A Mudworm's Thoughts » Matters of Life

Introduce an Old Member of the Family — Roxie

mudworm — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:28:40 +0000

It seems that I have not officially introduced Roxie, who has been with us since last May, although I did talk about her in this post. After she came home that time, she stayed. On average, I let the kitties outside to play two to three times a week. They would all come home either on their own after a couple of hours (I always leave the sliding door open) or when I call. Yes, they ALL come home.

Prior to her adoption, she lived on our deck for many months (in a shelter we put together for her). We witnessed her fend her food against a group of raccoons and at another time, even chased an adult raccoon across the yard. We called her a bad@ss girl.

Yet, she is the sweetest little thing and would roll at our feet while being petted.

She has been a lap cat since day one she came in the house.

I feel so lucky to have Roxie… and Little One and Mango, these three most wonderful creatures in my life.

The Life I Always Wanted

mudworm — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:14:13 +0000

A collection of old photos.

Ha, I'm back! I think…

mudworm — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 20:59:19 +0000

I'm having a Déjà vu… Oh yeah, I said the same thing back in 2006. But that was when I took a long break from rock climbing and before I started mountain biking. This time though, it was after a long break from my extensive riding (mainly mountain biking) in 2010. I guess I just went cold turkey. We also started our house remodeling in August, DIY style. Not that we've been working on the house all the time — we were not. Busy with work during the week, and Erik regularly working one day a weekend, we'd be lucky if we worked on the house one day a week. But still, I would feel guilty if I went away to "play". Long story short, I had been off my bike for a while.

That was until… I told Patrick that I would be "back" in 2012. What did that mean? I wasn't really sure. Will I be back to doing those long rides like the 84-mile Tour 'de Peninsula ride, or Everything Skeggs ride, or even the Death Ride??? I don't know, but I got so anxious that as 2012 was approaching, I got a panicky feeling. I had to prepare for my "come back"!

So, I rode my bike almost everyday in the last two weeks of December blessed with the wonderful Bay Area weather.

We got hooked on two fun Skeggs loops so much that we kept going back to them, which I've added to my Skeggs Ride Collection (Rides 7 and 8). And the lengths were short enough for us to go impromptu when things were going a bit slow during the holidays. My interest about mountain biking has been rekindled. Yes, Patrick, I'm back!

But then… I also just got back into rock climbing recently (in the gym mainly, but fairly regularly) after my previous partner Jeanne retired (temporarily) to have a baby. With a new strong partner, I also regained my interest in pushing hard on the climbs.

Yet… the living room is still filled with tools (table saw, chop saw, jig saw, Skil saw, you name it). The walls are wide open and the cats have been having a lot fun walking through them. We probably should get back into our remodeling too; no, we definitely need to. I'm in charge of the house rewiring and still have half of it to go…

Oh, and while framing, an idea suddenly came to me and we now have a short pony wall framed in for my "sewing center". Yep, you heard me right! I'm going to have a sewing center.

Oh, yes, I'm back! Back to what? We shall see. 2012 will tell.

Dance Videos. Can you tell which one is me?

mudworm — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 19:46:07 +0000

I guarantee you you will not find me in this one. I was in it, but we all look the same. 我打赌你是找不到我的。哈哈！

And this one? I did my part to help you. Now, you try. 这个嘛。。。试试看。要找不到我，也没办法啦。

Whoohoo! My 1st Stage Dance Performance, and I did not Trip

mudworm — Sat, 21 May 2011 20:05:22 +0000

Tsinghua University — in Chinglish, I should call her my "mother school" — is where I did my undergrad. She just celebrated her 100th anniversary. The Northern American Tsinghua Alumni Association put together a Variety Show on May 24, 2011 in Flint Center, Cupertino. It was half a year ago, my good friend Hua asked me to join her in a dance practice. I remember having a good time when I tried ballroom dance during a brief period when I was unattached, so I said sure. Little did I know, many members in the group had previous or current dance training. Oh well, if all these years of rock climbing and mountain biking taught me one thing, that is, I can't be the worst. I'm in!

It turned out to be a big commitment — the weekly (on Monday night in Cupertino) practice lasted half a year without a break through the holidays. I got to meet and spend time with more than two dozen beautiful and talented ladies and five energetic young boys (now grad students at Stanford). I'm proud to say that we put on two dances successfully. I even rode my bike across the stage!

Erik and my friend Bryn watched the show — four hour long without an intermission. Not understanding the words, they say they had a good time. I was amazed.

More photos and videos will probably come in slowly. (Erik did not take photos because the granny usher lady told him that if he brought his camera in, she would throw him out.)

Can you tell which one is me?

Our ribbon formation and transformation got people amazed.

Where have you gone, Roxie?

mudworm — Wed, 11 May 2011 05:07:31 +0000

This video was from Friday, May 6, 2011. I haven't seen Roxie since that day. I like to think that the mole was Mother's Day present from Roxie.

To Roxie,

Baby, I know you are an outdoor kitty and you are born to explore. Or, maybe because you are such a cute cuddler that someone else has claimed you and kept you inside. Wherever you are, I hope you are having lots of fun, safe, and being loved. I love you, Roxie! And I miss you!

(Sound alert! Sorry about the loudness.)

Update: After six days, she returned home! That was after we had looked out of the window two dozen times on Thursday night and Erik spotted her. She came in, ate, ate, and then ate some more. I went to bed smiling knowing that she was sleeping right next to me.

Update 2: Next day (Friday), I worked from home. It's a nice day out. Little One and Mango begged to go outside to play. I opened the sliding door. They ran out excitedly. It took Roxie a while, but she walked out slowly after she buried her head in the food bowl for a long while. After about an hour, all three of them returned home, so I closed the door. All three of them are napping now. It's a peaceful world in this corner of the universe.

Happiness is warm, soft, and fuzzy…

mudworm — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:38:38 +0000

What's one's capacity for forgiveness?

mudworm — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 08:06:37 +0000

I know I haven't been posting for quite a while. We haven't been getting out much — Erik's shoulder is injured and he was advised to stay away from climbing and mountain biking; plus, I have been quite absorbed in our research and preparation for our kitchen and living room remodeling.

However, tonight, at almost midnight on a Friday night, I have the urge to write something. I need to get this off my chest so I can move on, and in the mean time, I want to make a pledge — I want to be a better person, like Erik.

I made a big mistake — I have been granted some stock options that were scheduled to expire on Feb 27, 2011. I knew the date. I procrastinated. Not because I wanted to time the market _- I don't follow the stock market. It's only because "well, I still have time and I'll get to it." I was going to exercise & sell today and even sent myself a reminder this morning, but work got busy and I forgot about it until late into the night. Then, I found out… the options expired on the last business day at market close. I missed it! My heart ached. It's like I just lit a match and burned a pile of bills worth of $11k+. It's not much for a lot of people, but it's a lot for us, esp. during a time when we are doing everything we can to do a remodel on a budget, and our house needed the remodel.

I brought the bad news to Erik. I was full of guilt. I didn't expect him to scold me or anything — he's not that kind of person, but I was still amazed that he did not even frown. He gave me a big hug, smiled, and said to me, "well, if this is this worst thing that has ever happened to you, you are doing pretty well." I am still beating myself to death in my heart for the stupid mistake I made, but in the mean time, I feel enlightened in my realization that one man's capacity for forgiving others can really be boundless.

I knew if our roles had switched, it would have been different. I won't hide it – I may try to rationalize and convince myself that there is nothing we could do to change the situation, but I'm pretty sure my disappointment will still show, which will only make the other person feel worse. I'm so glad that it's not the other way around. I have always been a critical person, more with myself, but also with the people around me. Today's incident taught me a big lesson. For all the mistakes I've criticized my loved one(s) for making that I thought were not forgivable, none of them were really unforgivable (esp. compared to my mistake). I need to work on myself to have a bigger heart.

So. this. is. my. pledge.

A heavy weight just got lifted….

Thank you for reading.

One Date A Day, Keeps Trouble At Bay — by Little One

mudworm — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 06:05:29 +0000

Little One and Mange wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Better Late than Never — Our '06 Wedding Photos

mudworm — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:53:01 +0000

Our designated photographer — Dad's friend Bob — kindly made three sets of prints for us from that wedding. We left one set with Dad and Bev. However, when we returned, I mailed the remaining two sets off to my parents and my sister in a haste. Four years later, I finally remembered to borrow Dad and Bev's set and scanned some photos in. I've wanted to do this for a long time because the photos brought back fond memories. And Erik looked so handsome in the tux!

More photos are in this album.