A look back at the 2000's...

As the decade comes to a close... I look back at the past 10 years of my own life and came up with two lists.

Bottom Moments of the 2000's

10. Prop 8 - For the record, Prop 8 did pass. For the record, I voted "Yes" on Prop 8. And for the record, it was NOT an easy decision.
9. Bush defeats Gore - Indecision 2000. I still hold firm to my belief had they done the recount correctly a decade ago, America will not be in the demise it is in now.
8. Breakup of Friendship - Thanksgiving Day 2000. The part that hurt most was... I never got a chance to defend myself.
7. Unemployment - I already touched on this an earlier post. Still remember the words uttered by Joyce when she waited all day for a phone call telling her she got the job. "I was so happy when the phone rang...but it wasn't them." She never got that phone call.
6. Facing the fact parents are getting old - We made so many phone calls to insurance agencies, hospitals, clinics, specialists... signed soooo many forms... went to so many doctor's appointments... learned so many medical terms (in English/Chinese). Now, we just see their bodies slowly wither away.
5. Father in Law's battle with cancer - Old age is for certain. But cancer and chemo is simply scary.
4. Natural Disasters - Katrina '04, South East Asia Tsunami '05, Sichuan Earthquake '08.
3. 2002 World Series - Game 6 - Up 5 runs with 6 outs left. Where did it go wrong? I can cope with the unemployement. This... I simply still can not deal with.
2. Nui-nui's close calls - Never, by own my power, could I have gone through all those ups and downs.
1. 9/11 - (Picture is worth a thousand words)

Some of you may say, "How can you put the World Series in front of your parents health?!?" To you I say, the World Series was a moment in time that pierced extremely deep to which I have yet to recover. Parents being in the hospital time and time again became more of reality than anything... And now for the happier list... the Top 10 Moments of 2000 (subject to change).

Top 10 Moments of the 2000's

10. Bejing Olympics Opening Ceremony - 同一个世界 同一个梦想 - I think the comments in an earlier post already captured the essence of this event.

9. President Elect Obama - Can the Democrats retake the White House? Can America have a minority can become the most powerful man in the world? Can America help make Dr. Martin Luther King's dream come true? Can we rally behind Hilary Clinton and the entire Democratic party for a better America? Can we? "YES WE CAN!"

8. Prop 8 - I think the greatest thrill of Prop 8 wasn't so much the outcome, but the fact that we citizens actually exercised Democracy and went out to campaign, to rally, to petition and to vote -- exactly what our forefathers fought for. Coupled with the significance of the Presidential Election... the voter turnout annihilated the polls. That was the big moment...

7. Skydiving - Turning 25 and right smack in the middle of my quarter life crisis. Life was nothing but a bunch of humdrum. And it hit me... (no, not the ground)... I needed to seek out some excitement! The sky is the wrong place to look. There is no adrenaline rush in skydiving. But jumping from a plane was a lifelong dream nonetheless.



6. Graduation - This happened so long ago that it's easy to forget the significance of becoming the 2nd Leung to be a college graduate and to achieve the dream my dad had in us when we emigrated to America.

5. Top of Great Wall - 不到長城非好漢 - Another life long dream of mine, to step foot on the Great Wall and climb to the highest peak. Once again, the essence of this was captured in an earlier post.

4. Game 5 of NLCS - I still remember the winning call like it was yesterday...

"Bell, possible winning run at second. Here comes the pitch. Kenny Lofton.. LINE DRIVE BASE HIT UP THE MIDDLE. BELL, ROUNDING THIRD, HEADING HOME, HE'S SAFE!! THE GIANTS HAVE WON THE PENNANT!! THE GIANTS ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE!! KENNY LOFTON, THE MAN THEY LOVE TO HATE IN ST. LOUIS, KNOCKS IN THE WINNING RUN. AND THEY COME POURING OUT OF THE DUGOUT!!" ~Jon Miller.

More importantly, we were there live.

3. Baptism - (I actually don't have a picture for this.) The events leading up to this turning point in my life was probably more storybook than the event itself. And this turning point opened up a brand new chapter, nay... a brand new VOLUME in my life. Opening doors I've never imagined possible. And experiencing God, like I've never imagined before.

2. Birth of Nui nui - Rachel Yat Hei Leung / 梁溢曦 (click here for the Running Diary).

Rachel - pure; a ewe lamb
溢 - 福杯滿溢 (詩篇23:5) / "...my cup overflows." (Psalm
23:5)
曦 - 晨曦 (約8:12) / "I am the Light of the World..." (John 8:12)

1. 9/16/2005 - Yes yes yes... for the one or two of you who might remember, my wedding day was on 9/17. But my top moment certainly is NOT my wedding day. Goodness... my wedding day was one of the most exhausting days of my life. Everything was sorta planned. Everything was kinda in place. Everything was almost running in order. Yet, nothing was as special, as meaningful, as magical as the day before the wedding - at Grace Cathedral - for my wedding rehersal. It wasn't just a rehersal, though. Each and everyone of my bestest and closest friends were there. My immediate family was there. My pastor and my spiritual parents were there. That was exactly what I would've wanted for a wedding, a little private wedding. And it was on that day, that I first had the opportunity to say my vows outloud for Joyce and for me to hear, inside a church, with God and men as my witness at that moment in time...

Runner up Top Moments of 2000's:

• Francisco's baptism
• Hong Kong PCS 2005
• NLDS Game 4 - 2002: "Ohhhh ooh-OOHH-ohhh"
• Grandma's 100th birthday
• Spring Training 2003

WHY!?!

Why do people still insist on writing freakin' personal checks at the checkout line!! And they're always one particular gender!! ARGH!!! Not really in the Christmas mood, no thanks to those people!

Mood: BAH-HUMBUG!!

My how I've changed...

Flying back from LA today and behind me sat a 16 month old screaming his head off. Across the aisle was a 6 year old travelling on his own, making friends (or enemies) with everyone around him. People were getting up and moving towards the back of the plane to avoid the commotion. Others were exchanging looks nonverbally saying, "Good grief, thank goodness this is a short flight."

And me? Didn't annoy me one bit. I loved every minute of it. My, how I've changed...

Mood: giddy

Nui-nui's first words....

"Mmmmmmmm-mah! Mmmmmmmmm-mah!"

Mood: defeated

Personally Speaking

That time of the year again... the time of the year to give thanks, to eat too much and to start proofreading personal statements. This is something I absolutely love to do. I leave reading people's writings. Not the boring expository stuff.. but the personal stuff. The stuff that shows me what you've been through and where you want to go. I'm a big fan of blogs btw... so if you have a blog and I'm not reading it, drop the URL and I'll bookmark you. =)

I'm always surprised by the PS from our students. My PS can not even try to compare with theirs. These PS's have stories about opening their own businesses...or going on an archeological excavation. It actually has substance. Mine was about a little summer program where I volunteered to teach summer school. =)

And in a sense, I feel like the old woman who can only donate two coins to the offering. Or the little boy who brough Jesus the original 5 loaves and 2 fishes. I don't have a lot to bring to the table.. but I'll bring whatever I have, and I'm sure the Lord will multiply. Until next year...

Mood: buzzed

Viral Infection

Got my flu shot! Oh yes... Didn't get the H1N1 shot yet. But oh... you know who (or what) didn't get a virus vaccine? My computer...

Oh... how lovely those virus, trojan, malware are. It doesn't disrupt your OS. No... it's sitting there waiting to check your login information. You can try to kill it with Spybot. But it regenerates. You can try to delete it manually...which I did. And get yourself into more trouble. Sigh...$140 to Geek Squad. The thing that miffes me the most is the day it completely crashed was the day I wanted to back up everything too!!! ARGH!!!!!

My father-in-law asked me if it's worth spend $30 on Norton/McAfee. My response... "It's like buying life insurance. You'll never see the money yooooo!"

Mood: violated

Rendered Irrelevant...

I absolutely despise it when I'm lazy in updating. So much has happened, but as time flows, all those life-changing events, herculean milestones, Kodak-moments are rendered irrelevant.

用愛將心偷

昨晚Home Group, 談及到經典無線劇集... 有"唐心風暴", 有"創世記." 但當我提到"千王之王"時, 人人都用迷糊的眼神望我. 有人問... "千王之王不是一套戲嗎?"

大佬! 南神眼... 北千手... 點可以唔識呀? 現時ge教育水平真是令人擔心!

Mood: "冇Mood!"

First lunch date... without Nui-nui

Yesterday was the first time we've gone out to lunch since Nui-nui was born. During lunch, we tried to recollect the last we ate out together. It was day before her birthday - lunch at LeBoulanger. How fast time flies.

Mood: 溫馨

Victim of Cyberthreat

The other day... I changed my Google-chat status to "A hectic day...exhausted." Within minutes, I get a call from a number with a weird area code. It was a pre-recorded message that's left me a voicemail many times before.

Voice: Hello, this is Kaiser Permanente. Is this Mr. Henry Luuuu-eng?
Me: Yes
Voice: We have some information regarding a change in your membership. To continue in Spanish, press 7.
(this is when I started walking around... I wasn't paying much attention)
Voice: You have had a hectic day and you're exhausted.
==END OF CALL==

Mood: creeped out

First day of school...

I still remember the first day of school. The most exciting part was of course the night before. I'd pack my bookbag with all my new pencils and pens in my pencil box. I'll slip the new, razor sharp crispy line paper into a recycled binder that my mom found in a recycling bin. I'll lay out my uniform with my sweater and socks stuffed into my shoes.

Last night, Joyce and I spent hours getting Nui-nui's things ready for her first day of school. Packed extra clothes, extra diapers, extra wipies. Filled out all the necessary forms for registration. Cleaned out the cooler to hold Nui's milk. And of course had to pick out the perfect outfit to make that first impression on her new friends.

The next morning, everything that had to go wrong did. I got Joyce and I lost even though I've been on the same freeway a thousand times. We did NOT have time for breakfast despite waking up at 5:30. And traffic was at it's worse even before 7:30AM.

We finally got to Auntie Et's place. We were the first ones there. The other children don't show up until 8 or 9ish. So it was just me, Joyce, Nui-nui and Auntie Et. She was ready for us. We gave her all of Nui's stuff. All the forms. The payment for the week. Auntie Et didn't even read the forms. She just picked up Nui and started to hold her. We engaged in some small talk, trying to stall, trying to avoid the inevitable. But after about 10 minutes of talking, the awkwardness finally settled in. We had nothing else to do but leave.

Joyce gave Nui a kiss and put her shoes on. We turned for the door and started to head out. Then Joyce halted, took her shoes off and ran back to give Nui another kiss. And that was it. That was the final dot to the eye and cross to the tee. This time, there was no turning back. We walked through the fire door, heard the BANG! to behind us and started down the stairs. Tears started welling up in our eyes. Our little princess, our little precious, our first born, our gift from God is now in the hands of a lady we've met but once. And it won't be another 8 hours till we see her again. This was one of the must heart-wrenching moments of my life... this moment in time...

Mood: lonely

First date...without Nui-nui

Nui nui is already 4 months old... and it's been a good 4 months since we've gone on a "date." We rushed home after church to get ready... then we rushed to drop Nui nui off at good ol' Auntie Mel-mel's place... and off to Star Wars in Concert we went. We find parking and start walking towards the Shark Tank. About 3 minutes into the walk... it hit us. It really hit us. We didn't have our daughter with us. Awkward? Naked? Weird? Incomplete? None of these words fully describe it.

For me... I've been back at work since July, so I'm more or less use to not have Nui-nui around me. But for Joyce, other than sleeping, she's never been separated from Nui-nui for more than an hour. And even if they are separated, they're always within a 100 yard radius of each other. So this is how mom and dad felt the day I went to college...

Mood: Thankful

Performance Review

Been asked to write performance reviews for a dozen colleagues. This is the first time I had so many to do. The first guy easily got all my attention, my diction and my praise. By the time I got to #12, I was seriously running out of things to say. A few of my buddies told me they recycle their writeups from previous years. That probably helps a whole lot - but doesn't that water down the genuinity of the appraisal? I hate to compromise anyone's performance due to my laziness. How much will my time spent on these writeups affect their compensation?


Mood: exhausted

Why was it ever a tough decision?

Last night, I was VPN-ing when Nui-nui started crying for no apparent reason. I ignored it for about 15 minutes, hoping she'll calm down and go back to sleep so I can get some work done. I got really annoyed when it continued and continued. Then it hit me.

I'm choosing to do work over holding my own daughter? How many more years do I have where I can actually hold my daughter in my own arms? And I'm about to give that up so I can work on some crap that isn't gonna get done anyways?

Come to think of it....why was it ever a tough decision to begin with?

Mood: disgraced

Inevitable

Nui-Nui has been exhibiting small signs of rebellion. She doesn't like to be held at times. And she fights off when we push her hand from her mouth. A very poignant moment in the Leung's household last night when Joyce lovingly whispered "Nui-nui...don't grow up so fast. Don't stop being my little baby."

How I dread the day she goes off to college... the day she walks down the aisle... the day she gets sworn in as the first Asian president of the United States.

Mood: dreadful

The back wave of the Yangtze

With a blink of an eye, it's already been 5 years since I started BSF. When I started, my first impression was, "Geez... everyone here is either retired, have grandkids, or retired with grandkids." I was easily one of the youngest in the entire class. Five years later, all these young college kids are creeping up and I'm the old hogie.

Mood: seasoned

Stay Away!!

Never call me on a Monday morning after the Niners lose. I will bite your head off and spit out your skull to be used as a car ornament!

Well, you can call me... just don't tick me off. Just don't lie to me. Just don't blame your incompetence on "lapse in communication."

I apologized to the guy... but who will apoloize to me for the Niners going from 3-0 to 2-1?

Mood: unstable

That was never suppose to happen...

I feel exhausted, numb. I can't breathe. I'm weak in all my limbs. I can feel my heart slowing down and down and down. All of a sudden, my bones weigh heavier than I can bear. All of a sudden the world is a deep dark hole. No one deserves to feel this pain. No one. Man was not created to bear this burden.

That ball was never suppose to have left his hands.
That ball was never supposed to have been caught.
That toe was never suppose to have touched the ground.
That victory was never suppose to go to them.
That 40 year old man was never suppose to do it to us...again and again and again.

Mood: despair

"I thirst"

"I thirst." Famous words whispered as my Savior was about to breathe his last on the cross. Just a couple of years ago... my Savior also said to a Samaritan woman, "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again."

Jesus bore our sins, the world's sins, past, present and future. To a point where He was separated and forsaken by God the Father. "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" To a point where even his own living water has run dry. That's how far He went to save us.

Salvation is free - but not cheap. How much more do you love Jesus for what He's done for you? Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior yet? If not - then let this be the day...

Mood: blessed

First drops of rain...

Summer is officially gone and the sky is mourning by shedding teardrops of rain. There's nothing sweeter than the scent of the first rain of the fall. I love God's creation. I really do.

Mood: in love

The streak is over

After more than 8 years of avoiding the COPS, I finally got pulled over yesterday. Not for speeding, not for running a red, not for rolling past a stop-sign, not for changing lanes without signaling. All those things I may (or may not) have committed in my brief history on the road could not taint my record. I was pulled over for not having a front license plate. Luckily, it's an INFRACTION and not a MISDEMEANOR. The difference? Other than the latter being impossible to spell, is about $50-100. Just needa get this fixed, have some law enforcer sign a form and send it into the courthouse.

After yesterday morning's fateful encounter, I can't help by want to take pictures of all the cars that pass by without a front license plate, the sleek 330, the powerful Vettes, the agile S2000, and send all those pics to that same officer. Making him hand out tickets to everyone.

Hey man... when I go down, I'm taking someone with me. How righteous is that?

Mood: vengeful

The corner grocery store

Moving into suburbia, you lose the perk of having a local grocer in exchange for supermarket chains that require at least 5 minutes of driving. Luckily, I still have one of those mom-n-pop stores around the corner. It's a Persian grocery store so imagine an "Anglo", if you may, walking into Ranch 99. They're initally overwhelmed by all the foreign brands and the aquarium at the back. But after some exploration, the "Anglo" discovers all these treasures. Similarly, I'm finding out all these different types of food, beverages and spices that are sooooooooo exotic, I don't even dare to try them.

Nonetheless, anytime I've needed some ginger for my fish, or had a sudden craving for some white fuzzy peach I can always walk down my street and find that treasure lying at the end of the rainbow; my little corner grocery store.

Mood: blessed

"It's only a dollar..."

So there's a local sandwich place (which shall remain unnamed). I enjoy going here because they seem to be clean, they make semi-good wiches and it's relatively cheap when I go with my wife. We share a large sandwich with chips and a drink for under $10.

Thie other day I go by myself and order a regular. And for some reason, they charge me the price of a large. I didn't realize this until after I got back to the office. So afterwork, I went to get my dollar back. When I was pleading my case, one of the dudes whispered loud enough for me to hear, "It's only a dollar..."

I soooooooo wanted to scream at him, "YOU WANNA PAY THAT DOLLAR FOR ME?!?!"

I mean... c'mon!! If you guys are scamming people, a dollar here and a dollar there, the pot starts adding up! And it's not a matter of money - it's a matter of principles.

Mood: miffed

1 in 20

Two weeks ago, I woke up with a sharp pain on my left wrist. On the infamous hospital pain scale of 1 to 10, it's a good 7. But only when I make a fist and rotate it towards the pinky side of my fist. My first thought - carpel tunnel. Years of typing didn't do anything - but recently, I've been working some crazy hours on a laptop. Second thought - it could be the Bowflex. I may have used it wrong and hurt myself while working out.

Two weeks and the pain didn't go down. So I went to see the doctor today and he says I have tendonitis. A little of it is work related. But the culprit.....? Lifting my daughter wrong!!! GEEEEZ!!!

I go get fitted for a splint. The Sports Medicine guy says 19 out of 20 are women come in for the same reason. Only 1 in 20 will men come in for this reason. Once again, I'm in the minority.

Mood: painful

The Year that Never Happened

2002 was one of the worst years of my life. Joyce graduated and struggled hard to get a job. Then when she finally found a job, I got my pink slip. Shortly after I started my new job after 6 months of unemployment, she gets laid off. Those memories are remedied by the fact we're both employed. God was providing.

But there was one event, one wound, one nightmare that has not even begun to heal. I've pushed that memory aside to the point where I claim 2002 never happened. No matter how hard I try, no matter how deep I go into denial, no matter how far I've repressed it... the events still lurch in the shadows.

This weekend, the events were particularly resurrected with the enshrinement of Jeff Kent to the Giants Wall of Fame. All the journalists haaaaaaaad to make Kent recount the events in 2002 cuz they know he'll talk. And they know it'll generate an audience and ratings. And of course, there are guys like me who are masochistic enuf to suck it in no matter how hard we try to turn away.

I so depressed... to a point where my eyes are literally tearing up as I recount the events of that fateful October night. When will the wounds mend? God...will you provide?

Mood: depressed

The Book of Job

The Book of Job is one of my favorite and also one of my least favorite. It's my favorite because that was one of the memorable stories from Sunday School (taught my Mrs. Lau). It has a simple beginning and a simple ending.

But it's one of my least favorite cuz chapters 3-41 has my head spinning. All three friends sound correct. The little boy sounds correct. Job sounds correct. Yet - they're all wrong!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's that time of the year again...

Mood: confizzled

Nui-Nui's First Stickers

Nui-Nui earned her first two stickers today! It wasn't from Mahmee or Bahbee, nor was it from a Sunday School Teacher. But it was from that evil lady with the pokey-pokey!!

失錢事件

今天買lunch, 當打開銀包時, 明明重有二十鈫... 竟然冇現錢! 部Lunch Truck 又唔收卡. 幸好有個friend行過. 先先重懷疑自己年紀大, 近排又唔多夠瞓, 有小小失憶.

誰知.... 原來我並非失憶. 家中有三人, 我唔會偷自己錢. 囡囡大把利是錢, 唔需要偷.

有人重敢教我: "買野前, check 清楚銀包有冇錢."
我就話: "我唔check, 因為我知道我有幾多錢. 但經過今次經驗, 我要多多提防!"

哼! 真係日防夜防，家賊難防！

心情: 愕然

Role Reversal

Remember those movies where the over-bearing parents switches bodies with the under-performing son/daughter? Off the top of my head, I can remember the Dudley Moore/Kirk Cameron version and the Lindsay Lohan/Jame Lee Curtis movie. Well, that happened to me yesterday.

Auntie Sandra and Uncle John are visiting from overseas and they want mom to come down to spend a weekend with them in LA. So I go through weeks of plan, booking, emailing for mom to try to get her this trip.

So many times n the phone, I can hear she's ecstatic and scared at the same time. Like a little girl, going to her first overnight slumber party or camping trip.

There she was, the past few days, she was so nervous she couldn't eat. Her stomach as upset. She kept calling and asking all these questions about boarding passes and checking in. I tried my best to reassure her.

And here I am, waiting for mom to call at every tick of the tock - expecting her plane to land, expecting her to safely find her way around LAX, expecting her to get lost and muster her English to find her way back.

Since when does the child, become the parent? When does the student, become the master?

Mood: contemplative

The Price for Convenience

Roughly 2 and a half years ago, I laid off my gardner and even blogged about it here: http://gothenry.blogspot.com/2007/03/another-lesson-in-life.html.

That was fine. I didn't really have a front or back yard for him to work on. And I get to save some money each month. After laying out sod, I started taking care of the lawn myself. But as time wore on... it was apparent I didn't quite have the tools or the knowledge nor the time to take care of things. My front lawn was dying. My bushes were growing out of control. Weed was propping up everywhere. My backyard is a warzone!

So two and half years later, I finally threw in the towel and hired a gardner. We went with a recommendation and so far, things seem to be working out. Their first day went extremely well. They shaved off 4 years worth of bushes that the old gardner never even touched. They checked out the sprinkler system to ensure my foliage are getting enough water. And they not only mow the lawn, they rake off the mulch. Simple things the old guys never did!!

So I'm back to spending some extra cash every month. But that's the price you pay for convenience...

Mood: relieved

1000

Just bought, literally, over a 1000 pairs of diapers. Oh... how I wish I can potty train her by 3 months.

Mood: astonished

Micro-hoo

The deal that went down yesterday between Microsoft and Yahoo is simply disturbing. What truly bothers me is how this eerily reminds me of Carly taking over HP in the 90's. Bartz, like Carly, comes into an engineering house built on "technology" and is forced to "DO SOMETHING." They end up doing something utterly incomprehensible.

And I'm so miffed because I have to face the fact and realize that the Silicon Valley is not run by engineers but my bean counters.

Mood: annoyed and miffed

Crap!

Cast of Seinfeld will be reuniting on "Curb your Enthusiasm" on HBO. Just realized the "Seinfeld" finale was 11 years ago!

Mood: senile

TV Game Shows Contestants

I've always suspected game show guests are staged with extras and/or actors. If not actors, then they definitely screen these people so they were more photogenic or have a personality or a sense of humor.


But today I saw a college friend on Family Feud!! And he really messed up. HA!! So I guess they are real people. Sometimes.

Mood: hopeful (baseball trade deadline)

No-Hitter and Perfect Game

Two weeks ago, Jonathan Sanchez of YOUR San Francisco Giants threw a no-hitter.

What did yours truly do? Well... since I don't have ESPN (sad, but true), I started tuning into the local news. One would think that when there's a monumental event like a no-no , that will be the first thing they show, regardless of the demographics. All the Bay Area newscasts stuck Sanchez's no-no as its first story!! And why not? It's a very special event!!

Well - everyone ought to write into KTVU Channel 2's 10 O'Clock news. As much as it is a staple of the Bay Area for news coverage and as it is the first newscast that night after the no-no, it didn't even mention the no-hitter until its regulars sports segment! What's up with that??

For some reason, I get the Chicago WGN News. And after Burhle's perfecto today, I tuned into their local news coverage - and the moment I tune in - there it was!! A good 5 minutes broadcast on Burhle's Perfect Game at the top of the hour!!

KTVU!!! What's wrong with you!?!

Mood: peeved

Jury Duty - Excused

So yesterday, the judge welcomed anyone from our panel to plea their case to be excused. The grounds are pre-paid vacation or economic/personal hardship. I couldn't legitimately think of anything that doesn't compromise my civic responsibilities. (Especially after "the talk" with the Gonzo). We're dismissed and I walk towards the elevator - only to see over 60% of the panel getting in line to be excused!! WOW!!! These people must be mighty creative! Course, I feel like crap cuz I wasn't smart enough to think of an excuse to get out of Jury Duty.

I go back today to check in. Our case expanded from 1 panel to 4 panels!! I guess it's common for 60% of potential jurors to back out of each panel. I line up to check in, to take role, and they can't find my name!! I wait for 15 minutes after everyone sits down and they announce that I've been excused. WOOHOO!!!

My guess is, whoever was checking off the names yesterday for those with "legitimate excuses" checked off my name by accident. Which means...there's some poor schmuck out there who THINKS he's excused, but on paper - he didn't show up. Oops!!

Mood: victorious

Online dating -- revisited

One of those days - so I'll spend some time answering those online dating questions. I have a feeling these answers won't land me into the "interesting prospect" category. C'est la vie....


1. What do you love most about the place you're living in? Have you ever lived anywhere else?

Most of my life, I've lived in California. And I've always been no farther than an hour from the coast. Is it by choice or by happenstance? I don't know. But two words can sum up what I love most about living here - Options and Selection. What options do I have here? Well... There's the great outdoors (to which I like but I don't spend a lot of time in). There's multi-culturalism (yet all my friends are Chinese with one or two Flips). There's also the arts (in which I go to museums if they're free and attend theater once a year). It's a place flourshing with different industries and job opportunities (but I'm still in the same profession and don't have the guts to move out). It's also a place of shopping convenience where I can drive just 15 minutes to get to anywhere I want to go (but it takes 45 minutes to actually get there cuz of traffic). But the bottomline is - the option is out there! Whether or not I take advantage of it... well... that's why I love most about living here.



2. Tell me about your closest friend. How long have you known him/her; and what do you like best about him/her?

I can probably pull something together for Anderson. Or scribble some notes for Gonzo. And there's always the Best Man speech at the Short-n-Stubby's wedding. But easily, hands down - my closest friend is my wife! My best friend! My soul mate! My other half. Which totally defeats the purpose of online dating if I'm married. So I'll skip this question.

3. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I am able to speak in the tongues of men and of angels. I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge and I have mountain-moving faith. I can give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames. I can do all that. Yet - I'm impatient. I am unkind. I am quite boastful and proud. I'm downright rude, always self-seeking. Anger is my middle name. I have a great memory - mostly from how you've crossed me. I shy away from the truth but embrace the dark side. I lack self-confidence, I'm in despair, I'm full of doubt and I easily deter from the goal. But all those fault seem miniscule compared to what I want to change. Let's just say I wish I can give out unconditional love like our Abba Father loves us.

Mood: Loved

爸爸的信

Got an email from my dad today...

瀚兒﹕

你好
溢曦的誕生是大喜事。我知道﹐你們是有自己的計劃去培養她成長﹐祝願你們的計劃能夠成功﹐也祝愿小孫女能茁壯成長。也許﹐你們會問我對她的期望﹐只有兩點﹕1﹐牢記自己是中國人﹔2﹐不要從政當官。我希望她將來能夠做到。

爸爸

Hrm... I don't think I'll have problems with #1. But #2...

Mood: determined

Blurfing = Surfing + Blog

I just made up a word: Blurfing = Blog + Surfing. verb. It's a time when one surf's on the internet for other people's blogs. (copyright 2009)

Just got done blurfing through some old friends' blogs. It's amazing how interesting people's lives can be. Or how dis-interesting my life is.

One friend's blog stands out though. I spent a good 20 minutes going through his past few months. This friend is supposedly a close friend, but in reading the blog, do I realize I know nothing about him. It was a bit eery and very much more sad. When did we cross that point of no return? Do I even try to reach out to him again? Or has that come and gone, let's move on?

Mood: sad

Online dating

A buddy of mine has been using one of those online dating services. By all means I support this endeavor. Though it sounds silly or even desperate to some, I know of many cases where couples truly "find' each other through the power of the internet.

So my buddy and my buddy's courtee if you may, have been exchanging questions and answers. Kinda like small talk at a bar... but a lot deeper questions that require soul-searching and at the same time, reveals your soul. Three questions as of late:

1. What do you love most about the place you're living in? Have you ever lived anywhere else?
2. Tell me about your closest friend. How long have you known him/her; and what do you like best about him/her?
3. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Why these three questions? And how would I answer them? We'll save that for another post.

Mood: curious

Birth of my Child - Running Diary

There's no way I could've summarized the birth of my child in a paragraph or two. Since I had a laptop with me (and a lot of spare time), here's my first ever Running Diary of the events that transcribed leading up to the birth of my child...

June 16, 2009

8:15PM - Joyce started having contractions about 24 hours ago. We're considering heading over to the Lee's for the Joseph College / YA Meeting. We even drove up to their front door. But their driveway and adjacent spaces were full. Joyce wasn't up for walking. so we went to Tops Cafe for dinner instead.

10:35PM - We call the on-call doctor. She suggests we go to the hospital. Frankly, we thought it was still too early.

11:00PM - Arrived at Labor and Delivery and checked in. We're very confident they'll send us home since contractions are still pretty far apart (7-10 min). Doesn't everyone get sent home at least once? It's amazingly quiet here. I thought June will be high-season.

11:30PM - Just got confirmation we're staying the night! Turns out Joyce is dilated at 3-4 cm already!! I still have no clue what that means - but it sounds like she's making progress.

June 17, 2009

12:30AM - Officially admitted to Good Samaritan. I've always wondered is Good Sam a Christian Hospital? Or are they publically declaring - "We are not Christians or Jews, we are Samaritans who don't follow your religion but we'll take care of you anyways!"

2:30AM - Our RN, Nurse #1, says we have about 3 hours of waiting until the next milestone. She pulls out my comfy bed (something short of a Futon) for me and wants us to get some rest.

2:35AM - I hear what I think are sirens - this is a hospital afterall. But the siren sound doesn't go away! Goodness - it's a woman screaming!! Her voice is coming through the air vents. There's a woman - giving birth without an epidural!! Her screams are loud, crisp and painful!! Every 2 minutes!! And they last a full minute!! "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" We ask for ear plugs. It doesn't help. Why don't they sound proof these walls?!?!?!

3:00AM - Can't stand it anymore. I rather go home for a shower since Joyce isn't near ready yet and that lady isn't near done screaming.

5:30AM - Nurse #1 says Joyce is around 6-7cm. Joyce hasn't slept a wink in over 24 hours due to the contractions. She asks for some medication but those only numb her for an hour. I wonder if I can take some medication too so I can get some shut-eye. Doubt it.

7:00AM - Changing of the shifts - new nurse - Nurse #2 comes in. Changing nurses is like getting a new teacher when you're in elementary school. Going from one grade to another, you've spent all year with your favorite teacher! No other teacher in the world can be as great as your previous teacher. Only you find out that your previous teacher... really wasn't that great.

7:26AM - Joyce had enough. She needs some sleep and rest so the anesthesiologist comes into adminster the epidural. He looks eerily like my old lead back at work. Nah... couldn't be. Anyhoo, I seriously thought Joyce could've done this without an epidural. She's such a trooper!

7:53AM - Nurse #2 checking on Joyce again - dilated to 6+. I've once had my eyes dilated. Is this the same thing?

7:55AM - Water broke - finally. That's good - cuz we didn't want it to mess up our bed or inside our car.

8:15AM - Our OB Dr. Z stops by to say "Hi" on her way to work. How nice! Says we'll have this baby by lunchtime!!

8:30AM - I make a quick run to Starbucks and go home to send a prayer request email and get our phone chargers. If the baby's coming at noon, we better have our phones ready to text like mad!!

9:00AM - Come back to see Joyce sleeping. Phew... didn't miss any excitement. Always the fear of "going to do something" and missing the birth of your child. Not this time... not yet.

9:30AM - Selai Chan calls to wish us well.

11:30AM - I'm hungry. Run downstairs to the cafeteria and quickly decide to skip out to Carl's Jr. instead. Come back with a Wester Bacon Cheeseburger and Crisscut Fries. Didn't need to get a soda cuz Good Sam has a pantry full of goodies. (Yay Good Sam!)

12:30PM - Since this morning, Pitocin dosage went from 2 milliUnits / min to 5 to 7 to 9 to 8 to 7. We're trying to increase the frequency of the contractions. We've now hit the 36 hour mark. The contractions are too sporadic. When will this end?

12:45PM - Just got done reading the story from Geoff. Great short story about a father and his newborn daughter. I'm getting sleepy from waiting. Gonna take a 5 minute power nap.

1:10PM - Nurse #2 comes in and checks on Joyce again. She's at 9.5. In another half hour, we'll start pushing. WOW... this is really happening!

2:45PM - Officially started pushing. We didn't attend any of the Labor / Breathing Class so we get a 15 second crash course on how to do this. "Three quick breaths, deep inhale and PUSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (count to 10), exhale, deep inhale, PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSH (count to 10), exhale, deep inhale, PUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSH (count to 10), exhale. Repeat."

3:00PM - Shift change again. Nurse #2 leaves and here comes Nurse #3. Too bad, cuz I really liked Nurse #2. And she wanted to see us through this delivery. (Still pushing, btw)

3:35PM - HOLY TOLEDO I see the top of head!! GEEZ!!!! Y'know... this isn't as bad as most people make it. I'm not going to faint! This is easy peesy - japanesey!

3:50PM - Nurse #3 says she's going to call Dr. Z. Huh?!? Does that mean.... we're almost there?????? I'm breaking out a huge sweat just coaching Joyce to breathe. Can't even imagine what she's going through.

4:05PM - Dr. Z finally shows up. Sure sign that this wasn't going to be a C-section finally secured itself. Dang...the doc is so calm and cool. Another day in the office for her. Life changing experience for us.

4:30PM - Dr. Z: "Okay, your husband's been a great coach so far. This time, I want you to listen to me. When I say push, you're going to push longer than before. We're going to get her out this time. " And with that... out came the rest of the head.... one more push and out came out the rest of the body. She's.... gray! And then within seconds, she turns pink! Looks just like me. It's amazing! Everything from here on out was a blur... thank goodness for cameras.

4:35PM - It's decided. "Rachel" Final Four Choices: Rachel, Victoria, Abigail, Kaitlyn. Yeah... "Rachel" it is.

6:00PM - Our first visitor, Rachel's 大伯父. Comes marching in with a pair of pink mylar balloons. How sweet. Would've preferred a box of 燒鴨飯 to be honest.

7:15PM - The Louie's show up with the traditional ginger fried rice. HA! Rachel's spiritual grandparents and spiritual uncle!!

8:15PM - Get transferred from Labor & Delivery to Mom & Children. Right before we take off, Rachel decides she's hungry and mom has to feed her while being wheeled off. Talk about timing.

9:15PM - Rachel gets her first bath / diaper change. WOW... what kind of poop is that?!? It's black and tar-like!! Sorta like what I make after a night out at a Giants game with hot dogs, beer and garlic fries. Hmmmm.....

10:05PM - Finally some rest on the same POS chair. All in a day's work. Now the fun really begins...

End of Running Diary

Where'd the day go?

Started at 10AM this morning listening to Rev. Poon's sermon on "Issue of Control" as part of the Re-Parenting series. Interruptions left and right and twelve hours later, I finally get to sit down to listen to the last part of one sermon. Where did the day go?

Mood: Dazed

Day / Night Confusion

Rachel has what some people call - Day / Night Confusion. She's very sleepy in the daytime but wide awake at night!! Which puts my life in a roller coaster.

So an interesting thought came up... if we were to fly back to Hong Kong tonight, will the jetlag automatically flip her Day / Night Confusion around??? Thought provoking indeed....

Mood: sleepy

Up at 3:45AM

Blogging at 3:45AM - something I haven't done since I was working on my Masters a few years ago. Feasting on some 糯米飯 that Selai Chan made for me. So wonderful...

Rachel hasn't been able to sleep between the hours of 1-4AM. Her nights and days are still backwards. Sigh...what to do? What to do?

Mood: Moody

Committing Adultery

The other day, I was doing some yard work and I removed my wedding ring. After about two hours of back spraining, allergy triggering, thorns bristling work, I quickly showered and headed out to dinner. During dinner, I realized I forgot to put my wedding ring back on. I felt naked. I felt incomplete. I felt like I was committing adultery. Felt like I was cheating on my wife - even though she was there with me. I felt... naughty.

Mood: removed

棧勞氣

多個月前, 見到小孩在公眾場所大抄大鬧, 對長者教訓的不理會, 或他們不得不快的小霸王, 小公主態度, 會令我十分討厭. 但最近, 討厭的對象由小孩轉移到家長身上. '寵壞', '冇家教', '慈母多敗兒' 或 '養不教，父之過' 的負面說話不其然地浮現出來. 相信每一對父母未正式做父母時都曾經有過同樣經歷. 但現實就是當他們為人父母, 從前的討厭, 批評, 指責都自然地拋諸腦後. 我又會點教女呢?

唉... 有人話: "生仔易, 養仔難. 養仔易, 教仔難." 難怪咁多人生左兩個就夠晒數.

心情: 勞氣

Wheeee! What a coincidence?!

Carly. Carly Carly Carly...
The famous name, for the famous person that headlined the entire Silicon Valley when she took over HP as CEO - and subsequently led to the layoffs of thousands and thousands of employees when she merged with Compaq. I thought she was gone, disappeared, history. But coincidentally, the same day she reappears in the newspaper for running for public office (US Senate vs. Barbara Boxer), we get news that our current program will be moved to the East Coast. I have less than a year to look for a new job, otherwise, need to consider transferring out East. And I thought my job was secured. What to do...what to do?

Mood: contemplative

Vanished

Logged into my old hotmail account... the account I rarely use anymore cuz of SPAM.. and everything was GONE!! VANISHED!! EVERYTHING!! I had that the account since 1999 - almost 10 years. I've used that account for many things - one of which was exchanging emails with my wife during our younger years. It's like having 10 years of my life - erased. Gone. Disintegrated. Wiped Out. So be careful of what you store electronically. It too can we wiped out with a blink of an eye.

Mood: nostalgic

The Designated Hitter

Another one of those timeless debates - should we have the Designated Hitter in baseball? I personally love the idea of having a DH. You have good offense up and down the order. Every ninth at-bat isn't a sure out (almost). And the other night, Matt Cain got the win in Seattle, only because there was a DH.

There are those naysayers out there who say it's not pure baseball. We devalue the pitcher's hitting capability. And AL baseball is not as strategic as NL baseaball. To those people... I say, "Ah-ha!" And that's all I can say...

Mood: partially vindicated

Lose it, Pray, Find it...

Was working on my car this morning and as I was putting the pieces back together, when a tiny O-ring flew out of my hands! Had no idea where it landed. LOST IT. On the ground? In the car? Beneath the car? Between the seats? Stuck between the grooves of my tire?

I sweep the entire area(s), not once, not twice, not thrice, not quatrice (is there such a word?) and couldn't find it. So I PRAY... A definite lack of faith cuz I decide to just fab one out of a paper clip - Failed. 10 minutes later as I was clean up the rest of my stuff, lo and behold, there it was on the floor. FOUND IT.

Mood: Impressed

After 10 years...

You date someone... you fall in love with someone... you marry someone... you're about to be parents with someone... After all that time (> 10 years) do I find out that someone is a Trekkie!!!! WOW!!!!

Mood: giddy

Winning or Losing

Watched an episode of Star Trek TNG. Data (the infallible) lost in a game of Strategeum to a humanoid. And spent the whole episode figuring out what was wrong with his "program." Jean-Luc Picard scolded him saying, "You can make every perfect move and still lose. That's life."

Mood: content

If I were to have amensia...

Amensia, apparently, doesn't happen all too often. It's more in movies then anything else. But people tend to be drawn to this story plot cuz deep down, I think all of us can't resist the idea of losing our memory and starting over, starting with a clean slate...

What would I do if I had amensia?

I would think my personality wouldn't really change, right? But to get a little creative...

Maybe I'll be a thespian. Maybe I'm an actor striving to survive in the streets of Brooklyn. All my friends would be white or black - not Asian. I'll have an East Coast accent - that mingles well with my California-Chinese accent. My nose will be pierced... probably just one side. I'll wear boots, not shoes, with unmatching socks. I don't think I'll have long hair though, cuz that's something I did while I was conscious. Would probably be swung waaaaaaaay to the left on the political spectrum. I'll campaign for stem cells, abortion rights, leave Iraq and national health care. I'll probably hate sports cuz it's a waste of time and a waste of the mind. My fingers will be calloused cuz I can play 4 instruments well... and 4 other like a virtuoso. Coffee, beer and steak will be my diet - unless I'm out of a job cuz the acting gig isn't serving me well... but that too, is too close to concious reality. Every morning, I'll go swimming in the Hudson River because 1) it's healthy and 2) I really don't know where the Hudson River is. My ride will be a beat up 1984 Datsun that I know how to fix whenever it breaksdown. (See this is highly unrealistic). Then the moment I wake up from amensia... (to be continued...)

Hrm...who's to say that my current life isn't the amenisiac. And the aforementioned description is my real self?

Mood: contemplative

"I don't deserve this..."

Listened to a '60 Minutes' podcast about potential retirees who lost their 401k this past year. Some of them are old... they're overqualified... they're underqualified... they don't have the quick skills that a young grad has... and they have nowhere to go.
"I don't deserve this."

Some 50 year old former manager is working at a Starbucks taking orders from a snot-nose 20 year old. That same 50 year old works a weekend job at a mortuary greeting mourners and family members.
"I don't deserve this."

The Sharks are eliminated from round 1 of the playoffs in Game 6. Game 6 being a cursed game for us Bay Area fans. All these years I've poured out my heart for my teams and what do I get back? Nothing.
"I don't deserve this."

I need to get out...but I can't. I too, have no where to go. I'm stuck.
"I don't deserve this."

Mood: depressed

It ain't well...with my soul...

It's a little embarrassing when my life is wrapped around professional teams that have no loyalty to me. They don't know my existence. I pour out my life and my heart for them and they can either pick it up and raise it to the highest honors or rip it out and slice and dice it for dinner. Yet I fall, no I succumb to this nonsense every year.

~sigh... stupid sharks. ~sigh... stupid giants hitting. ~sigh... stupid moped. ~sigh... ~sigh...

Mood: hot (due to the weather mostly)

No no no...say it ain't so!!!

Losing 5 in a row!!! Walking in the winning run!! Throw a friggin' strike for cryin' out loud!!!! UGH!!!!!! Why do they have to do this to me every year!!?!?!?

Why do the Giants suck so much?
Why can't the Giants hit in the clutch?
Ticket and beer prices are higher than ever,
Win a World Series, I say "NEVER!"
Glimmer of hope, glimmer of light
It's not what I see, not at all, not quite;
My blood pressure climbing ever so high,
What if they don't win before I die?

Mood: frustrated

Holy Week and Borsch

• The Youth are full of energy - too much energy, sometimes. Was I ever like that?
• Saw a man wearing a rabbit suit walk into a Blockbuster.
• I ain't the only one who watches Stephen Chow movies dubbed in Vietnamese on Youtube
• Some have a knack for altar calls - some don't. Not a competition, just an observation.
• Had a Passover meal with unleavened bread, bitter "herbs" and lamb. Don't think we're doing that again.
• A Chinese person ordered Sweet-N-Sour Pork at a chinese restaurant.
• Talking things out can be self-healing... should talk more often
• Love playing but not very good at matchmaking
• Finding a church is easy. Finding a church to stay is not.
• I made borsch and it was borschin' good!

Mood: giddy

Economic Downturn...

The downturn, though it's dwelling everywhere, finally hit home this past week. Two members of my team are being targetted for "reassignment." This really bothers me. In any team, I've always been the one to leave. The first time I had to personally kick someone off my team was when I laid off my gardener. All these times I was in the driver seat and running the show. I hate the feeling of helplessness when things are beyond my control. Hate it hate it hate it...

Mood: irritated

Giants - Opening Day

We won. 10-6.
Didn't make it out this year - shucks. =(

Mood: glad

Goodbye and Good luck...

Went to Dale's farewell lunch today.

Dale was my 2nd manager at LM. He rescued me out of AI&T into design. He took me under his wings and showed me the ropes. Under his guidance, I've grown to become a better engineer, a better teamplayer and most importantly a better person.

We didn't see eye to eye on everything. There were nights when I got home and dreaded having such a boss. I'm sure he had evenings where he could not fathom how disrespect I can get. But through all the differences and arguments, Dale did a spectacular job stretching and challenging me.

He was a great manager. He was a great mentor. He was a trustworthy friend and a brother in Christ. I've met his family and he was at my wedding. We can talk about all kinds of things and we'd share with each other our trials, tribulations and triumphs.

Dale always protected me from the wraths of upper management. But was never shy in showing accolades for how I performed. I wouldn't say that was a completely selfless act - if I shine, he shines.

I still remember the day I told him I was leaving. His words were, "You raise 'em, you teach 'em and they grow up and fly away." Indeed, he was also a fatherly figure to me.

I'm not amazingly sad that he's moving away as I was when G, M and A moved back to Hong Kong. But indeed, I got a bit choked up as I made my speech and praise. Good luck Dale. Congratulations and have fun shoveling snow.

Mood: nostalgic

NCAA Brackets - Part II of perhaps one more to come?

It's over. I've lost my office NCAA Brackets. UCLA was my downfall. Some guy who watches zero college hoops will probably run away with it. And it's all because he picked the top seeds - kinda like how Joyce won last year. Until next year...

Nonetheless, March Madness got a little wilder with the recent surge of Michigan State support from people who don't even know what sport they're supporting!! I haven't been able to promote Giants or Niners to any of these people. But they're hopping on the Spartan bandwagon (or chariot) faster than lobster tails disappear at a Chinese buffet. If the Giants/Niners can start winning, things will be different!!

Mood: Stuffed

Spring Break

A little envious of our students for having Spring Break. A week of nothing to do but relax. Some of them are taking road trips to LA or Vegas. Some of them are just hanging around. One even just wants to go to the library and read. Sounds so relaxing...

Mood: tired

NCAA Brackets - Part I of many to come...

Not doing so well in my office brackets... ugghhh.... Currently in last place and I picked UCLA to be in the Final Four. Oops!

Tried to start an office pool to build some team spirit - but none of the ladies joined. One of them specifically emailed me saying, "Just wondering, is there a ladies-friendly competition to enter?" So I replied back... "I'll start a pool on Joyce's due date." And she replied, "HAHAHAHA... that's more like it."

Such it is...

Dream God's dream...

Everything went full circle today...

In the morning during intercession, the flow went to Jesus calling everyone to follow him - both the righteous and the unrighteous, most notably Levi/Matthew. (We're all unrighteous - c'mon....)

During the CS Sermon, Elder KC reminded us we're all called to be priests and our daily lives are our altars.

In the evening, over dinner, a brother mentioned how he use to "Dream God's dream." And it was a motto for him and his buds many years ago. But sadly, that motto has fallen to the wayside and remains nothing but a fond memory.

Shampa Rice once said, "I cook, I clean, I cook, I clean... and when I'm doing the dishes, I'm dream dreams that God is putting in me."

How are you dreaming God's dream today?

Intimacy - Season of Disclosure

Inspired by "Spiritual Intimacy" by Alice Smith...

Springtime. The beginnings of intmacy. Nothing quite captivates the Season of Disclosure quite as well as the surprise birthday party that C prepared for B. Time spent in preparation is one thing. But the minute thought going into every fine detail is the other. From the figurine on top of the cake, to the dinner plate matching the dinner tablecloth vs. appetizer plate matching the appetizer tablecloth, to C's insistance of not letting anyone help her with anything. That is definitely the epitome of the early stage or honeymoon stage of Intimacy.

In most romantic relationships - this is the sweetest time of the courtship. The other party is flawless during this stage. The couple almost refuses to move beyond this stage because the world as they know it is standing still. Nothing that you or your significant other can do will cause you to get into a fight. But of course, that first fight is inevitable. And it's making up from that first fight that will lead you into the next season... Summer time... the Season of Passion.

I am most honored to have been a witness of that display of affection. Happy Birthday B!!

Who says married people don't blog?!?!

A very topical issue this past weekend. Do married people blog?!? Before I give you my answer... I'll present some facts. Figure 1 is plotting the number of entries I've made per year since 2002.





From 2002 - 2004 I used Livejournal. Subsequently, I switched to Blogger (this existing blog). I got married in September of 2005, hence the two shades of gray. Based on raw, emperical data, it is conclusive that MARRIED PEOPLE DO INDEED BLOG - in fact, in my case, the frequency of blogging increased!!


2008 is an anomaly. I'm still trying to find an explanation...

The original graph was interesting (for me at least). But I got curious and did another plot. I tracked the frequency of my blogging by month througout the past 6 years.

Notice the trend of each year!! It's practically the same curve minus the shift in the +/- Y direction. Patterns worth noting:

a) January of every year is almost always the peak of the curve. This is probably due to annual year-end-reviews, new year resolutions, Superbowl, etc...

b) October is also a constant spike. I attribute this to baseball playoffs, the start of the NFL season and probably most importantly, Election Time!!

b) July is usually the low points of all the curves. One would think it's probably because there are better things to do during the summer than blog??

If you notice any other trends... leave a note!

This is just one sample out of a huge population. And I've been known to skew the curve on many occasions.

MSB vs. LSB

1000 or 0001. Which one is the MSB or LSB? You can read it one way or you can read it the other way and it can mean a successful mission or a fantastic failure.

But there are words, that no matter how you read it, backwards and forward, left to right or right to left... it withstands all misinterpretation, survives all scrutiny and withholds nothing but the tears behind those words... Those words... "we broke up..."

Slumdog Millionaire

A lot of people saw Slumdog Millionaire as a romance. Where Romeo defies all odds to try and find his Juliet. For me... the more flavorful storyline was the brotherly relationship - phileos - between Jamal and Salim.

Jamal and Latika falling in love is not at all credible. Nor is it "romantic." But what Jamal and Salim shared was real, bringing humanity onto silver screen. Locking in the bathroom, selling of the autograph picture, rescuing from imminent blindness...

Who was the true protagonist in the movie? Who was the one that took charge of all situations? Who was the one that made the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good? Who was the one that was martyred?

That dancing sequence at the end at the train station... that's how Titanic should've ended.

Finding comfort...

...the pain is very unbearable when one comes to you to share they need your comfort after having their heart and soul bruised and beaten. And there's nothing you can do...

Even then, it is well...with my soul.

We felt her kick!!

哈哈哈!! 感覺到囡囡踢媽咪呀!

PRAISE GOD!!!!

No Fear!!

Bumped into an old co-worker today - someone I haven't seen in years. He was my lead when I first got hired into this job. Back then, we always talk about seeking adventures for an adrenaline rush. To find something that excites me... brings fear into me.

That was then...

Today when I bumped into him, first thing he asked was, "How are you?" Second thing he asked was, "Find anything that brings fear into you yet?"

I said, "Yeah... I'm expecting my first child in June."

With a smirk on his face he said, "That'll do it..."

A true story...

In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry out at register 4. Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the check-out stand a distant smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.

Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by thepunch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left. He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out only to see her start walking up the road. Next day, he waited outside as she leftthe supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work. She simply said it wasn't possible. He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter. Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday.


That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with us." She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed. Finally Brenda, brought him inside to meet her children.


She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair. He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome. Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us?" Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities - just like her first husband and father of her children had done. Kurtis was not ordinary - - - he had a different mindset..

That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and brought him back. The kids loved Kurtis. At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with. A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children. Since then they have added two more kids. So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl? Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona. If you tune in on 1 February , you can watch him quarterback the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl against the Pittsburg Steelers! Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person? Some athletes are also great people. It should be noted that he also quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. He has also been the NFL's Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl's MVP.

Happy 10 Year Anniversary!!

Been dating for 10 years now! Happy Anniversary!

The Power of Apology

I admit, after yesterday's meeting, I was bothered the entire night and into the next day. Kept on replaying the episode in my head and thinking, "Why am I so full of rage? full of anger?"

Immediately, today, I got to work and headed into my boss's office and apologized. "Hey... I apologize for losing my cool yesterday." And my boss came right back and said, "Yeah... I apologize too." The heavy yoke was immediately lifted.

It's amazing how a few simple words can bring down or build up a working relationship. Don't ever underestimate the power of an apology.

My Secret Identity

Got into a heated exchange during a telecon and I screamed into my phone. My manager immediately hollered back. A typical day at work for me, I think -- that apparently took a lot of people off guard. Those that were physically there never saw that coming. Those who heard about the "colorful" meeting are in disbelief. People simply don't see me losing my cool to a point where I would yell.

"I just can't see that in you," said one of my co-workers.

Do I really wear a mask that well and hide my rage? hide my anger? Or has Character Transformation really molded me into a better person?

Happy New Year!