Remembrance

In remembrance or my remembrance, a re-post from a year ago...


No one could ever forget what happened five years ago. As you read this, I ask you not to dwell on the tragedies and devastations that mark this day annually in history, but I humbly request that you join me in celebrating life. When D. Challener Roe began Project 2,996, he inspired thousands of volunteer bloggers by putting the innocent deaths into perspective ~ “Let us honor 9/11 victims by remembering their lives…and not their murderers.” Furthermore, Poet Laureate Andrew Motion expressed, “We cope with loss not by forgetting whoever has been taken from us, but by finding out how we can best live with our memories of them.”

Although many will remember Mr. Moises N. Rivas as one of the many victims of the September 11, 2001 tragedies, let us remember him for what he is most known for. Moises was a father, a husband, a chef, a musician, a singer, a dancer, and a friend to many.

Dreaming of being the next Emeril, Moises’ love for culinary art brought him to Windows on the World. For Moises, the act of serving was his career. As a Windows on the World chef, Moises prepared meals for patrons of the restaurant on the 106th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Moises and 78 other staff-members were preparing breakfast for several large corporate meetings.

“He was a very nice and caring guy. I've known him since he started singing for the Ecuadorian community. He was a very important part of our community. He sang like an angel. He will always be remembered in our hearts as a very good singer, the best husband, the best father, and the best friend. ~ Esther de T.

The night before, Moises was up until 2 A.M. playing slow salsa on his guitar. From Ecuador, Moises immigrated to the “Land of Opportunities” with big dreams. Music was a passion of his; he dreamt of being the next Ricky Martin. In his pursuit, he wrote songs and led an up-and-coming band in Ecuador and the United States with his soulful voice. During a 1995 band performance in Queens, New York, Moises first laid eyes on Elizabeth, a contestant in a local beauty pageant that his band was performing at. Always known to be ambitious and confident, Moises made a $50 bet with a band-member that he could get Elizabeth to go out with him. Two weeks later, they were dating. Within a year, they were married. As some believe, it was love at first sight.

Six years and two children later, Moises’ love for his wife was still as strong as the day he fell in love with Elizabeth. Moises’ last recorded words were like a renewal of vows. As the North Tower became engulfed in flames, he called home and spoke to his stepdaughter, Cristal Barragan.

“He said, ‘tell [Elizabeth] not to worry; I’m OK. Tell her I love her no matter what. I love her.’” ~ Cristal Barragan

Two years after exchanging vows, Moises and Elizabeth had two children. Moises N. Rivas, Junior was 4 and Moesha D. Rivas was 2 at the time they lost their father. Stories were told about how much the 29-year old loved his two children.

“I had the opportunity to work with him in the music business, and he was an excellent group member as well as an exceptional human being. I have a fond memory of one time, when working with his band, side-by-side with my band... I can remember after each song he sang, he would run to the side of the stage to carry his newborn daughter.” ~ Michael Dominguez

Today, I remember Mr. Moises Rivas, a man passionate about life and loved by many. He brought joy to each person in his life, whether it was a closely loved one or an acquaintance. Even though he is not with us today, he continues to touch many ~ including strangers like me. Through recorded interviews and tributes, I have had the honor of getting to know Moises. Although I have never met him, I imagine Moises to be the kind of man who was a true joy and honor to know; his warmth, compassion, sincerity, integrity, and passions were exhibited through each action, whether it was through preparing a meal or strumming a guitar. This tribute does not come close to capturing Moises’ true essence, but my prayer is that others will catch a glimpse and be touched by him so that his legacy lives on. Thank you for joining me in remembering Mr. Rivas and the 2,995 that passed away in the World Trade Center five years ago. As 2,996 volunteer blogger Auntie Lyn said, “Five years is nothing when you measure that loss with love.”

“Moises, you were a wonderful person and I know you made everyone around you happy especially your wife and family.” ~ Sammy and Angel Saez

May each victim rest in peace. May God bless Moises' family and loved ones.

Above is a quilt patch made to keep memories of Moises alive. Photo courtesy of United in Memory 9/11 Victims Memorial Quilt™, Inc.

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Please join me in honoring all of the victims by visiting other blog tributes. Just click on the following:

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If you have any information regarding Moises or his family, please do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail. Thank you.

Collection

My Dad is halfway across the world, but sometimes it feels like he is still just 30 miles away. :) He has been calling us regularly, and we are still IMing. On occasion, he still uses me as his secretary, having me "collect" some of his e-mails (he means, "correct"). He sent me this one e-mail to collect/correct to send to his token non-Asian friend (a.k.a. my Godfather). This was by far the most fun e-mail I've had to help him with:

Dear [Cheryl's Godfather who sings and plays "Great Balls of Fire" really well]:

thank you for your ride to airport.

i am safety arrival to Shanghai, everything is doing fine, except, i still can not hold of [female friend of Godfather], i call her many times, her cell phone still power off. i think she is out of contry. if still can not find her, i going to eat That SEE'S CANDY, how's that? haha.......

I was ROFLMAO! I couldn't believe that my dad joked in English and in e-mail AND added the "haha"! That is awesome!

BTW, in my dad's defense, his English really isn't so bad (I mean, seriously, he used to say "correct," not "collect"). I seriously think he doesn't put in the effort. =P I guess it's a tweaked version of learned helplessness.

I love my dad and actually miss him a lot. I can't believe it's been over 15 years since he first started traveling to China. For me, going to China brought back lots of memories of my Dad. On every trip, he would bring back little souvenirs: delicate wooden fans with incense, tiny glass bottles intricately painted like Chinese scroll paintings from the inside, and even those little whistle pipes that make bird noises (that were fun when we were kids but kind of annoying as adults). We saw the same souvenirs all along our trip, but just being there helped me realize why my dad bought those souvenirs for me; he really saw the beauty and craftsmenship in it all (well, aside from the pipe). I still remember him giving me the little painted bottle and telling me how amazing it was that the artist painted it from the inside out. I didn't understand (nor appreciate) it as a 9 y/o...but then I saw it with my own 2 eyes along the Great Wall. Indeed, it is amazing.

BF and I are already plotting on when we can go back and where we should go next. :)

Random: Life in L.A.

Yesterday, as I desperately searched for a fan at Target, a little girl (~ 4 y/o maybe?) was with her Dad. When they came out of the aisle, the little girl saw something and exclaimed, "Holy $h!+!" I looked at the Dad (containing my shock), but the Dad's expression didn't even change; it was as if the girl never said a word. The un-innocence of it all kinda bummed me out.
...
Today, I went into Jack-In-the-Box and a guy was waiting for his order ahead of me when another guy walked in. Something about the first guy's body language made me think that he was moving away from the counter in an awkward way for the 2nd guy to get up there. Turns out they knew each other. The first guy said to the second guy, "I heard you were dead." (Not joking.)
...
I thought I was tech-savvy enough to figure out this program to run student reports, but apparently not so! I am currently browsing through a 55 page manual (and needed a break). I need to run a report by tmrw AM...

First Day of School for the Potatoes

(In a successful attempt to procrastinate doing “work from home,” I am blogging about today’s events.)

Today was my 2^nd day of work, but first day of school for the little potatoes. (My dad calls kids “small potatoes,” so it’s kind of caught on for me. Random: Daddy safely arrived in Shanghai today.) I have to admit it was kind of exciting. The intercom system is through the phone system so shortly after the bell rang, the Principal greeted all of the students and led us in the flag salute. I felt kind of silly b/c there is no flag in my room and I ran to my doorway and didn’t see a flag, but I silently recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

The rest of the day was still humming with excitement. The custodians were in and out of my office quite a lot today, helping me move my furniture around and bringing in new (old) ones. All the while, a lot of cross-talk on their walkie-talkies consisted of stuff like, “[so-and-so] is headed towards the 20s corridor” (implying that so-and-so was up to some shady business) followed by someone responding w/ an interception and leading the student to the classroom. Someone also radioed Boss (the head custodian) early on that someone already tagged in the boys’ restroom (I think they suspect it’s the same perpetrator as the previous year).

A word about Boss. The PM custodian calls the AM custodian, Boss, b/c he is the Head Custodian. Boss reminds me of BF’s friend E5 b/c of their physical features (e.g., same body build, tattoos) and they both smoke Marlboros. Boss was extremely helpful as was PM custodian. Boss saw me beating the nasty dust out of a stained office chair outside of my office when he said, “hold on…” and came back and assembled a NEW chair for me! (Hey, every little thing counts!)

PM custodian moved all of my heavy file cabinets around (and even moved one to the new place and then back to the old place, when we realized it wouldn’t work well b/c of a phone jack). But before he could move my file cabinets, I had to clear ALL the junk on top and around them.

They also let me keep the old desk (yay!) and brought me another one (Boss convinced me that I would need another work station; Psych said it’s better for me to have more furniture and request to move it out later than to not have any and want it. Word to burger.)

The tech guy stopped by and said he found me a computer and printer (and was taking away 2 printers in my office). He also explained that the internet along the entire corridor was not working…and he confirmed my fear – the networking box was broken so once it is fixed, it will emit even more heat! Ah! Actually, today wasn’t so bad. I worked in front of my small but powerful fan. I didn’t think it was too bad (until I went to other people’s rooms and sat in their cool, refreshing A/C).

Oh, I did ask the Principal, “Oh, is there anyway that the A/C can get fixed in here?” She looked up at the so-called vent and said, “Oh, it's not working? I’ll tell [the Office Manager].” Hm. I realized today that I’ve got some potentially good moral support on the room situation, though. A teacher stopped by and introduced herself…and then told me that I definitely need to request for a fan or A/C or something (since I am technically not a District employee, but a County employee). The psych also politely told the Principal that my room may not be large enough for group therapy. Boss brought in my kidney table and then we both decided that it was too large. :( I am hoping that by the time I arrive tomorrow (after 2 meetings), I will have a computer and printer set up and a smaller round table instead of a kidney table.

Oh, the other fun thing about today is that I got to "shop"! I ordered a few supplies from my District budget. It'll probably take a month or so to get here, though. :( I hope I get a County budget for materials, too, b/c most of the manipulatives are ancient, man. I must've washed my hands at least 20x today b/c of all the dust, cobwebs, and spiders (I killed 2 more today and 1 was already dead).

Lastly, I met the previous SLP and she was a doll. I have to admit that I don't think my very first impression of her (from yesterday's brief staff meeting) was all that positive, but she stopped me in the hall today and introduced herself and welcomed me to meet with her. She was soOOOoOOOOOoOOOoo helpful! I really feel very fortunate that she is on campus and willing to help me...since I still don't know who my CF supervisor is. :(

Hopefully, my office will look even cleaner by the end of tomorrow. It's a hard, working progress.

Oh, point of clarification: my hours are tentatively 7 to 2 (although it's more like 7AM to 4 or 5PM for now) b/c my contract says, "the unit member shall not leave the assigned site less than seven hours, including a half-hour duty-free lunch..." So technically, my work days are 6.5 hours! But like I said, they're more like 9 or 10 hour days since I do working lunches (well, the whole 2 days I have been working). Come to think of it, today will be more than 10 hours since I still have some work to do after I post...So theoretically, this is a great job; realistically, for the first few months, it is tiring and challenging as I climb the steep learning curve, but it has a good pay-off later. :)

First Day as M.A., SLP-CF

Come to think of it, I am neither M.A. nor SLP-CF yet. (My degree hasn't posted nor have I submitted CFY paperwork.) Shoot...

But my employer could care less -- I began work today! :D

The nice thing is that I felt peachy dandy (rather than first day of work jitters). I started my day off by picking up my keys from Fun Van, who turtle-sat. I suspect she is tempted to convert to turtle-ism. As a thank you gift, we gave her a box of scandalous China Panda Chocolate.

Afterwards, I rushed home to get ready and then stopped by the P.O. for a M.O. for my Waiver (boo!). It cost me $55 to be put on a lower salary scale (until my Credential posts and I get paid what I am really worth, according to my employer's standards). After I stopped by the HR office (literally 10 minutes), I went to work.

The crazy thing is that the Office Manager, whom I had spoke to before I left for China, still had no idea why I was there. Well, she sort of knew, but she was still confused so I had to explain to her (as did the Principal and District). After the confusion was settled, I was directed to my office. (Doesn't that sound so profesho-nal?)

Dude, I was the hottest item on the block! Literally, not figuratively, homies. I seriously think my office was close to 100 degrees. Turns out my office is the only one that doesn't have an A/C unit...out of like the entire school. It appears to have doubled (or tripled) as a storage room, too. :( I spent 1/3 of my AM helping the previous resident clear her stuff and then the rest of the day cleaning out the most random stuff: math, literature, history, and science textbooks and workbooks, magazines, and even a HUGE box of "Yarn Material" (a plethora of yarn!). I haven't even gotten to the goodies (SLP manipulatives). I did at least organize the SLP exam materials nicely, though. Colored Post-Its are one of my favorite office supplies.

Several people stopped by to introduce themselves, which I sincerely appreciated. Heck, I really did thank them for stopping by. I figure I'll introduce myself to others when the opportunity arises. The great thing is that the psych seems to be really friendly and will give me a tour and introduction next week; great first impression, especially since I will be working closely with her. Everyone that stopped by to greet me was very nice. I tried my best to stop sweating and to say something witty and/or pleasant.

I would have stayed longer than my 7 hours, but they were hosting a welcoming BBQ for 6th graders and they blasted hip-hop like it should be everyone's business so I called it a day and went to Costco for some shopping therapy. :)

Dude, I haven't got paid yet, but I shopped like I have! I even "splurged" and bought REAL furniture polish and napkins! (None of the 99 cent crap!) I also rewarded myself w/ a fro-yo...and it actually has flavor! (It's usually really bland.) I looked for a fan at Costco, Target, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond but to no avail. When I was at Target, I asked a clerk who looked at me and then said, "they're all sold out." Something about his pragmatics made me skeptical so I went to look, asked another clerk where it was located, and asked another clerk if there were any more. Nope, all sold out. I went to BBB and saw the little personal ones. I asked the dude if they had any standing fans or if they were all sold out. He guffawed as if I had asked the most absurd question. LOL In my defense, I said, "I just came back from vacation yesterday; I had no idea I was coming home to a heat wave!" Hopefully, I'll have better luck tomorrow.

I am currently scheming on how to finagle a cooler room. So far, my passive-aggressive scheme is to ask the principal, "Can you also have maintenance fix my A/C? It is not working and it was sOooOOo hot yesterday." (In the brief meeting today, she said that the A/C in some rooms was not working and it will be fixed.) (Seriously, my room does not even have an A/C unit...and to add insult to injury, the huge networking box is in my room, emitting even more heat!)

I wish I had my camera with me today so that I could show my office and to show how productive I really was (and how dirty I got).

I hope that when I get in tmrw, my key works, I will have a "kidney" desk and work desk, and clean carpets with no spiders! (I killed 3 spiders today. Gross!) :)

Welcome home from Chiner!

On a bitter-sweet note...We're home!

8 days (& 6 nights) later, we're back in the States! I don't know where to begin on describing all of our adventures. Like a loser, I'll be retro-posting about our trip as time permits. For now, I need to get ready for my first day of work.

(For the last time until next summer) Summer vacation rules!

I think I'll go make some coffee now...since it's technically 6 AMish in China, which is around the time I woke up most of the days (half hour before wake-up call).

Day 5: Shanghai, Suzhou, & Wuxi

Today, we boarded an early flight from Beijing to Shanghai. I practically ate 3 breakfasts (1 buffet and 2 airlines). We arrived in Shanghai and took a bus to Wuxi. It was by far the most horrendous day in terms of weather. I was 90%+ humidity!

We started the day off in Wuxi by visiting Tai Hu Lake. The Chinese believe that Wuxi has great Feng Shui, which has accounted for much of their prosperity. In particular, this city is known for its advanced economic construction, seafood (fish), rice, and Tai Hu Lake. In Tai Hu Lake, there are over 100 kinds of shrimp and fish, including the silver fish on top of the steamed egg that we had the night before. At dinner the night before, BSILF asked what the little fishies were and I told her, "I think they're called silver fish." When I heard myself say that, I thought, how awkward -- aren't those nasty bugs called silver fish? Apparently that's what everybody else thought, too! But it turns out they are called silver fish! They come only from this lake (so when Ama cooks it up in scrambled egg or whatever, the fish is actually from this lake!). As for the shrimp, Tai Hu Lake produces a white shrimp, or “crystal shrimp” – it stays white even when cooked. Lastly, the lake is known for its limestone. We visited the lake, which is where Turtle Head Isle was located. It was a little anticlimactic b/c I didn’t really see the turtle’s head…and in the story, it is called dragon’s head b/c a turtle didn’t sound as great as a dragon. There, I bought BSILF a souvenir (a turtle “boggle-body” with a hatchling stacked on top; a.k.a. Lil F and Tanga).

Afterwards, we rode on the bus for a few minutes to the Pearl Farm. The local tour guide gave a brief intro about the importance of pearls. He began by saying that Tai Hu Lake also produces 90-95% of the freshwater mussels/pearls. Pearls really became significant because of the Dragon Lady, who ruled China from 1851 – 1908. When she discovered the freshwater pearls, she really believed in its power to keep her face looking youthful. On a daily basis, she massaged crushed pearl power onto her face (a.k.a. (non sequitur) Sheep placenta Cream). When she passed away, people said she looked 18 years younger; hence the belief that crushed pearl powder cream helps a woman retain a youthful complexion. The guide also spoke about how brides wear pearls because they best match wedding gowns, and they represent beauty and elegance.

Other random pearl trivia:

• Many high-end jewelry manufacturers, such as Tiffany’s and Cartier, sell expensive pieces with pearls that have a nucleus of at least .5mf.
  
• Freshwater pearls have a cold feel.
  
• Ocean pearls have a thin luster; they lose its luster after 20 years whereas freshwater pearls keep their luster for at least 100 years.
  
• The Mikimoto pearl is the most expensive pearl; a single pendant of 11mm can cost 300K Y ($40K); (Mikimoto was the first to perfect the cultured pearl process…and then the Chinese refined the process and took over the market). The bigger (and rounder) the better; at 7 mm and above, the price increases significantly.

At the farm, a saleslady told us how to determine the authenticity of pearls.

1. Real pearls will feel slightly gritty when rubbed together because of the layers of nacre that have formed over time. Fake pearls will feel smooth when rubbed together.
2. She breathed on the mirror and quickly rubbed real pearls against it; it created the fine powder that the Dragon Lady once used for her face (fake pearls will not create a powder)
3. Real pearls often feel cool to touch (for the first few moments).
   
4. Imitation pearls often have a uniform shape, color, and size, while every genuine pearl is unique. The luster of genuine pearls have more depth than imitations.

The lady also taught us how to pick good pearls. First is the roundness. Second is its luster. (Third might be color?) BF and I picked out a nice purplish-pink set of a necklace, ring, and earrings for me (and then bro bargained it down from $120 to $80 Y). They also switched the settings for me (with hot water and superglue -- so high tech!). I actually really like pearls a lot; they’re classy but definitely for special occasions and outfits.

Afterwards, we went to the Silk Weaving Factory. It was really neat to see the actual cocoons being unspun. I got to touch the thread from a single and double cocoon. In the morning, they drop cocoons in hot water (to kill the silkworms) and then they mix it around w/ a little stick brush to pick the cocoons up and start loosening the threads to stick on the machine. For the double cocoons, a lady would pick the 2 bugs out and soak the silk in water and then stretch the silk out over wooden stands. Eventually, the double silk strands would be stretched out for comforters and stuff. FBIL, BSILF, and a few others stretched out some silk for a comforter in the next room over. Since it was government owned, no bargaining was allowed, so we went upstairs to the “department store.” There, BF bought a silk scarf for Tita Flower and Tita Pina (210 and 140 Y); we got a small coin purse as a free gift.

After lunch, we got on the bus for our 2.5 hour drive to Hangzhou, but we stopped an hour in. We were supposed to stop after 30 minutes or so b/c Lynnie really needed to go. The tour guide, didn’t respond very nicely; he said, “I told you to use the wash room before we left.” Poor Lynnie responded, “I did, but I had a lot of beer.”

Eventually, we got to Old Town and walked the “Chinese 3^rd Street.” Guh bought the Dragon Mustache candy that Ama used to buy him all the time when we were little! We saw through the windows how they hand-made it all. We also walked to McDonald’s; BF had a large vanilla shake (which is our medium), I had an ice-cream cone (250 Y), and Bro ordered a pineapple pie for FBIL. We even crossed a big street! That was a crazy moment; BF was quite scared. (Now we understand why San Gabriel Valley drivers are so bad! It's genetic!)

We got to New Century hotel around 9 PM. It was the best hotel we have stayed in yet. I met part of the group downstairs in the lounge for about half an hour. BF bought Cuban cigars with one of the Cholitas, who stealthily informed him of how to bypass customs with that stuff.

We were all bummed about not staying at this hotel longer. It truly was 5-star. The bathroom even had an electronic roll-up partition for the window separating the bedroom and bathroom. BF suggested we take a (romantic) walk around the streets after the lounge, but I was too exhausted. :( It was a real shame to spend a night in such a beautiful hotel for just a few hours. Still, it was worth it!