MercyCorps

I read some stories about fraud and corruptions about some Chinese Red Cross officials while handling earthquake relief. This was heartbreaking. In one instance, one Red Cross official tried to get a 50,000RMB receipt for a 10,000 RMB purchase. In another instance, a relief tent showed up in downtown Chungking, cause a near street riot.

I lost faith in the Chinese relief organizations completely. I thought long and hard on whether I should still make the donation. At the end, I still decide to find a reputable charity to contribute. There is so much misery there; I cannot risk not trying just because some corrupt Red Cross people. A colleague at work recommend MercyCorps. So I rushed and made the biggest one time donation that I ever made.

Better use of the Tax Rebate

We received the Bush tax rebate over the weekend. While I completely oppose this rebate gimmick from Bush, I cannot say no to the money.

Our plan was to pay down some debt we owed to a relative in China. We have a change of plan now. We'll send more than half of the rebate to the China earthquake relief fund from American Red Cross. This is an easy call for us. When I mentioned the idea to Yang, her question was how we could send the check.

Hopefully our contribution will make a difference. It will take them a long time to rebuild. I can see hope based on the news reports.

Big Helper

Big Helper Victor is four and half years old but he was always eager to help out on chores. So far Yang and I are not encouraging him too much. This afternoon I went to our backyard to pick some board beans. I wanted to cook some board beans as a dish for dinner. Victor was watching TV. But he went out and told me that he wanted to him. "Sure. Can you help me to take the beans out of the pods?" I asked. For the next twenty minutes, Victor squirted in the backyard and opened the pods and picked out the beans. For the first time in his life, he is helping me in a substantial way and actually completed the task. I was so proud of him. I could see him growing up to be a big helper in our family.

Another Run for the Florida Marlins?

Another Run for the Florida Marlins?
The Florida Marlins is at first place of Major League Baseball. They have a record of 23-14 and are slight ahead of Arizona and Boston. This is amazing. They have the lower payroll in baseball. In fact, their total payroll is lower than the salary of New York Yankee's ARod.

I followed Marlins all these years. It was fun to watch them. I remembered the exciting 1997 and 2003. Especially 2003, when they beat the Giants, Cubs and Yankees to win it all. I brought the 2003 Marlins World Championship DVD. This is the only sports DVD that I own.

So do they have the talent for another run? I don't know. But if they play the way that they played for the last week, they will be unbeatable.

Busy Weekend

Busy Weekend

It was a busy weekend.

Yang and I took care of many chores. Yesterday we took her old car to Prof Smog for a second smog test. This time we passed. I worked in the front yard to cut the weed and landscape so we could compile with the HOA rules. We brought some white paint.

This morning I painted the front yard fence. It took me about two hours and was very tiring. But we did it. Now we just have to ask our HOA to close all three pending cases. What a pain!

Aggressive HOA

We received three letters from our HOA yesterday. All required us to correct something in our front yard:

- It has come to our attention that there are weeds under your front fence next to the sidewalk. please ensure that these are removed by Thursday May 22, 2008.
- It has come to our attention that the landscaping under your front fence is overgrown. please ensure that these are removed by Thursday May 22, 2008.
- Paint your front fence.

I have been relying on our HOA to remind me to do the minimal yard work. So far I don't have much complain. Other home owners frequently complain about HOA being too aggressive. It looks like I will have a busy weekend.