Friday, June 20, 2008
Signs That I Am Getting Old
During my week long visit to Seattle, I happened to pick a weekend that coincided with my high school graduation class' 20th year reunion. I graduated high school in 1988. It doesn't seem as if 20 years have passed, there I was. Yikes.
The more impactful event(s) that gave me a clear sign that I am advancing in years was all the discussions I had about medical problems. First off, my Mom had to have surgery on her eye because she had developed a hole in the back of her eye where the light is supposed to focus. Then, my Uncle in Texas is suffering mightily from renal failure and a multitude of other ailments. My Dad and I sat down to talk about his estate planning and then when I was out to dinner with a couple high school friends, Kristin S. and Vickie L., more than half our our conversation revolved around the medical issues facing our parents.
The more impactful event(s) that gave me a clear sign that I am advancing in years was all the discussions I had about medical problems. First off, my Mom had to have surgery on her eye because she had developed a hole in the back of her eye where the light is supposed to focus. Then, my Uncle in Texas is suffering mightily from renal failure and a multitude of other ailments. My Dad and I sat down to talk about his estate planning and then when I was out to dinner with a couple high school friends, Kristin S. and Vickie L., more than half our our conversation revolved around the medical issues facing our parents.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Marriage for All
As we all have heard, the California Supreme Court overturned the ban on gay marriage last month and so, it is now legal for any couple, regardless of their residence, to get married within the state of California. My friend Tony O. (who grew up in Seattle, was one of the kids who was in the intro of the show Boomerang and has a huge love of Frangos) got married to his partner of 10 years, Brian B. The following are photos.
The Groom, Tony, and the groom, Brian
The printout confirming their ceremony time.
Tony proudly holding and displaying his marriage license.
The wedding party
City Hall is full of San Francisco history and being the politico, I had to include the following pictures. They speak volumes in their silent and regal manner.
So some final words on gay marriage. In the end, I think gay marriage will spread throughout the entire nation because it will become an Economic issue for states that do not allow gay marriage. Gays will vote with their feet and move to places such as Massachusetts, Vermont and California. States will soon realize that they need to institute inclusive laws simply to retain the talented gay men and women that already reside in those states. As usual, it comes down to Economics, baby!
City Hall is full of San Francisco history and being the politico, I had to include the following pictures. They speak volumes in their silent and regal manner.
So some final words on gay marriage. In the end, I think gay marriage will spread throughout the entire nation because it will become an Economic issue for states that do not allow gay marriage. Gays will vote with their feet and move to places such as Massachusetts, Vermont and California. States will soon realize that they need to institute inclusive laws simply to retain the talented gay men and women that already reside in those states. As usual, it comes down to Economics, baby!
Obama Has His Work Cut Out (Part II)
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the interaction I had with my female barber who is a native of the Philippines. Remember how she was a huge Hillary Clinton supporter and for the general election wouldn't go out and vote for John McCain, but instead just refuse to vote because a) disappointment/anger at the fact that Clinton didn't win the Democratic nomination and b) that Obama won't name Clinton as his vice-presidential candidate.
However, this past week, I had another encounter that blew my mind even more. It was the Monday after Father's Day. The US Open had gone to an 18-hole playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate. That day, Dad and I played a round of golf in the morning and were sitting on the clubhouse patio at 1PM. I was sitting across from one of Dad's friends when he stated, "Tiger can win but no way Obama should win." Those in the know, I will identify the man who made this statement as a heavy smoker. :)
Once he said that, I basically, in Mandarin Chinese, asked him to explain the reasoning and why he made the statement that he did. I was in no way deferential to my elders, especially one of my Dad's friends. The table of 12-15 fellow golfers and friends of my father fell dead silent. The guy blustered for a couple seconds and then in English exclaimed, "No politics." At this point, the mother of a good friend of mine asked me to explain why I supported Obama. In my stilted Chinese, I explained as best as I could, talked about how he lived a similar life as I did. Obama and I both went to elite independent secondary schools that were dominated by wealthy Caucasians. I always felt as if I was on the outside looking in. I never felt included even though I was there at the school. I know that I've always felt as though I had to achieve at a higher level just to be on par with the majority of my classmates.
At this point, I realized I should hold my tongue and keep quiet the rest of the lunch. When Dad and I got in the car, I asked him whether or not the opinion stated by the one man was a majority opinion. Immediately, Dad shook his head no. But then he promptly stated that Chinese are racist against African-Americans. The Chinese put the Caucasian race at the top of the food chain and the African-Americans at the bottom. He then made the argument to the effect of "What has Obama done?" and "What is really meant by CHANGE?" He also drew a parallel between this upcoming election and the Kennedy election of 1960, in which Kennedy overcame the stigma of being a Catholic. I then came back with the argument that Kennedy was an intellectual who surrounded himself by those who were the best and brightest. I believe Obama would as well.
At this point, we came to a impass and left it at that. Yikes, Obama really has his work cut out for him to convince voters like my Dad's 60's and 70's year old Asian friends to vote for him.
However, this past week, I had another encounter that blew my mind even more. It was the Monday after Father's Day. The US Open had gone to an 18-hole playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate. That day, Dad and I played a round of golf in the morning and were sitting on the clubhouse patio at 1PM. I was sitting across from one of Dad's friends when he stated, "Tiger can win but no way Obama should win." Those in the know, I will identify the man who made this statement as a heavy smoker. :)
Once he said that, I basically, in Mandarin Chinese, asked him to explain the reasoning and why he made the statement that he did. I was in no way deferential to my elders, especially one of my Dad's friends. The table of 12-15 fellow golfers and friends of my father fell dead silent. The guy blustered for a couple seconds and then in English exclaimed, "No politics." At this point, the mother of a good friend of mine asked me to explain why I supported Obama. In my stilted Chinese, I explained as best as I could, talked about how he lived a similar life as I did. Obama and I both went to elite independent secondary schools that were dominated by wealthy Caucasians. I always felt as if I was on the outside looking in. I never felt included even though I was there at the school. I know that I've always felt as though I had to achieve at a higher level just to be on par with the majority of my classmates.
At this point, I realized I should hold my tongue and keep quiet the rest of the lunch. When Dad and I got in the car, I asked him whether or not the opinion stated by the one man was a majority opinion. Immediately, Dad shook his head no. But then he promptly stated that Chinese are racist against African-Americans. The Chinese put the Caucasian race at the top of the food chain and the African-Americans at the bottom. He then made the argument to the effect of "What has Obama done?" and "What is really meant by CHANGE?" He also drew a parallel between this upcoming election and the Kennedy election of 1960, in which Kennedy overcame the stigma of being a Catholic. I then came back with the argument that Kennedy was an intellectual who surrounded himself by those who were the best and brightest. I believe Obama would as well.
At this point, we came to a impass and left it at that. Yikes, Obama really has his work cut out for him to convince voters like my Dad's 60's and 70's year old Asian friends to vote for him.
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