RamblingDyna

I've been soooo busy these past two weeks that I neglected my blog. Like a plant without water and proper sunlight, my blog has laid dormant in the dark lone corner. Time to rejuvenate and give it a kick start! Ding dong...Bueller? Bueller? I'll start by summarizing why I've been away. Two weeks ago I played SF city tour guide host to my friend (and former Sega of Japan colleague) who visited me from Tokyo for four days. Half the time I was working so thank god she knew how to take public transportation by herself (Bay Area Rapid Traing (BART) and the MUNI cable car). Since s he stayed in the heart of Union Square, we walked through Chinatown all way to Northbeach. Strange, but for a Friday dinner night, Chinatown wasn't busy with the usual foot and car traffic. Northbeach was pretty oh hum as well. Yup, it's the effects of the poor economy. Last Tuesday , I was in downtown San Mateo for dinner and it was a ghost town. A sign that more people are making their...

I usually don't think twice about Veteran's Day. I see the parades of retired military veterans on television, most wearing their uniforms proudly and offering a interview or two about sacrifice, remembrance and honor of the soldiers who fought and died for freedom. My only connection to Veteran's Day is my father, John Villegas Lopez. He served in WWII when he was drafted as a Philippine Scout and fought alongside United States serviceman against the Japanese when they invaded the Philippines. He escaped from the Bataan Death March and suffered from Malaria for a month before returning to serve again. It's shocking to know that 700 WWII veterans die every day. Only 2,530 are still alive. It was of course sobering for my parents to see the numbers shrink every year as a majority of my dad's fellow comrades have passed away. He outlived most of them until this past May. My father of 88 years joined them when he lost his courageous battle to lung cancer. The last...