001aa – About

About

Hi, My Name 馬 is Kwan Ma  盧  群

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kwanma.wordpress.com ‘s tinyurl is http://tinyurl.com/kw4nm4

my website is at   http://kwanma.freeoda.com

my husband’s website is at   http://chiuma.tripod.com

my husband’s blog is at   http://chiuma.wordpress.com

((I use search-engines google and clusty))

blogger blogspot is  http://kwanma123.blogspot.com

http://photobucket.com/kwanma

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When I lived in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan I had a brief stint working at a clothing manufacturer.  CanaDay’s Apparel (115 Coronation Dr, the street almost sounds like the one on the UK soap opera!) is one of the main factories there.  They did not mind employing visible minorities.  My time there was shortened as I chose to become what they call “soccer moms”. The only thing was, my children were not part of organized sports nor were they very athletic.  Come to think of it, I do not believe there were any soccer leagues for children in their “day”.

I tried to study English from the popular national blue workbook, I can’t recall the title, but it was the one with the characters “Mr. & Mrs. Baker”.  It was quite difficult to grasp as I found the content very advanced for newcomers trying to learn English as a second language.  My teacher was a wonderful patient lady who never became frustrated at our inability to pick up the exercises.  Her name was Mrs. Paulette. (If anyone knows Mrs. Paulette’s first name, will you please leave me a comment below? )

leave a comment here

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001ao

001ao – What I had for dimsum in 2002
I do not eat out much, because I am always watching my pennies. This is what I had in 2002 at the restaurant at Pacific Place (formerly Franklin Centre/ Franklin Mall) Shopping Centre in Calgary. It is closest to Marlborough train Station and is diagonally located to the Marlborough shopping centre.

The restaurant is called Forbidden City restaurant (at 999 – 36 St NE). (unicode UTF-8) 世紀 龍廷
We, a party of two, sat at table 14.
item#2 鴛鴦蒸蝦餃 帶子餃 loosely translated as a pair of steamed shrimp dumplings and steamed scallop dumplings. (price back then: under 5 dollars);
item#19 魚翅 灌湯餃 fish fin soup dumplings (under 6 dollars);
item#83 生煎 第一 雞飽 pan-fried chicken bun/roll (under 5 dollars);
item#121 煎上海鍋貼 (小) pan-fried Shanghai dumplings (small) (under 5 dollars).
As I do not go to many restaurants I cannot criticize the food, but I thought it was very good. It is fun to go out occasionally.
Total cost before taxes: under 20 dollars.
–prev hit3826

001an – Kwan Gets Diamond

001an – Kwan gets diamond

here is a short slideshow type video showing some more gameplay in Colcecovision Mr.Do.

This shows Kwan getting a diamond, in Colecovision Mr.Do video game.

The game play has been stretched out in order to prolong exposure to the diamond sound and image. Hee!

http://s684.photobucket.com/albums/vv201/kwanma-pb/aa001/?action=view&current=kwan-gets-diamond1p.mp4

alt link (Tuesday, 12 July 2011) is http://kwanma123.blogspot.com/2011/07/kwan-gets-diamond.html

001am – Final Episode of Three’s Company

Final Episode of Three’s Company
I’m talking about the long running series TV sit-com Three’s Company, starring John Ritter as Jack Tripper. Other actors are: Joyce Dewitt, Suzanne Sommers, Norman Fell, etc… I really thought the show writers would have the last episode contain a storyline where Jack would pair up with Janet and get engaged/married etc. Janet ended up engaged to some stranger, some funny looking guy who never appeared on the show before. I was so disappointed. Incredible! Funny though, I could not imagine Jack ending up with Chrissy or Nurse Alden or Cindy. The ending of the show was so sad, even though it is only fiction. Goodbyes are always sad.
Kwan

001al – old newspaper clippings august 1996

001al – old newspaper clippings august 1996

another “blast from the past”

19960803-chineseNews-11a.jpg ie page 11

19960803-chineseNews-12a.jpg ie page 12

001ak – Our Pediatrician

Our Pediatrician

Prescription written by Dr. I. B. Joven

Here is a prescription written by our late pediatrician, Dr. I. B. Joven. (circa-1975-best guess).

- -

PEDIATRICS Vol. 45 No. 6 June 1970, pp. 1045
Whose Trudeau Now?
I. B. Joven M.D.

* http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/45/6/1045.pdf

** http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/45/6/1045

 - -

She was one fantastic doctor! Her bedside manner was fabulous.

Sadly, she met her terrible demise in a house fire.

a http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73928

b http://www.unsolvedcanada.ca/index.php/topic,12.0.html

c http://www.unsolvedcanada.ca/index.php?topic=2107.0

d http://boards.aetv.com/topic/Have-Any-Cases/1976-Murder-In/700011257

001aj – some memories of Colecovision: Mr. Do!

some memories of Colecovison: Mr. Do!

This is another game from the 80s.  Mr. Do! is like a cross between Dig-Dug and Pac-man.

on youtube.com is a nice concise review of this.  Video Masters TV- Video Review- Mr. Do! for Colecovision: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvXAHj5KxxQ

on youtube.com is another more lengthy review: CLASSIC GAMES REVISITED – Mr. Do! (ColecoVision) Review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwiydaaEtY4

These screenshots come from the above videos.

Mr. Do! cartridge

The main strategy to playing a long game in colecovision is to find/make a sweet spot where you are directly over an apple and simultaneously next to an apple which is partway pushed out. The other condition is you must have created this scenario by digging a vertical tunnel.  The monsters will follow your path/tunnel and at the same time you will be protected by the protruding apple.  The monsters cannot eat through the apple and they cannot pass through or around the apple.  When you are ready you can squish many (sometimes all) of the monsters by pushing the apple on top of them!

Spelling EXTRA gives you a free life and ends the current round.  Two factors will trigger the release of one the “letters”: 1)  the score.  2) if you get the treat in the middle of the screen.

Sometimes there is a DIAMOND in the apples.  Break each one to find it.  A diamond will advance you to the next level.

Watch out for the blue crocodiles!

other links:

  http://www.consoleclassix.com/colecovision/mr_do.html
  http://www.mobygames.com/game/colecovision/mr-do
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Do!

001ai – some memories of Colecovison: Ladybug

some memories of Colecovison: Ladybug

I played this in the 1980s.  Here is Dommie’s “CLASSIC GAMES REVISITED – LadyBug (ColecoVision) Review” of the Colecovision port on Youtube.com.  The direct link is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B147wGBkxLA

These screenshots below are directly taken from Dommie’s Youtube video review above.

The start screen pictured here appears at the beginning of each maze.  The “prize” elements are the food item and the letters.  This particular screen offers R, I and A for this maze. The heart icons are score multipliers.  These elements change colour.  For instance, if you need a yellow E, you must wait until the colour is yellow.  This will apply to getting you one step closer to spelling EXTRA, where you get an extra ladybug (“life”) and you move on to the next level.  If you hit it on red, the E goes toward spelling SPECIAL.  This will finish your current level, and send you to a bonus vegetable filled level.   If you hit a letter item on blue, you wasted the letter.  You must hit the heart items on blue to get the score multiplication boost.  If you hit it on yellow or red, again you have wasted an nice opportunity.  Those white elements, aren’t really prizes as all. They aren’t very tasty, not one bit. They give the same effect to both the ladybug and the opponent bugs.

One of the most significant things of this game is the background MUSIC and SOUND effects! I highly recommend trying any port of Ladybug if you can’t get your hands on a ColecoVision version.

ladybug colecovision cartridge

first screen

select game option

other links:

 http://www.consoleclassix.com/colecovision/lady_bug.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Bug_(arcade_game)
 http://www.mobygames.com/game/colecovision/lady-bug

001ah – 廣 東 省 台 山 縣

001ah – 廣 東 省 台 山 縣

馬 門 盧 氏 之 墓

(Thanks to Mr. Tap Quan of Moose Jaw for providing the initial Chinese calligraphy. My son finished matching the remaining calligraphy art by hand. The “professionals” in Calgary could not live up to their promise  to complete it.)

001ag – Kwan TNT Interview

001ag – Kwan TNT Interview

Name: Kwan Ma

Position: Seamstress

Q  How did you get into sewing?

. Like many, we made and repaired our own clothing at home out of necessity.  Later this skill became handy when looking for work.  I heard of a sewing plant in Hong Kong and applied for the job.

Q  What did you study in school?

. I was enrolled in education on and off, when it was affordable.

Q  Name your strengths.

. Persistence. Penny-pinching. Frugal to a fault.

Q  Name your weaknesses.

. Often I am indecisive.

Q  What is your best character trait?

. helping others.

Q  What character trait do you like in others?

. sense of humour.

Q  Tell us about a favourite memory.

. As little girls, we climbed trees to get at lychee fruit.  It was like getting free candy.

As an adult, I purchased a black leather handbag with with bronze clasps and a textured exterior.  It wasn’t too expensive, but it was one of my favourite things.

Q  What was the worst thing that happened to you?

. When I was little, I got my finger caught in live crab pincers.  As an adult, in the 1980′s the worst thing was getting hepatitis through a blood transfusion.

Q  What is your nickname?

. I don’t have a nickname.

Q  Who is a sports hero?

. You are asking the wrong question, sorry.

Q  What sport do you enjoy?

. Occasionally, I would purchase tickets to a football game (North Americans call it Soccer,) and I would go with my mother.

Q  Your childhood dream job?

. A princess.  What girl doesn’t want to be a princess?

Q  What is something we wouldn’t guess about you?

. I choose restaurants based on the view, that is, how pleasant the view looking out the window is.  I have a compulsion with encryption.  None of my friends nor family know but I am quite fixated by it.  I have developed my own written cypher.

Q  What is your life philosophy?

. Work hard. Raise my children the best I can.

Q  What is your hobby?

. I collect stamps; I collect newspaper clippings: health, recipes, fortune-telling articles.

Q  What would you eat for your last meal?

. Lotus root with pork broth soup.  Straw mushrooms with vegetables and mungbean vermicelli.  Pan fried tiger prawns with snow peas.

Q  dream car?

. I’m not choosy.  Something small like a Pontiac Sunbird.

Q  Where would you like to travel?

. I would like to see China and Hong Kong again.  I last went there in 1987

Q  Who is your favorite music artist?

. I like the older music, songs in the style of Tony Orlando.

Q  What is your favourite video game?
. I play with my kids’ colecovision.  My two favourites are “Ladybug” and “Mr. Do“.  Once you get the game’s playing pattern down, you can learn of the “safe-spots” to wait.  I can last quite long in either of these games.

Q  What is a movie that you liked?

. Disney movies like The Aristocats or Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

Q  What kind of TV shows do you watch?

. I watched Dallas for a while and I got pretty caught up in it.  The problem was it was only on once a week.  After that ended I began watching the daily soaps.  I watched the Young and the Restless for a long time.

Q  What is a hidden talent of yours?

.  Did I mention that I can make my own clothes?  On an unrelated note, like most Chinese ladies in the community, I plant a vegetable garden.  It keeps me busy.  It keeps the food costs down, & we get bragging rights on the produce that we harvest and share.

Q  How does Kwan take her coffee?

. For the one or two times a year that I drink coffee: one cream and one sugar.

Q  Pick a super power.

. Super-hearing.

Q  You are stranded on a deserted island, what 2 things would you want with you?

. A tent and gardening utensils.

Q  I’m buying. Pick your poison.

. Red wine or Johnny Walker Red Label.

Q  Name a book you enjoyed.

. A book on health or a cookbook.  Either would have to be written in Chinese though.

Q  What do you have for breakfast?

. Bread with jam or honey.  A glass of warm milk.

Q  If you could time travel for 24 hours where would you go?

. I would spend a day visiting friends in Hong Kong in the 1970s.

Q  What is your personal vice?

. The bakery: Egg tarts; Steamed red bean paste buns.

Word Association

Q  airplane

. travel

Q  school

. boring

Q  hot

. fan

Q  orange

. apple

Q  practice

. hard work

Q  workers

. friendly

Q  hero

. Trudeau

001af – my last letter

001af – my last letter

This looks like it will be my last letter.  It was sent January 2009.  It is a credit card application;  Commercial “spam”.  Let us see if in the future I will get a real letter.

a .  b .