Americans and Their Pets

Americans are very talent for training pets such as dogs, fishes and cats . . .

During Spring break, my family and I went to "Seaworld" in San Diego. I saw many shows like shamu, dophin and sealion show . . . , but the show I liked very much was Pets Stadium show. There were many little and cute pets were trained by professionalism. They arranged races, games for dogs and cats. When time is up for the show. They turned on the music "Who lets the dogs out." The dogs followed the music to run out messily. Suddently, the music stopped. And then one by one is performing. The dogs and the folk on the show are very funny. They made the audients laugh and laugh . . . The audients so happy and could not stop with the big clap hands.

Americans love pets very much. They treat pets like people. They even talk and feed them. They take good care of them. Americans give pets a very sufficient life.

BBQ in Redwood Park

Last Thursday, our school went to Redwood Park for BBQ. I got up early and go to school early as usual. The weather was hotter than usual. Our teacher started to give us tickets when we came in the classroom. At 9:30 the school bus arrived and we started our trip. We were chatting and laughing during we were in the school bus.

After about 20 minutes, we arrived at Redwood Park. We sanded at BBQ and picnic park area. We sat down and eat some snack which we brought for BBQ. We were chatting, laughing and taking pictures each other. Suddenly, the teacher asked us to keep quiet as a docent want to inform us the important information. He told us that don’t touch this kind of plants and showed us the plant. That plant is harmful for us. It can make us itch all over if we touch it careless. In order to let us understand clearly. At the same time our teacher did some actions for us.

Some students and teachers were firing up the grill. There were 4 grills here. A big smog covered us soonest. We had many kind of fruits. They are Oranges, peaches, bananas and watermelon and so on. Some students were making orange juice. Some were washing fruits. Some were making foods. At that time there was delicious smell went around us. It was the time for our lunch. First, we ate corns. Our teachers cook hamburger and hot dogs for us. Teachers were sweat. We queued for pick up hamburger or hot dog and drink. After half and hour, all of us were full. We cleared up the rubbish. Buys were playing volleyball under the tree or playing football on the trail. We chatted and laughed under the trees. We never have spoken to each other such a lot since we knew each other.

At 2:40 PM, we have to come back school by school bus. Thanks to our teachers cook for us. We have a good time at our BBQ.

Herewith a picture.

First driving test

Almost everyone told me that drive a car is an easy job like you walked. But it is very inconvenience to go somewhere if you don’t drive. I started to learn how to drive once I got the permit. My husband employed an instructor to support me. At first I think drive is the same like drive bumping car in paradise. The different point is drive a car avoid to touch anything. But it can change my idea after I took the first driving test.

After several hours practice, my instructor told me that I can take a driving test in DMV. I was very delight after I heard it. I decided to take a driving test on next day.

Fortunately, I can get an appointment with DMV on next day. I asked my husband to go with me as I want to take his car in the test. On our way to DMV, my husband asked me:” Do you really want to take the driving test today? I don’t think you can get it. We can cancel it if you don’t want.” But I don’t agree with him.

It was my turn to take the test. I started the vehicle and feel very nervous when the examiner got in the car. At that moment the examiner said to me:” You need more practice.” I confused when I heard it as I hadn’t finished the test. I continued to drive. The examiner ordered me to backing, stopping, turns and changing lanes. But I couldn’t do all smoothly.” You need more practice.” The examiner said to me again when we came back DMV and she passed me a piece of paper about driving test. I felt upset as I failed the test. Almost everybody can get it easily but I couldn’t. I think the examiner was too strict.

After thinking about the test again and again, I understand that the examiner was right. I made a lot of mistake during the test. Such as I forget to turn on signal light when I started vehicle and backing. I forget look behind shoulder to check behind spots when I changed lanes. At the same time, I realized that safe is the first. Not in a hurry if I want to get it. I need more practice.

Free Public Transportation on Monday

Monday is a "Spare the Air Day"!

You can ride BART, the busses or the ferrys for free all day.

Click here to learn more.

There may be many more "Spare the Air Days", but this may be the last time this year that public transportation is free.

Get out and enjoy it!

I suggest a ferry ride to San Francisco. Maybe another ferry to Sausalito? If you see me, wave. I'll be riding my bicycle

Let's Talk this Sunday at 9:30 pm

Let's talk this Sunday. If you haven't downloaded Skype yet, you can get it here. Of course, it is free.

I want to try out the Skypecast to see if we can have a group conversation over the Internet.
Click here around 9:30 on Sunday, June 25th.

Join the Techtutor group.



Talk to you this Sunday.

Incentive Students

I don't know what to say to my teacher besides "Thank you very much."

He is a very patient editor. He is never discouraged by essays which need a lot of editing. He is never bored by the topic of any essay. My teacher makes good guesses at what we are trying to communicate to our readers. He asks us to write clearly. He reminds us to make our essays easy for readers to understand.

My teacher always encourages us to write and write. He event gives certificates to students who write at least ten essays during a semeter. He does this to give students an incentive to express themselves through writing.

Richard hopes that each of his students will become an author. Perhaps, this is his dream.

So, let's realize his dream. We should write more and more next semeter. We must try our best to become authors whose essays can make our classmates laugh and cry. Let's scrible like Shakespeare to make Richard's dream come true.

Photos from our 1st Annual Picnic and Barbeque in Redwood Park

Click here to see yourself at the 1st Annual Picnic and BBQ in Redwood Park!

An Invalid Trip

My mother-in-law likes pizza very much. Yesterday we received an advertisement. It said that large pizzas are on sale and there is no need to call ahead, no need to wait, and no limit. Supplies will be available all day, everyday. My mother-in-law was very happy when she read it.

It happens that this store is not far from our home. It just takes 10 minutes to drive there. My mother-in-law decided to go and buy a pizza. She asked my sister-in-law to go with her. But my sister-in-law had to finish her job first, so she refused my mother-in-law. This time my mother-in-law went by herself.

After one and a half hour, my mother-in-law hadn’t come back. We started to worry about her. Suddenly, the door opened and my mother-in-law walked in carrying a water-melon.

“What’s the matter? Why did you buy a water-melon not a pizza?” my sister-in-law asked.

My mother-in-law looked upset and sat down and began to describe her trip. She didn’t know how to go to this pizza store when she arrived at the bus stop so she asked a woman how to get there. The woman told her how to go to the pizza store.

Finally, my mother-in-law found the pizza store. When she approached the shop she saw that some construction workers were working there. She realized that this pizza store hadn’t opened yet!

She didn’t want to come back home empty handed so she went to the market and bought a watermelon.

That’s why she bought a watermelon and not a pizza. Everyone, except my mother-in-law, laughed when we heard that.

“Don’t be disappointed, you can go again when it opens,” I said to my mother-in-law.

The World is Really Small by Mei Fang

Lastr week I went to 8th Street and Harrison for physical therapy. An office worker there talked to me. She asked me where I was from. I told her that I came from Guang Dong, China.

"What county?" the office worker asked.

"Da Bu," I told her.

"What town?" she asked.

"Da Ma," I told her.

She said that her mother had studied at a middle school in Da Ma. Then she told me her mother's name, Liao Ni Man.

I was surprised to hear this name. I told the office worker that her mother had been my classmate!

Unfortunately, the woman said, her mom had passed away in 1989.

After I met my middle school classmate's daughter in Oakland, I said, "The world is really small!"

Yesterday

Yesterday was Father's Day and Sunday.
My friend Pan graduated from Stanford University this year.

A ceremony for the graduates took place in the one of the halls on this Father's Day. Pan invited his father, mother, wife, his three years old son, his sister, his good friends and me to attend the ceremony.

The ceremony was simple and grand. Each graduate not only got a diploma from the headmaster, but also got warm applause from the professors, classmates and visitors. When Pan held his son’s hand when went to the headmaster to get the diploma. He was greeted by laugher and a lot of warm applause, because his son was very bashful in front of so many people.

After the ceremony, Pan hosted a tea party to treat his friends. Everyone was happy. Pan's family was specially proud of him.

I left the party before dusk, becaues I wanted to go to Oakland in hurry. My wife and my two sons were waiting for me to celebrate Father's Day in Oakland.

Yesterday was a double happy day to me!

My Car

One day two months ago, I came home and parked my car in the garage. When I stopped the engine, I heard something that sounded like boiling water from under the hood. After several seconds, the sounds stopped.

The next day, after school, I drove my car to a my favorite car repair shop and asked the mechanic to check what happened to the car.

He lifted up the hood and then we saw something that looked like white foam overflowing from the mouth of the engine coolant reservoir. He took off the lid of the radiator and put a plastic funnel into its mouth. Then he started the engine and put a smoke detector into the plastic funnel where exhaust might come out. Several minutes later, the reading on the smoke checker showed that there was some exhaust coming out from the radiator. The technician told me that my car's engine block was cracked. When the engine was running, the exhaust was pressed out by the moving pistons through the crack in the engine block into the coolant which surrounds the cylinder. The exhaust passed through the tubes into the radiator then into the engine coolant reservoir. At last, pressure from the exhaust pushed open the lid of the reservoir. The white foam was the product of the chemical reaction of the exhaust and the coolant. It was pushed out of the coolant reservoir by the exhaust.

The mechanic told me that while this problem rarely occurred, it was serious and I needed to replace the engine block. He told me that a brand new engine costs more that $2,000, a used engine costs about $1,200.

In the last eight years I had driven more than 240,000 miles. The car's body, frame and other parts are still in good condition. If I bought a used car with around 100,000 miles, I would have to pay about $7,000. So, I decided to let the mechanic replace the cracked engine with a used one.

One week later, I paid $2,000 for the used engine and labor charges and then I drove my “new” car back home.

I hope I can use this car for many more years.

Happy Farther's Day

Happy Father's Day for who are fathers now!

Xin Yue (A Little Girl) by Mei Fang

Xin Yue lived in Chang Chun, China. She is six years old. Her family is ordinary. She got a brain disease and became blind. She hoped to attend the Tianamen Square flag raising ceremony, but her family didn't have enough money to visit Beijing. Kind hearted people offered to raise a flag in Chang Chun. This made Xin Yue very happy.

Some friendly people contacted a doctor at a hospital in Beijing. The doctor invited Xin Yue to his hospital. Her parents and a local doctor accompanied her on the train to Beijing.

After examining Xin Yue, the doctor decided to perform an operation on her. Xin Yue got better. She could see. When her parents took her to Tianamen Square to watch the flag raising ceremony, Xin Yue was really happy!

Xin Yue is still being treated at the Beijing hospital.

Mei Fang

Summertime

Everybody seems excited on summertime because the weather is hot. It's kind of special season which people expected for the whole year.

Most people like to travel on summertime because kids have no school. Parents spend time with their children go somewhere. Some mothers no work, they take good care on their children at home. They want their children are happy and enjoy much during summertime.

Summertime is relaxed for everyone. Especially for kids students and teachers.

New York Times Immigrant Story

Check out this newspaper story about an illegal Chinese immigrant.

It is a long story, but I found it interesting.

What are your feelings about the story.?

Please leave a comment.

Berkeley Kite Festival

In our classmate Loan's essay, she mentioned flying kites in Vietnam. It made me remember the Berkeley Kite Festival.

During two days of the Berkeley Kite Festival, visitors can sit on the green grass , see many colorful, different size, different types of flying kites in the blue sky and children can study how to make the kites and fly them.

Every year, an older performer who comes from Canada controls three kites at the same time by himself. People will enjoy this peaceful and friendly activity.

I took some pictures last year. Now I am posting two of them here.

This year’s Berkeley Kite Festival will take place on July 29th and 30^th, 2006. I suggest that our classmates “go fly a kite” with their children or their friends.

If you need detailed information, please go to this web site: www.highlinekites.com Remember to bring wind coats and water with you. And don't miss the last show because children will love it--- many candies are dropped from the sky

Good Morning. Howarya?

Friends and classmates smile.

Did you get exercise 91?	Yes, I have a copy for you.
Thanks	Don't mention it.

My Roses

I have planted some roses in my back yard for years. I pruned them at the end of last year and I fertilized them in March this year.

Spring is the time when everything grows.

My roses bloomed recently. They were so beautiful that I took some pictures of them.
Now I put one of the pictures on the blog.

I hope my classmates like it.