My Girl - Part II

昨日在西貢, 外公帶囡囡去魚江.  見到一條反肚魚....

Grandpa goes, "瞓緊."
Nui-nui says, "No, 死左."

好的一天

昨晚Home Group 有"媽咪"煮飯. 唔駛我煮同洗碗. 舒服!

星期六一早外母突然拜訪. 一家去飲茶食點心. 痛快!

之後老婆喂仔, 我自己可以揸部 Miata 出去兜風. 爽!

My Girl

Joyce is sharing her sausage and mushroom omelette with Nui-nui this morning.  In summary:

"Chern-chern."  Joyce gives her some sausage.  Nui-nui smiles.
"Don don."  Joyce gives her some eggs.  Nui-nui smiles.
"Moooore." Joyce gives her some mushrooms.  Nui-nui frowns and says, "No.  No gu gu."   

Undoubtedly...she's my daughter.  My girl...........

Playground Bully

Poor Nui nui ran into a proverbial playground bully yesterday. She was climbing up a playground structure when a boy standing there points at her and mumbles something in Mandarin. I quickly tell Nui-nui to say "Hi" and veer off another direction. But the boy chases us down and this time tries to push Nui-Nui away. Deep down, I guess I want to slap that little jerk. But instead, I grab Nui-nui's hand and leave for another structure.
Nui-nui is having a good time on the slides, and here comes that little monster again. He speeds pass Nui-Nui, almost tackling her. I immediately tell Nui-Nui to get out of the way. Then off the boy goes and terrorizes other kids.. Even a baby sitting on a dolphin.

I give his mom a cold stare and walk away.  How sad... my little angel is already exposed to the terrors of the world. And of all places... a children's playground.

Birth of My 2nd Child - Running Diary

In Leung Family Tradition (tradition of one), I decided to keep a running blog of the birth of our 2nd child.  (Birth of My 1st Child - Running Diary) Once again, there's no way I could've summarized the events in a paragraph or two.  And it wouldn't be fair to Bebe if Nui-nui has one and he doesn't.

Saturday - April 30 (the unofficial due date)
930PM -  We're watching "The King's Speech."  Joyce unassumingly gets on the sofa and starts flipping through the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting." I don't know about her... but I'm expecting to finish this movie tonight so I can return it tomorrow and not have to incur a late fee.

1000PM About the 5th time she's been to the bathroom in the past half hour.  Thinks she just lost her mucous plug. (If you don't know what that is... don't ask.  Just wait till it's your turn).

1010PM Decide to take a shower since contractions are not 5 minutes apart.  We call and wake up Mother-in-Law (MIL) to have her start coming down from SF.

1011PM Just in case we can't wait... we text Angela to have her be ready to come over

1045PM Too late. Contractions are now 3 minutes apart.  People say the 2nd one comes quick!!  Call Angela to have her come over now!! We call the on-call doctor - just like last time. Why does it have to be another midnight run to the hospital...why?!?!?!

1112PM Waiting for a nurse to wheel us upstairs. Shoulda walked ourselves. 

1115PM We get to Labor and Delivery and start checking in.  Immediately recognize the nurse who helped delivered Nui-nui.  She said we look familiar - I think she's just seen too many Chinese.

1120PM Started examine process. Tried to be charming with nurse she wouldn't gimme the tine of the day.  Couldn't even get her to smile.  Either my charm has worn off throughout the years... or she's just tired.  Yeah... the latter.  Still at three cm? "That's it?!"

Sunday - May 1st (unofficially one day overdue)
1205AM Finally checked in and realized we are staying the night.  Contractions have naturally slowed down.  Naturally.  I could be home on my own bed but instead... good ol' Medival Torturing Device (aka Pull-out Futon). We meet again.

So I have this theory... just like all the leaders of the free world got together and contrived that women pants should have no pockets, thereby making them buy purses and handbags... I think the wives of the leaders got together and created this chair/bed.  I think my theory can stand on it's own.

1220AM Nothing to do but sleep now.  It's not like I can help the baby come out... tho I've heard of some theories that are not my own.  I opt not to share here - you can use your own imagination.

430AM Joyce finally gets epidrual. It works within minutes.  First words to come out from her mouth... "I love it." and finally falls asleep.  Greatest invention for men.... remote control.  Great invention for women...

700AM Nurse suggests we think about using medicine to induce but Joyce rathers not having any medicinal assistance if it's not truly needed.  So we continue to wait....and wait...and wait. 

730AM Joyce doing fine.  I decide to go home and check on Nui nui.  Open the garage door and see Nui nui smiling and eating her cereal.  She greets me with a "Hi Ba Bi!"  Realized that yesterday was last day we'll get to spend with Nui-nui alone.  Life as we know it...will never be the same. Sigh.... two of the best years of my life.  I love my daughter so much.

930AM Nurse breaks water bag finds out Bebe pooped inside. Warns us that a NICU doctor and nurse will be here for the delivery in case things go awry.  Awry?! Nurse tries to down play the situation.  The same thing happened to my friend's son.  His baby inhaled poop on the way out and he ended up in the NICU for a week to suck out the poop from his lungs.  Makes me worried naturally - but I choose not to share this with Joyce.  No point in worrying her.

1045AM Finish watching Kings Speech. Not bad!  Love Geoffrey Rush - he's now one of my favorite actors.

1100AM Nurse comes in agian - says we're "doing fine" again.  Getting a few texts from people DURING worship. Hrm....

1105AM Again... nothing to do but quickly wait.  And alas...we find GIANTS game on TV. WOOHOO!!! Rock and roll!!

1PM  - Joyce is starting to feel some discomfort... want some more medication in the epidural.  Afraid it might hurt during pushing.  Did the anastesiologist not do it right?

200PM - The folks next door just had a baby.  They're very loud. in a good way.

300PM - Sharks win! Up 2-0.  Nurse walks in and says, "Ok, Sharks game is over. We're ready to work now."

315PM - Nurse finally persuades Joyce into getting patocin. Says labor has taken longer than expected.  I have a
feeling they're hiding something from us.

430PM - We meet the doctor for the first time.  Hrm.... a bit early for the doctor to show up.  Last time, our doctor came when we started pushing. By now, Joyce is running a slight fever and Bebe's heart rate is outside the "normal" range.  Need to get him out soon. 

440PM - They finally told us BB is angled the wrong way.  They need Joyce to be on hands and knees to try to get Bebe to rotate.  Sigh... nothing is ever trouble free. 

510PM - Joyce is sweating a cold sweat by now.  Epidural isn't working quite well.  She's feeling the contractions - very much unlike when Rachel was born.  Nurse says it's time to push. 

515PM - No help from the nurse this time.  The nurse just says - "Ok puuuuush"  and assumes we know what we're doing.  I don't even know if I'm suppose to coach Joyce and count to 10 for her.  This is happening too fast. 

520PM - The room is suddenly full of people.  The delivery doctor.  Couple of nurses.  Folks from the NICU. 
And I didn't even get my camera ready yet.  Thank goodness for the iPhone.

525PM - Joyce's lips are turning white. Why is she in so much pain...?
"You're doing great Joyce!"
"Keep pushing, honey."
"2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9..10... BREATHE!"
She barely whispers, "I can't do this..."
 "C'mon Joyce!! C'mon!"
"We're almost there."
"We see the head.  C'mon Joyce!! Push!"

535PM - And after 18 hours of labor.... with one final, push, the head does a corkscrew and spins out from the womb.  Joshua is born.  And the action really begins....

•  Doctor unwraps the umbilical cord from his neck!
• They quickly let me cut the cord.
• Doctor tries to suck everything out from nostrils and mouth.
• Off he went... over to the NICU table.  Didn't even get to make a detour for mommy to look at.
• Baby is out.. now trying to get the placenta out. (Yup...normally, TV shows don't talk about this, huh?)
• I can run over to look at our son... but I choose to stay with Joyce. This was not a normal pregnancy... I need to be with my wife right to give her the one thing I can give her... my support.

545PM - NICU departs - which is a good sign.  They got all the merconium (poop) out.  I let out a "Praise God" and the ladies exchange a mysterious look with one another. Makes me wonder if the situation was more dire than they led us to believe.

7PM - Grandma brings Rachel to see her little brother.  She naturally reaches out for mom, "Ma-ma!"  We let her jump into bed with mom...and for the first time, older sister gets to hold little brother in her hands. 

730PM - Everybody came!! Elder J and Cat. Then the rest of the gang.  I guess everyone was expecting to come after lunch.  Turned out they came after dinner.  So wonderful to have enveryone here at the same time, so they can all leave at the same time. Sorry to be rude, but I think they undersand, we need to rest.

9:00PM Transferred to Maternity Ward and the nurse tells us Bin Laden is dead.

10:00PM We decide to be those typical parents and send our second child to the nursery.  Rachel stayed with us and we got no rest.  This time, we're smarter.  And after 18 hours of labor and 5 hours of becoming newly crowned parents.... Joyce finally crashes.

10:01PM - Forgot to return "King's Speech." Will incur a stinken late fee.

秋天的童話

時隔十幾年了. 今日返看經典劇"秋天的童話." 最令我驚愕是發現我很多口頭蟬和俚語都是來自這部電影. 最令我失望之處竟然是童話的結局.


小時候, 已看過很多次.  但今次不同的, 我與周潤發飾演的船頭尺的年齡相約, 人生方面有新的領域與見解.  其實戲完結在互開禮物的情節便為最佳, 但童話的完美結局反而令到故事滿有瑕疵.

童話雖是童話, 故事雖是故事... 但童話故事是會發生在現實生活上.
滿心祝福 CY 同 JL能找到 "table for two..."

葉問, 詠春, 與中華

In an extra-ordinary night, I was able to watch a Hong Kong movie - Ip Man (一代宗師, 葉問). 葉問's story is based in the 1930's - around the time Japan invaded and occupied China.  And tho the movie itself was unimpressive and left a lot to be desired... the historical signifcance served as the main plot and main character of the film. 

As far as I can remember, I was educated about the horrids and reality of war through stories from dad or from TV shows.  Movies try to serve it justice...but it never does.  Whether it's Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Fist of Fury, any Chuck Norris flick.... they all bring a piece of what China had to go through during those decades of international occupation. 

And as the credits started rolling... two distinct feeling were clearly evoked.  Best summarized by the scene in Jurassic Park where a cup of water starts shaking with concentric circles... only to be followed by the T-Rex. 

The first of the two feeling is fear.... not fear of war per se... cuz in reality we're living in a time of domestic tranquilty.  But a fear of the second feeling...a far more powerful feeling... that is the feeling of hate.

Air it out...

There comes a time in life...when a tragedy occurs that simply leaves you dumbfounded, awestruck, devasted...to a point where you don't even know how to feel or react.  

• Case in point.... Two 747's crashing into the World Trade Center.  You look in disbelief...you're wondering what just happened, and you're just glued to a TV finding clues on how you should be feeling.
• Case in point... You walk back to your car to find the window broken.  Your stereo is gone.  Your $100 Banana Republic coat is gone.  All that's left are shards of broken glass, a feeling of violation and question marks hovering over you.
• Case in point... Buster Posey gets pummeled and in the midst of that, he breaks and ankle and tears a few ligaments.  It was a clean play or a great play in terms of pure baseball.  But we're left not knowing how to feel. 

The next morning... I couldn't even turn on the radio.  All the talk radio stations (that I listen to) were replaying the Posey play. I needed an outlet.  So I turned to good ol' FM music stations.  All garbage.  And they took away the Classical Station.  Ended up just turning off the radio and drove in silence.

That night...had a cathartic experience where a couple of buddies aired out our emotions on Facebook.   Trying to think of another situation similar to this, where it's just a spirit crushing loss of the heart and soul of the team
 Garrison Hearst "breaking" his ankle in the '98 Playoffs?
Montana getting knocked out by the Giants in the 1990 Playoff?
Game 6 in the year that never happened?
Jose Cruz Jr. and his Gold Glove OOPS!! and JT sliding into Pudge?

In the end... I think I came up with the best analaogy (I think).... when Daniel Larusso enters the All Valley Karate Tournament, exceeds all expectations and makes it to the finals against Johnny.  Has the upper hand when Kreese tells Johnny to "Sweep the leg."  Daniel collapses like a house of cards... only to have a Japanese guy (Ishikawa?) give him a rub down.... and he comes back and Crane Kicks his way into the Championship.

After that... it felt much better.

世风日下, 道德倫亡

昨天在大華99買魚，發生了一件不可思議的事... 有人偷了我部shopping cart！
我把車停在旁邊買魚，然後好小心放包即食麵入去, 霸住部車, 以防萬一。當我轉身時，我部車不單人間蒸發，那小偷還好禮貌地將那包即食麵放回櫃上！我左望右望, 已找不到小偷了.

公義何在？道德何在？

人善人欺天不欺! 我要申冤!

Light Rock, Less Talk

After an 11 hour day... on my drive home, the only thing I was in a mood for was some Light Rock, Less Talk, KOIT 96.5.  Hrm.... old faithful, I guess.

A time to be born and a time to die

Not more than a week after the birth of my son...I attend the memorial of a friend's son.  He was around 16 years young.

The last memorial service I attended was about 10 years ago.  But that was for an elderly man.. someone who's lived life to his fullest. He fathered 4 children and was grandfather to many more... one whom became my wife.  This time, it was a kid.

There was a short slide show montage showing some of his pictures.  Not a lot of pictures...but there was one thing constant in all of them... his smile. 

His aunt gave a eulogy.  It ended with smiles.  The pastor used Psalm 23 to deliver the message.  It ended with hope.  His father came out in closing. It ended with gratitude. 

One can easily ask... why.  Why at such a young age when the world is his oyster? Is it fair? Is it premature? Those questions are left for contemplating... no one talks about these things.  Weird, huh?