The small Asian market in Durham

When I first came to Chapel Hill five years ago, the seniors brought me to the small grocery store in Durham.
They told me I can buy the majority of the necessities for Asian dishes here.
If I want to buy more varieties of cookies or snacks, I can go to Grand Asian market, where they also provid the very delicious buns and hot meals.
The buns, Taiwanese bread, and hot dishes are the major inducement for me to drive ~40 mins to Raleigh once a month.
Although there is another Korean market nearby small Asian market, the price is really not friendly to students. That's the reason the small Asian market can happily survive for so many years because we need it.

Now nearby the small Asian market, there is a newly open Asian market occupied the location of previous bankrupt Circuit City.
You can imagine how big this grocery store is.
I won't say anything bad about this new grocery store since it just started its business. A lot of hardware and software of the grocery store needs to be improved.
But the existence of this market already crashes the business of small Asian market.
Of course this also depends on if the new Asian market can improve its service in the future.

But today when I went to the small Asian market (because my friend wants the German bread, which is provided next to the market), the cashier seems desperate.
They were chatting about buying the lottery in the hope of getting the prize since they envision that they might be out of business soon.
(But they also try to give more discounts to survive, which is good to customers.)

This reminds me the scene in the movie (You've got mail), where the local bookstore was forced to close when the enterprise bookstore (I don't remember the name but something similar to Borders) entered the business.
(However, the Borders in Durham is also going to close probably because the competition with the internet bookstore like Amazon)

I wonder the consequence since both of them have things to improve. But I am glad I can buy things with 10% discount and 20% discount next time (this month, hopefully longer time) and without the obnoxious smell in the new Asian market.

Special and precious dishes

Very delicious.

• Salad

Cucumber + Tomato + Olive oil + salt + fresh dill + hard boiled egg

• Stir fried chopped potatoes + onions (not the sweet, big one) + fried eggs + fresh dill 
• Polish sausages (so juicy and tasty) + fried eggs + fresh dill

I found the fresh dill has similar function as the green onions in Chinese dishes. And now I like the smell. 

Trip in China (21 days) in 2002? or 2001?

I checked my old diary.
Unfortunately, many of them are lost or no records.

Will try to record them as many as possible.

7/22
成都
華陽古鎮
辣到爆的川菜
豆花
都江堰 寶龍口
川劇 變臉

7/23
成都市街 殺蛇
鍋蓋麵 單純有嚼勁
鴛鴦鍋
三星堆
巴國布農
書城 圍城

7/25
青海湖 青稞 紅土
塔爾寺
羊肉串

7/27
蘭州
劉家峽
炳靈寺
黃河
青葡萄
夜臥火車

7/28
西安
兵馬俑
仿唐歌舞秀

7/29
碑林 褚遂良碑
大雁塔
灌湯包 羊肉泡饃

7/30
北京
天壇
全聚德
東來順 羊肉 芝麻醬 蔥花
天安門 紫禁城
雜耍

7/31
長城
老舍茶館
天地劇場 雙簧

8/1
北京大學 清華
頤和園 圓明園
豆汁 麵茶
王府井

8/3
南京

8/4
蘇州 上海
庭園
上海灘 內攤 外灘

沒記了...
但我記得 之後的景點都比較普通

從台北到北卡的轉機經驗 (爸媽來玩時的注意事項之一)

這次搭的是
delta
從台北飛東京 之後下飛機 到另一班去底特律 之後直飛RDU
台北安檢是啥都不用拿出來 鞋子不用脫 皮帶不用脫 筆電不用拿出來
到東京之後 要先過安檢 筆電要拿出來了 但是鞋子跟皮帶都不用脫 外套要脫
兩班之間只有一小時差距 也蠻趕的 想吃碗拉麵都沒時間
從小飛機換到大的
*爸媽要注意的是轉機的電視  看departures 的地方 找Detroit  找gate之類的 (倒數第二欄)

delta 這邊國際線的影視非常的爛
我又坐在電視前面 老實說 看電視會頭暈
reading light 又壞了 但全飛機客滿 不能換地方 好險他們說會給我2500點數
稍微看的一部 "get low" 其他的大概連個明星我都認不出來 ("easy A")
旁邊坐了個正妹跟一家子
都要填i-94 跟海關申報表
能帶不能帶的東西已經之前查過了
這次填 food 那欄 還是寫沒有 但是food 圈起來 旁邊註明一些 cookie candy dried food 之類的
total value of articles 填了 $500

近海關時沒去上廁所 一路直奔去排隊 後來證明這是對的 因為如果之後又有飛機來 你去上個廁所 就被新來的一批人淹蓋住了 但是他們的轉機時間又是會比你長的
Detroit的海關並沒有要拿i-20的人自行填寫那些i-20上的號碼 其實這又是讓時間拉長的原因
過海關很順利
* 但如果被盤查的話...

但是即使這樣也超過1個小時
行李不在轉盤上 很明顯被翻過了
*baggage claim 注意行李轉盤上的飛機號碼 通常他們會廣播 但那都是英文
from tokyo ...

要出去時被攔了下來 在申報單上寫了個大大的A 就被要求去x-ray了
好險這次有查好  非常確定自己沒帶違禁品
過完x-ray 就好了(正妹被check了)
* 這邊也會拖時間

出去時見到delta的人 給他看你的登機證 他會指示你把行李拿去哪裡託運
再來又是繁複的安檢 鞋子皮帶都要脫 外套也脫 筆電要拿出來
這些搞定之後再去看電視上的轉機資訊

Graduation! 1/28/11

Eventually.

My advisor gave me a pretty "cold" and neutral introduction, saying that I am independent, quiet. He can't remember too many things about me. 

(That's true. I can rarely discuss science with him because I can't. I guess one way not to show your flaws, i.e., slow reaction, is to shut my mouth)

During the ending of my graduation study (yes! during, because I was thinking of graduation since last April),
I was thinking of reviewing some of my old hand-writing diaries for following reasons:

a) My poor memories (or maybe it's a good thing, I usually don't remember the uncomfortable things) Thus, I don't remember many of details of the two important trips in my life.
the over-20-day trip in China during my college and the 2-week-backpacking trip after graduating from college (actually, not exactly "backpacking", we used luggages)
Of course, there are still some memorable trips, e.g., to CA with family, to Bali with family, to Japan for Sakura.
However, some has no records...

b) to review my adolescence (yes, I am pretty late)

emotion management

I feel so sorry that I had so many times of mental breakdown today.
My parents. I feel so angry that my mom keeps complaining the coldness in Taiwan but still reluctant to buy a heater, which is not expensive at all.
I am tired I don't understand their logic. They are willing to give me more money to let me spend them unreasonably but they don't want to spend very tidy amount of money to let themselves feel less uncomfortable.

Why being parents. I don't like this kind of attachment. I really hope they can take care of themselves.

I feel bad what I did to my lover. I feel so weak in front of him. I mean I could be stronger in front of my friends.
I don't like the feeling that I am so spoiled that accepting the notion that I like to be protected although this seems the truth.
practice not worry so much. But I am not worried.
I am just each time I saw the slides I recalled the embarrassment. Subconsciously I feel I killed all the barking people.
I have been vowed to become someone I would like to be. But being an actress on podium just never works.
I need to write down the comments (sentences ) for each slide or it never works.

Things about F1 status of international students in US

If you drop your program, then you need to leave in 2 weeks.
However, if you complete your program, you will be granted to stay in US for 2 months without any status.
This is the "grace period"

You could apply OPT at this time but the start date of OPT has to be before the end date of grace period.
OPT is a thing to let you extend your F1 status in order to work based on what you have learned in US. (So the job has to be related to your profession)
Once you got the OPT issued "and" EAD card received, you can work.
However, OPT is not something that allow you to stay at US without working.
You can only be unemployed for 3 months. After that, you has to leave (in ?? weeks) or the tricky way is you can find volunteer to work with your advisor (without pay) or some other institutes related to your profession, and ask them to write you a letter to show you work. Then you are not considered as unemployed.
Question: 3 month is accumulative or not? YES

When should we apply OPT? and How long for the application time.
It depends. My friend took 3 and half month to get the OPT issued.
You had better to apply that once you have confirmed the defense date.
But once the start date of OPT is passed and you still can't get your OPT issued and EAD card received.
So you can't work and the unemployment days start to count.

What I need to do tomorrow? Prepare the OPT forms and fill them out. I guess I need to submit them soon.

I understand many things are reasonable but somehow there are also some things that make no sense to me.