The phone rang

The phone rang and it was from overseas. My wife answered the phone and after 10 minutes, her voice began to rush like the melting ice flowing in to the great river. The news wasn't good and needless to say we may not be spending Christmas together as a family for the first time. She had to make a trip back home to Hong Kong. Her father health is deteriorating and will be undergoing some additional cancer treatments. The prognosis is a big unknown. My son came home from school and he knew from our faces that something was wrong. He quietly played by himself with his trains in his room leaving mommy and daddy alone. Mommy was worried for grandpa's health and grandma's heart. Later that evening, mommy decided to check on our little boy but she found him kneeling by his bed. He was praying for Grandpa.

Hope Video

I want Milk

Is it 8:30AM or PM?.. and I'm STILL in bed after a few sleepless restless hours due to bad food. Thank God, it's AM. I do feel a little better than I did yesterday, but I just don't want to get up. I need a cup of daddy milk (term coined by my son which refers to coffee) to keep my eyes open and my brain charge. It's raining outside, and I know I have to clean up the room - and vacuum the rest of the house. I really don't mind doing it. It's just the 'getting started' part I don't like.

In Hong Kong all the reports from the latest MRI shows progress upon grandpa's recent bout with brain cancer and he is recovering slowly. Despite his illness, grandpa is still recommending grandma and mommy on where to buy milk for the little grandson. He seems determined to find the right milk for him. Our little guy seems to have developed a very selective taste toward milk in Hong Kong. I guess it's because the milk there is not as fresh tasting as the ones here. As funny as it sounds, there are simply no cows in Hong Kong. There's barely enough room for humans and let alone cows. All the milk comes from the northern border in China. As a result, grandpa's refrigerator is full of unwanted different kinds of branded milk and now just two more days, my wife and son will be heading back home here in the States. Right now, they are busy shopping up a storm in Hong Kong. My wife has decided to boost the local economy in Hong Kong and claims it will have a spiral effect toward US economy since it's a GLOBAL economy. I threathen to change the ATM card code but she was several steps quicker than me.

The recent earthquake and numerous aftershocks have spurred a daily breaking news on the local Hong Kong TV's. My son's eyes have been glued to the recent imageries of building collapses and the damages this natural disaster has caused. A few stories really caught our attention and made us realize how fortunate we are but yet we still take things for granted. How short lived our time can be in an instant. One of the stories was about a group of nine friends who saw the devastation on TV decided to pack up their cars full of food and supplies and made the 10 hour drive to deliver the aids. It's been over 20 days and people say these 9 friends are still there doing whatever they can to help.



The body of a woman was found trapped under the rubbles of a building, one of the hardest hit areas. Her knees were on the ground and her hands pushed up against her body. A rescuer checked her pulse through a crack and confirmed she was dead. He banged on the rubbles and called out a few times, just to see if there was any sign of life. He got no reply. When he was just about to move on, he suddenly realized something. He quickly came back to the woman, checked again under her body. He felt a baby. After much effort, rescuers found a 3 or 4-month old baby wrapped in a red and yellow blanket, laying unharmed under his mom's dead body. He was still sleeping quietly when he was found.

A doctor immediately checked the boy. He then found a cell phone stuck inside the baby's blanket. There was a short message on the screen: "Dear babe, if you could live on, you must remember that I loved you."



Another story involves a female cop with a local Sichuan county who just gave birth to a son less than 6 months ago.

After the quake, many babies lost their parents, and some moms were seriously injured and couldn't take care of their own babies. The first and second floor of a local Hospital have been designated to care for these earthquake babies. Volunteer moms care for them 24 hours, talk to them, clean them and feed them. Saddened by the cryings of these lonesome babies, this female cop name Jiang was determined to help more.

She said: "I'm going to breast feed these babies!" The news that someone is providing breastfeeding spread around fast. Many people lined up for the service. In one picture posted, Jiang was seen feeding two babies at the same time, while she gently talked to a baby: "Eat slowly, baby, good boy..."

After watching this news story, my son decided to finish all the milk in the refrigerator along with some help from mommy and use the 18 hour flight back home to count his blessings. He also said, he wanted to go to Si Chuan and BOOM BOOM away the earthquake. He also wanted to buy the victims shoes and Kentucky Fried chicken. I am glad at a tender age of almost 5, he was able to make a lesson in all of these sadness.

The tree at the edge of Heaven

It was another trip to the airport and this time instead of myself flying off, it's our little boy along with his mommy. It's the first time for mommy taking our little almost five years old very energetic boy across the pacific to visit his gramps by themselves. The flight time alone is almost 19 hours long with the first stop in Narita, Japan then after a 3 hours lay-over their journey continues on a different flight for another 4 hours before they arrived in Hong kong. The first leg of the trip will take up to fourteen hours and Mommy is stuck with a very easily bored little boy. She had anxieties just thinking about this first fourteen hours. They will be stuck in tight quarters and she would have to come up with things to distract or entertain this little guy. Mommy was quite creative and directed me to wake up very early the day of the flight. I was in charge of getting our little boy tired so that he would be willing to sleep on the plane. On the day of the flight, I woke up at 5.30am and proceeded to wake our little boy up. It's 5.45am, our little boy still have not gotten up but nervous mommy sure did. Finally, I had to enticed him with yummy breakfast buritos at the local breakfast diner in order to get him to open his first eye. The second eye finally open when I mentioned hash browns and by the time I mentioned Chocolate Milk, he was already dress all by himself. After breakfast, we went to the park and play a little catch foorball. I play both quarterback and cornerback while he was the wide receiver. I threw him the ball then chased him down and tackle him.....He loves it! After several throws and tackles, he looked tired and I was almost dead! We went home to a shower and then we were off to the airport to catch the noon flight out.

Mommy had to make this trip because Grandpa was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. Fortunately the cancer was detected at a very early stage. He is expected to make a full recovery but couldn't escaped the rigors of a new form of Chemo Therapy. Mommy wanted to bring the eating machine little boy to Hong Kong to serve as comfort therapy. She wanted to cheer grandpa on during this month of daily chemo therapy treatments. Mommy even bought matching caps for the hairless grandpa and grandson.

Upon returning home, I found myself wondering around the empty hallways and rooms in our house. I went down to the kitchen to fix myself lunch and found a new kind of freedom I didn't have. I was able to eat anything I want. No one there to tell me this is not good for you or no one there to eat my food outright! I was all alone and loving it. For the first time in our seven-year marriage I was single again. I was by myself. The first day of being single quickly ended as the night fell. I was out like a zombie since I had to wake up so early and play tag football with my little boy.

I woke up the next day, ate my self-made breakfast and went to work. Normally, I would have a few phone calls throughout the day from either from my wife or my mischievous little son who loves to prank call daddy. I didn't get any phone calls and soon it was time to go home again. I got home and the hall ways were still empty. I didn't hear the clamoring voice of my son playing with the neighborhood kids or my wife asking me to do something. It was just me. Alone.

I haven't been single for more than seven years. I suddenly find myself with TIME. When I go home, I have to ask myself, what am i going to do....

In these moments of quiet time as I wondered through the noiseless hall ways of our home, I remembered reading to the little guy several months ago and it was the book titled the Giving Tree. The tree and the boy became best friends. The tree always provided the boy with what he wanted: branches to swing from, shade to sit under, apples to snack on, branches to build a house. As the boy grew older and older he required more and more of the tree. The tree loved the boy very much and gave him anything he asked for. In the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, the tree let the boy cut her down so the boy could build a boat in which he could sail across the vast sea. The boy left the tree, now a stump. Many years later, the boy, now an old man, returned and the tree said "I have nothing left to give you". The boy replied that all he needed was a quiet place to sit and rest as he awaited the inevitable. The tree happily obliged.

Tears fall in our lives like leaves from a tree. There are seasons of joy and seasons of solitude to come. Although it is temporary at this moment since they will be back in a month, it is bound that one day we too shall give it our all. The tree is at the edge of heaven overlooking the distant plain hoping it will grow wings like angels or hoping it won't step a foot further and falls off heaven.

Gee...am I sad or what?? I better go to the airport and buy myself a ticket now! Man!!..being single is tougher than I thought.

It rreeeally HURTS!

As you may know, my son has been in and out of the hospital for the past 12 months. The early symptoms of his Nephrotic Syndrome relapse seems to start with a stomachache followed by lost of appetite and then lost of energy or sluggishness. Edema begins next around his facial area, his urine begins to look foamy and by now, he is pretty much not doing anything besides laying on the couch waiting for our doctor to call for approval to be admitted in to the hospital. This is basically his routine prior to being admitted in to the hospital.

At the hospital, he's given full attention by the nurses, doctors and of course his very worried parents. Anything he asked for, he would pretty much get it. If he wants ice-cream, then ice-cream it is that he will get. If he wants to play computer online games or watch a certain tv program, he would get it. He basically receives a full ride when he gets sick.



When he is well and at home, he's been given responsibilities and chores just like any other normal kid. One of his responsibilities is to set up the eating utensils each time before a meal.

Over The last few days, he's been complaining about having stomach pains when it is approaching lunch or dinner time. Other than his complaining at these particular times, he did not show any other symptoms. So, I decided to test him out to see whether he was for real or just pretending.

Mom: It's dinner time, Somebody needs to set the table.
Son: ...eerrrr.....I am not feeling well.
Dad: What's wrong son
Son: It hurts..
Dad: Where son, are you ok?
Son: Mmmm...It hurts..
Dad: Where does it hurt? Is it here(Pointing to the head, eye, hand, butt, nose and then feet and purposely don't point to the stomach)
Son: No..here..Dad.. here
Dad: Where?? Is it here? (Pointing at the all wrong places again..)
Son: No No NO..here.. IT hurts here
Dad: O you mean, you are hurting here..pointing above his abdomen area on purpose.
Son: (Getting agitated) NO NO NO NO NO NO...Here...tummy tummy.(circling around his tummy with his palm)..
Dad: O I see. Then we need to go the hospital right now and you need to get poked!
Son: ....(hesitating)...hmm...It's ok dad, it hurts only a little bit.
Dad: But we must be careful, we need to go now. Mommy get the keys!
Son: I am hungry..
Dad: You are hungry or hurting?
Son: I am hungry and hurting and I am tired. I can't move well.
Dad: (Forced to use the ultimate Scheme and it works each time) Ok son, why don't you rest first and daddy will help you set up the table.
Son: Thanks dad.
Dad: O..you want to play your favorite online game Nickjr?
Son: (Suddenly bounced off from the couch and forgot that he was "feeling" sick or miraculously got heal, jumps up and down and says YES YES dad..I want to play.
Dad: THEN SET the table first! After you eat, you can play 5 minutes!
Son: ..(getting back to the couch slowly)..hmm. my tommy is hurting again Daddy.

AND back to square one!

See this funny clip below: Who did the kaka?

Don't Poke Me Please!

I used to frequent hospitals and clinics myself when I was a little boy. I didn't go there for the pretty nurses, the free lollipops or even the free balloons. I too shared a similar past as to my son's current condition. I developed a rare form of kidney ailment in which the only way was to manage it was with potent medicines and the hope for a cure was time. No medicine and by the luck of the seventh year, if the disease does not recur then a complete healing can be pronouced. I didn't know about the seven-year rule but I am glad to find out that I actually qualified to make that pronouncement 15 years ago. Once during my teen years, I almost beat the seven year marked only to find out on the exact day of my seventh year anniversary, my kidney ailment came back. My son is currently battling a kidney disease that shares the same root as mine but is undetermined whether it will yield the same type of fruit.

Each time, I visited the hospital, it was a routine procedure. I stuck my hands out and two to three young pretty nurses would stuck a giant needle in to my veins in an attempt to draw blood. I later nicknamed these young girls as draculas since they loved my blood so much. I used to come home with my arms full of bandaids and blood bruises especially if I had to spend a few days in the hospital. I was too young to remember my very first time staying in the hospital since I was only two. I must have outgrown the anxiety of getting stuck by needles since my memory does not include screaming, struggling and yelling when they stuck me with needles. My memory seems to only date back to the three young draculas but then why would there be three of them instead of just one since it does not take three to stick a needle in to my arm. I guess I altered a little of my memory, the other two nurses had to hold me down or somehow distract me with lollipops or balloons.

My son just came out from the hospital last week in which he spent 5 days recovering. He had another episode and this marked the fourth hospitalization in the last two months. This is a frustrating disease that sometimes make you think you are on track to recovery but out of nowhere it ambushes you like a terrorist. My son came home with poke marks all over his arms just like mine. Each mark was a battle and each battle he fought hard. I sympathesize with him and I know exactly what he goes through in his mind. I re-live this part of my childhood with him each time. It is such a helpless feeling to see your son getting hurt and you can't do anything about it. I can't help but to see his eyes fill with tears looking at me and as if he is saying to me with those eyes..daddy why do you let them poke me. My heart is poked so badly each time when that happens. The following clip is about how to bring a child some hope in there moments of despair. Be touched!