 Chronicles 19:6 says "And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgement".
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Bad PBR (Primary Boot Record)
Saturday, 25 February 2012
I was playing scrabble (on the pogo.com) and at the same time learning a dance (from the youtube.com for almost an hour) when the message of dumping physical memory flashes on the monitor.
Dumping physical memory had happened before and the operating system rebooted successfully all the time. But this time the computer could not reboot! This was what the monitor said:
Loading PBR for description 2... done
Bad PBR
No boot device available
Strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility.
So I hit F1 and the computer tried to boot but ended up with the same message.
Hit F2 and changed the boot sequence. It didn't work either.
Took out the disc and the flash drive that I had on the CPU when the dumping memory happened and hit F1 again. Didn't work.
Switch off and on the CPU. It wouldn't boot the Operating System.
Pulled out all the connections and reconnect them. Can't restore the Operating System.
I didn't know what else to do, so I called for advice. Kim gave me 3 names of computer literates (in our church branch) whom I could checked with. Cathy told me that Tiffany (in our branch) could help. Peter named 2 stores that I could send my computer to look at. Stanley said to open up the computer to check for amiss connections. Clifford said to reboot from a reinstallation CD (that did restore the computer the following Monday). Unfortunately he was not free to walk me through the steps that night.
Since I could not google for instructions from my computer, I tried on the cellphone and amazingly this message popped up when I searched for "Bad BPR". I am glad that I copied the message because I couldn't find that message again. It said:
Quote:
Oops! That usually happens only on DELL systems. This is because they have 3 partitions:
- A Hidden Dell Utility Partition.
- The OS Partition (Windows).
- A hidden Dell PC Restore Partition.
The error you are getting is due to a corrupt boot record.
Try this:
1 - Start up the computer and click F12 to give you the boot-up options.
2 - Insert Windows Installation/Recovery CD into CDROM, choose CDROM boot option and click enter.
3 - Let the installation process continue until it prompts you "Press R to repair" ... this should then take you into the DOS mode.
4 - Type in FIXBOOT and when prompted, press "Y" to start creating the new boot partition. If everything goes right, you should get a message saying the partition was corrupted and a new one was created successfully.
5 - Remove the CD and reboot your system, everything SHOULD be okay now.
NB. Don't try a FIXMBR or you'll loose your hidden dell partitions, meaning if you haven't backed it up onto DVD, you can't go back to the original factory settings if you ever need to.
Unquote
I tried the reinstallation CD, it didn't work.
So I am thinking maybe if I did the diagnostic tests that were available in the computer, I would be able to know what is wrong with it. That way, it would help others to trouble-shoot as well.
So I run:
(1) The hard-drive diagnostics:
Drive O: Hitachi HDS721616PLA380 - Pass.
Drive 1: TSSTarp DVD+/-RW TS-H653A - Diagnostic not supported (I don't know what it means)
Drive 2: No device.
Drive 3: No device.
Drive 4: No device.
Drive 5: No device.
(2) MpMemory V0433: All 8 tests passed.
(3) Test of Devices in the System: All tests passed.
Then I run the following "All Systems"
(1) No Sound or Audio: 5 (analog sound playback, surround sound playback, central/LFE sound playback, front mic record and playback, rear mic record and playback) of 8 tests failed. (Don't know what they mean!)
(2) Problems with Fan(s) or System Seems Hot: All 7 tests passed.
(3) Problems with USB Device or USB Device Not Detected: All 9 tests passed.
(4) Abnormal noise coming from my system: All 3 tests passed.
(5) Mouse, touchpad or pointing stick non-responsive: The only 1 test passed.
(6) Cursor Movement is Erratic - USB Mouse - Mouse Test: The only 1 test passed.
(7) Cannot Boot the OS: There were 36 tests, however 2 went untested, remaining 34 passed.
(8) System Lock Up: There were 43 tests, 2 went untested, remaining 41 passed.
(9) Hard Drive Errors: All 10 tests passed
I didn't continue with the following "All Systems" testing because I felt that the testings I have seen so far seem to be the same. I am wasting my time!
(10) System Shut Down or Reboots Unexpectedly - CPU Fan - Fan On/Off.
(11) Windows Blue Screen.
(12) Problems With Memory
(13) Intermittent Shutdowns - CPU Fan - Fan On/Off Test.
Finally I did run the last test:
(14) Video Corruption: All 8 tests passed.
Monday, 27 February 2012
I am so grateful I didn't have to take the computer to any place or anyone. I am so grateful that Tiffany sent her son to the house to look at the computer instead.
Finally, Tyrnan restored the Operating System for me, using the reinstallation CD, using the steps that I received through my cellphone last Saturday night.
Tiffany said she did not need the diagnostic results, which took me more than 12 hours and would have been more if I run all the tests! She said she had to look at the computer and then go from there.
Incidentally, I missed watching Tyrnan did the step 1 and step 2. I thought I did exactly what the instructions said for that first 2 steps last Saturday night, but no response. Maybe I didn't choose the CDROM boot option from the F12 boot-up options.
What a scare! I am glad that my computer is working again!
Thank you Tiffany for sending your son. Thank you Tyrnan for fixing it.
Thank you to whoever you are, who posted that message of rebooting the Operating System using the Windows Installation/Recovery CD.
Thank you Kathy for ordering the Reinstallation CD Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2, back in 2009.
Someone left the Dell Dimension E520 to me, in 2009, without the original Windows Operation System. The computer was then about 1-1/2 years old and there were some problems so Kathy ordered the reinstallation CD for me, just in case. The computer is now 4-1/2 years old. If it wasn't for this CD, I probably have to spend on a new Windows Operation System or buy a new computer!
I was playing scrabble (on the pogo.com) and at the same time learning a dance (from the youtube.com for almost an hour) when the message of dumping physical memory flashes on the monitor.
Dumping physical memory had happened before and the operating system rebooted successfully all the time. But this time the computer could not reboot! This was what the monitor said:
Loading PBR for description 2... done
Bad PBR
No boot device available
Strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility.
So I hit F1 and the computer tried to boot but ended up with the same message.
Hit F2 and changed the boot sequence. It didn't work either.
Took out the disc and the flash drive that I had on the CPU when the dumping memory happened and hit F1 again. Didn't work.
Switch off and on the CPU. It wouldn't boot the Operating System.
Pulled out all the connections and reconnect them. Can't restore the Operating System.
I didn't know what else to do, so I called for advice. Kim gave me 3 names of computer literates (in our church branch) whom I could checked with. Cathy told me that Tiffany (in our branch) could help. Peter named 2 stores that I could send my computer to look at. Stanley said to open up the computer to check for amiss connections. Clifford said to reboot from a reinstallation CD (that did restore the computer the following Monday). Unfortunately he was not free to walk me through the steps that night.
Since I could not google for instructions from my computer, I tried on the cellphone and amazingly this message popped up when I searched for "Bad BPR". I am glad that I copied the message because I couldn't find that message again. It said:
Quote:
Oops! That usually happens only on DELL systems. This is because they have 3 partitions:
- A Hidden Dell Utility Partition.
- The OS Partition (Windows).
- A hidden Dell PC Restore Partition.
The error you are getting is due to a corrupt boot record.
Try this:
1 - Start up the computer and click F12 to give you the boot-up options.
2 - Insert Windows Installation/Recovery CD into CDROM, choose CDROM boot option and click enter.
3 - Let the installation process continue until it prompts you "Press R to repair" ... this should then take you into the DOS mode.
4 - Type in FIXBOOT and when prompted, press "Y" to start creating the new boot partition. If everything goes right, you should get a message saying the partition was corrupted and a new one was created successfully.
5 - Remove the CD and reboot your system, everything SHOULD be okay now.
NB. Don't try a FIXMBR or you'll loose your hidden dell partitions, meaning if you haven't backed it up onto DVD, you can't go back to the original factory settings if you ever need to.
Unquote
I tried the reinstallation CD, it didn't work.
So I am thinking maybe if I did the diagnostic tests that were available in the computer, I would be able to know what is wrong with it. That way, it would help others to trouble-shoot as well.
So I run:
(1) The hard-drive diagnostics:
Drive O: Hitachi HDS721616PLA380 - Pass.
Drive 1: TSSTarp DVD+/-RW TS-H653A - Diagnostic not supported (I don't know what it means)
Drive 2: No device.
Drive 3: No device.
Drive 4: No device.
Drive 5: No device.
(2) MpMemory V0433: All 8 tests passed.
(3) Test of Devices in the System: All tests passed.
Then I run the following "All Systems"
(1) No Sound or Audio: 5 (analog sound playback, surround sound playback, central/LFE sound playback, front mic record and playback, rear mic record and playback) of 8 tests failed. (Don't know what they mean!)
(2) Problems with Fan(s) or System Seems Hot: All 7 tests passed.
(3) Problems with USB Device or USB Device Not Detected: All 9 tests passed.
(4) Abnormal noise coming from my system: All 3 tests passed.
(5) Mouse, touchpad or pointing stick non-responsive: The only 1 test passed.
(6) Cursor Movement is Erratic - USB Mouse - Mouse Test: The only 1 test passed.
(7) Cannot Boot the OS: There were 36 tests, however 2 went untested, remaining 34 passed.
(8) System Lock Up: There were 43 tests, 2 went untested, remaining 41 passed.
(9) Hard Drive Errors: All 10 tests passed
I didn't continue with the following "All Systems" testing because I felt that the testings I have seen so far seem to be the same. I am wasting my time!
(10) System Shut Down or Reboots Unexpectedly - CPU Fan - Fan On/Off.
(11) Windows Blue Screen.
(12) Problems With Memory
(13) Intermittent Shutdowns - CPU Fan - Fan On/Off Test.
Finally I did run the last test:
(14) Video Corruption: All 8 tests passed.
Monday, 27 February 2012
I am so grateful I didn't have to take the computer to any place or anyone. I am so grateful that Tiffany sent her son to the house to look at the computer instead.
Finally, Tyrnan restored the Operating System for me, using the reinstallation CD, using the steps that I received through my cellphone last Saturday night.
Tiffany said she did not need the diagnostic results, which took me more than 12 hours and would have been more if I run all the tests! She said she had to look at the computer and then go from there.
Incidentally, I missed watching Tyrnan did the step 1 and step 2. I thought I did exactly what the instructions said for that first 2 steps last Saturday night, but no response. Maybe I didn't choose the CDROM boot option from the F12 boot-up options.
What a scare! I am glad that my computer is working again!
Thank you Tiffany for sending your son. Thank you Tyrnan for fixing it.
Thank you to whoever you are, who posted that message of rebooting the Operating System using the Windows Installation/Recovery CD.
Thank you Kathy for ordering the Reinstallation CD Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2, back in 2009.
Someone left the Dell Dimension E520 to me, in 2009, without the original Windows Operation System. The computer was then about 1-1/2 years old and there were some problems so Kathy ordered the reinstallation CD for me, just in case. The computer is now 4-1/2 years old. If it wasn't for this CD, I probably have to spend on a new Windows Operation System or buy a new computer!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Biggest Water Melon in 1983
Friday, 16 December 2011
Wow - a replica of the watermelon that held the 1983 Guinness World Record! We happened to be at the store - Conrad Farms, Inc. 7400 East 151 Street, Bixby, Oklahoma. What I like about this store is that they have all kinds of nuts, but we only bought almonds (inshell $2.79/lb), pecans (inshell $4.59/lb) and hazelnuts (inshell $3.69/lb) And I love nuts!
Wow - a replica of the watermelon that held the 1983 Guinness World Record! We happened to be at the store - Conrad Farms, Inc. 7400 East 151 Street, Bixby, Oklahoma. What I like about this store is that they have all kinds of nuts, but we only bought almonds (inshell $2.79/lb), pecans (inshell $4.59/lb) and hazelnuts (inshell $3.69/lb) And I love nuts!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
50 and 75 Cents Movies
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
A friend told me about 50 cts movies on Tuesdays. I googled for the location and only found 75 cts movies on Tuesdays at Cinemark Movies 8, 6808 South Memorial Drive, Tulsa, OK 74133. I thought that was it, and that maybe the price has increased.
75 cts is great! We got to see the following shows at Cinemark Movies 8:
(1) Source Code (28 June 2011)
(2) Priest (5 July 2011)
(3) Thor (12 July 2011)
(4) Rio (19 July 2011)
(5) Pirates of the Caribbean (9 August 2011)
(6) X-men: First Class (16 August 2011)
(7) Mr. Popper's Penguin (23 August 2011)
(8) Super 8 (30 August 2011)
(9) Zoo Keeper (6 September 2011)
(10) Captain America (4 October 2011)
50 cts is better! Thanks to the same friend again. She phoned me one Tuesday night couple of weeks ago, asking if I would like to go with her to the 50 cts movie, but I did not get her message in time. When I returned her call, she had already attended the movie and I asked her what cinema she went to.
Super Saver Cinema, 5970 East 31st Street, Tulsa, OK, movies on Tuesdays are 50 cts! We went to our 1st show there today!
(1) Smurfs (15 November 2011)
75 cts is good. 50 cts is better!
I have never attended so many movies at the cinema in 10 months. 14 movies since the 7 January 2011. I love it!
When I was a little girl, me and my 2 brothers would follow our parents to the cinema. We entered free. There were 3 different sections/seatings in the cinema: 1.50, 1.00 and 0.50. My parents bought the 50 cts tickets. It tickles me to think that I was able to attend 50 cts movie just like what my mum had!
I found this site w.r.t. the pricing after that - http://www.tulsapeople.com/Tulsa-People/February-2009/Cheap-Thrills-Entertainment/
A friend told me about 50 cts movies on Tuesdays. I googled for the location and only found 75 cts movies on Tuesdays at Cinemark Movies 8, 6808 South Memorial Drive, Tulsa, OK 74133. I thought that was it, and that maybe the price has increased.
75 cts is great! We got to see the following shows at Cinemark Movies 8:
(1) Source Code (28 June 2011)
(2) Priest (5 July 2011)
(3) Thor (12 July 2011)
(4) Rio (19 July 2011)
(5) Pirates of the Caribbean (9 August 2011)
(6) X-men: First Class (16 August 2011)
(7) Mr. Popper's Penguin (23 August 2011)
(8) Super 8 (30 August 2011)
(9) Zoo Keeper (6 September 2011)
(10) Captain America (4 October 2011)
50 cts is better! Thanks to the same friend again. She phoned me one Tuesday night couple of weeks ago, asking if I would like to go with her to the 50 cts movie, but I did not get her message in time. When I returned her call, she had already attended the movie and I asked her what cinema she went to.
Super Saver Cinema, 5970 East 31st Street, Tulsa, OK, movies on Tuesdays are 50 cts! We went to our 1st show there today!
(1) Smurfs (15 November 2011)
75 cts is good. 50 cts is better!
I have never attended so many movies at the cinema in 10 months. 14 movies since the 7 January 2011. I love it!
When I was a little girl, me and my 2 brothers would follow our parents to the cinema. We entered free. There were 3 different sections/seatings in the cinema: 1.50, 1.00 and 0.50. My parents bought the 50 cts tickets. It tickles me to think that I was able to attend 50 cts movie just like what my mum had!
I found this site w.r.t. the pricing after that - http://www.tulsapeople.com/Tulsa-People/February-2009/Cheap-Thrills-Entertainment/
Monday, August 01, 2011
Online Games
Monday, 1 August 2011
When there is noone to play table games with you, try online games! They are free if you can live with interruptions of advertisements. I can live with that. It gives me the break to do something quickly (about 2 mins) instead of sitting in front of the screen continuously. There won't be any interrruptions if you upgrade to paid members.
My addiction to online games started the 30 January 2010. Must be so bored and restless so I searched for scrabble. Don't know why I went for that game first instead of upwords which I find more challenging. Maybe because it is simplier.
There are other games on the www.pogo.com as well. There are many games. I have played poppit, word whomp, 1st class solitaire, Yatzee Party but I am now stuck to the scrabble. A dictionary and a 2-letter word is available for use as well.
I found Sudoku online as well, but I hardly visit the site now.
Sometime in June 2011, the scrabble website or my computer system kept shutting me off when I was playing. And I landed with another online game site. I don't play at casinos so this is great - slot machines. This does not require as much brain work as the scrabble. And this is a great place to help people. What happen is you enter a room and there could be 4 others playing. The maximum no. of people in a public room is 5 people. And the best way for everyone to score and be happy is to help each other. You don't help anyone in the scrabble room. You play to win. In this www.winster.com - SlotSocial - the more you help and cooperate in the room, everyone is a winner.
Someday I am going to check out this game online. I like this game too.
I met nice people and nasty people while playing scrabble and slot machine online.
In a 2 players scrabble room, one guy kept making remarks that I was toooooooooo slow. He went on and on and I was irritated. However I kept quiet and walked out of the room.
Then there was one time, in a 2 players scrabble room. The person icon was a female, the name was a female, but from the remarks (sexual) I believe he was a male. I kept quiet and walked out of the room.
The scrabble website is not functioning as designed. Even though you choose to play in a room of 3 or 4 players, you are likely to land up in a room of 2. It is safer in a room of 3 or more. That way, people usually don't make unpleasant remarks.
One time I was in a 4 players scrabble room, one guy made some sexual remarks to the remaining 3 players (female). We warned him to stop or we would report him. He did stop and then he walked out of the room.
Meanwhile at the slot machine room, I was called a bitch. Icons for players are all the same. By the name, I believed he was a male. He didn't like the way I played so he called me a bitch. I didn't walked out this time. I played with the others and ignore him. He walked out the room eventually.
Then recently I came across a guy (whom I will call XXX here), in the slot machine room. In this game, if you see a player needing something you give yours to him/her, if you don't need it. I saw he had something I needed (which he can let go instead of spinning it away) so I asked from him. He refused, stating that he would trade if what he gets is what he needed. I know he didn't require what I was giving away in exchange for what I wanted. I remarked to XXX that he was selfish.
It happened during that session there was a host. XXX asked for something that the hose had. The host said to XXX that she wouldn't give to him what he wanted because he was selfish to other players. After a while, the host walked out of the room. I think she did not want to play with XXX in the same room. And then XXX walked out too. I enjoyed the rest of the session.
All kinds of people out there, in front of the screens, playing these online games. I am thinking it could be anyone - young, old, friendly, nasty, helpful, kind, selfish, etc. etc. or it could even be your neighbor next door. Who knows!
When there is noone to play table games with you, try online games! They are free if you can live with interruptions of advertisements. I can live with that. It gives me the break to do something quickly (about 2 mins) instead of sitting in front of the screen continuously. There won't be any interrruptions if you upgrade to paid members.
My addiction to online games started the 30 January 2010. Must be so bored and restless so I searched for scrabble. Don't know why I went for that game first instead of upwords which I find more challenging. Maybe because it is simplier.
There are other games on the www.pogo.com as well. There are many games. I have played poppit, word whomp, 1st class solitaire, Yatzee Party but I am now stuck to the scrabble. A dictionary and a 2-letter word is available for use as well.
I found Sudoku online as well, but I hardly visit the site now.
Sometime in June 2011, the scrabble website or my computer system kept shutting me off when I was playing. And I landed with another online game site. I don't play at casinos so this is great - slot machines. This does not require as much brain work as the scrabble. And this is a great place to help people. What happen is you enter a room and there could be 4 others playing. The maximum no. of people in a public room is 5 people. And the best way for everyone to score and be happy is to help each other. You don't help anyone in the scrabble room. You play to win. In this www.winster.com - SlotSocial - the more you help and cooperate in the room, everyone is a winner.
Someday I am going to check out this game online. I like this game too.
I met nice people and nasty people while playing scrabble and slot machine online.
In a 2 players scrabble room, one guy kept making remarks that I was toooooooooo slow. He went on and on and I was irritated. However I kept quiet and walked out of the room.
Then there was one time, in a 2 players scrabble room. The person icon was a female, the name was a female, but from the remarks (sexual) I believe he was a male. I kept quiet and walked out of the room.
The scrabble website is not functioning as designed. Even though you choose to play in a room of 3 or 4 players, you are likely to land up in a room of 2. It is safer in a room of 3 or more. That way, people usually don't make unpleasant remarks.
One time I was in a 4 players scrabble room, one guy made some sexual remarks to the remaining 3 players (female). We warned him to stop or we would report him. He did stop and then he walked out of the room.
Meanwhile at the slot machine room, I was called a bitch. Icons for players are all the same. By the name, I believed he was a male. He didn't like the way I played so he called me a bitch. I didn't walked out this time. I played with the others and ignore him. He walked out the room eventually.
Then recently I came across a guy (whom I will call XXX here), in the slot machine room. In this game, if you see a player needing something you give yours to him/her, if you don't need it. I saw he had something I needed (which he can let go instead of spinning it away) so I asked from him. He refused, stating that he would trade if what he gets is what he needed. I know he didn't require what I was giving away in exchange for what I wanted. I remarked to XXX that he was selfish.
It happened during that session there was a host. XXX asked for something that the hose had. The host said to XXX that she wouldn't give to him what he wanted because he was selfish to other players. After a while, the host walked out of the room. I think she did not want to play with XXX in the same room. And then XXX walked out too. I enjoyed the rest of the session.
All kinds of people out there, in front of the screens, playing these online games. I am thinking it could be anyone - young, old, friendly, nasty, helpful, kind, selfish, etc. etc. or it could even be your neighbor next door. Who knows!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Another Year Younger!
Monday, 25 July 2011
Today I am a year younger? There is no such thing as a year younger. Silly old lady! Cannot deny or hide the visibility of silver strains of hair appearing on the head. Dyeing can temporarily help to conceal them but they will continue to appear. In reality, I am a year older today. Who wants to grow older? It is inevitable. It is part of life. My foremothers went through the change. It is my turn now. I have to learn to grow old gracefully. If feels old to be addressed as grandma. My heart don't feel that old!
I purposely don't reveal my birthday on the Facebook. I know if I do, there will be birthday wishes on the wall. Not surprisingly there are only a few handful of friends and the people who are closest to me, my husband, my children and my only sister remembered. And that is good enough for me. They are the people who really care and love me unconditionally.
Mike came home and surprised me with a birthday card, a bouquet of chrysanthemum flowers and a birthday cake! I had told him over and over again that I don't care much for material things, so he didn't tell me what he was going to do. I appreciate him for his presents, thoughts, kindness, gestures and most of all his love for me.
We had invited the missionaries to join us tonight for dinner. Nothing fancy. I had prepared ham hock and navy beans soup tonight for the 6 of us. I am glad we all liked it. My new recipe of ham hock and navy beans soup, using smoked ham hocks, smoked sausage, hot dogs, rotissiere chicken, onions, garlic, celery, carrots and navy beans. I had used 2 lbs of navy beans and this is what was left.
Mike baked biscuits to go with the beans soup.
Mike also brought back home Rocky Road ice cream to eat with the birthday cake. The ice cream is too sweet for my taste bud and so is the cake frosting.
My company for the occasion - Elder Wilson, Elder Saykhu, Mike, Elder Sorensen and Elder Virgin.
Today I am a year younger? There is no such thing as a year younger. Silly old lady! Cannot deny or hide the visibility of silver strains of hair appearing on the head. Dyeing can temporarily help to conceal them but they will continue to appear. In reality, I am a year older today. Who wants to grow older? It is inevitable. It is part of life. My foremothers went through the change. It is my turn now. I have to learn to grow old gracefully. If feels old to be addressed as grandma. My heart don't feel that old!
I purposely don't reveal my birthday on the Facebook. I know if I do, there will be birthday wishes on the wall. Not surprisingly there are only a few handful of friends and the people who are closest to me, my husband, my children and my only sister remembered. And that is good enough for me. They are the people who really care and love me unconditionally.
Mike came home and surprised me with a birthday card, a bouquet of chrysanthemum flowers and a birthday cake! I had told him over and over again that I don't care much for material things, so he didn't tell me what he was going to do. I appreciate him for his presents, thoughts, kindness, gestures and most of all his love for me.
We had invited the missionaries to join us tonight for dinner. Nothing fancy. I had prepared ham hock and navy beans soup tonight for the 6 of us. I am glad we all liked it. My new recipe of ham hock and navy beans soup, using smoked ham hocks, smoked sausage, hot dogs, rotissiere chicken, onions, garlic, celery, carrots and navy beans. I had used 2 lbs of navy beans and this is what was left.
Mike baked biscuits to go with the beans soup.
Mike also brought back home Rocky Road ice cream to eat with the birthday cake. The ice cream is too sweet for my taste bud and so is the cake frosting.
My company for the occasion - Elder Wilson, Elder Saykhu, Mike, Elder Sorensen and Elder Virgin.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Coupons
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Felt like rambling today about couponing! It is exciting, fun and cost saving!
Started off with 2 x $1.00 off coupon for 1/2 gallon Blue Bell ice cream on the 12 February 2011. In that store it was sold for $3.99 and so we got it for $2.99 each. I have seen stores selling for $4.99 and even $5.99.
Then I learnt about the double manufacturer's coupons (up to and including $1.00 face value) at Harps for a week each month on the 3rd Wednesday. Our 1st experience was on the 21 February 2011 whereby we paid $6.57 for $10.57 of products. So that was $4.00 saving. Not much but better than none. We haven't been there since the 13 April 2011. This is a once a month event and only on a particular week, so it doesn't suit our schedule. Also, I haven't come to the stage that I have lots and lots of coupons. I read about organising your coupons in a binder, etc. I saw shoppers looking into their coupons binder at Harps. They are what we call extreme couponers.
On my 1st double coupon experience at Harps, the cashier gave me the address of MoneySavingQueen website to look out for savings. Interesting what you can get, but you have to check everyday or else you might miss out on something you want.
Good thing I saw the 22 July 2011 posting of Arby's $0.64 sandwich with the purchase of a drink coupon. But the coupon was only valid on the 23 July 2011, their 47th anniversary. And since Arby is close to where we intend to shop for groceries yesterday, I printed the coupon. I don't care for beef but Mike does. And you know what? I only realised from the receipt that they minus $3.19 for the classic roasted beef sandwich and no indication of $0.64 charge. We only paid for the small 22 oz Dr. Pepper Diet drink $1.59 and $0.14 Tax. I phoned the store and told them that I owe them $0.64. They said not to worry about it. So that was a blessing.
I love the freebies, but they go quickly. So far, I have received freebies of Nexxus hair products, Aveeno hair products, Emergen-C vitamin drinks, Purex laundry detergent and I don't remember what else. And the freebies usually come with coupons.
Have you ever try Cobalt cheese? Sometime last month, I got to use a coupon for that product. I had that coupon for a few months and each time I went to the cheese section of any store, I did not see the product and the size mentioned in the coupon. Luckily it was still valid when I saw it last month. Instead of paying $2.12, we paid $1.37. That was good, since it was only 8 oz and I have not tasted it before. And then I read about $1/1 printable coupon but it was gone by the time I found it. And then I read that it was an award-winning cheese. No wonder they stand out from all the cheese I have eaten. At least for me. So I wrote to Cabot a snail mail since that is the only contact address in their website. And guess what? They sent me 4 coupons of 50 cents off any Cabot product. And the coupons are good until the December-31-2011!
Now, Mike prefers the Heinz Reduced Sugar tomato ketchup and I have only seen them in the 14 oz bottle. I am not particular about brand, so long as they taste tomato. And Heinz is not cheap either. So I emailed them. And guess what? They sent us 3 Reduced Sugar Tomato Ketchup coupons 50 cents off. We had exhausted the 3 coupons on the 6 May 2011. We paid total of $5.34 instead of $6.84 for 3 bottles. We also received coupons for other Heinz products and gave them away as we don't use those products. So that was good!
I was so happy when I came across the $2.00 discount coupon for rotisserie chicken as well as 8-piece fried chicken. And you can print them again and again till the offer expires 31 December 2011. I saw them on the website for meat and poultry printable coupons and deals. We used our 1st $2.00 off coupon for the rotisserie chicken on the 23 June 2011 and to date we have used 5 coupons. And we used our 1st $2.00 off coupon for the 8-pc fried chicken on the 28 June 2011 and to date we have used 3 coupons. Since they are for Tyson chicken, they are available in Walmart Deli department. However, we noticed that the prices in Walmart Neighborhood Market is $2 more than Walmart Supercenter, so we buy from the later. After coupon, we paid $2.98 instead of $4.98 for the rotissiere chicken and $3.88 instead of $5.88 for the 8-pc fried chicken. Yay!
Sometime last month, we found the rotissiere chicken too salty! We like the rotissiere chicken for the past years and we enjoy it until this particular purchase. So I emailed Marketside, the company of the Deli products, voiced our grievance and suggested the lowering of sodium for health reasons. And guess what? They sent me a Walmart Certificate amounting to $7.00 towards any one (1) marketside product. Yay! I haven't use it yet. The coupon expires 2 January 2012! This the biggest $ coupon, for food, I got so far.
Searching for coupons on the internet takes time. Since I am not earning, I take that my way of working to cut spending. If you are lucky, you come across them in time before they are gone. From time to time, I find coupons that I could use from the weekly paper advertisements that come into our snail mail box.
I received a surprise coupon a few days ago - $15 off my next electronics or accessories purchase of $50 or more at Dell. It was a timely surprise. We are running out of black ink cartridges.
Recently I found discount coupons for visits to places of interest. That thrilled me. We used the 1st of these coupons yesterday at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum. We paid a total of $18 instead of $22 because of that.
I think I have enough of ramblings today. I am thrill to find coupons! Hope you too!
Felt like rambling today about couponing! It is exciting, fun and cost saving!
Started off with 2 x $1.00 off coupon for 1/2 gallon Blue Bell ice cream on the 12 February 2011. In that store it was sold for $3.99 and so we got it for $2.99 each. I have seen stores selling for $4.99 and even $5.99.
Then I learnt about the double manufacturer's coupons (up to and including $1.00 face value) at Harps for a week each month on the 3rd Wednesday. Our 1st experience was on the 21 February 2011 whereby we paid $6.57 for $10.57 of products. So that was $4.00 saving. Not much but better than none. We haven't been there since the 13 April 2011. This is a once a month event and only on a particular week, so it doesn't suit our schedule. Also, I haven't come to the stage that I have lots and lots of coupons. I read about organising your coupons in a binder, etc. I saw shoppers looking into their coupons binder at Harps. They are what we call extreme couponers.
On my 1st double coupon experience at Harps, the cashier gave me the address of MoneySavingQueen website to look out for savings. Interesting what you can get, but you have to check everyday or else you might miss out on something you want.
Good thing I saw the 22 July 2011 posting of Arby's $0.64 sandwich with the purchase of a drink coupon. But the coupon was only valid on the 23 July 2011, their 47th anniversary. And since Arby is close to where we intend to shop for groceries yesterday, I printed the coupon. I don't care for beef but Mike does. And you know what? I only realised from the receipt that they minus $3.19 for the classic roasted beef sandwich and no indication of $0.64 charge. We only paid for the small 22 oz Dr. Pepper Diet drink $1.59 and $0.14 Tax. I phoned the store and told them that I owe them $0.64. They said not to worry about it. So that was a blessing.
I love the freebies, but they go quickly. So far, I have received freebies of Nexxus hair products, Aveeno hair products, Emergen-C vitamin drinks, Purex laundry detergent and I don't remember what else. And the freebies usually come with coupons.
Have you ever try Cobalt cheese? Sometime last month, I got to use a coupon for that product. I had that coupon for a few months and each time I went to the cheese section of any store, I did not see the product and the size mentioned in the coupon. Luckily it was still valid when I saw it last month. Instead of paying $2.12, we paid $1.37. That was good, since it was only 8 oz and I have not tasted it before. And then I read about $1/1 printable coupon but it was gone by the time I found it. And then I read that it was an award-winning cheese. No wonder they stand out from all the cheese I have eaten. At least for me. So I wrote to Cabot a snail mail since that is the only contact address in their website. And guess what? They sent me 4 coupons of 50 cents off any Cabot product. And the coupons are good until the December-31-2011!
Now, Mike prefers the Heinz Reduced Sugar tomato ketchup and I have only seen them in the 14 oz bottle. I am not particular about brand, so long as they taste tomato. And Heinz is not cheap either. So I emailed them. And guess what? They sent us 3 Reduced Sugar Tomato Ketchup coupons 50 cents off. We had exhausted the 3 coupons on the 6 May 2011. We paid total of $5.34 instead of $6.84 for 3 bottles. We also received coupons for other Heinz products and gave them away as we don't use those products. So that was good!
I was so happy when I came across the $2.00 discount coupon for rotisserie chicken as well as 8-piece fried chicken. And you can print them again and again till the offer expires 31 December 2011. I saw them on the website for meat and poultry printable coupons and deals. We used our 1st $2.00 off coupon for the rotisserie chicken on the 23 June 2011 and to date we have used 5 coupons. And we used our 1st $2.00 off coupon for the 8-pc fried chicken on the 28 June 2011 and to date we have used 3 coupons. Since they are for Tyson chicken, they are available in Walmart Deli department. However, we noticed that the prices in Walmart Neighborhood Market is $2 more than Walmart Supercenter, so we buy from the later. After coupon, we paid $2.98 instead of $4.98 for the rotissiere chicken and $3.88 instead of $5.88 for the 8-pc fried chicken. Yay!
Sometime last month, we found the rotissiere chicken too salty! We like the rotissiere chicken for the past years and we enjoy it until this particular purchase. So I emailed Marketside, the company of the Deli products, voiced our grievance and suggested the lowering of sodium for health reasons. And guess what? They sent me a Walmart Certificate amounting to $7.00 towards any one (1) marketside product. Yay! I haven't use it yet. The coupon expires 2 January 2012! This the biggest $ coupon, for food, I got so far.
Searching for coupons on the internet takes time. Since I am not earning, I take that my way of working to cut spending. If you are lucky, you come across them in time before they are gone. From time to time, I find coupons that I could use from the weekly paper advertisements that come into our snail mail box.
I received a surprise coupon a few days ago - $15 off my next electronics or accessories purchase of $50 or more at Dell. It was a timely surprise. We are running out of black ink cartridges.
Recently I found discount coupons for visits to places of interest. That thrilled me. We used the 1st of these coupons yesterday at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum. We paid a total of $18 instead of $22 because of that.
I think I have enough of ramblings today. I am thrill to find coupons! Hope you too!
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Daring or Bold Jumping Spider
Thursday, 2 June 2011
I am not interested in spiders. And picking them up with my bare fingers is a NO NO! Accidentally, I picked up a spider about 9:40 am today!
My eyesight are not perfect. It looked like a piece of black thing on the glued floor carpet, below the computer desk. It was where my feet would be if I sit down at that desk. Can't make out what black thing it was even. Didn't look nearer to see what it really was. I took for granted it was trash and that I have to pick it up and throw it into the trash bin. I bend down and picked it up with my right fingers, and immediately threw it down. The black thing was moving!
I saw it crawling away on the Persian carpet but couldn't find it, after coming back with an empty container. Felt the middle finger of my right hand tinkling like it was pinned by a few needles. Didn't think about washing my hand except to apply "Kum Peng" Relief Liniment (as insects bites was listed as one of the application). Even though I knew it was not an insect I did not have any other medication available.
I was worried because of the things I have read about spider bites so I went to our apartment complex office. I asked if I could sit there for a time, just in case something went wrong with me. I was thinking of the worse scenario of being bitten by a poisonous spider and my body's reaction to it!
The office manager poured hydrogen peroxide over my hand, wiped my finger with an antibacterial towelette and applied antibiotic ointment. Even though she did not think I have been bitten because there was no bite marks, she gave me a packet of the towelettte and a packet of the ointment to take home and to apply after lunch. She also gave me a "Catchmaster" sticker and if it catches spiders or other bugs, to report back to her. She would send their pest controller to our apartment.
Back home, I tried again to look for the spider, underneath the Persian carpet, thinking that was where it went. Instead I saw it on the top of the Persian carpet, around the place where I had thrown it and saw it crawled away. It was a dead spider! I must have walked over it. The Persian carpet is dark and the spider is dark too. I had the house shoes on when I picked up the live spider.
From the internet, it looked like Phidippus audax - black with small white triangle on its back and the bright metallic blue chelicerae.
The tinkling feeling on the finger had disappeared after a few hours. I am alright. Poor spider, I didn't mean to kill you. It was a common jumping spider in North America. And I read somewhere that it eats insects and other spiders.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Cinema Gift Card
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Thank, Merri, for the cinema gift card. It was her 2010 Christmas present to us. Mike & I got to attend 3 movies out of it.
We saw "Season of the Witch" on the 7 January and "True Grit" on the 17 January. This morning we watched "Paul".
We thought we would get $1 balance but instead we have to pay $1 more.
The ticket cost $1 more starting last Saturday! It was $4 before.
Thank, Merri, for the cinema gift card. It was her 2010 Christmas present to us. Mike & I got to attend 3 movies out of it.
We saw "Season of the Witch" on the 7 January and "True Grit" on the 17 January. This morning we watched "Paul".
We thought we would get $1 balance but instead we have to pay $1 more.
The ticket cost $1 more starting last Saturday! It was $4 before.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Double Checking
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
It is time to check the electricity bill online! They usually appear on the 8th of the month.
It hasn't. Instead I got a shock to see that I had paid $3.10 less of the $76.38 electricity bill for the month of February. That mistake means 5 cts (1.5%) penalty charge since it is due the 1 March.
I wondered how come I made this kind of silly mistake. Luckily it is only 5 cts penalty charge. I am usually very careful! And I haven’t log in the website since I checked the last month's bill! I guess the 8 February winter storm got me mentally!
Happy International Women's Day to me! It probably happens to other women as well!
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