Do NOT Feed the Animals

I vaguely remember this happening when it did 30 years ago when I was just 3 years old. Goh picked Q and I up from daycare and we took the subway home as usual. However, this particular day he decided to buy us some orange pop. I do believe it was orange Fanta. Well, that was spectacular, as Mom and Dad had never bought soda pop for us at home. It was a very very rare treat.

The next day Goh took Q and I to daycare. I, like every other animal out there, expected the same thing; an orange pop. Except this time I didn't get one. Again, I vaguely remember throwing the biggest fit a 3 year-old could throw. I was told that I sat on the sidewalk and refused to go in until Goh bought me an orange pop. And I cried and yelled and screamed "I want an orange pop!" Well, I never got it.

Way to stand your ground, Goh! This very act probably saved me from becoming an even bigger spoiled brat and would keep me from becoming a soda addict like the millions of other North Americans out there.

So for the past 30 years I've never heard the end of this story. I've heard it repeatedly from Mom and Dad and Goh. If it hadn't been for their constant reminders, I would definitely have forgotten about the incident.

In any case, Goh has been very generous to me over the years for which I am eternally grateful and will never be able to repay him. He has sacrificed a lot of time, energy, and money for Q and I.

Finally, at our wedding Goh was giving the best man's toast, which was outstanding, I must say. And he gave R and I a toast with (you guessed it) orange pop. Fitting and classic. But there's one question that lingers in my mind about that:

Goh, after all the stuff you've bought me throughout the past 30 years, why did it take you so long to finally buy me an orange pop?

Casper the Friendly Ghost

When I was about 20 years old or so, I was on my way home to San Francisco from Davis, and as usual I stopped off at Gah's place to pick up the kids. While we were packing the kids in to the car, Gah handed me a 20 dollar bill. Hmm...okay, what's the catch?

"What's this for?" I asked.

"You have to take them to see Casper." Aw, you've got to be kidding me!!! Of all the movies playing in the theatre, I had to go watch that! Well, so be it. I guess as an uncle you've got to take your lumps. So my niece and nephew were packed in to the car and we drove to San Francisco. The next day, we went to go see the matinee showing of Casper, the Friendly Ghost.

One would think that this movie, which was a children's movie would be geared towards children. But the beginning was actually quite creepy. Gong-wing was laughing through the whole show and having a good time. At the same time, Mui was bawling her eyes out because she was scared. She kept telling me she wanted to go to the park and was climbing all over me in the theatre. So what do I do? I have a 4 year-old enjoying a movie and having fun. Then I have a crying 2 year-old who's scared and wants to leave the theatre. The thing is I was all alone with no other adults. And in this day and age, I would be foolish to leave a child unattended, even in a movie theatre (there are always 2 exits, remember?). Regardless of what I did, one of them was going to cry: if I stayed, Mui would cry from fright from this movie. If I left, Gong-wing would surely cry from being dragged away from the movie. What to do, what to do? I almost made the wrong decision and dragged everyone out of the theatre, but thatnk God I didn't. At that point, I had to quickly consider who could throw the bigger fit, the 2 year-old or the 4 year-old?

Sorry Mui, we were going to stay. Besides, we had to get our 20 bucks worth.