Archive for the year 2013
Be A Role Model
Posted on May 5, 2013 by Ching under Confessions, Family, Leadership.
As we were leaving the rec center after my Zumba class yesterday, we walked by a mom and four kids getting out of their car. All the kids were very young. None of them were older than ten. I think the oldest kid was probably seven or eight at best. One of the kids had apparently left one of the rear passenger side doors open. The mom yelled, “Shut the fucking door!” This is what drew our attention to them. We would not have noticed them otherwise.
“That explains a lot,” I told Brian once we got in the car. I guess people grow up hearing that sort of language. They hear it so much that it becomes natural and eventually becomes part of their vocabulary. It’s so pervasive in their language that they don’t even realize that they’re saying it. Once they find themselves in a professional environment, it becomes a challenge to change and speak in a different manner and every now and then they end up slipping back to their natural tendencies.
I’m lucky that English is not my native language. I didn’t learn to cuss in English because my parents didn’t say or use those words. Actually, they didn’t cuss in our native language either. Cussing just wasn’t a regular part of our vocabulary. I’ve learned to cuss over the years, but it still feels gawky to me. You know when I’m really angry because then I force myself to cuss. However, it comes out sounding so strange that I (and the person I’m yelling at) just end up laughing at my awkwardness. Yes, I’m an awkward cusser.
Brian and I have no kids of our own so we have no business offering parenting advice. However, I can offer an observation. Actions speak louder than words so please be a role model to your children. You can preach against using foul language to your children but, if they grow up hearing you use foul language in everyday life and everyday conversations, chances are they’re going to follow your lead. Kids (or people in general) will often do as you do, not as you say.
They say that our attitudes, values, and beliefs form at a very early age. Corrupt your children if you must, but at least make the early years count. Wait until they’re older to start cussing around them. LOL. They will thank you for your great example later.
P.S. Thank you, mom and dad, for not teaching me to cuss.
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Tsunami: Not as Good as It Used to Be
Posted on May 4, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Tsunami used to be one of our favorite eateries on the East side of town. Over the years, we went less and less frequently for diet and financial reasons. The last blow was moving to the South part of Wichita. It was no longer convenient for us to go.
A recent Groupon offer got to us to return the other day, though. But it wasn’t the place that we remembered. It’s still located in the same strip mall and the menu is still the same, but the feeling is completely different.
The salad roll was okay. It wasn’t as delicious as I remembered.
The fried dumplings were just okay also.
The bottom line is that the quality of the food isn’t what it used to be. You used to be able to taste the love in the carefully prepared dishes no matter what you ordered from the menu. Now the food is just blah.
The people were nice, but I think the restaurant has changed owners. That would explain why the food isn’t the same even though the menu hasn’t changed. The sticky floors on the day of our visit was also an added turn off. The place just seems neglected. I feel sorry for what’s become of one of our old favorites.
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The Bradley Fair Concerts are Almost Upon Us
Posted on May 1, 2013 by Ching under Date Ideas.
The Bradley Fair concerts are almost upon us. Are you ready?
Opera on the Lake
May 18 at 6:30 pmOnce a year, Bradley Fair Plaza is transformed from marketplace to opera-hall as Wichita Grand Opera (WGO) performs highlights from some of the most famous operas. WGO artists and musicians create the drama, passion and musical force of opera vignettes against the backdrop of Bradley Fair Lake. This community event is free and open to the public. Bring lawn chairs for seating and enjoy an evening of beautiful music under the stars. Reserved seating with dinner on the patio of Newport Grill is also available. For information or reservations, call Wichita Grand Opera at 316.683.3444.
Thursday Summer Concerts on Bradley Fair Plaza
June 6, 13, 20, 27 at 7:30 pmEnjoy the sights and sounds of summer with professional jazz performances on Bradley Fair Plaza. The best sunsets, sounds and stars overlooking Bradley Fair Lake for everyone’s favorite complimentary music entertainment. Concerts are free and open to the public.
Celebrate America Concert and Fireworks
July 4 at 7:30 pmJoin us as we light the sky with spectacular fireworks as we Celebrate America. Enjoy the summer concert from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., then sit back and be amazed as the fireworks dance over the Bradley Fair Lake.
Brian and I got new backpack chairs
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I’m Talented at Being Annoying
Posted on April 26, 2013 by Ching under Confessions, Leadership.
Last night I shared with Brian some of the things I’ve learned in Leadership Elite over the last few weeks. I told him that talent is more important than experience, education, and intelligence when selecting someone for a job. I told him that even the most menial jobs require talent. He didn’t buy it.
I read him some excerpts from the book that we’re reading in class, First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently
- I asked him the following questions:
- Is there a 4th of July in Mexico?
- If the doctor gave you three pills and told you to take one every half hour, how long would they last?
- How many species of each type of animal did Moses take into the ark?
Guess what. He got all three questions wrong. I told him that it’s not him. It’s because of his filters. Our filters are the building blocks of our talents. He was like, “Not this again!” Did I mention that he really hates it whenever I go through training?
Anyway, I did get him to agree that he has a talent for organizing things. He can bring order to the most chaotic of environments. His desk is always neat and organized. He’s even helped me clean and organize my own desk. When there isn’t an organized process for doing things, he creates one. When I look at my messy closet, I am overwhelmed; yet he can organize everything within minutes. Organization is not just something he is good at — he’s talented at it.
I thought for a moment and asked, “So what’s my talent?”
“Being annoying,” Brian replied. After I glared at him and we laughed together, he admitted, “Actually, you are talented at learning things.”
I think he’s absolutely right. It explains why I learn choreo in Zumba really quickly. It explains why I love going to school. It explains why I’m always eager to receive training and acquire new skills. It explains why I enjoy getting up early on Saturday mornings and sitting in a Spanish class that I’m not even enrolled in. It explains why I embrace new information rather than rejecting it. It’s not because I’m gullible or impressionable, though I am at times. It’s because I’m an empty cup ready to be filled. I’m a sponge that just wants to soak things up. I am this way because I have a talent for learning (or so we’ve concluded).
You know what excites me most about this revelation? I just learned something new about myself.
FOLLOW UP:
While I was typing this post, the doorbell rang. Brian answered the door and talked to the guy outside.
I was like, “Who was that?” Apparently it’s some guy going door to door, offering lawn care services.
“That would suck,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“Going door to door.”
“Not if you’re talented at it!”
And that, my friends, is the reason why talent is important when hiring someone to do a job.
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National Sales Meeting 2013
Posted on April 24, 2013 by Ching under Confessions.
The week of National Sales Meeting is my most dreaded part of the year because it’s a week when Brian spends all his waking moments at the hotel where their work convention is held. He’d often leave at 6 AM and not be home until 11 PM. As if the long hours apart aren’t bad enough, I actually have to drive myself around and pump my own gas. Having to fend for myself gives me a taste of what it would be like to be single. Not that much fun. I’m so glad I have Brian. And, I’m so glad that NSM only lasts a week. Blech.
There are some good things about NSM, though. It means I get to see our Latin American friends, brief as it may be.
Tonight we had a wonderful dinner at Wasabi, one of our favorite restaurants. Brian thought he wouldn’t be able to join us at first. I picked up Toby and Jorge and the three of us were finishing the last of our starters (we got deep-fried vegetable and chicken dumplings and crab cakes and a rice crispy, which isn’t pictured but it’s Jorge’s favorite at Wasabi) when Brian arrived. Apparently, things were under control at the IT bunker at the hotel and his bosses could spare him. Thank you, Jesse and Justin!
We also got a couple of orders of the shrimp tempura crazy roll, which is one of our favorite rolls at Wasabi. That’s what we always get. I did get to try something new this time. Toby ordered the BSCR. I think that the acronym stands for baked scallop crab roll. It was delicious. Even Brian, who doesn’t usually eat scallops, liked it.
I’m glad that I got to try it. There are several things on the menu that we still haven’t tried yet. I’m sure they’re all really good. We’ve yet to order anything at Wasabi that we didn’t like. It’s our favorite sushi joint in town. It seems that it’s become a favorite for Jorge and Toby too.
NSM may not be my favorite time of year, but I always enjoy seeing Brian’s friends in sales specially Toby and Jorge. Dinner with these two almost makes up for being without Brian during NSM week. Thanks for dinner, Jorge and Toby!
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