Tag: Grand Canyon

Social boosters

We stand on the shoulders of giants: wheel, movable types, steam engines, electricity and the internet.

Now Iphone 5.

Larger screen, one extra row of icons, aerial and panoramic view.

Information on the go.

I can rattle on.

We are at a point when our ways (technology) are growing faster than our use (apps).

Because of the Iphone 5  panoramic view, am I to travel to the Grand Canyon to take advantage of this new feature?

With Google Earth, do I keep looking at my ex’s house from out-of-state?

After a few trials, we will get bored and move pass new-toy stage.  Not that I am ungrateful.

I do, however, appreciate all the help I have got, as once said, “it took a village”.

My Acknowledgement page should be exhaustive: from parents to people I don’t get to see any more. But also the coffee vendor whose son I befriended during my last months in Vietnam.

People who day in and day out got up early, and get the coffee  hot and ready.

Social boosters.

I appreciate the invisible bakers and dishwashers. People who are portrayed in “Nickel and Dime”.

Soon, we will have fewer of those: milkman and mailman, paper boy and cable guy.

All the jobs seem to have been shipped somewhere else. End of  men.

The US retains high-touch high-value jobs while off-shoring its manufacturing base  (thus rendered irrelevant many civil-rights accomplishments such as EOE).

Latest indicators show Switzerland and Singapore in the top-tier, while the US and Japan trailing in  World Economy (competitiveness).

Still I miss and am grateful for social support, social interaction and yes, occasional social friction.

Now, we order things online, self-serve at the pump, mix our own soda drinks or ice cream flavors and even design our own T-shirts. We have morphed from being a Con-sumer to being a Pro-sumer (even the IT admin will soon be packing because of the iCloud, gas-station attendants because of the EV charging stations or cash-only kiosks. JetBlue, SouthWest both let passengers book their flights and self-checkin).

I  miss those social boosters. Where would I be today without them.

We stand on shoulders of giants, inventors of the past, but also on “nickel and dime” folks. Soon, we will have to say thanks to the machine, which seems to have beaten us to the punch.

Daughter-Daddy

Before my daughter arrived, I had heard of other people’s birth complications which required C-section etc…

So we took up Lamaze classes, and I felt “effeminated” among men and women with pillows.

When I drove A. home the hospital  offered to wheel her out (already strapped in the car seat to begin with). In the parking lot (A.’s first outing) some passerby said “Oh, how cute”.

I realized then I got “china” to be cherished and well-guarded.

The drive home was unnecessarily longer than usual (with light rain to dramatize the scene). At home, we had friends already with welcoming signs.

“Welcome home A.”

She was indeed special and welcome to this world (later, she would experience the Northridge earthquake, LA riot, dot.com burst, single-parented, 9/11 and great Recession. But that was for later).

A. grew up calling me Papi (after the baby sitter’s language).

A. has an amazing sense of coordination. This showed in her taking up Hip-Hop at an early age, and went on to win in competition (no 1 USA).

She collaborated with her “brown” friends (the new valley girls).

And conducted herself beyond reproach.

Any dad would be lucky to have a daughter like A.

She now in Jr College, juggling P/T job and school.

I used to have the same work load while in college.

Time passes more quickly when you are busy. It keeps you out of trouble.

On Father’s Day, I always received her self-made cards. This year, as in years earlier, always with pictures from A.’s childhood. The bond will never be broken.

Every man deserves a special relationship like this.

It redeems us .

You know you can look at yourself in the mirror when your daughter said “we’re tight”.

The role of the alpha males has evolved over the years: from protector to mentor, from “lord” to buddy.

This year A. sent me a picture with us wearing same T-shirts (in design and size).

Now, that’s team. It doesn’t matter that in the photo, she was a child in over-sized T-shirt (for some day, when she reaches middle-age, I will be fading away).

For that moment, as a team, we were like one, tight.

Daughter-Daddy. No business travel, no airport food.

Just sitting on the floor, at eye level. Give Daddy a hug, a kiss.

It’s like communion. I was absolved and consecrated.

It’s not wrong doing or right doing. It’s given that we are imperfect.

What matters is, like any other species, we are built biologically, to transfer our survival and artistic genes. Do this, don’t do that. Eat this, no, not that (poisonous).

So, we navigated through the Valley (San Fernando) and yes, Mountain peak (Grand Canyon). I kidded that A. was a “jungle boy”, when she took off her shirt on one hot day at the peak of the Aztec pyramid. Back in urban jungle, she is surrounded by her Hip-Hop friends. The girl is popular, and well-liked. I would rather you judge me by looking at how well she turns out.

You see, the best thing in life came in small packages. And even better, when it’s from above. A. didn’t have to send me any gift at all. She herself has already been one.

Daughter-Daddy. I promised her my 555th blog will be dedicated to her, for keep’s sake. That future might see more incidents and mishaps, but has one constant: Daughter-Daddy: tight.