Yes I keep forgetting this blog exists!
That is because I have like five other blogs which I started for the hell of it. Who keeps blogs nowadays? Especially with social media. There’s so much going on!
Let’s see... let me figure out how to post a photo...
Today I went to 行山 for the 清明 festival. My two daughters went with me. The son have moved to Seattle. The OL is at work. We got the flowers at Trader Joe’s.
This year marks the fortieth year since my father passed away. It’s been sixteen years since my mother passed away.
Not a day goes by where I don’t think of them. And grateful for their accomplishments in their lives.
This is my 契爺 , godfather. He passed away when I was like eight or nine. Like many Chinese men in America in the 1950’s when I was growing up, they lived their lives as single men and living in SRO apartment I recall on Montgomery Street by Pacific Avenue.
He took us as his godson’s. I remember him as a really nice man and brought and treated us to many things and places. He was not a rich man but I think he may have willed all his money to us when he passed away. My parents took care of his burial and I’m sure a promise of tending to his grave after he was long gone. My parents always visited his grave during Qing Ming. Here I am carrying on the tradition.
Hope my kids will also carry on the tradition.
This is me doing my tiger fork form in Chinatown back in 1985. Thirty four years ago. I was thirty two years old. BM. Did things began going downhill AM? That came two years later.
It became harder to find the time to practice. The kids came. The OL gave me hell taking time to go perform for the sifu. And of course with less practice my form get worst. I was really hoping my son would get into it in order for me to keep up the practice. But you know the saying... you can only lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
My arthritic knee doesn’t help neither. I feel I still have a bit of qi though.
Table number 8 at San Wo is not at a good location... it is right by the toilet. It’s like if someone takes a dump, then opens the door afterwards to come out, it’s like P U! Too bad... the number eight is a very lucky number in Chinese. It’s synonymous with prosperity. I used to enjoy sitting at table number eight at the old Sam Wo.
Here I am at the old Sam Wo probably seven years ago sitting by table number eight. Notice the eight is upside down. Upside down in Chinese 倒，which is synonymous with arrive 到。 prosperity has arrived! Get it?
Well... at the new Sam Wo I told Julie to make sure the 8 is upside down. Which she did. But some nosey tourist flipped back upright. and it’s been that way ever since.
