Business by the Book

Here's my dad when he was in his twenties:

And here's me and my dad in 1977, when I was three years old:

Growing up, my Dad and I had little in common. I loved doing artistic things, like drawing and creative-writing. He loved conducting business, like selling mechanical seals, co-founding a chinese restaurant, and investing in soup vending machines.

But in 1987, my Dad and I shared an unexpected interest. He took me to see Wall Street, and I became entranced by the exciting world of stock trading.

My dad then invited me to choose nine stocks from which he would buy some shares. He taught me how to look up those share prices and track their progress in this notebook:

The mysterious stock abbreviations, the difference between NASDAQ and the NYSE, the dramatic charts and numbers: my dad confirmed the wonder that Wall Street promised, and I could understand why he became a business man.

One morning—dizzy with excitement and seeking confirmation—I exclaimed:

My parents reacted with stunned expressions. My artistic mom probably offered an opposing view, but what I remember most is how my dad didn't say a word.

The next year, my dad and I stopped following the stock market when he fell ill with cancer. He was in the hospital for many months before passing away at the age of 41. I was 13.

As a teenager, I reaffirmed my true love for art. As a grown-up, my joy and job is learning, creating and sharing art. Would I have been wealthier as a stock broker? Yes. Am I happier as an artist? Yes.

In retrospect, what I valued most was the time my dad and I spent together, knowing we had something in common.

For this Father's Day, I made a mini version of our Stock Market Notebook:

And I presented it to him:

Some people are vocal encouragers, like my wonderful mom. Others are vocal discouragers. But there are also people who—like my dad—wordlessly encourage us to find our own paths to happiness.

Thank you, Dad.

And happy Father's Day, everyone. In what ways has your dad encouraged you?

A Travel Suitcase and an Elephant

Last year for Mother's Day, I crocheted a plane for my mom before she flew to China for a vacation.

This year, my mom is headed to Asia again, with an extra stay in Japan. What do you give a globe-trotting mom for Mother's Day?

This overstuffed travel suitcase is filled with good wishes for her overseas adventure this month!

Meanwhile, my girlfriend's mom—Catalina—loves elephants, so I made a long-nosed keychain for her Mother's Day present:

Here's a video of two awesome moms receiving their gifts:

I hope every day is a celebration of moms everywhere, including all the moms who have passed on but remain in our thoughts.

Thank you, Moms!

Woomi the Wabbit

hehe Do you like how I dressed up Woomi as the Easter Bunny?

Woomi is mad about his "bunny-fication", but he'll forgive me someday, somehow.

Till then, Happy Easter!

Can-Cans

When I first spoke with MJ in 2001, we talked on the phone for hours and hours. After we became a couple in 2003, we kept on talking.

For our 7th anniversary as boyfriend/girlfriend, I made her these Communication Can-Cans:


Here is MJ can-can-communicating with me:


Honestly, I'm not much of a talker. MJ is good at talking and I'm good at listening. MJ says: "Before you paint yourself as a saint, mention that you're also good at pretending to listen." Ah well, communication doesn't guarantee agreement:




Our years together are filled with chatty goodness, even in a world of electronic distractions. The Can-Cans lack wireless Bluetooth® technology, so I created a wired solution:


For my anniversary gift, MJ painted a portrait of me in green (her favourite colour) and in orange (my favourite colour). I love handmade gifts, and her heartfelt creation was touching beyond words:


A lasting relationship requires good communication, both spoken and unspoken. Can MJ & I keep talking our talk as we walk our walk into the future together?

Yes we can-can!

A Regal Feast

Located in a rougher part of downtown Vancouver, the Regal Hotel is home to some of the city's low-income residents, many of whom stay at the hotel for months at a time.


My girlfriend's mom, Catalina, has worked at Regal since 1993, then as a cleaner and now as the hotel's manager. Since 2005, she has organized an annual holiday feast for the Regal residents, who all anticipate the serving of lechón - a roast suckling pig that is a popular dish in the Philippines.

Here is the whole roast pig, carried by a Regal resident standing next to Catalina:


Along with lechón, 2009's feast included turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roast duck, pancit noodles, macaroni salad, mixed vegetables, multi-layer cakes and a trifle dessert.

The feast was held in the hotel's small hallway, where the food was handed out by Catalina, my girlfriend MJ, and Hector (a chef and former resident of Regal Hotel):


To celebrate Catalina's charitable soul, I crocheted this trophy of her and her famous roast pig dish:

We surprised her with the trophy during the feast, captured in this video:

It's fun to recognize someone who has never sought recognition for their kind deeds. Every holiday season, Catalina is purely happy to provide a regal feast to those who appreciate it the most.


With that spirit of generosity, I hope everyone's new year is full of charitable acts, both given and received. Happy 2010!

All Thumbs

As a teenager, my favourite TV show was "Siskel & Ebert". Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert would debate the pros and cons of a film before declaring their ultimate rating: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down.

Ah, if only I could review my everyday life in the same simple way....

Now I can!

This is the All-Thumbs Portable Reviewer. Thumbs Up on this side:


Thumbs Down on the other:


And here are my Woo Reviews!

The movie "Up": Thumbs Up


The movie "Fired Up": Thumbs Down


My local yarn store, "Black Sheep Yarns": Thumbs Up


The Staples store that accepted my online order for an office chair, then mistakenly delivered that chair to an Alan Wu (even though our last names are spelled differently) before forcing me to visit the store in person—twice—to receive my refund for the now out-of-stock chair: Thumbs Down


Jalepeño chips: Thumbs Up


Parking tickets: Thumbs Down


Stepping into my shot: Thumbs Down


Long-term effect of the 2010 Olympics on the Vancouver economy: undecided


Our finite existence in the infinite universe: Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down


Regular readers of the WooWork.com blog, including my girlfriend, my mom and you: Thumbs Up!


...and Happy Holidays!

Beware the Box Monster

What is the scariest monster you've seen on Halloween? A zombie? A werewolf? A ghost?

When I was a pre-teen boy trick-or-treating, I saw a creature that chilled my blood.

From a distance, the figure looked like a box: a box with feet and long arms that dragged on the pavement. The box was the same height as I was, so there must have been a child wearing that odd disguise.

As I approached the box costume, I saw that it wore a ghoulish, terrible face. And then it spoke:

The voice was gravelly—like an elderly man—but distorted like a smoker's artificial speaking valve. Was there a grown man inside that child-sized costume? Was it even... human?

The box costume became the Box Monster. I ran away, convinced the Monster's snake-like arms would grab my ankles and pull my fright-filled self into its eternal embrace.

I made it home alive, but I stayed frightened of the Box Monster for many nightmarish nights. If I never went trick-or-treating again, my excuse was that I had outgrown it. But I knew the real reason:


So be careful this Halloween. There are scary monsters out there. And there is one monster who may put you in a box too.

Beware the Box Monster