Just trying to help...

There are issues out there that most people would agree with, but may be too afraid to say it, let alone do it. I ran across this news article on cnn.com and thought it was somewhat hilarious.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/23/china.suicide/?iref=mpstoryview

Story in short:
Man in China owes a lot of money and threatens to kill himself by jumping off the a bridge.

Traffic was held up for 5 hours as police tries to talk the man out of comitting suicide.

A passerby, despite police's refusal, climbed onto the bridge, shakes the man's hand and pushed him off the bridge.

The passerby was fed up with the man's 'selfish activity.' If the man really wants to commit suicide, all he did was help him out!

I know this may sound mean, but I was like "YEAH!!" I'm sure thousands of people think the same way - but just too afraid to admit it...

My new best friend

I love my Roomba. Just press 'CLEAN' and the i-robot just does its thing. It goes from wall to wall, corner to corner and sucks up all the dirt on the floors and carpets. I try to clear out as many "obstacles" (i.e. shoes, books, things on the floor that really shouldn't be there in the first place) ahead of time so Roomba can be more efficient.

So far I am really happy with it. Yes, it does take a while to have the room cleaned, but I don't pay attention to it at all. Most of the time, I set it on when I'm about to leave the house. The Roomba knows how to dock back itself into the charger when it's done. The floors are clean, clear of dust. I love to walk barefoot in my house so no more sticky feet!! The BEST part is that the Roomba can go underneath our bed. That's the one place that we can never vacuum. The only downside though, is that you will need to empty the dust compartment often because it's not big and fills up fast. Otherwise, it works great!!! It's fantastic and me heart my Roomba!

My Favorite Flowers

I love Tulips. They are my favorite flowers. I love them because they remind me of Spring and they bloom around my birthday. They are so simple yet elegant, clean and colorful. I love it when they droop down and become lazy and relaxed. I love the fact that when you drop a penny into the vase, the flowers stand up again. I love tulips because they make me happy.

JROTC 92nd Spring competition

SQ and I spent a sunny and warm Saturday in the Presidio watching SFUSD's JROTC Spring 2009 competition. We are there to support my nephew, who is in Lincoln High School's Boys Flag Drill team.

The JROTC program has been under a lot of debate lately. Some argue that this program is too military-like, and is the Army's way to enlist. Supporters say that it is a program to teach kids about hard work, team spirit, etc. This issue got onto the Voter's ballot last November and residents got to vote whether the program should continue in public high schools. The public vote wanted it to stay, and most recently, SF's Board of Supervisors also voted to let this program remain in the curriculum.

Every year, there is the Spring competition held in the Presidio. All JROTC members practice day and night for this big day. It's kinda like the All-City finals for many of the Sports team. There are 3 main competition: the Drill team, the Boys Flag drill team, and the Girls Exhibition Drill team.

The Drill team - they just listen to commands and march. Judged for their unison and how they march.

The Boys Flag Drill team marches but also does tricks with their flags. They are judged on their unison and flag movements.

The Girls Exhibition team marches, sings a song, and does quick moves with their arms and hands.

My nephew is on the Flag team, which many years ago, used fake rifles instead of flags. You can imagine how quickly THAT went away...Lincoln High School's BDT finished 1st last year so there was some pressure to repeat the title. But... they won 2nd this year! :(

Here are the results:

Drill team: 1st_Washington, 2nd_Balboa; 3rd_Lowell

Boys Flag Drill team: 1st_Galileo; 2nd_Lincoln; 3rd_Lowell

Girls Exhibition Drill team: 1st_Lowell; 2nd_Lincoln; 3rd_Balboa

Overall team award: Lowell

I was there to support my alma mater as well - Lowell! Yeah!! Always loved to see the GDT perform. Glad to see that they repeated their title from last year!

Social Security and Medicare finances worsen

Great. Just great. Today's finance story:

Social Security and Medicare finances worsen

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Social Security and Medicare are fading even faster under the weight of the recession, heading for insolvency years sooner than previously expected, the government warned Tuesday. Social Security will start paying out more in benefits than it collects in taxes in 2016, a year sooner than projected last year, and the giant trust fund will be depleted by 2037, four years sooner, trustees reported.

Medicare is in even worse shape. The trustees said the program for hospital expenses will pay out more in benefits than it collects this year, just as it did for the first time in 2008. The trustees project that the Medicare fund will be depleted by 2017, two years earlier than the date projected in last year's report.

So basically, we're on our own. Don't even think about depending on the government for anything.

Academy of Sciences

Today SQ and I took advantage of Free Neighborhood Day and visited the new Academy of Sciences in GGP. We took our parents there. At first I was nervous whether my parents would enjoy these things and if the walking would be too much for my mom. But we took our time and took short breaks when we're tired. We ended up spending 4 hours there. We went through the aquarium, the rainforest, the living roof, saw the albino alligator and the penguins. We watched the show, Bugs in 3D. We had a great time and I enjoyed spending time with my parents.

The building is a lot smaller than I thought it would be, looking from the outside. I was also not so impressed with the Living roof, maybe because I've seen so much hype on TV about this "green roof." Anyhow, I still enjoyed the visit and do appreciate all the work the scientists are doing there to preserve our environment and to ensure the future generations can enjoy the same animals and plants we see today.

Am I really THAT heavy?

We spent a beautiful Saturday celebrating an early Mother's Day at Washington Park in Burlingame. It was perfect - the park was absolutely beautiful, complete with tons of flat grassy areas, BBQ and picnic areas, tennis courts, basketball court, a baseball diamond, a children's playground and a rose garden! And the weather was fabulous! We BBQ'ed during the afternoon and then played some games. The kids had the most fun, bouncing around and just being kids.


I wanted to take a picture of SQ carrying me... and look at SQ's facial expression. Am I really THAT heavy?

I love Wednesdays because SQ and I get to go back to my parents' place for dinner. If I was shameless, I would go back to my parents' place everyday for dinner. I love my mom's cooking - the best is that her dishes offer both taste and nutrition. That, plus, they are hot and on the dinner table the minute we step into the house!

My mom actually didn't learn how to cook until she retired. In the past, she worked and my grandma would do all the cooking. So my mom picked up cooking after she retired, which was not too long ago! Some of my favorite dishes include:
- Chinese style mashed potatoes
- preserved veggies steamed with pork (梅菜蒸猪肉)
-steamed water eggs
There is so so much more ... too many to name.

Black Clouds

Recently, I seriously feel like there is constantly a rain cloud over my head.

First, 2 Fridays ago, I tripped and fell on my knees and hands while walking on the street. I ended up with 2 bruised knees, a sore arm and back for a few days.

Second, I got a big cold last week. It started with a sore throat - at first I thought I was "yeet hay" because I ate a lot of fried stuff. But then the symptoms came - sneezing, congestion, runny nose, etc. Even today, I still have a runny nose and congestion...almost 1 week already.

Third, between SQ and I, we got 3 parking tickets within these past 2 weeks. I seriously think that the meter maids are out to get us. I hate those people. They're sleazeballs.

Fourth, after paying a hefty sums to the IRS, the FTB, and the SF Tax Collector for income and property taxes, we got yet another 2 supplemental property tax bills. These are back charges for our addition-renovation downstairs for 2007 and 2008. I am so fed up with all these taxes!!!

I wonder when will my bad luck end? Or is this just the beginning??