Abby Li's Dad

For almost six years (1996 to 2002), I sent out a weekly email to my friends. This blog serves as an archive for those emails. The entries starting in May 2006 are my personal reflections on life as a father to Abby, a husband to Melissa, and everything else.

Monday, April 05, 1999

Humor 4/5/99: A Group Effort

Hi everyone,

I hope you had a great Easter weekend. I've had a fun week of spring
break. Did a bunch of different things, especially eat a lot. I went
to Todai in Glendale Galleria for all you can eat sushi. This
afternoon, I went to all you can eat Mongolian BBQ after church. Both
places had very good food.

I went to watch "Cinderalla" at the Ahmanson Theatre. This is a modern
ballet, set in London during WWII. It was visually stunning and very
good. My friends were able to get inexpensive tickets, and you may be
able to as well.

The other really fun thing I did was to go hiking with some friends at
Temescal Gateway Park. This park is actually fairly close to UCLA. The
address is 15601 Sunset Blvd, in Pacific Palisades. Just take Sunset
westbound. It's a beautiful hike, and at the top you have a great view
of the Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica, and the really nice houses in
Pacific Palisades. The trail is a loop of about 4 miles. There are
rock formations called Skull Rock that you can climb. There is also a
small waterfall. The highlight of the day is when we climbed up the
rock ledges along the waterfall, off the marked trail. I highly
recommend this place for anyone who likes to hike and/or do some rock
climbing.

If you're interested in hiking, let me know. I think my friend will be
organizing a monthly hiking trip to parks in the LA area. There are
lots of different parks and hiking trails to explore.

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could work for any
person in the world, who would it be, and what job would you want?"

This week's humor was forwarded by Anna Man, followed by an
inspirational piece forwarded by Andy Arends. Have a great week and
enjoy!

-Josh.
___________________________________________

An Italian, and Irishman and a Chinese fellow are hired at a
construction site. The foreman points out a huge pile of sand and says
to the Italian guy, "You're in charge of sweeping", to the Irishman he
says, "You're in charge of shoveling." And to the Chinese guy, "you're
in charge of supplies". He then says "Now, I have to leave for a little
while. I expect you guys to make a dent in that there pile."

So the foreman goes away for a couple hours, and when he returns, the
pile of sand is untouched. He says to the Italian, "Why didn't you
sweep any of it?"

The Italian replies in a heavy accent, "I didn't have a broom. You said
the Chinese a guy was in a charge of supplies, but he a disappeared and
I couldn't a find a him."

Then the foreman turns to the Irishman and asks why he didn't shovel.
The Irishman replies in his heavy brogue, "Aye, ye did, lad. But I
counna get meself a shovel. Ye left the Chinamun in chairge of supplies,
but I counna fin' him."

The foreman is really angry now, and storms off toward the pile of sand
looking for the Chinese guy.

Just then, the Chinese guy springs out from behind the pile of sand and
yells....SUPPLIES!!!!!"
_______________________________________________

In a university commencement address several years ago Brian Dyson, CEO
of Coca-Cola Enterprises, spoke of the relation of work to one's other
commitments:

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the
air. You name them - work, family, health, friends, and spirit and
you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that
work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the
other four balls - family, health, friends, and spirit are made of
glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed,
marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the
same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.

How? Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It
is because we are different that each of us is special. Don't set your
goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best
for you. Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is
meaningless. Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in
the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you
live ALL the days of your life.

Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really
over until the moment you stop trying.

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this
fragile thread that binds us together.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we
learn how to be brave.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The
quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is
to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it
wings.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've
been, but also where you are going.

Don't forget that a person's greatest emotional need is to feel
appreciated.

Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can
always carry easily.

Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.
--
_____________________________________

Joshua Li
431 S. Burnside Ave. #12 B
Los Angeles CA 90036
(323)936-8476
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/

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