liuestates

🇺🇸 Arcadia is going all out for America’s 250th Birthday!

If you’re looking for family-friendly things to do this summer in the San Gabriel Valley, Arcadia has a full lineup of FREE events from June through July.

🎬 Outdoor movies under the stars
🎵 Live concerts on the lawn
🐶 Patriotic pet contest
📚 Library activities for kids
🎨 Sidewalk chalk celebrations
🎆 A huge July 4th celebration with food, games, music, and a drone show at Santa Anita Park

As a mom, I’m always looking for affordable ways to make summer memories with my family, and this is definitely going on our calendar.

✨ My top picks:
🎥 Shrek in the Park – July 16
🦙 Lilo & Stitch – July 23
🐾 Patriotic Pet Contest – July 2
🎆 America’s 250th Celebration – July 4

Save this post and tag a friend who needs summer plans!

📍Arcadia, California
📍Arcadia City Hall Lawn
📍Santa Anita Park

Everyone’s been talking about Dear You lately.
Even though it hasn’t been released in North America yet, just watching a few clips online already made me tear up.
The details in the film — the overseas letters, waiting for news from family, sending money back home, leaving home to “cross the seas” — hit deeply for many Teochew families. These are stories many of us grew up hearing from our grandparents.
Suddenly, the lives our elders once talked about were no longer distant stories. They were right there on screen.
It also made me think about my own journey.
I left home at 14 to study in Guangzhou, then moved to the U.S. alone at 17. Since then, life has been about adapting, surviving, studying, working, building a life from scratch.
Over the years, you learn independence.
You learn resilience.
And sometimes, you also learn how to quietly hold your emotions in.
But watching those scenes reminded me of something:
No matter how long overseas Chinese students and immigrants have lived abroad, there’s always a part of us that still belongs to home.
And somehow… the farther you are, the deeper that feeling becomes.
I think the most powerful thing about this movie isn’t just the story itself.
It’s how it quietly reminds people of their grandmother, their parents, and the younger version of themselves who once left home carrying a suitcase and a dream.
Teochew people are known for being hardworking and resilient.
But behind all that strength, there are also many tears hidden quietly in the heart.
#阿嬷的情书

Hey guys, quick heads-up for anyone living in Arcadia 👇
The city is planning to adjust trash and recycling rates.
📅 Date: June 16, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM
📍 Location: City Council Chambers (240 W. Huntington Drive)
If you own a home or investment property in Arcadia, this could directly impact your monthly expenses.
If you have opinions or just want to learn more, you can attend the meeting or check out the details ahead of time.
I’ll keep an eye on this and update you guys as things develop 👍