My Parents

As I am writing this entry, I just finished celebrating dad's birthday with my family, am semi drunk on a 53% Mao Tai Wine, and really need to head to bed. But I wanted to savor the moment and write it all down before tomorrow comes. Before the wine wipes away my memory.

I don't usually write about my parents but my best friends can attest that I am really proud of them and that I'm really close to them. Even when I was on my weekend getaway, I thought about them often and was getting a bit emotional.

It is my dad's birthday today. Sort of. My dad was born on August 24, according to the Lunar Calendar; or October 12, according to the Julien/Gregorian Calendar. (Yes Mark, we figured out dad's birthday on the Julien calendar) But because of the way birth certificates were recorded back in his days, we have been celebrating his birthday on August 24 every year. As I was asking my dad about his real birth date, the topic came about that both my mom and dad have the same birthday on the Lunar calendar, but different birth dates on the Julien calendar because of their age difference.

So every 19 years (?), my parents would have the same birthday, on both the Lunar and Julien Calendar. As they were telling me this, I was thinking their story is really romantic and sweet. I don't have the most romantic parents and they're not very expressive of their feelings for each other, as is typical of Asian families; but somehow I correlate their same lunar birthday as fate and destiny. That two people who fell in love because of the art of writing (or handwriting, I should say) turned out to have the same birthday, have the same hard-working attitude towards their goals, came from being desolately poor to living well, have the same drive to motivation, have driven their motivation to being successful business partners. On top of all that, they have raised a big family together and still take care of their respective family back home.

As critical as I am of their marriage and their happiness with each other, I can't help but feel they were meant to be together. That's romance in itself. Their love story may be typical but it's romantic and they worked together for it.

(Thanks Eric for the Lunar/Julien/Gregorian calendar links)

Old Songs

I've been listening to a couple of old Chinese songs over and over while I study..one of them's 其實你心裡有沒有我. It used to make me sad, but somehow, it makes me smile now. Sometimes I remember how all the cheesy promises made in my romantic relationships can carve into memories that are worth visiting over and over in life.

Enjoy!

Clean Slate

Neat Layout, I hope? I love getting rid of garbage sometimes.

Source: The backyard of Zoroastrian Society of Ontario

Nikon D40: 46 mm, F 5.3, 1/30 sec., ISO 400

Mockery of a family affair

Every four years, the Summer Olympics is a family affair for me.

I believe the athleticism and the professionalism of every athlete are exponentially unified with the competition and the glorious celebration. That high feat of celebration acknowledges the athlete’s cultural and background differences but still unites them into putting their best foot forward.

However, that celebration is continually tainted with the ‘leaders’ of the world who thinks they should, and can, stick their own “business and agendas into the bedrooms of another nation”. Citizens of the world then follow suit with their political demonstrations. Every state and nation has their own authoritative and/or democratic ways to rule their country. While we may disagree with our neighbor’s authoritative and socialist institutions, we forget what the Olympics stand for.

It is not to say that we should turn a blind eye to the turmoil the poor people of China is currently facing, caused by the Chinese desperately wanting to prove to the world how far it has come. It is not to say we should stand by and witness the pollution caused by an economy that expanded so suddenly.

However, it should be said that the Olympics is a unification of every citizen of the world who roots for their country in an uproar heave of pride. It is a celebration of every athlete who overcomes their physical shortcomings, who fights for their dream and places their soul onto a sport they love so well. Celebrate them and resolve other matters tomorrow.