Thoughts

WAITING
I'm usually a pretty patient guy when it comes to having to wait. But yesterday really took the cake.
I was excited to go take Karena's car into Lexus for servicing because they have a really nice snack area with Edible Arrangements fresh fruit, chilled water, Starbucks coffee, chocolate covered fruits, etc. Plus, they have some really comfortable leather couches, the LA Times, an internet accessible laptop, magazines, and a big TV. Having to wait the hour and a half they promised me would be a breeze. But the hour soon turned to two and then three. Then, they told me they would have to re-do all my paperwork over because of a price adjustment. Meanwhile, I had promised to meet Jason for lunch and he had been waiting outside my house under the blazing sun for a long time. I was so upset and yet, I didn't have time to yell at anybody because I was so late.
After eating with Jason for literally 15 minutes, I was off again. This time, I had to go to the dentist. He was going on vacation soon so his waiting room was full and he was running really behind. I waited in the waiting area for 45 minutes past my appointment time before being called to the back. Then, I waited another 35 minutes before he came to say two words to me while numbing me. Then, he left me another 25 minutes. Finally, I got upset and he came back in and did the 2 minute procedure before I left angrily.
In total, I had spent over 6 hours just to get the car serviced and to have a 2 minute dental procedure done.
What a waste of a day off!

ENVIRONMENTALIST?
I would call the co-worker I mentioned in the last blog, not a racist, but a generalist. But sometimes rash generalizations like that get you in trouble too!
Now, check out this story about Karena's 23 year-old, typical Beverly Hills patient that we'll call "Timmy."
Timmy: I just came back from seeing Al Gore's documentary on global warming. You should check it out.
Karena: Yeah, I'm sure I'll rush right out to see Gore talk for 90 minutes.
Timmy: Are you so selfish that you don't even care about the environment? That attitude is what he talks about in the movie.
Karena: No, I care about our world. I just don't want to see the movie.
T: Let's take SUVs, for example. Those things are gas guzzlers and waste energy. Do you have one?
K: Yes I do, but I have it for a good reason that I don't need to get into. (If we have kids in the future, neither one of us will have to bend so far down to get them in/out of the car seat since we both have extremely bad backs)
T: Well, then you don't care about the environment.
K: What kind of car do you drive?
T: I don't drive.
K: What about your parents? What do they drive you around in?
T: (relunctantly) A Range Rover.
K: What kind of mileage do you get on that?
T: 8-9 miles a gallon. But I wasn't happy about them buying it.
K: I get 18-19 gallons easily on my car. And if you're so concerned about the environment, why don't you refuse to ride in the Range Rover and walk instead?
T: (wanting to change the subject quickly) Let's talk about recycling then.
K: I recycle all my cans and bottles, newspaper, cardboard (even the cardboard roll after you're done with the toilet paper), junk mail. How about you?
T: Umm . . . I don't even know if I get mail. My mom sorts it out.
K: What about the beer bottles or juice cartons?
T: I don't drink at home and my parents and maid deal with the trash.

So, for a guy who was on his high horse about environmental issues, he sure didn't have a leg to stand on when it came to challenging Karena.

RACIST?
One of my co-workers says some really funny things. Even though she's not racist, she says things that make her appear to be.
Once, we were asking trivia questions and asked, "Which country invented contact lenses?" She said, well, it definitely CAN'T be China. It's a backwards country. It's all rural with nothing but barefoot farmers. Trust me. I know, I've been there."
More recently, she told a story about the Japanese people renting from her. "They called me one night to ask if I could help them set up their VCR. And the VCR was a Sony!!! Can you believe it? Japanese people asking ME to help them work on of thier own VCRs! I mean, they're Japanese!?!"
Can you believe that? Do you consider that racist?

CHANGKS LUNCHEON
(I knew I had to write about the luncheon today since Tammy jokingly asked me yesterday, "So, this deserves a blog entry, right?" Don't worry, Tammy, you two are worth a thousand blog entries!)
It was a bittersweet moment Sunday when we gathered together for Tammy and Jesse's farewell luncheon.
It was a really good turnout as we toasted the two, as they planned to move on to a new area of ministry.
Personally, I had a chance to reflect on what they've meant to us the past 7 years while writing in their scrapbook. I definitely remembered all the laughs (Jesse's ebonics emails and the way Tammy's whole face lights up when she laughs uncontrollably) and all the meals together and of course, all the time spent at their home, Midwick Manse.
Then, as I started to get all teary-eyed, I remembered that they were not moving. And they'd still be just across the street from us. Even though they won't be with us each Sunday, they still are our partners in Christ, our friends, our brother and sister.
Plus, is no doubt, going to do some amazing things in them and through them in their next adventure in ministry.
So, it was definitely bittersweet. Jesse, Tammy, your presence on a weekly basis will definitely be missed. But I know you two are always just a street and just a phone call away.

MOVIE QUOTES AND SONG LYRICS
One of my co-workers mentioned a study recently that found most men interact with each other through movie quotes and song lyrics. This way, they don't have to share their true feelings with other men.
The reason why she brought that up was because out PT department is like no other -- it has significantly more men than women. There's roughly 17 men and only 6 women. And as a result, all you hear us talking about is movie quotes and song lyrics . . . all the time. In fact, we make every excuse just so we can use these lines. And sometimes, we'll just randomly break out into song like we were in a musical.
Some of our favorite reoccuring ones include:
1. Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2: "Jackie always okay!" and "I have always wanted to go to Madison Square Garden, see the Knicks play" and "See how difficult I am? He cannot even say three words in Chinese!"
2. Top Gun: "Don't you leave me, Maverick" and "Negative Ghostrider" and "I feel the need, the need for speed."
3. Milli Vanilli: We changed the lyrics from "Blame it on the rain" to "Blaim it on Lorraine" in order to make fun of one of the 6 women. In fact, we have since taken EVERY song with "rain" in it and put Lorraine's name in it. It's hilarious . . . but maybe you have to be there.
4. And, of course, the most quoted from movie of all time, A Few Good Men: "I want the truth. You can't handle the truth." In fact, we recite that whole last scene with Jack Nicholson word for word.

Why do we do this? I don't think it's to keep us from sharing our true feelings because, believe it or not, we actually do that too.
But since we're all pretty burnt out at work right now, doing these crazy things helps to keep us sane. And if that doesn't work, we can always blame it on Lorraine!

POINT BREAK
After going to visit Karena's dad in various hospitals and rehab facilities on a daily basis for more than 6 months now, plus handling all our responsibilities with family, church, work, and our own home, we finally reached our breaking point this week.
To see Karena break down this week broke my heart. And to see how irritable and tired I've been has been very disheartening.
Even the lunch we scheduled with Jesse to discuss his departure from CEFC and his exciting new ministry opportunities turned into more of a pastor shepherding his sheep lunch. Thanks again Jesse, by the way!
Hopefully, we will continue to turn to God for strength and not rely on ourselves.

NATHAN
Since I wasn't able to make it out for dim sum with Nathan this past Saturday (see photo), I was pleased to hear that he'd meet us for dinner Tuesday night at Acapulco's.
It was nice to get a chance for just the three of us to talk and catch up. As the level of questioning got deeper and more intense, I noticed we all were eating more and more tortilla chips. In total, we went through three baskets of chips!
Afterwards, we went over to out place for Nathan's favorite - ice cream.
We chatted like old times and talked about plans for the future. We all had a great time.

ZIT
As a thirty year old, I figured the last thing I had to worry about was a zit. But this morning, I realized I had a zit on my nose. It's probably from all the fried food I ate last night when we had dinner with Nathan at Acapulco's. (More on that tomorrow).
Anyway, when I mentioned the zit to Karena, she told me to put this cream on so it'll get rid of it quickly. The zit didn't bother me much, but since she handed the cream to me, I put a dab on. It left a brown film on my nose. So, I told myself I have to remember to take it off before I walk into work.
But, of course, just like me, I forgot all about it until about 10:30am. I had treated about six patients and interacted with the entire staff for hours already. I was mortified.
They say, 30 is the new 20. Well, I saw it's the new 15.

PICTURES
I was sorting through some of the pictures on my computer for some friends when I found some good ones. Here are just a few of my all-time favorite group pictures.

FATHER'S DAY
Happy Father's Day to all the father out there, including my own dad.
While at work today, I had about 6 or 7 people wish me a happy Father's Day. I guess it's just a part of life. People see that I'm married and assume I have kids. I just played along and said thank you.
Still, it'll be nice to one day not just have to "just play along."

WORK
I have to work tomorrow and Sunday. And I'm sad. =(
But in better news, happy birthday to my mom!

MUSIC VIDEOS
Several months ago, I was experiencing work burn-out because my schedule was took hectic. And as a result, I decided that I would just try to enjoy my time at work. If that meant, joking with co-workers or not stressing over the details, I decided that I needed to do it, even if my work suffered a little bit. The truth was, I was going crazy and needed the rest.
More recently, one of the things I instituted is watching old music videos off of Yahoo at the end of the day. We've watched some of my all-time favorites including Michael Jackson's "Beat It" where they have that pseudo-gangster fight where they tie up their hands and fight with knives. Totally hilarious! Also, "Billie Jean" where everything he touches lights up. And of course, we had to watch "Thriller" which is one of the greatest videos of all time.
We also watched Aha's "Take on Me" where animation gives way to real life and back to animation again. It was the craziest thing I had ever seen as a kid and I still find it so amazing today.
If you're having a tough day, I recommend checking these out. It'll definitely bring a smile to your face.

FANCY RESTAURANTS
When I was in high school, we took a family vacation to New York. While we were there, we met up with one my dad's old friends and his daughter. They had lived in Manhattan for many years and truly lived the NYC lifestyle.
So, when we ended up having dinner at a fancy restaurant, the daugher (who was roughly my age) knew exactly how to act, what to order, and felt very comfortable.

But for Raymond, Sandra, and me, we all felt a little out of place. We didn't know what kind of drink to order or even understand what some of the food was.

Afterwards, I remember my mom saying that she felt she had let us down by not taking us to fancy restaurants every once in a while so we could experience fine dining. She felt it was important for us to at least know how to order and what to do there, just in case the opportunity ever presented itself like it did in New York.

So, maybe she still had that in mind more than 10 years later when she suggested she treat me, Karena, Karena's mom, and sister to a fancy lunch at downtown's Water Grill. We dined on some amazing halibut and bass, but we were too shy to order the $50 salmon. I just felt wrong ordering a $50 entree for lunch. After eating the entrees and having some yummy dessert, we paid the valet guys and headed home.

I decided that I usually don't think expensive restaurants are worth it. I would have had a much better time at Lucille's BBQ (in Long Beach) or Redwood Bar and Grill (in Las Vegas) or even Noodle Planet or Souplantation, with tons of money to spare.

Still, I agree with my mom. It was a good experience.

TRIPLE COUPONS!
If you guys haven't heard yet, Vons is honoring triple coupons through Tuesday. Needless to say, Karena and I spent a lot of time cutting coupons and then spent an hour and a half in Vons getting our good deals.
In the end, here were our totals: $22 spent, $75 saved from coupons, $114 total saved (if you include coupons and club rewards card prices). Can you imagine getting over $100 dollars of groceries for only $22?
So, to celebrate, we went back later that night and spent $6 to get $50 worth of groceries.
Now, if only we had more freezer space . . . =)

ROSIE AND ELLEN
I was always amazed to see how Rosie O'Donnell drastically changed her image from rough, edge comedian to sweet, motherly talk show host in the late '90s. But after her daytime talk show was over, she seemed to revert right back. She became controversial again and said some things the public hated. While her talk show was on, she was beloved by housewives and the elderly. But after it ended, she was chastised and criticized for her comments, her actions, and her beliefs.
Now, it seems like the same thing has happened to Ellen Degeneres. In the late '90s, she became the poster child for gay and lesbian rights and being proud of her sexual orientation. That, of course, caused many stay-at-home moms and retired women to shun her ABC prime-time show Ellen. But now, she has danced and joked her way into a very successful daytime talk-show that has drastically softened her image. She is no longer known as the openly gay actress. Instead, she's the hilarious talk show host who warms the hearts of women everywhere by dancing, talking to celebrity guests and children alike, and by sharing stories about her parents. Women adore her nowadays. Karena LOVES watching Ellen so much that I even suggested we go watch a taping sometime(since we pass by the studio she shoots from every day).
We'll have to see what happens to her image once her talk show ends. Will she go the way of Rosie? My guess is yes.

FUNNY PRESENT
I was fortunate to get a lot of good gifts for my birthday. But two in particular made me laugh out loud. One was Tiffany's gag gift of the Brokeback Mountain DVD. After hearing how I could barely stomach a few of those scenes, she thought it would be hilarious to get it for me. Thank goodness she gave me the receipt so I could return it! Still,she got me good!
And the, Luong got me the "Gun Show" shirt pictured here. We saw a guy in the Bahamas with this shirt and we all started busting up laughing.
Now all I have to do is work on getting some bigger biceps so the shirt can at least make sense.

ONE MORE THOUGHT ON 6/6/06
My patient and I were talking about 6/6/06 and he brought up this interesting point about Satan worshipers:

If Satan worshipers don't do what they're supposed to do, do they end up going to heaven?

SINGING "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"
One of the most uncomfortable and yet most meaninging times in all my life is when I'm sitting in front of my own birthday cake and people are gathered around singing "Happy Birthday" to me.
It's always an awkward moment for me because I don't know where to look (just look how weird I look in this photo) and I know that everybody is looking at me. So, my eyes dart nervously from the cake to the candles to the people and quickly back to the cake again.
But this year, as I reflected on the 30 years gone by, I looked at every single person and praised God for their presence in my life. So, to all my friends, aunts, uncles, cousins, to my two parents and my beautiful wife, I say, thank you. I am honored to called you loved ones.
I am truly blessed. My cup runneth over.

BIRTHDAY PARTY
To celebrate my birthday, I was fortunate to invite some family and friends over for some limbo, hula hooping, dunking, and BBQing with a Hawaiian theme. Even though only one cousin was able to make it (thanks Jessica!), I felt SO privileged to have ALL of my aunts and uncles present.
We squeezed about 45 people into our home and even though the weather was unbelieveably hot, we had a great time.
Enoch manned the grill (with help from Luong) and battled the over 100 degree heat without any shade and without complaint. But he later had one of the wittiest comments I've ever heard him say: "Vic, next year, I think you should have your birthday in the winter." Big props to him for buying the meat, trimming it, marinating it, BBQing it, and serving it. You da man!
Thanks also to Jason for planning some crazy games -- including the craziest dunk contest I've ever participated in, helping Enoch with his "Deal or No Deal" game, and for even planning some games that we didn't have time for (like parterning up me and Luong for a little "Billy Jean" in Karaoke Revolution! You da man!
Big thank you's also go out to Suzanne, Judy, Michelle, and Tiff for helping with set up and clean up. And, of course, thanks to my mom and dad and my aunt for decorating, preparing beautiful and tasty food, and for keeping everybody entertained. And of course, thanks to my amazing wife Karena for organizing and staying cool under pressure. You da woman!
I'm sure I'm leaving some people out, but I'll thank everybody individually later.
Enjoy the pics!

6/6/76 BABY
When I was in the 6th grade, my friends took it upon themselves to make fun of me, like all boys do.
But they decided to say that I was a devilish child because of my 6/6/76 birthday. And they proceeded to point out all the sixes they could find anywhere: I was in the sixth grade, my first name has six letters, my favorite number was 24 and 2 + 4 was 6, etc.
Anyway, I thought those days of feeling devilish for my birthdate were history. But these billboards that we've all seen for a new horror movie coming out on Tuesday, 6/6 has brought all those memories back. But I'm not going to let those billboards dampen my 30th birthday celebration.
Besides, I know that I am not a devilish child, but a child of God.
And that alone is worth a huge celebration!

THREE YEAR ITCH
After hitting our three year anniversary a little more than a month ago, I think I started to get worried. Since the only other two relationships I've ever been in ended after three years, I got scared after Karena and I had a disagreement.
But, obviously, those other two didn't lead to marriage. And plus, Karena was quick to point out that if you include our dating time togther, we've been together for well over 5 years.
After that, I felt much better.
It's strange to think that something so dumb like this would still make me worry.