"We're out..."

Went to Peet's to get a final dose of Egg Nog Latte before they're pulled from the menu...but the Peetnik said "We're out of Egg Nog." Instead, they offer us a free cup of coffee. It just isn't the same...

溏心風暴

大結局!
結局就是: A big waste of time!!

A good deed...

Was at Walmart yesterday to pick up two packs of Trident gum. Everyone else had cart loads full of toys, clothes, accessories. It was going to be a long wait for the cashier... with just two packs of gum. But the nice little lady in the front let us go first! In her broken English and in our broken Spanish, we exchanged salutations and left.

Looking back...

It's quite entertaining to review my old journal entries. Here are three from 2002, 2003, 2004.... dunno what happened in 2005 and 2006. And funny how it's always in October!!!


10/18/2004
I am: rather busy these days
I think: I need to sit down, relax and regroup
I know: the Niners are better than our records show
I want: to make a difference
I have: homework to do but I'm procrastinating
I wish: I can help Francisco
I hate: hearing myself complain
I miss: my college days
I fear: I will snap one of these days
I hear: discussions of how sorry the Niners and Raiders are
I wonder: where I'll be same time next year
I regret: not working harder when I was in middle school
I love: hearing the laughter of children
I ache: cuz gas prices are so high
I care: for the braves souls in Iraq defending America, defending freedom
I always: lose my cool
I am: a hypocrite
I dance: along with my kids
I sing: when exaulting in joy and sadness
I cry: for no reason whatsoever
I do: well in putting on a fake happy face
I fight: anger and hate within me
I write: so I may record feelings today for reading tomorrow
I win: when I've tried my hardest and come out on top
I lose: far too often
I confuse: people with my multiple personalities
I listen: to Francisco and try to understand what he's saying
I can: be a better role model
I need: seek anger management
I am: approaching an age where I must face the facts of male pattern baldness
I should: follow my dreams...instead of just dreaming about them.


10/7/2003
I am: spent
I think: I should move on with life
I know: we coulda killed the Marlins and won the World Series
I want: to grab some Z's
I have: a thorn in my side
I wish: I can move on with my life
I hate: having to deal with this every day
I miss: my Joycie
I fear: my feelings will never be the same after this.
I hear: people talking about October baseball, and the Giants aren't part of it
I wonder: how long it will take for this to subside
I regret: not having the self-control to subdue these feelings
I love: to drop everything and move to the east coast to start over
I ache: in the heart from this hollow hollow feeling
I care: my mom who's been experiencing major back pains
I always: get caught up in the heat of the moment
I am: too damn romantic
I dance: like a man on crutches
I sing: while I play my song on the guitar
I cry: when I realize there is no hope
I do: things I wouldn't have done just to keep pace
I fight: the impossible by dreaming the impossible dream
I write: to relieve internal combustable fumes
I win: cuz I've made it this far and have held on firmly
I lose: cuz I don't know how much longer I can hold on
I confuse: myself with the lack of self-control
I listen: to laughter from the next aisle down
I can: not concentrate on anything else
I need: to move on and never be hungry again
I am: still feeling very hollow
I should: finish up my duties here and move on with life somewhere else


10/24/2002
I am: a skeptic
I think: therefore I doubt
I know: money CAN buy happiness
I want: to play golf
I have: an undying yearn to travel
I wish: to have infinite amount of wishes
I hate: feminists who still expect men to pay for dinner or open the door...
I miss: the days when I don't have to drive to everywhere I go
I fear: death of a close one
I hear: fans rootin' for the Giants
I wonder: if I'll ever grow up
I regret: dropping out of Chinese school
I love: YOU
I ache: in my heart then my left arm...
I care: for anyone who deserves to be cared for
I always: complain
I am not: wise in investments
I dance: with two left feet
I sing: in the showers
I cry: pretty much all the time
I do not always: give up
I fight: ignorance
I write: short incoherent emails
I win: when my team wins
I lose: when I win but my team doesn't
I confuse: Everyone
I listen: to the wise
I can usually be found: online (prior to my new job)
I need: to be left alone
I am happy about: having great friends
I should: get to work...

Winner and loser...

MONTREAL (AFP) - After catching his 15-year-old smoking pot, a father sold the hard-to-get "Guitar Hero III" video game he bought his son for 90 dollars for Christmas at an online auction, fetching 9,000 dollars. (Complete story here)

And a Merry Christmas to you too....

New Dollar Coins

Came across my first presidential dollar coin...a series of 4 coins commemorating the first 4 presidents of the United States with Lady Liberty on the back.

I guess I'm fairly use to see George and Tom's face. John and James, not so much. In fact, doesn't James Madison remind you of the Phantom from Phantom of the Opera?

Was initially appalled that they removed "In God We Trust" from the face of the coin. Upon closer examination, I realized they inscribed it on the edge! How cute...

Bethlehem - Experience the Birth

December 7, 2007
Santa Clara First Baptist Church
LG1+LG2

Source of my headache...

Found the source of my headache... Caffeine Detox. Sigh.... such it is.
And now my neck hurts too. Can't attribute that to caffeine detox, can I?
Pray for me...

ARGH!!!!

The world is a lot less nicer when you have a headache....
On the bright side, it's raining!!
On the dark side, I just washed my car (it never fails, I tell ya).

Ohhhh....

Ever hear a joke that made you laugh so hard... you laugh the entire day, you laugh the entire night, you laugh when you're trying to fall asleep and you're still laughing when driving to work the next day?!? Ai-yah...I'm still laughing as I type out these words. Talk about "spirit of joy."

And the funniest thing (or worst thing) is the joke isn't even that funny!!!!

TWA - 11/24/2007

One of the reasons why TWA is not Bible Study or reading the scripture. It is time spent with God, a two-way conversation, a time of reflection and revelation.

The past week I've been mulling over the story of the Pilgrims and their search for freedom during a time of religious and political persecution. Freedom is a much abused and misunderstood word. People have taken "Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, etc..." to new heights and have re-defined the original intentions of these famous founding words.

To have "freewill" is a blessing. To live in a "free country" is a privledge. Pro-Choice does NOT mean Pro-Abortion. Distributing condoms in public high schools do NOT mean premarital sex is encouraged. Sigh... but where is America today?

It irks me when people preach "freedom" but at the same time, condemn those whose views are different. You can't have it both ways. Dare I use the word - hypocrite? Maybe that's a little too far. Anyhoo... in the midst of this swirl... God sat me down on a chilly Friday afternoon and said, "Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. " (1 Peter 2:16).

God's timing is impeccable...

Black Friday Shopping

Hordes and hordes of people standing in the flippin' cold waiting to get in, waiting for friends, waiting for doors to open. Is that what the Gates of Heaven will be like?

On the flip side of things, is this what the gates of the "other place" will be like?

Hillsong Worship Night

Hordes and hordes of people standing in the cold waiting for tickets, waiting for friends, waiting for doors to open. Is that what the Gates of Heaven will be like? Hopefully we all have our tickets already.

Do you have your ticket yet?

Ohhhh....

Peet's Egg Nog Latte....
So Pure...
So Excellent...
So Egg-Noggy....
I'm in love...yes, I am.
Ohhhh.....

Such it is...

Good judgement comes from experience... and most of that comes from bad judgement.

Weird dream

I dreamnt that a bunch of us were passing out flyers somewhere. But the flyers were made of sheep-skin. And the words were invisible. So I got a cup of water and asked everybody to donate three drops of blood into it to make the words appear.

You know what sucks...?

You know what sucks??
Having a pimple...and trying to shave AROUND it... and missing!!!
THAT SUCKS!!!!!!

Ananias

During Sunday School this past week, one of the discussion questions were, "Who has been an 'Ananias' in your life?" Immediately, I thought of the Louie's and Hsu's as they've been instrumental in my spiritual growth these past few years. Who I failed to remember was spiritual parents back in my Sts. Peter and Paul days. In Catholicism, you call those "godparents." (Yes....Vito Correlone)

Bumped into my godparents this past Saturday at a wedding....along with all the uncles and aunties from my old church. Though they never fed me spiritually nor did we have conversations longer than 5 minutes ever, they're still my godparents. It wasn't by fault or chance that we were paired together but God's will. Probably till the day we return to heaven, I will always call them, "代父,代母."

And the kids....they're no longer kids. The kids that we use to "disciple" are now full grown adults. If someone were to ask them, "Who has been an Ananias in your life?" I wonder if any one of them will mention my name? A very pleasant trip down memory lane...

I hate Boston/New England

I hate Boston/New England.
I hate the Red Sox for winning another World Series.
I hate Tom Brady and the Patriots for ripping through the NFL like no other.
I hate the Celtics (well...I actually like the Celtics) for signing Garnett and Allen and now are odds on favor to win the NBA Championship.
I hate Boston College for being ranked #2 in the BCS.
I even hate New England Clam Chowder and Boston Lobster (not really...but might as well put it here...)



Sam Adam's Boston Lager... you may be the only thing left in Boston I have affinity for. Hrmph!!

Thrice, I wept....

The shortest verse in the bible, "Jesus wept." Jn 11:35.

Saturday afternoon, "Hank wept."
Saturday evening, "Hank wept again."
Saturday night, "Hank wept, yet again."

Lily and Jason's vows were amazingly touching. I think all bride & grooms should consider writing their own vows as opposed to using the standard. But if everyone wrote their own...then that WOULD be the standard, huh?

Vera and Leo also wrote their own vows. And it's hard not to empathize when a groom stands up there and he starts weeping tears of joy.

It was 11:30PM Saturday night. After two weddings and maybe a little too much to drink, I realize I haven't started preparing for tomorrow's lesson. Oops!

Napa

I don't ever want to go to Napa with novices who sit with me in a car for two stinken hours... finally arrive at the wineries...just to tell me, "We don't drink. Oh....and you're driving, you shouldn't drink either." (Li Ga Guy...where r u????)

On a different note.... Napa baby!!!!!!!!

=)

Yes...I got teary eyed.

Gore 2008?

He won the popular vote, but lost the electoral college vote in 2000.

He won an Emmy.

He won an Oscar.

Now...he's won the Nobel Peace Price.

Will he decide to give the Presidential Election another go-around?

I might actually have someone to vote for now...

With 3 to 1 odds...

"The award of a Nobel Prize could prompt the 2000 Democratic presidential candidate (Al Gore) to change his mind and launch a 2008 presidential run. " --www.sfgate.com

Break my heart and rip my stomach out...

Last night, I was soooo looking forward to dinner. It was the highlight of my day... of my week, even! But 2 minutes away from DLS, Anderson calls and says they're closed. Who in the right minds closes a restaurant on a chilly Tuesday night?!?!? WHO!!?! My dreams of the House Lamb over Rice and Chinese Hamburger....utterly completely shattered. Phooey!

After 5 minutes of lamenting, we decided to head over to WuJi's Mala Hot Pot. Ohhhh ho ho ho... Joycie got the Little-little-little Spicy. I got the Little-little Spice. Good ol' Anderson with his leather tongue ordered Medium Spicy. I was sweating like a hog within 2 minutes of starting dinner but it tasted ohhhh soooo good.

Today...I'm in ohhhh soooo much pain. (use your imagination).

Blame DLS for first breaking my heart...and then causing me to be in physical pain (in more places than one).

Random exchange of emails...

Here's a random exchange of emails from last week...when we were talking about 49ers backup quarterback Trent Dilfer....

Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 11:07AM
Sports is so painful....yet so pure! Like slice through a piece of meat...but not leaving any signs of a dull knife. -Hank

Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 11:10AM
If sports are like a piece of meat, would that make Dilfer that one piece of meat that's been sitting in your freezer for 13 months? You THINK it might be edible, and maybe you're just desperate enough to give it a try, but deep down you know that's really not a good idea.... :)
-Jeff

Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 11:15AM
If sports are like meat, Dilfer could be like going to a friend's backyard bbq but you arrive late. And all there's left are veggie burgers. The veggie pattie may look like a regular pattie, but you know it's not. It might try to taste like a pattie, but it doesn't. It might actually be good for you, but you know it doesn't belong in your stomach. And about 2 bites into it...you rather drive off to the nearest In-N-Out and splurge on a real burger. -Hank

Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 11:20AM
Nice!!

If sports are like meat, Dilfer's a McRib. It's almost like meat, and you can even convince yourself for a few minutes that it tastes pretty good, but ultimately it's just an overly processed pattie made up of all the bits they couldn't otherwise make useful. Oh...and they also stopped making them fresh 7 years ago....
-Jeff

And THAT my friends...is what I call an intelligent conversation about SPORTS and MEAT.

ANDERSON!!!!

Anderson came through!!! I had to entice him with a slice of Marie Callendar's Double Cream Blueberry pie though... so it wasn't completely freewill offering

Dreams achieved...dreams shattered

Growing up in the metropolis of San Francisco and living in a dinky Chinatown apartment, I never had the luxury of having a front or backyard. I'd watch American sitcom and always envy those families with huge houses, long spiraly stairs, luscious green yards, etc....


Last Wednesday, I got myself a new toy...the Craftsmen 37501 Electric Lawn Mower. I was sooooooooo looking forward to mowing my newly grown front lawn -- which by the way, the grass is a healthy 6 inches long now!! In fact...the grass is so long, if you walk in it, you leave footprints wherever you go cuz the grass is too heavy to bend backup!!

Oh....how often has one experienced the victory of achievement quickly become the agony of reality. As I first pulled the orange lever to power the machine, as the first sputter of the blade whipped through the grass, as the gobs and gobs of mulch started to eject itself from the rear... I found myself HATING LAWN MOWING!!!!!! LAWN MOWING IS TUFF!!!!!

My yard went from a blade of green grass like the fairway at Pebble Beach, to the swamp marshes of the Florida Everglades, and now it looks like the battleground after the Battle of Gettysberg. Pictures do NOT do it justice of how ugly my lawn looks right now. We are, hands down, the laughing-stock of our neighborhood.

Hopefully....Anderson will come through today and bring REVIVAL!!!!!

You know what's disgusting?

I was having dinner with some friends at Sweet Tomato. Half way through dinner, they leave and come back with a bowl of chicken-soup with a an insane amount of mushrooms floating on top. Apparently they went over to the salad bar and spooned a bowl-ful of mushrooms before filling the bowl with soup.

You know how during a horror movie...you don't want to look so you close your eyes. But you're still tempted to peek? Yeah.... that's how disgustingly attractive the soup was.

Another year...another disaster...another championship

Yesterday officially marked the end of the Giants' 2007 season. But unofficially... the season ended sometime during May. Randy Winn was pulled after his first AB yesterday to maintain his .300 BA -- the only one on the 25-man roster. Our much touted pitching staff didn't even have one 15 game winner. Molina led the club with a mere 81 RBI's. And there was 756...

Watching Craig Biggio getting his much-deserved farewell in Houston makes me wonder why didn't Bonds get a similar (or better) treatment? Truly, I envied those fans. Mired by has-beens and smeared by the shadow of BALCO... it's safe to say we're back in the Dark Ages when only a few years ago, we were within 5 outs of a World Series.

It can't all be bad...can it? Niners started out 2-0. Now all of a sudden, we're 2-2 with our "star" QB out with a separated shoulder. So to answer that question... "YES, it certainly can be all bad."

It's all bad except in the case of Fantasy Baseball, where I can once again claim the throne of our league as the King of the Hill. It's petty to count a fantasy baseball league to be anything worth celebrating...but I'll take anything I can get. WOOHOO!!!

Buns

I love Cocktail Buns (雞尾包) and Pineapple Buns (菠蘿包) from Chinatown. Shout out to Dr. Martin!

The beauty of Free Labor...

One year ago... one DeAnza student "volunteered" to uproot my front lawn.

One year later... four DeAnza students "volunteered" to lay down sod.

Hopefully next year... I'll have 16 DeAnza students remodeling my house.

Life is good.... life is great...

A lot of people go through life and remember only the bad times but neglect the good things. I praise God for His blessings and caretaking during good times and bad. Recently, it's been especially good!
(in no particular order of importance)

1) Three weeks ago, I got to see the Niners opening day. Though I caught a cold... I was at NINERS OPENING DAY!!!

2) My front lawn has life again. I could've never done it alone. Praise God for International Students.

3) This past Sunday, I spent a great afternoon and evening with my two of my best buddies watching a Giants game while chit-chatting away about NOTHING for three whole hours. We then headed over to the House of Prime Rib for a great dinner and more non-sense chatter. There are just some things in life that's worth cherishing. A Giants game, a nice steak, and a good conversation ranks up there for me...

4) Being able to run the bases at AT&T park.

5) It was a simple exchange of emails, but one particular email that stood out:

Drinks - Wond
Food - Joey
Rice - Sandy
Watermelon - Kelvin

Just four simple lines gave me this warm and fuzzy feeling that we're not just random people coming together to hang out... these people are my brothers and sisters... We're family!

6) Being able to do BSF homework with my wife on a quiet Thursday night - what a gift.

7) Venting away at people... realize that my life is no where near as bad as theirs... and in turn, being able to be the LISTENER instead of the TALKER. How great is that??

8) Finding the most awesome Taqueria in the Bay Area -- not by chance or by luck... but by the grace of the Almighty and the hunger of an engineer. Garica's Taqueria on the corner of El Camino and Fair Oaks. It is 'da-bomb!'

9) Rain on a late September Saturday

10) Babies being born and weddings consumating...

11) The fact I can wake up every morning...and the second thing I see...is the most beautiful face God has ever created. And I am so blessed, so loved by God, to have this gift for the rest of our life!!

12) TWA isn't just TWA... it's a two way conversation.

There's more... but I'm tired from typing....

Already?

HA!! 5 years already....

September 16, 2007

Congratulations on celebrating 5 years with our company. Thank you for your ongoing dedication and commitment. People are the essence of any great company - people like you who are talented, creative, and who work together to make us a leader in the industry, and set us apart from our competitors. Together we strive for excellence and achieve it!

This is the perfect occasion to stop and reflect on your contributions, and to say thank you. To select a service recognition gift of your choice, please visit our online gift ordering website at http://www.giftnetonline.com/, enter access code XXXX and employee ID number XXXX.

Best wishes for continued success and again, congratulations.

The inevitable...

You know it was coming...but still, when it does show up... you feel very awkward and out of place. You feel like someone has betrayed you...stuck a knife in your back and twisted it. The feeling is hollow. It's not personal....just business. There's no such thing as loyalty anymore. Good-bye Barry... it's been one heckuva ride.

Two Year Anniversary

Last year...we were in Paris.
This year...we both called in sick cuz we both had the cold.

It's not what you do...it's who you do it with...

家庭溫暖

一隻肥妹
二煲火鍋

三罐propane

四個 Wii制

五包凍肉

六熟D菜

七位學生

八點開飯

九九買送

十分過隱

THANK YOUＡＢＢＡ！

太感動喇

多謝姑媽的午餐!!

有飯有送有湯...重有飯後甜品!!

實在太感動喇!!

Niners Opening Night

You know your team has made it when they're on Monday Night Football -- especially opening week! What a blessing to have the opportunity to be able to be there to pay live tribute to the man they called "The Genius." Though the tribute was somewhat petty and most non-climactic... it was a tribute nonetheless.

Good ol' Candlestick. The eerie winds and echos flowing in and out of the passages that carried so many fond memories of the past. We sat in the lower bowl, inside the infamous Orange Seat section where the bleachers conveniently block our view of half the action. This section is also where the scantily dressed, yet abundantly talented Gold Rush enters and exits.

Highlight of the night wasn't the Niners victory. It wasn't walking through the tunnel and seeing the green of the grass, the brown of the dirt, or the red of the jerseys. It wasn't teaching Francisco the intricacies of the American Football. Nor was it seeing for the very first time, F-14's timing their fly-by's at the exact moment of the National Anthem (though that was very cool). The highlight of the evening was when Erica and Anna said, "We miss tutoring. Wish we can have it back."

Final Score:
49ers 20
Cardinals 17

And that....was Opening Night for the 49ers. We are officially, undefeated.

Such an Amazing Grace

"You once were lost...but now am found..."

1530 South DeAnza Blvd
San Jose 95129

Hahahaha...

Keep the good news coming!! Hahahahahahahaha...(breathe)...hahahahahahaha

Darn!!

Darn it. How do you show someone you care, w/o being nosey?

It is what it is...

Packing up and readying to moving to a different locale. If there's anything I haven't learned in my previous moves, it's throwing stuff away. How do I have 13 boxes worth of stuff after working 5 years...when someone's who's worked over 17 years only has 4? Suffice to say, I'm definitely one that hangs onto the past. Sometimes, I hang on a little too long.

There are some things I just have to learn to let go of. I can't hold onto everything forever. Let the past be the past. It is what it is...and more importantly, it was what it was. I was happy then. And I am happy now. The past shaped me into who I am and where I am today, but the past is not me today. It's not me during this moment in time...

(Thank you Zhen-master for finally waking me up)

Who Moved My Cheese?

Guy asks me, "How's life?" Two simple words that bled a multitude of ponderance and uncertainty.

"Life is good." I casually answered. Waving off the question, avoiding, not his interrogation or salutation, but realizing that I don't truly have an answer.

Selfishly, I didn't return the universal greeting but instead said, "Life is confusing.... I stand at a fork of the road. Not knowing which one to take." I admittedly was looking for advice. More so, I was looking for sympathy.

"Maybe you should try standing in front of chopsticks," the smart@$$ replies. I look for consolation and I get a sarcastic comment in return. What goes around comes around, I guess.


Guy then says in a very serious tone (as serious Guy can get) "Read 'Who Moved My Cheese'. " Certainly a book I've had on my bookshelf for over 4 years, but never once have I opened it. "You'll finish in an hour," Guy recommends.





Okay...Guy was wrong. It took me three days to get through it. I'm a slow reader I guess. But the question still stands... "Who Moved My Cheese?" And the follow up question... "Which path do I take to find the Cheese?"


Am I Sniff and Scurry? Will I sniff out the change early and scurry into action? Or am I Hem? One who denies change and fears that the future will lead to something worse. Perhaps I'm Haw... learning to adapt, but not quite far enough in my adaption to claim victory. Maybe the book needs to add another character... Hank.


Hank wants to change, but he doesn't talk to God enough and isn't clear of where God wants him to go. Hank gets lost and doesn't like asking for directions. Hank is sick of getting lost but Hank doesn't want to get comfortable either. Hank likes taking matters into his own hands... only to realize it's really not in his hands. Hanks likes to move fast, but lacks patience. Hank stands at a fork in road...

The Return of the Prodigal Son

Quite different from previous Nouwen books, this one was very structured. He begins by describing his initial encounter with Rembrant's painting. Then he paces through the three major characters in this famous parable before culiminating in the final thoughts that we're all called to "Becoming the Father."


Henri Nouwen transcribes himself into these three different characters. He moves beyond a spiritual writer, traverses pass an art critic and submerges deeply into his own happenings of defiance and repentance of the younger son, the jealousy and contempt of the older son and eventually landing as the father figure in L'Arch Daybreak community.

Nouwen challenges the reader to see him/herself as all three personalities. I can easily see myself as the rebellious Younger Son always seeking forgiveness. Indeed, I fulfill the role of the Older Son, unaware of the blessings I have and only being red-eyed about things I don't have. But to love like a father's love and to extend compassionate hands out as the father did to both sons, I don't think I'm quite there yet. This book certainly cries out for and begs for a revisit in the not so far future...

I love my wife...

I asked Joyce to name 5 active Niners yesterday. And she did it!!!!!

She started with Alex Smith and a big smile. Hrm... I better watch that Smith guy...

Then Al Gore -- which is fine. I think I confused her last season by always calling Frank, Al.

Then she said -- the tight end guy, something Davis. I said, "Baron Davis?" She said "No."

Then she said -- Bryant Young with authority!!

Then she finally went with a the Receiver. I gave her hints... "Dwight Clark? Jerry Rice? Terrell Owens?" She didn't fall for it. So I finally said, "Something Lelie?" "YEAH!!! Him!!"

Now that is what I call a soul mate...

Why!?!? WHY!??!?! WHY?!?!??!?!?!

Why does Spare the Air Day have to be on the three hottest days of the year?!?!?!
Why does work have to shut off Air Conditioning?? It was so uncomfortable yesterday, I ended up with a fat headache last night! That is soooo not cool!!!! get it?? not cool == hot

Insecure

Am I insecure about my masculinity? I would think I'm not... but I guess I am. I'm not afraid of asking for directions... but why ask when it's more adventurous to figure it out myself?

Do I feel especially manly when I do some "manly" things?? Of course I do!!! It felt manly to rummage through a junkyard to find a replacement part for my car. It felt manly to have fixed my sprinklers. And last night.... ohhhhhhhhhh.... it felt manly to finally fix that squeaking noise from my toilet!

Am I so insecure about myself that I need these little spurts of glory to refill my frail male ego?

A Manicure

If there's one thing I truly suck at... it's cutting my own nails. When Joyce cuts her nails... she trims out a nice fine moon-crescent shaped piece of nail. When I cut my nails... I cut down to the deepest part where the colors changes. It's like learning how to cut in kindergarten, you cut along the lines. I dig the blade deep underneath the nails well into the skin and snip away and bits and shards fly everywhere. I dig soooo deep, that sometimes, the stinging feeling won't go away for days.

Well, last week, I asked Joyce to cut my nails for me. So she gave me a manicure. And it's no wonder why women pay $10-$50 to get their nails done and beauty salons make so much money. It feels goooooooood. Not only does it feel gooooooooood, it's only been a week, and my nails have grown back. I'm due for another manicure! HA!

Yet another book review...

Recommended by several people to read this book on many occasions and in preparation for the upcoming Missions Conference, I figure it's time to take up this venture.

Chasing the Dragon is an autobiographical account of an English woman who sojourns into the foreign realms of the infamous Walled City in Kowloon (九龍城寨) during the 70's to serve the drug addicts, prostitutes and spiritually lost. Not knowing where God was leading her and having no sense of where her destination was, Jackie Pullinger vividly depicts her struggles with her family, her mentors, local ministries and lastly herself. The author makes it clear she's not specially gifted or talented in anyway and she makes it a point that it's only through God's grace and mercy that an Average Jane like her can accomplish what she chroniclizes. The book, like her ministry, has no clear ending or conclusion, so I got a feeling of being left hanging out to dry at the end. But that's what the author was trying to connote...that her work is neverending. Her legacy lives on in St. Stephen's Society Drug Rehabilitation Center where God's glory continues to shine.

Jackie Pullinger is a music teacher by training and missionary by trade. What she isn't, is she's not a writter. I personally found the book choppy to read and at times, lacked fluidity -- mainly because she was trying to write about a Chinese culture in an English language. The book, originally written in English, has been translated and will most likely be more intimate if read in Chinese.

梁家最近多左位住客...肥妹!!

"得閒過黎陪我玩!"

I laff...

美女廚房

劉,葉,鄧,吳四位美女在梁家的美麗廚房作了美味的晚宴.

756

Jon Miller's radio call of No. 756, with ellipses indicating pauses.

"Everybody standing here at 24 Willie Mays Plaza. An armada of nautical craft gathered in McCovey Cove beyond the right-field wall. Bonds one home run away from history, and he swings and there's a long one. Deep into right-center field. Way back there. It's gone! A home run! ... Into the center-field bleachers to the left of the 421-foot marker. An extraordinary shot to the deepest part of the yard. ... And Barry Bonds with 756 home runs. He has hit more home runs than anyone who has ever played the game.... Henry Aaron, the home run king, 755. He hit his last one 31 years ago. And now tonight in downtown San Francisco, Barry Bonds hits number 756, one more than Aaron."

How I met Hank Aaron

I was in 3rd grade when I first met Henry Aaron in the 1st floor of the San Francisco Chinatown Library. The library has since gone through several rounds of renovations, but the memory remains. I was finding a book to do a book report and I found a book in the sports section with the spine reading "HENRY AARON." I didn't even know how to pronounce his last name. (air-RON as opposed to AIR-rin). Not knowing what this book was about, I checked it out just because the person's name was HENRY -- the book has gotta be good.

As any red-blood American kid growing up in the United States, you know of characters like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, and Babe Ruth. I had no idea who he was except he was the best, ever in the Baseball World. That was the extent of my baseball knowledge. Bear in mind, Joe Montana and the 49ers owned the city at that time.

The book started talking about a young, black kid growing up in Mobile, Alabama who started his baseball dreams by swinging a stick and trying to hit a toy in his backyard. The book made the case of pointing out that Aaron would swing cross-handed (left hand on top of right hand). I remember the first time I grabbed a bat at my school playground and stepped up to the plate for my very very first at-bat, I purposely held the bat cross-handed to mimic this Aaron guy. The bigger boys quickly told me to put my right hand on top of left, thinking I was an idiot who knew nothing about baseball. Little did they know....

As I got further and further in the book, I realized that this wasn't just any normal baseball book nor was Aaron just any other baseball player. I can still see myself, sitting in a tub of hot water in my tiny San Francisco apartment as I got to the climax of the book. I can still remember how confused I was... that there was this man who was about to surpass Babe Ruth in this hallowed record... yet no one ever mentions his name. I can still vividly see that very page of that very book that read... "715!! 715!!"

That moment forever cemented my love for baseball by the very fact that a man named "HENRY" held the greatest record in baseball. I was on cloud nine for the longest time. I slowly learned to realize that this book wasn't just baseball, but it was also about racism in a free country, it was about a kid chasing his dream, it was about a nobody becoming a somebody through perserverance and hardwork.

Twenty years ago... I witnessed the crowning of a new king through a book. Twenty years later... I witnessed the crowning of a new king live on television. Though I promised myself I wouldn't cheer when it happens, I found myself smiling and clapping in my living room when Bonds' homerun soared into the centerfield bleachers for #756. Like it or not, I will always cherish this moment in time...

755

Home Group Highlights

Two weeks ago our Home Group broke new ground. We ran out of food during dinner so poor Mrs. L. had to fry 14 eggs to feed our appetites. Initial D not only cleaned out all the rice...he even finished the leftover rice in the fridge. Astoundingly... we had plenty of dessert. Two pints of Ben and Jerry's, two pints of Marco Polo and one huge pot of Green Bean Soup.

Yesterday (as expected), we had an overflow of food for dinner. JY brought two entrees. KL made an amazing spicy veggie. We brought over a dozen BBQ pork shoulder. Mrs. L baked another dozen porkchops and cooked 8 cups of rice. But this time, Initial D wasn't hungry!!!
His lack of appetite was because he felt compelled to finish the Green Bean Soup he took home two weeks ago. TWO WEEKS AGO!!!! Ironically...we over-emphasized dinner and neglected dessert so we ended up splitting two Haagen Daas Ice Cream bars among all 9 of us.

And oh btw... in just a little bit over an hour... we meticulously (can't say completely) studied Romans 1:1-2. Two verses ate up an hour. Can't wait till get to verse 3!!!!

By God's grace...

In memory of...

"The Genius" Bill Walsh 1931-2007

Fin

I have a tendency to juggle 4-5 books at the same time. And I usually end up finishing none of them.

Last night, I officially finished the novel, Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, all 1130 pages of it. This venture started back in 2005 when I went on my first Honeymoon to Hong Kong / China. I got about 10 pages into the book during that trip. On my business trips to/fro the East Coast, I'll get maybe 100-200 pages in. But 80% of the reading was done on my 2nd Honeymoon to Europe. I slept a total of 2 hours on the entire plane ride (roundtrip). The rest of the time was spent reading. In the end, it wasn't so much finding out what happens at the end that matters... it was just proving to myself that I can finish something I started.

Now that I'm down to just 3 books to juggle, I'm deciding whether to add on Gone with the Wind or War and Peace as the fourth. Both are probably long and boring and a mountain of a novel. But both novels, I once promised myself I'll be done reading prior to graduating college.

某一個夜...

獨自在家, 晚餐只是冷飯和隔夜雞. 今晚與往晚不同, 家裡欠缺一把笑聲. 聲音是離自偶然路過的車輛和收音機中的講波伯伯. 唉…Giants 又輸緊. 台頭望向牆上的鍾, 望望窗外的天空. 天色已晚. 愛妻還未歸家. 跟姊妹在進行自古不變的女性活動…去shopping. 一定是玩得不亦樂乎. 不知不覺會想, 愛妻會否買樣小禮物送給丈夫呢? 不會抱很大的期望.

從下班到歸家, 都不斷做家務, 做過不停. 坐下來看看做了甚麼, 又看不出有甚麼成就. 不知不覺又會想想, 愛妻會否怪我只懂做自古不變的男性活動, 放工歸家看電視. 想起有點心酸, 就立即做一點容易被觀察的家務.

打完成篇日記都未返. 應不應掛心呢? 心信主耶穌一定會保守她. 唉…Giants 真的輸了.

From Power Point to Bathroom Jabbers...

Why does management insist on adding animation on Power Point Presentations? One or two pop-ups serve a nice purpose... making the next Pixar Full Length Feature is questionable at best. But who am I to second guess....right?

My boss is putting my name in for a Special Recognition Award. I'm not much for awards unless it's a team award or unless I was seriously an individual contributor of something. I really detest it when it's a collaborative effort and I'm left on the podium or trophy stand. Even worse, I had to write my own Award Caption... how lame. Needless to say, I went a little sarcastic on it... and also needless to say... the humor will probably NOT make the final cut.

Onto the subject of Bathroom Jabbers... had a very weird dream last night. Dreaming about bathrooms are already weird all in itself. But last night, was yet another time that I dreamnt I walked into the ladies room!! The details of the dream will be left undocumented for the sake of a PG rating.

Goodness gracious....Barry is 2 away from tying, 3 away from breaking it!!! And I have tickets for Monday night!!

What's next?

All my life, the only thing I knew how to do and was semi-good at doing, was go to school. But Santa Clara's Graduate program left such a sour taste in my mouth, I am completely disgusted with nearly any form of education. So....what's next?

Culinary school, guitar lessons, marathon training, dance class or reading War and Peace ~ as that was my goal during undergrad. Playing and passing Zelda on the Wii, rediscover my golf game. Overhaul my yard - by me or should I pay a contractor? Blah blah blah... it's not like I don't have any ideas.

Joyce says I should rest. What does rest mean? Does rest mean lounging around with an umbrella drink at hand while listening to reggae? Does rest mean to sit on my couch, with a book in one hand, a glass of Chianti in the other with Mozart in the back? I get tired from resting, as ironic as that sounds. The late Danny Chan once quoted Woody Allen in saying: Humans are like sharks, we must keep on swimming forward, otherwise we will die. Now I'm certain I won't die if I stop and rest...but how I empathize with that quote.

I actually don't like yam...

...and why is the water at Raging Waters - salty?!?!?

How to be a better writer?

Writing is not just a skill...it is an art. So unless you're in the realm of Abraham Lincoln, the unofficial greatest writer in the last 200 years, a writer really shouldn't write beyond his/her capability.

It's easier to point out mistakes (constructively criticize) than offer improvements. Here's a list of "Bad Writing":

• Be more or less specific
• Don’t be redundant; don’t repeat yourself for emphasis
• Don’t use more words than necessary; its highly superfluous
• One should never generalize
• The passive voice should be avoided
• Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are usually unnecessary
• Avoid clichés like the plague. (They are old hat.)
• Prepositions are not words to end sentences with
• Employ the vernacular
• Foreign words and phrases are not apropos
• Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
• Understatement is always best - Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement
• Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake
• Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed
• Finish your thoughts, not with ellipses...

I love...

I simply love rain in the middle of July. Something about the smell in the air that really tickles me pink...

Going...going....gone

Annual Mid-Summer Classic, the MLB All Star Game came to the City by the Bay this year. And the much anticipated Home Run Derby took centerstage at China Basin off of McCovey Cove. Since Pac Bell Park was erected back in 2000, people have always asked... can anyone hit the glove out in leftcenter? How many times will the ball find water a.k.a Splash Hits? And when will the All-Star Game come to San Franciso so the world can find out.

Well... in the 7 years since Pac Bell Opened, the name has evolved twice to what is now known as AT&T Park. And contrary to initial beliefs, Splash Hits are rarer than a Blue Moon - except in the case of Barry Lamar Bonds. In fact, prior to the park opening, Giants Officials even trained dogs to dive into the cove to retrieve Homeruns hit into McCovey Cove. That idea disappeared quicker a box of Krispy Kreme donuts in the office breakroom.

Tonight... once again... I had to work late. And though I work in the tech industry, at home, I'm still in the Stone Age. So instead of TIVO, I had Joycie record the HR Derby on VHS. (HA!) Boy was that a lifesaver... I get home and Joycie tells me the Derby was so long and boring, she even fell asleep!!

But seeing the Derby...one has to appreciate what Barry Bonds has done in a Giants uniform (and Willie Mays for that matter). Pac Bell is NOT a hitter's ball park. Candlestick was NOT a hitter's ball park. But for this pair of Giants Juggernaut to have as many career HRs as they do playing in these two parks gets less credit than it does. Ruth may be the Sultan of Swat...but Yankee Stadium has such a short porch to rightfield!

In previous HR Derbies...you see hitters smack 20+ HRs in one round. This year, the highest total was 17!! Instead of the booming, get-out-of-the-park HRs you saw at Minute Maid and Miller Park, these HRs were smacked into the gusting winds where HRs die and become mere flyballs. One must ask...how did Barry ever hit 73 in 2001?? (Moreover...how did Rich Aurilia hit 37?)

Credit is due where credit is deserved. There were some booming HRs...by righties...towards the arcade. In fact... Vladimir "Almost-a-Giant" Guerrero hit one that cleared the bleachers and smashed into the stairs leading to the Coke Bottle. I guess that's as far as players, nowadays can hit.

Funny how the most controversial element surrounding baseball nowadays, is the sole reason baseball is still around, ala 1998 McGwire/Sosa. Curiously, as to how the most celebrated record in baseball is now stigmaed by its own greed.

If the Mid-Summer Classic ever returns to San Francisco... if Pac Bell / AT&T is still standing, then maybe, just maybe someone will finally hit a HR into the glove. And maybe, just maybe.... Bonds will get another day in the sun. But until then... he along with all his career stats will go on under this shadow of a doubt....

(Wow...that was a long post.)

Scent of a Man

HA! For the 2nd time in nearly a month... a woman tells me I smell good. That's one compliment I would never expect to hear... Times have changed.

Workoholism

Friday morning I look up at the clock, see that it's still only 9AM....and I breathe a sigh of relief, feel glad that it's still so early in the day while thinking I still have at least 10 hours of time left to finish my work. Any thing wrong with the picture?

Mission 五虎將

MISSION FAB FIVE

We grew up together. We grew up separately. But regardless of
who we were, who we are, or who we will become. The five of us will
always be Best of Friends.

D-Day

一天一天的我在期待放學.....一轉眼卻要告別校園

T-minus 1 day...

cram (krām) - verb

1. To force, press, or squeeze into an insufficient space (eg. a brain)
2. To fill too tightly (eg. a brain)

sleep (slēp) - noun

1. A natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body, in which the eyes usually close and consciousness is completely or partially lost, so that there is a decrease in bodily movement and responsiveness to external stimuli.

partial credit [pahr-shuhl kred-it] - noun

1. A blessing.
2. A gift.
3. A tool or mechanism to passing a class despite not knowing anything that has to do with the class.

T-minus 2 days...

Open notes final today... and I forget to bring my notes.

T-minus 3 days...

誰知我內心多苦悶 一切沒法如願...

誰知我內心多苦悶 因我甚覺疲倦...

On a side note...

When a close friend is hurt, the pain is empathized. When a close friend is unhappy, the melancholy spreads. When a close friend is insulted, the burden is shared. Nobody asked me to be in this situation... but when someone messes with my close friend... they're also messing with me. (Not that I'm gonna do anything about it... but hey... I have this electronic forum to COMPLAIN COMPLAIN COMPLAIN... )

Today's sermon was about being "blind" -- physically and spiritually. John Newton, the writer of the Amazing Grace so wonderfully puts it - "was blind, but now, I see." Ironically... he wrote that after he lost vision in both his eyes. The apostle Paul was blinded on the road to Damascus... but it was his spirit that gained true vision. There are those who ask, "What? Are we blind too?" (John 9:40) and never know the answer. There are those who see, but don't realize it (John 20:15). There are those who won't believe till they see (John 20:25). There are also those who CAN see...yet choose not to. And here am I...

Two years ago, I was blessed with LASIK Wavefront surgery, resulting in 20/20 and 20/10 vision. For a brief 5 seconds in the midst of the procedure, I was blind. Since that day, I've been living behind sunglasses. And today of all days... my sunglasses broke.

Lastly... why is it that anytime a Rocky movie (except Rocky V) comes on cable TV...I drop everything and watch those dumb movies? Why are the lines in there so classic and legendary? Why do I still find humor in something I've seen over a ba-jillion times? How is it that I still get motivated to workout everytime I see Rocky go through his training regime?

DUHN!! DUHN DUHN DUHN!!! DUHN DUHN DUUUUUUUHHHHHNNNNN!!!!

or....

DUN DUN DA DUN DUN DUN DONE DA DA DUN...DUN DA DUN DUN DUN DUN DUHN DUUUUUHHHHHNNNN....

Kudos to those who understand that... or should I say... Pity to those who are sorry enough to understand that... whatever

T-minus 4 days...

Drill and repeat...drill and repeat...drill and repeat. That's the name of the game. Don't needa learn anything, simply drill yourself and keep on repeating till you can regurgitate. After regurgitation... all can be forgotten... ahhhhhhhh..

T-minus 5 days...

No motivation whatsoever... but 30 minute holy naps are amazing!!

T-minus 6 days...

Previous finals?? Hook it up!!!!!

T-minus 7 days...

I really have no energy to fight this battle any longer. Just let it be over with already...

慘敗

不出五分鐘就被罰黃牌, 射十二碼. 幸好入了一球, 拾回小小的尊嚴. 最後以 1 比 4 落敗.

雖然是美國司提慎, 而且這二十幾年來, 在祖國加加埋埋都只不過住過半年的日子(有多無小),但每逢中美體育鬥爭, 心裡很自然就會棄美歸中. 在烈日暴晒兩小時, 被美國佬圍繞, 看著祖國越打越遜之下, 我們六人都可以台起頭離開球場. 因為最後得勝的不是美國隊, 更加不是中國隊. 最終得勝的是今次球賽的贊助商. 平均$40一張非, 二萬幾人買非...一定發啦!!

Domino Murder Case

Two deaths in the past two days.

For the past two days... two corpse have been found on my driveway and path to my front door. The bodies were mostly intact, appendages were accounted for but feathers were obviously ruffled. Who is behind these series of murders? We have our prime suspect...but without hard evidence, prosecution will be futile. Initial investigations have caused us to label this murder case as: the Domino Murder Case.

The two victims left behind a major clue for the Crime Scene Invesitgators. A week ago, a vesitge of plumage coincidentally were spilled over the wasteland -- what use to be my front lawn. Experts belive there was a confrontation that took place on this wasteland -- a confrontation between the victim and the suspect. This confrontation may be the key to the double murder and the key to solving this the Domino Murder Case.

Suspcious activity over this wasteland has been noticed for many months now. The suspicion arises from uncovering the culprits responsible for turning this lucious tundra of terrace into now a desert of parasitic foilage. Grubs (EXHIBIT A) - more commonly known as grass worms - were found living underneath the top soil of lawn, sucking away the nutrients from grass, thereby leaving it incapacitated for future growth, and eventually, towards doom. Action has been taken to rid the wasteland of the grubs in hopes of revitalizing the lawn...but actions were not taken with enough expedience as the flying creatures of the heavens (VICTIMS) have located this wasteland.

EXHIBIT A

Every morning, as the owners of the wasteland depart for their daily, habitual occupations, they would notice a flock of these flying creatures picnicing around these wastelands. What's junk to one is a treasure to another. What seems like a wasteland to some, is actually a buffet for another. Experts hypothesize that these flying creatures from the heavens descend upon the wasteland on a daily periodic basis to consume on the grubs.

For the two years the owners have resided here, they have noticed a familiar existence of neighborhood stray felines (SUSPECT). These felines act surreptitiously but occasionly leave paw prints on the cars of the owners.

Taking from the previous case of SYLVESTER THE CAT v. TWEETY BIRD seen in (EXHIBIT B), we can only take into major consideration that these seemingly friendly neighborhood felines have longingly observed and properly prepared for their own round of feasting.

EXHIBIT B

This Domino Effect, and hence the name of this case, comes from the due fact that it was the grubs who ate the lawn. The birds eat the grubs. And now, well...the kitty-kat probably wanted to eat the birds. Will we ever uncover enough evidence to put the murderer behind bars? That still remains a mystery....

Do you see what I see?

I cringe whenever a professor uses a red or orange marker to write on a whiteboard. If the board is white... my preferred colors of marker are blue or black... maybe green. Why?? Cuz red/orange hurts my eyes. Why does it hurt my eyes? Check it out:

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?

Approximately 12% of the male population and <1% of the female population are colorblind. Red/Green colorblind constitutes 99% of these people. There are those who are Blue/Yellow colorbind, and also those who only see black/white/shades of gray.

I am part of that 99% of the 12% of the 50% of the world's population. (hrm.....that makes sense if you think about it....).

So.... what does that have to do with anything?? Well...this is in answer to the two complaints filed against my selection of background color. It's black cuz it's easy on my eyes. Hor hor hor...


P.S. A commom side effect of colorblindness is the inability to tell whether meat is cooked raw or well done. Let it be known... I am NOT afflicted by this side effect.

COMPLAIN COMPLAIN COMPLAIN

Ahhhhhh....if I were to list out my top 10 talents, ranking up in the top 5 would definitely be "COMPLAINING" right next to "PROCRASTINATING" and "POINTING OUT PEOPLE'S OBVIOUS FLAWS."

The past several months, the on-ramp onto Hwy 17 has been under contruction. Cal Trans is putting in an extra carpool lane (which NOBODY uses!!). But during those two months, traffic flowed like melted cheese.... smooth as silk (for the most part). This week, they reopened the third lane and the metering lights and now traffic gets backed up for up to 15 minutes!!! GEEZ LOUISE PUH-LEASE!!!!

So guess what I did?? I google-d "traffic lights complain san jose" and found a number to the City of San Jose to call. HA! I was surprised that when I called...I actually got a person and not an answering machine!! And the lady even said I was the 2nd person to call in that day. Cool huh? Well... not really. She said she wasn't the right department to talk to. So I was forwarded to the Traffic/Signal department in which I left a message. One day later... they responded to my message!!!!..... only to tell me that I have to call Cal-Trans. Hrm..... will my complaints ever be heard?

The saga continues....

back to Bathroom Jabbers...

So for the past two months... I've been making treks down the long hallway to the OTHER men's room to do my deed. I simply can not stand the non-flushable toilets. Alright... last week, I caved, got lazy and went to the one right next to my desk. Lo and behold...9 out of 10 were clogged again!! ARGH!!!

But here's the best part!! Earlier this week...while making a trek down the hallway (yeah...to do my deed)... I noticed the Ladies' Room was blocked off! A sign hung outside saying "Sewage Pipe Broken." Whoa!!... In my wildest imagination...I would never fathom that this happens to the ladies room!! GO LADIES!!!

Since we're on the topic of cross-gender bathroom jabber... Earlier this evening at the Macraroni Grill, I went to the bathroom and in there was a little girl (about 3-4 yrs old) with her dad. Her dad was washing his hands while she was ambling around. Now the question is...do I go? Or do I wait till she leaves? What would you do?

Step by step...

This morning... the kids who I usually morning call to wake up for church....all called ME instead. HA!

As we mature together and grow together, it is simply heart melting and a blessing to see us all being transformed by the Holy Spirit.

The Bathroom Jabbers continue...

Remember that Men's Room with 4 urinals, 6 sinks and 10 stalls that don't flush?? Remember that Hand Dryer that my friend thought was an air freshener?? Remember how it only had 1 paper towel dispenser that never, ever ran out of paper towels??

Well... today... it officially ran out of paper towels!!

What is a wing?

When you hear the term - "Wing" what do you imagine?

For lunch today, I ordered 5 Honey BBQ Wings at KFC. And what did I get? Not 5 wings...but 5 drummettes! And my question is.... when did the drummette become the wing?

What is a drummette? If I were to describe it to a blind person...a drummette can be described as a miniature drumstick (not the ice-cream mind you). It has ONE bone, with cartilage covering the top and bottom, with meat wrapping the entire bone from top to bottom, being chubbier on top and skinnier on the bottom. It ranges anywhere from 2" to maybe 3" long. The skin usually wraps about 70% of the entire appendage and more often than not, is eaten with the fingers grabbing the lower (said skinner part) of the drummette. It's most often found attached to the wing -- which comes next.

What is a wing? If I were to describe it to a blind person...a wing is best described as a piece of tissue that is 95% wrapped in skin. It possesses TWO bones, joint together on both ends by cartilage. Meat is wrapped around both bones and includes, even, in between the cavity created by the two bones. The appendage has a smooth side and a bumpy side with the bumpy side being where feathers were formerly attached. The wing is most often recognized as the central part of a three-section-wing, with one end of the wing connected to the drummette (see above) and the final part, the "SHARP". (I know of no English word to describe this part). The sharp shall not be described in present post, because most Americans ignore this part anyways...and mostly Asian (probably Cantonese people) like to suck on, nibble with, or "nuun" the SHARP. And the SHARP really is what it's name is described to be...it's pretty SHARP.

Are the drummettes cheaper while wings are more expensive, harder to find? It can't be...cuz they're attached to each other, right? So why do restaurants and such serve DRUMMETTES over WINGS???

Looking back...

Approaching the final month of my four year Masters program journey. It was only a few days ago I reviewed the entire 4 years' worth of tuition - totalling up to $80,000...not to mention the sleepless nights, the stressful weekends, the lost of quality time with my girlfriend / fiancee / wife, the lost of many opportunities to do many other things.

Four years is not a short time. I can't say it was wasted completely, but definitely could've been wiser in managing it. I can't help but ponder... "What did I get out of it?" I stare into blank space...not knowing how to answer my own question.

Reaching another pinnacle in life bears no triumph whatsoever. Cuz turning back, I can recall all the adventures, battles, victories, defeats. Yet really...what do I have in my hands to show for it? Nothing... nothing... Suddenly feel so lost...so lonely...so spent... so tired at this very moment in time...

Protest

Located at the corner of Sixth and Harrison in San Francisco... the station owner says he jacked up gas prices ridiculously high, hoping to make the parent company look bad. HA!

Oh no....

It's the time of the year again... the time when my company shuts off the air conditioning in the middle of the day!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE BELIEVE!!!

I don't need a last second 3 ptr. I don't need a 7 game series. I don't need talks about heroics, MVPs, Jordan-like, Bird-like, Magic-like.... just gimme a "Dubya..." and a "Dubya" I got!!!

I'm gonna quit watching sports in a few years. I don't think my heart can take this much longer. I don't think this is good for my marriage...as Joyce was openly irritated when I nearly created a new hole in the wall. I honestly don't think I can live through another 2002 World Series debaucle. But until the Niners win another Lombardi.... until the Giants win the World Series... until the Sharks carry the Stanley Cup...and until the Warriors claim the Larry O'Brien... I must continue to submit myself to this masochistic guilty-pleasure.

Last night's victory reminded me of 湘北's victory over 山河(ala 男兒當入樽). A low seeded David topples the #1 seeded Goliath. Though it was just one series...it ranked up there with just about any championship game.

But what's different about the Warriors and 湘北...Warriors are going all the way!!!

曾經傷過的心
求主安慰受傷靈魂
願可將一切交託
讓這生由你作指引

漆黑漂泊的人
求主的光進這黑暗
願將這雙手捉緊
在我生命常有你足印

-RY

感恩

好感恩! 最近認識到一班後生仔女... 帶比我好多歡樂. 今朝接佢地返主日崇拜, morning call佢地. 以下三個不同0既對話.

本人: 喂! 早晨!
D君: 早晨.
本人: 起身未?
D君: 未.
本人: 撘九到.
D君: 好...(收線)

本人: 喂! 早晨!
A小姐: 係
本人: 係唔係我車你返教會?
A小姐: 係
本人: 你瞓醒未呀?
A小姐: 係...
本人: 我撘九到… 0黎到 call 你.
A小姐: 係...(收線)

本人: 喂! 早晨! 起身未?
W君: 就啦.
本人: 撘九到.
W君: 好...(收線)

And with the 11th pick...

...of the 2007 NFL draft, the San Francsico 49ers select... Linebacker, Pat Willis.

And with the 28th of the NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers select...Left Tackle, Joe Staley.

So long Kwame... thank you for the memories.

BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!!

Presenting...your FIRST PLACE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS!!!! Who are these guys? What is this world coming to?? Giants with excellent starting pitching? Benitez being a lights out closer going 6 for 6? The bullpen giving up only 1 run in the last 18 innings? Sweeping the Cards, D-backs and the Dodgers....at Chavez Ravine???

Sharks up 1-0 against the Red Wings.
Warriors basically dominating the #1 seed Mavs.
Niners draft right around the corner.
Giants ripping up baseball like no other.

Oh....if this is a dream...please don't wake me up.

Forbes Mill Steakhouse (Los Gatos)

Mozied over to Los Gatos last night and checked off one of the steakhouses on my "To-Eat" list.

I went with my usual 24oz porterhouse... medium rare -- the chef nailed it. Juicy and tender all the way around. Joyce went with the 14oz primerib... which lacked physical attraction... but true beauty comes from within. The calamari was exquisite -- wasn't overbreaded like many other restaurants. The bread was warm, but a little on the hard side...I prefer cheesecake factory's bread. Washed it all down with a glass of 2003 Argentinan Masteq (very dry, almost chalky...had a nice bite to it) and Joyce had a glass of Pinot-syrah. It was like drinking grape juice.

The only thing less than perfect was the horseradish. I asked for straight and the waiter really went into the kitchen and carved up shreds of horseradish for me. C'mon...there's no taste to that! Then I asked for some creamed horseradish and out came a cup of mayonaise. No kick, no tang, no taste at all... I ended up mixing the straight with the cream and managed to tickle my palate a little.

It was reasonably price -- under two 2 Bens. Had great ambiance -- they have separate sections to seat groups and to seat 1-2 people. And the service was excellent and careful -- had a nice chat with our waiter.

Won't be jumping the gun to go back...but would definitely recommend to others.

I've got the fever...

...the playoff fever!!!

SHARKS ADVANCE!!

WARRIORS WIN FOR THE 1ST TIME IN THE POSTSEASON SINCE 1992!!

AND THE GIANTS...well... work in progress.

AND..."with the 11th pick of the 2007 NFL Draft...the San Francisco 49ers select...."

WELCOME HOME!!

Welcome back ESPN... oh how I've missed you.

OH!!!!!!

GIANTS WIN!!!! BONDS HOMERS - #738!!!!!

SHARKS WIN!!!! UP 3-1 IN PLAYOFFS!!!!

WARRIORS WIN!!! END 13 YEARS OF PLAYOFF DROUGHT!!!!

I pray...

I pray that I will...

...obey Your word without question,

...pray without ceasing,

...praise You constantly,

...worship You continuously,

...and serve others unconditionally.

WOOHOO!!!

Giants didn't lose yesterday!! WOOHOO!!

Giants didn't play yesterday... hence they didn't lose. Sigh...

Shutout - again!!

Third time in 9 games we've been shutout!!! BY THE SAME TEAM!!!!

So Roberts steals second (as is our 2007 game plan) and Vizquel pokes a single. Stupid Flannery holds our FASTEST guy on our team at third!!! Wasn't he the big mouth that said, "We have to be aggressive. We can't count on hitting 3 run homers every time." And what happens next? Aurilia hits into an inning ending double play.

Man on 1st and 3rd with 1 out and we can't even generate ONE run. Pleeeeease.... stick that finger back into my eye!!

Bittersweet... Sharks win in double OT but Cheechoo is hurt.

Can't ever be easy, can it???

At one point, the Giants were leading 6-0. Benitez comes in the bottom of the 9th with a 3 run lead and gives up a 2 run HR to Gonzalez. Followed by a neeeeear miss by Khalil Greene. We hang on by the skin of our teeth and win 6-5.

3 months from now, all will be forgotten. Well...I guess that's why blogs were invented...so I WON'T forget!!

Still IRATE about the Giants...but giddy that it's raining. WOOHOO!!

Nothing's going right!!!

Someone made sour coffee!! ARGH!!!!!

IRATE!!

Cain pitches a No hitter into the 7th and we lose 1-0!!! GEEZ!!!!
14 runs in 7 games. I feel like jamming my finger in my eye.

Just cuz I should...

Opening day 2007... a day to remember, yet a day to forget.

Another day spent with my best buds and my girl at the best experience in Major League Baseball. The day started out with the 2007 Giants Calendar (so painful last year when I couldn't get it). Then it evolved into a semi-dry Amici's pizza which left a lot to be desired. Followed by the introduction of the 2007 Giants...the woeful, lowly 1-5 Giants. Best part of the day must've been when Jon Miller said, "...the MVP of the 1989 season, Leftfielder, KEVIN MITCCCCCHELLLLL..." and "...he was a thrill to watch...Firstbaseman, #22, WILLLLL CLLLLARRRRK...." I didn't grow up watching McCovey and Cepeda and Mays. I can only hear, read, and revere at their marvel. But I did grow up watch the Thrill, Mattie Williams, Robby Thompson, Mitchell's one-handed catch... that's what I grew up watching.

Most memorable part of the day... the count was 3-2 on Bonds. The shift was on, here comes the pitch from Peavy. Bonds takes a weak swing and pokes a single to leftfield pass the 3rd baseman playing short. Within two pitches, the 500-500 man alive swipes a bag to get into scoring position! HERE COME THE GIANTS!!!

Most forgetful (but still very rememberable) part of the day... Durham dribbles a grounder to short. Bonds stops running and starts jogging around the bases when Gonzles drops the throw at first!! Bonds sees it then decides to put on the gas and round third...but is gunned down at home without even a slide. Rally over. So much for playing with heart and effort.

Since opening day, the Giants have scored a total of 14 runs in 6 games. We just got swept by the hated Dodgers....dating back to last season, that would be 9 straight losses to them. Oh.... it's gonna be one long summer....

Good Friday

Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of
his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,
that he should live on forever and never see the pit. Psalm 49:7-9

Our lives are costly...every life that God creates is costly, is precious, is invaluable. Who can give up his/her life for our ransom? Who's life can suffice for the lives of all mankind? Who, but our Lord, our Savior, our Messiah, our friend...Jesus Christ.

Thank you Jesus for your cross. By your cross, suffering and resurrection, you have set me free!

2 phones in 6 years ain't bad...

9/2001 - 3/ 2004


My first cellphone...the infamous 8260 that virtually EVERYONE had. I don't even remember how many times I dropped it and it still survived! It got to a point where soooooooo many people were deserting the 8260, I was collecting their old batteries so I can have one charged up for virtually every day of the week! And if you remember, that's how long the battery lasted -- a day. A very trusty and simple phone to use. LOVED IT!!!







3/2004- 4/2007

One of the first generation camera phones. I was soooo "IN" when I got this. But within 2 months, this phone became obsolete. I never did like that toggle joystick in the middle -- I saw it as a single point of failure. And fail it did. I no longer can toggle "DOWN" with the joystick. If I wanted to go down...I have to go "UP" and wrap around the list. More complicated than the 8260, but manageable nonetheless. Favorite thing about this phone is I could set my wife's picture as the wall paper.








April 2007

The start of a new era! Form, fit and function is exactly the same as my previous phone (so I don't have to learn how to use the widget), but the phone itself is still EXTREMELY new. Most importantly, I don't have to go through the trouble of finding a phone, buying a phone, learning a phone.

WOOHOO!!!

Asketh and thou shalt receiveth...maybe...

Accounting Office 03/29/07 9:27 AM
Dear Student,
This email is to inform you that a $75 late fee and a hold has been assessed to your student account

. . . .

Student 3/29/2007 9:56 AM
Dear sir or madam,
Being this is my last quarter before graduation and being that I've been a student at this school for almost 4 years with only one other instance of being late (and that was due to me being on travel), I cordially ask that this $75 late fee be waived.

. . . .

Accounting Office 03/29/07 3:33 PM
Dear Student,
We will reverse the late payment fee as a one time courtesy.

Another lesson in life...

Been struggling recently with the idea of moving into Management. I've never seen myself as a manager. I don't like dealing with timecards, performance reviews, schedules, deadlines and most notoriously, I hate managing personalities! I rather deal with a piece of dead hardware.

Well...I got my first taste of management today when I had to officially "lay-off" my gardener.

We initially cut his hours back from once a week, to twice a month. But as time progressed, we noticed we were just paying him to mow our lawn! And when our lawn of grass evolved into a lawn of weed... we realized it was time to sever our ties with him.

I still remember (and cherish) the day I got my pink-slip. The empty feeling of hopelessness and depression is still very familiar to this very day (though it's been 5 years). If my ex-gardener has the same feeling, he definitely didn't show it. Or maybe it was because he didn't understand my broken-Spanish.

5 years from now, my ex-gardener may not even remember who the heck this young Chinese guy was that laid him off. But not me. I'll probably forever remember this day, this morning, this conversation...this moment in time.

MARK 哥!

OUTRAGEOUS!!!!

Remember that newly designed bathroom with 9 stalls and only 3 urinals?? Remember those toilets in that bathroom that flushes only if you sit and stand?? Remember??

Well...today I went in there and 8 out of the 9 toilets are ALL CLOGGED!!! The one and only toilet that wasn't clogged had this weird white murky water floating in it....

THIS IS INSANE!! THIS IS OUTRAGEOUSLY INSANE!!!!

God's timing...

...talk about timing...