Saturday, December 21, 2013

2013 Holiday Greetings from the Ching-Chin-Lee-Pan Family


William and Nancy Chin-Lee

The folks

My mother,Nancy Wong Chin-Lee, passed from this world on October 21st (at age 85), but her spirit lives on. I miss her but I know she’s in a better place. Because of her Alzheimer’s, she had been unable to take care of herself the last few years and we were so fortunate to have two talented caregivers, Irene and Namukale.

My father continues to live in their condo in Washington, DC, with the help of our caregivers. I’m also happy that Douglass Chin-Lee, my nephew, is living with him and my niece Allyx Chin-Lee lives next door. We celebrated dad’s 90th birthday in April with a large gathering and a family reunion.

Peter's mom, Wanda Ching, has had several setbacks, including 4 surgeries this year, but maintains a sunny disposition. Luckily, Peter's siblings are nearby (she's in Arlington, VA) and they have been taking excellent care of her.

Sun/Oracle

Oracle x86 Engineering Office in Shanghai
I marked my 10th anniversary of working at Sun/Oracle in November, the longest time working at one place by a large margin. Thanks to my team, we've been able to do more work in animation and video as well as publications. This work gave me a reason to organize a panel on animation, video, and data visualization at the wonderful Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Minneapolis. 

Shanghai and Kunming

Oracle sent me to Shanghai to do leadership training for our office there. 
I took this chance to visit Vanessa, who has given up the corporate life for now and is teaching English in Kunming, Yunnan province.

Caitlin, Vanessa, Nancy (all expats) in Halloween costumes

Vanessa & Cyndi at Erhu Lake, Dali

Cyndi at Emerald Lake, Kunming

Joshua and Peter


Joshua is enjoying his last year (sigh!) as a fifth grader at Ohlone Elementary in Palo Alto. He posts to
his own YouTube channel where he shares his exploits in video gaming, likes collecting Pokemon cards, and singing sea shanties (his class did an overnight trip on the tall ship Balclutha in SF harbor). He’s had some difficulty this year, breaking his foot while playing kickball, but overall he is taking things in stride.
Peter and Josh at Lake Boronda, trying to fish

Joshua, actor, at Palo Alto Children's Theater

Derrick Kikuchi, Craig Wiesner, Cyndi, Josh, and Peter at Reach & Teach Store












Peter has been actively helping in Joshua’s class and indulging his photography and video interests. We had two relaxing vacations in Carlsbad, CA (near San Diego) and in Calistoga (in the Napa Valley) where Peter got respite from our cats (he has allergies). I think we’ve come up with a pretty good solution as they are now more outdoor (than indoor) cats and we’ve built them a small house with heat pad and electric lights!

We are fully converting to electronic communication and also trying to reduce our carbon footprint. We bought a plug-in hybrid car (Ford CMAX Energi) and after viewing the storyofstuff.org, trying to give experiences rather than stuff as gifts. The only exception, of course, is a good book!

Chimecho (the purrfect cat) and Cyndi


In memory of Nancy Wong Chin-Lee, my mother

Namukale (caregiver), Mom (Nancy W. Chin-Lee) and Vanessa (my daughter) taking a selfie.
My mother, Nancy Wong Chin-Lee, (1928-2013) passed away on Oct. 21, 2013 at age 85. She had struggled with Alzheimer's for nearly two years. I wrote this poem in Feb. 2013 when her language diminished to 4-word phrases.

Dad and Mom

Four Words

I miss my mother.
Before the dementia, she would gush with stories, waterfalls of memories, cascading unfettered. 
Exciting stories, tragic ones, some impossible to believe…
The men she could have married,
Her mother in the old country, walking in the village with a maid to carry her books, crying for her home as she had yet another baby.
The stories of Baltimore and Harrisburg, when the truant officer knocked on the door and she was pushed into the coat closet…the ugly tales of survival, the family skeletons, the betrayals…
My mom taught me to love, to tell stories, to speak my mind.

I miss her laugh, her tears, her words, flowing, never stopping, entertaining us.
I even miss the racist remarks, the things I shuddered to hear, because that was all of her, flaws and all. 
I miss her words.
Her stories fed me, washed over me, drenched me with her life, a life I have always been part of.
But now, just four words:
“You are my daughter?”
“Thank you for coming.”
Glimmers of clarity, drops of hope, just tiny drops.
I am thirsty for her words, that former feistiness.
Now just four words.
She smiles.
My daughter asks me, “Will you be like that one day?”
I nod, “Maybe thirty years from now? I don’t know.”

She will be saying, “I miss my mother.”
Dad (William Chin-Lee) and Mom (Nancy W. Chin-Lee) 

Eulogy


I consider this day a celebration of my mother as she lived a full and long life, accomplishing so many things. She was a very strong person with strong opinions and as most of my close family knows, I sometimes clashed with her. But I am deeply thankful for everything she did for me. She has had such a deep influence on who I am.

My dad, being a wise soul, knew how to live with her: just let her have her way, at least, most of the time. She gave so generously to all around her, especially to us, her children. She helped us with our homework, cooked delicious meals, and encouraged us when we were down.

Many of you know how she flew to Taiwan when I had my car accident as a junior in college. I know how hard that must have been for her as she spoke no Mandarin and really didn’t like to travel. She was also a wonderful grandmother and I remember how she and my dad took care of Vanessa for an entire week when Vanessa was just a baby so I could have a break.

What I loved about Mom the most was her storytelling. She could make anything so funny and dramatic. We would be laughing so hard we might wet our pants and the next minute, we’d be crying a river. I hope I inherited a tiny bit of her storytelling ability. I once tried writing a novel based on her stories and I proudly gave her one of the drafts. She read it and must have been satisfied enough because I didn’t hear any criticism. One day I’ll try to revive that draft and share it with the world.

In one true story she told us her family was “adopted” by the local Presbyterian church in Harrisburg. The church ladies came and gave her and each of her brothers and sisters a gift for Christmas. But her proud dad, my grandfather, seized all the gifts and threw them out, saying his family would not take charity.

She was heartbroken to give up her toy, but then something else happened. She and Jim, her brother, sang in the children’s choir for Christmas eve. One reason she joined was to get the candy canes! She and Jim were ushered into the sanctuary, wearing their white choir robes. Then it happened. She heard angels singing: “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” She was so transported by the music of the choir that she believed the angels had arrived and were bathing her in God’s heavenly music. Tears came streaming down her face.

When I listen to great music, I sometimes cry, too! I recall her words and nod, “Yes, there really are angels and they are singing to me, taking me through the sky and into heaven.” Now I imagine my mom as one of those angels, watching over all of us. I feel happy to know that she is still on my side and singing better than in real life (cause she sang horribly off key!).

To all of you and especially to my dad, remember I love you.