Blessed-Family Blog

Although we don’t watch much TV, if you watch what we have bought over the last couple of years, we look like Infomercial Freaks who watch late night TV and channel surfing all night long. Last summer, we bought the Magic Bullet Express blender. It was great. We had so much fun and delicious/healthy drinks with it, and we really love it.

I have always told people that Bible says “ask and you shall receive”. Well, this year, I asked for a Total Gym ( check it out on Amazon, advertised on TV with Chuck Norris) and we got two! One came a few weeks ago, slightly damaged (seat cover cracked, some noise when used) so we were trying to ship it back and get a refund, in the mean time, we got another one from the local store. Today, the guy who shipped the first one to us finally came back and said we can keep the slightly damaged one and will refund my cost.

Since we already have another one, we gave the other one away to a friend. Stay tuned, we will report in a few weeks which family begin to look more like Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley.
You can check out the Total Gym Club 1700 and Magic Bullet Express blender products at Amazon.com.

Today’s Gospel was Our Lords Prayer (Mt 6:7-15). I thought about the testimony that I wrote a few years ago and published it on the blessed-family.org site. Check out the English and Chinese versions of the “Thy Kingdom Come” testimonies in the Faith Sharing section of the site.

We have started a new section of the site called “Other Resources”, and we have posted Dr Mary N. Megson’s Congressional Testimony on Autism. It’s an important overview/summary information. Check it out!

Dear brothers and sisters in Cornerstone, Lighthouse, Watermark YAG (Jenny/Steve would you please forward), and my T2 colleague’s,
Peace and Joy of our Lord Jesus Christ with you all!

I talked to my mom yesterday and she reminded me that “端午節” (a special summer festival) is near since it was my birthday again (reason for the word 端 “Tuan” in of my Chinese name 傅典端).  Every year, right about this time, besides having some sticky rice, I have a tradition to share a very special and joyful story with everyone in ‘my Bible study’ group and/or at the prayer group, sometimes more than once per weekend!

This year, I am going to tell this story to my kids (my family church), and I want to share this story with you by email.  May the story touches and inspires you because I know that God loves YOU AND YOUR FAMILY as much as He loves me and my family.

• English: http://www.blessed-family.org/?page_id=83
• Chinese: http://www.blessed-family.org/?page_id=84

If you are interested in other stories of how we were touched by God’s love, check out the Faith Sharing part of the blessed-family.org site.  We are also doing some random faith/life related bloging on the family blog.  If you are interested, feel free to stop by from time to time to check it out.

May God bless you and your family always,
+Tony

On one of my recent trips back from DC, I watched a little bit of the movie “The Guardian” with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. It seems to be a very good drama with lots of swimming action, I thought it was good for the swimmers of the family. We finally watched it tonight. It was great inspiring family movie.

While swimming and playing at the pool, Firephoenix and I tried the “push the brick” game. I was able to hold my breath and push the brick most of the way (I was not sure if I can swim back down the bottom after getting up to breath). However, being old and confused (especially on my birthday!), I mistaken the sides of the (small) pool and stopped at the middle of the pool while thinking I was at the end already! Oh well.

The training scenes were tough, and it was good to see that they actually push the ‘A’ team harder than the DACA local college swimming program.  (Maybe they will complain less about it in the future.)  It helped us to want to be ‘great’ (or at least better). I swam one extra lap than last time today.

The movie took our emotions up and down and there were many memorable segments. During the ’suffocating moment’, firepheonix said he held his breath, it was good that there was a good ending there so he did not faint. At the end, most of us are in tears. (at least secretly).

Coast Guards is an amazing career, just like fire fighters and police man and others like them, their passion is to save others. They sacrifice and never let go. It’s really incredible, they are great. The DVD actually had an alternate ending, everyone liked the alternate ending, however I thought the current ending was the best, it shows the greatness of the sacrificing soul, and illustrates and ties back the ‘Guardian’ and never let go theme. Watch the alternate ending and see if you like it.

The acting was very good. The special effects were great. The extra segments at the end of the DVD were helpful in giving us the appreciation of how scenes were created. It was too bad one of the deleted scene was not included (the one about the girl being let go), it would have made the movie even stronger.

Check out the new/used “The Guardian” videos at Amazon.com , get them here to support this site!

When we first moved to the SF Bay area about 9 years ago, Ming’s was a place that we felt was prestiges, good quality, relatively good taste (comparing to LA), and expensive. We used to go there periodically, and felt good taking visitors from LA and felt good holding parties there. It has maintained pretty good quality until a couple of years ago, we had a couple of bad experiences both on Sundays and on weekdays and we stopped going for quite a while. Weekend Girl casually suggested that we try it again, we gladly went, and yes, we were glad that we went!

The business was good, that’s a good sign, especially, there was a good mix of Chinese people in a Chinese restaurant. There were two large parties, one in the either wing of the restaurant, the main seating area was very busy but we were seated in several minutes at 12:15 on a Saturday, thanks for the large dining capacity.

As soon as we sat down, before we had time to pray and say our grace, already 2 carts full of steamy yummy dim sums stopped by. We picked a bunch of dishes that filled the entire table, then we prayed for the grace. The food was delicious. Here are some of the highlights…

• variety is excellent. they have added a number of traditional dim sum dishes, and complemented the selections with some other Asian small dishes from Japan and Vietnam. The selection is excellent.
• Peking duck. This is one of the unique offerings from Ming’s, and is always excellent. Too bad there were only 3 pieces per dish (and counted as the most expensive item, of course) and we ordered two.
• Stuffed Bell pepper. This is one of our favorites, at Ming’s they use both green and red bell peppers, it’s both colorful and delicious.
• Shrimp ball with corns. This is relatively unique. We usually like it with white sticky rice (’pearls’), but corns is sweet and delightful, we got 2 servings.
• Other favorites includes: shrimp dumpling, BBQ Pork buns, Siu Mai, and Taro cake.
• service and decoration. The service is relatively good for a Chinese restaurant, the decoration and cleanliness and quality of the food is expected.

Not so highlights…

• Desert is slightly weak. Missing a couple our favorite deserts like White Sugar Cake and Ma-La Cake. The Baked Stuffed Custard Cake looked excellent, but the outer bread was a little old.

Overall, a very tasty and delightful meal. Cost has not changed, a little on the high side for Chinese dim sum, $100 even for a family of 4 (with 2 teen boys).

Location:

Ming’s Chinese Cuisine and Bar
1700 Embarcadero Rd
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 856-7700

References:

www.mings.com
Yahoo Local
City Guide

We just played a game of ImagiNiff with Mocha, Scooter (Mocha’s brother), and Peanut (Mocha’s step-sister) as guest subjects. Here was one of the questions that came up, comment if you want to answer…

iMAgiNiff… Scooter were kissing goodnight after a first date. Where would he/she plant it?

1. Lips
2. Back of the hand
3. Cheek
4. Feet
5. Ear lobe
6. Tonsils

[Check out the iMAgiNiff Game at amazon.com]

Last few days, the daily Mass first readings have been on the story of Tobit from the Old Testament. I have been following the story of this righteous man and his family, how Tobit got tested, overcame, and got healed.

Throughout the process, even during his trials and afflictions (see his prayer in Tobit 3), he maintained the faith. Also, his son, followed his way and did some amazing things. I am very touched by the story of this family.

When I went back to the Bible to read the whole story, I saw this particularly touching advice about almsgiving (Tobia 4:7-11 and Tobia 12:8-9):

• Give alms from your possessions. Do not turn your face away from any of the poor, and God’s face will not be turned away from you. … Almsgiving frees one from death, and keeps one from going into the dark abode. Alms are a worthy offering in the sight of the Most High for all who give them.
• Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness. It is better to give alms than to store up gold; for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin.

In today’s dramatic and joyful segment (Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time), Tobit’s son came back from a long journey with a wife and Tobit regained his vision, and he said:

• I can see you, son, the light of my eyes!”
  Then he said:“Blessed be God,
  and praised be his great name,
  and blessed be all his holy angels.
  May his holy name be praised
  throughout all the ages,
  Because it was he who scourged me,
  and it is he who has had mercy on me.
  Behold, I now see my son Tobiah!”

  Then Tobit went back in, rejoicing and praising God with full voice
  for everything that had happened.

This is an incredible testimony from a wonderful family!