February 24, 2002: Tech Support, I've Learned

Hi,

I don't know about you, but I watched quite a bit of the Olympics. Today's
men's hockey final game was quite exciting. However, one of the things
that I really enjoyed watching was curling. Have you seen any of it? The
sport doesn't look very demanding physically, but it is very strategic and
requires a lot of finesse. It's like playing a chess game on ice, and
requires a good communications and team work. Finally, I was rooting for
Michelle Kwan, and it was sad to see her not get the gold medal.

Here are some pictures that I loaded online. The first album contains some
pictures from the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Cleveland Museum of Art
http://cards.webshots.com/cp-17935663-XZZi-album/31943010bJCuLxxkDT

Here is an album of my college friend Linda Cheung, her husband Peter, and
her baby son Kyle.

Linda Peter Kyle
http://cards.webshots.com/cp-17935663-XZZi-album/30037692rHVGaRxAsJ

I will be going back to LA for my friends Steve and Winnie's wedding. In
fact, even though I've gone to so many weddings, this will be the first one
as the best man. I'll be attending the first service at CCAC on Sunday,
3/17, so I hope to see many of you there. It will be good to go back to LA
for a visit.

This week's thought provoking question: "If you could win an Olympic gold
medal, what sport would you want to win it in?"

This week's humor and inspirational pieces were forwarded from Genevieve
Owyang and Jennifer Deniega, respectively.

Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________

Tech Support

Dear Tech Support:

Recently I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed that the
new program began making unexpected changes to the accounting software,
severely limiting access to wardrobe, flower, and jewelry applications that
operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0. No mention of this phenomenon was
included in the product brochure.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalls many other valuable programs such as
DinnerDancing 7.5, CruiseShip 2.3, and OperaNight 6.1 and installs new,
undesirable programs such as PokerNight 1.3, SaturdayFootball 5.0, Golf
2.4, and ClutterEverywhere 4.5. Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and
invariably crashes the system. Under no circumstances will it run
DiaperChanging 14.1 or House Cleaning 2.6. I've tried running Nagging 5.3
to fix Husband 1.0, but this all-purpose utility has only limited
effectiveness. Can you help, please!!

Sincerely, Frustrated
______

Dear Frustrated:

This is a very common problem women complain about, but it is mostly due to
a misconception. Many people upgrade from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 with
no idea that Boyfriend 5.0 is merely an ENTERTAINMENT package. However,
Husband 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and was designed by its creator to run
as few applications as possible. It is impossible to uninstall, delete, or
purge the program files from the system once installed. Any new program
files can only be installed once per year, as Husband 1.0 has severely
limited memory. Error messages are a normal part of Husband 1.0. Beer 6.0
is a very bad program that causes Husband 1.0 to create FatBelly files and
SnoringLoudly wave files that are very hard to delete.

Save yourself some trouble by following this tech tip! Consider buying
additional software to improve performance. I personally recommend HotFood
3.0, Lingerie 5.3, and Patience 10.1. Used in conjunction, these utilities
can really help keep Husband 1.0 running smoothly. After several years of
use, Husband 1.0 will become familiar and you will find many valuable
embedded features such as FixBrokenThings 2.1, Snuggling 4.2, and
BestFriend 7.6.

A final word of caution! Do NOT, under any circumstances, install
MotherInLaw 1.0. This is not a supported application and will cause
selective shutdown of the operating system. Husband 1.0 will run only
Fishing 9.4 and Hunting 5.2 until MotherInLaw 1.0 is uninstalled.

I hope these notes have helped. Thank you for choosing to install Husband
1.0, and we here at Tech Support wish you the best of luck in coming years.
We trust you will learn to fully enjoy this product!

Tech Support
_________________________________

I've Learned

They're written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much
with so few words. Enjoy.......

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an
elderly person.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!"
makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the
most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the
strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be,
everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a
heart to understand.

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on
summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it
gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we
ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so
spectacular.

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be
appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me
think I can?

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only
letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to
surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your
babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned.... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the
ones you miss.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock
elsewhere.

I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one
more time before he passed away.

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender,
because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned.... That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do
about it.

I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little
finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but
all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned ... That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances;
when it is requested and when it is a life threatening situation.

I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I
get done.

February 10, 2002: Chaos from Creation, Unconditional Love

Hi,

Happy Chinese New Year! I hope you will get a chance to celebrate by going
out to eat some really good Chinese food. This Chinese New Year will be
the year of the horse.

A few of my friends wonder what Cleveland is like. Well, I think it's a
small version of Chicago. It has a symphony and a fairly good art museum.
In fact, I went to this museum with my big sister from Hunter High School,
Irene Chan. We also met up with a friend from Avery who is working on a
project in Cleveland, Alison Lai, for dinner at a Korean restaurant. It
was surprisingly good. So Cleveland has some decent Asian restaurants.

I also watched this movie called "Brotherhood of the Wolf", which is a
French film with subtitles. It's not as good as "Amelie from Montmartre",
but I thought the movie was fairly interesting. The fighting scenes were
choreographed by this Chinese guy, who also helped to choreograph such
fighting films as the Matrix. The plot is unpredictable and gripping.

This week's thought provoking question: "If you had the power to stop time,
would you want to have this power?"

This week's humor and inspirational pieces were forwarded from Anna Man and
Audra Khoo, respectively.

Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________

Chaos from Creation

Three people, a doctor, an engineer and a politician were arguing over
whose contribution to humankind was greatest. The doctor said, "the Lord
created Eve from Adam; it was a surgical procedure, therefore we doctors
were there from the creation!"

"No way," the engineer interrupted. "Go back a step: the Lord created the
universe from chaos. That was the greatest engineering feat in history! MY
profession was the one that was there at the beginning!"

"Fair enough," the politician piped in. "But who do you think created all
that chaos in the first place?"
_________________________________

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having
fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.

"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favour to ask. I have a friend
I'd like to bring home with me."

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him".
"There's something you should know" the son continued, "he was hurt pretty
badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg.
He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

" I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to
live."
"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us." "Son," said the father, "you
don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a
terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let
something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come
home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more
from him.

A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco
police.
Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The
police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San
Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their
son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered
something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love
those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people
who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay
away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.

Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves
us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family,
regardless of how messed up we are. There's a miracle called Friendship
that dwells in the heart. You don't know how it happens or when it gets
started but you know the special lift it always brings.

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage
you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they
always want to open their hearts to us.

So tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer
to God to give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and
to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!!

So my friends show a little love and kindness to all around you. Lastly
wishing you and your family "Good Health" and "Happy Lunar New Year"

Thank you and take care.

February 3, 2002: River Crossings, Yellow Roses

Hi,

Did you watch the Superbowl? Wow, it just ended, and boy was it exciting!
I'm really glad that the New England Patriots won. It's still quite
amazing that they did so well against the Rams.

What did you think of the commercials? I didn't think they were that
funny. I think the ones I liked the most were some of the Quiznos sub
commercials.

Here are some pictures that I took back in Singapore. It's of the Avery
Dennison Christmas Party.

Avery Sing Christmas Party
http://community.webshots.com/album/30035469OtdLSNmglJ

Avery Sing Christmas 2
http://community.webshots.com/album/30037081TzsgcwdnpF

This week's thought provoking question: "If you could occupy the world
described in a novel, which would you choose?"

This week's humor and end pieces were forwarded from Angela Loo and Jenny
Feng, respectively.

Enjoy!

-Josh.
9235 N Church Dr #528
Parma Heights, OH 44130
(440) 884-1623
_________________________________

River Crossings

One day, three men were hiking and unexpectedly came upon a large raging,
violent river. They needed to get to the other side, but had no idea of
how to do so.

The first man prayed to God, saying, "Please God, give me the strength to
cross this river."
Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs, and he was able to swim across
the river in about two hours, after almost drowning a couple of times.

Seeing this, the second man prayed to God, saying, "Please God, give me the
strength .. and the tools
to cross this river."
Poof! God gave him a rowboat and he was able to row across the river in
about an hour, after almost capsizing the boat a couple of times.

The third man had seen how this worked out for the other two, so he also
prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me the strength and the tools...and
the intelligence ... to cross this river."
And poof! God turned him into a woman. She looked at the map, hiked
upstream a couple of hundred yards, then walked across the bridge...
_________________________________

Yellow Roses

"I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in buying
groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husband of 37 years was
still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet memories. Rudy
often came with me and almost every time he'd pretend to go off and look
for something special. I knew what he was up to. I'd always spot him
walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his hands.

Rudy knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only
wanted to buy my few items and leave, but even grocery shopping was
different since Rudy had passed on. Shopping for one took time, and a
little more thought than it had for two. Standing by the meat, I searched
for the perfect small steak and remembered how Rudy had loved his steak.

Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blonde, slim and lovely in a soft
green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large pack of T-bones,
dropped them in her basket, hesitated, and then put them back. She turned
to go and once again reached for the pack of steaks. She saw me watching
her and she smiled. "My husband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these
prices, I don't know."

I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes. "My
husband passed away eight days ago," I told her. Glancing at the package
in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in my voice. "Buy him the
steaks. And cherish every moment you have together." She shook her head
and I saw the emotion in her eyes as she placed the package in her basket
and wheeled away.

I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the store to the dairy
products. There I stood, trying to decide which size milk I should buy. A
quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice cream section near the
front of the store. If nothing else, I could always fix myself an ice
cream cone. I placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down the aisle
toward the front. I saw first the green suit, then recognized the pretty
lady coming towards me. In her arms she carried a package. On her face was
the brightest smile I had ever seen. I would swear a soft halo encircled
her blonde hair as she kept walking toward me, her eyes holding mine.

As she came closer, I saw what she held and tears began misting in my eyes.
"These are for you," she said and placed three beautiful long stemmed
yellow roses in my arms. "When you go through the line, they will know
these are paid for." She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek,
and then smiled again. I wanted to tell her what she'd done, what the
roses meant, but still unable to speak, I watched as she walked away as
tears clouded my vision.

I looked down at the beautiful roses nestled in the green tissue wrapping
and found it almost unreal. How did she know? Suddenly the answer seemed
so clear. I wasn't alone. "Oh, Rudy, you haven't forgotten me, have you?
I whispered, with tears in my eyes. He was still with me, and she was his
angel.
Every day be thankful for what you have and who you are."

(Please read all of this, it is really nice)

This is a simple request. If you appreciate life, send this to your
friends, including the person that sent it to you.

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings. Thank you,
Lord, that I can hear. There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as
possible. Thank you, Lord, that
I can see. Many are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising. Thank you, Lord, that I
have the strength to rise.
There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast
is burned and tempers are short, my children are so loud. Thank you, Lord
for my family. There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines
and the menu is at times unbalanced. Thank you, Lord, for the food we have.
There are many who are hungry.

Even though the routine of my job often is monotonous. Thank you, Lord,
for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job.

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my
circumstances were not so modest. Thank you, Lord, for life.

Pass this on to the friends you know. It might help a bit to make this
world a better place to live, right?

A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need a lift.

A friend is someone to treasure. For friendship is a gift.

A friend is someone who fills our lives with Beauty, Joy and Grace and
makes the world we live in a better and happier place.

YOU ARE MY FRIEND!

Please send this to every friend you have and make their day a little
brighter.