Monday, October 31, 2005

MAY'S WEDDING
We were fortunate enough to be able to attend the wedding of a good friend I grew up with. I've known May Chan since the 3rd grade and had the same classes with her through college at UCLA. She even lived on the same street about 15 houses down.
Anyway, we haven't been as close over the last few years, but it was great to celebrate with her again. We were afraid we'd be bored at the wedding since we probably weren't going to know too many people there.
But we were happy to see Cindy Ligh. We spent some time chatting with her.
At the banquet, they sat us at the "married with no kids" table. Everybody was from Evergreen so they all knew each other. So, it would have been understandable if they left us in the dust when it came to their joking and conversations. But they wre quick to include us and were very friendly. I thought they did a better of that than if the roles were reversed at a CEFC wedding. That inspired me to do better with new-comers at church and other CEFC social events, no matter how difficult it can sometimes be.
Harbor Village (next to Holiday Cafe) served some great food overall, but their fried rice and their red bean dessert was terrible. But it didn't dampen our spirits and we ended up having a great time.

Sunday, October 30, 2005

BIG SPORTS DAY
How improbable has UCLA's football season been this year? They seem to enjoy giving their fans heart attacks on a weekly basis. They love falling behind bigger and bigger and coming back to win. Yesterday, they were behind by 21 points to Stanford with only 7 minutes left in the game before storming back to win in overtime. My brother and sister-in-law were at the game! They called to give me updates and I couldn't believe it when he told me UCLA had won. UCLA still has a few more games until the showdown with USC. Hopefully, UCLA can keep up its hot streak until then. I'm definitely looking forward to it!
Also, the Dodgers are in complete disarray this morning with no manager and no general manager, after Dodger owner Frank McCourt fired GM Paul DePodesta. This just proves that he shouldn't have been hired on in the first place. I think it was more his intoverted style and over-reliance on his computer's statistical analysis of players that did him in. Even "Moneyball" originator Billy Beane doesn't rely solely on the stats. There's no way he would have overpaid for oft-injured J.D. Drew and traded for soft-hitting Hee-Seop Choi.
This off-season, I would have figured crazy Yankees owner George Steinbrennar would have been the one to let his manager and GM go. Turns out, McCourt is the crazy one. But I think as painful as this is, this is a step in the right direction. I'm glad DePo is gone. Now, let's move on. Hire Pat Gillick and Bobby Valentine and/or Orel Hershiser and let's bring back the Dodger tradition.

Saturday, October 29, 2005

WHAT DO YOU SEE?
After a tough work week (again), I was driving home and thinking about how I look at the world. And where I see my place in it.
I find myself getting upset much more easily these days, even about trivial things. I see myself having a shorter temper with people and less patience with patients.
But everyday, I pray for the right perspective. I ask God that I see the world the way Jesus sees the world. He is able to show grace and mercy to those who don't deserve it.
I hope I can see the world in the same way . . . with grace and mercy.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

CHINESE STUDENTS
If you're having a bad day, I have just the thing to cheer you up and to make you laugh. Here is 3:35 seconds of two Chinese guys getting down to the Backstreet Boys. It's hilarious. But is this why we Chinese people can't ever get any street cred?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6739710473912337648

Wednesday, October 26, 2005


CONGRATS TO COUSIN JONATHAN
I've mentioned before that my cousin Jonathan is a genius. Well, now he has the scores to prove it:
He got a 2370 on his SAT (equivalent to a 1580 based on the old 1600 scoring).

Congrats!!! You da man.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

LAKERS (CIRCA 1997)
Even though the Lakers recent mini-dynasty was incredible, I still get nostalgic for the flashy late '90s era with Nick Van Exel, Elden Campbell (well, he slept through most of it), a younger Shaq, a very young and high-flying Kobe Bryant, Eddie Jones, etc.
Thanks to a link Luong sent me, those days are back.
Here are 3:23 of the good ol' days when the Great Western Forum was rockin' and the Lakers were dunkin' over everybody.
http://ktown213.com/john/97lakers.wmv

Sunday, October 23, 2005


THE SIX OF US
I don't mean to sound prideful, but I really love the six of us kids. We three (Ray, Sanj and me) kids have really were blessed to find such amazing spouses.
Everytime I spend a weekend with them, I just think of how fun, smart, creative, and witty the six of us are.
Plus, we photo well . . . as seen here. =)

Saturday, October 22, 2005

APPETITE ENHANCER
Over the last few years, my grandfather has been eating less and less and has gotten thinner and thinner as a result. But recently, his appetite has begun to improve after he started taking an appetite enhancer.
Tonight, we met at my uncle and grandmother's house before going to World Buffett in West Covina to celebrate my uncle's birthday. While we were chatting, my mother pulled out the bottle for the appetite enhancer to show my grandmother and my other aunts and uncles.
Since we weren't really paying attention to their conversation, Gabe had a funny thought as he watched pass the bottle around the room.
He thought they might have been passing the appetite enhancer prior to eating our buffet dinner so we could all get our money's worth!
That was hilarious!

Friday, October 21, 2005

WE APPRECIATE MY MOM
Week after week, we stop by to visit my parents with no intention of getting anything in return. We simply want to spend time with our family. However, every week, without fail, we leave with too many things to carry. Sometimes it's a fun game or movie tickets or something else we need or want. Most times, it's food or lunches for the entire week already packed.
Obviously, she got a bit derailed when she broke her leg a month ago, but she's already back on her feet and doing it again. This past week, we left with food, People magazines for Karena, and all the fixins we need to make my sister's famous Tofu dish. In fact, she even bought us the tofu, but we forgot to get it from the fridge before we left.
So, I wanted to say thanks to my mom. We appreciate you!

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

VISITING WITH NATHAN
It's always good to get together with old friends . . . even if you have to drive out to the 909 to do it.
Since Nathan Sturtevant was going to be in town for a short visit, we drove out to Upland to meet up with him for a sushi dinner along with Wing and Kelley. Although Nathan's plane was delayed, we had a great time talking amongst ourselves and catching up with Kelley. She mentioned she is now a make-up artist on the weekends and belongs to a small, plant church that she feels has all the comforts of home and family.
Nathan shared about the various places he had traveled to (the list is lengthy) and some people he had met. Even though it was just for a short time, it was good to hang out with him. And actually, once he sat down, it felt like old times again.
Plus, there was the added bonus of him graciously paying for our meal!

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

SINGING IN THE RAIN
One of the drawbacks to having my off-day on a different day than Karena is that there's nobody to pick me up when I take my car in for servicing.
Yesterday, I went to a mechanic that came highly recommended. The problem? His shop is out in Canoga Park. So, I drove out there early in the morning with a bag full of reading material and snacks, planning to stay there the whole day.
Karena was nice enough to photocopy the Thomas Guide to show where I'd be going and three malls and a nearly college and other points of interest I might want to walk to. She even made the brilliant suggestion of walking to the movie theater and highlighted that too. Unfortunately, the rain derailed most of those plans. But I still managed to walk to one of the malls and hung out there for a while. During the process, I did get soaked from on the rain and from one car who splashed up a huge puddle all over me.
But other than that, I enjoyed my time -- looking at the fast-flowing LA River, visiting a Best Buy, a Beverages and More, eating a healthy burger from Topz, and just taking in all the sights and sounds of the valley.
In all, the car took about 8 hours to finish, but I got three major problems all taken care off and was very happy with the service.
It may have rained and I may have gotten drenched, but I was singing.

Sunday, October 16, 2005

















WHAT'S COOL?
I feel like I must be getting older because my views on certain things considered "cool" are changing. I don't think these things are cool, but almost stupid.
Here are a few examples:
(1) Every time I go to Alhambra's Renaissance movie theater, I see all these high schoolers driving around in their "pimped-out" Integras or Civics, blasting their music loudly, seat reclined all the way, etc. I just shake my head at them. It's sickening to know that those types of things make them popular. To me, it's just sad.
(2) I think people who walk around with their Bluetooth headset in their ears look presumptuous and arrogant. I know they're just trying to use the hands-free technology that's offered to them, but I find it almost pompous on most people.
(3) I also find it rude when people don't look out for other people. People are too quick to honk their horn and speed up when somebody is trying to change lanes. People rarely hold the door open for others nowadays. I know a PT who is generally very cordial, but I question her true feelings because whenver she walks through a door, she opens it for herself and keept walking, letting the door slam into the patient. Every time! Even if they've had a stroke! She just doesn't seem to realize . . . or care. It's sad.
What is the matter with me? When did I become so judgmental? Should I be taking the plank out of my own eye instead of trying to take out the speck in another's eye (Matt 7:3-5)? I need to learn how to let all this go.

Saturday, October 15, 2005






SUBARU SVX
Many of you may recall Karena's old car (seen above). It was a Subaru SVX and had those weird windows where only half of it rolled down.
Anyway, the point is that she LOVED that car and had such a hard time trading it in that as she drove off in her current car, she had to stop to wipe away tears. Why? She had it for over 10 years and developed quite an attachment to it. Plus it was unique, sporty and could maneuver and handle like no other car she had ever driven.
Apparently, one care thief in Seattle knew about its speed and handling capabilities. He carjacked it and took it for a wild police car chase caught on CNN and other news stations. It even ran through a chain-link fence to get into a golf course and just kept on going. Now, the owner of the car is selling it on Ebay. Check it out! (You have to read the description of the car and watch the news video. It's hilarious!)

News video: http://www.king5.com/perl/common/video/wmPlayer.pl?title=www.king5.com/ki_101105ebaycar.wmv


Ebay listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Subaru-SVX-Blue-Subaru-SVX-Seattle-police-chase-10-04-news-event_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ31871QQitemZ4581483986QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW


Of course, after Jason emailed us these links and we checked them out, we both laughed hard . . . and then Karena started crying.
Man, she REALLY, REALLY misses that car!

Thursday, October 13, 2005


YOU MAKE THE CALL
The call the umpire made changed the course of last night's Angels game. And the worst part was that it was the WRONG call!
In replays, Angels catcher Josh Paul clearly catches the ball without it touching the ground.
Besides, since Little League, Josh Paul has automatically tagged the runner or thrown down to first whenever a play is even remotely in question. But he was so sure he caught the ball cleanly that he flipped the ball to the mound as he ran toward the dugout. Why would he risk it if he wasn't sure? The fact is that he WAS SURE and he knew he didn't have to. Bad call by the ump.
I wish the umpire would just admit they made a mistake and move on. Instead, he has to go lying through his teeth (and very badly at that) and have his entire crew defend him.
Well, now I'm more confident then ever that the Angels will win anyway. This has lit a fire under them and they'll be taking no prisoners.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005





ANGELS
I'm so happy for the Angels. They beat up on the Yankees and are currently up 1 game to none against the White Sox (pending tonight's outcome).
But to be honest, I can't decide if I'm happier because the Angels are in and playing so well, or if it's because the Yankees are out. (Not to mention the fact that A-Rod played terribly in yet another postseason.)
Go Angels!

Tuesday, October 11, 2005




A TIME TO TALK
It's rare that guys get a chance to get together just to catch up and talk. And it's even more rare when it happens on a Monday. But thanks to Christopher Columbus and my normal day off, Luong, Mike, Jason, and I had lunch together at Island's and got a chance to talk about how we're REALLY doing.
As I sat there, taking it all in, I was happy to see that my groomsmen (minus my brother) and I were still close and able to share deeply with each other. We talked about family, future plans, sports, aging, etc.
Afterward, we topped off the day by playing a best-of-5 round of foosball. Mike and I took a commanding two games to none lead, but ended up losing to Jason and Luong.
So, thanks guys . . . for the conversation, the friendship, and the love. It was one of the best days off I've ever had.

Sunday, October 09, 2005


UCLA 47, CAL 40
Thanks to my aunt scoring us some tickets, a bunch of us (including Reuel, Enoch, Luong, Nathan Cheung, Esther, Dennis, Edwin, Sal, my former UCLA roommate, my uncles, and cousins, and many others) went to the UCLA football game again. This one pitted two undefeated teams against each other. Many Cal faithful were out in full force.
This turned out to be the best football game I've ever been to. On so many occasions, it looked like Cal was going to run away with the game, including taking a 10 point lead in the 3rd quarter. But UCLA's Maurice Drew (pictured) could not be stopped. After he scored to give us the lead for good, we all jumped around and high-fived each other and hugged each other. It was so exhilarating to feel so much love for the team and to experience such a victory together!
Even my uncle, who is a Cal alum, was happy for us and high-fived us because he knew that he had just witnessed one of the greatest games of all time.

Saturday, October 08, 2005


INCONCEIVABLE
NBC debuted a new show featuring former ER star Ming-Na and former Law and Order star Angie Harmon about a fertility clinic called "Inconceivable." The name of the show was obviously a play on words that I thought was kind of lame, but Karena found very funny.
Well, I decided to check it out since it had Angie Harmon in it. And let me tell you, it was bad! I mean awful! But I joked with Jason that I might end up watching it here and there just to see Angie Harmon.
But NBC would have none of that! They cancelled the show after just two episodes.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

FRIENDS TO FOES
While I was sitting in the stands at the Rose Bowl this past Saturday, I couldn't help but get caught up in all the camaraderie between fans. There is nothing but love for your fellow Bruin fans, whether it be while tailgaiting or in the stands. You high-five strangers sitting next to you. You chat with them like you are old friends.
But afterwards, as thousands of cars are trying to leave the parking lot, everything changes. Even though your team wins, everybody is in such a rush to get out that they cut each other off, flip people off, and honk their horns in anger.
Where is the love they showed just a few hours earlier?

Wednesday, October 05, 2005


SANDRA'S DELICOUS TOFU DISH
My sister Sandra (Tang) shared with me one of the quickest and most delicious tofu dishes I've ever seen. In literally 5 minutes, she took two boxes of tofu and some random sauces (soy sauce, sesame oil, chili sauce, and furikake) and turned them into the dish you see on the left.
I took her advice and tried it on Monday night. Since I will have Mondays off for the next 6 months, I've decided to cook Karena dinner every Monday night.
I wanted to make a good impression for the first dinner so I opted to make the tofu dish. Karena was so impressed, she had many pieces, even after she was full. In fact, she even called Sandra to thank her and has been talking about it all day today.
It made me feel good, but I have to give props to my sister.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005


IKEA -- THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH
When we have kids, I can't wait to take them for a fun day at . . . Ikea. Why not Disneyland or the park? Those places are all fine and good. But they are no match the Ikea.
First of all, it's free to get in and close to our home. There is all this fun furniture to look at and lots of places for kids to play. They have designated areas where kids can jump around, touch things, play with toys, etc. I'm telling you, even I wanted to mess around in there!
Plus, they have some of the best and most affordable food this side of Costco! For example, this photo from Sunday's newspaper ad highlights just some of the amazing deals you can get there.
A breakfast place for less than a dollar!?! I'm there.

Monday, October 03, 2005

UCLA GAME
Saturday brought a large number of my family and friends out to the Rose Bowl again to watch the UCLA/Washington football game. And again, Enoch was out there manning the grill for the tailgate party. His famous Chung burgers, hotdogs, chicken were grilled to perfection and were a nice compliment to the veggies and watermelon. It's amazing the way he's so generous in not only providing food, but also grilling and helping to set-up and clean up. We all appreciated his efforts!
Twenty of us showed up when it was all said and done to eat, chat, throw the football around, and to do relax under a beautiful Pasadena sky. Even UW alum Garth dropped by to visit, completely decked out in his Washington gear and purple-died hair.
The game was pretty disappointing for 58 of the 60 minutes, as UCLA was down and looking terrible. But they came back when it counted and took the lead with a minute left. And luckily for us, that's how it ended! The great finish made for a good ending to a near perfect day.

Sunday, October 02, 2005


FRIED RICE
Thanks to Enoch's hospitality, we now have quite a few cans of spicy spam. One thing we did often when we were in college was cook about 10 cups of rice to make fried race. So, when he gave us the Spicy Spam, he mentioned that it's perfect for making fried rice.
Karena took him up on the idea this past Thursday. And even though she tried to make it healthier by not frying it in too much oil and didn't use any soy sauce, it was delicious!
The spicy spam provided a nice kick and the added flavored tofu was a nice surprise addition to it. All in all, I was pretty happy!
I hope Enoch gives us more spicy spam soon so we can have more fried rice!

Saturday, October 01, 2005




CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS
Because I drive in Beverly Hills to pick up Karena a few times a week, I often see many celebrities walking or driving. In just the last few days, I drove in front of Jamie Foxx (he had a beautiful Rolls Royce) and saw Rachel McAdams (I think it was her, but it could have been the O.C's Rachel Bilson.)

Here are two random thoughts related to those celebrities:
When Kanye West's song "Golddiggers" came out with Jamie Foxx singing background, I decided he's one of the most talented entertainers we have today. He acts in comedies and dramas, sings, plays piano, plays football, and does impersonations like no other.
I have never seen a single minute of Fox's hit show "The O.C." Even though I loved "Beverly Hills, 90210" for some reason, this show just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe I've grown up?

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