Thoughts

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
As I mentioned earlier this week, my aunt scored some free tickets to last Sunday's UCLA women's basketball game against Cal. My cousin Jonathan and I, along with Enoch and Luong made it out.
And you'll never believe it, but we had a great time.
The game was intense at times and we all got into it.
In fact, the game went into overtime before UCLA pulle dout the victory. I ended up nearly losing my voice from yelling so much.
But maybe I shouldn't publicize that . . .

FINANCIAL MEETING
As the daugher and son-in-law of apartment owners, we were entitled to attend a seminar on finances hosted by the Apartment Owners' Association of California. There, we heard 4 different speakers speak on various topics including managing apartments while making more money, asset protection, playing the stock market, and the fourth one I can't remember because we lost interest. I was pretty into the seminar overall, until I realized that everything they discussed ended with a sales pitch to buy their stuff.
Here is a very brief overview:

(1) www.drcashflow.net Nick Sidoti mentioned you should never sell any investment property. Just refinance it. He makes money by renting to federal government agencies for high-level disabled people and college students with good GPAs. The gov't will pay you top dollar and even self impose a raise of rent for you!

(2) Asset protection - Never own anything in joint tenancy, including your home. Get a single member Limited Liability Company (LLC) and a C corporation to manage it. The corporation should only manage, not own your assets. The LLC owns the assets.
Get a revocable living trust to eliminate probate taxes.

(3) Wall Street - The biggest investors invest in individual stocks themselves, not mutual funds.

I hope this is good food for thought.

YEAR OF THE DOG
First of all, happy Chinese New Year! In honor of the Year of the Dog, my mom made a floral arrangement in the shape of a poodle. Check it out! I think it's pretty cool.
We had a reservation for a restaurant in San Gabriel Saturday night at 7:15, but we weren't seated until around 8:40pm because they were so overbooked.
And today, to avoid the crowds and to appease everybody, we ate at Lido's Cafe, where everybody could order something to their liking. The food turned out to be pretty good.
But most importantly for everyone, it was just good to get the whole family together to celebrate.

HELIUM BALLOONS
Two weeks ago, we went to my co-worker's son's first birthday. And when we got there, we were surprised to see what a big production they had made it. It was more like a wedding reception -- complete with Korean buffet, a huge cake, rented covered tables and chairs, helium balloons everywhere in the shapes of fish and other sea animals, and even a slide show.
It was doubly sweet for me since not only were my co-workers there, but because his wife works at UCLA, I got to see my former UCLA co-workers too. I ended up sitting with them since my good frends Mark and Gina (and son Gabriel) were there.
Karena loved the helium balloons so much that we took a bunch home and took some pictures of them. When they started to lose some of the helium the following day, I suggested we inhale some to make use of their voice-changing properties. I was so excited about doing that I even swallowed a huge chunk of the balloon!

AIR SUPPLY
My co-worker was treating a music producer who was working on the Air Supply's Greatest Hits CD. So, he gave her a free copy yesterday.
After she told us, we all kept singing Air Supply songs in our heads and out loud all day. And even though none of the guys would admit it, they all seemed to love Air Supply . . . including me. (Shhh!!!)

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
My aunt got some free tickets to this weekend's UCLA Women's Basketball game against Cal. My cousin is interested in going so I thought I'd accompany him to show him around the campus and to introduce him to legendary Pauley Pavilion.
But it was amazing how I could get no other takers for the extra tickets. Everyone is down on women's basketball. Hey, didn't you know that John Wooden said women's basketball is the purest form of basketball?
OK, maybe not. =)

WATCHING TV IS AS EASY AS ABC
Since we've been spending every night at the hospital, we've missed a lot of TV shows we usually like to watch. However, we have been devoid of TV though.
His roommate has paid for the connection so he has a TV that is usually on, but only on ABC Channel 7. And since he pays for the connection and it's his TV, we can't ask to change the channel.
So, as a result, we've seen everything from Jeopardy to American's Most Funniest Videos (who knew that show was still on?) to some random show named Rodney to Dancing with the Stars (wow, is that show terrible!) to some show with Fred Savage in it called Crumbs to some show with Freddie Prinz Jr. in it called Freddie.
I didn't see Kobe score 81 points. I was watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Instead of watching 24, I was watching Wife Swap and The Bachelor:Paris. And instead of watching American Idol (one of Karena's favorite shows), we were watching According to Jim.
How does ABC get away with such terrible shows?

QUICK THOUGHTS
1. So Kobe drops in an amazing 81 points tonight against the Raptors. What I can say about the guy? You love him one minute. You hate him the next. Still, he's amazing.
2. It finally hit me how depressing and angry I've been lately. I've had so many people recently tell me how bad they feel for me since things have been so tough. But what do I have to complain about? God has blessed me with so much. I've got a great wife, a house that doesn't give us too many problems, a loving and supportive family, some honestly really good friends, a great church, etc.
3. Fox's 24 has been really good thus far this season. Because of our busy schedule, we didn't get to watch the first 4 hours until Friday night. It was nice not to have to wait a whole week between cliff hangers, even though we didn't finish until after 1:30am. But I liked Nathan C's idea of not watching the last 10 minutes of the show until right before the following week's episodes. That way, you don't have the cliff hanger stuck in your head all week. Instead, you can enjoy some peace in your life and not have to wait a whole week to find out what happens.
4. I was happy that Karena and I got to break away from things today and have lunch together at Claim Jumper. We got a chance to talk about everything . . . and about nothing. We've been employing a new trick there to get a better deal: in addition to ordering our meal (usually the Meatloaf Sandwich for me and the Widowmaker for her), we also add the Produce Bar for $4.25. That way, we end up eating mostly things from the Produce Bar and boxing our entrees for later. That way, our lunch was basically all-you-can-eat for $4.25 and we still have some REALLY good leftovers for later.

TALKING ABOUT LUNCH OVER DINNER
Needless to say, it's been tough keeping up with our schedule these last several weeks. But I got to break away from it for a bit on Monday night.
I left the hospital to go visit Michael (and Matthew) at his apartment. They were kind enough to grab some food for dinner while we got a chance to catch up.
Among the many things we discussed was Mike's lunchtimes. Instead of eating most days, he ends up playing basketball. He said it's what keeps him sane at work.
Knowing that my job doesn't allow for such a thing, I started thinking about something I could do during lunch to keep myself sane at work, since that's becoming more and more of a problem. Maybe it's just getting out of there and sitting outside for a bit. Or listening to music. All I know is that I need something.
So, on Tuesday, I broke away from all the charting I had to do and went outside to pick up some lunch from the Chinese place across the street. Seeing the sun was nice, for a change. Maybe this is something I'll need to do more often.

SNL SKIT
I think the Bruin Boys have a bit of stiff competition. This SNL rap skit about going to see "The Chronicles of Narnia" is pretty funny.
Check it out.

HAPPY MLK DAY

Here are some excepts from Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous speeches:












"I Have a Dream" - Washington D.C., 1963
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/audio/news/education/mlk/dream_excerpt.rm
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/audio/news/education/mlk/let_freedom_ring.rm

"I've Been To the Mountaintop" - Memphis, TN April 3, 1968 (one day before he was assassinated)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/audio/news/education/mlk/seen_mountaintop.rm

NO PLACE LIKE ... OUT?
With our busy work schedule and class schedule and out desire to visit family, we haven't been home much lately.
In fact, this is what our sink looked like this morning since we've had no time to do dishes for almost a week.
It feels like my college days again! Ahh, the memories.
There's no place like being out.

UPDATE ON KARENA'S DAD
Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers and encouragement over the last 5 weeks. Karena's dad was transferred out of Kaiser yesterday and into the nursing facility. He'll begin the next phase of his rehab working on sitting up, eventually standing, and hopefully walking. It's going to be a long process and we've realized that we'll need to spend more time with him throught the day to ensure he gets the care he needs. So it's going to be a busy time for everyone, but I think we're up to the challenge.
But it hasn't been all bad. I can attest to the amazing things God is doing through all this. We pray with him every night. And he's even prayed with us on occasion. Also, we had a powerful prayer time with the entire family and two of K's aunts and cousins recently. It was truly moving to see God at work.

TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED
I remember growing up and wanting cable TV just to "keep up with the Jones'". And as it turned out, my parents only got it for about 6 months before deciding it was way too expensive to keep. That's also the reason why I have never owned any Nintendo or Sega product (well, I take that back, I did have a Game Boy).
But that experience, plus growing up in Montebello and being Chinese, taught me the valuable lesson of not always needing the coolest, hottest gadget out there. So, as cell phones got more advanced, I stuck with my old one for years until finally changing about a year ago.
But within these last two weeks, I've gotten two of the hottest things out right now and I can honestly say that I'm technically advanced. I now own an iPod (the video one that holds 15,000 songs) and a Dish Network DVR (which is their version of TiVo). Now, I'm walking listening to music 24/7 and pausing live TV like a mad-man.
I have to admit that it feels weird to be on this side of the fence . . . but I'm loving it!

GOOD EATS
Two good items that we've been eating a lot of recently after discovering just how good they taste are:

1. Jack In The Box Bacon N Cheese Chiabatta Burger. It's huge and is one of the best burgers I've ever eaten. Of course, it costs an arm and a leg (about $4.50) so we've only had it when we've gotten a "buy one, get one free" coupon. In fact, come to think of it, it tastes a little better knowing we got one free! =)

2. Sun-dried tomato and basil Wheat Thins. They've got good flavor and are still pretty healthy.

3. Jalapeno Pringles. Enoch introduced us to these when they were $1 at Wal-Mart. We immediately went to Wal-Mart and purchased 14 cans. And we would have gotten more, but that's all they had. The picture above shows what our kitchen cabinet looked like afterward.

USC LOSES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Now that it's been a few days, here are my thoughts from the Rose Bowl game:
1. It was hands-down THE greatest college football game I have ever seen. There were great plays, mistakes, blown calls, exciting catches, drama, surprise, and suspense. And even though we watched the second half from her dad's junky TV and poor volume control in his hospital room, it was such a sight to behold that even Karena couldn't take her eyes of it.
2. Vince Young played his best football on a night when he was playing in the biggeset football game of his life. Too bad, I don't think he'll make a great NFL quarterback because he's too used to working out of the shotgun. But still, that guy flat-out impressed me.
3. Don't get on Pete Carroll for going for it late in the game on 4th and 2. It was the right call to have LenDale White run it, even with Reggie Bush on the sidelines. They had been doing it all game long (to perfection in the second half) and all year long too. Besides, Bush doesn't block so his presence wouldn't have helped. It was basically a "I'm going to run it down your throats. Let's see what you can do about it." It just so happened that Texas DID do something about it.
4. An unintentional advantage that the officals gave Texas (besides the blown Vince Young knee was down while laterally earlier in the game and the apparent USC fumble recovery) was when they chose to review the play late in the game where the Texas player caught it and landed before USC's defender stripped the ball away (sorry, I can't remember anybody's name anymore). They thought it might have been a fumble, but even I knew it wasn't. But all that time spent reviewing it was like a free timeout for Texas, as Young stood on the sidelines getting water and talking with his coaches. It's no wonder he had the exact game plan that would allow him to walk right into the endzone. I mean, imagine if they had to review a play before USC's last play? That would have given them the timeout they didn't have to set up for a last second field goal.
5. Honestly, it was a great game and I feel bad for hard-core USC fans like Tyrone and others. Both teams played great. And despite how much I dislike USC, this game does not diminish from what USC has accomplished the last few years. So, as 2Pac says, "Keep ya head up."

NOT FEELING LIKE OURSELVES
When you go to Kaiser to visit a patient after 8 pm, they make you sign in with a security guard before going upstairs. At first, I was really turned off by this since we were visiting on a nightly basis and this seemed like such an inconvenience and a waste of time. Who ever reads the names? And who really cares? Plus, the security guards weren't the brightest (i.e. they often asked me what room multiple times and still got it wrong).
But my frustation with the process gave way to my active imagination. I've always toyed with the idea of playing other people ... so that's what we started doing. We started signing in as our friends and would have to act and talk like them until we got to her dad's room. Some of the people we've pretended to be include Jason and Debbie, Tammy and Jesse, Danette and Richard, P. Rich and Connie, Rev. and Mrs. Lo, Simon and Vanessa, and one couple that we're slowly trying to get together (although it'll probably take about a year . . . and they don't know it yet, but I'm telling you it's work! In fact, when I signed in as John Smith (names changed since I can't let you know who we're talking about) and Sally Jones, Karena said, "If you're so sure they're going to get together and married, why didn't you just sign her in as Sally Smith?" I love it!) =)
Don't worry guys, I've used short names so your full names were never really fully there, but it was fun playing you guys. Tomorrow, I think we'll shoot for Tyrone and Kat! =)
Maybe we've been watching too much Alias and 24.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
One of the best parts of this New Year's wasn't the usual parties and celebrations. This one was especially important for me because it meant I had completed my goal of reading through the Bible in one year.
It wasn't easy and there were days when I didn't get much out of it (the OT is still really tough for me), but I have to say that the discipline of sitting down with God on a daily basis was SO worth it!

DICK CLARK ROCKIN' NEW YEAR'S EVE
I have to admit that as I had mixed feelings over watching the return of Dick Clark to TV after he suffered a stroke last year.
On the one hand, I can only imagine how far he has come from probably not being able to speak, eat, walk, or even sit up. I'm sure he worked extremely hard and for him, the return to Times Square for New Year's Eve served as motivation. And I did feel extremely proud of him for such an accomplishment.
But on the other hand, it was so difficult for me to see the still very young looking Dick Clark have such difficulty talking. As a result, the show relied heavily on co-hosts Ryan Seacrest (who will undoubtedly take over the show) and Hillary Duff (pictures above). Clark's slurred speech, albeit fairly clear, felt almost painful to me because it was such a stark contrast to the smooth-talker he was before. After watching him host the New Year's Eve show, American Bandstand, and TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes, I just think so fondly of him in those capacities. And now that image has changed a little bit. I guess it just served as a reminder that we're all gettinng older and ultimately not in control of our lives.
But thank God we know who does have control.

QUICK THOUGHTS
1. After UCLA fell behind 22-0 against Northwestern in the Sun Bowl, I didn't think, "They'll come back like they've done all year." Instead, I thought, "Here we go again, another USC-type game." But I was ecstatic to see UCLA storm back and win 50-38.
2. Debbie's birthday party was a blast! It was a great way to kick off this year's batch of people turning 30 (including myself). Even though we had to leave early and the weather was dreary outside, gathering everybody together and seeing Jason dressed up as Magnum P.I. (complete with short '80s shorts and mustache and wig) were priceless.
3. Being off for both Saturday and Sunday this weekend was amazing to me. It felt good to be in church and to actually have a real weekend. Imagine that?!? Of course, I'm already back at work now on Monday morning while the rest of the world is still sleeping.
4. We had lunch on New Year's Eve with some of the Shen cousins at a place in Alhambra called Romantic Steakhouse. The place was NOT romantic, but the food was good. We were told to order off the Burmese menu and that turned out to be right. It was good to see Joyce and Mike, Shirley and Gerald, and Jessica and Jody. We rarely get a chance to gather like that nowadays, especially since most of us are married now. But we all made some sacrifices to get together and it worked out beautifully!