Thank So Much To Teacher Richard Blum

Richard, thank so much for sending me many images. Wish you have a happy New Year.

My Anniversary

Yesterday was my 14th anniversary. Usually, we don't do anything special on these days, but last night my family went out to dinner together.

Many people complement me about my life being happy. That is very true, because I have a good husband and two lovely kids. I am proud of them.

Our life is quiet. We don't have relatives and friends around here. Every summer we take a vacation. We enjoy it very much when we are together. My kids are especially happy when they are close to their parents. We talk and have fun.

Sometimes, I don't remember my anniversary day I even forget my birthday, also. Most of the time my husband or my daughter remind me. I don't know why? I do not pay attention to these particular days so much. Perhaps, it is because in my country people don't celebrate the annversary day.

I've been living in America for 16 years, but I still keep my traditions. I like the traditions of Chinese, Vietnamese and American culture. I like to pick and choose the good things that each culture has to offer me.

Christmas Gift for My Son

Last two weeks, I bought a PSP to my son for Christmas present. I would like to encourage him to studying in Chinese. He was very happy and wanted to play it on that night. He asked me for a few times to opened it. He couldn't wait untill Christmast time, because he was on vacation. I let him opened and played it. Then I said "No more gift on Christmas". He said OK.

A few days ago before Christmas. Suddenlly, he wraped it back the PSP and put it under the Christmast tree. I looked at it, I felt funy and laugh. Then I talked to him. Hey! Randy, you already played the game. Now you put it under the tree. He felt embarrassed and smile.

My Wonderful Son

After Thanksgiving my son had a Chinese's test. He worked hard on this time. It might be he understood and put more time in studying. He looked like very confident for the test. During he took the test and he asked me about a gift for Christmas. He asked "what do you give me if I have a good result on the test?" I said "I will give you whatever you like." He said he liked the PSP, but he said "Might be you could buy me the DS, it just cost $100 dollars." I asked "which one do you like the best?" He said "I like the PSP, but it cost $250 dollars".Then I said "It's OK, I will buy you the PSP." He felt very happy with what I promised him. Then I said "You have to study good and listen to me when I tell you stop the game." He said "It was OK, I will, Mom.

Oh! My son was indeed a wonderful son! He didn't require on me too much.

The Gift of the Magi

Listen to this classic Christmas story by O'Henry.

Read the story.

Use these flashcards to improve your vocabulary.

Take a vocabulary quiz.

Winter

A few of these days the weather are big change. It's indeed the winter is coming. Today, the weather is remarkably cold. The sky is goomy. Look at it! It is sad and quet. None of the people walk on the street. It's cold and freezing. People's cars seem to be less. Where are the people? Are they hiding at home now?

Outside, it is raining. It fall down with a gentle rain. It's soaking wet for a few hours of the rain.

After the rain, it look dark now. Cars are full on the street. It made a lot of sound from the cars driving with the wet of the road. It is time people get out from work. The squall of rain doesn't want to stop. It still continue on and on . . . .

good

i see

Not Easy

I don't have any thing to write yet.

Car Driving Dilemma

Learning how to drive in Oakland's roads is not easy for me. I am sometimes confused about the traffic laws, and the fact that there are two persons teaching me how to drive is making me more confused.

My brother in law is my first driving teacher. He is very careful in driving. When we need to stop at the intersection, I have to brake slowly and must not stop suddenly. This would be a bit difficult for me because I need to look for trafic lights or signs very far ahead. At the same time I must not slow down my car to speed lower than speed limits indicated in the signs. Especially, he asks me to accelerate very fast when there is green lights but while doing this I sometimes either swerve out of my lane when I make a turn or head to the car parking at the corner of roads where I turn a sharp right into.

My other driving teacher is my girlfriend. She, on the other hand, is a very fast and daring driver. She asks me not to foot on break so often, to slow down to much, and to change lane to maintain speed and get out of stuck points as fast as I can and sometimes by ways against what I read in the driver handbook.

Hmm, although I drive to school every day, I am still very nervous of the trafic and more of my "driving teacher's" supervision.

The Job Fair

Last Friday, I visited the job fair at the Senior Center on 58th Street in Oakland.

Many people were waiting in line in front of the Senior Center building when I got there.

After waiting about fifty five minutes, I got into a big room which was prepared for the job fair.
So many visitors were there that I could not move easily among them. Fortunately I got some information from the exhibitors, but I found that most of the exhibitors did not provide application forms for the applicants. Applicants could only write down their name, address and phone number on the visitors' list.
I did not get any application forms from the job fair, but I felt that this kind of job fair is necessary because many people need a job!

I Escaped from My Country

In 1987, my brother and I left my country to look for freedom and happiness. We escaped to a Malaysian refugee camp. We had spent five days on the ocean.

The first night, we took a small boat to a transfer point and boarded a biger boat. There were 112 people on the boat. The captain took us out to sea that night. We continued the second day. That night our boat had trouble. Water came into our boat a lot. People were very exhausted.We had two days with no food and no drink. Everybody vomited and was uncomfortable with sea sickness. No one helped bail the water out. We were waiting to die. I was the one who was scared to die in the ocean. I said that we could pass the buckets of water from person to person and pour out. They followed what I said and finally the water had gone. The captain fixed the boat and we continued for the third day. On the third day, we were dissappointed because we were lost. The boat was floating on the ocean. We didn't know where we were. It was good luck for us. We saw a Thai ship presently. They were not the pirates. They gave us food and showed us the direction. We were very happy and thanked them for the food they had given us because we were starving for many days. We cooked fish porridge on the boat and went in the direction that they showed us. At dawn, we saw a Malaysian ship. They saved us and let us come a board their ship. They gave us a lot of food. We stayed on the ship overnight. The next day morning we transferred to another ship and went to a Malaysian refugee camp.

I have to thank my lucky stars that I survived.
I have to count my blessings for the great happiness I have today.

The Misery of the People of South Vietnam

April 30, 1975 was the day people in South Vietnam lost country. Some people had gone on a warship to America, because they knew what would happen under the Communists. They left behind a lot of people who suffered miserably under the rule of the Communists.

The Communists came to South of Vietnam with the poor and greedy. They robbed the weath of people. Some people couldn't stand it. They committed suicide. The Communists still weren't satisfied. They pillaged properties of people from the high class to the medium class. They never released people who were rich. They wanted tight control of people. They wanted to change South Vietnam quickly. They didn't let people breathe. They didn't care about the hatred of people. They wanted to do whatever they wanted.

Soon afterward, people couldn't suffer the regime of the Communists. They found the ways to escape. In fact, it was not easy. If they didn't succeed, the police discovered them and put them in jail. I was the lucky one. I escaped.