I'm Thankful!

Thanksgiving 2009. We gathered at Jason and Jennifer's house for our annual turkey dinner.

Another turbulent year for the world, fortunately, our family is going through it without major hiccups. Life is not always perfect, but we got more than some others: health, jobs, creature comforts and we have each other.

Over the years, I have learned to appreciate and enjoy what I already have in life and not what I want in life. HAVING is a good thing. WANTING will keep you itching for more. Wanting to win the lotto just can't beat having the opportunity to share the

Thanksgiving turkey (and all the trimmings) with the ones you love. That, is priceless!

Life is good all things considering. For that, I'm thankful!

p.s. Again, I'm thankful that Jennifer tackled the 25 pound turkey. Great job, sis!

To Blog or to FB?

If you blog, would you blog less or stop blogging altogether now that you're on Facebook? This was a survey question that I found quite intriguing.

What's the difference blogging here or posting updates on Facebook? Does any one care?

I have not thought about this before but, yes, couple of my buddies blog less now that they're on Facebook. What causes the behavior change? Is it just one less thing to keep up or human nature at work?

I guess Facebook offers instant satisfaction because your captive audience (your FB friends) will most likely respond to your postings (and favorably too) no matter how trivial they are. Blogging, on the other hand, may be a lonesome activity with no admiring fans. And by the way, how many of you actually read my blog???

We human animals thrive on recognition, connection and interaction and I think that's probably the main difference between Facebook and blogging.

I see that popular blogs will continue to have their own place but smaller personal blogs will probably migrate to other social network sites over time especially if they offer a platform to blog too. I would be interested in learning what others think.

Here's the thing: in order for more people to read this blog post, I'm going to have to post it to my Facebook page. Hmmm.... intriguing indeed.

Happy Birthday to Me!

So, here I am older and wiser at 46. Or, perhaps I should say the new 36 since 40 is the new 30.

I'm a birthday hog because I do not stop celebrating. Yes, so much to celebrate. I have good health, a good family and many good friends. My life is simple and uncomplicated and I have a job that feeds me and keeps me comfortable -- although I do have to pay the credit cards back. I'm very busy but I still have time to read, to eat, to drink, to think and to enjoy everything in life.

I go back to a warm sweet home every night and I have a honey who is always there for me. My friends love me and my dog adores me. What else more do I want in life?

Yes, there are bumps here and there but someone big up there watches over me. I am truly lucky and that's something to celebrate.

"I like life, life likes me. I like life and life likes me." Yes. Life can only get better from here. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Fall in New York

I have visited NY in all seasons since I go there once a quarter. This time, I got to see the Fall face of New York (again). Well, more specifically, the fall look of Manhattan - Grand Central Station.

Not much fall color to see in Manhattan - at least not near the Grand Central Station. Just grey buildings and yellow taxi cabs. I didn't even see brown dry leaves on the streets. The weather was still rather warm. It rained last Tuesday and Wednesday but more like the summer storm than the winter rain. Some street vendors started roasting chestnuts but I thought it was too warm still.

Time Square, as always, was full of neon colors and people but no Fall either. It was a place where time stood still. Come any day any time, and you will find that it always looks and smells the same.

October 17, 1989

If you were in the San Francisco Bay Area that infamous day, then you will remember exactly where you were and what you were doing at 5:04:15pm when the earthquake hit.

I was in the Controller’s office preparing payroll with her when everything on the table started moving then the floor started shaking. We looked at each other not registering for a moment. Then, the big glass window started flexing – yes going in and out like it was going to blow. There was a rumbling sound coming from nowhere. I remembered the Controller let out a scream and docked under her desk. She didn’t even invite me. I stood for one or two seconds longer then I bolted out her office like a bunny, flew into my office and dove under the desk. That was when the big shake really started and it seemed like it was never ever going to stop. I remembered I even cried out Mommy!!! because it was very scary and I thought that was it. If you were here that day, you know exactly what I mean.

When the earth finally stopped shaking, all of us rushed out of the office to the parking lot. There was a surreal quietness outside - no sounds, no alarms, no birds, no cars... Everything seemed frozen except the ground was still swaying…

We regrouped and everyone looked pretty shaken (literally). I called mom and dad right away. I was lucky to get through because the phone lines were jammed soon after that.

There was still electricity in the office but no radio signals (so eerie to hear just statics…) so we didn’t know what was happening at first. Then slowly, we got news that BART stopped running; the Nimitz Freeway buckled; and the unbelievable news that the Bay Bridge had collapsed. It felt like we were being attacked by aliens like in The War of Worlds.

So I was stranded in Oakland (my then office was on Hegenberger Road). No bus, no road, no BART, no bridge, no way home. I went to a co-worker’s house in Alameda since I had nowhere to go. I finally got hold of my parents around midnight and found a ride back to the other side of the bay. Albert was on his way from Oakland to SF to go pick up his wife so he swung by to pick me up. We took the San Mateo Bridge and as we approached the western span, we saw the entire SF skyline pitched black. It was like the whole city was swallowed by a monster.

Home never seemed so warm with lights on and everyone safe. Our house stood tall and nothing fell. We were truly blessed. I said a prayer before going to bed. It was an awesome act by Mother Nature but why some have to suffer?

I woke up and went back to work the next day as usual. The office was surprised to see me but they were even more surprised when I handed the Controller the timecards all calculated and ready for payroll that day. How that happened? Well, in my rush to get out the office, I grabbed my bag and the timecards for whatever reason. I went over them while stuck in Alameda. No, it was not job dedication. I think it was more of a natural response and a subconscious act to maintain some control over my life. No matter what happens, life goes on.