10th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks

Ten days before Sep. 11, 2001, I stood on the roof of the WTC (World Trade Center) to enjoy the view with my ex-boyfriend.

Everybody was talking together and stood in front of computer while I walked into the office in USDA, Beltsville, MD, USA in the morning of Sep. 11, 2001. I could see shocking, scare and confusion on their face. Then everybody was asked to go home because USDA is federal building which makes it a possible target of terrorist attack.

I couldn't do anything except watching TV news again and again with tears whole day in that day. My friend works in the USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) told me that he saw the thick smoke from the Pentagon in his office before he was asked to go home.

I will go back there one day in the future to memorize those people who died in that day and hope their family and friends will find enough peace to themselves. The most important is that I want to see its rebirth.

9/11 Anniversary (by NY Daily News)
Share Your Story: The September 11th Memory Wall
Rebirth



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Taiwanese Mung Bean Cake

Next Monday (Sep 12, 2011) is Moon Festival Holiday. Taiwanese Mung Bean Cake (綠豆椪，綠豆凸) is one of my favorite desert for this holiday. I am not sure why I wanted to eat desert so much today, but I was thinking about Chocolate Bavarian Cheesecake originally. Anyway it ends up making Taiwanese Mung Bean Cake. Here is the recipe and how we made it. It is pure vegetarian style using extra virgin olive oil to replace lard (pork fat) and butter. I add much less sugar because I don't like super sweet desert.

(1) Prepare vegetarian mung bean filling (素綠豆餡)
375g washed Mung bean (with skin, 帶殼綠豆) + 750g water in inner pot (內鍋)
-> Soak 2 hours (浸泡 2 小時)
-> Add 1 cup water in cooker (外鍋) to steam ~20 min, then keep warm in pot another 20 min
-> Mash them and cook with low power fire 2-3 min to dry a little bit (搗成泥狀，小火加熱 2-3 分鐘使湯汁略收乾)
-> Continue cook with low power fire while adding 35g extra virgin olive oil and 130g brown sugar (拌入橄欖油及糖) until it can form a ball by hand
-> Cool down and make 30g ball each. Freeze the left over for next time.

(2) Prepare oil skin (油皮) (prepare with bread maker)
76g warm water + 150g All-purpose flour + 10g sugar + 38g extra virgin olive oil (add by this order)
-> Knead about 10 min
-> Cover with plastic wrap and rest 30-40 min @ room temperature
-> Separate to 22 balls (~12g each)

(3) Prepare pasty (油酥)
200g All-purpose flour + 70g extra virgin olive oil
-> Knead gently
-> Cover with plastic wrap and rest 30-40 min @ fridge
-> Separate to 22 balls (~12g each)

(4)Prepare oil-skin pasty dough (油皮油酥麵團)
Use rolling pin to flat oil skin (桿麵棍將油皮桿平)
-> Wrap pasty (油酥) in, flat it to elliptical shape with rolling pin, roll it up, cover with plastic wrap and rest for 15 min (將油酥包入油皮，將包好的麵團稍微壓一下橄成橢圓形薄片，光滑面在下，由短向捲起，收口朝下，蓋上保鮮膜讓麵團休息15分鐘)
-> Flat it with rolling pin again, roll up to short rod-shape, cover with plastic wrap and rest for 15 min. This is the oil-skin pasty dough(將休息好的麵團橄成長形後翻面，由短向捲起，蓋上保鮮膜讓麵團休息15分鐘)
-> Use thumb to push the middle of this dough down and push two ends toward middle, then push this dough flat (休息完成的油皮油酥麵團收口朝上，用大姆指從中間壓下，2端往中間折起捏一下，將麵團壓扁)
-> Flat the dough with rolling pin and put ~30g filling in middle(將麵團橄成直徑約10-12cm 圓形薄片，光滑面在外，中間放上適當內餡)
-> Wrap and seal it, then put it upside down (利用虎口將麵團收口朝內捏緊，成為一個圓形即可，收口朝下)
-> 170 oC 10 min, then 150 oC 15 min (or 165-185 oC 15-20 min or 160 oC 30 min)

Links:
月餅食譜作法(綠豆椪小月餅製作方法)
祝大家中秋節快樂! 綠豆沙餅(可素食)
純素綠豆掽
素綠豆椪自己做

綠豆沙餡
綠豆餡
簡易【綠豆沙餡DIY】 (with dairy product)

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Something to replace discontinued Google Dictionary

I am still not happy that Google stopped Google Dictionary on Aug 5, 2011 suddenly. Google translate sucks. It is nonsense to do whole web search just for the definition(s) of a word.

If I just need to use English to write English stuff, then it is fine to use "define" web search. Unfortunately I need to write and read things between different languages, then an English <> multi-language dictionary is necessary. I have stopped my proposal writing since Aug 6, 2011 because I have trouble to translate those information and terms from English and Japanese papers to Traditional Chinese and vice versa now.

I need a good online dictionary which can keep updating the definition and example sentences of many words. I don't think Google will bring Google Dictionary back, so I am trying something new. Dictionary Blend and http://dictionary.easisee.com/ are on my list.

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Some links:

Google closes its Dictionary site, wants you to "search" for definitions instead

Google Dictionary and service for a variety of online dictionaries

Why is google dictionary no longer available?
(Note) This is Google's official site. I don't think that Google has intention to solve or fix the problem. Anyway it is useless and improper to say any bad word toward anyone.

EASISEE Dictionary
(Note)I don't know who created this, but I think this might be a possible good one. More detail information is on Google's Unofficial Dictionary API. I will need to try more word search to see if it works well. It is quite similar to old google dictionary. It gives translation, example sentences and links to more information. Its interface is very simple and clean.

No More Standalone Google Dictionary

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