I say I don't care what others think of me... but when it comes to anonymous posts... turns out I do care!!
For my personal account, I have a perfect 5.0 rating on Uber. But for my work account... I started the past two trips with a woeful 4.64 - which I consider low already. And to my dismay... after arriving in Denver, I see that it dropped to 4.33!!! Unacceptable.
And I know who those drivers are too.
The one guy who arrived at San Jose... but charged me a late arrival fee because HE chose to tail the end of a long line of other drivers when I stood in the crowd of bystanders waiting for our ride.
The one guy who took forever to pick me up at SFO (albeit the night before Thanksgiving). The wait time started at 9 minutes... which ballooned to 13... and then 16. But in actuality, 16 minutes became 25 minutes!! I even texted him... "Are you still coming? Or should I get another Uber?" He didn't respond. Text me if you're stuck in traffic... I'll understand.
The one guy who supposedly is hard of hearing... at least according to the sign in the driver side headrest. But regardless of him hearing or not, my order was from my house to Terminal A - United. Of course, he took me to Terminal B... and we ended up going all the way around the airport.
All three times... I didn't lower their rating. I chose to take the high road and just let it be. But the Golden Rule doesn't seem to apply when it comes to anonymity.
And because of the 4.33 rating... I was afraid to say anything to the last driver who picked me up in a sauna. I was too afraid to say anything and mess up the chi in the car. I took my jacket off. Was sweating. And the windows started to fog up... to which... she finally opened a bit of a crack of HER window!! Turn the heat down, please!!!
Geez louise... puh-leez!!!
Back to back weeks of being on the road... this time, to good ol' headquarters.
Fresno. NOLA. Thanksgiving (SF/Belmont). And now this. I kinda felt a tingly feeling in my throat on Saturday... hoping it was perhaps dehydration from drinking with Anderson. I pounded some Airborn, mango smoothie, and citrus tea. Throughout the trip... I pounded OJ and Ricola. Finally... on the trip home.. my body gave up.
It was a miserable flight home. A miserable car ride home. And when I got home... the kids banished me to my room. Too real. They didn't want to get sick!
The trip was excellent. Excellent food. Excellent company. Perfect winter weather. Got to hang out with some old and new friends. Got a lot done in terms of face to face relationships. Even had time to venture out to a Chinese restaurant for a $38/pound - 2 pound crab!! Don't think I'll do that again. Had some bison, elk, and quail. And even attended a Nuggets/Warriors game. All in all... a well scheduled and efficient trip.
But I miss the kids. Miss the family. I miss sleeping in my own bed.
First night home... I popped a couple of Nyquils and dozed off until 8AM the next day. First time sleeping through the night the entire week. Sleep - underrated.
Had the rare opportunity to hang out with Anderson. I don't know the last time we did it... but it's too long to remember. We got together... shared things we were thankful for... commiserated a little on life... and gave Anderson the chance to pour his heart out over the passing of his father.
昌伯伯 was well into his late seventies if not early eighties. In recent years, he had a stroke and hasn't been his normal self. The final year of his life... he was bed ridden and completely depended on loved ones to care for him. His quality of life... was not that high quality. Thankfully.. he was surrounded by his son... his daughter-in-law... 3 beautiful grandchildren, including little Nathaniel. And of course, the love of his life for 50 years.
Flying home to SFO from MSY and it was a packed flight. A petite Asian teenager finally walked up and politely asked to step in. As I stood up... she asked if I can swap with her mom (coming up behind her) who was sitting one seat behind me. Who am I to separate a mom and her child?
I did a courtesy turn of the head and saw who I was going to be sitting next to. SCREEEEEEEEECH!!!! Hit the brakes!!! Hold up!!! Waaaaaaait a minute.
I paused long enough for the mom to come up now and ask the same question... if I can swap with her. I turned again to look at my potential neighbor. Turned back to face the mom. Turned back to check out the dude. Turned back to face the mom.
Then I hesitantly, in a loud whisper told the mom. "That guy is very wide. This is a 5 hour flight. I can't sit next to him."
I already have limited leg room. That guy was big, wide, and muscular. I've sat next to big people in the past and to no fault of their own, they intrude into your personal space. And there's literally NOTHING you can do about it. Either you rub up against them.. or you try and bend your body away. But for 5 hours.....??? I can't. I can't!!!!!
I felt so bad... in that moment of selfishness. But I'm not wrong... am I???
My my…. What a meal. And for dessert…? Das riiiight… cotton candy on a mannequin’s head.
Is that a term? If not... can I coin it? The act of when... you good side is arguing with your evil side.
Typical ESL Tuesday... but I was running late... so I actually joined the teachers for dinner. Dinner which selfless brothers and sisters make (from scratch) and bring (through traffic). I got there late and there was enough for maybe 1-2 people. I gladly ate half a portion... in case someone was running later than me.
Then one of the student helpers (not a teacher), saw that I was done. He picked up a tray and scooped up the rest of the noodles... maybe his 2nd plate... but this time, piling it 2-3x higher than my measly little plate. Immediately, I felt a surge of emotion rush up, thinking, "Dude... you're not even a teacher!" And I wanted to tell the person in charge... to remind the students they can come eat... but let teachers get first dibs.
I didn't say anything... went back to minding my own business when a teacher walked in late. He took a look at what was left in the tray... and scraped off about half the size of my small portion. Leaving just a tiny bit.... when yet... another teacher walks in even later. Takes a look and realizes there's a few pieces of veggies left.
The kind family who made and brought the food was watching and observing... and they reacted the way I did. But spoke to me in Mandarin... saying, "Teachers haven't even eaten yet. He got seconds and got so much!!"
In a 180... I tried to calm them down and diffuse the situation saying, "He's a student helper. We're one big family." And "You're cooking is just too good to resist!" We were speaking in Chinese... but the Hispanic Pastor can probably read the room and body language. He stepped over to the dude... and said a few words in Spanish. Everybody saw what happened.
Here I am... in an out of body experience... lecturing that kind family or in this case, lecturing myself... or as I would call it, gollum-ing.
NN had a sweet 16 party in the city...and I had about 5 hours to kill. So I went to look for dad for dinner. He said instead of going out... he'd cook. He made his favorite 蒸魚， 苦瓜田雞， 海參， 清寶涼. He even went out of his way to slice and dice watermelon for us and chilled it.
Was soooo excited when I saw this at Target. Immediately went onto all three library accounts to reserve the physical and digital books. I was like... 199 out of 200 in most cases!! Then all of a sudden... on back to back to back days... the libraries ping me saying the book is available. Good things come to those who wait... But waiting doesn't necessarily equate to good things. Not in the case of this installment of Picoult who apparently, has struck out again after 2022's combo piece, Mad Honey.
It's the holiday season... which is aptly timed because "By Any Other Name" is like Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol... a time period piece traversing the multi-verses of modern day Melina (Mel) and the Shakespearean Era of Emilia. The two are linked by genealogical lineage - the great, great, great grand parent of the other... and the latter is also the creative byproduct of the former, where modern day Melina, who hides her identity behind a non-binary name, recollects the triumphs and gut-wrenching/all-too-real defeats of the muse that helped shape modern day high school English classes. Though there is a contrast of the gender and class struggles from the gaps in centuries, Picoult deep dives into the raw and genuine discrimination that blindly exists or is aptly accepted today with the voice of the minority being crushed by the stalwarths of society established not by their own faults... but traces back to Eve giving the apple to Adam, or Adam accepting the apple from Eve.
Poetry is my not cup of tea... nor is the ideaology that Shakespeare or Victorian? English will cause one to float on a cloud. What floated... were the turning pages skipping the irrelevant only to find nothing was missed with every passing cloud. Picoult did light a fire under me with her all too graphic and vivid description of domestic violence and the recovery of it. Having been in two delivery rooms.. I was standing right there in the delivery room next to a 17th century midwife, no epidural, and miracle of life. I'd be remiss if I did not mention the eroticism in the love-making scenes juxtaposed with the act of pro-creation or carnal satisfaction.
As was the theme throughout the book... this compare and contrast left me doing the same with her previous works. Still vital... is Picoult's amazing use of metaphors. Character buildup... disdain or empathy alike. Long gone is that final twist that's as staple as Columbo's "one more thing." As the reader turns the pages... or in some cases, fast-forwards the pages... one can't hope and wish that this book was not actually written by Jodi... but by Mel or Emila... or by any other name...
Annual Jr. High basketball tryouts... SW hasn't done diddly squat all summer. He went out to "play" with me twice during the fall. And I guess he has PE and his elective. I will say... his handles has improved and he's much stronger and quicker than last year. So his skills are head and shoulders above his 7th grade self.
Results came out today... and SW bashfully says, he's the 12th best player on A-team!! SW made A-team!!! But oh... he knows full well... he's going to be riding bench the entire time.
Rewind a year ago... and two years ago... when he didn't make the top teams of his grade... and how disappointed he was. In 6th grade... he ended up being MVP. In 7th grade... he ended up being starting point guard and MVP, again. This year.... he admits... maybe he should be downgraded, just so he can get play time.
It's that whole concept of big fish, little pond. Or climbing the mountain, only to be at the bottom of the apex. When does it end for my little David who's battling his life full of Goliaths?
CONGRATS to SW. So proud of his achievements!!
Had a leadership offsite in Denver this past week... here are some random thoughts and nuggets.
Met up with dad for coffee today... and the first thing he told me right after he sat down was, "I'm going deaf. Because I can't hear, I assume others can't ear so I speak very loud."
A little over a month ago... I went to brunch with him and towards the end of brunch, he got louder and louder to a point where I had to dial him down. I can't believe he remembers... and I bet it's been gnawing at him for the past month. He can finally get it off his chest. The things I say...
Years and years... we've complained about the sound system at SJ. Then after moving to NV... we began to experience what true grassroots worship sounds like. Tonight, we went back to SJ for Missions Conference and OMG..... the sound was heavenly. 8 years of establishment vs a 50 year monument. You can really hear (and feel) the difference.
Around 6PM, Got a text from our tenant. The utility sink in the garage is flooding. I asked if he tried to plunge it... he said yes. So I personally went there with my plunger and snake. After about 30 minutes of hardwork... I didn't get anywhere. Needed a professional power flusher.
Thankfully (maybe), the tenant already called a plumber. I would've waited until the next day. Roto Rooter came out that night... cleared the lines... and charged us a whopping $630!!! Dang!!! That's why Mario and Luigi are so rich!!!
Went to grab a cup of noodle to make for breakfast this morning... and when I touched it, it was wet. Then I noticed... it was all chewed up. Not just that one... but the other 20 in a pack fo 24!!! And the pack of Korean Spicy Noodles were also ripped into. Upon closer look... therea are animal droppings every where. WTF?!?!? We have pests in our garage!??!?!
How did they get in there?!?!? Where are they living?!?!?
Days before giving the keys to our new tenants.. and I still haven't found a gardener yet. Our neighbors sent a text complaining of the appearance of abandonment. And so I spent the entire Saturday pulling weeds, trimming hedges, cleaning leaves, raking, sweeping, blowing, cutting. I'm so tired. Gonna be so sore the next few days.
I wish I could've just paid someone to do it... and to do a better job, mind you.
Went out to SF to visit mom and dad... and mom wanted to visit the Crystal Cathedral in Oakland. It was just a mere 20 minute drive from SF. NBD. We get there... and amazingly, it's in a clean side of town with FREE 2-HOUR PARKING in the front!! We get there with 10 minutes to spare before the start of afternoon mass. Mom was hungry so we started to leave when I saw "Mausoleum." I asked mom if she wanted to visit... not knowing... we may have just walked into her final resting place.
We strolled through the marble hallways marked with names of our predecessors. There were sections for full caskets... for urns... for a family of urns. And even a glass display case for pictures and memorabilia. Mom even asked we go into the office to ask about pricing, which of course, is fully itemized from the service, to the flowers, down to cremation.
What started out as a simple lunch.... certainly took a deep, dark turn.
Last Monday... my work laptop was having trouble booting up so I took it to the iLab to have them fix it. The quickly confiscated it and gave me a loaner. A week went by and I hadn't heard anything so I pinged them... and they came back with, "We attempted to restore your harddrive, but the data is irretrievable." My heart sank so fast...so far that very instant. I wanted to cry.... but I was in a meeting so I had to push my way through it. I didn't even know what to think... how to react.... my harddrive. Gone!!!
20+ years of pictures. All my personal stuff. My Masters program. Church stuff. Records of mom and dad. All gone!!!! Not to mention personnel record that I opted not to save on a network drive because of its sensitivity. All gone. The notes I've been keeping for the past 3 years in this job. All gone. My emails dating back the past 7 years. All gone. My Favorites and Bookmarks. All gone. The working files on my desktop that I was going to move to a network drive. All...... freakin'...... gone.
What do I do now? How do I begin to piece the puzzles back together?
The IT guy basically said... technology has moved so far so fast... that hard disk drive companies have not kept up with the solid state drive technology to recover anything. It's a moot point to even try. I told him... "Try it anyways... I will pay anything." I don't know if he'll do it or not.
I can't even articulate how I feel today. Despondent? Depressed? Sad? Lost? I don't have words for it... it's just ALL GONE. 20 years of my life... wiped away. And there's no possible way to restart it.
Back up your data people. Don't be like me. Don't pull a Hank.
Our tenants moved out and here we are... showing our house again.
So then we begrudgingly set up an ad-hoc open house. We meet so many fine people! Including another lovely family who's relocating from the mid-West. Then I realized... they'd be commuting, WITH traffic, for over an hour a day. I told Joyce... we gotta call them and warn them. We gotta help them find a house closer to their work. And she said, "You're so not cut out to be in real estate."
A few days after landing from Hawaii... I find pineapples for sale for $0.99 at a local Asian-mart. Was jones-ing for those Golden Pineapples that can only be found on the island... so I bought one. Much to my [expected] dismay... it tasted horrible. I dipped it in salt water to wash away the acidity... but none of the family members wanted anywhere near that thing.
A week of sitting and marinating in it's own juices... I knew it was time to get some bananas and make a pineapple smoothie. I got the bananas... and then now it's the banana's turn to sit an marinate on the counter. Just wasn't feeling up to making a smoothie... and uncharacteristically.. we actually end up eating those bananas. So now... the pineapples are rotting and I'm out of bananas.
I finally made a run to TJ's and got three bananas... was about to make me a smoothie... when I pop open the fridge, roll back the saran wrap and see... mold. Aye... I waited too long. I thought for a Hawaii second whether to just toss the moldy ones and keep the clean ones. "Nah... don't wanna get sick." Sigh... into the garbage it goes. $0.99 - wasted.
To punish myself... I sat down and ate the 20 remaining, dried up, pruny cuties we bought for camping back in the end of May.
As a parent... you ironically want your child to experience failure, as that'll be the norm throughout their adulting and adult lives. But at the same time... it sucks a phat nut.
May all Glory and Honor be upon our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We're on a four game losing streak and I am slumping.... big time!!! Went 0-4 with 3 fly outs and a ground out. I needa get some batting practice in. Losing sucks!!!
Some things I noticed about SW on this trip... is he still observes me... admires me...and to some extent, mimics me. Case in point...
We're on the plane and just ate our complimentary pizza bagel. I take the wrapping... smash it up into a ball... and stick it into the seat pocket in front of me. Out of the side of my eye... I see SW do exactly the same thing.
Or a few days earlier... we're playing golf. I pick up my tee after driving and stick it on my ear. SW saw me do that... and he aptly pulls the tee out of his pocket and puts it on his ear.
Or the time when the family is share Flow-nase at the hotel... before I spray, I do a courtesy wipe of the nozzle. When I hand it to SW, he does a courtesy wipe also.
I wonder...how old was I when I stopped mimic-ing dad and found my own? Or more appropriately... how old was I when I discovered dad wasn't as cool as I made him out to be and started doing my own thing??
This Hawaii trip... more than any recent events... are really showing signs of me aging. SW jokingly says "You're past your prime." His joke isn't false. I am aging. Slowing. Losing it. That edge. That sharpness. That intellectual and physical prowess. That energy level... just isn't what it use to be.
Shoulda seen it coming from before the trip. I didn't deep dive like I use to in planning. I only got one... instead of 3-4 vacation books. And the pre-travel schedule was... sparse. I opted to "let it flow" with a mishmash of beaches, restaurants, and a collage of stamp hitting. It'll come back to bite me - Fail.
Saturday before take off... I buy the 3 day national park pass. Only for me to forget on Monday morning... and remember Monday evening... to get my Sunrise Tour pass, which by the time, was sold out. After kicking myself for 30 minutes... and the family trying to console me... I opted for plan B. Get the Spoiled Rich Asians to log on while I'm on a plane and hopefully get that pass. Otherwise... the $30 National Park pass... wasted. Missing my purchasing window - Fail. Letting the cart lead the horse - Fail.
Upon arrival at airport... for whatever reason, I skipped the checkin kiosks, and thereby skipped printing the check-in luggage sticker. I get to the front of the line... only to be sent (wait for it) with my bags packing. Wasted 10 minutes. Travel gaffe - Fail.
Upon landing... being tired, hangry, and a little off my game... I get into a huge fight with NN at the Food Truck stop. Completely and utterly unnecessary...and I just couldn't control myself. Fatherhood - Fail.
Day 2 of heading out... and I can't find the car keys. Did I drop it? Did I leave it in the car? The car is locked... so no. I call Lost and Found - nada. Went back and forth between the garage and room. Fruitless. Was about to call the Car Rental Agency for help... and instead, got a call from Nui Nui. "In the words of Momma - Found it." It was in my backpack. Missplacing keys - Fail.
After a round of golf where I was bumbling and fumbling with golf balls, tees, drinks, bluetooth speakers, letting golfers play through, finding lost balls, scraping up divots in the sand pit... returning our golf carts and getting back in the car... I forget my wallet. Luckily the worker found it and sped it to me. Forgetting my wallet - Fail.
Running the rental car into the parking lot column... and scratching the side of the car... Not with my driving skills. Not with my parking skills. No!! But alas... turning down CDW. Fail.
For all these fails... I'm sure there were equally as many, if not more, successes. And yet, these are the things I remember from an otherwise, pretty perfect trip to paradise.
"You have fought the good fight. You have finished the race. And you have kept the faith." - 2 Tim 4:6
Another year bites the dust... good job students!! And now I get my Tuesday evenings back.
Towards the end of the school year... SW was gloating how he's awesome at softball, batting 1.000 in PE. So when the announcement came out asking for players... I signed us up for the church league. A couple weeks ago... they had finals... so they didn't play. This time around... they got to wear a glove, get in the box, and take a mighty swing.
NN went 2 for 3 with a walk. No defensive plays but impressed a lot of people with her hustle on the base paths. She was a clam.
SW went 1 for 3 with a walk. His first hit came at a clutch moment in the game too... when it was two outs and I was on third. "Bring dad home! Bring dad home!!" was the chant. Defensively, he picked up a fly ball and threw it to the cutoff man.
I went 3 for 4... with 1 error at short, when the ball was hit hard up the middle and took a tricky bounce. Nate had me batting cleanup!! HA!! He must think I'm good or something. Ah wellz.
I was quite happy tonight. Quite happy! To be able to hang out with the kids at their age and at mine... what a blessing. Was burnt to a crisp from a day long outdoor volleyball tournament though... but today... was a good day.
Woke up to a nice buffet breakfast. The three families got together to recount last night's event over coffee and juice. Then by 9AM... we headed back to camp to pack up. When we got there, it was a ghost town!! Everyone... and I mean EVERYONE has left. They either left last night when we evacuated. Or they broke down camp early in the morning. We searched for our belongings and they were all there.
After packing... decided to hit up the nearby beach for a few minutes. A few minutes turned into a few hours. The kids wanted to have fun. The adults needed to relax a bit. So I went to the general store and grabbed a 12 pack. Grabbed some chairs and beach mats. And before long...the tats broke out their stove and we had ourselves a feast. We rented a SUP and kayak. Played some volleyball. Chatted. Laughed. Good food. Good scenes. Good company.
Wasn't exactly how I imagined it going... but alas... a wonderful way to wrap up 3 days of camping.
Continuation of Day 2....
We started to head back to camp... about 10 minutes from the pier... NN realizes she lost her phone. But she doesn't have Find My turned out (d'oh!!). But thankfully... some nice person found it and turned it into the Lost and Found. So we picked up our phone.. picked up a nice Starbucks and off we went.
Got back to camp and folks had already started cooking. We were in the middle camp so I started a fire... having a feeling that dinner was going to be at our picnic table. This time I was smart... found a bunch of dry pine needles... giant pine cones... and the fire was blazing in two minutes. I'm a pro at this now... I can make it to the final 3 if Jeff ever summons me.
Dinner was.... uhhhh-mazing!!!!!! That Tat's bought chicken and duck that can be eaten cold. They made some stew that we needed to reheat. We had packs and packs of instant noodles. And they even brought a rice cooker. Hehehehhee... camping like the Chinese do!! Everyone showered... had their filling... and out of the blue... we hear a lot of honking from a short distance away. First I thought it was someone's car alarm going off... then a bunch of other cars started honking. Turns it... it was an attempt to scare off a bear!! Roy goes and checks out what happened... and we heard "BANG! BANG! BANG!" Someone brought an air gun and used it. Rumors start flying that it was a giant bear that carried off someone's cooler. And ran into the woods again.
We didn't think much of it so we continued cleaning up and started to make smores. Everyone settled into a bit and was having a good time when to our left... we heard a bunch of honking again! This time it was loud and persistent. And then... our neighbors to the left, almost like a marching army, got up in unison and started running for their cars. We saw them do it... and I gave the command, "Let's go!" I didn't know what was going on... but didn't want to take a chance. Me... Joyce... the kids... and the Yu's... all 7 of us piled into our dinky little CRV. YY was still carrying her half melted marshmellow - getting it onto everything. We got in... I closed the door... looked over my shoulder and there it was. A medium size black bear... running through our neighbor's campsite. Then it dawned on me. Our locker is still open!!! Our garbage is still out!!! And like a bundle of laundry... that brown fuzzball rolled onto my campsite. It was literally 10 feet away from the car... sniffing through garbage.. trying to find a meal or two. Out of the corner of my eye... I then see a park ranger... slowly creep out of the bushes holding a rifle - which I think is a tranquilizer. He slowly got closer on his approach and "zip!!!" fired away. I didn't see or hear the bear go down.... so it must've run off. The ranger also disappeared... he must be on hot pursuit.
We were now at a lost... not entirely sure what to do, we decided to go take showers and then decide. Joyce and I were on the same page. The bear's gone...he's scared... we're safe. Right??? After showering, we came back and our neighbors thought we left. They were packing already and calling it a weekend. We repacked everything... sticking it in the bear locker... throwing away the garbage and got into our tents. Then all of a sudden... blaring horns again!!! The third time!!! That's when I decided... gotta get the wife and kids to safety. I told them to run for the car. This time... we're outta here. Gonna get a hotel and not taking chances again.
I got up... went to pee... and decided to take a stroll. One night into camp... and one of the two toilets was already clogged with toilet paper and sh*t. How are we gonna survive??? I got to the beach and the scene was majestic. God is amazing. He truly is. I got my me time in and walked back to came and it was feee-reeezing!!!
Tried lighting the fire again... cuz it was so cold. Had a lot harder time this time because our fuel was damp from the morning dew. Thankfully, we were able to borrow a torch from our neighbors. Before we knew it... everyone was awake and we feasted on a warm meal of instant noodles and canned Vienna sausages. Ironically.. everyone was complaining how noisy it was at night... and here they were speaking a high volume. I cringed and rolled my eyes at their hypocrisy. Oh well...
Slowly and surely, everyone got up and within a blink of an eye... it was time to set out. Yu Tai was brave and bold enough to take the kids to Treetop. While the rest of us went to enjoy a nice hike in the wilderness. But unfortunately.. all the trails we wanted to go to were closed for construction!! Boo... ended up hiking a long road down to Emerald Bay and back up. I got so bored with that hike... I took a detour just to walk some rough rocky terrain. It's a hike, for crying out loud!!!
After the hike... we would rendevous at the harbor for our 2 hour pontoon ride. Yes, there was valet parking, but no, I wasn't about to pay. So I parked on the street... sent the address to the Tat's and Yu's. GUess what... they followed my lead!! HA!!
Everyone got together... and we got on our pontoon. Everyone was disappointed. We wanted a boat with a slide... or a faster speed boat. But we got... exactly what it's described as... a friggin pontoon!! Ok...it's not that slow. From South Tahoe... it was 30 minutes to Emerald Bay. The water was freezing cold. I brought an ice chest... but didn't bring any adult drinks (much to many people's disappointment) and no one was in the mood to get in. We finally park at Emerald Bay... and I needed to set an example. Everyone wanted to go in... but no one dared. So I finally put on my life jacket and dove head first. DANG the water was freezing. Once I got in... some of the girls followed. DANG... the water was freezing. Then I tried to swim back to the boat... but the current kept pushing me away. I saw the two girls successfully swim back. I got jealous, but relieved. They were safe. Farther and farther I drifted away. I strugged and I tried. I kicked. I crawled (figureatively). But the boat got smaller and smaller.
My head suddenly thought... would I freeze to death??? (It was in the high 60's... no where near freezing). Then I thought... would I drown??? (I had a life jacket on). For some reason... no one on the boat cared... and no one was coming to save me. Then I saw these three paddle boat guys. I waved to them..."Can I get a ride?" The first person waved back... and started leaving. I'm like, "No... don't leave me!!" I thought he was making a U-turn... but he never came back. His two friends started coming and I called for them again... this time, the sorta kinda understood me. I waved and pointed to the boat. And I said, "You speak English?" They said, "No... Ukraine." Ohhhhh... no wonder the first dude left. The two friends tried to circle... and they were having a hard time pushing towards me due to the current. With their broken English and my zero Russian... they asked why my friends won't come. They even shouted on my behalf, "Your people!!!!" By now... the third friend realized what was happening and turned back. We were able to communicate with "You tired?" and "You cold?" They quickly realized that I needed a place to hang onto. And they know that the current was simply too strong. The pontoon had a big tube for us to play on... and they finally tossed it in the water. My three Ukrainian friends went to grab it and brought it over to me. Even then... I wasn't able to simply hop on the tube, they had to give me a giant lift.
After what seemed like eternity... I finally got on the tube. It got roped up. And I was back on the boat. Phew...... this is the 2nd time of nearly drowning!! The first time was in Hawaii in that little lagoon. Man.. .I needa get better with swimming.
Anyhoo... I got back on the boat and I wanted to show everyone I wasn't scared or nervous. So I immediately decide to play on the tube and have the pontoon drag us. Part of it was to show everyone that I wasn't scared. It was nothing. Dust it off and continue playing. I think it worked to some degree... but as I found out later, it backfired. SW was first one up... none of the other kids wanted to play after seeing what I went through. But after seeing us have fun... one at a time, everyone started playing. And even some of the adults got into the action!! WOOHOO!!
I finally got into the boat... and someone told me... (I forget who).... your daughter is upset. It turns out NN was balling her eyes out. She was worried sick with me not being able to get back on the boat. And once I got on the boat... I didn't check in with the family and went straight out to the water. Oops! My bad. I tried apologizing...but she wasn't hearing it. Woe is me.... I screwed up big time.
I finally got in the boat... and was freezing my @$$ off. I changed... put on new clothes... but the wind chill was still killing me. Ah wellz... I had to man up and take it and not show signs of weakness. We finally got back to the pier, parked, and changed. Everything was calmer now... and the last thing I had to worry about... a missing iPhone that turned up in lost and found. Boom... time to head back to camp for a night of camp life and chill.
"We got the full camping experience in 1 day." said NN.
A full experience indeed. We headed up to Tahoe on Friday morning and on our way... we stopped by Castro Valley and had brunch with 大恩人-嫻姨。 She dressed soooo nice... as if she's going to a wedding. After Dim Sum, great company, great conversation... we took off for our final destination.
We skipped through the backroads and made it Tahoe. Upon entering the campground... the ranger warned us to leave our doors unlocked. Let the bears get in vs getting your door smashed in. And consider keeping the doors open because if bears show up, you won't have time to fish for keys. Just run into the car and close the doors - quick. We thought he was joking... until we find out he wasn't.
We got to our site.. and met the Yu's there, easily one of our closest church friends. They helped us pitch our tent and set up camp. Then we headed out for dinner. We got back after dinner and it was dark already... enough for us to start our camp fire which wasn't easy at all!! All those years of watching Survivor paid off. You start with the fuse on the bottom (pine needles) with dried pine cones sitting on top to fuel the flame, and eventually, the $12 firewood we got from the general store. A little later in the evening, our other closest church friends, the Tats, showed up. Someone took their campsite, but thankfully, another family overbooked and gave them theirs. We helped them set up camp and by then... the kids had their smores and it was bedtime.
Bedtime was horrible. Our neighbors were loud. It was cold. It was uncomfortable. And by the wee hours of the night... it got freezing cold, especially the head which was exposed. Luckily, I was wearing a hoodie, so I was able to cover my head and we had a throw. I got maybe 2-3 hours of shuteye and after falling in and out of sleep... the sky was lit up and it was too bright to sleep anymore, especially with nature's alarm clock, the bugs and birds in the wild screaming their heads off. Time for Day 2....
"Don't. Don't break it. The tensile strength of bamboo is greater than metal. Instead.. navigate through it. Remodel with it. Use it as a stepping stone (stick?) for your next endeavor. What I meant to say was...the ceiling is there for a purpose. It represents your past and who you are. Don't break or shatter it. Embrace it. Own it. And shape it where you want to go next."
Started to clean up my Whatsapp chat groups by archiving every group text or individual text of people that I haven't texted... or because of my exodus... will likely not text in the near future. One after another. A working group. A planning committee. A project. And then individuals... who outside of church... I don't think I'll ever contact. Swipe left... swipe left... more swiping left. Boom boom boom.... cleaned up my list of chats. It's now so empty... but so clean!!
Has it been that long??? 20 years... I think it has. It was before the kids for sure. And it was probably around or before the time we got married. 20 years! Wow.... 20 years since I've put on my cleats... came to the plate... and stared down the pitcher. 20 years since I've slipped on the piece of leather and picked up a roller and shot it to first. 20 years since I've stepped foot on a diamond.
We won my inaugural softball game... as I emerged from retirement. Though... I never really retired. I just took on a second career.
Strangely enough... I felt pretty at home. Both teams were from church. I knew about 80% of them... or recognized them. There were some great players. There were some average players. And a handful of beginners. I didn't have a batting glove.... was wearing soccer cleats... had a $30 bat when everyone else used $150-$300 bats. But when I came up to bat... everyone, including the OF took a few steps back. HA!! I'm not a power hitter... I can barely swing for contact.
I asked to play SS or 3B cuz I don't have the depth perception. I'm not good... nor do I have the range. But I still have one heckuva arm. During warm ups.... had to get use to the infield bounce. And during the game... made a couple of errors. Most likely due to nerves. But also made a couple of heads up plays and including that amazing backhanded snag.
Too bad there were no lights at the field. There's nothing like a summer evening... as the bugs are buzzing away on the pitchers mound... the wives are yapping away.... and children are giggling on the side... and world is alive with the murmurs of.... "Plaaaaaaayyyyyy baaaaaallllllllll."
Gonna feel it tomorrow. Over strenuated in all sorts of ways. But pain never felt so good.
Undefeated. Undisputed. Regional Champions.
Tropical Touch 14-1 went all season without dropping a game. In all... we lost 3 sets. 2 of those 3 when NN wasn't around. And the other one was when 2 of their star players were out.
In the end... we went up against the #2 team and it wasn't even challenging. The most challenging games were against the 13 and 12th seeds where it went to 29-27 and 26-24. But in the end... it wasn't a satisfying season. After one practice and one game off... NN wasn't in any of the starting line ups. Her reliable serves were off... and she was relegated to Defensive Specialist. And the other players notably have stepped up and dominated.
We've come so far from that night when NN first made the team... and we had Taco Bell and a bottle of Coke to celebrate. Who knew this team was gonna climb this high.. ride this far... and dominating, rolling past all their competition.
One parent came up to Coach Tati saying they want to try out for our team. Another parent said our coaches are recruiting her. And a third parent said she felt sorry for us.. for the regime that our coach put the players through (running laps) when things are going bad. This was suppose to be a non-competitive, fun, growing team. It's turned into an animal that's the envy of the Bay Area.
In the ned... when the coach invited the team to practice on Mother's Day afternoon... NN came up to be and said she "wanted to go." Go to practice? No... go home. She was done. She was drained. She had homework to do.
Today... we held our heads high as champions. What a wonderful feeling.
NN's annual dance showcase is upon us. An entire year's of hardwork and dedication for the TKA Dance Classes culminates with 3 shows on Friday and Saturday. It's also the once or twice in a year where I get mom and dad together to have a meal together... in the name of their grand daughter... and so I can drive them out to SF just once.
Mom just came back from her epic Seattle bus tour... which is amazing on its own. And dad is always flexible enough to come in at any time... any hour.
Picking them up for dinner was... strategic. Ended the 3:30 show. Picked dad up. Drove to San Jose 99. Had dinner at Venus Cafe while mom showed up from her vacation. We sat down...broke bread... and chatted. Almost like a family, but not quite. Mom and dad aren't friends, but they are friendly. Afterall... they're immigrants in their 70's that are going through the aging process together. It was an enjoyable dinner.
Now onto the show. The show was amazing. Stacey Reed topped herself again with her creativity and poignancy. She hit the nail on the head with her salute to superheroes... every day heroes... and heroes in our time. Her salute to Captain America (tap), Firefighters (modern), Military (step and clap), and Rosa Parks (ballet) was breathtaking and tear jerking. Not as tear jerking as the Seniors Dance... and their shout out to their parents. Over and over again... I kept thinking of the time NN said she was going to do her senior dance with me. Father / Daughter modern dance. And I started thinking of how I can get fit and get flexible in the next 3 years for that event. But when she started talking about Senior Dance... she made no mention of our dance anymore. Ah wellz.....
The drive back out to SF was less eventful. I was tired. It was a long day. And it's always awkward. I had Pandora on Canto Pop that filled in the silence. And occasionally... I would humor dad and his off the cuff questions and comments.
At 11PM... I got home. To a kitchen full of flowers. I dug the vases out of the garage and put them in water. So that's how a celebrity feels.... to have a room full of flowers. My Nui Nui Ju. So proud of you.
For the 3rd time in 2.5 years....we had to move. This time, because our landlord wanted to sell. Instead of moving.. we offered to buy the house off-market, but we couldn't come to an agreement on price.
So from the end of March to mid-April... we shopped and looked at a dozen houses. We found a place that we loved... but in the end... the landlord wasn't open to installing an EV charger and that broke the deal. Eventually... we found a town house with a swimming pool. And within a month... we scheduled a wholesale move.
The move was smooth. Packing was a lot less laborious than last time and I found the same movers as last time. 80+ boxes... 3 full beds... all the furniture... and over 16,000 steps later... we moved into our new home.
Home isn't a place... (like Asgard), it's where the family is. We're now housed in a much smaller house... but it doesn't matter. As long as we've got each other... we can and will make it work.
On moving day... they had to move our piano. Which they dubbed "the beast." I was legitmately worried. Joyce didn't want to be in the same zip code when it happened. These Russian / Mexicans could not hold a lick to our Chinese movers from back in 2017 when we moved to remodel. And the owner's wife got us Matcha Lattes. When all was said and done...we had a roof over our heads and beds beneath our backs. That's all that matters.
A new chapter begins....
SW went to a club volleyball summer league tryout today... and he did not get a rose. His two friends from Titan did. One even had to turn it down because he'll be vacationing during the summer. I wasn't there but SW was very disappointed. Joyce is kicking herself for not enrolling him with this club for Winter League... as it seems those who have rapport with the coaches will get in.
I didn't add any commentary. Just told Joyce... to tell SW.... Kobe Bryant once got shafted from tryouts. That offseason... he worked harder than he's ever worked. Refined every skill he can think of. And along the way... grew a whopping 6 inches. And he never looked back. 小小苦楚等於激勵. May this little speed bump be an opportunity for SW to fail forward.
