Tea Bags and Tea Storage

Tea bags from wikipedia

Tea Bags

In 1907, American tea merchant Thomas Sullivan began distributing tea samples in small bags of Chinese silk with a drawstring. Consumers noticed that they could simply leave the tea in the bag, and better still re-use it with fresh tea. 

Pyramid tea bags

Pyramid tea bag

..introduced by Lipton and PG Tips in 1996. its three-dimensional tetrahedron shape allows more room for tea leaves to expand while steeping. However, some types have been criticized as being un-environmental- friendly, since their synthetic material is not degradable in landfills.

are teabags safe to be used? read about bleached (chlorine-whitened) teabags here and here.

Storage

Tea has a shelf life that varies with storage conditions and type of tea. Tea stays freshest when stored in a dry, cool, dark place in an air-tight container. Storage life for all types of tea can be extended by using desiccant packets or oxygen absorbing packets, and by vacuum sealing. Improperly stored tea may lose flavor, acquire disagreeable flavors or odors from other foods, or become moldy.

Black tea has a longer shelf life than green tea. 

Black tea stored in a bag inside a sealed opaque canister may keep for two years. 

Green tea loses its freshness more quickly, usually in less than a year. When storing green tea, discreet use of refrigeration or freezing is recommended. In particular, drinkers need to take precautions against temperature variation.

Some teas such as flower tea may go bad in a month or so. 

An exception, Pu-erh tea improves with age. 

Gunpowder tea, its leaves being tightly rolled, keeps longer than the more open-leafed Chun Mee tea. 

Milk Tea

from wikipedia: Adding milk to tea

Tea is sometimes taken with milk

The addition of milk to tea was first mentioned in 1680 by the epistolistMadame de Sévigné. Many teas are traditionally drunk with milk. These include Indian masala chai, and British tea blends. These teas tend to be very hearty varieties which can be tasted through the milk, such as Assams, or the East Friesian blend. Milk is thought to neutralize remaining tannins and reduce acidity. 

The Chinese do not usually drink milk with tea. but the Manchurians do, and the elite of the Manchu Dynasty continued to do so. Hong Kong-style milk tea is based on British colonial habits.

The order of steps in preparing a cup of tea is a much-debated topic. Some say that it is preferable to add the milk before the tea, as the high temperature of freshly brewed tea can denature the proteins found in fresh milk, similar to the change in taste of UHT milk, resulting in an inferior tasting beverage.

Others insist that it is better to add the milk after brewing the tea, as most teas need to be brewed as close to boiling as possible. The addition of milk chills the beverage during the crucial brewing phase, meaning that the delicate flavor of a good tea cannot be fully appreciated. By adding the milk afterwards, it is easier to dissolve sugar in the tea and also to ensure that the desired amount of milk is added, as the color of the tea can be observed.

A 2007 study published in the European Heart Journal found that certain beneficial effects of tea may be lost through the addition of milk.

Tea Classification and Varieties

Tea Classification 

Tea is traditionally classified based on the techniques with which it's produced and processed. 

White tea: Unwilted and unoxidized

Yellow tea: Unwilted and unoxidized but allowed to yellow

Green tea: Wilted and unoxidized

Oolong: Wilted, bruised, and partially oxidized

Black tea: Wilted, sometimes crushed, and fully oxidized 

Post-fermented tea: Green Tea that has been allowed to ferment/compost

Varieties

Green tea

White tea

Black tea (some call it 'red tea') 

Oolong tea

Pu-erh tea

Flower tea

Yellow tea

Pressed tea

Quick tea

Medicinal tea

Kuding tea

Chrysanthemum tea

(from wikipedia)

History of Tea

Tea was first discovered by the Chinese Emperor Shennong in 2737 BC. It is said that the emperor liked his drinking water boiled before he drank it, so it would be clean.  

One day, on a trip to a distant region, he and his army stopped to rest. A servant began boiling water for him to drink, and a dead leaf from the wild tea bush fell into the water. It turned a brownish color, but it was unnoticed and presented to the emperor anyway. 

The emperor drank it and found it very refreshing, and cha (tea) was born. 

The Origin of the word "Cha" (Tea) 

During the Han Dynasty, the word 'tu' took on a new pronunciation, 'cha', in addition to its old pronunciation 'tu'.

The phoneme 'tu' (荼) later developed into 'te' in the Fujian dialect, and later 'tea', 'te'.

The first use of the word Cha instead of 'tu' for tea was in Lu Yu's Cha Jing, The Classic of Tea (Cha Jing 茶經) of 760 AD.

The Han Dynasty used tea as medicine. The use of tea as a beverage drunk for pleasure on social occasions dates from the Tang Dynasty or earlier.

Tea leaves were processed into compressed cakes form (brick-tea) , which was ground in a stone mortar. Hot water was added to the powdered teacake, or the powdered teacake was boiled in earthenware kettles then consumed as a hot beverage.

A form of compressed tea referred to as white tea was being produced as far back as the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.). This special white tea of Tang was picked in early spring, when the tea bushes had abundant growths which resembled silver needles. These "first flushes" were used as the raw material to make the compressed tea.

from the wikipedia

compass 指南针

on Monday, we took Crystal and Angie to play at a nearby park. At a toy store, Crystal saw a thing and asked: what's this?

Daddy: it's compass, for telling direction. (*to mommy*) buy one for her.  (it's only ￥1.5 =US$0.2!) 

the white needle is pointing north. the red needle is pointing south. in chinese, compass is called zhi-nan-zhen 指南针.

zhi = pointing，nan = south，zhen = needle

note !

The compass' tips are usually marked with either red or black tips. One of these will be north, and the other south, and it is a good idea to test the compass out on which tip is north. A way of testing this is finding out the general north or south direction of where you are, then using the compass to align to one of these directions to see which point is which.

since we had ever introduced directions to Crystal, 

after telling and showing her how, she immediately could use it 

to point to the south, north, east and west.

(*mama was happy for it*)

the other day, her daddy asked: "why during winter, the wild geese fly from the north to the southeast?" 

crystal made a wild guess: "bcoz it's cold in the north." 

we couldnt help laughing; surely it's a correct answer. hahaha!!! 

一天在外面玩要回家时，

妈妈给晶晶和齐齐各买了个玩具眼镜。

晶晶看到了个东西，问道：这是什么？ 

爸爸说：这是指南针。用来指方向的。

爸爸对妈妈说：给她买一个玩吧。

好便宜哦 .. 就 1.5元 !

在家门口带晶晶玩了一会新买的指南针。

到家观察一下，红色的针向南。

（有些是红色或黑色的针，有些向南，有些向北,

最好确定一下那个颜色的针是向北向南）

把指南针调一下，方向对上就行了。

没想到一会晶晶就会用来指出东南西北。

妈妈心理好开心！ 

改天幼儿园的本子里说到小雁向东南飞。

爸爸问晶晶：为什么秋天小雁从北边往东南飞？

晶晶蒙的说：因为在北边冷。

蒙对了.. 爸爸妈妈都笑起来 .. 呵呵！

2.5 yrs old toddler got severe injured by chopstick

according to his father, they train the 2.5 years old boy to use chopstik to eat since he would go to kindergarten soon. while his parents were still having dinner, he was playing around with the chopstick, and fell from toddler-bike. 12 cm of the chopstick thrusted from his left nostril into his brain.  

the kid was rushed into Anhui provincial hospital, then transfered to Shanghai Xinhua Hospital for emergency treatment. the chopstick had injured little part of his brain, fortunately, it didn't break the vein. after 90 minutes emergency treatment, the boy was in stable condition. 

mostly in kindergarten, the kids eat using spoon.

it's not necessary at all to train a kid to use chopstick so early. 

to all parents, 

be careful,  not to let your toddlers playing around with chopstick, pen, pencil, or any similar things. 

safety first, please! 

this case makes me learn and try as much to be more alert when Angie is playing around the house. 

video

pictures 

3.5 magnitude earthquake in east hefei

last nite on 22.22, there was a 3.5 magnitude earthquake 

in east-hefei district (fei dong 肥东县).

many apartment owners could feel it, 

bursted out from their apartments. 

including my husband's big brother family,

they live in the 6th floor. 

they said that their windows were shaking. 

this is the 2nd nite they 'moved' back, after the winter is over. 

Smarty got afraid bcoz of the earthquake.

so finally they slept at our house last nite. 

but we (and our neighbor either) didn't feel anything at all. 

before sleeping, my husband said, if it happened again, 

he would carry Crystal, and i carry Angie, we would run to the toilet. 

it would be the safest place if there weren't enough time to run. 

menang tarohan

Habis menang tarohan dengan suami.

menghabiskan 5 mangkok bubur dalam 20 menit.

Tarohannya: suamiku yang pemalas 

kudu bangun jam 7.30 pagi, 

tiap hari sabtu dan minggu selama 4 minggu berturutan.

akibatnya waktu ajak anak2 main di taman, 

kebelet ke WC 2 kali. 

playing straw in the village 在老家玩稻草

shopping

kamu tipe yang mana kalo ke supermarket?

STRICT n THRIFTY 

bawa list belanja

mengunjungi rak bersangkutan

belanja sesuai list

lihat-lihat sebentar, bayar, pulang.

hemat waktunya, hemat duitnya.

FLEKSIBEL TERKENDALI

bawa list belanja

mengunjungi rak bersangkutan, sambil lihat2 barang lain

belanja sesuai list + beberapa item tambahan yang dirasa perlu

bayar, pulang 

DISCOUNT MINDED

udah lihat brosur dulu sebelumnya, khususnya nyari item special price

mengunjungi rak demi rak, sambil nyari2 label "special price" 

kalo perlu (pakai kalkulator hp) buat ngitung beli ukuran mana yang lebih ekonomis

ambil item yang mau dibeli, bayar, pulang

sampai di rumah, kebanyakan yang dibeli dengan extra size packaging

ditambah beberapa item di luar list, dibeli karena diskon besar

stock di rumah menumpuk

CUCI MATA  

gak buat list

mengunjungi rak demi rak, lihat sana lihat sini  

ambil item yang mau dibeli, bayar, pulang

sampai di rumah, ternyata ada yang kelupaan dibeli gara2 keasikan lihat-lihat

BANYAK DUIT 

gak buat list

kalo bisa semua rak dikunjungi

ambil sana sini, bayar, pulang

sampai di rumah, barang yang tidak direncanakan untuk dibeli malah lebih banyak dari pada barang yang tadinya mau dibeli, termasuk barang-barang yang kurang atau tidak diperlukan

kalo aku .. FLEKSIBEL TERKENDALI 

engineer (bule) jorok

di kantorku lagi ada instalasi mesin produksi. ada 2 engineer bule dari pabrik supplier mesin.


saat makan siang,
si engineer bule menyendok kuah sop.
saat menuangkan ke mangkok di tangannya,
belepotan, kena ke tangannya (yg berbulu).


terus tangannya dikibas-kibaskan
di atas wadah catering berisi kuah tersebut.
kuah di tangannya pun menetes kembali ke dalam wadah.


hiiihhh....!
aku, dan rekanku yang melihat, urung minum sop deh!
jangan2 maren-maren juga gitu!

Ampao ..capeknya jadi chinese

Orang chinese punya kebiasaan kalo ada event penting, ngasih ampao, misalnya: 

1. pernikahan

2. tahun baru imlek

3. kelahiran

4. anak genap 1 bulan

5. anak genap 1 tahun 

6. pertama kali bertemu/melihat seorang anak dari kerabat dekat  

7. kunjungan pertama dari seorang anak kecil ke rumah kerabat dekat

8. ulang tahun ke-10 (hitungan lunar calendar)  

9. tahapan penting dunia pendidikan (masuk SMP, masuk SMA atau mulai kuliah)

10. menjalani perawatan di rumah sakit 

11. kematian

capeknya di mana?

Capeknya, orang chinese itu (walau gak semua), punya pikiran, kalo bisa jangan sampai “berutang”. Jadi kalo ada peristiwa yang melibatkan ampao, kudu dicatat.

Beberapa peristiwa penting di atas (no 1-7) sudah pernah berkaitan langsung dengan diriku dan anak2. Biasanya aku gak pernah ambil pusing. mak mertu langsung sibuk ngecek jumlah ampao. Setelah itu diingat2 dan dicatat. Nanti kudu dibalaskan begitu ada kesempatan serupa. 

Misal kayak gini:

* Kerabat S berkunjung saat tahun baru imlek, bersama anak-istri. Karena baru pertama kali bertemu dengan Crystal dan Angie, maka masing2 diberi ampao 100. Sebagai balasannya, pas pulang, mertuaku langsung ngasih 200 (atau bisa lebih) ke anaknya S. Jadi langsung impas, gak berutang ampao.

* Kerabat U, memberi ampao saat pernikahan ipar dan suami, masing2 200. misal jika kerabat U punya 3 anak. Maka, saat nikahan anak U, mertua akan memberikan ampao 200 + 200 + 200. (kali ini berarti "lebih'). Nah, kerabat U hampir bisa dipastikan akan berupaya mencari kesempatan buat membalas kelebihan yang 200 ini. 

Capek gak sih ???? 

di samping itu, kalo nikahan, orang yang memberi ampao tidak datang ke resepsi, pasti akan ada makan2 susulan. Artinya jangan sampai udah ngasih ampao, tapi gak makan2.  

Three Musketeers and a pail

Angie and cousin 'Smarty'

收费疫苗哪些一定要打 imunisasi di china

疫苗是保护宝宝健康的重要武器。

除了国家强制免疫的一些免费疫苗，还有一些“收费疫苗”，这些收费疫苗是干什么的，要不要打，到底要多少钱，看看小编为您收集回来的资料。 　　

疫苗是保护宝宝健康的重要武器。除了国家强制免疫的一些免费疫苗，还有一些“收费疫苗”，这些收费疫苗是干什么的，什么时候打。要不要打，到底要多少钱，看看小编为您收集回来的资料。　　

B型流感嗜血杆菌混合疫苗(HIB疫苗)160元　　

接种目的：预防肺炎、脑膜炎、中耳炎、心包炎等。　　

接种时间：2、4、6月接种,1岁加强　　

建议：2岁下宝宝根据条件打。　　

5岁以下宝宝容易感染B型流感嗜血杆菌。它不仅会引起小儿肺炎，还会引起小儿脑膜炎、败血症、脊髓炎、中耳炎、心包炎等严重疾病，是引起宝宝严重细菌感染的主要致病菌。建议体质较弱的宝宝接种。　　

百白破19元／进口170元　　

接种目的：可同时预防百日咳、白喉和破伤风。　　

接种时间：3、4、5月接种，1岁半-2岁加强　　

建议：必打。　　

百白破属于1类疫苗（国家计划疫苗），一定要打。百白破普通疫苗国家免费提供，但一般医生会建议接种百白破精制疫苗，副作用较小，需要收费，还有一种进口的无细胞百白破疫苗，价格比较昂贵，家长可根据自身条件选择。　　

A群流脑8元流脑A+C群22元　　

接种目的：预防流脑。　　

接种时间：6月龄第一次A群流脑疫苗；9月龄第二次A群流脑疫苗；3岁第三次A＋C群流脑疫苗；小学四年级第四次A＋C群流脑疫苗。　　

建议：必打。　　

流脑属于1类疫苗（国家计划疫苗），一定要打。　　

说明：A群流脑疫苗为基础免疫接种流脑疫苗时必须使用的疫苗；2岁以下儿童接种流脑疫苗不得使用A+C群流脑疫苗。A+C群流脑疫苗一般用于2周岁以后的儿童或成人。　　

乙脑活苗30元　　

接种目的：预防乙脑。　　

接种时间：8月、2岁、6岁　　

建议：必打。　　

乙脑疫苗也属于1类疫苗（国家计划疫苗），需要强制免疫。灭活乙脑疫苗不需收费，乙脑活苗需要收费，具体可以咨询医生选择。　　

轮状病毒148元　　

接种目的：预防秋季腹泻　　

接种时间：2个月-3岁以内的儿童每年口服一次,3-5岁的儿童口服一次。　　

建议：可打可不打　　

腹泻病毒有好多种,轮状病毒只是其中之一.不过虽然轮状病毒不能给予宝宝全面的保护，但是可以避免严重腹泻，如果宝宝的体质比较差,考虑接种。

麻风腮87元　　

接种目的：预防麻疹、腮腺炎、风疹　　

接种时间：接种麻疹疫苗后10-14个月。　　

建议：必打。　　

一旦患腮腺炎，尽管多数人转归良好，但因腮腺炎并发症较多，易并发脑炎、睾丸炎、卵巢炎、心肌炎、关节炎等，腮腺炎也是后天获得性耳聋原因之一。睾丸炎和卵巢炎甚至会影响宝宝成年后的生育功能。因此，提倡宝宝及时接种腮腺炎疫苗。　　

流感122元　　

接种时间：北方地区接种流感疫苗的最佳时间为10-12月份,南方地区一般是10月份到次年的2月。6月龄下婴儿不接种。　　

接种目的：预防流感　　

建议：可打可不打　　

由于流感病毒种类繁多、病毒变异性较大，疫苗有时与流行的病毒对不上号，因而起不到保护作用。所以，宝宝身体健康可以不接种。但对6个月以上、患有哮喘、先天性心脏病、慢性肾炎、糖尿病等抵抗疾病能力差的宝宝，一旦流感流行，容易患病并诱发旧病发作或加重，应予考虑接种。　　

甲肝144元　　

接种时间：1岁上可打，一般2周岁。　　

接种目的：预防甲型肝炎　　

建议：必打　　

甲型肝炎是一种急性肠道传染性疾病，主要经口传播，流行范围较广，因为我国有聚餐式的饮食习惯，容易发生甲肝流行。凡1岁以上未患过甲型肝炎但与甲型肝炎病人有密切接触的人，以及其他易感人群都应该接种甲肝疫苗。　　

23价肺炎208元　　

接种目的：预防肺炎　　

接种时间：2岁以上。　　

建议：可打可不打　　

因为肺炎是由多种细菌、病毒等微生物引起，单靠某种疫苗预防效果有限，一般健康的宝宝不主张选用。但体弱多病的宝宝，如患肾病综合症、淋巴瘤、心脏病、糖尿病、无脾综合症、鼻窦炎、中耳炎以及反复发作上呼吸道疾病的宝宝应该选用。　　

霍乱60元　　

接种目的：预防霍乱　　

建议：可打可不打　　

霍乱疫苗不做为常规接种，副反应比较多。广州不属于霍乱流行区，可以考虑不接种。　　

水痘332元　　

接种目的：预防水痘　　

接种时间：1-12岁儿童接种一针,13岁以上接种两针，间隔6-10周。　　

建议：必打　　

水痘是由感染水痘-带状疱疹病毒引发的以皮肤出疹为特征的传染病。近年来，无论儿童还是成人，水痘发病均有上升趋势。但绝大多数病例是儿童。到目前为止，尚无特效方法治疗水痘，一旦幼儿园或学校有水痘流行，只能采取隔离措施，使正常教学秩序受到很大影响。即使如何，由于患者出疹前两天即有传染性，隔离病人并不能完全防止水痘的传播。因此，预防水痘最理想的方法是接种疫苗。　　

备注：以上价格为海珠区免疫预防针价格，根据区域或医院不同可能会有细微差别，请家长以服务区价格为准。另外，有些疫苗根据国产进口及产地不同会有差别，家长可以根据条件选择。　　

温馨提示：接种疫苗的六大注意事项　　

1．接种时间（初次、复种）、接种方法、接种剂量等要严格掌握；　　

2．家长对孩子接种情况要十分清楚，避免漏种或不必要的重复接种；　　

3．身体不适时不可接种；　　

4．接种前后应避免使用免疫调节剂，如丙种球蛋白等；　　

5．口服脊髓灰质炎活疫苗，不可与热开水或热食物同时服用；　　

6．接种后应注意观察不良反应等。　　

疫苗常见不良反应有发热、皮疹等。某些疫苗局部反应较明显，如卡介苗接种后局部可出现红肿等，应防止感染。疫苗接种出现不良反应应及时就医，并将出现的不良反应报市药品不良反应监测中心。　　

近年来，市场上发现了一些假冒伪劣疫苗，如流感疫苗等。尽管执法部门依法进行了查处，但违法制售假劣疫苗行为时有发生。所以，购买和使用疫苗时，一定要增强自我保护意识，防止受骗上当。疫苗打太多，造成免疫功能失调的例子不少，所以不要一味多打，要积极提高孩子自身的免疫力，而不要一味迷信疫苗。

first mug

mama thinks it's time for crystal to totally leave her milk-bottle.

actually she can use cup or bowl to drink since she was around 1.5 years old. but, it's just easier for mama to let her drink milk from bottle. she can play while drinking.

mama admitted this is not good actually.

now mama demands her to finish her drink before she continues to play.

mama has bought one mug for Cyrstal, and one mug for Smarty. there were not much choices in the store. so this was the best choice.

妈妈想现在该是晶晶离开奶瓶的时间了。

其实晶晶早已会用杯子或用碗喝奶或其他饮料。

只不过妈妈懒，有时还让晶晶一面喝奶一面玩或看电视。

妈妈也知道这样不好。。。

现在妈妈开始要求晶晶先把奶或水喝完，

然后再继续玩，画画，或看电视。

还好。。晶晶都愿意听妈妈的话。