Finding Angle of Repose

It took me nearly a year to finish reading Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose, a novel of 632 pages published in 1971. The reason for my slow reading is manifold.

The subject matter is complex, with minor themes like East coast vs. West coast, traditional values vs. 70s cultural rebellion, marriage vs. individual desire, success vs. failure, loyalty vs. betrayal, etc. But Jackson J. Benson has pointed out in his 2000 Introduction, that there is a main theme running through, namely, how we as a people, or more accurately cultural transplants, define ourselves in this new land, and what we have actually inherited.

The book starts at Grass Valley, California with Lyman Ward, the grandson and a retired historian. Right after being diagnosed with a rare bone disease and having had a leg amputated, he is abandoned by his wife. Defying the fate of being helpless and useless, Lyman decides to organize hundreds of letters written by his grandmother to her good friend Augusta from 1876 to 1891, with a plan to write a biography. Hiring a schoolgirl from Berkeley as his secretary, he manages to reconstruct his grandmother's life, and allows us to look into the inner world of a 19th century American woman artist and writer, Susan Burling Ward (based on the real person of Mary Hallock Foote). Uprooted from Milton, and Brooklyn, New York to marry a mining engineer, she move around, from New Almaden, Santa Cruz (California), Leadville (Colorado), Michoacán (Mexico), Boise Canyon, the Mesa (Idaho) and finally back to the Zodiac Cottage in Grass Valley.

The web of complex relationships is a factor that, at times, hindered my reading. During the investigation of his grandmother's life through illustrated letters, Lyman also discovers the complicated relationship between his grandparents, his father with his parents, his own with his son and ex-wife, and his ambiguous feeling towards his secretary. Grandma breaks something she cannot mend by falling in love with her husband's assistant at the expense of losing three family members, namely, the drowning of her youngest daughter and lifelong estrangement of both son and husband. Such a tragedy is reenacted in Lyman's lifetime. His own wife Ellen elopes with his surgeon who has amputated his leg.

What makes the reading endurable is the very courage many characters have demonstrated to choose to live on and complete their life journey despite their flaws and mistakes. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, Lyman and his grandmother accept their misfortune with courage, and live a parallel life with the rest of the world by finding and maintaining a perfect angle of repose, even though it might take half a century to do so.

After Bohemian Rhapsody

Last Saturday afternoon, Paul and I celebrated his birthday by going to CineLux Capitola Cafe & Lounge to see the just released Bohemian Rhapsody. It is a truly visual treat to enjoy musicals on a big screen and theater quality audio. It is our second wonderful experience since Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Unlike Mike Myers who is deeply rooted in his Liverpool family ties and has grown up with playing Rhapsody with his two brothers, I knew very little about the legendary Farrokh Bulsara, more famously known as Freddie Mercury, of Queen. In a little over two hours of seeing the film, I became not only impressed by his path to stardom, but more importantly, fascinated with his determination to do good things in life. 

It is understandable to be intoxicated with success; it is also normal to argue or even fight with family members, for this is what family is supposed to do, as Freddie stated on the eve of the 1985 Live Aid Concert. But whenever a critical moment comes, the family needs to put their heads together by combining their strength and talents to perform important tasks in front of them. Queen did so more than 33 years ago at the Live Aid concert in London!
 

 

Courtesy of http://flavorwire.com/609931/watch-rami-malek-perform-queens-live-aid-set-as-freddie-mercury

Brother Ying Visting Santa Cruz In October

I always think that October is a golden month of the year. While the weather is perfect, people like to visit places far and near before winter sets in. The last few years, we usually spent part of October and November in New York while my sister was out of town with her husband. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze has become the center of our activities on the east coast.

This October we are staying home after a number of trips completed earlier in the year, alone but not lonely with a string of friends and family members' weekend visits. Last weekend right after Nick and Leni settled down Friday night, Ying drove in Saturday at noon. We enjoyed one of the most relaxing (or exhausting) and enlightening weekends, chatting at home, going out to Riva for an early dinner, and driving along East Cliff, and through Capitola Village. The waves were big enough to let Ying see surfers riding waves all the way to the end, while the sea lions at the wharf greeted us with their deep roaring or happy snoring. Ying was especially happy to see them again as a constant symbol of Santa Cruz. Instantly, we felt fortunate to have them as our permanent neighbors. They do seem to prefer their relaxed residence here over Monterey.

As dusk set in, Ying needed to leave early next morning.for his annual conference in Vancouver. We all felt kind of sad to say Goodbye. For little Leni, the sea lions and Ying fascinated her no end. She was shy at the beginning, but towards the end we had a hard time tearing her away from either. She won the hearts of both. Ying, Paul and Nick exchanged tech tips and life experience all afternoon, which helped me to reach a certain equilibrium after hearing about his real reason to leave IBM. It seems that, more often than not, our decision making process is not based totally on common good, but can be affected by the personal and racial preferences of others, which is a universal phenomenon. With such a strong force confronting us, every one of us has to find a way to cope, or will be crushed.

After seeing Ying's car disappear around the corner, we were comforted by the smiling faces of Nick and Leni. Next Friday, Joe is coming, Sunday Debbie is visiting. Too busy to dwell on anything, unfortunately.

We Saw Crazy Rich Asians

Yesterday noon, my brother-in-law drove us (Paul, my sister and I) in his shining black BMW X5 to see Crazy Rich Asians in Cortlandt Town Center. After securing our tickets, and about an hour and half's time to spare, we were treated to a King Buffet lunch.

Courtesy of Cosmopolitan

According to the ticket boy, the movie was no longer quite as hot as its first weekend. Nonetheless, we found Theater 6 quite full at 1:30 pm when commercials started. The audience consisted chiefly of the curious elderly and young generations for Crazy Rich Asians, book 1 in Kevin Kwan's Rich novels series.

I was prepared to see an updated edition of The Joy Luck Club, or a modern version of a dragon lady. To a great extent, the show does not disappoint me: there is a mahjong game, and there are several dragon ladies, Nick's mother Eleanor in particular. She is an Oxford-educated modern woman, but because of traditional values, she has totally given up her academic ambitions by taking care of family affairs, husband and a pair of children. But she is always the number two choice, due to her humble family background. Seeing almost a carbon copy, or worse, of herself in Rachel Chu, she cannot help but discourage the young woman from becoming her daughter-in-law.

What Eleanor fails to anticipate is that today's Cinderellas are stronger than ever before. If Megan Markell can celebrate her first 100 married days with Prince Harry in Britain, Rachel can be proposed to by Nick Young of Singapore. A woman's humble origin is no longer a roadblock, but a badge of honor, as long as they have beauty or intellect. Those young millennials, real or fictitious, are entering royal palaces, and super-rich families. It is a brave new world!

Eventful Autumn (多事之秋）

Usually autumn or fall is eventful, but even more so for year 2018. January saw the departure of Lew, while March witnessed the passing of Bob. On the morning of August 17th, they were joined by our grand-nephew Calloway. The eventfulness has not stopped with the departure of dear friends and relatives, but is extended to frequent family trips due to illness and accident.

In the face of challenging events, every family member has rallied and contributed their utmost to help each other by bringing food, calling, visiting, expressing sympathies and support. More importantly, everybody has displayed their amazing flexibility and perseverance. To a certain degree, it is comforting to know that the little grand-nephew is in good company!

Back to Elliot Way and Fireflies Soon

In a week, we are returning to Elliot Way and fireflies.

It has been a stormy month since we came back at the beginning of July. A few weeks ago, my sister suffered from a bicycle accident with internal head bleeding, left shoulder dislocating and wrist injury. Weeks later she is still waiting for the final OK from her surgeon to perform her wrist surgery. Her being out of commission has rallied a big team of family members and friends to take care of Mother's evening feeding. We are all speechless by the generosity and friendship after a calamity.

At home front, events have occurred with equally fierce force. Three cars were all serviced at Monterey Bay Automotive in July. As if one visit was not enough, RAV4 broke down on August 1st. To avoid a car-less inconvenience, Paul drove himself to Costco to replace a new battery. In the midst of storm, family and friends did not forget my birthday: I had dinner out three days in a row!

Next Thursday after changing shift with Sarah after her vacation back, we will be on our way east. Sensitive Chippy has already sniffed the change in the air, following and looking at us with her helpless resignation. I feel really bad but at the same time longing for the newly renovated Elliot Way and those fireflies, if they still hang out in the dusk.

Greeted by Elliot Way and Fireflies

After taking care of Mama around 8:20 pm, Paul and I headed for Croton-on-Hudson Landing. Two hours’ crispy evening rain just stoppped and scrubbed the sky and land clean. Once the car was parked at the entrance, we started to walk along the Hudson River. Old familiar memories flooded back to us. All of a sudden, we felt we had never left since last fall.

It is apparently untrue, for the former Elliot Way, fragmented and under construction then, is now complete, with a long wide walkway flanked with silver steel rails. There are no overhead street lamps. The lighting is from a straight stream of low lights shone inside supporting poles of the riverside rail. The pavement is unique too, with the black color on both ends, and light-colored wood patterned concrete in the middle. Gone are the days when we had to dash cautiously through that treaterous stretch in order to go to the Croton Landing and beyond.

It was getting darker, a perfect time for nocturnal creatures to come out and play. Paul spotted a firefly and was overjoyed, for the number of fireflies has reduced drastically recent years, due to environmental pollution and degradation. “Wish I could catch one firefly tonight,” he said. His wish was duly fulfilled. On our way back, we saw hundreds of fireflies in and on top of tresss, bushes, and tall milkweeds on both sides a swamp. One of them was caught. Paul gingerly showed me its light inside his fist. The creature was pretty calm, letting him photograph both upside and bottom of its tiny body, stretching its little paws out to have a stable grip on the palm. Having finished its photo session,  it flew away to do what it had planned to do. “Be careful, next time. Don’t be too trusting,” we prayed at the same time.

An hour and half later, we completed our round trip and returned to Hui’s, happy and satisfied, to take Nick’s FaceTime call.

Neary Lagoon Goats in 2018

Hundreds of goats have come to Neary Lagoon again this year until their cleaning job is done. I paid them three visits during the period of June 12-19, 2018, twice by myself and once with Paul. I still wish I had more time to spend with them.

Like before, this year's goats are diligent and mindful of their work, with the bigger ones snacking on juicier roots, with the little ones picking on slender grass. They are very quiet, napping, chewing, or meandering through crowds to find the water troughs at the far end, or looking for their lost mothers or kids.

Unlike before, the number of goats seemed to be doubled, with many hundreds of them altogether this time, which has made the wild grass and plants on both sides of the wood ramp disappear more dramatically. Left are only a few tall thorny stalks and the occasional empty discarded beer can, wherever those goats have been.

This year, there were numerous kids, with their tolerant, nursing mothers nearby. If lost, they would bleat out long and sad for their mamas. Sometimes, you would hear mothers call out for their kids, with a very distinctive and persistent sound.

Goats are peaceful by nature, which is why a passerby could hardly notice the hundreds of goats nearby. On our June 15th visit, Paul and I did witness a horn-bashing between two adult goats over a fat plant root. But the fight was short and bloodless, with the original owner triumphantly walking away holding its lawfully gained prize in its mouth. We both gave a sighed of relief for their peace loving nature.

Two sides of the ramp are yellow and empty, which signals the imminent departure of the industrious goats. We will miss them, and hope to see them this time next year, with Elena!  

Galilean Moons 400 and More Years Later

Last Saturday evening, Paul and I visited Capitola Village after celebrating Jim's 70th birthday at Lee and Judy's and a quick in-and-out purchase of BBQ accessories at Home Depot.

As it was a Memorial Day weekend, the village was hustling and bustling with both locals and out-of-town visitors, with very few parking spaces available. In front of our space by the Esplanade, stood our guy from the Santa Cruz Astronomy Club, demonstrating to interested passersby live images captured by his gigantic telescope. I was ready to walk away, not totally impressed, thinking that I had seen it all before. Paul asked me to stop and have a new look into the telescope. To my true surprise, I saw our Moon accompanied not by Jupiter alone, but its four largest moons, Lo, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto all neatly strung like jewels along the same orbital plane. Collectively they are called the Galilean moons.

 Courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galilean_moons

According to the man from ites of Jupiter in 1610, with his improved telescope of 20 times magnifying capability. Unfortunately, his discovery of celestial bodies orbiting something other than Earth, and outspoken support of heliocentrism gave rise not only to an outcry from the Geocentric, or Ptolemaic world view, but also to his ultimate trial and condemnation by the Roman Catholic Inquisition in 1633. He was excommunicated for hundreds of years for his scientific findings, even though 359 years later in 1992 Pope John Paul II declared that Galileo was right, before the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

That was the price for Galileo Galilei to speak the truth in 1610. What about now?

Courtesy of http://astronomy.nju.edu.cn/~lixd/GA/AT4/AT411/IMAGES/AACHCTR0.JPG

A Fully Lived Sunday

Probably inspired by another magnificent royal wedding the day before, we had lived one of the fullest Sundays the following day. From the moment I woke up around 10:45 Sunday morning, I was rushed to get ready on an ongoing 15 minutes' deadline. After 12:15 pm when the deadline was finally expired, Paul drove us both to 24 Hour Fitness. As soon as our exercise routine was done, we crossed Soquel Avenue to join the 49th anniversary of Staff of Life Natural Foods party. There were lots of people milling around various demo canopies. Some of them were extremely popular, attracting many faithful spectators with giveaways of their unique shopping bags, large and small. Garden of Life is one of them. Dozens gave away all sorts of gifts by asking people to spin the wheel. A nursery exhibitor from Monterey even provided people with live plants. We were gifted three baby artichoke plants, even though we had no idea how to plant them.

More than half the booths let visitors sample their vegetables, chips and dips, ice creams and Mochi rice cake, health supplements, drinks, and of course, cheeses and wines. While sitting on a curb to enjoy barbecued beef and chicken meatballs, Paul filled out two free raffle tickets for a grand prize of a Weber Grill displayed in the store for many days prior to the party. I was so busy eating that I just caught a glance of our phone number being written down on the slips.

We met a few friends or acquaintances there, including Fran and Lillian, and Grant Wilson. As it was after 3:00 pm, close to Hui's daily calling time, we decided to leave the party, heavily loaded with both free gifts and food. "I will be back," Paul said half-jokingly.

Hui did call once we got home. While chatting, I heard a call coming in. Since I did not know too well how to deal with the function of call waiting, I tried to ignore it. Paul rushed in the room and picked up the call. It turned out that it was from Staff of Life and Paul was the final winner of the Weber Grill, the largest and most lusted-after item at the party. Thus we are qualified as a Weber family, in fact doubly so, as Nick already owns an identical grill at his home.

Once the grill was wheeled into the side-yard under the eves, the Golden State Warriors started earnestly to compete with the Houston Rockets. Perhaps also inspired by the Duke and Duchess, the Warriors won a decisive home game with a score of 126 to 85. Since the day was still young, Paul planted the three artichokes in the front yard, with the roses, accompanied by rabbit and frog ceramic figures for company.

Around 9:30 pm, Paul drove us out to East Cliff to spot the passage of the ISS (International Space Station). The sky was clear and shimmering with stars, three heavenly bodies, the moon, Jupiter and Venus, and a constant stream of airplanes. At exactly 9:47 pm, ISS appeared on the horizon, top of the trees and proceeded to pass directly above our heads. It stayed with us for nearly 7 minutes, until winking out of sight at a distance of over 900 miles. It was amazingly bright and straight on course. For some reason I was happy to be alive.

Before going to bed, we chipped away at the middle episode of NSU German History X on Netflix. It was such a waste of life both on the parts of predators and victims. Fascism, in the name of national socialism and the fiction of a pure Aryan breed, is the root of true evil. What a program to end an inspiring day!

After Darkest Hour

Courtesy of electricbento.com.

With Suzette's high recommendation, Paul and I finally watched Darkest Hour (2017). It was such a powerful film that we were speechless for a long time. The impact afterwards was even more dramatic. For some reason, I could not get out of my head the ending quote from Winston Churchill, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

The quote revisited me in the final week for the application of Manager position at Technical Services. I felt a little guiltily and cowardly for not taking any action, for I had been prepared for it for decades, just as Churchill was ready for the role of Prime Minister. After reexamining the local political landscape, and especially after consulting with several great friends/colleagues of mine, I finally reaffirmed my earlier resolution. It is not a world war, with no immediate threat of life and death, but pathetic obstacles on the path of one's professional career. We have to remind ourselves that inaction sometimes can also be an eloquent way of showing courage by resisting the temptation of leading a bureaucratic life. Please remember that Churchill also said that, "Sure I am of this, that you have only to endure to conquer. You have only to persevere to save yourselves, and to save all those who rely upon you. You have only to go right on, and at the end of the road, be it short or long, victory and honor will be found."

The above is my thought process after Darkest Hour.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/winston_churchill_124653

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/winston_churchill_124653

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/winston_churchill_124653

Fateful & Fierce March

Little had I anticipated that March 2018 would be a such a fateful and fierce month, with the loss of two great men in my life: March 2nd witnessed the passing of Robert (Bob) Reedy in his sleep in Dallas, while March 14th saw the death of Stephen Hawking.

To get to know Bob, it was a gradual process. At the beginning, Paul introduced him to me when he was describing his family members. Together with Paul, I was invited to attend his middle daughter's first wedding, which turned out to be an stormy event with eventual divorce and the subsequent departures of two grandmothers.

The following year, Paul and I were married. To congratulate us on our wedding, Bob took us, along with a pair of his younger children, bearing wedding gifts from Texas, to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. I was so moved by his sincerity and goodwill. Who, besides my own parents, would come all this way to honor us? Our relationship increased more dramatically after Nick’s arrival in the States in July 1997. He suggested Nick’s name, and painstakingly cultivated an immersive environment for Nick by inviting us to Dallas several summers in a row with the Hamills and the Daltons. That’s one of the reasons Nick could manage his first few years in the States so well, living a normal life, and then establishing his own family in later years.

Bob always struck me as a loving and proud husband, son, father, uncle and friend. I have been impressed with his love for his family by going all out for them, such as making his scrumptious brunches with famous "Bob Eggs" and fruit salads. At he same time, he held his firm standards by encouraging and welcoming the younger generations in their academic achievements and professional careers.

I was aware of physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking in an abstract way, since physics is not my field. Paul recommended him on many occasions, such as his works on the union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, his ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), and his life after ALS. It is in the film The Theory of Everything that I grew to know Hawking more concretely. I was touched by his brilliance, perseverance, resilience and, most important of all, his sense of humor, which endeared him to people worldwide.

Unlike many celebrities, he reached out to people with his easygoing smile and speeches. He has made science their good friend, not formidable foe. Unlike some of us depressed from illness, Hawking managed, despite his wheelchair, to live a full and fulfilled life, which requires an iron will! To a great extent, his disabilities made him even more human.

Happy Birthday, Alverda!

Yesterday evening, Paul and I picked up Alverda at her daughter's on the westside.  Unlike our usual birthday dinners with Donna and Pam, who both happened to be unwell, we three were going to have a birthday dinner together at Ristorante Italiano.

On the eve of becoming 88 years old today, Alverda, with the help of a walker and cane, was sharp mentally about her nemesis in Santa Cruz, her forthcoming book on Davenport (part of Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing), and her cruise plans with her niece, after the book. Apparently she was extremely proud of her high achieving daughters, grandsons and a soon to be born great granddaughter.

We have known Alverda Orlando since May 1996, when I started to substitute for Santa Clara County Library. I was moving from Berkeley to Santa Cruz while Alverda had just retired from Santa Cruz Public Library. Together with two other women, we four started our three-day training workshop. One morning in the parking lot of the Cupertino Library, Paul asked if afterwards, Alverda could give me a lift to Santa Cruz and she said "Yes," which started our unusual commuting and friendship.

During the two decades' time Alverda has been like a grandmother to Nick, and a family friend and mentor to both Paul and me. Together, we have undergone many good times and setbacks, but in the end we are sitting together, enjoying our meat sauce ravioli and spaghetti and meatballs, and ice cream.

Happy Birthday, Alverda. Marching forward to your 90s, since you have just renewed your contract with God.

Lew in Sentinel

An obituary for Lewis Gene Weinstein (1934-2018) was published in Santa Cruz Sentinel today, after his passing on 1/17/2018. It traces his life, such as his childhood, education, independent but private personality, successful career in social work, and final retirement life in Aptos, California.

While reading it, I could not help but think about my life since June 1996 back in Santa Cruz. I remember that Lew was so excited he told Paul that he was going to hike and garden with us. At his guidance, we planted two kinds of gladioli, pink and deep red, along the fence of our residence at 1842. That summer Paul and I were rewarded with many splashes of colors. Later, we dug out some bulbs for our own house at 1887. Surprisingly, one of the transplanted pinks gladioli bloomed last June after more than two decades' dormancy in the ground.

We ended up not hiking one single day together after all. Lew was just retired from his part-time consultation work whereas I had a family to support, by becoming a substitute librarian for both Santa Clara County Library, and San Jose State Library for 1.5 years, and working full time for DIALOG for another 1.5 years, until the company was relocated from Mountain View to North Carolina.

During the chaotic period of job loss, and new job hunting, Lew was with us 100%. He took care of Nick in his Aptos home while Paul and I were in Cary, training new teams. When a duplex became available on our same street, he immediately came and asked us to let Joe and Linda, our realtors, put our names on the top of their list. He also recommended to us his capable loan officer, so as to make Paul and my combined income work for the house loan. With his wise advice, our family savings and support, we got our dream home in August, 1998. It is truly sad to see that Lew, the instrumental friend, is no longer with us.

One of the lessons Lew taught us is be confident, and independent. During my nearly two decades' service at Santa Cruz Public, I have run into many a familiar mortal coil, and bully in the workplace. With justice and law on our side, I have dealt with one difficult situation after another, and manged to speak my own mind and serve the public fairly and equally, which is borne out by my 9 papers and one monograph.

Thank you, Lew! Rest in Peace.

   

Mass for Jim King

Yesterday at 11:00 am, Paul and I met in the library parking lot, and then walked together to Holy Cross Church to attend a Wednesday Mass for our friend, Jim King.

The presiding pastor's sermon zoomed in on one word, JUSTICE, to describe the life and work of James Moore King (July 30, 1943-November 11, 2017). Jim was one of those lawyers who seeks justice in the courtroom, as a way of life, as a whole. His sense of justice was for a vision of peace on earth. That’s what Jim was: thirsty for justice. That’s the way Jim lived his life.

The pastor also pointed out that justice, death, and freedom were a metaphor for human relationship, moving to the life of other people. He emphasized listening, truly listening, and genuinely listening, which enables human relationships. He also stated that Death could also be served as a bond for bringing people together, for there was someone more important for the time being. It was a one on one relationship.

After the mass, the King family invited all guests to a lunch in the Church Hall. The immediate family focused on the quarter century marriage between Jim and Sharon, whereas his long time friend Bernard recalled a series of worthy and mutual causes shared by himself and Jim. Together they won remarkable cases with local governments. To them, winning was not all about money, but the principle.

I did not stay to the end of lunch, due to many office tasks awaiting me. On my walk back, I could not help but recall the first time I saw Jim King one spring Friday evening in 1989. Dr. Vivian Sobchack brought both Jim and Paul to Porter College to see an ongoing art exhibit there. Jim was very witty with his slightly tipsy pink face and sparking eyes, which never dimmed hence. Jim relished reading the local newspaper Santa Cruz Sentinel, and never missed anything. If Paul and I happened to have a piece in it that day, he would invariably make a point that we had been noticed, when we chanced to meet him downtown. We never got to see Jim regularly ever since he sold his house on the West Side, and eventually moved out of Santa Cruz to Arcata.

During the lunch, his younger stepson talked about his initial sternness as a stepfather. Such sternness was apparently transformed into a gentle reminder whenever he saw Nick, "Stay with school, as long as you can."
 

A Time for Everything: Pauli Is One-Month-Old

      1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
      2 A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
      3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.
      4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.
      5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to
         shun embracing.
      6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.
      7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.
      8 A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.
      9 What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?   
     10 I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

 Looking back at our life in last two months' time, we cannot help feeling how truly Ecclesiastes 3 has reflected what we have gone through recently. On 15 December 2017, we celebrated the wedding of Wendy and Peter; on 20 December, we greeted the birth of Pauli. On 15 January 2018 we mourned the passing of Lew.

It is a busy time quickened by the fast pace of digital age. We need to slow down, taste and live every moment thoroughly. Or everything will go like a blurring blink.