I wish I'm a smoker
Victor is back
I took yesterday off to pick Victor and my in-laws from the
San Francisco airport. They are
arriving from Shanghai, where they spent last two months. Yang is away in the
breadloaf writer’s conference, so I’m fully responsible for the next week to
get they started.
Before heading to San Francisco, I need to drive my parents
to San Jose. They spent the last
time months living with us, caring for Yang, Oliver and me. It’s difficult to see them
leaving. I don’t know when they
can spend time with us again. The
Friday morning traffic was light but still there are places that were stop and
go. At around 10:15, we arrived at
the San Jose train station. They
took the 86 bus.
I arrived at the airport early and had to park the car in
the garage. By the time I got to
the International arrival place, they were just heading out from the secured
area and I watched them from the monitor above. Perfect timing!
They had three luggage carts. Victor was pushing one of them. He seems to grow taller a bit and more skinny.
It’s a struggle to get all three people’s luggage into my Acura
TL. We had to leave the trunk door open and tight it with rope. My car was packed, solidly.
My Mom cooked the meal before leaving. So by the time we got home, the rice
was still warm and we are ready to have lunch.
Date: June 6, 2009 V.S. Team # 6 Team #4 Crockett Auto Body "Auto Bots" Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 18 – Auto Bots 3 Victor: 2 for 3, 2 singles, 2 RBIs, 1 run scored, 1 strikeout Season to date: 32 for 67, 32 singles, 20 RBI's, 5 run scored The Grizzlies are the champions!
Date: June 4, 2009 V.S. Team # 1 Dr. Gordan's Gators (makeup game) Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 24 – Gators 12 Victor: 2 for 4, 2 singles, 2 RBIs, 1 popup, 1 strikeout Season to date: 30 for 64, 20 singles, 18 RBI's, 4 run scored
Date: June 2, 2009 V.S. Team # 1 Dr. Gordan's Gators Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 23 – Gators 23 Victor: 3 for 4, 3 singles, 2 RBIs, 1 run scored, 1 strikeout Season to date: 28 for 60, 28 singles, 16 RBI's, 4 run scored There are 2 or 3 games left. Grizzlies will won the championship since they are so far ahead of everybody else.
Date: May 27, 2009 V.S. Team # 3 Plumbing Express Giants Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 19 – Giants 4 Victor: 2 for 4, 2 singles, 2 RBIs, 1 run scored Season to date: 25 for 56, 25 singles, 14 RBI's, 3 run scored
Date: May 19, 2009 V.S. Team # 5 Nation's Thunders Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 11 – Thunders 3 Victor: 2 for 2, 2 single, 1 RBI. Season to date: 23 for 52, 23 singles, 12 RBI's, 2 run scored
Date: May 14, 2009 V.S. Team # 5 Nation's Thunders Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 21 – Thunders 14 Victor: 2 for 4, 2 single, 1 RBIs, 2 strikeouts Season to date:21 for 50, 21 singles, 11 RBI's, 2 run scored
Date: May 12, 2009 V.S. Team # 1 Dr. Gordan's Gators
Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 21 – Gators 14
Victor: 3 for 4, 3 single, 3 RBIs, 1 forceout
Season to date:19 for 46, 19 singles, 10 RBI's, 2 run scored
Date: May 9, 2009 V.S. Team # Giants
Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 16 – Giants 12
Victor: 1 for 3, 1 single, 1 run scored, 1 strikeout
Season to date:16 for 42, 16 singles, 7 RBI's, 2 run scored
Date: April 29, 2009 V.S. Team #3 Plumbing Express Giants
Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 16 – Giants 21
Victor: 2 for 3, 2 singles, 1 RBI from a single, 1 forced out at the first base
Season to date:14 for 36, 14 singles, 6 RBI's, 1 run scored
Note: The Grizzlies lost their first game of the seasonDate: April 22, 2009
V.S. Team #1 Dr. G0rdan's Gators
Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 25 – Gaters 13
Victor:
0 for 3: 3 strike out
Season to date:
10 for 29, 10 singles, 3 RBI's, 1 run
Date: April 22, 2009V.S. Team #4 Crockett Auto Body "Auto Bots"
Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 23 – Auto Bots 13
Victor: 2 for 4, 2 singles, 2 RBI's, 1 forced out at the first base (he drove in a run), 1 forced out at the home plate.
Season to date:
12 for 33, 12 singles, 5 RBI's, 1 run
Date: April 15, 2009 V.S. Team #4 Crockett Auto Body "Auto Bots" Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 10 – Auto Bots 8 Victor: Season to date: 10 for 26, 10 singles, 3 RBI's, 1 run
Date: March 31, 2009 V.S. Team #1 Nation's Thunders Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 15 – Nation's Thunders 9 Victor: Season to date: 6 for 20, 6 singles, 3 RBI's, 1 run Date: April 2, 2009 V.S. Team #2 Plumbing Express Giants Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 10 – Giants 5 Victor: Season to date: 8 for 23, 8 singles, 3 RBI's, 1 run Note: Grizzlies have 7 wins and no lose to date.
Yesterday was the picture day of Victor’s little league. All teams showed up intheir uniforms. There managers and assistant coaches are also there. The Grizzlies, fresh off a win the day before, were there too.
Date: March 28, 2009 V.S. Team #1 Gaters Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 15 – Gaters 3 Victor: Season to date: 6 for 16, 6 singles, 3 RBI's, 1 run
Date: March 24, 2009 V.S. Team #3 Plumbing Express Giants Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 15 – Giants 5 Victor: Season to date: 6 for 14, 6 singles, 3 RBI's, 1 run
Date: March 17, 2009 V.S. Team #1 Gaters Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 16 – Gaters 9 Victor: Season to date: 5 for 11, 5 singles, ?RBI's.
2009年1月10日，这一天是星期六。北京的天气突然变得温和起来，万里无云，没有刮风，甚至马路上的行人还可以感觉到丝丝的暖意。这一天是老天赐于我们这批年纪越来越大的"六四"难属的。
时近中午时分，在京的天安门母亲从京城的四面八方相聚在一起。这是一个特殊的大家庭啊？大家见了面，不是握手，就是拥抱，彼此互道短长，气氛热烈异常，那份亲热劲儿远远胜似家人。今年的来人中，有几位是来自远郊的，为了赶上时间，大清早就出发了。今年的新春聚会，参加的人数是历年来最多的一次，共有42位，而且有6位是第一次参加。与这么多位难友首次会面，激动之情，溢于言表。
大家一年一度聚在一起，少不了缅怀曾经冒着当局高压的风险，和难友们一起抗争，然而现在已永远离开人世的难友们。这里边有大家都熟悉的吴学汉、苏冰娴、邝滌清。吴学汉于1995年就去世了，在当时那种壁垒森严的局势下，他为"六四"难属群体的早期创建付出了巨大的贡献。苏冰娴于2001年逝世，她为筹备"六四"十周年纪念、为接待埃德加•斯诺夫人的来访，与国安当局奋力抗争，如今也已8年过去了。至于邝滌清，每次天安门母亲聚会，身体瘦弱的他，总是静静的坐在一边倾听着大家的谈论，直到他临终前不久还为我们留下了一份珍贵的摄像资料。此时此刻，大家怎能不思念他们呢！二十年的艰难抗争，二十年的伤痕累累，在我们身后，留下了十八位冤死者。他们是：吴学汉、苏冰娴、张俊生、寇玉生、林景培、姚瑞生、杨世珏、袁长录、李贞英、王国先、周淑珍、周志刚、包玉田、孟金秀、吴守琴、孙秀芝、邝滌清、严光汉。尽管他们已不在人世了，但大家的心与他们相连着，活着的人会努力去做，去实现他们的遗愿。
春节聚会，现已成为天安门母亲群体的一个传统。最早是在１９９１年，那是丁子霖、张先玲、尤维洁三家在一起过的春节。那时的相见，大家只是相对而泣。后来每年春节参加的人越来越多，参加者一般都带上自己烩制的菜肴，只是互诉衷肠。在以后几年里，家里实在挤不下了，于是在１９９９年"六四"十周年的春节，开始在单位食堂聚餐。就是在那一天，餐厅前后被"便衣"警察盯上了，但难属们并没有惧怕，餐会照常进行。
今年，餐厅里放着三大桌，坐的满满的，座位加了又加，大家挤在一起，情绪十分饱满，相互激励的话语已经替代了泪水和抽泣。大家心里都十分明白，今年是亲人们罹难的二十周年。对这些白发苍苍的老人来说，岁月确实无情，因此他们必须抢时间齐心合力积极做准备，用心来纪念这个令人刻骨铭心的日子。
难属们表示：大家必须坚强地活着，因为活着本身就是一种坚持。这二十年来，对每个失去亲人的难属来说都是一段苦难史，活得都不容易。坚持就能胜利——哪怕现在抗争的人看不到这一天。
也有的难属自豪地表示：天安门母亲这个群体的存在本身就是一座丰碑，她无愧于我们逝去的亲人，也无愧于我们自己的良心。
天安门母亲
2009.1.11。
Date: March 14, 2009 V.S. # Giants Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 18 – Giants 9 Victor:
Victor's Little League Statistic Date: Feb 28, 2009 V.S. #5 Nation's Thunders (Exhibition game) Victor: Date: March 7, 2009 Time: 1PM V.S. #5 Nation's Thunders (away game) Score: Advantage Carpet Care Grizzlies 23 -- Nation's Thunders 12 Victor:
I became a US citizen on March 4. After moving to the US in 1991, studying and working for so many years, I finally joined the rest of my family and become a new immigrate with full right. The ceremony was held in the Paramount Theater in Oakland. It was a warm rainy day. There are more than twelve hundred immigrates who fill the first floor of the theater. The friends and family were seated in the second floor. Outside street vendors are selling some portfolios for holding the citizenship certificates. The ceremony had several parts. The host was very funny. He told us to turn off the cell phones but said he would keep his on in case the President called him. That got him some applaud. We watched some video about the Ellis Island in New York, some election officials gave an introduction on registering to vote, and we singed the national anthem together. Finally we were ready to swear the allegiance. The lady read aloud all the nations and asked the people to stand up when their formal country of citizenship was called. No surprise when China was called, several hundred people stood up. We rose our right hand, swore our allegiance to the USA, then we became a citizen. I signed a voter registration card outside the theater; no surprise, I registered as a Democrat.
We signed Victor up for a Little League in our neighborhood. Little I know that this league is competitive. Unlike many other kids on the team, Victor never played baseball before. He was struggling in the first few practice sessions. He doesn't know how to field the balls, how to throw, or how to hit. I was in the first weekend session, and Victor seemed to have a miserable time. He didn't hit anything and was standing in the outfield most of the times. Coach Dave asked me to practice with Victor at home. I was certain that Victor didn't like baseball and was really to pull him out, but Yang told me to give it more time. Initially Victor didn't want to practice at home. But on the second day we persuade him to try. He kept getting better and started to hit the balls. Now we practice every day and he always has a good time. Yesterday the team played a practice game. Yang, Oliver and I were there cheering him on. He got one hit and drove in a run. Amazingly, he liked fast ball and hit the ball two out of three times. Coach Dave was amazed too. He murmured that Victor was hitting at the Major League speed. Victor is still an average player, but he is good enough to contribute to the team and have fun. He seems to be fearless when learning new skills. I wish that I always have his spirit.
One of my least favorite Democrats is Bill Richardson. I so despise him that would have considered withhold my support for President Obama. So to my delight Obama didn't pick him as VP candidate last year. And this year, Richardson had to withdraw his nomination of Commerce Secretary because of an on-going investigation about corruption. I was not surprised. This guy was sleazy and opportunistic. He deserved this fall from grace. Now that Gary Locke from Washington State is nominated, I cannot be happier. Gary was the Governor when I worked at Microsoft in the late 90's. He seems to be an efficient and progressive politician. I remembered several things about him. He landed Microsoft much needed morale support when the company was under attack from the US and EU governments. He also had a ski accident and broke a leg when vacationing in Lake Tahoe. He held many town hall style meetings across the state. I remembered some of his witty answers and he was very firm on his progressive positions. He will be a great Commerce Secretary. It's ironic that Obama nominated one prosecutor of Taiwanese immigrant for this position at first, but ended up with a Chinese American. I
