Kindness All Around

It's fun eating at a communal table especially in Chinatown.   The seating is usually cramped, and everyone just takes any seat available.  Often, people start chatting with complete strangers and in no time, they are talking like old pals.

Today at the Little Paris pho place, I shared a table with two ladies. Since I was sitting near the wall, I passed them the chopsticks, condiment dishes and spoons.  One lady was getting everyone the condiments.  We exchanged pleasantries while helping each other. For few minutes, we were like a family eating together although we were strangers to each other. 

This reminds me of a little story.  One time, Mom and I shared a table with an elderly couple. I poured them tea because it seemed to be the right thing to do in the presence of older folks. They were thrilled that I was polite and respectful to the elders so they insisted on buying us lunch.  

It's nice to know that there are times and places where people are nice to each other for no other reason than just being nice.

Paper, Plastic, Insulated or Nostalgic?

(Yawn!!)  I got bored using paper/plastic shopping bags to carry my lunch day in and day out.  Yes, a great way to recycle shopping bags but they are either too big or too small. Moreover, I feel like a walking advertisement for these brands.

You don't like that?  Buy your own lunch bags.

Many years ago, I had one of the earlier insulated lunch bags when they first came on the market.  It was by Eddie Bauer.  It was pretty cool back then but ubiquitous now.  The bag was only big enough for a sandwich; bulky, and bulkier with a ice pack.  I used it couple of times and lost interest.  For one, I needed a shopping bag for this bag (with chilled sandwich inside), other snacks and beverage.  It defeated the purpose of having a lunch bag, no?  OK, a BIGGER insulated bag will work, but meh...

So I started a quest.

I know I want a nostalgic tin lunchbox, just like the ones I had when I was little.  Back then, almost every kid had one in their hands as we waited for the school bus.  We couldn't wait to open it and to check out what others had in their lunchbox.  In those days, lunchbox food was pretty boring.  Most of the time it was a sandwich, a banana or an apple.  Some had beverage in a matching cheap tumbler, but the drink would be lukewarm by lunchtime.  No pasta or other fancy food because we did not have insulated double-wall containers to keep food hot or cold.  And, no colorful compartmentalized food containers too.

I searched and looked and, lo and behold, I found what I was looking for.  

Ta-Da!  Isn't it cute??  It is the perfect size too.  I can fit my bento box, coffee tumbler and a small fruit.  OK.  It doesn't keep my food warm but that is what microwave oven is for.

I have been bringing my lunchbox to work almost everyday.  I feel like a kid as I walk to and from work swinging my lunchbox.  I was self-conscious at first, but, very quickly, I decided that what the heck, this is me.  This is the inner me.  I'm a kid at heart and I don't care!

A Simple Pleasure.

Few folks on the street have complimented my Joe Cool lunchbox.  One guy said that I may be setting a trend and that he would not be surprised to see more folks carrying one in a year time.

Can you imagine bunch of us grownups dashing through the streets, running to catch a bus, waving lunchbox screaming, "wait for me!!!"  HAHA!!  I would love that very much.


The action of putting the lunchbox down on the table, flipping up the latch and lifting the top to reveal what was inside was every kid's delight of the day.  I am sure today's kids feel the same as they peer into their state-of-the-art lunch bags.

Past and present; young and old; I think all of us will always be excited about our lunchboxes.

Somethings never change...

What's Up in the Sky?

The SF Bay Area was treated to some spectacular sunset every night for several weeks from September to October this year.

Sun sets every night.  We just take it as part of life - like sunrise and moon phases - and don't think much of it.  However, not every sunset stops people dead on their tracks like the ones we had recently.  Thanks to beautiful cloud formations to reflect the sun rays, the sky offered us gorgeous display of light and colors.  People just stopped what they were doing and stared at the sky.  I did the same.  What a treat!

It was visually powerful and took my breath away.  No words.  Just appreciate.

This is a wonderful world.

On the Road Again

  

(The view from my office window)

After eight and a half years with my current employer, I've decided to move on.  My last day with Paul Capital will be tomorrow, April 30, 2015.

It has been a fun ride with PCA.  I started at the time of its boom.  I had a chance to learn about hiring in this mega $$$$$ earning field.  The compensation package design was an eye-opening experience for me.  But hey, I got used to it.  After all, we are in the investment services business where transactions are valued in hundreds of millions and/or billions of dollars.  I got a chance to dive into international HR.  That was such a valuable experience and the best knowledge I picked up from this gig.  I trained myself not to impose US labor standards onto other country's labor practices.  Some country's labor laws are actually more stringent than the US.  I had a kick learning to appreciate Brazil's pro-labor compensation to employees (yes, love those vacation allowances) and HK's 20 some-odd public holidays per year.  UK is stingy but sure loves their regulated paid leaves.  And if you work in France, considered yourself one of the luckiest workers in the world!

After eight and a half years, I got restless and felt plateaued out.  Although I'm over the hill (age wise), I still feel like an Energizer Bunny.  There is still so much to learn and absorb.  I wanted a change.  JOB GOD must have heard me and dropped an opportunity on my lap -- literally.  A recruiter, whom I met last year, called me out of the blue regarding a Director level HR opportunity.  I met with seven folks and they offered me the position within two weeks.  It happened quite suddenly.  I had to make a decision very quickly whether I was really ready to leave this comfy zone and venture into the land of unknowns in the name of promotion.  Decisions.  Decisions.  Decisions.  At the end, I decided that going out there is the right direction for me.

What's ahead of me?  Who knows!  That's the challenging part that keeps me going.  What's at the next turn?  What's up ahead?  We will find out when I'm on the road again.

Wish my luck peeps!

Reminiscing...

Last month (February 2015), both my brothers had a chance to go back to Taiwan to visit the family.  Jason took Jennifer, Brandon, Carli and Justin for the very first time.  James and Karen went back for the first time as a married couple.

Their schedules were different but they managed to meet up and visited some relatives together.  So precious!!  Our family hasn't seen so many WUs at once for so long.

Of course, they all went back to Tainan to visit grandma's house.  That's the big old house that mom's family resides and has housed at least four generations of KO kids over time.  Mom was one of the kids.

Mom's parents had lived and raised their children in this huge house.  It was big enough to house my grandparents and their eight children (later, the addition of grandchildren at various times), employees (back in the old days, employees were live-ins) and the housekeepers.

The big house went through some built-outs as my grandparents' family grew.  The place I remember is 5 stories high (the 5th level is a roof garden) with an open terrace on each level.  The house also has three ground level courtyards.  The grandparents used to occupy the living quarter in the very back.  We had to walk through the front section of the house, the courtyard, the main living room, the second courtyard, the kitchen and dining room, another courtyard to get to their bedroom.  For a kid, it's a long way to get to grandma's room.

Oh, and I remembered for a while, the last courtyard also had a chicken coop. Grandma used to tell me to go pick up fresh eggs in the mornings so she could make me a warm glass of almond-egg-milk.

The front courtyard opens all the way to the top.  People can look down from above or scream up from below.  When people were too lazy to walk down the stairs to get something, they would lower a basket, ask the folks below to put it in then pull it up.  Yap, a rudimentary dumbwaiter for the lazies.  

This picture was taken by James from the 4th floor terrace.  Each level comes equipped with a kitchenette and bathroom.  The levels can be occupied as independent units but stairwells and hallways connect them top to bottom and front to back.  We can get to the same point from different routes.  A well thought out design. Most importantly, there are enough bathrooms, but one just had to get to one especially when in a hurry.

During summer and winter breaks, bunch of us kids would be sent to grandma's house - just like summer camps but more fun because we got spoiled!!  The kids had the whole house to explore and so many places to play hide and seek.  The house was not child proof but there was never an accident with kids running, chasing, sliding, jumping, climbing... 

The back of the house was not remodeled as much as the front end when I was a kid.  The kitchen that I remembered had an "old style" wood stove and a wood burning water heater for the bathroom in the back.  I remembered we all had to take turn manning the water heater at bath time.

I remembered meal time was always like party time.  Sleeping time was like slumber party every night.  We sometime would just gather at the court yard during hot summer afternoons for snacks and for story time with grandma or with our aunts and uncles.  It's always nice and breezing in the court yard.   Sometime, the adults would ask the street food vendors to bring their carts in.  The vendors were always happy to do so because their food cart would be cleaned out at one stop, then they could wrap up and go home for the day.  Oh, the sweet memories!!

"Going to Grandma's House!"  - Although I only got to do that every year for the first 9 years of my life - and only a few more times up to now - it is still a very special place and I still reminisce with my brothers.  I am very happy that James and Jason got to visit, and I am so glad that Brandon, Carli and Justin got to see a part of our childhood.  Jason noted that, as in tradition, Justin stuck his head between the railings just like so many of us did when we were kids.

Our grandma's house is our very own Neverland.