AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

We were there...

A beautiful Sunday. Perfect day for a day of sitting in the sun enjoying America's Past time with my girl and my two best buds. We were part of the capacity crowd gathered, hoping and even begging to be part of history. With a man on first, full count, Kim unleashes a fastball across the plate. Here it came, there it went... sailing over 415 feet over the centerfield wall. He did it... in the house that Bonds built, Barry Lamar Bonds eclispsed what was once thought to be unreachable and hit his 715th homerun.

Two banners on the centerfield scoreboard dropped and revealed, on the left, a portrait of Bonds and his majestic uppercut. On the right, Hammerin' Hank Aaron with his unobtrusive, silent but deadly swing. Black, orange and silver ribbons flew across the park. Fireworks were blasted into the clear blue sky. The foghorn sounded. The "4" of 714 was promptly replaced with a "5." We hi-fived complete strangers, as if they'd been our best friends all our lives. Barry came out for not one, but two curtain calls.

60 years from now, I can tell my children, and my children's children, that I was there to watch Bonds hit 715. This will forever be part of my life...this moment in time....

Standard of Excellence

Every year in May, I get teary-eyed when I drive by a local high school and see a graduate racing in their cap and gown, with his parent following closely. Afraid that they're going to miss the event they've worked their entire life for. Hard to forget, is the image of a mother, drenched in her own tears of joy as she saw her son walk across the stage to receive nothing but a piece of paper. I reminisce the day I sat on the 40 yard line of Mustang Stadium with all my friends as we baked in the sun - and the infamous picture of Lester falling asleep during the ceremony.



But this sense of excitement won't be felt by about 47,000 high school seniors in California. Passed by the Supreme Court of the State, all high school seniors are REQUIRED to pass the high school exit exam in order to graduate. No if's and's or but's. People are screaming at the fact that this criteria was removed weeks before the exam, and now reimplemented. They say the officials are "messing with people's feelings."

There really is nothing wrong with measuring a students' level of retention after 4 years of "toiling." With a few exceptions I can think of, there really is no reason why a person who's worked hard at passing the test, can't pass it. If indeed, a student can not pass the test, then that shows s/he is not at the aptitude of a California high school graduate. I am not a proponent of standardized tests. But in hearing no complaints about the fairness of the test, I have to say that the 47,000 seniors hanging in the balance, better start thinking about summer school.

Sick Leave

Ah....the beauties of Sick Leave. I don't remember the last time I took consecutive days off cuz of a mere cold.

Back in college, I never ever missed a class. Perfect attendance. Never played hookie. Even with a 102 fever, I'll drag myself to class to sit in there and pretend to listen. In grad school, hours after getting LASIK, I sat in the back of the class with my eyes closed, screaming in pain, just so I won't miss lecture.

When I first started working for industry, my mind was accustomed to the "tough it out" mentality As time went by, I realize that being sick at work does myself no good and does the company no good. I'm not working at my full capacity. I threaten getting coworkers sick. And it doesn't help with my healing.

Dear friend of mine is also sick...but she's a contractor and doesn't get PTO. So she's at work, spreading her germs around. While I'm home, enjoying a wonderful cup of java and staring at my four walls. Wait...but that's what I do at work!!!

Middle of May...

Sighhhhhhhhh.... it's the middle of May and I come down a stinken COLD!!!!! What gives?!?!?!

$1 Dollar

$1 Sausage McMuffins. Life is goooooooooooooooooood.

Happy Mother's Day

Why do we celebrate Mother's Day once a year? 364 days in the year, it's OUR day. And we select one day to say, "Gee Mom, thanks!"

Pastor Poon went into great detail dissecting through Proverbs 31, describing a godly woman. And it's so true. My mom slept after we slept. Woke up before we woke up. Had every meal ready for us. Never complained. Never sighed. Did it out of complete servitude. And what did my brother and I do? Rode her like a slave. Sure, we said thanks. Sure, we helped out. But I know that sometime between 2 months old and 1 year old, we learned not to take "No" for an answer. Cuz that's so true! Mom would never say "No." And if she did... we'll just work on her a bit. Wear her down...and the "No" becomes a "Maybe" becomes a "Yes."

Mom has been wanting to go to Alcatraz Island for almost two years now. We've ping-ponged the idea back and forth. Coming up with excuses like "We can't get tickets", "We have a midterm to study for and can't come out", "It's a lot of walking and your legs won't hold up", to something completely lame like "You'll get seasick from the ferry boat ride."

Well, this past weekend we finally scratched one of Mom's list. We parked in Chinatown, walked down to the Ferry Building and across the Embarcadero to Pier 41. Walking!?! I live in San Jose!! I never walk!! I either drive or I go nowhere. The weather was pleasurable. There were multiple street faires going on at the same time for us do mosey through.

I personally took a trip down memory lane with every street corner I turned and every shop I walked past. What once was a Comic store is now a tattoo parlor. The donut shop we'd run to in the early mornings for hot chocolate is still there, but the facade is different and the name is foreign. Some things never change. The salon across the street from the playground still exists. In fact, they still have the same posters up from 20 years ago. That coffee shop I use to crave walking by stood firm throughout the years of recession. The crowd and customer is different now. No longer are they filled with gray haired, weary eyed Italian immigrants. They are now full of Ralph Lauren, Gucci wearing preppies with too much time on their hands and not enough caffeine in their bodies.

With what seemed like a marathon, we finally arrived at Pier 41. We played the roles of tourists specklessly. Poking our noses in all the touristy stuff. Buying that $5 ice cream cone for but a few moments of satisfaction. Standing around and gawking at the piles and piles of blubber, aka seals, sunbathing on the wooden palettes. The ferry ride to Alcatraz was short. The tour was even shorter. Mom wasn't particularly interested in the stories of high time criminals like Al Capone. She merely walked around the cells, made comments of how advanced American jails are compared to Chinese jails, and called it day. HA! All this build up and the crescendo leads to disappointment!

Ah well... there's always next year.

The evening capped off with a few rounds of Mah Jong and a nice stroll back to the North Beach area for dinner. Like a couple of European tourists in a Chinese restaurant, we were the Chinese tourists not knowing right from left at the Italiano Ristorante.

Sometimes I wonder if the Americans really think that all Chinese eat sweet and sour pork and egg rolls for dinner. And will they appreciate the finer delicateses of Chinese cuisine? The same thing probably crossed our little Italian waiter's mind. "Typical tourist, will probably order spaghetti and meatball. Like everyone else."

Regardless of what we ordered, how advanced American prisons are, or how the sceneries in San Francisco will always be an anchor in my past....this past weekend was Mother's Day. A day we celebrated the heroics of my mom... a darn good example of Proverbs 31.

Oh...and we had dinner with Joyce's mom. But it's just not as fun writing about that, is it?

Sisters...

Two of my sisters are graduating from college this May. We had the honor of sharing the fruits of their labor at their Senior Show. The creative juice that flowed in that gallery could fill up a small country...amazing!! Here's a few of my favorite works.

In the spirit of...

In the spirit of starting things we never finish...here's another project we're adding to our list.



1000 piece, Photomosiac of Winnie the Pooh...

Twice in a day..and probably more.

We go through life sometimes, not counting our blessings. Things happen so fast and we're so innundated with our quick-paced lifestyles, we really ought to stop and smell the proverbial flower. Yesterday was a great day for me. A most happy day. Mainly because God showed me His almighty grace and love to me.

I flew down to LA yesterday morning at 630, and flew home at 630 at night. It was a long day, I'm tired, I'm hungry. Of course, the flight ended up being delayed. I reached for my bible and started to read when the passenger next to me asked, "Is that the bible?" Turns out this guy is a very devout Christian who is used heavily by God to serve in His kingdom. It was very touching hearing his testimony and his dream. The hour we spent together passed by quicker than a New York minute.

I come home and check my email and see one of my dearest friend inviting me to her baptism at San Francisco Christian Alliance Church. Not only is it my dear sister being baptized...but at an Alliance church!! I can't wait for it to happen.

God is showing me in so many ways His bountiful love and mercy. All these lives around me are changing. And this happened...twice in a day. And y'know what, there's probably more!

The Salvadors

It was hot. Not scorching hot, but baking hot. Standing in the line of the setting sun wearing the radiance-absorbing black tuxedo, steam was elevating off the top of my head. Then came the tear that cooled it all off. I've seen Mark cry three times in all the years I've known him. His "1st Tear" was when Microsoft stock fell 40% overnight. His "2nd Tear" came when he found a dent in his car. And his "3rd Tear" came, two words into his most sacred and holy vow. Bless his little heart.

The newlyweds

Mark and his usual playful self

CONGRATULATIONS TO VERONICA AND MARK!!