Spring time & the Flower Power!

It was a very nice warm breezy day on Saturday. Hubby and I were in the mood for a walk around the city. We went to Union Square for Paragon Sports since he’s going to get me a swimming cap, goggle and the earplugs as he promised. ^_^
I have long forgotten about the farmers’ market which are usually there certain time of the year especially when the weather is nice. There’s always fresh local produce you can find with reasonable price.

And what attracted my attention?….no surprise….the FLOWERS! They were so fresh and beautiful!

I had hard time which one to pick. They were all so beautiful. Which one do you like? The hyacinth, tulip or the freesia?

Then, something caught my eyes….

Wow, even the dried one were so beautiful and colorful. And I figured… why not I buy these since it’s going to last longer, hehe

These dried chilies bouquets were so beautiful, I took a sniff, hooo… it’s hot! I almost bought it but then… I think these purple little flowers would look nicer in my living room.

Chilies wreath!

Some other interesting stuffs… homemade candles…

And hubby spotted something hilarious about this T-shirts stand… Can you see it?

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Hahaha, when are we gonna get over this? The Obamas have become the “American Idol”! Everywhere you go, at every corner of the streets, you’ll see their faces printed on something.

Just before we leave for lunch, ahh….more flowers…
Me: baby, can I get that hydrangea?
Hubby: Hmm, no place for that la…I’m hungry, come on, let’s go.
Me: -_-

The lunch at Cosi was great! Flatbread with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, and a house lemonade. Yummo!

Baby talk...

My little nephew, Chester, is growing up fast and I think he is just sooo CUTE! Most babies are cute but of course, most people have stronger affection with those who have blood ties or related to them (needless to say all parents think their child is the cutest in the world)…
And maybe for that reason, I just cannot stop giving him BIG smooches. I also think he looks a little like hubby (one of my friend said he looks exactly like hubby *o*). Well, looking at Chester does makes me want to have a baby of my own, hehehehe. Muack!
Newborn Chester @12 hours old (at the Beth Israel Medical Center)

Chester @ 2 weeks (at my sister in-law's home in Staten Island)

Me & Chester @ 2 months -making funny faces (doesn't he looks like Popeye here? :P)

Hubby & Chester @ 5+ months ("uncle can't stop smooching me")

The journey of a great grandfather...

Evergreen Cemetery in Brooklyn

This past Sunday I went to the cemetery in Brooklyn with my hubby and my parents in-law to pray and pay respect to my husband’s great grandfather. For the Chinese, Qing Ming (or Cheng Beng-as known in Malaysia) is a day to remember and honor our ancestors at the cemetery. I just learned that there are some different names for this day:
o All Souls Day
o Clear Brightness Festival
o Festival for Tending Graves
o Grave Sweeping Day
o Chinese Memorial Day
o Tomb Sweeping Day
o Spring Remembrance

His great grandfather came to New York in the early 1900’s and own a laundromat but he passed away before he can get his family over to NY. According to my mother in-law, he travelled home to China a few times, by ship! And it took him more than a month to get there and he would usually bring a big container with him filled with things for his family, like those we saw in the “Wong Fei Hong” movie I guess. Gosh, I cannot imagine how that was like....It scares me when I think about the 24+ hours flight from New York to Kuala Lumpur. For him was like MORE than 30 days! On a ship! I really respect the courage of the people in the old days and their diligence. Hey, now, compare to great grandfather...the long flight home doesn’t sounds that scary after all...

Volunteerism

Since I have more time now, I decided to go back to be a volunteer for the same hospital I used to volunteer for. This time I decided to help in the nursing department as well instead of the other program. As a nurse , I always enjoy the part where I can listen to the patient and talk to them, give them extra blanket, fill up their water pitcher or any little things like that to make them feel comfortable and relieve some of their frustrations of having to stay in the hospital. However, these are nice things that most nurses wanted to do so much but cannot get to do because of limited time and to prioritize, we are actually not encouraged to spend time on that since we have tons of other important things to be done for the patients and for the record of the hospital as well (you'll know what I mean if you are a nurse). Besides, those are the jobs that really should be done by the nurses aides or nurse techs instead of the registered nurse, ideally.

Today, it's my first day going back to this hospital and my job as a volunteer is to fill up their water pitcher in the morning, help the nurses to prepare the ice packs, get the medicine cart organized, set up the admission kits for the empty beds and push a coffee cart to every room during afternoon to offer patients and families some refreshments(sort of like the flight attendants!). Fun!

It's a new kind of experience...not stressful like the nursing job but get a lot of smiles and appreciation...and one thing I found most rewarding today, I walked into a room and saw one of my favorite very famous Hollywood actor!!! I was surprise at the beginning and wasn't sure I am seeing what I'm seeing, so I take another glance, in order not to make him feel uncomfortable, I talked to him just like I do to other patients.Smiling while introducing myself to him, and get his water pitcher. No, I was really cool and calm…because this is a hospital, guys. Oh and if you are still waiting for me to tell you who’s that, sorry I can’t. I mean if you’re in healthcare, you’ll hear about the HIPPA law (pertaining to US only) which you have to keep the patient’s privacy. So, zip!

I mean I’ve seen some of the Hollywood stars at the restaurant where I used to work when I was a student, but that’s different, because this one I like and he's really FAMOUS! and most importantly, people doesn't want other to know if they're in the hospital, correct?
Those I seen before in the restaurant I can mention…well, I saw Hillary Swank, Hillary Duff, Tobey Maguire (yes! Spiderman! I’ve seen him twice) I even got his signature down… on the credit card receipt, LOL. I even saw some I don’t remember…oh and also Ang Lee who would usually booked a whole section of the restaurant.

Anyway, back to the volunteering at the hospital, overall, it is rewarding…even though I don’t get paid, other than the lunch, I love being there for the people and I also get to observe how things are different from other hospital. I am also looking forward to meet more people and hopefully with my present, I can make their day a little easier. This is a great hospital, oh and for the privacy reason still, let’s not mentions the hospital name also, tips: as you can see from the 1st picture, it overlooks the East river of NYC. *wink

Quotes for volunteers: "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."- Winston Churchill.

"The gift of time is priceless."- Unknown

The New Blogger on the Block!

I've been contemplating about having my own website for a long time...for years I mean. I enjoy reading my friends' postings but I do not know where to find time to write my own. After a few pushes from some of my good friends : ) (you know who you are) included my husband, I think to myself "yeah they're right, it's probably time to start writing. Sitting in my cozy living room, the best place to relax, to think, to read, to write and to share my thoughts and observations in life... Now, here's the 1st step of my journey into blogging...

"The Journey of A Thousand Miles Begin with One Step"