October 29 - November 14: Xenoblade Chronicles, EBCLA Fall Festival, cookies, Uncle Al, Bling tile, CPR, letters to Dad

From Xenoblade

Last time, I said I was playing a video game called "Xenoblade Chronicles." It's an adventure game for the Nintendo Wii, and it can take over 100 hours to finish. Also, the game hasn't been released in the U.S., so I had to import it from the U.K. Despite this (or because of this?), I was really looking forward to playing the game. I even went so far as to ask God if it was okay to spend 100 hours on a video game, and I felt he said yes.

When I told my sister, she didn't seem to approve. My sister has like 3 godly degrees, so it can be intimidating sometime. But I started to play "Xenoblade Chronicles" nonetheless. Thankfully, I felt my decision was correct after watching the opening cinematic: we learn of a world in which people are called not Humans, but rather, Homs!

Isn't that cool? I'm in the middle of this grand adventure, trying to save the universe. And everywhere it's like, "Homs don't give up!" "We have to fight for the other Homs!" "We trust our fate in you Homs." "Homs unite!"

October 29: My church had its "Fall Festival." It's supposed to be fun and food for the kids, both at church and in the neighborhood.

This year's theme was "The Wild West." They used cardboard boxes to give the food area a rustic feel. Cool, huh?

From EBCLA Fall Festival

My sedaqah group did the "Little Red Schoolhouse," which was a coloring and face-painting booth. We had enough people, so I worked at the "Dino Bean Bag Toss." It's the booth on the right.

From Cookies

November 8: At Albertson's, they were already putting up Christmas stuff. I remember these butter cookies from my childhood. I loved those cookies. Or perhaps I just loved anything sweet. Nowadays, I actually prefer to stay away from sugar, especially when it's a whole tin I can eat in one night....

November 9: I've been visiting my Uncle Al a lot the past few months. We exercise by going for walks in the park. This time, he said he wanted to walk at the mall.

I caught this picture of the mall Xmas tree half-decorated. Uncle Al is in the lower-right.

We walked all the way from one end of the mall to the other. But I think Uncle Al didn't realize that. He was really tired at the end, but I guess I tricked him into walking twice as far, and he definitely needs more exercise.

Uncle Al, you did a good job that day!

Uncle Al made me more stew that night. I guess he helped me break out of my gluten-free diet, which is okay. (I'm still trying to eat very little flour/bread.)

From Uncle Al

This tree is in Uncle Al's backyard. I was struck by how it appears to be reaching for the sun. It's like frozen, green water.

From Bling tile

November 11: At Home Depot, I ran across this display for tile. What's funny is the name of the company, in the upper-right. It's "Bling: Exquisite Mosaics." When I think of exquisite things, mosaics, and fancy script, I just don't think of "bling." =)

November 12: My Auntie Valerie wanted me to take a CPR course, and she gave me an offer I couldn't refuse: she'd pay for it. (Actually, Auntie Val is really good at asking for things in such a way that I can't refuse. My grandma is also good at that.)

From CPR

I always wanted to take a CPR course, but I guess I never made it a priority. The course I took was CPR plus first aid. I learned CPR for adults, children, and infants, plus how to use an AED (the defrillibrator). For the first-aid part, I learned how to stop bleeding of all sorts, how to make a tourniquet, and how to use an epi pen. Everything seemed surprisingly useful and understandable. I used to have a first-aid kit in my car, but I didn't have the confidence or knowledge to use it. Now I do. The whole course was about $80, but if it helps me help just one person in pain, I'll consider it well worth it.

November 14: For an unknown reason, Uncle Al had some old letters addressed to my dad. 40-year-old letters. Since we lost my dad 17 years ago, on November 5, the letters were a nice chance to think about him.

One of my dad's friends, Richard Yamauchi, wrote several letters to my dad while serving in the Vietnam War. My dad avoided the draft because he was in med school. Did you know he was a lawyer before that? I wonder if my dad would still have become a doctor if there hadn't been a draft. I'll have to wait until later to ask him....

This is a 40-year-old postcard from Japan.

I have only a few letters, and several of the addresses are in LA. I was thinking of trying to find the writers and visiting them; it sounds like a good experience. Does anyone know who this postcard is from?

I always thought my dad was a fan of public schools, since he went to UC Berkeley and UC Davis. But he also went to Hastings. And, he applied to USC and Loma Linda for med school! Dad was rejected from Loma Linda; I guess being a lawyer wasn't good enough to get in. But he was accepted at USC. I guess I need to stop looking down at the private schools.

From Letters to Dad

Along with the letters were 30 prints of this picture of my dad. He looks very young, but if this is from the time of the letters, he was 28 or 29, just about to start med school.

I gave a copy to my cousin Gayle, and she said, "Oh, is this when you were in high school?" =)

If you want one of the prints, just let me know.