July 20, 2006, 10:55pm

Just back from Shirley's house. It's the farewell dinner for me. She gave me a pain killer cream for my gift. How sad. I'm leaving...

Earlier in the afternoon she brought this huge carpet cleaner to help me clean the carpet. It's a very interesting machine. It has brushes at the bottom. To use it, it's more or less like a vacuum cleaner. Just push back and forth.

The first time, hold a button so the detergent goes down into the carpet. The second time, release the detergent button so clean water goes down to raise the carpet. And now, the carpet smells of the detergent!

I cannot imagine the carpet is so dirty though I vacuum clean all the time. Yet I haven't got sick from the dirt. How amazing.

July 19, 2006, 11:22pm

I got a campus apartment in the Colorado school! No worry about the place to live then. It's on the 1/F so I don't need to worry about going up and down the steps. :)

July 19, 2006, 12:03am

It's so difficult to say goodbye. Have been trying hard to make friends. Now I got good friends here and I'm leaving them. Awful.

Only two weeks ago I couldn't find anyone to give me a ride to the Orlando airport. Yet, this week, four friends have offered help...

1. Josh
2. Joel
3. Shirley
4. Hsiu-jen

Life is ridiculous.

July 16, 2006, 11:35pm

Joel took me to Paynes Prairie and I finally saw a wild aligator! It's a baby probably only 1 meter long. It was in water under the green algae. :D

I also saw an anhinga swallowing a fish. Also a group of 5 turkeys and a deer. I just love to see the wide sky.

July 15, 2006, 12:59am

I got my license! Now, I'm qualified!!!

July 13, 2006, 11:43pm

I canceled my driving test appointment today. Couldn't drive Joel's Chevrolet Impala. It's too big. Much bigger than the cars I'm used to drive. I couldn't even park within the lines. No hope to pass. So I'd better cancel the appointment.

Will go tomorrow afternoon using Ning's car.

I was out all day with Shirley, Jian, and Du Lin, to see how to buy a car. So, in the end, they got a Saturn.

July 12, 2006, 3:24pm

Here're some photos in my farewell party last Saturday.

Pastor Steve wrote the Chinese blessings on the cake.

Terri, his wife, cut the cake. :D

I've gained more than 10 pounds. I should stop eating...

July 10, 2006, 10:26pm

So I swam in the deeper end of the pool this evening! 8 meters!!!

:D

July 9, 2006, 8:24pm

Shara gave me this fancy matchbox car for my farewell gift. So, I'm rehearsing the retest!

We had a great time playing sparklers on July 4th. (Photo by Luning)

July 8, 2006, 11:04pm

So, I had great fun in Pastor Steve's house. It's my farewell party. :)

I'm about ready to leave. Need to donate my stuff either to friends or the church. Then I'll be freer than a bird for 2.5 weeks. No worry about possessions and a shelter.

I feel like having no root, moving here and there. Got to see my counselor next week. And I really miss my friends here.

July 7, 2006, 9:33pm

Somebody please give me counseling...

I failed the driving test! I have no one to blame... Oh, I'm depressed. It's all my fault.

July 6, 2006, 1:53am

Doesn't work! So frustrating...

July 6, 2006, 1:33am

I'm in the middle of making this ginger crashes milk. :D

http://lyricmm.sinagirl.com/ginerwmilk.htm

Experimenting... I begin to wonder why I liked chemistry so much but not home economics when I was in high school. It's so similar. Measuring, heating, boiling, stiring...

July 5, 2006, 9:37pm

It took them more than 3 weeks to send me the offer letter from Colorado. No idea what sort of administration or postal services can make this happen.

Now, this is done. Hopefully all the other immigration process will go smooth.

July 4, 2006, 10:31pm

So exhausted... Oh, Kim laughed at me. I would have to live like a backpacker after my stuff is sent to Colorado. Well, a backpacker with a shelter and bad knees.

July 4, 2006, 1:16am

I'm gradually realizing that I have been so much spoiled. The July 4th firework at campus is so small... compared to just any firework in the Victoria Harbour.

What should I choose if I can choose?

1. Standing in the extremely crowded crowd and looked up into the gap of sky for the really big (and expensive) firework; or

2. Sitting in the lawnchair in a much less dense crowd, looking at the much wider sky for the small firework

I still remember the firework for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002, I was thinking, well, I had firework like this just every year in the Chinese New Year. I simply didn't need to wait 50 years for a Golden Jubilee firework.

And here, in this place of nothingness except boredom, so many families would come to this campus field to see the firework. If CUHK is about to have a firework show in this small scale, I'd probably say, come on, forget about it.

July 3, 2006, 7:22pm

OK. I finally took a deep breath and did the conversion.

55 miles = 88.5km!

What is the speed limit in Tolo Harbour? My goodness. I was going that fast... Am I still alive? And in those busy main roads I was going 35 miles = 56km.

I must be crazy. Now I have found out why I have been having dreams about driving.

BTW, I still cannot figure out what it means by a gallon, an ounce, a quart, a yard, a cup, F, mile/hr... Why is it so confusing?

It was all those standard SI units when I was studying physics and chemistry in high school. m, dm, kg, K, m/s... All these units make more sense to me but they don't exist in real life!

This is a crazy world. I could do all those experiments to push the little cars to test Newton's Laws. Yet, I have little idea how fast I'm driving!

July 2, 2006, 10:51pm

Went driving again... Nie and Ning gave me an exam drill. Got to remember. Need to dream about it.

1. Blinker before turn (How come I still miss this!)
2. Blinker also when turning the butt!
3. Look left and right dramatically and frequently.
4. Stop completely at the Stop sign.

Still can't be sure what to do to park uphill... Let me read again.

Too much stimulation. Too tiring. Leanne, thank you so much for the counseling!

July 1, 2006, 3:48pm

I was here in the lab watching the Discovery launch. Well, it's canceled because of the weather. Got to be back and wait again tomorrow.

Hopefully I can see the shuttle launch tomorrow looking at the SE direction. :)