Cringe

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 75

There comes a time in any parent's life...where you're watching a movie that's coming of age.  It could be a number of things.  Drugs, violence, inappropriate jokes, adult language.

Tonight we watched a movie that was rated PG that came out in the early 90's.  I've seen this movie dozens of times...  but it wasn't till this time did I realize all the cuss words that were used that fell into my kids' ears.

A-hole. 

Bullsh!t. 

Booch.

Son of a booch. 

Gosh-darn this.  Gosh-darn that. 

Short of the f-word... I guess anything is free game.  

Then there's the other cringe worthy moments... or adult content.  The movie started with the male lead being in bed naked with a hottie.  For us... you know it's promiscuity.  But for a young innocent child... halfway through the movie, when the male lead starts to fall for the female lead.... NN said, "But he already has a girl friend.  That girl in the beginning."  And SW said... "That's not his girlfriend.  That was his sister."  

Hmm..... I guess when you look at the same thing from the eyes of the adult verses the eyes of a child... you can see two completely different things.  Makes me wonder what'll happen if we watched Total Recall.  Maybe we'll see THREE completely different things.  

唔到你唔信

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 74

Wanted to try something different today... and since I had some leftover ramen noodles... decided to make some Korean Style Jajangmyeon. Was gonna use good ol' Lee Kum Kee black bean sauce... but lo and behold... I had a container of chun jang in my fridge!! It came out great. The look... the smell... the color. 色香味.

SW took a bite...and immediately thought it was spicy. Hmmm.... I don't remember this sauce being spicy, but maybe there's pepper in there. I walked over and read the label. Soybean, salt, garlic..... and oh crap.... peanuts. Before I can even lift up my head.... "Bah B... my throat feels funny."

F*CK!!! Ran to get some Benadryl. There are somethings you think are psychological... and there are things, 唔到你唔信.

Speechless

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 73

She-Ra... Princess of Power. A 1980's cartoon that spun off from He-Man Masters of the Universe.  I was always jealous of She-Ra.  She had a cooler sword than He-Man.  But it served it's purpose...and got the girls into the show.

Flash forward 30+ years... and Netflix re-releases a new She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (plural).  It's a great premise.  Instead of 1 princess... they diversify and invest in a bunch of princesses.  And instead of a woman... She-Ra is a teenager coming of age, struggling with her identity while finding friends and allies to battle the Evil Horde.  There was even one episode where the princesses went to a dance... like a prom or Winter Ball.  It was a fun premise.  The kids liked it for its adventures and comedy. 

I walk out today and I see Joyce give me a look.  "Do you know how She-Ra ends?"

"Oh no..." I thought.  I had a feeling this was coming... but didn't bring myself to articulating it.

*****SPOILER ALERT********

She Ra ends up with Catra - her female childhood friend.  I was shocked... but I shouldn't have been.  Turns out there was another romantic relationship between 2 female characters earlier in the show.  

****SPOILER ALERT ENDS*******

What are my kids watching?? Without me knowing??  

Then tonight... while surfing for something to watch on a streaming network, there is a category called "LGBTQ for Families" and all their shows are kid friendly.

What is happening???? Or the more appropriate question... what has happened? 

Give me a nit... and I shall pick...

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 71

I don't like to nit-pick. Honestly... I don't.  But some things just jump out at me.  Recently... it's been the way people pray.  

As a child... I learned it's recitation of prescribed words.  The Hail Mary.  The Our Father.  The Glory Be.  

As I grow older... is a way of connecting with God and Mary through saying those prescribed words. 

As I'm much older... did someone point out that in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus shunned those who would "babble" or "heap up empty phrases."  

As I'm teaching Sunday School... I start saying it's talking with God.  

As SJCAC is so excellent at pushing.. listening to God.  

As Wesley Campbell so aptly introduced at my very first Deeper Life Conference... could be repeating / reading the same bible verses over and over again... perhaps even while walking in circles... in order to enter into God's presence.

(But is it chanting??? Definitely uncomfortable)

Then there's the predictable phrases....

When you run out of things to say and have nothing else to say... the ultimate fallback phrase. "我哋多....謝你."   

Or how about the popular phrase "So Father God."  One time... during FOTA... I started counting how many times a brother would use that phrase regardless of when and where. 

Ahhh.... the head-scratching starter.  "所以主耶穌..."  Why do we have to say "所以" to Jesus... especially when starting a sentence?

Ohhh....  the always reliable. "我哋讚美你 <pause> 讚美你呢......."

And quite recently, PAL starts pushing... "Lectio Divina."  Some surface level research shows this is a something monks or Catholics would practice.  Good luck seeing other Protestant churches doing this.  

Why pray? What is prayer? What is Prayer Meeting? Why does so few people go....still....  

Keep running

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 68

無聲出

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 67

今日廚房無端端又多舊咁嘅嘢。 都係果班師奶慫恿老婆， 屋企又多樣嘢風塵檢掗訂。

How cheap art thou....

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 66

SW was in tears today... when he casually told us his two best friends were playing Minecraft.  Then he said, "I won't play.  It costs money."  The boy already knows Bah B and Mah mee won't buy it. Turns out...his friends have outgrown Brawl Stars and moved onto the next fad already.

NN was also in tears when she said all her friends are talking about setting up Hangouts on their private emails.  I said.. but you can keep your school email until August.  "Yeah... until August!! But then it'll be turned off!!"  She was irritated... and a bit hurt.  Probably, more so, embarrassed to have two cheap-@$$ parents.

Why are we so cheap??? Why???  

Minecraft is just $7 on the App Store.  

We already set up Google accounts for them... but we're holding back. Why??? Why can't we let loose... and be the cool parents? Or maybe... for once... NOT be the uncool parents. 

Looking back... whenever the kids (more so SW) wanted sports equipment, I'd jump on the bit.  Basketball.  Tennis. Fishing. Bike. Baseball gloves. I wouldn't hesitate to rush to Target or Dick's.  

Being cheap is one thing... but at what expense??? My kids' happiness??? Is it worth it??? 

Clever Blog Title

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 65

There are certain topics that grew up with me...and will forever be part of me.  No matter if I'm 10... 30.... or I'm 80... I can go non-stop on these topics.

港漫, pro-wrestling, 金庸... I love reliving the history...  love over-analyzing it... love reliving the days of yester-year.  The sad part is... only 1 or 2 of my friends share that common interest.  And they may like 1 or 2 of those topics.  There's only 1 person in this world I can share those things with... so blessed to have Big Bro in my life.  It's an unspeakable joy.

it could happen to you... just like it happened to me...

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 63

No one would ever think that your kid... would be the victim of cyber bullying.  Worse yet... no one would ever think your kid... is the cyber bully.  A supposedly harmless online game for the boys to play in the midst of SIP just took a wrong turn.  A dash of playground humor... a pinch of locker room culture... a bit of untimely joke... some harmless banter and some slight obliviousness can result in tears... feelings being hurt... betrayal.  The silver lining is... the boys will probably get over this in a blink of an eye.  If this was NN... I'd still be reeling.

Afternoon came... emotions subsided... things were taking a turn for the better.  NN initially didn't want to play baseball either, but she couldn't resist after hearing the laughter and the shouting.  Joyce even came out and took some berating from me.  Then it happened.... the one thing you would least expect to happen to you...

NN hit the ball across the street.  I ran after it and shouted, "Nooooo!" as it fell into the sewers. My back was to the kids... staring into the abyss... looking for our ball.  Then....the miracle happened.  I turned around and both kids stepped off the sidewalk and were running after me.. without looking for oncoming cars. 9 out of 10 times... cars could be speeding 30-35 mph down our 25 zone.  But for some reason... the young man was going uber slow.  "STOP!!!" I yelled.

The kids stopped.  The driver stopped.  Our neighbors stopped.  That wasn't any normal stop.  That was a desperate parent screaming at the one tone that all parents recognize.  I apologized to the driver and he took off.  Smiling... saying, "That's ok."

I was seething with anger... at the kids? at myself?  I was relieved... No one would ever think that this could happen to you... just like it happened to me.

The unspeakable truth...

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 62

Front line workers get the love - much deserved.

Essential workers get the respect - much deserved.

Teachers and educators approval rate are soaring - much deserved.

Moms/wives are keeping the family together through working/home-making/home-schooling - VERY much deserved.

But not once.... not ONCE... have I heard anyone compliment on the husbands pitching in. 

"SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY BROS FOR ALSO HOLDING THIS TOGETHER!!!"

Meh... no one really cares.  Heh... 

Nightmare lives on...

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 61

A couple of weeks ago... KNBR was replaying the 2010 NLCS. Looking back, that strike 3 call was probably one of the greatest moments of my life.  Forever immortalized here...

I've buried 2002 into the deep gorges of tartares. Other than some obvious narratives... I've stayed away from thinking too much about those final 7 games. Yesterday on Youtube... there was a tribute to Barry Bonds... showing how he hit a soaring HR to the upper deck off K-Rod in Game 6 to put us up 5-0. And then... the floodgates opened up. the anger... fear.... anxiety... started pouring in. That was suppose to be the magic ending. The perfect ending to an otherwise tumultuous year. Only... the tumult continued.....

Oh the pain.... it hurts so badly.

I can't help but think of 47. The power outage. Those deep bombs. 2 yards out.... and we don't hand it to Gore.

I try with every last fiber of my being to push out 54... only to think of the "3rd and 15" play that will go down in infamy. Every now and then... while I'm tossing a football with the kids... I realize how easy it could've been for Jimmy G to drop it in the hands of Sanders.

In the midst of COVID and SIP... I count my blessings. Yet... in the eye of this hurricane is still those memories that will forever haunt me... to the day I go 6 feet under. The nightmare lives on....