Lifestyle Station

Merry Christmas and Happy Hollidays

2007-12-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

This winter is much colder than last one. I clearly remember snow finally fell down in January after the last Christmas. This winter we've already had inches of snow precipitation, which makes me unhappy to go outside. I feel a little bit of uncomfortable recently, and probably will stop blogging for a while. I will miss blogging and friends here. Sincerely thank you for visiting and commenting. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, a great new year and a safe trip.

Ginkgo Leaves

2007-12-14T06:26:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken in this late fall. These small pollen cones fallen on the ground began to rot. I remember the cones can be used as herb medicine. Also we buy bottles of ginkgo leaves extract as presents.

The Hintz Family Alumni Center

2007-12-12T06:16:00.000-08:00

Some activities are held at the Alumi Center. I remember senior sendoff was held there. Yesterday evening on the way to a bus stop I passed by the building. A nice smell of dinner was around the building.

Leaf Blower

2007-12-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

I am curious about leaf blowers, which I never saw before coming to USA. The leaf blowers work great and save much more time than raking. On the campus where I used to live street sweepers started to gather the leaves of chinar trees with a broom and rake at 4 AM when most students were sleeping. If the street sweepers had the leaf blowers, they wouldn't have needed to get up early, which also would mean some of them would get laid off.

Another thing which surprises me is the viability of lawn grass. On the PSU campus the lawn grass keeps green throughout the winter. Though it had 2-3 inches snow precipitation on Dec 6, the lawn grass doesn't become yellow after the snow gets melted these days. The grass shows its capability of surviving this frigid weather. How is your lawn grass? Does it need special care to keep green?

The Sculpture in front of the Old Main

2007-12-08T07:34:00.001-08:00

The sculpture caught my eyes, and I was and am still wondering what the sculpture symbolizes.

Old Main Building

2007-12-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

Old Main Building was built in 186o's, with laboratories, classrooms and offices in it. Now it is the administration building where the president of PSU works.

Enjoying the food

2007-12-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

On the campus are there many squirrels. They are bolder than those outside the campus, soliciting foods from students and getting food from trash cans. If you give food to one squirrel, other squirrels will come with expecting eyes. It's more likely to happen in the winter time.

Nittany Lion Shrine

2007-11-30T06:11:00.000-08:00

Nittany Lion Shrine is home of Penn State' famous mascot, the Nittany Lion. Now the Nittany Lion become PSU's logo and athelic symbol, like the Nittany Lion football, women's volleyball, soccer and more.

It is one of the most popular spot on campus, and visitors and graduating students would like to take a picture at the shrine.

A Long Path

2007-11-28T06:20:00.000-08:00

I continue showing the pictures of Hangzhou. There beautiful scenery, various flowers and the parks around West Lake left me a memorable impression. I miss that city, with a joyful life and a bunch of cheerful friends, like Reinforced. Most of the friends left the city after graduation and are busy with their own careers. I regret not to shot the beauty of Hangzhou with a camera. Now I enjoy my life in State College. One of the most meaningful things I have done during the Thanksgiving holidays was shooting pictures on campus. I am not going to miss this pretty town with a camera.

A Shallow Stream

2007-11-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

I am back after the Thanksgiving holidays. Did you get some good deals? It must have been hard though. I know some friend lined up on Thursday evening last year in order to get a discounted laptop. I couldn't stand the cold of winter night, but shopping is still fun to do. We went to Grove City on Saturday. The outlet was crowed, and some people were lining up outside the Coach' s store. Some took a bus trip from Canada to the outlet for shopping. Does it sound crazy? Hoho, I love this Thanksgiving shopping.

Happy Thanksgiving Day

2007-11-21T06:37:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow will be Thanksgiving Day, one of the most important festivals in the USA. On campuse are fewer students and more construction work. Most undergraduates went home in this past weekend, with a 7-day vacation. So staff gets the chance to repair roads and cut tree branches from big trees at this nearly quiet campus. Graduate students, staff and faculty will celebrate Thanksgiving from tomorrow. Happy holidays to you!

Osmanthus

2007-11-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

Osmanthus, Hangzhou City Flower, blooms in the fall. I remember the flower could be orange or yellow. Its aromor is amazing. That's why I like the perfume with osmanthus aromor. (Taken by Reinforced)

One More Picture of Tea Garden

2007-11-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day is coming. Students pull their luggages and walk in a hurry to catch a bus or a ride. Where are they going? The place they head for must be Home, my desired place. Will you travel to that desired place? If yes, hope a safe trip.

A Tea Field

2007-11-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

These tea trees were grown on the mountain behind our campus. When friends and I went to hiking along the mountain trail, tea fields just caught our eyes. The tea trees stood in rows, looking neat and tidy. A friend, Reinforced, took the pictures. I would thank him for sharing.

Another friend, whose hometown is famous for the production of tea leaves, told me that tea's flavor could depend on fog. So in more foggy area, tealeaves would generate more aroma in a tea drink. That may be one reason why farmers plant tea trees on mountains and in valleys.

Brown Doors

2007-11-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

This may be the end of Wuzhen series. I really appreciate you visiting my blog. Hope this window brings you different sight views.

Close View of A House

2007-11-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

Even though the picture doesn't look pretty or pleasant, I wondered for a while and determined to post it. It is about a real life in Wuzhen: mops hanging down from the rail, flower pots on the roof....

Houses on One Side of the Alley

2007-11-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

Families built their houses in the water.

An Alley in Wuzhen

2007-11-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

The picture shows an alley in Wuzhen. It is narrow and paved with grey slates. Now only few families live there. It is becoming more commercial. Some houses are used as sightseeings, showing family-based factories such as the wine making and cloth making processes. Some are stores selling souvenirs to tourists.

When I arrived there early in the morning, it was pleasant to wander along this alley, feeling the past-time life.

Wedding Ceremony

2007-11-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

This is a past-time wedding ceremony, in which the maid in pink served the newlyweds. The new coulple needed to bow three times: the fist bow to Heaven and Earth, the second bow to groom's parents who sit beside the table, and the last one to each other. On the big day the groom couldn't see the bride's face until they finished the ceremony and entered their bedroom. The bride always wore in red, with a red veil covering on her head and face.

Wooden Furniture

2007-10-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

This room, which I gusess is a formal living room. I am surprised they keep the furniture in good condition.

An antique in the Wuzhen Town

2007-10-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

"What's this?", a friend asked.
I had no answer.
"It was a bed." She read that from the sightseeing introduction.
" A bed???", I was surprised.
Yea, it was used as a bed long, long time ago. Now it is being protected by the wooden fence, in case that tourists like us, tried to sleep on it.

Zijin'gang Campus

2007-10-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

This is the youngest campus of Zhejiang University. Everything is pretty new. The place where buildings sit was farms, suburb area around city of Hangzhou. The university bought the area, then a number of buildings have mushroomed.

Activities After Snow

2007-10-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

The snow couldn't stay longer. After falling onto the ground, it got melted within several days .
We went to the Arboretum for fun. When I was trying to decorate this snowman, my friends just shaked trees, more snow falling down.

They tried to move this big "ready-to-use" snowball somebody made before us.
Come on, guys, keep the good time rolling!

Yuquan Campus-Zhejiang University

2007-10-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

I studied at this campus for three years. The picture shows a main road. A fruit shop and a copy shop are on its right side, and dormitory buildings and a campus hospital stand on the left. Going down this road, you will enter the educational block. Students like riding bicycles to save time, commuting between dormitories, classrooms, and cafeterias.

Wintersweet Flower-Hangzhou

2007-10-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Forgive me skipping the fall of Hangzhou. Actually the fall of Hangzhou is full of osmanthus aromor, since osmanthus is the city flower for Hangzhou.

It is not so cold in the winter in the Hangzhou, rarely snowing. Temperature is around 32F, lowest to 10F. The flower, as its name conveys, blooms in the winter.

After it snowed, we hanged out to West Lake or Arboretum, viewing snowy scenery or flower blossom.

Summer-Hangzhou

2007-10-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

Spring-Hangzhou

2007-10-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

Cherry trees bloom in the spring before their leaves come out. Is it common?

A nice flower for weekend

2007-10-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

I am looking for some bright pictures to upload to my blog, tired of grey and obsure ones.

Being tagged by lv2scpbk http://www.discoverpa.blogspot.com/

These are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
3. Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs

8 facts about myself:
1 I am skinny, trying to gain weight, eat fresh and keep healthy.
2 I love travelling, born and growing in the northwest of China. I used to spend 48 hours on a train to go to universities in the east. Now Internet is the new way I am trying to use.
3 Green is my favorite color.
4 Domestic engineer is my position now, or can say housewife, homemaker,.
5 I am participating a cooking class, and the teacher demonstrates us how to make American food. I enjoy the class and food.
6 Outdoor sports are my favorite. I do jogging twice a week. Tommorrow I will be volunteering in PSU football game.
7 State College is a peaseful and pleasant place to live. Now I use my camera to depict this beautiful place.
8 Christmas is my favorite holidy, and 7 days off work means a trip for my husband and me.

I tagged 5 people, please pay them a visit.
Irina--http://moscowdailyshot.blogspot.com/
An---http://mobaydp.blogspot.com/
Kalyan---http://kalyansuman.blogspot.com/
Strangetastes---http://saintlouismodailyphoto.blogspot.com/
Jing--http://www.shanghaidailyphoto.com/

Leifeng Pagoda-one of ten scenes of West Lake

2007-10-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

A romantic tale, called Madame White Snake(The Legend of White Snake) was set behind it.

Madame White Snake who attained human form, met a young man on the Broken Bridge, fell in love with him and got married. Since demons and humans weren't supposed to marry, a Taoist monk tried to separate them. After the White Snake gave the birth of their son, the monk attacked the weaken snake and held her eternal captivity in the Leifeng Pagoda.

Ferry Service

2007-10-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

The picture should be taken in the winter, as the man wore gloves and hat when he rode his canoe/boat. He provided ferry service on the Wast Lake, transporting visitors from bank to the three islands. Sometimes he introduced visitors around the West Lake. He made a living on this and would charge a fee based on hours he rode his boat.

Strolling down the causeway

2007-10-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

As lv2scpbk predicted, people like walking on the causeway. Just feel comfortable, with beautiful lake scenery on both sides. I especially like its street lamps. In evening or night
they give out soft blue lights, agreeable and quiet.

This afternoon PSU Lions are going to face Iowa. Hope they could win after two loses.

One of three causeways

2007-10-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

There are three causeways across the lake. In the summer locals like to walk on the causeway and enjoy cool breeze.

Trees in Water

2007-10-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

West Lake

2007-09-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

The photo was taken on the trail of mountain, which makes it possible to overlook the lake, city and campus. We usually started hiking from the bottom of the mountain, arrived at the peak, and enjoyed the scenery.

This one was taken in a different place, on the one of three levees. One side of lake are high buildings, and the other side of lake are resorts, mountains, and an arboretum. Three are three small islands in the center of lake.

Hangzhou-My Next Station

2007-09-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Hangzhou? If not, it is okay. Maybe you know Shanghai where the Women's World Cup is being held. People often say that Shanghai is a metropolitan and Hangzhou is its backyard. And this backyard, Hangzhou, what is it look like? I am going to show you.

Hangzhou is famous for West Lake and its scenery. It is also a historical city, used to be capitals of several dynasties. I have been lived for three years and taken many photos. When I go through those pictures, pleasant memories may be picked up.

Nomad's Houses

2007-09-27T09:03:00.001-07:00

In response to Stuttfótur, I tried to find sth interesting in my pictures files. Finally two more about nomad's houses. Nomad live on the meadow depend on animal husbandry. If you click the picture, you will see the place where they are living. The above picture shows the houses which must belong to miniorities, such as Mongolians or Kazaks. They are excellent horse riders. This one shows animal corral, maybe sheep corral or cattle stall, made of log and lumber.

The Moon Festival

2007-09-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

Today is the Moon Festival, one of the most important festivals in China. The Moon Festival is Auguest 15 based on the lunar calander, a full moon day.

On this day family members would get together, like American Thansgiving Day. Sons and daughters working away from home hope reunions with parents and would like to celebrate this festival together . Usually moon cakes are prepared to eat. Round-shaped fruits are popular, such as apples and water melons. These round-shaped things are set on the table in the moon light, indicating a happy family. Family sit outside and chat on the porch while viewing this fullest and brightest moon.

Nanati Grassland

2007-09-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Nanati Grassland is located in the west of Xinjiang, bodering several foreign countries. I have to say I have never been to Nanati Grassland, even though I was born in Xinjiang. My friend invited me to visit there by sending me these amazing pictures. It is a wonder, an oasis in the desert.

Unfortunately I didn't take many photos when I was leaving for USA. These are "borrowed" from my friend. Maybe the end of my hometown show.

"Portraits"-Cotton

2007-09-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

The cotton has been picked up, so a few bolloming bolls remain on the stalks. Their leaves are pretty dry, since farmers usually stop irrigating the fields in Auguest and get bolls open ealier, before snow comes down.

My Friend' Story

2007-09-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't done postings for a few days. You may know what I am going to say. Yes, sure, some excuses. I am going to tell you my friend's story. That's a lesson.

He is good at badminton. No doubt he plays a lot. The second day after he arrived at State College, he went to a badminton club. One week after the arrival he got his right knee hurt, fracturing the kneecap. He has done this kind of thing twice. Several years ago he injured his left kneecap and had a reconstruction surgery.

This time his condition was more severe. The doctor not only repaired his kneecap, but also replaced muscle for a torn ligament. The pain after surgery was so unbearable to him that he called police and emergency.

What I want to say is to do appropriate amount of exercise and keep us healthy. We all know proper exercise can bring us healthy bodies, but surpassing that limit would hurt us.

Manas County

2007-09-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

The place where I was born has the same name with a poem, called the Epic of Manas. This poem is a traditional epic poem of Kyrgzy people.

To my surprise, wikipedia provides brief introductionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manas_County..

Cotton Field In My Village

2007-09-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

This is a typical cotton field in the fall. In the harvest season, Sept. and Oct. it is common that farmers work from 8 AM to 8 PM in these cotton fields. All the work needs to be done by hands. Picking cotton is not like picking apples. Farmers have to bend their waists.

All cotton bolls don't open at a time. When you finish picking at one end of the field, cotton bolls at the other end open again. That's why you see white cotton in one area but empty bolls in another area.

Geographic Location-Xinjiang

2007-09-07T06:43:00.001-07:00

This map may help you know where I came from.(cited from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang It acounts roughly one sixth of territory of China, bordering Mongolia in the northeast; Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirghiszstan, and Tadzhikistan in the west; and Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India in the southwest.

My Hometown-Xinjiang

2007-09-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

This is the scenery that I took through the window of the train. It needs at least 10 hours to travel across the endless area. This is only one part of my hometown-Xinjiang, located in the northweat of China.
It looks like a barren field, but abundant crude oil is buried underneath.
Also snow water is introduced into oasis where people live. September is the harvest season for cotton, corn, and sunflower.

Fresh Food-Farmer Market

2007-08-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

This noon I went to the farmer market in downtown. It was crowded even at 2:00 PM.
So many beautiful flowers are being sold, so do fresh vegetables like zucchinis, squashes, rhubarbs and tomatos. This is also the right season for fruits like plums and apples.
I bought 3 cousa summer squashes-$1, a pint tomatoes-$2.5, 5 ears of sweet corn-$1.5 and two small cucumbers-$0.5.

Fishes

2007-08-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

There are a variety of fishes in the Baldeagle State Park. Perch and crapie are the most common ones. Sometimes we catch sunfish and bass. What most excites me is to get carp and catfish, which are much bigger than other fishes.

Grass Lawn

2007-08-13T14:41:00.001-07:00

This picture makes up for the last Saturday when I was supposed to upload one. It was taken when we were BBQ. The grass lawn looks different in shadow.

Moving Season

2007-08-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

In August some of my friends are going to change their apartments. It seems this month is a moving season.

We could see UHAULs travelling on the street or parking in front of apartments. My neighbors have moved out, and we are expecting new neighbors. My husband's classmate has arrived and is ready to move in his apartment this afternoon.

International students are coming before the beginning of semester. We see more new faces in a bus, on campus and in the supermarket.

BBQ Comparison

2007-08-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

The most delicious BBQ dish is roasted marinated beef with hot pepper sauce and lettuce. This combination tastes great.

Last year we went to Spring Creek Park for BBQ, which started at 11 AM and ended at 7 PM. Between lunch and dinner we played tennis, basket ball, sand volleyball and frisbee. It was a wonderful memory.

This afternoon we are going to have BBQ again in that park. The difference is that some friends are about to leave State College. One couple will go to Philadelphia; another couple will go to New York; and one will go back to China.

Feel a little bit of upset. I would miss these friends, miss the BBQ, and miss delecious beef.

Confucian

2007-08-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

On today's class one classmate presented her research paper about Confucian. She attempts to interpret the Confucian with western children's books. I felt so surprised and was wondering how she could combine the east culture-the Confucian, with the west culture.

One book she mentioned is "Anne Hutchinson's Way" written by Jeannien Arkins. In this book Anne Hutchinson preaches in a different way from the minister of church. Even though she is attacked and charged with the crime of disturbing the peace of the colony, she refuses to give up her belief.

From the Confucian's point of view, she is great and a superior "woman". She has her own personality and perseveres in her right thought. In my childhood I read lots of similar stories from Chinese and West Countries.

One of them is about Copernicus and his model: sun-centered solar system. Have you read similar stories about "Superior man"?

Dandelion

2007-07-28T09:46:00.001-07:00

I like these dandelion flowers. In spring their yellow flowers look attractive and bright in the green lawn. But people who own lawns, hate these flowers, because they are so invasive and spread quickly.

Frustrated

2007-07-27T14:28:00.001-07:00

This afternoon I planed to print off some useful handouts, which were emailed by the instructor of composition class. I copied them into my mp3 and brought the mp3 to computer room for printing. When I got ready to print, I found that some copied files were missing. I have no idea what had happened. SO frustrated! Got to do it tommorrow.

Dose it deserve exceeding over the speed limit?

2007-07-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we pass cars in front of us, because they move at around the speed limit, maybe 36 in a 35 zone. As all the drivers know in heart, only driving more than 15 over the speed limit is dangerous and could bring out severe fine, so it becomes a potential rule to drive between 5-15 over the speed limit.

On this Monday night I drove back from Pittsburgh. The traffic condition was so great. There were almost no cars in front of or behind my car. I drove at the fastest speed, 15 over the speed limit. Usually it takes 3 hours from Pittsburgh to State College. This time I thought I could save some time and get home much earlier. The fact is that it took 2h45min driving back home.

It only saved 15 min out of 3 hours. I am wondering whether it deserved exceeding 15 over the speed limit.

Fall Scenery

2007-07-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Get tired of long stories, don't you? This picture shows the scenery of fall in State College. Wish it brings a different view.

Men of Honor-(2)

2007-07-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

In the man’s career, his instructor helped him a lot. During the final test the instructor worried the man who had stayed for 9 hours under the water, and tried to pull him onto the water; instead, the principal ordered the instructor to wait until there were no bubbles on the surface of water, meaning no breathing from the man. Fortunately, the man finished the assembling work alive.

When the man felt frustrated after the injury, the instructor enlightened him by mailing a successful example of disable people. As a result, the man was determined to have his leg cut and tried to be a diver again. Also the instructor trained the man after the cut operation. Although his physical condition recovered well, burdening 200 lbs had not been predicated and trained. It was his instructor that stimulated and encouraged him accomplishing 12 steps in front ot court.

However, the instructor did not have the same successful career as the man. He was a quick-temper and irritable person. He had been a Mater Diver. When he heard of he could no longer dive due to a lung problem, he was overwhelmed and offended other patients in hospital. After healing he was appointed to be a diver trainer. Once at a party the command, who the instructor worked with, mocked the instructor. He got angry and punched the command. This insulting made the instructor demoted.

Both the man and the instructor had strong enthusiasm on diving, and they had totally opposite trends in career trip. But they are both adorable!

Men of Honor-(1)

2007-07-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

Have you watched this movie? Maybe you have done. This is a nice movie. It describes the process of how a farm man became the first African-American Master Diver in American Navy.

The man first served the army as a cook, and then tried getting recommendation for diving training school.

Although he did well at diving, the principal intentionally blocked him from graduating, since he was the only colored student in the school. During the final test, his instructor obeyed the principal’s malicious intention, broke the bag of tools, and threw it into water. It took the man 9 hours to find the tools and to assemble the device in the cold water. He was almost frozen when he had finished the assembling test. His instructor was touched by his capability. Finally, he successfully graduated from the school.

The most wonderful part is about his career sentence. He got his leg injured accidentally, so he faced two choices: one was to get retired as a Senior Diver; the other one was to have the leg cut and to be reinstated as a diver. He chose the second one. In front of court, the man with a fake leg, was burdening 200 lbs apparatus and had to move 12 steps forward in order to prove his capability of being a diver.

A fake leg, 200 lbs. For a normal person it is hard, even for a disabled person. He displayed his courage and willpower, and got the opportunity to be reinstated. After 8 years, he was granted as a Master Diver, the highest rank in the diving community. Also he became the first African- American Master Diver in American history.

Amish people in Milroy

2007-07-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

My friend and I drove to Milroy, about 20 minutes away from State College. Amish people live there. We are curious about how they lead lives without using modern civilization, such as cars, cell phone and electric appliance.

On the road we met many Amish people. They were riding their horse-drawn buggies, with two kerosene lamps mounting on both sides of the vehicle. They were taking their families to/back somewhere, maybe back from church.

3 Amish girls and 4 Amish boys walked on the sidewalk. My friend noticed that girls were walking with bare feet. We didn't know why they didn't wear shoes.

Their houses are in the center of farm. Chickens, horses, cows and sheep are raised on their farms. Several Amish family were sitting on the porches and probably enjoying their tea time or coffee time. Love this way to spend free time: sitting on the porch, breathing fresh air, viewing beautiful scenery, chatting with family, and drinking coffee or tea!

"Cool"

2007-07-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Just post a picture taken in winter. Hope it could "cool" hot air around you!
Enjoy the Arts Festival! Enjoy the weekend!

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts

2007-07-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

From July 11-15 State College is hilarious, because the Art Festival attracts lots of artists and visitors. Along Burrow Streets are there many artist booths. I was surprised to those artworks, tricky penny container, creative wooden boxes, elaborate jewellery boxes, 3-D posts, gorgeous glass works and elegant ceramic vases. I would not feel tired walking through those booths.

Also if you love taking pictures, some booths display framed artworks. One artist called Jim shows his photos in the booth. He is good at taking profile pictures. He has been to Tibet four times. I admire his courage. Looking these pictures feels like travelling countries all over the world. That is the reason why I love the website of http://www.dailyphotblog.com/.

Besides these artworks, stage has been set up for musical bands. People are sitting on chairs, enjoying the music, and occasionally dancing on the lawn. Maybe we need sth for drinking and eating. Ice creams, smoothies, fries, chicken on a stick and Italian sausages are not far away. I love this relaxation way. Weather, which I have to mention, is warm not hot. Just imagine at evening time, listening to the music, eating fries then smoothies, and strolling through artwork booths! How joyful!

2007-07-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

My friend sent me a website link where he said I had left a comment. When I opened the link, I felt the website unfamiliar, but people who posted comment has the same ID with me.

I replied to my friend it might not be me. Somebody else likely possesses the same user ID. I use the same user ID on other websites but not this one.

It caught my attention to read the comment and recall the past, getting more familiar with the comment and website. I did realize that it is my comment. It happened 2 years ago. I just went to the website few times and jotted down few words. I tried my user ID and imput my password. Successfully log in.

Is it funny? I forget posting comments on that website. I have registered many websites. Kind of mixed up. Maybe somedays you would forget commenting here.

Interesting Climate

2007-07-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken early in May. The flowers were standing around the pond. Do you know the flower’s name? I don’t know. Maybe it is blooming in your area. Who knows?

In Pennsylvania weather is every interesting. People say it is between the Virginia and Canada. Fruits get ripe a month behind Virginia and two weeks before Canada.

Even in State College, fruits and vegetables in northern area lag those in the southern area. I notice this phenomenon from mulberry trees. Mulberries were ripe two weeks ago in the southern town, while in the northern town where I am living, they just get ripe and begin to fall down onto the ground. The reason is valleys and mountains. The northern area is cooler than the southern area.

Grilled Vegetables, Fruits and Turkey Patties

2007-07-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

Have you tried to grill vegetables and fruits? Maybe you have done much more burgers rather than vegetables. This morning I have tasted grilled eggplants, squashes, peaches and plums. They are gorgeous!

What we need to do is to marinade sliced eggplant and squash first. Grill them over the medium fire, and turn over untill ther are done. We can spray grinded pepper and salt. Done.

When you are serving the foods, the medium-low fire in grill can still be used. Put the halved plums or peachs on the grill screen. Certainly before grilling we need to remove stones from plums and peaches. After main dishes, you can enjoy your grilled fruits. They taste more sweet and less sour.

P.S.
Cooking tips: 3 minutes is enough for boiling corns. I usually boil corns for 20 minuts to make sure they are cooked. But this will turn the sugar of corn into starch, which is not what we want.

Cramming for Papers

2007-07-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

According to the article of "The Danger of Cramming", cramming can reult in unpredicable outcomes especially with the use of coffee or other stimulants. Probably everybody knows this viewpoint. But sometimes I can't avoid cramming. I studied late last night for my papers. Actually there was plenty of daytime to finish the homework. I just did not want to do anything except watching TV and wandering around the Internet. Late at night, when everything was so quiet, I realized I had to do sth. Maybe it is in nature!

Happy Independence Day

2007-07-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be Independence Day,one of the biggest festival for American. Here people have already been celebrating since the end of June. Walmart has been selling fireworks for at least one week;on June 30 several music groups performed in the main street of downtown; at same time street bazaar attracted more people for shopping. It was crowded and hilarious. Hope it won't rain tomorrow, and we can see beautiful firework show. Keep the good time rolling.

Pig Statue in State College

2007-06-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday I can post a picture here. This picture is about one of meaningful statues, which is considered as the centennial fountain. It was made for the 100-year birthday of State College. In the tour to Municipal Building, Cathy told us one of piglets dissapeared several years ago. This missing event caught much attenion in State College. Police finally found the guy who somehow stole the piglet. In the public community meeting the guy said he did not predict that his behavior had got much attention, and he felt so guilty. A miniature of the pig statue is also shown at Mayor's office.

A Tour to the Municipal Building

2007-06-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

Cathy, my ESL teacher, gave my classmates and me a tour to the Municipal Building of State College yesterday. It is a 3-story building and pretty new, erected in 2001. It has all the borough departments and a big community meeting room. It is surprising to me that shower heads are mounted on the wall in the restroom, providing convenient and handy shower use. Some staff also put a scale in the restroom for watching their weight. I feel that the community meeting room is the most different and interesting part, because any resident can directly bring up their questions or concerns to the Mayor and Borough Cousil.

Swimming Practice

2007-06-27T06:55:00.002-07:00

This afternoon is for swimming practice. I have learned how to swim several times. I admit it is not easy. Now it takes me 60 seconds to finish 25 yards. Not fast, so I will try to improve swimming speed.

Enormous homework

2007-06-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

Complaining about the composition class. The teacher requires us to write a 2-3 pages analyzing article based on the problem-solution structure. Is it too much? We know the teacher are tying doing sth good to us, but I still have to get other papers and housework done besides his assignment. Anyhow I have to finish it and hand it on the due day.

Wandering around the Internet

2007-06-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Everyday wandering around the Internet is becoming my rountine. How long do you spend in Internet. For me, it is about one hour. Viewing my interesting blogs and pictures, writing my commnets and checking emails are main parts. Feel it necessary to use time efficiently and view more interesting blogs.

Turtles' Conversation

2007-06-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken near the pound, where red fishes, ducklings and their mother live peacefully with the turtles. A campus worker takes care of them. I often see him feeding them at noon, keeping the pound attractive.

Farmer Market's Strawberries

2007-06-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

I go to a farmer market every Friday, where Amish people and local farmers sell their produce. There are a lot of fresh and organic vegetables and fruits, such as mint, rhubarb, young onions, tomatoes, lettuces and strawberries. Now it is the right season to taste fresh strawberries, which are also available in the supermarkets, farms and farmer markets. I have tried strawberries from the above places. My conclusion is FARMER MARKET's strawberries are the best-- natural flavor, sweet and juicy.

What's your favorite color?

2007-06-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

I like green, so I chose this template. Green is refreshing, giving me power and energy. Especially I like young green leaves on rainy days in Spring. They are shining, and try to show their rapid growth.

June 20, 2008-1st Anniversary

2007-06-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

My blog has been set up. I should memorize this day and take care of the blog.
Happy, curious and wondering what will happen here.