Steps by steps of flying from Hong Kong and transfer from SFO to other local destination in USA

 

1. Check in and ask the airline agent to print out both boarding passes

2. Confirms all checked baggage destination is not SFO, but your final destination. 

3. Enjoy a trip to SFO

4. Arrive US and go through "Custom & Passport Check"

5. Confirms the baggage claim conveyor number and go pick up the baggage

6. Don't exit to the ground transportation and look for "Exit For Connecting Flights"

7. Re-check(Drop) your baggage at the Connecting Baggage Desk

8. Go through the security check once again

9. Locate your gate and enjoy the rest of your domestic trip

台灣4日3夜台北宜蘭九份自助遊記

第一天(全天使用捷運)

第1站：中山紀念堂

中正紀念堂站5號出口。每天下午五時士兵交接及降旗典禮。

第2站：西門町

西門站西門步行區出口。

第3站：雙河夜市

大橋國小1號出口直行約100米轉右。是比較小規模的夜市。

第二天 (使用捷運、巴士及火車)

第1站：宜蘭頭城老街 (城頭蘭陽博物館- 逢星期三休息)

從圓山站乘搭國光客運的1877號巴士到頭城站。需時1小時，TWD120。

第2站：宜蘭火車站 (丟丟喑噹森林, 百果樹紅磚屋, 日式舊建築群, 幾米公園等)

從頭城站可乘搭火車到宜蘭車站。如乘搭的士，約TWD400。需時30分鐘。

第3站：九份老街

從宜蘭站乘搭火車到瑞芳站。需時1小時。火車間隔一小時一班，TWD100左右。到達瑞芳後，再轉乘警察局前方巴士站的巴士788、855、1062、965號 (TWD15)或的士(TWD200)到達九份老街。回程坐拉客的士由九份回台北車站，每位收費TWD200。

第4站：台北火車站大廳

沒有紐約或華盛頓火車站那麼雄偉，但也值得一遊。

第5站：士林夜市

士林站士林夜市出口，再步行約5分鐘。

第三天 (捷運及巴士)

第1站：故宮博物館

従士林站1號出口直走到正前方中正路乘搭公車300、304、815或紅30(低地板公車) 直達故宮博物館。

第二站：杭州小籠包

杭州南路本店：台北市杭州南路二段17-19號
電話：02-2393-1757

中正紀念堂5號出口，沿紀念堂周邊步行約10分鐘。小籠包約TWD200一籠。

第3站：點水樓(南京店)

從小巨蛋站4號出口出來，便能馬上看見點水樓在對面馬路。小籠包略嫌貴約500一籠。

南京店：台北市南京東路四段61號

電話：02-8712-6689

第4站：饒河街夜市

從松山站5號出口可直達夜市，傍邊是慈𧙗宮。晚上景色非常漂亮。比較雙河及市林夜市，食品種類繁多及集中。

第四天

中午機回程。

Tim

Do you need it? Or you just want it!

When the society has too much to offer, we tend to forget the difference between "need" & "want". 

We need food to survive; we do not want food to be wasted. Let's order less!

We need to communicate with the modern society with the latest gadgets; we do not need to have new model every year. Let's reduce the electronic waste!

We need to wear clothes for protection. We still can have fashions, but we do not need to change with every season. Let's reduce your wardrobe. 

We need to show love to kids for their birthday through presents. We do not want to have a full house of it. Instead of toys & gadgets, ask guests to bring books, stationeries, foods & beverages or be creative instead.

We want people to know. 

We do not need disposable chopstick. 

We do not need disposable plastic utensil.

We do not need plastic straw.

We do not need excessive wrapping.

We do not need that glass of water whenever we sit down in a restaurant.

...

Before buying or getting anything, asking yourself if this is something you need it for now; otherwise, wait until you really need it. Even you take it for granted, please take what you need only. 

Tim.Ho

iPhoneから送信

"Expiration"

It was once a dream. A house will be torn down but once treasured so much by its owners. I didn't know the person who live here. However, whenever I pass a demolition site, I have that strange feeling that the owner is watching from the top when the house is being destroyed. Soon it will be reborn to someone else dream. Everything has an expiration.

Tim.Ho

iPhoneから送信

Unloseable iPhone

I just found my lost phone the 4th time the other day. The 1st time I had lost in the shopping center and found it at the information center. The 2nd time I had left on the ATM machine and I found it the next day in the same spot. The 3rd time I had left in the restaurant cashier counter and I went back an hour ago, it was still there. No one customer even bother to take it and give it to the cashier. I had dropped mine today again inside City Hall and found it at the information desk 10 minutes later.


I glad that I live in Japan. No matter where you did you come from, after you came to this country, this country would change you.

那道番茄薯仔湯

昨天「品著」著那隔夜飯菜，想起了父親退休後每天下午的歲月。那道番茄薯仔湯，那道炒蘿蔔絲，那不只代表了父親不浪費食物的態度，還包括了父親的愛和付出，把最好的都留給我們。今天早上又看著那洗不完的衣服及打掃不完的房子，更回想起與父毋親及兄長們同一屋簷下的日子。只其望一天以已為人父母的兒子和女兒食著那隔夜飯菜會記起父母親和家人對他們的愛。


iPhoneから送信

爸爸不是這樣的人

昨天早上老婆與女兒的對話〜

女兒：爸爸今天休息，我不帶門匙了。

媽媽：不可以，爸爸可能外出不在家，你一定要自己帶門匙。

女兒：爸爸不是這樣的人，每次休息他都會到馬路邊接我放學的。

Personal electronic devices and accessories review and rating.

* Laptop- Two HP Compaq I bought years ago broke less than 1-2 years of regular usage. For reasonable pricing and long lasting life, I recommend Dell. Even the lower-end Inspiron 1501 I bought in the states, battery end-of-life is after 7 years of usage. Dell Latitude D520 severed as web served for the last 2 years and since then I never seem any major incidents. The other recommended brands include Toshiba, Lenovo and Acre.

* Webcam- No manufactures can beat Logitech's pricing and hung selection & variety. I am using c510, c525 & QuickCam and they are all in good condition. But balance it with quantity and bandwidth, I will say c525 is a very reasonable choice.

* Wifi asset point/ router- I used both best rating routers Buffalo and Linksys in the states. However, my first wireless route in Japan was Fonera Simpl plug in play wifi, which had afford-less setup process. After I gave that up to my in-law. I have used the PCI MZK-MF 150 since then. Not really satisfy for the 2/F signal those, but with my web server and 2 surveillance cameras running in the same time, It could still maintain little latency. I am satisfied with the outcome.

* From multiple purpose to inkjet, and photo to postcards printer, Epson is always the best choice. However, as a printer, the sunk ongoing cartridge cost is what matter most. Buy models which you can find inexpensive compatible ink online. Like I could have this icbk31, icc42, icm43 & icy42 compatible ink set for my Epson PX-V630(up to 5760×1440dpi) for less than 5 bucks from Rakuten Japan.

* External HDD- I use I•O Data HDPC U500K since day one when I came to Japan on 2007. It has a really nice round corners and compact streamline design. 500GB might seem little though compares with today's standard.

* USB Flash Memory- Price has dropped tremendously, but it doesn't mean you can pickup any brands that sell on the shelf. Go pick Buffalo, Kingston, Memore & Sandisk, you sure won't feel regret.

* Tablet- No complain for my Amazon Kindle Fire for ebook reading and wifi usage. The only issue it has is the select, copy & paste functions for text.

* Smartphone- iPhone4s & 5 are my first and second smartphones. I can't think of anything else.

* Mobile Phone- Japan mobile industry ahead of the world more than a decade before smartphone. Even before the born of iPhone, mobile phone in Japan already could watch tv, serve as train pass, shopping, browsing, emailing, messaging and more. Of course with the smartphone era, this technology advance has long gone. But picking one of the best mobile brand from it. I will pick Sharp.

* Charger Adapter- From Apple to any other devices, don't use anything else but the original charger/ charging adapter, you can tell the different right from the charging speed. That's why you have to pay 2000 yen compares with those 200 yen's one from Akihabara.

* Portable Charger- The best one I used so far is Sanyo Smart Energy LU02 (3.7V/ 4900mAh) from Softbank. It can charge two devices concurrently together with 2A in total. The charging speed won't disappoint you either. The price tag for this high quality device is 8000+ yen.

* Flat Panel Television- 3 years ago, landed my first flat panel tv in 27 inch Sanyo LCD 26SX300, then found out that it was too tiny compare with my 300 square feet living room. I am happy with quantity and price- 500,000 JPY, but next time when you buying your new tv, please compare the space of your living room beforehand.

* DVD Player- JVC always stand out for the multi-regions DVD player.

* Camera-My first digital camera had 8/16MB build-in memory, it could hold up to about 30 pictures. Then it used a cable to connect to the PC in order to transfer pictures. It was such a classic. My second camera was Canon PowerShot A95. A 5.0 megapixel camera with plenty of features. It was broken when I dropped it on the floor. If I can fix it, I will say this is the best camera to own. 5.0 megapixel is actually good enough for most regular home users. My latest camera is Casio Exilim, which is a family gift. Needless to say, it is an inexpensive camera. What can you ask for?

* Electronic Dictionary- My old Seiko SR series saved my first year of life In Japan. Then I broke it myself by directly sitting on the unit. Luckily, they fixed for me for 10,000 yen, and even better they upgraded my model to SR-G7000M and which I am still using until today. Seiko is sure the only electronic stationery you will ever need.

「有遺憾的一生，才是完美。」

媽，您與我又回到大家各自的生活。您走後，我們都沒有傷心，因為我們都期待著下一次的相會。

媽，對於孫兒女們對您所做出的不尊敬行為，身為父親的我非常抱歉。沒有好好地把孩兒女教導好，真的對不起。

媽，在我滿18歲已後，我已經沒有將您當作傳統的「母親」看待。因為中國傳統的母親是「養兒100歲，長休90年。」你與我的關係，又何只母子那麼簡單呢！請您多享受您自己生命，人生並不是為別人的擔憂已活著的。如果你是喜歡幫助別人的，請在自己有能力範圍內多幫忙一些有需要的社群。兒子20多年前開始已經不需要您擔心了。但如果又來生，我也希望能再成為您的兒子，享受著那怕只是二十年那比太陽更温暖的愛。

媽，現在我希望與您分享的是生命的喜怒哀樂。請記著：「有遺憾的一生，才是完美。」

兒子雖然並沒有在你身體陪伴著您。但掛念您的心並沒有一天停頓過。請保重！

Please go vegan clothing

reference: http://vegankit.com/wear

【請選購由尼龍，棉，丙烯酸，聚酯，竹，玉米纖維，膠瓶，有機帆布，麻，短纖維，木漿，柞絲綢，人​​造絲/纖維，細絲，馬利筋纖維，籽皮纖維，人造棉和仿衣料等所製成之衣服】Go vegan, buy clothes make from nylon, cotton, acrylic, polyester, bamboo, corn fiber, soda bottles, organic canvas, hemp, Tencel(lyocell), wood pulp, tussah, rayon(cellulose fiber), filaments, milkweed, seed-pod fibers, Cupra and faux & synthetic materials.

【請停止購買皮革】STOP buying LEATHER and SUEDE; instead buy alternative products that imitate leather such as pleather, synthetic leather, man-made leather, waxed-cotton, and imitation-leather.

【請停止購買絲綢、絹】STOP buying SILK, includes dupioni and shantung; instead buy materials and fabric that feel like and resemble silk such as polyester, nylon, rayon(cellulose fiber), tussah, filaments, milkweed, seed-pod fibers, tencel(wood pulp) and ligeo(corn).

【請停止購買羊毛】STOP buying LAINE/ WOOL products, such as angora, cashmere, pashmina, mohair, camel hair, and shearling; instead buy alternative wool materials such as polyester fleece, cotton flannel, acrylic, orlon, synthetic wool, synthetic fleece, and any other wool fabric preceded by "synthetic."

【請停止購買羽絨、羽毛】STOP buying DOWN and FEATHERS; instead buy substitutes for down, such as polyester fill, synthetic down, down-alternative, and hypo-allergenic synthetic down.

【請停止購買毛皮、皮草】STOP buying FUR and PELTS; instead buy faux fur, polyester, acrylic, or mod-acrylic.

沒有值得表揚的德育文化

還記得小學的一次開放日，每名小孩各獲發一張印上「德智體群美」的白卡紙。德，品德也〜智，智力也〜體，體能也〜群，群體也〜美，藝術也。只要集齊五個印章，就能拿到紀念品一份。

昨天和孩子們三囗子往松戶的祭典逛了一逛，一如往昔，開心的永遠是小孩子的童真。街道上夾雜著大大小小的歡笑聲，可能是學琴的關係，女兒喊著要看那邊廂的演奏。正停下來全神貫注欣賞那三人組大學生表演的時候，一位日本婆婆行近我旁，分咐我把手中握著的兩隻空水杯及數支串子，放入她的塑膠袋中。經她三番四次的游説，我「無奈地」把手中的的垃圾全放進袋中，還來不及連聲多謝的同時，她已急不及代去尋找她的垃圾，悄悄地消失於人海當中。不要誤以為她是清理垃圾的人員，她，只是和我一樣的參加者。

在這個公園沒有垃圾桶、祭典後地上不留一杯、一紙的國度，這事不值得表揚，這𥚃時平常事。

小時候那「德智體群美」的紀念品，原來已永留心中。

My other prospective of "Life is good"

Life is good when you giving up your seat to a senior on a train; not taking up a seat when you are dead tired. Life is good when you having enough to eat; not having enough to waste. Life is good when you chit-chating with me over dinner; not playing with your smartphone. Life is good when you spending weekend with kids; not watching your favorite sport. Life is good when you putting away your hatred, not planning for a revenge. Life is good when you picking up the most unpleasant appearance banana over the counter; not ransacking for the freshest one. Life is good when you can plant you own food; speak up your own mind; volunteer for the needer; give up driving for a day of two to public transit.

When you feel your life isn't good enough, please try to look outside the box!

Responsibility costs

4 hours, Saturday, 1500 yen to return the sharing area key back to the office. Responsibility do costs. However being dependable is priceless.

In my life

In my life, 

I have fallen, I haven't achieved,

I have failed, I have won ,

I have depressed, I have succeed, 

I have lost, l have lived,

I have earned, I have wasted,

I have shared, I have gained,

I have never regretted, because most of time, there are no way back.

First Three Beans Salad Ever

To participant for tomorrow barbecue at Showa Kinen Koen with my new coworker. I have made my life-time first three beans salad.

Recipe: 

1 15-oz can cannellini beans (白いんげん豆)

1 15-oz can kidney beans (赤インゲン豆)

1 12-oz can garbanzo beans or chickpea (ひよこ豆)

1 12-oz can marrowfat beans (マローファットピース) 

1 12-oz can or fresh green beans (青えんどう), chopped in about 5cm

2 celery stalks, chopped fine

1/2 red onion, chopped fine

1 cup fresh, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoons sugar

2 1/2  teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

In a salad bowl, rinsed, drained and mix all beans with celery, onion and parsley. Add sugar, vinegar, olive oil and pepper into bean mixture as dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Yield: Serves 5 to 10.

每日一字 〈𧢝"厲見"〉

每日一字 13.2.12

口: 新正頭，祝大家人有你有，唔做都有。

書: 新的一年，恭祝各位長做長有，早日退休。

每日一字 13.2.15

口: 以前爺爺係咁意𧢝"厲見"爸爸一眼咋，爸爸就好驚㗎嗱。

書: 往時只要爺爺怒目而視，爸爸便會很害怕。

每日一字 〈崛跣揜"扌戟"俶轆樖梳〉

每日一字 13.1.19

口: 一陣默書成數有幾多?

書: 一會兒默書成功的可能性有多少?

每日一字 13.1.20

口: 尐雪剛剛落個陣時呢都仲係軟綿綿嘅，但係如果尐天氣一路都係噉樣凍落去的話，過咗二，三日之後就會變成硬崛崛嘅冰塊，仲好易跣倒添。

書: 雪剛落下的時候，還是軟荏荏的，但是若果天氣持續寒冷，二，三天後便會變成硬摑摑的冰塊，還會非常容易滑倒。

每日一字 13.1.24

口: 凡事都要憑良心講，唔可以揜住良心講嘢。

書: 凡事都要憑著良心説，不可以瞞著良心説話。

每日一字 13.1.25

口: 尐玩具立亂放，一陣撠"扌戟"親點算!

書: 玩具亂槽槽的，一個不小心拌到怎麼辦!

每日一字 13.1.26

口: 爸爸老咗之後，無宜家行得咁快，你唔好俶一聲噉行咗去唔理爸爸就得嘞!

書: 爸爸老了之後，行動沒有現在那麼快，你不要一下就不見跡影就好了!

每日一字 13.1.28

口: 話就係咁話，外國嘅月亮係大尐，但估唔到擒晩個月亮係圓轆轆。

書: 話是這樣説，外國的月亮是相對比較大，昨晩的月亮更是圓溜溜。

每日一字 13.1.31

口: 叫你買樖菜，你就買梳蕉。

書: 吩咐你買一棵菜，你卻買一串香蕉。

Tim ホオ

Creamy celery vegan soup

First blended creamy celery potato onion soup. 100% vegan.

To respect because

To respect the old because one day you will get old.

To care the illness because one day you will get ill. 

To forgive the mistake because one day you will make mistake.

To give the young one a chance because once upon a time you were young.

To help someone in need because one day you will need help.

To love the children because once you were a child.

To accompany with the alone because one day you will be alone.

Vegan menu today

bin nameko golden needle mushroom 瓶裝金針菇

tofu tomato shimeji mushroom soup 靈芝菇番茄豆腐湯

I actually should use the straw mushroom for this soup, however it is very difficulty to find it in Japan!