How Unlucky Can One Get?

Yesterday was the unluckiest day in my life!

I had a PTO yesterday (Friday, 3/28/25).  The sun came out and it looked like a pretty good day to relax.

Nope!  I logged into work to do some month-end stuff and ended up working the entire morning.  I was cool about it because work is work, and I still had half a day to myself.

Well, things went downhill in the afternoon.

I went grocery shopping and planned to be home early to make a nice dinner. I dropped my phone while scanning a discount code.  It dropped and landed on the bottom of the refrigerator that was full of lunch meat.  No problem, I will just pick it up.  But guess what?  My phone disappeared!!  Somehow, it just vanished right before my eyes!

I couldn't believe it. I removed all the lunch meat from where I dropped the phone to look for it.  IT WASN'T THERE!  Where can it be?  Could it fall through the grills and end up at the bottom of the refrigerator? I asked the Store Manager to help. She said there is no way to take apart the unit but she tried to pry it open to see inside.  Nope, the phone wasn't in there.  She then called my phone. It didn't ring! Oh My God!  That was the craziest thing ever.  How could the phone just disappear right in front of my eyes?

I ran home to use the "Find My Phone" to see if I could locate it.  The phone was offline.  So that meant someone had it and turned it off. How?  When?  Could it have been picked up while I was looking for the Store Manager?

I, of course, set the phone to LOST immediately and went to get a new phone (and the thought of $$$ flying away hurt).

Then guess what?  On my way to the Apple store, a car scraped my back fender while I waited at the light.   I got off the car and was pissed,  WHY NOW?

The guy first tried to deny scraping my car, then said he would pull over to exchange info.  We were in heavy traffic at the lights, and I didn't want to inconvenience others.  So I followed him.  When the light turned green, guess what?  He took off!!

I was so mad that I actually laughed out loud.  What a day!  What next?  Yes, I would have taken a photo of his car and license plate before moving my car. But, I DIDN'T HAVE A PHONE!!

Anyway, as sucky as it was, I went to the Apple store with a smile on my face.  The Apple guy was helpful and got me a new phone quickly.  However, he could not activate my phone because I have AT&T!!  He said, sorry, AT&T needs to active my phone number on the new phone,  He said there was an AT&T store two blocks down.  Two LONG blocks, I may add.  When I got there, guess what?  The AT&T store is closed permanently!  They moved!

Ugh!  What next? I took a deep breath and drove to another AT&T store. I told the AT&T guy that I had a very bad day and I needed him to make my day better.  He was empathetic and activated my phone without trying to sell me add-ons. Thank you!!

I finally got home around 6pm.  I looked at my new phone ane still could not grasp the day's events.

It was such a bad day for me, but you know what?  I look at the bright side:

1.    My iPhone is still offline. It will be a paperweight if anyone turns it on. The phone is useless to anyone other than me.

2.    The scrape on my fender was not that bad.  I probably would not file a claim anyway.  The guy who ran away will get his karma someday.  I wish him luck.

3.    I was able to restore my data on the new phone and had my life back on track.

4.    I had a bottle of wine in the fridge, and I toasted myself for making it through this day.

Yes, I had a miserable day yesterday, but bad luck will not bring me down.  I am still kicking today.

A Beaten City

I was in the office today and decided to take a stroll down to the Ferry Building during lunch.  This was my normal lunch hour routine.  It seemed so long ago...

When the City ordered everything shut down back in March 2020 to combat COVID-19, no one would have thought that the virus could take down the city and transform it so dramatically.

I walked down California Street and saw all those familiar places no longer opened.  Locked up restaurants.  Boarded-up storefronts. Quiet streets.  No more flower stands.  No more shoeshine guys.  No more street performers.  Even no homeless people.

It was quiet in the Ferry Building. Most businesses are shuttered.  The few remaining eateries were doing some business but it was because there were no other choices.

It is a beautiful day in San Francisco, but it is just not the same.  There is no energy.  Everything seems so tired.  Even the cable car bell-ringing does not even sound perky.

I just hope this is not the new San Francisco.

So I am Now a Statistics

About 1,000 wallets and purses get stolen every 2 minutes in the U.S according to www.answers.com.  Well, my wallet was one of them yesterday.

Sometime between going to work in the morning and coming out from the gym during lunch yesterday, my wallet was stolen.  My car was broken into before and things stolen before, but never anything as personal as my wallet.  And just to think, someone actually reached into my bag to take out the wallet.  Ugh!!

At about the same time that I discovered my wallet missing, I started getting fraud alerts from credit card companies and my bank.  Thanks to modern technology, credit card companies and banks know that certain transactions just don't make sense on my accounts.  $600 at Armani.  $400 at Victoria Secrets.  $400 at Timberland.  $400 at Walgreens.  Hello?

When I saw these fraudulent transactions popping up on my online accounts, I wondered what were the thieves thinking, or maybe they weren't thinking at all.  How could they boldly and shamelessly use somebody else's credit card/money like it was theirs?  Oh I forgot, criminal minds.

When did it happen?  How did it happen?  It didn't really matter because the end result was the same.  Someone tried to go on a shopping spree on my dime.

Of course, I took all the steps to contain damage.  Top concern is the loss of my driver license.  My poor little driver license is out there somewhere.  Is it being tossed?  Is it in somebody's pocket?  Is someone trying to be me?

Losing my wallet is one thing (and I did my share of that).  Having it stolen is quite another because the latter comes with a criminal intent.  It is out of my control (ok, so maybe I could have safeguard it better), and I feel sad and violated.  Angry is not even the right word to describe how I feel.  I am very sadden to have experienced the ugly side of us humans.

Oh, I do want to note that I have also experienced the best side of humans - I had my lost wallet returned to me more than 5 times.  I have found and  returned lost items to others as well.  Isn't that the right thing to do??  Why can't there be more of the good stuff?  Why can't there be more considerations for others?  Thieves, do you really get a great joy from stealing other people's stuff?

So, yesterday was a sucky day for me.  I joined the stolen wallet victims club.

A Sad Day at the Doggy Park

I witnessed a sad event at the doggy park today. One minute, a beautiful bouncy golden retriever was happily playing catch with his owner; the next minute, he had a heart attack/seizure and collapsed.  His dad and two other dog people got down and started performing CPR on him. The rest of us just stood there feeling useless.

The scene was heartbreaking.  Three people frantically trying to save a beautiful dog. We were all hoping that the dog would start breathing.  He never did.  In matter of minutes, he was gone.  His dad was in shock.  He sat there staring at his dog and he kept saying that it wasn't supposed to be like this... The rest of us stood around them speechless.  We went through a short but traumatic event together.  We all shared the pain because it could have been one of our dogs.

The doggies seemed to sense that something was wrong as they all came over to check out the dog.  I told Dexter and Victor to step back and they did.

The owner had to carry the dog to his car.  He picked him up and started walking.  He had this dazed look.  It was a very long walk.  I walked with him in silence.  He said he still could not process this whole thing just yet.  He wanted to cry but he was still trying to catch up with all his emotions.  Seeing him carrying his lifeless dog just broke my heart.  I was having a hard time processing what I just witnessed too.  It seemed so unreal.  They were playing catch.  That was all.

Dexter and Victor stayed close to me as we walked the owner and his dog to the parking lot.  Victor kept sniffing the doggy. He didn't like him being carried and not moving.

As we went back to our car, Dexter and Victor walked along side me as always. I felt very sorry and sad that the other owner had to carry his dog out of the park instead.

RIP, little buddy.  Your dad said at least you died while doing something you like.

Dust in the Wind

The blue house few doors down across the street is a quiet house. A guy named Tony lives alone. I don't speak to him much but he and Dad chit-chat when they see each other outside.

In the past few days, I saw his garage opened and strangers going in and out taking things out.  I thought Tony decided to move after all these years.

Dad went over to check out. We were shocked to learn that Tony passed away in May.  We couldn't believe it!  According to Tony's brother-in-law, Tony found he had advanced stage cancer last September and it was too late for any treatment.

Unbelievable!  I usually saw Tony coming back from the gym when I left the house in the morning.  We would wave to each other.  So routine. So expected. When was the last time we waved to each other?  How could he just be gone like this?  We didn't even say good-bye. 

Tony's sister and brother-in-law came to clean out his stuff.  They got a big dumpster and just threw all his stuff in.  Bookcases, furniture, clothing and plants.  Everything.  They are going to put the house up for sale.

Just like that. All memories and belongings mean nothing when a person is gone. Whatever Tony had treasured and collected no longer has any value and is disposable.  No attachment.

The dumpster was filled to the top and was hauled away yesterday.  The house is now even more quiet than before.  All gone. There is no trace of Tony and the life he used to have.

Gone.  Just like dust on the wind.  Sad. RIP, Tony.

A Somber December

This year, Christmas lights are less bright.  Caroling less joyful.  Cheers are less loud.  Too many unexpected sad events have happened this December.

Jenny is gone.  Can't believe the vibrant Jenny left us abruptly.   It was supposed to be a very happy month for the Keng sisters.  They were getting together, girls only, to celebrate Jean's birthday.  Sheila arrived SF on the 7th.  We had dinner.  We talked to Jenny on the phone.  She said she was so looking forward to Sheila's visit to Santa Fe the next day and the birthday bash in Las Vegas the week after. Then, on the 8th, Jean got the call.  Jenny was gone. She left behind her husband, son, brothers and sisters.  Her passing was so sudden and everyone was left shocked and speechless.

Jenny was buried yesterday, December 19, 2012, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Grieving in Newton, CT.  A week before the Christmas weekend.  Kids and adults were getting ready for the holidays.  So much planning, so much joy, so looking forward to the celebrations. Then, on December 14, 2012, a gunman opened fire in an elementary school taking away lives of 20 innocent kids and 6 adults.  In matter of minutes, joy, hope, future and life were robbed by the most unthinkable.  So sad.  So hurt.  So senseless.

20 kid beds are now empty.  26 families will have a heartbroken Christmas.

Sadness in Oregon.  The Newton shooting dominated the news.  However, a few days before on December 11, 2012, innocent Christmas shoppers were killed by a gunman in cold blood in a Oregon mall.  They did not do anything wrong.  They were simply there at the wrong time.   These people had no idea that they would never return home again.  My heart ached for the loved ones who survived.  Now, there will be empty seats at Christmas dinner tables, and Christmas presents that will not be exchanged and opened.

世事無常.   Yes, things can happen any time any day but somehow these recent sad happenings hit me more than usual.  Perhaps it was because these people did not have a chance to say goodbyes.  They were just going about doing their business.  We are not supposed to leave this world in the middle of cooking, shopping, teaching and learning.  No.  It's not supposed to be like this especially during a month when all people look forward to is peace, joy, warm thoughts and happy plans.

Hard to say Merry Christmas to all but I guess life has to go on until the day we are gone.

Shirley Found - on the Other Side of the Rainbow Bridge

Shirley's parents let everyone know that they found Shirley's body today.  She died about a week ago after being struck by a train.

I have thought about the worst since Shirley has not been sighted since last Sunday.  I thought she might have succumbed to her injury or her disease or die from exhaustion or hunger.  I would never have thought - and I'm sure her parents and all who follow her story - that she would be killed by a train at the end.

It's so tragic and it is the worst of worst outcome imaginable.

RIP Shirley, the missing Great Dane from Philly.   At least you are no longer lost. God bless you and your parents.

Updated 09/17/12: Community Mourns Shirley

Finding Shirley

I have been following this little story on Facebook about a 3-year old Great Dane that gone missing for the past 10 days.  Shirley is her name.  Shirley was hit by a car when her mom was taking her out of the car.  She was startled, bolted, and disappeared into the woods.

Shirley's story unfolded in Germantown, a neighborhood of Philadelphia.  Apparently, it has a huge woodsy area because Shirley ran into the woods and has been lost for the past two weeks (since August 29th).

The story got me because as a dog parent, I can relate to the pain, the fear and the heartbreak.  Any pet parent can relate.  It's just like your human child gone missing.  I can't imagine losing any of my dogs.  Fortunately, I never had to experience it with Beau, Max and DuDu.  I'm praying that I would never have to go through such horror with Dexter and Victor.

Shirley's mom has been frantically looking for her.  To complicate things, the mom is in graduate school with a heavy class load, the dad is in the military hundreds of miles away and he is deploying to Afghanistan in two weeks.  Worst, Shirley is injured and has a medical condition called the Addison's Disease.

What's Addison's Disease?  According to Wikipedia, it's a disorder that occurs when the adrenal glands fail to produce enough hormones to keep the body functioning normally.  Without medication, the bodily functions will go haywire and will result in death.

What a horrible combination!  The added worry and the stress must be unbearable.  My heart goes out to Shirley and her parents.

Many people are involved in finding Shirley.  There is a search going on right now as I type this.  The searchers are racing against time.  If Shirley is not found this week and treated, she will for sure die.  It hurts to think that she will die of pain, suffering in loneliness and fear.

I follow the development through the Facebook posts.  Strangers from all over the world pour their hearts out to support the parents.  People volunteer to look for Shirley day and night.  It's at times like this that the best side of we humans shines: compassion, love, generosity and devotion.

It's already past 8pm in Philadelphia.  No words from the search group.  I can only hope for the very best for Shirley and her parents.

We all know that we will eventually part with our pets.  However, not like this.

So say a prayer to the Dog God and hug your dog a little bit tighter tonight, peeps.

Time in a Bottle

This little vodka bottle (375ml) has been in my freezer for almost 20 years.  It's a nice size for the freezer - not too big; not to small.  It fits the side door perfectly.  I got it from the DFS duty paid store for $10 and I haven't been able to find one the same size in stores elsewhere.

This little bottle fed me dinner when my mom was in acute rehab for 30 days after her brain surgery.

I would rush to the hospital to relief my dad after work every night.  I stayed with my mom until 11:30pm or so then I came home to prepare next day's lunch and dinner for my dad who would go back to the hospital to stay with my mom for the next 12 hours.

After I cooked and cleaned up, it would be about 1am or so every night.  I had no appetite and would take a shot of super chilled vodka from this little bottle then go to bed. It put me to sleep but did not supply the nutrients.  I lost over 10 pounds in 30 days.

On the last day of my mom's stay at the hospital, I toasted myself with 2 shots of vodka and kissed the bottle.  "We made it," I cheered!

A Chain of Events

So, Robert told me that something got to the water lilies in our little pond (OK, a 100-gallon tub) and the goldfish.  He told me to brace myself when I go over because it looked pretty bad.

Ugh!  Who?  What?  This has never happened before since we adopted the water lilies from cousin Su-Ming four years ago.  The 20 some odd goldfish has lived there since the first week. They thrive in the pond and always come up to the surface for food and play.  I never thought they would be in danger.

The Crime Scene: Yap, the water lilies looked pretty bad.  Bent, broken, shredded... some of them were blooming too.  The water was still and quiet.  No sign of any goldfish... Wait, I saw two, but they were too scared to come up.  They tried to hide beneath the torn lilies.  I think they are the only two survivors...  My poor fish!!

Robert and I think a raccoon might have done it. Haven't seen one around but what else? Cat?  Hawk?  Couldn't be a possum (although I do see them)... but why now?

Here's what I think: A raccoon wandered in because there was no threat of being discovered.  Normally Dexter would be sunbathing outside or playing in the yard but he has been locked inside the house lately.

Why? Well, Robert's house was burglarized two weeks go.  The burglars came through the open sliding door and took three of his guitars and a amplifier.

Where was Dexter then?  Well, he was taking a nap in the bedroom with Robert.  The door was closed.  So the burglars got away.

But fortunately, Robert and Dexter were OK and there was no damage to the house.

But unfortunately, the goldfish paid the price.  This chain of events led to their demise.  It's so unfair!!

What to do?  Robert and I got some chicken wire to make a protective netting for the pond.  We also installed security lights to deter future burglars and the raccoon (sorry, we really think it's you).

I hope the two goldfish will feel better about coming up again.  It must have been a traumatic event having your little world disturbed.  Very much like how the burglars invaded Robert's house and violated his space.

Can't bring back the poor fish just like Robert will most likely not be able to recover his guitars.  The only thing that we can do is to secure the place to minimize risks.

Scary how one thing leads to another.  We will never know how people's action will impact the next event which will in turn impacts some other people's (or animals) lives.  Some may turn out good, some bad.  This time: bad. 

RIP, little goldfish...

We Are the World

This has been a heart wrenching week watching the events of the disaster in Japan. There is absolutely nothing we can ever plan and prepare for events like this.

When disasters happen, especially the natural ones, it reminds us that it’s not THEY who are suffering; it’s US – all living things on this planet – suffering from something that’s so non-preventable and non-stoppable.

People from around the world are helping out to the extent of their capability. Some donate money and goods; some donate time and expertise, and some put themselves in danger to save others.

The little dog that stood by his injured canine friend shows that all creatures have compassion, loyalty and love for each other. So, treasure our lives, treasure the friendships and treasure the time that we share with each other in this world.


Couple of Ways to Help:

To help humans: www.redcross.org
To help animals: www.hsi.org

A Beginning or the End?

Somehow, my bad luck/hiccups are still following me. Things just keep happening. Come on! We're in the new year. Don't I get a break?

Nail in tires - twice in one month. There were two nails in one tire the second time and it required purchase of a brand new tire. So money went bye-bye.

Things are falling apart. One of the heating unit broke on the stove. $81. Garage door opener broke. $75. Of course, these all happened after I cancelled the home owner insurance. What's up with that?

Why me? I wonder how many bad things will happen to me in 2011? Or, I'm hoping that I'm exhausting the bads before the Chinese New Year. But wait, the RABBIT year is supposed to be a bad year for me too!

So, the bad luck continues to hang over my head. I think I should go to sleep now. Maybe it will just go away.

San Bruno the Day after

38 homes destroyed; 7 damaged. Still a lot but better than the initial 58 homes destroyed, 120 damaged report. This means, slightly less families suffer. It doesnt matter to those who have lost everything, but it may help the lucky few.

Need to do something for the community. It could have been my neighborhood. I could have known someone there. We don't know where disaster will strike next time. There will be no warning. Let's do what we can do NOW to help. Tomorrow, it could happen to you or me.

Donate cash
Donate clothings/food
Donate blood
Do something

The Past Disappeared When You Don’t Backup

Yap, you guess it. I didn’t backup as often as I should have, and now part of my past that I relive through photos is gone forever.

I know I'm supposed to BACKUP. But, just one slip and I’m paying for being lazy. I should have backup more often but you may agree that it’s easier said than done. *sigh*

I still have my past before 2007 but I didn’t back up all 2007 through the present because I kept telling myself that I’ll get to it when I get a chance. Well, sometimes there is no luxury of waiting. Sometimes there is no second chance. So, just do it. Just do it when you think of it.

Lesson learned: DO NOT EVER trust any storage drives no matter how great they are. I got a brand new external drive to store my photos and it crashed after 2 months. My intent was to use it as the master storage unit for all my pictures and keep CD copies as backup. I wanted to centralize the picture filing for easy retrieval and I was paranoid that the PC/laptop drives were going to crash (how ironic). I moved everything into it -- a cool 500 GB space – but boldly erased the copies on my laptop, PC and cameras BEFORE I made duplicate sets. Augh! How foolish of me to think that was ok!! I can’t even blame my bad luck ducklings. The fault is all mine. :(

Luckily, I got some photos back via data recovery software and some of them are out there on websites, in emails and with others. I’m now in the process of rebuilding my past. I'll be able to recover some but a part of my past is gone without a trace. It's like it never existed.

BACKUP! BACKUP! and More BACKUP! People. You never want to be in my position. No money in the world can buy back time and memory. Capture them through pictures and videos and safeguard them for the future. They are priceless.

Missing DuDu

Happy Birthday, Dudu! You would have been 13 today. You would have been called a senior dog but I bet you wouldn’t have looked like one.

Daddy and Mommy miss having you around. Your favorite apple tree is blooming now. We’re sad that you won't be here to pick your apples.

Are you with Max, Beau and Finnigan? Is Max still the inquisitive one? Is Beau still the distinguished one? Is Finnigan still the protective one? God, we miss you all.

A big WOOF-WOOF to you. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Unpredictable Weather. Unpredictable Life

The weather is haywire. It was super sweaty hot, and then overnight, the temperature dropped to bone-chilling levels. Hot. Cold. Calm. Gusty. Beautiful blue. Foggy gray. Jacket? Coat? T-shirt? Sweater? Long pants? shorts? Cap? Scarf? Heck! We need them all. Can’t even predict what to wear for the day because it may be warm in the morning and cold in the afternoon. Nobody knows.

Yes, nobody knows what would happen in our lives.

Very sadly, I learned of a couple's split recently. They seemed to be the luckiest couple standing on top of the world: good looking, a beautiful home, a comfortable life, world travelers, good jobs, a great dog – all before age 40. Their relationship was even time tested. However, just like the weather – no body knows. Love was blown away like the wind and left no trace - just like that. House sits empty. Things moved out. Each going separate direction. The poor dog stands in the middle.

It bothers me because I know them both and I saw their love blossomed. So, it's difficult for me to see it ends and how it ends so dramatically. It was worse than a hurricane. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything anyone can do about it...

Here today gone tomorrow. Like the old Chinese saying, “there are always unpredictable wind and rain.” Dress appropriately until the next change. *sigh*

When Is a Sale a Sale?

SALE SIGNS EVERYWHERE. I never have seen so many sale signs in my life. Everyone knows, our economy is going way down and retailers are doing all they can to make people spend.

Walking down any street, it's amazing to see the percentage of the discounts displayed. I don't see anything less than 50%. 50%, 70%, 75% is the norm. Scary isn't it?

Saw a confusing sign the other day: pre-sale sale. So, should I go before the sale for the great deals or wait for the sale? Then another sign that is equally confusing today: after-sale sale. Heck! When is the real sale? And, what kind of discount do I get before and after the sale?

I should have taken pictures of all these sales signs I saw along the way - it's the sign of the time. Kind of funny yet sad.

It's So Hard to Say Good Bye

Dudu Keng: 5/29/1996 - 12/12/2008

Robert and I had to say good-bye to Dudu today. His kidney failed and he was not responding to treatment. Dr. Kim said best to let him go because he was suffering. Robert and I knew it was the best for Dudu but does it hurt to make that decision.

The pain was just as bad as when we had to let Max go. It never gets easier. Knowing that no one will be waiting at the door is heartbreaking. No wagging, no running in circles, no demanding for hugs and treats... life is so different without Max then and Dudu now.

Dudu. His name meant round and chubby in Chinese. Yap, he was a chubby puppy running fast on 4 stubby legs. He grew to become quite a handsome boy. He had thought that he could be the alpha dog in the house but gave up after trying for a day. Max was Mr. Alpha. Dudu wasn't sour though. He was happy to be the little brother following Max around. they were inseparable.

Dudu became our only son when Max passed away. He filled the void left by Max and eased our pain of losing Max. He faithfully kept Robert company when he worked in the wee hours. He rather stayed with Robert and sleep on the floor than in his doggy bed in the bedroom.

It's so true that dogs are man's special friends. They never complain and never ask for anything in return. We are truly lucky to be selected as their best friends.

Rest in peace, Dudu. Thank you for all the love and joy. You were a wonderful doggy and it was a privilege to be your mommy and daddy.

We're Underwater. Can You Hold Your Breath?

Dow Jones tanked big time. Another 445 points today. The Market is now below 8,000. S&P is at its lowest since 1997. The Bay Area median house price is down 46% from this time last year. What else is down? Well, oil price, after a record high this summer, is now way down. The only thing that's up is unemployment. AND THAT'S NOT GOOD!!!

So what's wrong with our economy? Most of us are at a loss and we, the average people, are wondering why are we part of this mess. We are just victims. We, the average people, did not play big on the stock market and did not buy houses that we can't afford. Yet, we are being sucked underwater by the pull of this big sinking ship along with those who created this mess. We can only swim as fast as we can to stay afloat and wondering WHY? WHY? WHY? Ugh!

The Worst. I had to lay someone off today. The worst part was that it had to happen at the worst time of the year, the worst of the job market, the worst of worst of everything. I felt the fear and the helplessness. But what can I do? Who is next? How many more? Will it be me down the road?

In addition to the ground sinking, the sky falling. Our world is collapsing like a super nova. What awaits us? I hope it's not the black hole.

Be safe everyone. I wish you all the best!

Is My Angel Down?

I wonder why bad luck seems to loom over me like a dark cloud. What did I do? Did I step on my guardian angel -- accidentally? Things just don't seem to go right. There' s hiccup at every turn. Some time I just have to laugh because it's kind of ridiculous. Besides, the alternative is to cry but that doesn't help.

Whatever can go wrong, it went wrong. I even know what wrong would follow. Sad, isn't it?

So what do I have to do to break up the bad luck spell? I don't think I've done anything bad or evil to anything or any one. Hey, I even do random kindness because it makes me feel good.

I'm not even asking for much - I just want to ride on a less bumpy road. I just want smooth sailing down my path. No breakdowns, no delays, no surprises. I can handle the rest.

Ugh! To think that next year, the Ox, will not be too kind to me. I hate to think what's in store... Will it be worse than now? In what ways? Am I paying forward now?

So my guardian angel, forgive me if I stepped on you when you fell. I wish you a speedy recovery so you can be back at my side soon.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T