Dedication Uncensored

On Sunday, March 25 we did our baby dedication for Justine. This photo shows the 200+ people I was facing, so you can understand my nervousness as I mumbled and stumbled my way through it. We received a ton of comments afterwards. The one thing people kept asking was, "Did you videotape it?" Well yes we did! Thanks to my buddy Chris (he's the guy in the front row making the bodily sounds--or was that Ken?), we can share it with you.

As I watched myself on video for the first time, it was weird, even worse that listening to your own voice! My gestures and mannerisms... is that how I really act? I feel like such a dork! And I apologize for mumbling through some of it. Yes, I know I have a mumbling problem. A friend of mine once told me that I mumbled a lot. I haven't seen that person in years because, well, I no longer talk (mumble) to them. So bear with me and thank you for accepting me the way I am.

This video will be most valuable in 15 years when my precious daughter is a rebellious teen and hates me. This will show her how hard I fought to bring her into this world--that little ingrate! And that her MOM is to blame for her not having a younger sister to kick around. That's right, I got an ace up my sleeve!

So if you weren't there on Sunday, or you were late (because the road from Danville to Oakland is sooooo long), or you couldn't understand just what the heck I was mumbling about, I posted this video just for you. But be warned, if you're expecting something touchy feely and inspirational, you'll be deeply disappointed.

My Special Projects

Last week I took a break from blogging (and everything else) to work on a memorial video and printed program (PDF) for Breanna Tang, the 5 year-old daughter of Ben and Nancy. As you can imagine, it was truly a heart-wrenching project, to say the least. But through lots of prayer and perseverance, I was able to create a memorial that reflected the life and love of her wonderful family. The funeral was on Saturday. Everything from start to finish was beautiful and touching, especially the testimonies. Breanna will be sorely missed.

I've been off work for only 3 weeks and God has filled 2 of those weeks with meaningful projects to help two families: the Tongs and the Tangs. I'm sure it's no coincidence, but rather evidence of God's perfect timing. If I had been working, there would've been no way I could've delivered upon these projects. Well actually, I probably could've, but it would've been half-baked and wouldn't represent my best efforts. So I am grateful for the opportunities and humbled to be entrusted with such responsibilities.

Believe it or not, this morning I'm about to head off to yet another funeral, Susana's mom. I'm waiting to meet up with Wenna and Grace. As I look out my gloomy window, I see my overgrown weed garden and dirty cars still awaiting my attention. I'll get to them eventually, but not now. Because I realize that time is best invested in people, and not chores. Weeds will still be there next week. People may not.

Below is Breanna's video. Please remember to keep the Tongs, Tangs and Chans in your prayers.

11

Today is our 11 year wedding anniversary (as well as our 5 year anniversary to moving to Castro Valley). My original plan was to post an old wedding picture, but as I went through the old albums, I ran across some BETTER pics. The above photos were taken at our wedding banquet. Each table had a disposable camera where people can shoot some memorable shots--and are they memorable indeed! I'm not sure what's going on, but they're all either gagging on the peking duck buns, or they're foaming at the mouth. Hey, is that Patty in there? Man, she's everywhere!

The hot chick in this imaginary love triangle is Genie, my former roommate in college (who is a loyal reader of my blog). Jim is getting married in September to Genie. Oops. His fiancee is spelled Jeanie. My bad. Burt is still in Vegas. I only hear from him once every two years. Last I heard he was still at Safeway. Maybe he'll leave a comment after seeing this. Yo Burt, give a shout so we know you're still alive, aight?!

So what's the plan tonight? I don't know. Eleven is such a ho-hum number. We would like to go out for a nice quiet dinner, but with two boys and an infant, "nice and quiet" don't really exist. I think we'll just stay home and maybe order some take-out, or fire up the bbq. Fortunately for me, I scored enough points on Valentine's Day so I can slack off today :) Also, I'm especially tired this week because I've been working feverishly on a special project the last five days. I'll share that project with you next week.

Red Egg Party Buffet
Last Saturday we attended a party for Zachary (son of Andrew) at the New Empire Buffet in exotic Livermore, land of dried bushes and broken concrete. The restaurant, tucked in a mini mall, was surprising clean and somewhat empty on a Saturday (if it wasn't for Costco, Chinese people wouldn't know Livermore even existed). The food was quite good, but the only problem was that since it wasn't crowded, the food didn't turn around quick enough. They had this mongolian bbq bar where you load up your plate with raw meat, uncooked veggies, and your choice of sauces. You give it to the chef and he stir-fries it in front of you. Very tasty! I would come back for this alone! The only weird thing was that the chef had a tip jar. Hello, it's a buffet! I can understand a tip jar for the sushi guy where you ask him to make a special hand roll, but this stir-fry guy essentially just flips your food back and forth a few times... Heck, my boys could've done it. Then when he hands you your food, he places the plate on top of the large tip jar--such blatant pandering! Most of the time he's just standing there, or sweeping the floors. Is he an independent contractor?

I got a chance to catch up with Hanford and Marj and met their 3 boys. Haven't seen them in 10 years. They still look great, and Hanford still has a great head of hair! Also they're smart (like me). They bring video games for the boys to play so then us adults can enjoy our time (and food) longer. If you look in the background, you'll see Hing holding Justine. Justine was passed on from one person to another for about 80% of the time we were there, which was great. As time goes by, she'll get heavier and crankier, and it will be harder to find people to hold her, so we're taking full advantage of that benefit now.

Many of you have not seen Patrick in like 10 years. Well I'm happy to report he is alive and well (and potent). He lives/works in the south bay with his wife, Veronica and 10-month old Mason.

We arrived at noon and left at 3. When you eat and talk, you don't realize how much you've eaten. Let's just say I wasn't hungry again until lunchtime the next day.

Mazda Mater

This morning I ran across this page on making your car into the Pixar "Cars" characters. Since Justine is asleep, I thought it would be fun to try it (and Colby loved watching me do it). Took about 30 minutes.

Subscribe to my blog
Today is the 2-month mark of my blog. Since then I've gotten 800 hits. (I know the counter says 1000, but probably 200 of them are of my own doing.) So a big THANK YOU to all my supporters! Many of you may check in often to see if it's been updated (only to be disappointed). To save you time, I would recommend that you subscribe to my blogs so whenever I update, you'll get the blog text (no pics) emailed to you. It's fairly painless, just enter your email in the box to the right and follow instructions. Then you get a confirmation email that you click on and that's it. Should take less than one minute. And you can unsubscribe whenever you like (although I can't imagine why you would do that :o)

Also, stay tuned. Tomorrow I'll be trying out a new restuarant, New Empire Buffet in Livermore, for Zachary Lew's red egg party. I can't wait!

Free Coffee at Starbucks Today

Free coffee today between 10 a.m. and noon. For the location of the nearest Starbucks, you can look at their website or text your zip code to "MYSBUX" (697289) for a return of the three nearest stores.

Memorial Reunion

On Saturday I attended Pastor Tong's Memorial Service (PDF). The sanctuary was packed. I had to sneak into the AV room to get a seat. Pastor Tong's body was cremated earlier in the week so there was no casket, nor urn, just a photo of him next to a floral arrangement. Esther delivered the eulogy, Patty sang a beautiful solo, and Kitty directed the Cantonese choir. It was a touching service as Pastor Tong's life and accomplishments were recalled through the message, slideshow and testimonies. The service concluded with Enoch sharing his family's appreciation. First he spoke in English, then he busted out some impressive Cantonese that surprised everyone. (He told me he was practicing for hours.) He received a well-deserved ovation.

After the service we were able to catch up with old friends, people we haven't seen in ages (too many to mention). The mood was very cheerful--you would've never know you were at a funeral, more like a formal holiday dinner or class reunion. Food was the classic chinatown greasy delight, complete with an entire roast pig. I think we finally left at 6:30. But the party did not stop there.

The four XCI women above came over to my house to hang out. I popped in my CIBC DVD and they went nuts seeing all those old pics from the 70s and 80s. Amazingly, Patty was able to identify every single person in all the pictures, not to mention that Patty was also in 80% of the photos. I told her, she is the 80's! Hey, isn't that Stu on the bottom of the screen?? Here's a link to the actual photo.

Later, Patty showcased her new line of work selling Cookie Lee jewelry. If you notice the picture above, the gals were all sampling her bling earlier.

Grace shared with me her latest claim to fame, The Grace Lee Project. She is prominently featured and if you view the trailer, you'll hear her talk about sex! (gasp!) Hey Grace, when will we actually get to see the whole movie??

As the night wore on, we started to get hungry. I witnessed Esther devour a corn dog in front of me. She's been craving one for years. Apparently, corn dogs are considered luxury items in Singapore because they're so expensive (even more than Dodger Dogs). And finally I set up Karen on the webcam so she can say goodnight to her girls in San Diego.

Before we knew it, time was 11:30... oh wait, we lose an hour, it's 12:30! The next day, only one of us overslept and missed church. I won't say who.

Long Days Long Nights

Today is my 7th day of being "in charge." A good night's rest is getting 5 consecutive hours. So far I've only had 2 good nights. Surprisingly, I'm still able to function with at least 75% competency. My mom helps me with the other 25% as she plays with baby, do dishes and prepare lunch. I, though, have to do the dirty work as I quickly reacquaint myself to green slimy poop.

I get out of the house twice a day to drop off and pick up Dustin. I take Colby along and purposely park a couple blocks away to avoid traffic and to get some exercise. The boys like to veer off to these side trails so sometimes we take a long loop around (great way to tire Colby out to force him to nap at 3:30).

Home before 3, snack time, then one hour of homework starting at 3:30. Their favorite show, Zaboomafoo, is on at 4:30. For every minute he goofs off, the later we turn on the tv. He quickly realizes that the time he wastes is cutting into his show. If he's good all week, then Friday we invite a friend over for a play date and dinner.

I'm on the computer off and on all day doing research (mindless surfing). You'll see my IM icon on and off. I appreciate many of you that chat with me. It's nice to have some adult interaction every now and then. Just understand that if I don't reply immediately, it's because someone is freaking out somewhere. Or I'm passed out.

Here's a brand new site I found today: Jungle Crazy.

Do you like shopping on Amazon? I do, especially since I still have a couple of gift certificates that expire soon. Sometimes Amazon has some amazing sales, but finding them can be rather difficult. Jungle Crazy is a very cool visual search engine of ONLY CLEARANCE items at Amazon.com. They're all at least 70% off, some as much as 90% off. One item of serious consideration is this JVC Clock Radio with iPod Dock. List price $218, now $44.21 with free shipping. I need a digital clock so in the middle of the night when baby cries, I'll know what time it is (currently I have to shine a flashlight onto the wall clock). Pretty good deal for all it's functionality. And it's not some funky off-brand. Only gripe is no remote control.

Freebie Friday:
Free Starbucks Coffee on March 15
Free Lipbalm
Free Sample Sunsilk Thermashine Hairapy
As always, you can enter a fake email and telephone and even use your work address if you want to avoid spam and junk mail.

Reminder: Tomorrow at CIBC at 2pm is Pastor Tong's Memorial Service. If you cannot attend and want to see the printed program I designed, you can download the 2mb PDF file here. You can read his bio and see some great photos of his younger days. Otherwise, hope to see you there. You'll even get to hear Patty sing!

Strategies for Eating and Cleaning

We love eating at buffet restaurants. There's no waiting for the food and it's all-you-can-eat. I wouldn't recommend it if you're trying to impress a girl, but for families with young kids, it's a top choice. Below is a great article about what to eat and how to get your money's worth, because we know how expensive a buffet can be. It's a real fun read and you'll get a kick out of it:

Eat Your Money's Worth at All-You-Can-Eat Buffets

On the home front, this is my 3rd day of being in charge (on weekends, I shift the duties back to Chrissy). I'm slowly adjusting to the abbreviated naps and the general tiredness. Homework is a constant battle but I'm developing some game plans. Here's what I do: I secretly arrange a playdate with Dustin's friend. I tell Dustin if he reads for one hour, I try to invite someone over. After he's done reading and I make the call, I tell him to clean the house. He's so excited, he'll do anything, and fast. Great incentive to get things done.

Craigslist Shoppers Rejoice!

Oh man oh man, I haven't been this excited in a LONG time! Many of you know that I'm a big time Craigslist junkie, looking for anything from toys to tech to fish. However, there are certain items that you would never buy without seeing a picture first, such as bikes, cars, furniture... well, most things. Nothing spells disappointment more than driving a long distance only to notice the so called "excellent condition" item to be scratched or stained. Or to find the "maple" dresser to be oak or butcher-block.

Welcome to Listpic.com

At first glance, Listpic looks identical to Craigslist. If you do a search or click on any of the links, it will quickly display thumbnail pics and price of all the photos associated with those ads. Click on the pic and a miniaturized pop up of the actual ad will appear. All the links within the ad work so you can email directly from the pop up. Here are some sample listings for the Bay Area, you can easily navigate to your local area:

TV, Dining Table

Imagine shopping for these items. Everyday there would be a ton of new ads for every style, size, and color. It would take a lot of bandwidth and patience to sort through them all. With Listpic, you'll have an instant catalog for quick perusing. Ads without pics will not be listed so if it's something real specific you're looking for, say a Toto toilet, then you can search on actual Craigslist where you'll get just a few listings.

SHOPPING TIP: Search the word "moving" in your area and you'll turn up everything under the sun. This is where you'll find the best deals (especially for large items) because these people are desperate to unload everything. Buy multiple items and you get an even better deal. Best time to deal is near the end of the month. You'll find everything you never needed but all of a sudden wanted.

http://sfbay.listpic.com/search/sss/eby?query=moving

Happy shopping. You can thank me when you find your next great deal!

My New Job

It's 10:30 p.m. and I'm about to start my new job, Mr. Mom. Chrissy just went to bed. She goes back to work tomorrow morning. Earlier, she gave me a ton of instructions for each kid and I probably retained maybe 10% of it. Regardless, I am now in charge.

Today was my last day at work before going on my vacation/paternity leave/bonding time...whatever you want to call it. The California Family Leave Act will pay you 5.3 hours/day for 6 weeks for you to bond with your baby during the first year, or care for another individual. You supplement it with 2.7 vacation hours to make up the full day. With all my vacation time plus comp time, I'm loaded up until the end of May. Yep, it will be 90 days before I have to go back to that paradise of mine called the office--May 29 to be exact.

But don't be jealous of me, I really prefer going to work instead. I've already done the stay-at-home thing during my 4 unemployed years and I can't say I miss it. I'm already dreading the diaper duty and mid-morning feedings again. True I cared for Colby since he was 3 months, but then I only had 2 kids and didn't have to transport any to/from school. With 3 kids, I'm clearly outnumbered. My role as the father will face its toughest test thus far. I may need to build a "time out" room in the garage. The one good thing is that my mom can help with cooking and cleaning, but my sleep-deprived nights are about to begin again.

I hope you had a good night's sleep.