Today I Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything
Sometimes ideas strike when least expected. It started out as a bike ride around Mosman and morphed into a little video shoot. No agendas, no scripts, no stabilizing gear, just a camera and a few bikes.
Avocado vegemite toast is an Australian breakfast favorite here. Vegemite is sold by Kraft but it appears to be readily available only in this lower corner of the globe. It looks like chocolate and spreads like nutella but is actually salty yeast extract. The shocking taste is usually enough to turn most visitors off from embracing this local delicacy.
Mosman is a nice suburb of Northern Sydney, Australia where my aunt and her family lives and The Penny Royal Cafe is one of the more popular cafes here in Mosman. From 7am to ~2pm, the place is bustling with people. Most get their coffee and breakfast to go. The artwork on the walls were painted by the same artist who did concept art for the Matrix and Ren and Stimpy. My cousin who works at the cafe part time makes an appearance in the video.
Enjoy!
Long Black, Flat White, Cappuccino, Affogato…oh my!
Of the value we bestow on black liquids, oil will always be king, but here in Australia, coffee has been elevated to unseen heights of royalty. On any given district road in Northern Sydney, a person may find 3-4 coffee shops on the same intersection and all of them are brimming with patrons.
Starbucks maybe the standard of coffee in the United States, but down here even Starbucks has been closing shops at unprecedented rates after failing to cut a share of the market. After opening a flood of stores in 2000 in its quest for world domination, the chain ended up keeping only 23 out of 84 locations (source).
Australia and New Zealand have their own ways of naming drinks and here are a few terms any coffee drinker will need to acquaint themselves with:
A Message to My Friends
Hash House: Hillcrest
Sushi Ota + Xmas Card Lane
The French Will Have His Revenge
It has been a while but you may remember the French guy from a previous post (here). At the last ever department (our dept is merging) white elephant, he decides to retaliate.
Gladiator Rock’n Run: Orange County
Mud-Blooded
A few months ago a couple of my college bioengineering friends and I signed up for a mud run. At the time it seemed like a great motivational tool for us to get in shape and gauge where we were at fitness wise. Why we decided a mud run over a half marathon or bike event, who knows. Unfortunately, we lost one of our members (Mike Lau) to an ankle sprain and he wasn’t able to join us on race day. The event snuck up on us and before we knew it we were in car heading up to Irvine for a 5K mud run.
This was an event organized by Dan “Nitro” Clark (one of the cast from original American Gladiators) and I was really impressed how organized it was. It was the first annual event in Irvine and there were people ranging from first-timers (like us) and seasoned veterans. It had the same vibe as marathon events and it was great seeing people enjoy a healthy challenge.
The course started out with a 1-mile run from the Irvine Wild River park to the Amphitheathre. There we ran up the full flight of stairs in the amphitheatre, down, up and back down again (Stairway to Heaven). Heading back we grabbed a 50 lb bag of rice ~20 yards (Buddha’s Burden). From there it was a series of mini-obstacles and tire courses which were not too difficult. After ~2 miles we began to hit the mud obstacles and thats when the fun really began!
Slipping, sliding, and swimming in mud was more challenging than we had expected and running after the mud pools felt like we were carrying an 3-5 extra pounds. Had it been a hot day it would have been a bit more enjoyable, but the mud was thick and freezing. To top it off the mystery nightmare obstacle were a couple of guys with football pads crushing us into the bushes on the side. Never underestimate the difficulty of running in mud with mud filled shoes, it’s a face plant waiting to happen and boy were there a few close calls.
Obstacles
1.Stairway to Heaven. 2.Buddha’s Burden. 3.Terrible Tires. 4.Wrecking Ball. 5. Bonus Tires. 6. Fools Spools. 7. Rope a Dope. 8. Skid Marks. 9. Wall of Fame. 10. Cargo Congo Climb. 11. Mad Madness. 12. Mystery nightmare obstacle. 13. Hell’s Hills. 14. Mud Pit. 15.Gladiator Barbecue
Results:
It appeared as though most people who came in a group ran together and encouraged each other through the obstacles. Us being a little more competitive, we decided to go for time and push ourselves to our individual limits. Either way would have been fun and gratifying.
Memories of My Father
Eulogy:
Sherman Koon Ling Hui, son of Hung-Ying Hui and Yuet Pang, was born on September 10, 1950 in Baoan County, Guangdong Province, China. At the age of four, he immigrated with his family to Hong Kong. He was the oldest of five children. After graduating from the College of Education, he taught at Kei Wah Christian Primary School.
In 1976, Sherman came to the United States and earned a Bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University. He married his high school schoolmate Josephine in January 1980 in Hong Kong. Later they had two children, Lawrence in 1985 and Laurel in 1989.
Upon graduating with an MBA from Florida State University in 1981, Sherman and Josephine moved to Houston, Texas. There he worked as a Certified Public Accountant. Both Sherman and Josephine came to know the Lord and were baptized on September 8, 1985.
As a born again Christian, Sherman was devout in his faith. Whether in Texas, or after moving to California in 1986, Sherman always found ways to serve the church body. He actively pursued a life that reflected his gratitude for salvation, and his roles in church included serving as a Sunday school teacher, church accountant, and deacon board member. A scholar by nature, he earned a Master of Divinity from Western Seminary in 2001.
Sherman loved sports, music, singing, food, and traveling. He picked up martial arts at a later point in his life and found great enjoyment. An educator at heart, he was infectious in his love to teach others. He was passionate about many things, but at the top of his list was his fervent dedication to God and his family. He was always a steady force to his family through the uncertainties of life.
In November 2007, Sherman was diagnosed with liver cancer. He underwent a series of chemotherapy and radiation for more than two years. The overflow of support from family, brothers and sisters in Christ during these times provided Sherman with much comfort. He continued to testify of God’s unfailing love and proclaim his trust in God’s unerring provision. His faith gave him the strength to live a life that would not be dictated by physical limitations.
On October 31, 2010, Sherman passed away peacefully in the presence of Josephine, Lawrence, and Laurel and is united with the Lord. He now rests in the arms of his Savior and in communion forever with the Creator. Praise the Lord.
In the last month of my father’s life, he wrote a song called “Climbing Mountains”.
My words about my father
Christ once told a story in the gospel of Matthew about two men building homes. These homes can represent their lives, it’s particularly relevant because my father loved remodeling homes. In good seasons of life, when the sun shines and the clouds are nowhere to be seen, all homes can look great. When things are going well, it is easier to be a good person. When times are good, it is easier to be a benevolent and caring person. It is easier to be a good husband and father. But when the storm comes and the river floods, that is when you find out what a house is truly made of.
I remember one time when I had oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth. The surgery went late into the night around 8-9 pm and all the pharmacies near by were closed so he ended up driving around for an hour to find an open pharmacy so I could have pain killers that night when the anesthesia wore off.
I remember during one of the toughest stretches during his seminary years, my father planned a trip through western Europe. We were at thrilled to be at the Vatican city. We forgot that there was a rule that men have to wear long pants when visiting. It was really hot and my father and I were stopped at the entrance by the Vatican guards because we only had shorts that day. Possibly seeing the look of disappointment on my face, my father would not be stopped. He pulled out a rain jacket out of his backpack and slipped on one sleeve as one pant leg and the other sleeve. And with the hood dangling between his legs, he walked straight up to the guard and was let in. It was so embarrassing, but I ran in right after him. As we both looked at the Pieta in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, I realized the sacrifice my father had just made so that I could see inside. In those seemingly trivial times, my father’s true nature was magnified. I have so many memories and stories of my father. Through the good times and the trying times, it became more and more evident to me that my father’s house was built on something unshakable.
If there was any doubt where my father had built his house, it would be most evident in the last few years of his life. Of the many storms in his life, cancer may have been his biggest…the rains came pouring and the wind roared, the earth shook, and the hurricane swept against my father’s house. I am so proud to have seen that his life was built on solid rock.
and on that solid rock, my family and I will carry on.
Edit: It is Big News…to some?
Thanks to a high school friend, my faith in my high school alma mater is a bit restored. I was so impressed with an article that was written by my former journalism newspaper I actually wrote a letter to the editors. First time I have ever been prompted to do that!
Dear Falcon,
As an alumni of SHS quite a few years removed from high school it is with great joy to hear that our football team has finally defeated our cross town rival.
On Monday morning (10/25), after hearing rumors of a Saratoga victory, I tried googling the results and found very little information regarding the game until I was able to finally confirm it on losgatosfootball.com. However, I wanted to hear Saratoga’s side of the story and not some coaches’ take on handling losses with pride (link).
My search led me to saratogahigh.org which had perhaps the most muted announcement of the game ever (link). I thought perhaps it led to a story after the link (link). I could not believe my eyes. Was 3 measly sentences all Saratoga had to say about such a historic win? In an age where news spreads faster than ever before, it was a bit disappointing that I struggled to find information online regarding the game.
Fortunately, SaratogaFalcon.org came to the rescue. Your online recap of the game was incredibly timely, having been posted on the Sunday (10/24) after the Friday evening victory. It did not go unnoticed that NLCS Giants vs. Phillies game 6 was on Saturday (10/23), and it would have totally been understandable had the article taken a back seat to watching that exhilarating game. It meant the sports editor and writer had to sacrifice their weekend to interview, write, copy edit, and get the proper sign offs to have it posted online in less than two days. The dedication and professionalism your staff displayed in delivering the article is deserving of high praise. A special thanks goes to Annaamalai and Venkataramana, whose thorough interviews and well written article captured the essence of the game and the aftermath.
As a former staff member of a university newspaper, it gives me great pride to know the Saratoga Falcon operates at this high a level of professional journalism. Perhaps an even greater pride than the victory over Los Gatos itself.
Thanks from a grateful alumni,
L.Hui (Class of 2003)
The end of the article pointed out a pretty neat fact that not necessarily all of Friday night’s madness resided soley in Saratoga-Los Gatos. Shout out from former Toga parent Pete Carroll (current Seattle Seahawks coach) below!
In the end I’m still left to wonder. 28 years? 23 years? 27 (Falcon article)? or 29 (Pete Carroll)? In the end I guess it does not matter, it was a long time coming. Maybe the Giants can get some streak ending magic going too.
Some Things Just Aren’t Big News Anymore
Q: What happens when you pit a school full of academics against a school full athletes?
For 23 consecutive years, my high school Alma mater has lost to our cross town rivals in football. The last time Saratoga High beat Los Gatos High in football, I was 2 years old. The last time my school beat Los Gatos, the cost of gas was ~0.95 cents/gal, our president was Ronald Reagan, and the biggest hit singles that year was Los Lobos “La Bamba” and yes…Rick Astley’s enduring “Never Gonna Give You Up”.
