Thoughts

CRAZY WEEKEND PART III
After going to bed after 4:30am, I forced my eyes open at 7am to get ready for breakfast with my parents. It was nice to hang out with my parents and I loved the french toast with fresh fruit my mom made.
Sunday morning was the final weekend of the month, which meant it was the last time I'd be leading worship this year. I was obviously tired, but I managed to keep my place while doing the Scripture reading (unlike last week). Plus, I still got in a joke that got some chuckles, although Daryl did say afterwards, "You're definitely more funny when you're not as tired." I had to agree with him.
I ran a few errands in the afternoon, but still was able to make it home for a quick 40 minute nap with the baseball game on the background. There is nothing better than taking a Sunday afternoon nap with a baseball game on TV turned on purposely so you can fall asleep to it!
Anyway, I again forced myself out of bed to make the salad for our Young Married Couples group that was meeting at Liz and Steven's at 5pm.
Since 3 of the 10 people would be missing, I opted to break away from our discussion about our Communication in Marriage book, and we spent the night drawing out a timeline of our Christian growth over the years we've been married.
I was pleased to see that marriage has overall been good for my spiritual life. But I could also see how tough situations like Karena's dad's health issues have caused me to struggle and stumble at times.
I surprisingly ended the evening by staying up late, practicing guitar in preparation for leading worship on Sunday (something I haven't done in about 5 years).
It was a great weekend. I'm ready to do it all over again! =)

CRAZY WEEKEND PART II
It was pretty fun being able to celebrate Simon's bachelorhood while in Vegas. We could have done some racy things, but instead, we just raced . . . literally, in go-carts.
And we had so much fun since the guys working there didn't mind us crashing into each other. So, that's what we did as we tried to pass each other around the track.
Afterwards, some of us did indoor skydiving, where we end up floating in air with the help of a huge fan. It was so much fun jumping into a steam of air and floating. Simon got some extra special treatment from our instructor, but I'll have to let him tell you about that (or you'll have to watch the DVD). Sorry, I don't have any pictures of that since I couldn't bring my camera with me inside. I guess you will have to watch the DVD.
The night ended nicely at Redwood, our favorite place. There's nothing like a 24oz prime rib to make you feel good at the end of the day.
After making my deposit at the tables (read: I lost bad), we piled into Jason's car and headed for home. By 2pm, I was back home microwaving some prime rib leftovers with Karena.
What a day!

CRAZY WEEKEND PART I
The weekend began when I left work two hours early to drive home to pick up Karena before heading down to Irvine to meet up with Steven and Jenn for the Dave Matthews concert.
But good plans rarely turn out and this one didn't either. We ended up leaving late because a watermelon we had put on the floor turned rotten and left a foul stench and some nasty liquid all over the floor. Then, the 5 freeway was more like the 5 parking lot.
I had to do some fancy driving along the 605 and 405 just to get us there in time. We had a leisurely dinner with Steven and Jenn, who are very gracious hosts.
The Verizon Ampitheater in Irvine is THE WORST place I have ever gone to see a concert. I will NEVER go there again. The parking lot was unorganized, the event staff had no idea what they were doing or how to direct you. And the traffic flow of the people in and out was terrible. Plus, the sound was terrible. And when you see the Dave Matthews Band, you want perfect sound to blend all the instruments together. Plus, when we left, we were at a complete standstill in the parking lot for abourt 30 minutes before we begged the security guard for a better way out and found it.
We ended up meeting up with Tiff and Judy at Reuel's place around 1 am. Karena stayed to hang out with Roo and we were off in Tiff's car for Crazy Weekend Part II.

QUICK THOUGHTS
1. We had pizza and calamari with Liz, Steven, Tiff, and Enoch after church on Sunday. And even though nearly a week has passed, my car still smells like calamari.
2. Why is there talk all of a sudden that Pluto is not a planet? You mean to tell me my 3rd grade science project of the solar system was wrong?
3. I often think back to when Karena and I first started dating and Danette asked me why I what I found attractive about her. I replied that "She's not perfect, but she sure does try." Over these last 8 months, the care I've seen her give to her father has been amazing. She helps him count pills, get on and off the toilet, stretch out his back, cook food, make phone calls to doctors, even watch baseball with him. The only other person I've seen show such dedication to her parents is my mom. I'm extremely blessed to have such loving women in my life.
4. I'm getting more and more excited about Sandra and Gabe's baby boy. I can't wait to be an uncle!
5. Tomorrow begins a crazy weekend -- Dave Matthews concert on Friday night, Las Vegas later that night and into Saturday, home Saturday night (err, Sunday morning), worship leader at church on Sunday, helping out with Karena's dad Sunday afternoon and our Young Married couples group meeting later that evening. It should be fun!

IMPOSSIBLE
I have concluded that it is impossible to eat a microwave pizza without burning the roof of your mouth. Mine is so raw today after eating one yesterday.

GREEN FOOD
I ate a Key Lime yogurt (did I spell that right?) today and thought it felt so unusual to eat a food that was green colored. Usually, your common sense tells you that if the food is green, don't eat it.
Then, I thought, aside from broccoli (did I spell that right?) and honey dew and other vegetables, are there other foods I have ever eaten that are green?
I can't think of any.

BACK TO THE OLD DAYS
It was a good thing Karena decided not to go with us to Escondido because she helped get her dad re-admitted into the ER last Thursday. By Thursday, there we all were, back again at the ER. He finally got a room in the hospital the next morning.
I found myself driving back from the hospital fit me like an old glove. Admittedly, it's hard to see him back in the hospital, but it's good to know that he's getting the proper care he needs. He's still there today, but hopefully he'll be going home soon.
I'll keep you posted.

ESCONDIDO
For about 15 years, our family has been enjoying my aunt and uncle's time share in Escondido at the Lawrence Welk Resort.

During those years, we crammed three families into the two bedrooms and the living room. It was tight, but we felt it was more cozy than anything else.

Those vacations were so much fun as we played cards together, ate BBQ outside, swam in the different pools, played ping pong & basketball, watched movies, etc. It was many of those times that I truly cherished in my childhood.

So, when my aunt said she had told her timeshare and that this trip would be our last to the resort, I knew I had to go. My dad and I drove out Wednesday night after work and stayed until Thursday evening. The drive wasn't bad. The resort was much nicer, as they've added a water slide, newer villas, and nicer gym equipment. But still, the best part is hanging out with my cousins and getting each other into trouble.

As I drove away, I took one last look at the place and reminisced about all the good times we shared there. I was sad that Karena couldn't make it out since her dad went back into the hospital (more on that one tomorrow). I wanted to show her more of my past. But she'll just have to settle for me telling her the stories . . . over and over and over again!

COUNTRY MUSIC STATION KZLA
As crazy as it sounds, LA's only country station KZLA is gone. The station that was billed as "America's most listened to country music station" is now playing dance music and soon to feature the triumphant return of Rick Dees in the morning. They still plan to air country music at www.kzla.com, but other than that, no more country music will be playing in LA.
Since I can't stand country music (sorry Tyrone and Garth), I thought I'd be happy about that. But somehow I'm surprisingly not.
Although I've been listnening to the new Movin 93.9 to check it out (it's kind of like K-BIG with fewer commercials), I have to say that life was better when there was country music to listen to. I feel if people want to hear swangy music about sad country lives, they should be able to that. After all, this is LA and there's something for everybody here. We don't need another radio station playing dance music. And we certainly didn't need the return of Rick Dees.
So, if you want to petition to bring back KZLA's country format, I won't necessarily picket with you, but I'll support you.
Just don't tell anyone. After all, I still have a reputation to uphold!=)

WATCHING A BASEBALL GAME LIVE
I was fortunate enough to land 4 Dodgers tickets for Tuesday's night game against the Marlins. I was excited to see the Dodgers in person since they've suddenly been on a tear. Even though I had to make several calls, I ended up going with a great group of guys - Enoch, Gary, and Jason.
My theory on watching baseball games live is you have to know how to do it. And these guys are all experienced baseball watchers so I knew I wouldn't have any problems. See, I know and understand that the game can be boring with long stretches of inactivity. So, you have to be able to have meaningful conversations with the guys while the game is still going on. Obviously, if something exciting happens, you break the conversation to cheer or boo. But then, it's right back to the conversation.
It's really one of the best ways for guys to communicate because you can talk deeply without having to look a person in the eye, which can be scary for some people. You can keep watching the game and still feel like you know the guys better.
And of course, you can have a lot of time for joking while making a mess while you eat. We had fun throwing peanut shells everywhere and yelled and screamed at will. It's guy fun at its best.
Plus, the guys were smart enough to buy some 99 Cent Store peanuts and some sodas beforehand so we could eat for cheaper!
I love going to baseball games with these guys!

EXPECTATIONS
Life is all about expectations. If you go in with low expectations, you get pleasantly surprised. But if you go in with high expectations, you usually find yourself disappointed.
I remember 10 years ago when everybody was raving about "Forrest Gump." I was so excited to see it that I ended up not liking the movie very much. My expectations were too high.
On Monday and Tuesday, I spent the whole day sitting on my rear while trying to stay awake during hospital orientation (I also work at a different hospital on my off-day and some weekends). It was so boring. But the worst part was that I was told it would end at 3pm, only to find out later that it ended at 4pm. That last hour was pure torture. In fact, I ended up leaving early the next day because I just couldn't stand it. Even though I knew, I still ended up having the 3pm end time in my mind.

COMMUNITY
One of the best retreats I ever went on was my last Emmanuel Retreat where the speaker talked about community. For whatever reason, I really took talk to heart and since then, I've really valued the people at church and the friendships I have with them.
Since then, I've tried my best to get to know people and to have meaningful conversations with them. I've tried to help them out when needed. I'm obviously not perfect and I do sometime stay within my comfort zones, but I try.
It's been more than a week, and I find myself still thinking about going to Noodle Planet two Sunday ago. It was a good group -- Nathan and Sinath, Tammy (on her last official day at CEFC), Liz and Steven, Tiffany, Suzanne, Garth, Enoch, Nathan Cheung, and Karena and me. During these Sunday lunches, I find myself always taking a step back for a minute just to take it all in. I just stay quiet and look at everybody and thank the Lord for their presence in my life. True friendship like what we have at church is very rare. And I treasure it bigtime. I treasure it like you wouldn't believe.
Speaking of Tammy and Jesse, I do miss them dearly. . .

SECURITY ALERT (PART II)
Karena and I are both appalled by how much news is available to everybody out there about the Security Alert. Just by reading the newspaper that's delivered to your front porch or turning on CNN at any hour or getting onto the internet, you can find out exactly what the terrorists were planning and how they were going to do it. In reading about how easily you can mix acetone and hydrogen peroxide to make triacetone triperoxide (TATP) to act as an explosive just made us want to try it. (We're going to try it sometime this weekend!)
And to read about how there is a way to test it, but airports are currently not doing it just seems like we're showing all our shortcomings to the terrorists. It's like saying, "Here is our weakness. Come expose it and kill thousands of people in the process!"
It's ridiculous. Shouldn't the news agencies keep some things a secret in the interest of national security?
But while they're not, I'm guess I can have some fun and see what blows up when I put acetone and hydrogen peroxide together!

SECURITY ALERT
It's going to be tough for me not to bring my toiletries bag in my carry-on bag since it's a red-eye flight. I always pack my toothbrush and contact lens stuff so that when we land, I can freshen up and feel more human in the morning. But I guess after yesterday's thrwarted terorrist attempt, that will no longer be the case. And I would always bring some water with me to keep me hydrated, but I guess that's out too.
But enough about my selfishness. This story is not about me anyway. I'm glad they prevented the terrorist plot. And I'm glad that security is stepped up in the wake of 9/11 and its aftermath.
So, as unpopular as it is, I agree with racial profiling. Since the terrorists have all been young Middle Eastern men, I say we search all of them. I know it's unfair and unpopular. But I say we search all young men (including me), and especially those of Middle Eastern descent. At this point, it's not trying to be racist, but we have to do what's best to protect the country.
I'm sure many of you disagree, but I'm just tired of seeing TSA workers search a little 3 year old's Hello Kitty bag for explosives or the 80 year old's purse for bombs while letting others go without even a look.

SAVE SCREECH'S HOUSE

I know that there is terrorism in the world and you're suddenly not allowed to bring any beverages or shampoo on board an airplane, but somehow, today, I'm in the mood to talk about Saved By the Bell's Screech Powers. I'm sure you all remember him -- the nerdy side-kick to Zack and Slater.

Anyway, apparently, he and his wife feel upon hard financial times after the passing of their infant child. The medical bills piled up and now they are going to be losing their house if they can't raise enough money quickly. So, Dustin Diamond started selling autographed shirts to help save his house. The shirts cost $15. The sad part is that the Saved By the Bell big-wigs own the rights to the name "Screech" so Dustin Diamond had to spell it "Speeech." Now, how sad is that?

I feel bad for the guy, and he provided lots of laughs for me growing up, but unfortunately, I didn't feel inclined to spend $15 to help him out. I hope this doesnt' make me seem like a bad person.

If you feel so inclined, you can check out this site. (please note, there is some explicit language. Apparently, my little Screech has grown up and gotten a dirty mouth!)

WHAT'S IN A NAME?
For whatever reason, my name is really hard for some people to remember. When people get my name wrong, they usually end up calling me Vincent. Is that a common Chinese name or something? Do I look more like a Vincent than a Victor? Is Vincent just a more common name? I don't know what it is.
But recently, a former patient of mine thought my name was Peter. And I made the mistake of telling my co-workers. So now, EVERYBODY at work calls me Peter. This has since confused many of my patients who now aren't sure whether my actual name is Victor or Peter, even though it clearly says on my name badge.
My parents always said they wanted me to be a winner (hence the name Victor). Don't I look like a winner? =) What does Peter or Vincent mean anyway?!?

CELL PHONE INFO
I got this as a forwarded message from my mom. I've heard and even blogged about using your cell phone to unlock your car door, but I still haven't tried it yet. Since this came in a forwarded message, I leave it up to you to decide whether this stuff is all true or not. Enjoy!

A few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

1. EMERGENCY The Emergency Number worldwide for **Mobile** is 112.* If you find yourself out of coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked.
2. LOCKED KEYS IN CAR? Does you car have remote keys? This may come in handy someday. If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
3. HIDDEN BATTERY POWER. Imagine your cell battery is very low, you are expecting an important call and you don't have a charger. Nokia instrument comes with a reserve battery. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.
4. DISABILING A STOLEN PHONE. To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. when your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU
This past Saturday, I went to a wedding for one of my PT school classmates. We were pretty close friends and carpool buddies back then, but we haven't kept in touch as much over the last few years. So, when Karena suddenly had to miss the wedding ceremony to be with some relatives that came into town, I thought about not going either. But I think it's so WRONG for people to only go to the reception (for the free food, I'm sure) and not go to the ceremony.
So, I drove myself out to West Covina to attend the one and a half hour ceremony. Unfortunately, for me, my other PT school classmates didn't attend the ceremony so I was left to sit there by myself the whole time. The whole time I was there, I just kept thinking how much I missed Karena and would never take her presence for granted again. (I ocassionally get overly excited when I see old friends that I talk to them more and ignore Karena little bit. We've had talks about this and I'm working on it.)
But sure enough, when we got the dinner at Almansor Court, I got all giddy to see my old PT school friends that I went over there to shake hands and give them hugs. But along the way, I left Karena there to introduce herself. I was so disappointed in myself.
Just a few hours earlier, I had vowed never to take my beautiful bride for granted, and yet now, here I was doing it again.
What a wretched man I am!

MIKE
After celebrating Mike's 30th birthday last weekend, I became very nostalgic. I thought about all the crazy things we did as kids . . . and all the crazy things we have done as adults.
And through all that, we still manage to be close friends after knowing each other for practically all our lives.
And I have to say that I truly treasure the friendship I have with both Michael and Jason because we've been able to laugh at and with each other, pray for each other, help each other, and hang out. And that's a rarity for most guys.
Last night, Karena and I got to hang out with Mike just to relax after a long week at work and to catch up a little bit.
We're hoping the three of us guys can go to Clearman's Village (or whatever it's really called. I just call it "The Boat.") where a lot of our finest moments have happened. We watched the Game 1 of the 2002 World Series there and had Jason's bachelor's party there (just to name a few).
Mike, thanks for everything.

MEL GIBSON PART II
I guess what it all comes down to is whether you think alcohol makes me lose your inhibitions and tell truths or whether it messes you up so much that it makes you say things you don't mean. Unfortunately, for Mr. Gibson, I think the former is true. As I'm sure we've all seen before in our friends (or even ourselves), alcohol makes us lose our inhibitions and we may do things we later regret. We may even say things we later regret. But never have I seen people tell lies. In fact, I feel that they let their guard down and the filter between their thoughts and their words gets thin. It seems Mel Gibson has done just that.
In his defense, he did grow up with an extremely racist father. But as a devout believer, I would have hoped Mel Gibson would have risen above all that.
Then again, what do I know. I wasn't there. I'm only on the outside looking in.

MEL GIBSON
Boy Mel Gibson sure looks bad right now, and I'm not just talking about how he looks in his mug shot.

And he's sure making Christians look bad too with his trying to cover up some of the anti-semitic comments he made. Mel, didn't you know that Jewish groups have been looking to get you ever since they felt you slighted them while making "The Passion of the Christ?" Well, now you not only gave them an gift, you wrapped it up and put a nice big bow on it.

Still, nobody's perfect. And Gibson isn't claiming to be. I guess like all Christians, he is not perfect, just forgiven. And I hope we can all do the same.