Looking back at 2022

2022.  An even year.  The year of the Tiger.  A midterm election year - which means it's 2 years after/before the presidential election and Olympics.  Which also means it's the World Cup.  The world mourned as Neymar lost to scrappy Croatia and the whole world cheered (except for Brazil), as Messi was finally coronated as the Great of All Time (more on that later).  Along the way... we also mourned for giants and titans such as Queen Elizabeth, Sidney Portier, Jiang Zemin, Angela Lansbury, Pope Benedict... and to bookend these two sentences, Pele - THE Great of All Time. The year started with the world coming out from a pandemic only to slapped in the face by Omicron like Monday slaps Garfield or Will Smith at the Oscars. We witnessed the invasion of Ukraine nearly kickstarting World War III, just as we were inundated by headline after headline of mass shootings, eclipsed by the "never would I imagine" overturning of Roe v Wade, followed by the inevitable implosion of cryptocurrency, to a preview of the 2024 election with down to the wire... many days after... election-fraud drama.  The world predicted a record breaking number of COVID babies due to SIP... and two of our closest family friends helped bolster that metric. It's almost cliche to say... but it should be said...  Looking forward to a better and brighter year.  Before we do... let's have a look back at 2022....

I think I need to launch a separate mini section for NN and SW.  They're both in middle school now.  Young Adult's.  Beings of their own.  If I included them in my Top 10.... it'll be more like a Top 5 cuz they occupy so much real estate.  Kinda like when Beauty of the Beast got a Best Picture nomination only for the Academy to spin off a Best Animated Picture category.  "And the winner is..."

NN:

1. Being selected to Basketball Team A only to be demoted to Team B and end up winning the PHD.  Not to mention scoring that one basket against Team A during a scrimmage. 
2. Being selected Team Captain of the Volleyball Team B and earning PHD again.
3. Auditioning for and winning the lead role in Music Man Jr... only to be stricken by a voice cancelling cold the week before going live.
4. Hawaii
5. All Church Retreat

SW:

1. Making into King's and transitioning middle school
2. Winning MIP and MVP for flag football and basketball
3. Hawaii
4. Driving a golf cart
5. All Church Retreat

Without further ado.... here is my top 10 of 2022. 

1. Affordable Housing - on some random summer day, Siu Han calls and asks me to help her find housing cuz she's afraid of being evicted.  Huda known that that would've launched me into months of research, learning, scaling, and finally... overcoming the situation by placing her into Affordable Housing.  I've documented this too many times in the actual blog... but to see first hand how helpless non-English speakers are in this land of opportunity... is propelling me into my next phase of ministry. 
2. Warriors Championship Parade - Not one, not two, not three... but four chips in the last 7 years.  If you don't call that a dynasty... then what??? To cap off a season of improbables... the impossible happened.  NN accompanied me to the Warriors Championship Parade with dad.  In the end... it was a horrible day.  But a day... that eeked into the top 10. 
3. He's gone - I preach to the kids.. we will never get a pet outside of a fish.  Picking up poop.  Walking them in the early mornings or late at night in the rain. Socials and schools. Begging for dog sitters during vacations. Doggie hotels which lead to depression. Dental, salon, and vet bills. All that.... just to cover up the fear of inevitable separation. Never have I thought that I'll be so attached to one that wasn't even my own.  Is there such thing as doggie heaven? Based on Christian dogma... they didn't "believe and confess."  Then again... based on Christian drama... they will be judged by their hearts.  I choose to believe... we shall meet again. 
4. Coach Henry - what started as an innocent email asking for parental help turned into a legacy in the Leung household. Initially... I signed up to shag balls and find an excuse to hang out with my tweenage daughter.  Huda thunk that it'll evolve to being an intricate part of NN's 7th grade year... and led to being invited to coach the Boy's team with an [un]forgettable season for SW's 6th grade season.  Yes... I am 0-12.  Winless.  The biggest loser.  But to be able to spend such quality time with my children.... I'm the biggest winner. 
5. First Victories - NN started her athletic career 0-12.  Never would I have thought that I would be on hand to deliver NN's first organized team sport victory.  After leaving the courts for 10+ years, my first venture back equated to a Dubya.  1-12.  Can't wait for #2 to roll around.
6. Hanging up the badge - 5 years as CS MA, it was time.  To wrap up a lame duck year... there was CNY, CS Picnic, WOG End of Year Carnival, translating at Mission Conference, All Church Retreat - planning, budgeting, performing w/ NN on stage, MC-ing, Rally of Church.  And what did NN say? "I don't think you can stop being MA.  You love doing things too much.  You're going to be listless." She's not wrong.  
7. Fantasy Baseball Champ - Most everything is detailed in the blog post... but the side comment I heard from the kids when we hung out at Jeff's house was, "Daddy... you were so tense during those final weeks.  Always on your phone."  I poured my life into those final weeks.  Can't wait to do it again. 
8. Remodeling - I barely blogged about this topic...  What started in January of 2022 of commissioning a foundation contractor to lift our house... turned into 3 months of design... followed by 3 more months of obtaining a permit.  Only for me to get an AC and concrete guy to start the demo and I find out I have to wait another 3-4 months (at best) for he actual approval.  I got so antsy... my contractor stopped returning my calls and grew snarky with me.  I got so impatient... I nearly marched up a City Council meeting and blasted the city during open mic time.  Cool heads prevailed and I ended up emailing my City Council rep (no response). Hurdle after hurdle... and 12 months after the process started, the foundation was fixed.  The concrete was poured.  The AC reinstalled.  And the handy man patched up the walls and fixed my doors.  12 months of paying mortgage for an empty house while renting a townhouse in Sunnyvale.  Don't ask me how we did it.  Now let's get this sucker rented so I get some money flowing back in!!!
9. Hawaii  - 8 day vacation in paradise with a group of 15...  and the one thing that sticks out as my top moment...was nearly drowning, while being unable to help my kids.  That feeling of inadequacy and utter helplessness will haunt me forever. 
10. COVID - After 2 years of dodging bullets... I became a metric.  I get what I deserve.  Of all the people in my family.. I'm the least observant of masking and sanitizing hands. If not for my love for my wife... and SW's respritory sensitivity... I could careless about any of these guidelines and suggestions.  I'm not an anti-vaxer or anti-masker... I'm just lazy.  Somewhere along the line... I must've let my guard down and BOOM!!! Shawshank for 11 days. But at the end of the day... it wasn't the physical sickness I feared.  But the emotional loneliness I dreaded. Locked up in a room.  Eating by myself (or Facetime, during dinner).  Sneaking a walk when no one was home.  Couldn't touch my wife. Couldn't hug my kids.  Thankfully... I had a couple of close friends to text to keep me sane (Heart U Nita and MC!!!) Oddly. it was also the NBA playoffs and finals, so evenings were entertaining.  If there was ever anything that would make me keep my mask on... it's that emotional separation.  Never.  Ever. Again.  I love my family too much.

Top 10's are just a list I make when I browse through my blog.  I know there are more events that would make this list.  God continues to do amazing things in my life every day... like, keeping me safe from that careless driver on 680 the other day.  Those "moments" will never make this list because it's something that didn't happen.  Those special, countless, moments of anointing.... can only be summed up in one word, or one number, rather..... 2023.  

Thank you, Jesus!! I love you!!