Random

I couldn't think of a title I want to give this post.  It is a random post, but a warm and fuzzy one.  One that brings good thoughts and encouragement.  And today, I need a post that brings me exactly that:  good thoughts and encouragement. 

The story went something like this:  I received three emails in the last two days from three young ladies who reported to me at various times of my career. Unexpected and random emails.  All were thanking me for believing in them, and for the encouragement and inspiration I gave them when I was their boss, or their manager's boss, some five, ten years ago.  

These are the best random emails.  

But the cool part was not only the fact that these emails made me feel warm and fuzzy and useful.  What's cooler is what I learned through these emails.  

1.  I learned that I may never live to know the impact I make on another person by what I say to him.  So when I am given the chance, choose to remark what just *may* leave a positive impact.

2.  I learned that if I truly believe in somebody, tell her that.  Repeatedly. Sincerely. 

3.  I learned that if I do not try so hard to be "inspiring", but just stick to being my true self, I just may become "inspiring" to another person.  

  

4.  Above all else, I learned that words are worthless if I do not act with integrity.  

On this day, I am particularly encouraged by these emails.  I am incredibly grateful for these ladies' expression of gratitude.  

A Different Kind of New Year's Resolution

So what is it going to be this year?  To exercise?  To lose that ten extra pounds? Have a better work-life balance?  Work less, play more?  Or vice versa?    

I no longer make New Year's resolutions, and have not done so for couple decades due to one simple fact: To decidedly, abruptly, and resolutely change a behavior at a definitive time does not work - that is what a "New Year's Resolution" mean, right? 


A foundational change in behaviors takes more than a declaration if it is meant to sustain over time.  What does it take for the Tipping Point to occur, to propel a mind to think differently and the whole being to act differently? 


Whatever changes we want to sustain, we must start with fundamental understanding of the current situation and a raw desire to arrive at a different place.  It also requires an acceptance that once the changes take place, there is no turning back.  The new becomes the core. 


It is not news to my close friends that I have been on a path in recent years to live more simply and sustainably.  I feel the desire to frequently examine my lifestyle, and strive hard to leave a "lighter footprint" when it comes to the direct and indirect resources I consume.  Among the many things I consider "basic necessities", majority of the world considers them "luxuries": I use paper towels, take hot showers, turn the heater on, drink  filtered water, eat sushi, and yes, drive my car. Knowing they come with an expensive human and environmental price, I want to make informed and conscious decisions when I consume the finite resources that fuel my "basic necessities."  My goal is not to bring on suffering or forgo the comfort and convenience that civilization brings - what's the glory or honor in doing so?  The goal is education.  


I want to be cognizant how nature is intimately connected with and impacted by my decisions when I consume.  


This new year, don't make a resolution to exercise three times a week.  To lose weight.  Or quit smoking.  Or take shorter showers.  Or eat organically.  


Make a different kind of resolution.  


Instead of an abrupt change of behaviors, invest in your education.  Understand how nature is intimately connected to and constantly impacted by your every consumption.  Discover where your drinking water comes from.  Find out what cattle eat naturally, and what they are fed in CAFO farms.  What is a CAFO farm? Understand the role methyl iodide plays in growing California's beautiful, red, gigantic strawberries...but read the opposing view, too, and make your own informed decision.  How much water does it take to make a pair of jeans? Research what it takes to hatch an egg and nurture it to a 4-pound broiler, comparing to the modern industrial breed called Cornish Rock Cross, raised in factories, and reached 4-pound maturity in mere 35 days.   Read about the physiology  of our bodies and why we should eat for weight but exercise for health.  I can go on and on, but this is not about me.  It's about us. All of us.  


Pick a topic of interest, spend some time on it, and share the facts.  There is no place to be defensive, or offensive.  But it does take curiosity.  Some may question the point of uncovering the depressing truth because there is seemingly nothing we can do about it.  Let people answer their own rhetorical question, but decide on your own.  What do you stand for?   


The more we are connected to nature, the more we are connected to ourselves. And each other.  

Hong Kong: Chapter 8 - "Epilogue"

Sometimes I am sickeningly efficient: my luggage was unpacked within two hours after I got home.  The washing machine was making its familiar hum as I laundered the last load of T-shirts and shorts for the season.  If you visit my house, you would not even notice I was gone for five weeks, except may be a few snacks on the counter that are clearly not "local".  Everything at the house is back to normal. 

I received a "Reminder to Return to Work" in the mail yesterday and it made my blood pressure shot up by twenty points.  My sabbatical is coming to an end - only seven more weeks remaining.  The inevitable is quickly approaching...so I thought, a short epilogue may be helpful in bringing everything back to perspective.  


Before I fret further, I decided a skate by the beach would be smart - never take for granted a sunny weekend in Seattle, especially in the winter.  


I don't know when my next trip to Hong Kong may take place.  It may be next year, it may be the year after.  Or not.  Who knows.  The thing is, I shall remember to never live for tomorrow.  If I focus on what I may do or where I may go next year, I am likely missing out the present.  


Thanksgiving fast approaches.  It is one of the most significant and celebrated holidays in this country.  Eric and I tend to give thanks when we are grateful, not always on a mandated calendar date.  So the last Thursday of November is never a day I need to "get ready" for unless I decided to host a big party and serve a turkey. This year, I have decided to also host a dinner party on this pre-established holiday, but my guests will enjoy a breakfast spread for dinner instead of the typical 15-pounder from the farm.  Tradition and conformity has its place, but not necessarily at my dinner table. 


There are numerous things for which I am grateful and thankful.  Above all else, the mere fact that I am alive is enough to celebrate with yet another homemade buttermilk pancake and a side of Thunder Hooves bacon this Thursday.  

Hong Kong: Chapter 7 - "Grande Finale"

All meals were enjoyed with great enthusiasm and gastronomic satisfaction.  30 days went by quickly and happily.  

Much as I loathe Facebook for being so much of the Big Brother, I secretly kissed it for making it so easy to reconnect with my old friends.  I'm talking about friends I have known for 20, 30, or even 40+ years.  I hear this statement a lot - "the more we change, the more we stay the same."  What do you think it means?  

Old friends found.  New friends made.  Great conversations.  Lovely family times. Priceless experience.  

The Grande Adventure #3 enjoyed its grande finale in Hong Kong.  I love you, mom and dad! 

My new friend Siu Fa "Little Flower",
a silver Tabby, insisted that I
pet her head while I visited with
my friend Terry.

I have known Terry (next to me), now a pediatrician, 
since we were toddlers.  Her parents, seated alternately next to mine,
have been friends with my parents for over half a decade.
Our parents met and played in an orchestra.
The two siblings sitting next to my mom are another
set of childhood friends.

Childhood friends are precious and priceless.  You never get tired of telling old stories over and over, and they are still funny.  There is no need to be pretentious as we have known each other our whole lives.  Six parents, ten children.  Camping and fishing every summer at my dad's school in some timbuktu remote fishing island. Those days were so simple and innocent.  

Terry's brother, who is the same age
as my second brother and one of the
smartest in the group, is now a 
very successful physician.  He was also 
one of the brains behind all mischief... 

Terry's mom, whom my siblings and I have always
addressed as "Auntie Chu", called me
Tapioca, or "Sai Mai", when I was little.

My lovely niece made us delightful
steamed custard for dessert.

Looked professional and tasted delicious!  

I wished there were extra so I could have two...

Terry's flat on the 28th floor has a magnificent view that overlooks the Shatin race course and miles of blinking lights.  The breeze was nice and crisp when I visited, but I could image what the wind might sound like during a storm!  

Debbie carefully measuring the liquid ingredients

Beautifully braided raisin bread!

Back at the ranch, I was showing my sister Debbie how to braid bread.  

You would likely get gross out if I tell you
what's in the boxes... Let me give
you a clue:  they are cold blooded
and they slither around with a forked tongue.
Yup, that's what I thought.  You just went
"eeeewwwwwwww..."

Snake soup is complex and time consuming to make, but has extremely high protein and nutritional value.  It has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine to cure muscles and joint ailments.  The more poisonous the snakes, the better.  Obviously, you do not use any venom and you wouldn't want to get any in you... 

The stock is made with an old chicken (more flavor) and snake carcasses, simmer for hours.  Similar to making turkey stock after Thanksgiving.  Chicken and snakes are deboned carefully, then the meats are shredded.  Snake bones are extremely hard and indigestible, thus extreme caution is required when deboning.  The meats are then added back to the stock to finish up with other ingredients such as wood ears and (I believe) Chinese mushrooms.

For god's sake!
Stop your eeewww-ing already!

Proper way to enjoy snake soup is with finely shredded lemon leaves (left), sometimes white chrysanthemum pedals (absent), and a very specific kind of crunchies (right).  


Note the long snake meat on the left, in the middle of the bowl.  




NOW, you may eeeewwwwww. 

Dad "McGyver" is a "snake king".  He and mom had hosted snake soup feasts many times.  And yes, dad also knows how to catch them if he must.  My fond memory included a party where they invited about 20 of my mom's coworkers to our house. Each rolled up the sleeves and helped with the preparation.  No doubt, each had to take a course on "how to carefully debone snakes and chickens", taught by my dad. You do not want to swallow a piece of snake bone by mistake.  

I did not pick up any of these skills from my dad, no.  I will just stick with the much tamer bread baking, thank you.  Survival skills are not part of my strongest suit, unfortunately.

Jane and Iris, the sisters whom I have known since my 20's, are as gorgeous as ever. How did our husbands get so lucky? 

Who would have guessed
I am a kids magnet...  Seriously.  

I love ducks. I love eating them even more.  Especially roast ducks, Chinese style, wrapped in a tiny bun or a wrap with a little bit of sauce and crunchy cucumber.  It would make it to my Top Ten. 

I could not think of a better time to have one of my favorite dishes at one of my favorite gatherings - with my beloved family!  

Arriving at the airport way early to beat
the crowd.  I heart flying on Cathay Pacific. 

The grande adventure has quickly come to an end in Hong Kong.  I am returning to the States via San Francisco to visit some old friends for several days.  

Mom and dad still looking great, again.

A friend said I look like a celebrity
on my way to a world tour,
waving good-byes to my fans...

Still waving good-byes to my fans...

And again...

Plane taking off from the runway
Bye-bye, Hong Kong!

Finally.  Daisy has left the building...  

Hong Kong: Chapter 6 - "Mixing the Old with the New"

I have always called Hong Kong a Mega-City until an old friend corrected that it is actually a Jungle.  I couldn't agree more, with no disrespect intended.  Here is more of the Hong Kong Jungle experience.  The old coexists with the new, whether it is architecture, cuisine, fashion, entertainment.  East meets west at its best. 


(Click on photos to enlarge)

Bank of China, night image
Central, Hong Kong

Bank of China, day time image
Central, Hong Kong

The main Bank of China in Central District. Below is Chater Garden, where folks practice Tai Chi in the morning.  

Tai Chi class in session, although it looks
a bit like the Macarena gone bad...
I was here on Tues, Thurs, and Sat morning 
with this crowd.  

I went to my first Chinese Opera, "A Handful of Snow", the name of a precious and valuable jade vase.  I had no exposure to Chinese operas when I was growing up. All I knew about the operas are the clanking noise of cacophony and annoying singing. I never thought I would enjoy it so much, so I went to another performance a week later.  Perhaps it was the appreciation for the performers' years of learning and practice, all for the sheer love of this disappearing art.  The saying "a minute on the stage is ten years in the practice" holds the absolute truth.  The story line was poetic with literary depth.  The acting and dialogues were humorous.  The singing was artistic.  I was so glad to have been exposed to this ancient art and culture.  

"A Handful of Snow" 

A story of love, honor, power, deceit, greed, and loyalty - I suppose soap opera story lines have been around for centuries! 

The curtain was pulled during intermission.
The character reads Swallow, with the
image of the two passerine birds

Photos are not allowed in the theatre, 
although I stole couple without the flash 

  

I was surprised to find the small orchestra section below the stage, providing the rich sound it produces.   

The tourist spot of all tourist spots...
Stanley Market 

You don't typically see a Starbucks
next to a McDonald's in the States,
but competitions are fierce and
it is a different monster in HKG

Looking out from the Blake Pier in Stanley
A beautiful day!

Another view from the Blake Pier in Stanley

Craving for something familiar...
Ham and swiss on whole wheat, and
chicken breast on whole wheat  

Freshly baked on the premise!
Brownies, blondies, cupcakes,
oatmeal raisin cookies, pound cakes...
This could be a bakery in Seattle.

The sundial at the courtyard of the HKUST

I went to visit my sister at her workplace, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, located at the beautiful Clear Water Bay.  While there, I caught a free piano recital and chatted with the performer for half an hour.  Can't beat free concerts!  


The HKUST is one of seven universities in Hong Kong, and enjoys a great reputation in many subjects.  The joint Kellogg-HKUST EMBA Program boasts #1 world ranking by Financial Times in 2009 and 2010.   

Overlooking part of the HKUST campus 
Not a bad office environment!

An organic community garden right in the center
of the campus courtyard.  It is tended by the
university staff and faculty

A four-story pawn shop  that's
been in business since 1940.
Found in the middle of
Central District.  

Uh oh...  Ronald got beat up by the Mouthless Cat.
You're so fired, MEOW!

Cheap souvenirs everywhere

Burn your incense and oil here for some good fortune

Burn enough incense or oil and you just may get
one of these.  Would be funny if the
Rolls-Royce showroom were located next to
the pawn shop...  

This is one of my favorite pictures:
the old with the new; the east with the west.  

A jazz band performing in the IFC Mall

Shopping for a new outfit for work...which one of these two?