真情流露

尋晚講故事比亞女 ，講到個小女孩養左一只雀仔，到最後小女孩要釋放雀仔，喊起上嚟。

擰轉頭一望，見到囡囡熱淚盈眶，都喊起上嚟。我問佢做咩事喊， 佢話個故事嘅姐姐喊，我都好想喊。

Thanksgiving

A recent survey says, that if you write down 5 things to give thanks for, daily, your health, well-being and spirit will be much more steady than otherwise.


As cynics, skeptics and general prima-donnas who think the world owes everything to us, we tend to complain and grumble.  And most easily, we complain when comparing to others.  So-and-so drives an M4.... I drive a friggin Civic!!  The effin' Seahawks did it to us again... at our home stadium!! 

While it's easy to compare and complain.... isn't it so much easier to compare and give thanks??

This afternoon during lunch, I sat down with the family and my kids ate lunch very calmly and orderly.  Our dear friend's daughter still has troubles chewing and swallowing consistently... she just holds the food in her mouth for 30 minutes.  Thank you Lord, for kids who can eat.

My co-workers just packed up their lives from the East Coast and is moving to Denver due to plant shutdown.  Some are going to try the long distance marriage.  Some are starting over with young kids.  Thank you Lord, for giving us stability and prosperity.

This evening, we had Thanksgiving dinner with the in-laws.  One of Joyce's cousing is a divorcee raising two college kids. Thank you Lord, for blessing me with a wonderful marriage.

How easy it is to complain... yet... how easy it can be to give thanks. 

Winter Clothes

Joyce spent almost 3 hours yesterday packing the summer clothes and unpacking the winter clothes for the kids and herself.  My closet didn't even move.  The only difference between my summer clothes and winter clothes... a heavier coat. 

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I don't believe in you anymore.  I once did.  I once thought you were true to those who believed in you.  I once wrote a long list of things, because I knew you would make it true.

Now I want to ask you for something.  For Christmas this year, I want only want thing.  I want my wife to be proud of me. I want my wife to approve of me. I want my wife to know that what I do, makes a difference.


I don't want one ultimate compliment.  Not when I've achieved something. I want non-stop approvals along the way. I want her to be proud of me for trying, though failing. I want her to be proud of me for making the effort. I want her to be proud of me, because I want to improve myself.

I want her to do this naturally and without hesitation. I want this to be part of her DNA, her daily being, that she can't go to sleep at night without telling me how great a job I've done with raising the kids... or how amazing I am at TRYING to keep a work/life balance.

Santa... I'm sure you want Mrs. Claus to acknowledge your hard work.  For all you've done for the millions of kids out in the world. And I'm sure Mrs. Claus is proud... even if she doesn't say it... even if she doesn't say it.

Lastly, Santa, I know you're fake. I know you're not real. Just like the fact that my wife will never verbally be proud of me... it's never going to be real.

Merry Christmas,
  Men Around the World

瀚舜哭了

NN's been looking forward to her "Thanksgiving Meal."  She won't stop talking about it.  It's been the most exciting thing for her... even more than watching TV. When I found out I had to miss
NN's Thanksgiving Potluck lunch... I started weeping. 

Earlier this evening... I told her I had a meeting and will miss the lunch.  She said, "That's ok Bah-bee.  You can go to Siu-Wah's Thanksgiving Lunch when he goes to school."

I no longer wept.. I cried.

"9-1-1, I'd like to report a kidnapping"

We never think it'll happen to us... or to someone we know.  This only happens on TV, or to people in the mid-West like Michigan or Kentucky.  But when it does hit home (prayerfully, it won't), what would you do??

Had a disturbing dream last night -- I was trying to move our Odyssey and park our Civic into a parking spot.  So while trying to park the Civic, I left the kids in the van with the car running.  After parking the Civic, I come out of the car and the van is gone.  Even in my dream... I'm vividly thinking: "No.  This isn't happening.  Wake up! This is a dream!"  But I couldn't wake up.

I run up and down the streets - screaming, "HELP! SOMEONE CALL 9-1-1.  MY KIDS HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED!" 

I struggle to get my phone out to call.  It was a Samsung, not an iPhone.  I try dialing 9-1-1, but I kept fumbling.  6-1-1.  9-2-2.  After 3 tries.... I finally went to Emergency Phone call mode.

Got on the line... had a voice on the other side and I told him, "I'd like to report a kidnapping." 

The voice says, "There's been about 10 calls on board already."

I thought, "Cool... other people did call in when I was screaming my head off."

Then I said, "My kids have been kidnapped.  They're in a greg Honda Odyssey."

The voice says, "There's a lot of those."

I said, "License plate starts with a 6.  That's all I remember."

Not sure what happened after that...... psychologists say we forget about 90% of our dreams every night.

What is the dream trying to tell me?? Is there some meaning behind it? Do I take it at face value?

婆婆

Every 10-12 months... I have a vivid dream of grandma (mom's mom).  And each time, the dream is about the same. These are not outrageous dreams and is deceivingly real. 

I'm in Hong Kong -- a land that's as foreign to me as Zimbabwe.  I struggle to find her, and each time, I'm trying to have a meal with her.

One year, I remember riding an elevator up a very small building... and finding her lying in bed.
Couple nights ago, I called her on the phone, asking her if she wants dim sum the next day.

I didn't really know Grandma.  She didn't raise me.  In my entire life, I spent maybe 1 calendar year with her.  Both times when she lived with us in San Francisco for 6 months each.  But the thought of her, the stories from mom, the stories from big bro.... created an aura of her.


One of my last memory of her was when we went back for her 100 birthday.  To celebrate that big day... mom, dad, uncle, Joyce and I took her out to dinner.  And we ordered fish, because she likes fish.  At 100 years old... she ate amazingly well. Still using her chopsticks to pick out the bones from the fish.   I think the very last time I saw her was making a final visit to her at the old people's home. 

She walked me and Joyce out... waved us to go. And we never turned back. 

"婆婆， 孫仔好掛住妳。"

WE ARE THE GIANTS! WE ARE SAN FRANCISCO! AND WE ARE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!

Can you believe it...? 3 championships in 5 years.  And on the night that we win the final game of a best of 7 series, I did not have the guts to watch the game.

I come home...and I tell Joyce, "Let's turn it off.  We'll turn it back on at 8:30.  I don't want to ruin our family tonight." 

She dutifully turns off the TV and radio. 

I cook dinner... I cheat and check my phone.

I set the table... I cheat and check my phone.

We're about to start dinner... I excuse myself to the bathroom and sit down, checking my phone.  We go up 3-2!!!!! I come back out.

I sit down for dinner and say, "I can't do this..."

Joyce admonishes me and says, "Stop cheating.  We'll check at 8:30."  It was around 7 at that time.

The next 1.5 hour will be one of the longest hour and a half of my life.  Every 2 minutes... I would want to touch my phone. NO!! Two more minutes pass by, I'll look at my phone.  In my head, I can picture what's happening.  (The Royals are coming back!)  In my head, I start playing games with myself. (The Giants are busting this open!)

Slowly but surely... it creeps to 8PM.  We start getting the kids for bed.  Floss.  Brush.  Storytime.  I'm still looking and thinking about my phone.  Jonesing. Desparate.  Dying.  To only turn it on... select that ESPN App... and see the score.  It can't hurt.  I'll know the score... and go back to putting down the kids.  NO!! I promised.

"Can I check?"

"Just wait... it's almost 8:30.  Might as well wait till 9."

I'm sitting there... reading them their stories.  Joyce is outside doing who knows what.  Where is she?!? Is she checking the score?? Will she find out.... but not tell me??? Maybe she'll tell me if we're winning!! Maybe she won't tell me if we're losing.... She walks in, POKER FACE.  DARN HER!!!!

It's 8:20PM.  Time for bed Nui-nui.  I turn the lights off and lie down next to her.  It's 8:25.  5 more minutes.  Tick-tock.  Tick-tock.  Wait...what do I hear?? In a distance... Fireworks?? No... must be a motorcycle driving by.

8:26.  BOOM BOOM....fireworks again?? Could it be? Is the game over?? Are we celebrating?

8:27.  Fireworks stopped.  Why is time so slow?

I check my iPhone's clock.  It's 8:29!! The clock in the room is slow!!

8:30!! 8:30!! 8:30!! Finally turn on phone.  Fumbling stumbling bumbling....

Where's that app?? Why isn't it refreshing?!?  Why's it still showing the old score from 7PM??

REFRESH DARN YOU!!!!

And there it is.....the headline.... "Giants hold off Royals to capture World Series."