turning it on

...the lee maverick band (cary, lee, tom, ezra) welcome runners with gusto at wharf to wharf 2005 in santa cruz. this was made possible by their special permit and charm.

another kick-ass show

reflections

a 30s japanese couple boarded BART toward SFO. the man dragged in the heavy suitacase, looking very stoic and slightly peeved. they eye my bike and look around. "there is a 12 minute delay between daly city and the airport. . ." the train stalls before reaching daly city. we are enshrouded by the morning fog. the woman excitedly pulls out her camera to take pictures. the man looks even more stoic and his eyes follow his wife to the window briefly. her nifty japanese digital camera makes sound effects. *klink*klink*she snaps a few throught the thick windows, pauses then goes to the opposite window. i imagine throughout their vacation the man must have remained rigid as a light pole while she danced around lithely with the camera.
the typical passionless asian couple. at least the man didnt bark at his wife. my uncle mark would've done that. i've always marveled at how couples like that court each other. nowadays you don't see as many younger frigid asian couples, but those of my parents' generation are 99 in 100. (no hard facts, just a hunch).
from the outside, when i see couple like that i wonder if they are "happy." i would not be but then people have different goals and expectations. my dad and his wife converse, play jokes on each other, shower together sometimes, travel together...they have affections. my uncle mark and aunt shirley bark at each other, travel separately, don't share hobbies and never show public affection.

i just came upon an interesting new book The Myth of Marriage by Monica Mehta.

Actias luna

my interest in luna moths peaked after reading michael chabon's The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay where the 2 protagonists create a comic book character Luna Moth (aside: there's now a comic based on the comic series created by the protagonists Kavalier and Clay of the aforementioned book. i don't if it's is any good; i flipped through it at the comic bookstore 6 months ago. the book, however, is an adventure to read–-ingenious and fun!)
anyway, i just received a luna moth! sadly, these gorgeous creatures only mate and reproduce as adults, then die. they don't feed and can't (no mouths). they reside in the deciduous hardwood forests in north america and mexico. here's a good site with more info and pictures.
in general the life cycle of the entire order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) is so fascinating! from what many consider gross and pesky larvae/caterpillars to odd-shaped pupae or chrysalises, they eventually emerge into winged creatures. most are beautiful and colorful. (i can't say much for those brown moths that my cat likes to chase). oh, skippers are in the order Lepidoptera, too, but i don't know what they are. anyone?

resistance

the last time i visited my sister she handed me a book to read Ama Adhe, the Voice That Remembers: The Heroic Story of a Woman's Fight to Free Tibet. since i had other books in queue, i didn't get to reading it until i was in houston recently. (in fact, i finished several books). it's a must read! i left the book for mom.

my mom called me yesterday. she had already finished reading! i was impressed. despite extreme fatigue from chemo and intense pain from the cancer, she managed to read the book. she said it helped her forget her pains. we had a great conversation about the book, about religion, spirituality, buddhism and pain & suffering. it's conversations like that i will cherish later and yearn for when my mother is gone.

Ama Adhe's book

end of long hiatus (i need a beer)

i'm back in SF and back to work. the next 4 weeks will be punctuated by more travel. first, to the annual AMI (association of medical illustators) conference, then after 2 days rest, to taipei.
my grandfather passed away recently from congestive heart failure complications, so i'll be representing my sister and myself at the funeral. anne and her husband were just in taipei to see grandpa before he died. he'd been in and out of the hospital the last 6 month, but his condition took a nosedive recently.
i've never attended a funeral of a family member. mom says the taiwanese customarily keep the deceased around for a few weeks, then pick auspicious burial days. my cousin amber (who i am closest to) has been updating me about the possible funeral dates. amber is a cardiology nurse and works in the cath lab. she recently got grandpa's old arteriograms from 5 years ago-just before his quadruple bypass at age 90! she related to me with awe about grandpa's long coronary arterial lesions. plus, grandpa had extensive atheroscelerosis and PAD (peripheral arterial disease) in his legs. despite all that grandpa lived pretty normally for the next 5 years. i believe he passed away just shy of his 95th birthday. amber told me an amusing incident with grandpa before his death. grandpa's doctors informed amber's dad to give him whatever foods he desired or craved. one day grandpa suddenly said he would really like a sip of beer, one last taste. so uncle mark (amber's dad) went to the corner store and brought back a can of beer. grandpa took a big gulp and was content. the nurses joked that mr.guo was the only privileged patient in the entire hospital who could drink beer. mmmmm beer is really that good, huh?! i'll bet a lot of guys would attest to that and have one last sip of beer as a dying wish!
"give me that goddamn beer!"

tug o' war

i would really really like to add pictures to this blog, but. . .
BUT. .
a) another thing i'd have to sign up for
b) more user names, passwords, and possible spam (grrrr)
c) i'm lazy. y'gotta upload that shit

ha! there i just did it after all