Knitting with love

I designed a little dress and and a hat to a baby girl I am taking care of. They are cute. Here are the pictures.

Together, they look good!


My little model is doing her job!

A closer look of the dress.

What do you think?

Is she pretty?

The thing I valued most in my life -- a foward message

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, 'Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.' Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

'Jack, did you hear me?'

'Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,' Jack said.
'Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it,' Mom told him.

'I loved that old house he lived in,' Jack said.

'You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life,' she said.

'He's the one who taught me carpentry,' he said. 'I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral,' Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.

'What's wrong, Jack?' his Mom asked.

'The box is gone,' he said

'What box?' Mom asked.

'There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,' Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

'Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him,' Jack said. 'I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom.'

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. 'Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days,' the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. 'Mr. Harold Belser' it read.

Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope.

Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside. 'Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life.' A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover.

Inside he found these words engraved:

'Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser.'

'The thing he valued most was...my time'

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days.

'Why?' Janet, his assistant asked.

'I need some time to spend with my son,' he said.

'Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!'

'Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,'

Think about this. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

1. At least 2 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

4. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

5. You mean the world to someone.

6. If not for you, someone may not be living.

7. You are special and unique.

8. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.

11. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

12. A lways remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

13 . Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy .

14. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

Let the Games Go On by Joan Chen(ZT)

Let the Games Go On

By Joan Chen

From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/08/AR2008040802907.html

Wednesday, April 9, 2008; Page A19

I was born in Shanghai in 1961 and grew up during the Cultural Revolution. During my childhood, I saw my family lose our house. My grandfather, who studied medicine in England, committed suicide after he was wrongly accused of being a counterrevolutionary and a foreign spy.

Those were the worst of times.

Since the Cultural Revolution ended in the late 1970s, however, I have witnessed unimaginable progress in China. Changes that few ever thought possible have occurred in a single generation. A communist government that had no ties to the West has evolved into a more open government eager to join the international community.

A state-controlled economy has morphed into a market economy, greatly raising people's standard of living. It's clear that the majority of the Chinese people enjoy much fuller, more abundant lives today than 30 years ago. Though much remains to be done, the Chinese government has made rapid progress in opening up and trying to be part of the international community.

Last month I went to China and spent four weeks visiting Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Chengdu. The people I met and spoke with are proud and excited about the Beijing Games. They believe that the Olympics are a wonderful opportunity to showcase modern China to the rest of the world. Like many Americans, most Chinese people are disturbed by the recent events in Tibet. But after watching the scenes of violence and arson by the rioters, the Chinese believe that the government is doing the right thing in cracking down to restore order.

The Olympic torch is in California and is to be carried through San Francisco today. In a resolution criticizing China, Chris Daly, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, said that demonstrating against the torch relay would "provide the people of San Francisco with a lifetime opportunity to help 1.3 billion Chinese people gain more freedom and rights." To his credit, Mayor Gavin Newsom did not sign Daly's resolution.

This statement could not be further from reality. For one thing, the Chinese are a proud people. They want freedom and greater rights, but they know they must fight for them from within. They know that no one can grant them freedom and rights from afar. The stigma of Western imperialism and the Opium Wars also remains a strong reminder of the past, and Chinese people do not want their domestic policies to be dictated by outside powers. They also do not want the United States to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Games. The U.S. boycott of the 1980 Games in Moscow and the Soviet boycott of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles accomplished nothing. A U.S. boycott of the opening ceremonies in Beijing would be counterproductive for relations between the two countries.

For decades, anti-China human rights groups in Washington have spent millions of dollars denouncing China. To many Chinese, it seems that this lobby is the only voice that's acceptable or newsworthy in the U.S. media and to the U.S. government. But times are changing. We need to be open-minded and farsighted. We need to make more friends than enemies. Remember what a little ping-pong game did for Sino-U.S. relations in the 1970s? Let's celebrate the Olympics for what the Games are meant to be -- a bridge for friendship, not a playground for politics.

The writer is an actress and director. She became a U.S. citizen in 1989.

Honor to be Appreciated

In one Month, I got three “footprint” of the heart award from the unit manager. It does not mean I am any better than anyone else, it is meant that people do appreciate what we have do for them. I am touched by their appreciation: I am doing what I should do for them and for our patients. They do not have to be so thankful.

In fact, I am so grateful having the chance taking care of their fragile babies. I appreciate their trust. They put their precious babies in our hands and being so trusty to let us taking care of them. That is a great honor for us. I appreciate it very much.

I am grateful having the chance working in the unit. All the experienced neonatologists, the experienced nurses, the hard working auxiliary staffs. They do not see I am a foreigner and accept me as a co-worker with not very good English. They are helping me with all my questions and concerns. We live in the world not alone, we live in a group, a group people like ourselves, we help each other, we enjoy each other. We actually cannot live with each other!

I am writing here because I just realized that our every bit of work is appreciated by people around us. I want people around me know that I appreciate everything they have done and still doing for me too.

Thanks to all!!

Thanks!

On valentine's day, I got a email from the USCIS and telling me that my application for my parents to immigrant to the US are proved. The letter is on its way. I am so happy! Thanks!

Stir fried snow pea tips

During the weekend, my husband bought me some snow pea tips since I loved all the green vegetables. I cooked it today and took it to work for lunch. Here is how I made it:

1) Ingredients: Sugar, salt, chicken broth mix, grounded ginger

2) Main ingredient: Fresh Snow pea tips from Sunrise -- the Asian market

3) couple of garlic to be grounded

4) Heat some cooking oil at high and stir fry the ginger at high temperature

5) While the ginger turn to golden brown, put the cleaned snow pea tips in the cooking pan and stir fry them at high temperature

6) When the snow pea tips turn soft, add salt

7) Add one tea spoon Chicken broth mix

8) Add one tea spoon sugar

9) Add the grounded garlic

10) When put all the ingredient together

11) stir them till they are well mixed

12) Took the cooked snow pea tips to a plat and add some sesame oil

13) It is ready to serve!

Chinese Chowmein

Sunday is co-worker's birthday pot luck. The only thing I can do is cooking the real Chinese food. Since eating noodles is a Chinese tradition for birthday, so I made Chinese Chowmein. The long noodles I made means the person who has birthday is going to have a long life.

Happy birthday! my friend!

Now it is the instruction of how to make it.

1) Get some green beans from any grocery store.


2) Make sure you have the Chinese soy sauce in hands. I prefer this one that you can get it from a Chinese grocery store named Yishen at Chambers street.

3) Clean the green beans well and cut them like this to make long pieces to mimic noodles.

4) Put the prepared green beans into a container to be used.

5) Chopped some garlic, ginger and onions.

6) Heat a big pan and add some cooking oil (2 table spoon), and put the chopped onion, garlic and ginger in with some salt to cook them until they smell good.

7) Add the prepared green beans to the pan.

8) Stir fry they with the onion, garlic and ginger.

9) Add two table spoon of soy sauce and any other flavors you may like and stir them well, and then add half cup of water.

10) Open a bag of fresh egg spaghetti noodles which you can get it from any grocery store.

11) Use your hands loose them like this:

12) Put the loosed noodles in the pan ob top of the half cooked green beans.

13) close the top and let it steam for 10 -- 15 minutes to get the green beans and the noodles well cooked, but the bottom of the pan is not burnt.

14) Open the top and stir them well.

15) Add two table spoon sesame oil and stir them well.

16) Turn the heat off and put them in a plat ( in a baking pan if it is for a party).

18) Clean some mild hot peppers.

19) Cut them as small pieces.

20) Clean some lemon Basil which you can get it from Asian store.

21) Put the lemon basil and peppers together, add some salt.

22) Add some sesame oil.

23) Stir them together well.

24) Serve it with the Chinese Chowmein and orange juice. You will like it!

Make dumplings (Jiao Zi)

A good friend had surgery in Portland and did not want to eat. Only she wanted was some home made Chinese dumplings. Came back from WV, I hurried up and made some for her and send them to her hospital room. I was so happy seeing the satisfaction on her face while she was eating the food sh grown up with.

Here is the instruction to make them. It may be a little complicate, but you can try it. If you have any question, please leave a comment so I will answer you in a timely manner.

1) Make a dough: Use water and all purpose flour and mix them together to make a ordinary dough.


2) Clean vegetable Chive (you can get this from Sunrise Asian grocery store) and put side, let it dry of water

3) Fry some eggs: break eggs to a bowel and pan fry them like this

4) Cut the chive to small pieces like this:

5) chop the fried eggs to Small pieces:

6) put the chopped eggs and vegetables together, add salt, specie powders and sesame oil

7) Mix them all together like this. When the good smells came out, it is ready to be used.

8) Working on the dough and make it smooth and easy to work with.

9) Make the dough as a long strip and cut it as small pieces

10) Mix the small piece dough with dry flour

11) Press the small pieces dough as flat noodle

12) Use roller to make the flat noodle thinner and bigger

12) Pick up the flat noodle piece dough

13) Put the stuffy in the flat noodle

14) Close the flat noodle to make the dumplings.

15) At first, it will be like this

16) Make the dumpling shape like this

17) These what the dumplings look like

18) Boil some water and them put the dumplings in to the boiling water for 20 minutes

19) You can put the extra ones in the Frazer for future use. You can also make them as potstickers if you prefer.

20) Dumplings are boiling

21) When all the dumplings are floating, they are ready

22) Take the cooked dumplings out to a plat to be served

23) Get some vinegar to serve with the boiled dumplings

24) Serve the dumplings with garlic and vinegar, and some beer if you like. Enjoy!