the infamous "meow gor"/leader of the "fat worm" gang

by Iris:

Since i have nooo school daddy keeps giving some boring "home-homework". I have to work in some thick book from 10:30-12:00. But sometimes 11:-12:00 if i stall time and eat really, really slowly.

"I am a cat." suddenly hit my ears while I was converting fractions to percentage. My dad was sitting diagonal from me and I looked at him rubbing his stomach. Not the "i'm hungry" kind of rub but he was like, massaging it or something. Which is a habit of his. I have to say, cats do not rub their stomachs, they lick them. But it seems like my father decided he would rather be a cat. My brother said that maybe he is trying to be "Meow Gor" from a TVB Series called Split Second, since my dad's hair is much alike Meow Gor's hair. (Meow Gor is from a made up mafia club.)


The next day after we had eaten lunch at Honolulu's, Elaine didn't have the house key so my dad had to open the door for us before he went to work. He ran to the door.

Elaine - "Run like a cat!"

After he had opened the door, he ran back out, but this time he put his hands up like paws and opened his mouth showing his teeth and roared, "MREOWR!", which sounded nothing like a cat. He even jumped into the air.

Alright, Elaine here.

So perhaps this is not the most constructive use of our time...but it was SO HILARIOUS that the Chau sisters had to share it with you. For disclosure's sake, we would like to say that we love our dad and he is actually a...um..."very cool guy". Sometimes, he even says "whazzup??" when he answers the phone....or just randomly to us. He enjoys eating peanuts, lo pau bein, luncheon meat, and leftovers. If he is a cat, he's one of those backalley cats, always lurking for food.

Oops...this is again not so edifying, huh?

Um...yes, he is a "very cool guy". He takes us out for lunch when he gets the time, likes the library, washes the dishes, and sings old folk songs. (I grew up listening to his..."special" renditions of Andy Williams and Engelbert Humperdinck(sp?) songs). "Moon River" is a favourite.

Elaine: Iris, what's good about Dad?
Iris: Um...um...*thinking hard*...*scratches head with index finger*
Elaine: Come on!
Iris: We can't tell him it took us so long to think of his good traits!

Well...Dad works really hard to keep this household going...and occasionally he even cooks a decent meal! (stress the occasionally)...and...he loves us. Even in his crazy "MREOWR" kind of way. And...that's all that matters. (Oh yeah, he makes us laugh too! And he has surely made YOU laugh now that we've shared this story with you.)

a contribution from the wombat (with my permission)

iris: "somebody is going to video tape you doing air guitar, air jazz piano, and high-screeching and i'll show it to all your friends and your reputation will be OVER!!!! muahahahaha!!!!!"

let's backtrack a little, shall we?

today was my last exam! hooray! for once, in a very long time, i feel like a burden has been lifted...my smile is stretching from ear to ear=)
the sis is hanging out in my room and i asked her what song she would like played. JACK JOHNSON, of course. Our current favourite is "The 3 R's" from the Curious George soundtrack...gwoood stuff.

you see, as some of you know(those privileged ones), i like to snoopy dance when i'm happy...but what i ALSO like to do is show off my awesome "air instrument" skills.

Ahhh...and therefore you just missed an awesome rendition of "The 3 R's" by the Chau sisters. Begins with a steady 4/4 beat, some stellar guitar riffs, and an AWESOME jazz piano solo in the middle. OH yeah, not to mention the quasi-rapping the song requires. Oh Jack Johnson, how we love you so.

anything else to say, iris?

iris: "what happened to my sister? she used to be normal."

that is all. want to encourage her to contribute to my blog more? let us know!

how precious is the flow...

i'm at a loss for words; my body is tired and my head is hurting.
the past little while has been constant running around, constant drive...my life sounds like a 6/8 song that demands rhythmic consistency from every instrument.
on this easter, a day where christ is risen, where we acknowledge the wonderful power of the cross, i'm at a loss of words.

it is a strange mixture of awe, emptiness, and desire for more than this life.

your blood speaks a better word than all the empty claims i've heard upon this earth
speaks righteousness for me, stands in my defense
jesus, it's your blood
what can wash away our sin, what can make us whole again
nothing but the blood of jesus
how precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow
no other fount i know
nothing but the blood of jesus...

christ's sacrifice, the greatest story ever told, continually astounds me as i ponder upon it. our atonement paid for, our ransom fulfilled...the "bad credit" we've accumulated for all of our lives simply made white as snow. as i stand in awe of this life restored for me, i cannot but come to terms with my own emptiness.

a friend told me the other night that the word "life" appears over forty times in the Word of God. Jesus was hinting all along that He alone is the life, the truth and the way...when we offer up our lives to Him...when we make the commitment to follow Him...what we in fact do is let Him live our lives. What does this look like? What does this mean?

the past term, i've had the fortune to learn about some amazing things. one particular moment struck me the most: in political economy of communication, chris (our prof) was talking about the emergence of silicon valley, and the working conditions of those who are considered "menial labour" in the info tech industry. the city core is the intellectual elite, the powerful and the rich, while fringe cities, like east palo alto, suffer the consequences of this segregation. the industry itself is racially segregated, with mostly hispanic and vietnamese working as "hard labour" (putting actual computer parts together) and the management being nearly all caucasian. the working conditions are dangerous; everyday hard labourers are exposed to hazardous chemicals and unsafe machines. near the end, we watched a documentary on this, and i could not help but cry. (to those who say that i cry all the time anyway...shut up!)

something clicked.

my heart hurt...i just didn't feel right. it's not like this is something new...many would say, "well, that kind of thing happens all the time...what's the big deal?"..
you know what? IT IS A BIG DEAL. i refuse to let other people's suffering not be a "big deal" and simply shake it off...this kind of "conscience nudging" should always be felt.
at the end of the class, as koo and i were walking to the bus stop...we couldn't help but talk about what we had learned. she said something along the lines of "this sucks. all that we study...it's depressing. it all seems hopeless"...i nodded my head...and surely she was right. everything that we have been studying so far has been fairly... "depressing"...but maybe this is also God calling us towards something.

"all we can do...is to do our part and try to change something. it doesn't have to be big, it doesn't have to be lavish...but just something. if we don't, that's on our own asses", i said to her...which propelled us to discuss further about what that change means.

i think what we concluded with...was that this field of study is a way in which God is molding us. how can we, as Christians, having committed to carrying the cross, not help bear the burden of what we have learned? the inequities, injustice, consequences of our capitalist society...cannot just be "shaken off".

to be continued...

contemplation

maybe there is something greater
something more to aspire to
than what the heart can do

the awkwardness of a reciprocated glance
the anticipation of meeting

maybe there is something greater
than what the mind can contain

theorizing concepts
synthesizing multiple thoughts into something coherent

maybe this "something greater" need no aspiration
no brilliance, no hard work
maybe it is of grace that flows and overwhelms the soul
it is love of another kind
compassion beyond the limits of physical hearts and minds

it can't be gained, and therefore can't be lost
the laws of man cannot even fathom its existence
it is what saves us from ourselves
our wretched, selfish, overdramatic selves

and in a humble whisper,
ever so quiet and ever so loving
it tells us that maybe
just maybe
there is something greater beyond what our hearts and minds too often desire