SHORT ENTRY, SHORT ISLAND, SHORT VISIT, NOT SO SHORT SUBMARINE, SHORT OF WORDS. (Definitions below)

SHORT ENTRY – I enjoy writing my blog, jotting dowm my daily adventures and sharing all the juicy details of my journey. However, creative juices run out sometimes, and I need to rest my brain before it dries out and flake.

SHORT ISLAND – I visited the Roosevelt Island, a short 147 acre island in between Manhattan and Queens, in the middle of the East River. There is a tram shuttle that a feed on metrocards (so remember to bring yours if you come) connecting the Upper East Side with the Island. On top of the river, buildings of Weill Cornell Medical Center can be easily spotted, but the particular one I’m working at is nowhere to be seen. There’s nothing much on the island, mostly residential and a big hospital. They say this place was once a mental asylum, maybe that explains why it is so deserted.

SHORT VISIT – My homestay aunt, Hui-Qi SG, has a really close friend who is also a Tzu Chi volunteer, Qiu-Ju SG. She is a happy-go-lucky kind of person and despite having a really challenging life, she can laugh and be cheerful all year round. We visited her (to give her some stuff), and got to know her young grand-daughter who is in second grade. Qiu-Ju SG came to the States with her husband 30 years ago to earn a living for her 3 children she left in Taiwan. But, only after a short year since their immigration, her husband went ill with cancer and had to go back for treatment. SG then stayed back to earn more money alone here. The husband died shortly after, and her three children grew up beautifully. Unfortunately, her daughter then got married to a bad boy who then got imprisoned, causing her daughter to kill herself. She was left with the young daughter of theirs. SG has always been living from hand to mouth, but because of her sincerity and kindness towards others, she often donate money and time (more than she can afford) to help the needy. Knowing her stories from her past, I was heartbroken but seeing her positive attitude towards life, inspired me a lot.

NOT SO SHORT SUBMARINE – Homestay uncle decided to rest his kitchen today and we all went out to Subway for a sandwich. I had the foot-long Veggie Delite with chips and soda, which was very satisfying.

SHORT OF WORDS – I realized how my poise and vocabulary kept repeating itself all over again. I guess I have to read more, so that I don’t cage myself with a particular style (that would be every writer’s nightmare)