Still looking...

A few weeks ago... I was famished.  So I bought a bucket of KFC and scarfed down 4 pieces.  Not long after... I felt so sick.  Was in that tricky spot between hurling and fainting and being lackluster the entire afternoon.

Fast forward a few weeks... I did this again.  Only, this was at Popeyes.  Did I learn my lesson?? Heck no!!  This time, I was trapped between hurling, joint pains and being lackadaisical. 

Conclusion.... cuz life is about drawing conclusions... I need to find the next Fried Chicken place that'll let me down 4 pieces without feeling sick.  

525,600

How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles
In laughter, in strife?

In truth that she learns
Or in times that he cried
In bridges he burned
Or the way that she dies

It's time now to sing out
Though the story never ends
Let's celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends

*chuckle*  sigh..... *chuckle some more*

International News

I haven't been paying much attention to the Hong Kong protests.  Nor have I been keeping up with the Trade Wars... but I'm enamored by the news of China opening it's first Costco!!!!  I will never complain again... Hehe..

飯後散步

一家人飯後散步是一件又健康, 又溫馨的事.  可是, 最近我們的散步演變成我當馬夫他們三個坐在冷氣車箱內一家人到處捉怪獸。 去gym? 去raid? 去搵Poke-stop? 甚至乎為咗生蛋，要我漫無目的的地左兜右兜，為咗是要多一兩公里的步行。多麼無聊，但10分溫馨！

Awana

After 5 official years of Children Ministry... we finally took the plunge and enrolled NN and SW into Awana. You drive around the Bay Area and 9 out of 10 churches have a giant sign hung out in the front offering this program - not our church.  I never got the full reason why.  Anecdotally, I've heard that because it uses an award system and could systematically ostracize our kid for not memorizing verses, it didn't fit into our church's DNA.  Well... after many years of evolution and trial and error... we felt it was time to step out.

Still too early to tell if I like this program.  And each church does things differently.  Of course, I did a bunch of online research.  And at tonight's parent orientation night, I was perfectly fine with the principles that were described - up until the "Award" section.  The kids eyes grew as big as pepperoni's. Call it reward system... call it motivation and encouragement... call it whatever you want... my gut twisted when they described the "Awana Bucks" and the different awards you can get.

Can't deny though... that the kids were engaged. And if it leads to more bible reading, scriptural discussion and even memorization... who am I to stand in it's way? NN is an academic overachiever.  She'll be fine.  SW... though not as ambitious...will hold his own.  But is this truly the right move?

The heart melting thing is... SW arrived..  and he found his friend right away.  He was as happy as a clam.  NN on the other hand... just missed "the crowd."  She was the only 5th grader.  Turns out a bunch of folks graduated into youth last year... and the upcoming group are only 3rd grade girls.  Once again... we missed the year of having kids.  When everyone had boys... we had NN.  When everyone had girls... we had SW.  How precious it'll be when both of them can find peers that they can struggle with, triumph with, grow up with.

God... will you provide??

"Why so serious?"

Sitting around a dinner table... playing an ice-breaking game of answering a simple question.  Why put so much thought into it? Why care about how people will judge you? Why care about measuring up to everyone else's answers? I am who I am... and I am a child of God.

Some sample questions during the dinner...

• Toilet paper - over or under? Over! 
• Toothpaste - squeeze from middle or the end? The end - so my wife can have the pleasure of squeezing from the middle. 
• Last meal on earth with $20, what would you get? - Big Mac Meal at McD's with stinky tofu from Hong Kong
• What is your Favorite movie? - the Notebook (that wasn't my answer, but that became the running joke)
• What is ONE super power you would pick? - superhuman ability to love (followed by ability to heal, because someone's daughter is autistic, followed by ability to provide basic means to 3rd world country, followed by time travel...)
• What's your favorite ride - the original batmobile from the Adam West TV Show 
• What's your happiest time of life - 16, full blown puberty, beginning to be sure of my self, finding out the opposite gender isn't as disgusting (and vice versa).  

My favorite question... which gave me a chance to provide my favorite answer

• What makes you happy? - Seeing people come to the Lord and accepting Jesus.  

My genuine answer.  Which opened the doors for others to share and witness.  Was it inappropriate proselytizing at a workplace environment.  Maybe... or it was just my answer, because that's who I am.  An equally good answer - because it comes from the heart, and because really, almost anyone can identify with... "When I'm riding on a swing."  

What an answer...  So pure.  So true.  So simple.  Yet... so hard to achieve.  Funny though... that answer who never have made it out.  Either we truly have no time to have fun and be happy anymore.  Or we're too worried people will say "That's dumb" or "That's childish."  To which my final question to the table will be.... "Why so serious???" 

A breath of fresh air...

There’s been a major change at work recently. I walk into the men’s room... and omg... it smells “fresh!!” Almost like walking into a Ladies Room. (Heh...) Turns out, we’ve installed a bunch of air fresheners in there - including each stall!!!!  Underneath each TP dispenser is a motion activated air freshener. I’m mildly amused... and highly appreciative.

Oh... and another year... Kinda puts things into perspective, aside from family, how many people sent me a message.  Can count them all on one hand.. 

“我赤身出於母胎， 也必赤身歸去。 

賞賜的是耶和華，收回的也是耶和華； 

耶和華的名是應當稱頌的。” 

~約伯記‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭CNV‬‬

Man's Best Friend

Yesterday morning... as I was pulling out of the driveway, I saw a blur of yellow dash behind my car.  My first reaction... is it a mountain lion? Gotta get the kids to safety.  Turns out.. .the blur that I almost hit is a Labrador - with no collar.  What's a dog doing in my neighborhood without a collar?

If this was a cat... I wouldn't think twice about it... but for some reason, I stopped, got out, and instinctively reached out my hand so the dog can sniff me.  Not that I can tell or anything...but the dog looked old.  Specks of white shining out of the coat of gold.  The kids came out and got so excited it scared the dog... so I told them to run back inside to get mommy to bring out a dish of water.

Upon closer look... you can literally see the rib cage sticking out.  Further signs she's a stray... that hasn't eaten in a while.  But why? Where? And why was it so clean? NN noticed her nails need filing... I have no idea what that means.  I have no idea what to do.  Call animal control? Call a pound? Bring the dog inside and post pictures on NextDoor? What if the owner isn't a user? What if the owner... is "in-transition" and doesn't have a home?

We're not dog people so we ran across the street and explained the situation to our neighbor who owns a dog.  She knew exactly what to do.  The moment she led the dog away... I wanted to stop her.  As if this wasn't suppose to happen.

When we drove away to lunch, the kids kept saying the dog was sent by God.  They came up with a dozen names for her.  And started saying that for Christmas, that's all they want.  Then it became more creative... for MY birthday, they'll get ME a dog.  In all honesty... my heart was moved.  My mind was thinking... maybe this IS a sign.  Maybe this dog was meant for us.  She's an older dog... meaning she's due to die soon.  But since we don't have a strong emotional attachment, no big deal? I started thinking of the bills racking up from the vet.  I started thinking walking the dog later that afternoon and having to pick up poop.  I thought about stopping by Costco... and finally becoming a true red-blooded American by spending gobs and gobs of money on dog food and cat litter.  In that waking moment... Joyce says, "We can't take care of her."  And she's right.

During lunch, I get a text from our neighbor saying the dog is doing well... asleep on the rug.  And a couple hours later... she texts me again saying they've found the owner.  But for those couple of hours... I think I was closer than ever to getting a dog.  To find what I've been longing for all these years... to find my best friend.

Beyblades

Back in my younger years... there was this toy, this fad called "Pogs."  Where you buy little circles about the size of a silver dollar.  You stack them up... and you slam them with your "Slammer."  If they're flipped one side, you keep them.  If you they're flip the other side, your opponent keeps it.  Not since Pogs, have I faced a toy so utterly imbecilic!!!  That toy... is Beyblades. 

They've been around a few years... but I think with the animated series, it's picked up a second wind.  Or maybe, it's appealing to boys around the age of 8.  Course... we're not going to spend $10-$20 on these little tops.. just so we can watch them spin.  That hasn't stopped the kids though.  They're thoroughly impressing me... to a point where they've busted out with their old lego sets and started creating their own Beyblades.  A $100 lego set, which SW hasn't even opened... finally has the seal broken. 

And the best part is... SW's dad is getting into it with them.  Neither SW or I are Lego maniacs.  We don't like it... we don't build it.  But when it came to building our ad-hoc Beyblades... we were digging through the boxes of leftover lego's unleashing creativity I never knew we had.

The worst part is... no matter how hard I try... I can't build a Beyblade that can beat SW's Champion. =) 

Sexuality

It's taboo to talk about it.  And it's taboo to ignore it.  I don't know what to do anymore... and it's hitting me smack in the face.

A few months ago... I found out that a childhood friend of mine is now living with a partner.

Yesterday... NN tells me that one of her camp counselors recently broke up with her girlfriend.

And lastly... NN tells me that one time, she was playing Truth or Dare... and they dared one of her girl friends to list out who they have a crush on.  Her girl friend listed out a bunch of boys... and a girl.

It's so real.... so so real.

Dodged a bullet

3 days later... all is quiet on the western front.  Some of the medical articles were right.  Your first contact with poison oak won't amount to much.  It's your second and third encounters where you'll have a strong reaction.  Other than a few bumps and some occasional itching... SW went relatively unscathed this time around.  But the next time... and I hope there won't be... it's probably gonna be bad.... ugh.... Bubble Boy? Or Danger Ranger?

How many times did Neo dodge the bullets?