Be Strong

So my father-in-law is doing much much better now! We're all very happy about his progress and glad to see that he can smile, eat, and joke around again! He's scheduled to go home either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. One of his friends who visited him yesterday also had a bypass (triple) about 8 years ago and now in his 80's is still up and going. I hope my father-in-law will be like that too! It's just so much fun to have him around. 

The sad news is that I've received a bill from my insurance company today, which requests me to pay off the 500-dollar ultrasound bills. I thought my insurance would cover this cost completely and apparently I was totally wrong. A crappy student insurance coverage can't be stretched THAT far. One of my friends told me that I can negotiate with the hospital with a payment plan and I think I'm gonna give it a shot. And this incident also compels me to look for job again. Thus, I've filled out another two job applications this afternoon. I hope someone out  there would give me a chance for interview regardless of the fact that I am going to be out of town for 3 weeks in June! This entire fiscal situation turns me off so much that I'm not as excited about the trip to Taiwan as before. Sorry to everyone who reads my blog for not spreading more good tidings! 

So, I can only hold onto the hope that more good things will come, eventually. 

Slacking...

I admit that I've been slacking on blogging these days. Well, I just realize that life itself could be boring sometimes or get stuck in a rut. My life is like that now. I've also been occupied with my father-in-law's situation; he just had an open-heart surgery and I don't know when I would get a chance to visit with him. I just hope that everything will go well and he'll recover from it without any complications. Prayers are indeed appreciated. 

One-tooth-less Woman

I'm eating yogurt with a butter knife because the teaspoon I have is too big to fit into my barely-opened mouth. 

The end result of my gum infection is loosing my wisdom tooth on the bottom right jaw. I am so grateful that my dentist didn't pull all of three off. He said my upper right one would never grow out and my bottom left one doesn't seem to be a trouble maker now. Anyhow, It was quite a shock when my dentist asked me right in the middle of the appointment for considering the surgery. By the way, we were only charged 157.50 dollars for the surgery. The place is Utah Valley Urgent Dental Care. 

I barely felt the laughing gas in the operation but the anesthetic definitely numbed quarter of my face till now. 

Well, it's time for me to take medication now. I will keep you guys posted about my journey of recovery.

Anything Wrong with Foreign People?

This sunny yet windy afternoon, on my way home from Provo library, I was passing through three teenaged boys practicing their skateboarding skills. One of them was on the phone, conversing with tons of swearing words. One of them caught a perfect timing-when I was walking by his shoulder, just about two inches away- and muttered, " I hate foreign people."

That was actually the first time of my presence in the States to hear such an obvious, unreserved hatred and I was stunned without either showing my emotions or changing my walking pace. Now as I think about it, I'm amazed that this experience donesn't happen in BG, Ohio, a small college town, but in here, Provo, with a far more variety of races and ethnicities populated. I can't help but wonder what kind of experience or education the boy has received to help shape this kind of revulsion and disrespect for so-called "foreign people."

I was mad right after hearing the comment and snapped back in my mind by thinking *beep* (It's just rated-PG, but I feel bad to show it...) Then I feel bad for them. Life without Gospel is probably like that without light. It's really hard to keep things in right perspectives without the guidance of God. Would they ever know they're supposed to love everyone just like what Jesus does? The scriptures say pray for your enemies so I've decided to pray for their welfare tonight.

So the verdict is...

Well, I think I've passed it!

This morning Trav and I went to the USCIS office upon Salt Lake for an immigration interview. We were called in about half an hour behind the schedule. During the interview, there was a moment of doubt since we couldn't prove we have joint insurance, properties, investment, and so on. Yet at the end it turned out ok. The officer was not LDS (I guess, from lots of traits) and he originally came from Romania. So, if anyone else browsing my blog is about to go through the interview process, please collect as much evidence showing you and your spouse's joint status as possible. He didn't even bother to look at our wedding pictures...(I've spent at least 30 minutes to organize all of the pictures we have.)

So now I just need to wait for the card, I guess. I feel kind of surreal; I guess I will feel better when I hold the card on hand. 

Bad news is that I have a gum infection around my bottom right wisdom tooth and I can't figure out what it is going on there. I am terrified to even think about that I might need to get a dental check-up. I don't want to spend 100 bucks just for a check-up though. If I were in Taiwan, it could just cost me 7 bucks for check-up...well. Anyway, does anyone have experiences like this? Now I'm living on pain killer and oral anesthetic><

something irrelevant: The Great Value pizza at Walmart is actually quite tasty; I especially like the one with chicken, bacon, and ranch toppings. Now only 3.80 each (That leads to 1.90 per person! Quite a deal!) 

Spring Noodles

(I have been trying to add pictures via library's internet since two days ago but it never works out...)

I'm working on new moon now. Because I'm eager to see Edward appear on the main stage of the plot again, I've been going through pages in a fairly fast speed. The beginning of the novel evokes my emotions a lot; I can somehow empathy the emptiness and despair of being "dumped." (Even though I've never had a vampire boyfriend.) Anyway, it's nice to let my imagination soar once a while. The pic represents the snapshot of the day: book + food + laptop. 

I used leftover ham from Easter to boost the flavor of this dish. The key seasoning for this dish is Chinese black vinegar; it adds an unique aroma by just adding a splash. I also used vegetable peeler to peel carrot into thin ribbons. This shape goes along with noodles very well. Please give it a try!  

Wonton soup

I'm so excited for the weather! High 70s would be coming soon and finally I will be able to wear short-sleeves, wandering around.  I'm gradually getting over the cold; less nose-blowing but more coughing now. Maybe I'll expose myself underneath the sun more and see if the heat would kill the germs. As the weather gets better, I get more and more excited about this summer. The excitement keeps bubbling up from my mind from time to time, reminding me of the possible upcoming trip home. I've been praying everyday for the feasibility of the trip; I really miss almost everything in Taiwan...

Finally, I finished twilight just barely (because it's due today...I need to turn it in to Provo library). I plan to start New Moon today. It's fun to read young adult novels since for me it's easier to read. I also learn so many adjectives describing different kinds of emotions and body expressions; novels have taught me a different set of vocab. compared to what I've learned through digging in the academic journals in the past. I'm slowly overcoming the fear of reading English novels:) Please recommend some other fun, readable novels to me, plz!   

Wonton soup is very easy to make. By using store-bought wonton wraps, you can save plenty of time. The stuffing here consists of fine minced ginger, minced shitaki mushroom, minced water chestnut, ground chicken thigh, and cubed shrimp. The seasonings include oyster sauce, sesame oil, pepper, corn starch, and some water used to soak the shitaki mushroom. How to fold and seal the wonton? Just put some stuffing in the center of the wrap, brush water on the edge margin of the warp and fold it in halve as a triangle. Pinch the edge to seal it well. Pick two corners on the bottom of the triangle and pinch them together. You can freeze the fresh wontons individually and it should be good for at least one week.