What a waste of time...

Went to a middle school / high school open house today.  Part of the "tour" was to hear a teacher speak on each of the 6th grade subjects.  When we got to Social Studies... my jaw dropped.

Sumerian Empire.  Mesopotamian Civilization.  Ancient Greece.  Ancient Egypt..... etc.. etc...

It's what NN and SW are learning in 4th and 2nd grade respectively. And they're still going to learn that in 6th grade? And as I remember it.... I learned the same sh*t through high school.

And my question is.... Why.  Why do we need to learn this crap???

Do we even need it? Does it make us better?  smarter? more well rounded?

Or is it... just a waste of our time.  Ugh!!!......

Workplace Ministry

It's hard to be an ambassador of the gospel in the work place, especially if HR sets down all these rules and guidelines of what we can or can't do.  And I totally understand and empathize... 

The past few weeks, I picked up a couple of mentees.  In one case, my mentee asked how I was so good with my public speaking and presentation skills.  So I used my ARROWS - Let's Proclaim syllabus as my blueprint.  Printed all over my syllabus were bible verses and bible references.  BOOM!!

Then the other day... a mentee came looking for me, and we went over my pictorial bio.  I have pictures of my family, pictures of Bay Area sports teams, my alma mater... and the Christian fish.  At the end, he made it a point to ask about the fish... and we started talking about church.  He mentioned he stopped going when college started cuz he was too busy.  And as we parted... I slipped in, "Maybe it's time to go back and reconnect." 

It's not every day you get these chances.. but when you do.. jump onto them.

In reality... it's a scary world out there...

This year, we enrolled our kids into Coding class.  It's not really coding - like with C++ or Java.  It's more graphical based.... and the kids follow instructions to make little games for themselves.  SW loves it, cuz he gets to play games.  NN loves it cuz her friends are there...and they use a program similar to MS Paint to create pictures and art. 

The other day... I stopped by early to see what they're doing and to my astonishment, the app they're using is very much like social media.  NN was showing me her account... and the fact she has 11 followers. (FOLLOWERS?!?!)  She mentions that we can create more accounts to follow herself... already, at 9, she's thinking that more equals to more popular equals to "better." 

Then she showed me this game that someone else created.  I asked, "How did you get to that game?"  It turns out, this app is a lot like open source... you can play other people's games and modify other people's code.  The game was a Harry Potter Sorting Hat game... where they asked you a series of questions.  Today... it's asking you, "If you're an animal, what would you be?"  Tomorrow, the questions can be "Are you lonely?" or "Is anyone home with you?" 

After seeing all this... I gave another parent this concerned look like, "Are you hearing this??? Is it must me???" 

To which she game me a sympathetic look.... then texted me, "Make sure you look over their setting.  Scary world." 

It's not just me.... I knew this day would come.  I didn't expect it to come at ages 9 and 7. 

Trust but verify...

Sometimes, it sucks being a "people's manager." We want to encourage our employees... but not bust their confidence.  And in doing so... we lay ourselves out for criticism also.

Case in point... I entrusted an employee to "do the right thing."  I did 90% of the work for this person.  And in the end... she was still able to mess up.  Not only mess up... but mess up in front of the big boss.

I hate getting emails on Sunday night at 10PM asking me, "Why is this so hard???"

Ughhhhhhhhhhh................    You claim their glory when they do right.  You take the blame when they screw up.  It goes both ways. 

Sometimes, I wish I was more strict and ruled with an iron fist.  At least I won't get 10PM emails from the big boss.

情書

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...... 虎父无犬子!!

雖然我兒子不是犬.  我自認不是虎爸.  但今次真要跨楊下! 

小小年紀, 竟然收到情書?!

 噢.... 我地find out之後當然冇笑佢。 反以鼓勵佢， 要有禮貌， 要回信。 

寫完信後， 擺落書包。 但係每日放學返嚟， 問佢有冇比信人哋， 佢都話 "唔記得！"

正一大頭蝦!! 又會似我似得咁交關!! 

Whirlwind Week

It all started two Thursdays ago...

Thursday night: big bro and family lands in SFO after 7 years of touring the world.  The prodigal son returns home.  He is so prodigious... he even bought a house in Long Island.  He's so prodigious... he left by himself, but brought back 3 people.  Thursday night.... went out to Top's Cafe to greet my family.  And that little monkey... when he saw me, went completely cartoon googly eyes and said, "二叔!!"  There he is.... I get to spend the rest of his life spoiling him, cuz that's what uncles do.

Friday night: Big bro and family come over for dinner.  Wasn't a big deal.  Wanted to make some comfort food for them so they can relax a bit after a whole day of DMV, school district, and all that jazz.  Made a mini-feast.... everyone ate.... finally heard 阿嫂's version of 六四事件.  Wanted to hang out more and chat... but everyone (including my kids) were zapped.  And we still had Saturday...

Saturday morning: Reunion with 師父 up in Burlingame.  It was actually a bit anti-climatic.  I never had that same emotional bond with him as big bro.  I never had that emotional break-up with him as big bro.  To me... he's my mentor that I looked up to that just fell out of my life 20 years ago.  Getting together with them sure brought back lots of memories.  And also... un-answered questions.

Sunday night: The much anticipated arrival of my one and only 妹.  Big bro and I drive out Sunday night...We picked her up without having to pay for parking (yeah!!!), take her back to AirBnb, which amazingly, is a block from where Joyce lived.  Then we take her and her friend out for a spin.  We head up to Twin Peaks (the wrong way), the we drive through downtown (the wrong way).  Half of downtown is under construction and the other half is being prepped for Dreamforce.  We ended up on 39th floor of the Marriott Hotel and chit chatted like there's no tomorrow.  The sucky thing is... my Mandarin sucks.  So so bad....

Monday - Tuesday: I'm playing virtual tour-guide. And also trying to plan for the next day.  It's so nice to see people enjoy my city (SF, not San Jose).  I'm precariously living my life through them cuz I know I'll never ride a cable for $8.  Or eat crab and shrimp at Fisherman's Wharf for $50.  Or bike up the Marina Greens to the Bridge cuz it's freakin' freezin cold!!!  And then.... had to play last minute audible to see what Wednesday was like.

Wednesday:  The plans kept on changing up to the last minute.  And by the time the dust settled, I was driving to meet up with her... while calling my daughter's best friend's mom...to get a hold of her husband... to see if he can give us a tour of facebook HQ.  My entire plan from Tuesday night was now turned upside down.... but it's all good.  I must've broken like 10 driving laws in that 15 minute span... but I finally found Ah妹.

And away we went.  We first hit up Infinity Loop.  Then hit up the new Apple Park.  Next, it was Dim Sum with the relatives.  And he hurried up 101 to Facebook HQ (jaw-dropping tour). We then sped down to Google and met up with Dr. Martin.  Then I got lost trying to find Stanford.  Been there a 1000 times.... but this time, I relied too much on technology.

Traffic was nice...because I got to really chat with Ah妹.  At one point, I simply said, "Tell me about yourself and your upbringing."  I had just a few hours to get to know my little sister.  No time for small talk.

Walking around Stanford was also fun.  It was the first week of school and a lot of welcome back parties.  We crashed into a psychology department social... and fit right in. (She was the student, I looked like a professor).  We grabbed two waters (could've grabbed 2 beers) and ran.  HA!!

We then sped (I use that term loosely) down to Cheesecake Factory for dinner with Big Bro and his family with Ah 妹.  I couldn't wait for my kids to meet their 姑姐.  The service was subpar.... and we were drained after dinner/dessert.

But oh..... there's more.  I had set up Ah妹 on a blind date with one of my friends at Meet Fresh.  HA!!!  No harm no foul....if it works out, great.  If it doesn't... they each make a new friend.  I even developed a secret signal with her.  If she's into him.... I will leave, and he will take her home.  If she's not feeling it... I'll make an excuse and go home.  Within 5 minutes... I had a feeling this wasn't going anywhere.  But Meet Fresh was especially slow.... and what could've been 5 minutes (speed dating) turned into an agonizing 45 minutes.  Such it is....

She had an early flight to catch the next day... so we got home, cleaned up and slept.  Or tried to....

Thursday: Because she had an early flight at SFO... and because I didn't want to oversleep and cause her to miss her flight... I was so anxious I woke up every hour.  Wasn't able to get deep sleep.  Finally got up around 5:30AM and made coffee while waiting for her to get ready.  She was ready to go....on the dot... 6:30AM, as she promised.

The airport was a blur.  We got there, parked, got her bag checked in and.................. the moment of separation finally hit.  At that moment, there were so many things I wanted to tell her.  How special she is to me.  How I've always wanted a sister... and now I have one.  How I wish she will immigrate to the US and the West Coast.  But all that..... never made it out of my mouth.  All I can say was, "順風！"  Gave her a hug.... and sent her on her merry way.

The rest of the day was a daze.  Wednesday took a huge toll on my body, with all the walking and driving.  And Wednesday night, I did not sleep well.  I was a walking zombie all day Thursday. Ended up going home a bit early... so I can take a nap.

Whirlwind ain't over yet.......... oh no.

Friday: After picking up the kids... we stayed and played, as usual.  And then we had to trudge through traffic, head up to Burlingame, and celebrate MIL's bday.  Dinner was short and sweet.  And on the way back down to Sunnyvale, I saw that it was just 7:30PM.  I asked Joyce if I can head to Mission Conference.  She said "Are you nuts??? You'll be late...."  I said, "Bah... knowing our church, we won't start the sermon until 8:15PM."

But God was merciful on me... around Mt View... we ran into bumper to bumper traffic on a Friday night.  So I didn't get to Sunnyvale until 8:15.  No way I was going down to church now.

So that night... we got home... I popped open a couple of beers.  And rested..... cuz, y'know... Saturday and Sunday was Mission Conference.

And I'll just end here.... the end of my Whirlwind Week.  I'm tired just having to type out that experience.... phew!

B.C.U.

About 10 years ago... Marvel Studios launched a campaign called MCU or Marvel Cinematic Universe.... where all the major superheroes from Marvel comics (Iron Man, Captain American, Hulk, Thor, etc....) were all in the same universe, same timeline and cross-over storylines. 

DC comics recently tried to do this with Batman vs Superman.  And then the introduction of Wonder Woman and Aqua-Man. 

Well... as it turns out.... the Old Testament is also a cross-over universe. 

I've read the bible many years... .but this year, instead of our church TWA, Joyce did the Chronological Bible plan.  And as we found out... a bunch of the prophets in the Old Testament actually appear in the same time span.  Like when Nehemiah was building his wall... Ezra would be down the street doing something with someone.  And don't be surprised if Isaiah walks by in the background!! 

Very amusing.... and quite revealing.  Wonder why the original bible-makers did the chapters and verses the way they planned it out.  People say the bible, the Word of God, is flawless.... and it's people who read it that are flawed.  Sometimes... I can't help but wonder................

怎去猜想這夢會變真? - The Return

We killed it... again...

I came up with the script the day after we met about Operation: AOL.  I was so excited... I couldn't help but text the ensemble, "We're back!!!"

The script: that same night... I typed the script and sent it out.  Got a lot of feedback saying it was too "dark" and I needed to lighten things up. (fine fine....)  Maybe deep down... I'm a dark and resentful person that's only personified in a play or skit. Hmmm.....

The music: No singing this time... just a bunch of background music that really made a difference.  My dear sister was so flustered.  She must've been ultra busy with work and life.... but as always...  came through.  I can't say enough about her..... she is simply amazing in everything she does.  No complaints.  Delivers at 110%.  And does it..... with a smile.  I love this Sis. One day, I might even dedicate a blog post just for her. That's how much I admire her.

The cast:  We tried to add another member to the ensemble... but he refused, saying he didn't want to disrupt a good-thing.  It's not a good-thing, it's a great thing.  The actors did everything on cue.  Even the Little Brother who didn't have a line.  He was perfect.  As Edward puts it... we can be like "愛回家" and as I would put it, we are  "愛神家."

The nightmare: I already wrote about my nightmare on a previous blog.  But the perfectionist inside me can't help but notice all the blemishes in the performance.  99% of the people will applaud us.  But 1% (perhaps it's me) will notice things we could always improve upon.  The lighting, the mic, the execution.... ARGH!!!! Why am I so petty?!?!?

And really.... REALLY.... none of this matters.  What matters, is we were able to deliver a message to get people to volunteer for Operation: AOL.  And if this little skit was able to get ONE more person to sign up.... then we accomplished our goal.

哥！

I have an older brother... that's it.

I've always loved my brother and thank the Lord for blessing me with this sibling.  He's been my hero, my role model, my best friend all my life.  Yet.... I've always wanted more.  I've always wanted other siblings.

When I married Joyce.... I was able to adopt Grace as my sister-in-law.  I've always called her "阿妹." But no matter how hard I try... she's still my sister- IN-LAW.

I have a 堂家姐 and 堂世老 in New York.  But my 堂世老 is more ABC than me.  He won't understand the relationship.

I loved having the opportunity to say the words, "家姐."  Cuz I've always wanted an older sister, a womanly figure, in my life.  To teach me about being a gentleman, to teach me how to treat women well.  I wrote a blog many years ago about this special moment.

In a week, I will have my 堂妹 visit us and stay with us.  We've been exchanging texts via WeChat the past few days to plan her stay.  Via texting....she'll write Henry哥哥 or 哥.  But I melted like butter when I heard her record a message in WeChat and she called me, "哥!"

No one has ever called me that.  My 堂世老 calls me Henry.  My "sister"-in-law calls me Henry or 姨丈."   In my point of reference, the word "哥" is reserved for the most special person in the family that everyone respects and looks up to.  And today.... I experienced that calling.

Can't wait for Cherie to come visit us so I can hear that in person.

Just dem verses....

Ever since we started doing TWA - our church's Bible in a Year plan, we come across the same bible verses on the same, every year. ( Yes - Feb 29th does not have any bible verses.)

For my birthday.... are the verses from the Book of Job:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

And on my wedding anniversary, every year I see:

"Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. "

To have and to hold... from this day forward... for better for worse......... until death do us part.  Those aren't words to take lightly.  It's not just a vow.... it's a covenant with God.  I love my wife.  Happy Anniversary honey bunny. 

"It's this generation...."

We had a church Children Ministry meeting tonight.  And part of meeting was breaking up into groups to share what our dream Children Ministry would look like.

It's a little disheartening... that our children sunday school and saturday activities now are always a Youtube video.  We no longer have our children open up their bible.  Long gone are the days where children carry a bible to church....

My comment was.... "teaching children how to flip the bible at home."

The discuss led to, "Do adults open their bibles during service??"

I got so pissed at that point, I couldn't help myself and shot back, "Does that make it right?"

And the discussion evolved to, "It's this generation."

To which I replied again, "Does that make it right?!"

Everyone knew the answer.  I was dumb-struck.  It's almost like... it's OK to make that compromise.  I know, deep down, that's not what we want.... We need to reclaim this generation.

We are now teaching our children, that the biblical truths are found in Youtube videos.  What will they do when they grow up??? They'll search youtube for their devotional time with God????

How troubled this generation has become......