Two weekends ago, there was the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) championship tournament, held at the Southern Hills Country Club in sweltering Tulsa, Oklahoma. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you probably know of Tiger Woods. Well, true to his #1 ranking, he won the tournament.

Reading the ESPN article brought back some interesting memories: My early days growing up a couple miles away from the course. And the times I spent with Dad, particularly in relation to golf (which during his "early" dad years, was a favorite pastime). Our family was there in Tulsa when Southern Hills hosted the U.S Open in 1977. I should ask Mom if they had a chance to see the great golfers from back in the day!

When we moved to California, early Sunday mornings were Dad's reprieve from work. Once I was old enough to handle Mom's "retired" golf clubs, I went with Dad on those mornings to the local 9-hole, where we hit our 2 buckets worth on the driving range. For the longest time, I asked Dad when I could play the course. I think he told me to correct my slicing problem first!

Eventually, I did play one time against Dad. And while I don't recall much from that day, I did remember one tee shot where I hit closer to the hole than Dad. In fact, I almost aced it. My one "Tiger Woods" moment. It is easy to recollect, since Dad got bug-eyed and jaw-dropped once my ball took flight. And if you knew my Dad, he typically displayed a stoic demeanor. So that meant a lot to me.

Mr. Woods just recently became a father. And, like I indirectly mentioned in the last blog, there are a lot of young children running around my environment (with their fathers not too far behind). With all this in mind, I wonder how I would be if I became a dad. Would I be loving enough to my kid(s)? Could I handle the awesome responsibility? Will I continue, as my sister would say, to be a "grumpy gus"?  And no sooner than I finish writing my entry, I read a blog from an old friend (and now parent), who shares his reflections.

I was in Irvine this past weekend, spending time with my childhood friend Kevin and his wife to celebrate his birthday (August 12). We feted the occasion with a rum-tasting ("Pirates!") and Tripoley party on Saturday, and a good, post-service BBQ lunch (Mmm...brisket) on Sunday. While Kevin did enjoy spending time with us friends, I thought it was very interesting when he expressed surprise (and some disappointment) on late Sunday afternoon that his mother did not call to wish him a happy birthday. She actually phoned later while we were out that early evening for some seriously needed post-BBQ exercise!

Now, I'm of the opinion that no family member of yours should make a greater deal of your birth day than your mother. After all, I think that she probably has the most interesting memories from that actual day! I think I can confidently back that up by recalling some stories from the slew of my young mother friends!

Cue to 10pm that evening. I arrived home in Palms/Culver City. And no sooner than unpacking my travel bag, I received a call from Mom. During our conversation, I remembered Kevin's reaction, and mentioned it to her. I also asked her about my birth day.

Mom (loosely translated Japanese): "I remember that it took nearly a day of labor before you were born!"

Ouch.

Oddly enough, during our phone chat, I was reminded that Mom will not actually be around for my birthday. She will be traveling to Japan at the time to visit Grandma, who is getting up there in age (92! ). And I remembered her asking me if it was OK for her to be away! While I do appreciate her concern, I'm cool with it. She already did a lot of birthday stuff for me when I was Lil' [sic] Kid Akio!

To close this "mothers and birthdays" blog, I got hit hard with the nostalgia bug when Kevin's wife served the birthday cake between Tripoley rounds. It was a homemade carrot cake with the Philly Cream Cheese frosting. The same cake that I ate in my youth. The identical frosting that I adored so much as a kid, that I finger-swiped it entirely off the birthday cake before it was even served! I got a good whoopin' for that and I ended up sick!

On the next Kid Akio's Blogography: A Dad's Roar from Tulsa

Akio's Haiku Movie Review - The Bourne Ultimatum

Bourne returns with vim,
Seeking closure in his quest.
It's not to be missed.

Pictures at an Exhibition Update - Yeah, I know. I have been slow with adding in my Italian vacation pictures! I have included 4 more to try and keep you interested!

So last night, before watching the beloved Dodgers shut down Voldemort Barry Bonds from making history, I switched over to ESPN, to catch some local X Games competition. What I saw was a total shock.

Pro skateboarder Jake Brown bailed from a planned 540 trick on the Big Air quarter pipe and fell 40+ feet to the ground. Amazingly, he was able to walk away from the accident. Warning: If you are squeamish, refrain from watching the video below.

I couldn't believe it. He is fortunate to be alive!

Moving to safer endeavors, some of us are heading to Malibu next Saturday morning for a scenic hike. If you want to come along, feel free to comment and/or contact me. EDIT (8/6): The hike will be rescheduled. Stay tuned.

Thought I would ask, and maybe get surprised with an affirmative response from one of my loyal readers.

Quirky SAM (Single Asian Male) seeking FAST (Fun, Adventurous, Street-smarts Teammate) for this special race on Saturday, August 25. Must be willing to run/walk approximately 5-7 miles, solve riddles/puzzles, and devote 3-4 hours of time. Knowledge of Los Angeles public transportation and wireless technology preferred.

Any takers? I would really like to do this race!

Akio's Haiku Movie Review - Transformers
Good for what it was:
An action flick mixed with cool
and cheesy moments.

So, what was everyone doing on the "lucky" 07/07/07 date? Let's see here.

1. From reading the LA Times: Some people got married in the scorching Las Vegas heat. Not my cup of tea.

2. From watching the TV: There was that Live Earth thing. I'm OK with the message, but not sure whether the costs of delivering it was worthwhile.

3. From surfing online: We had the results announced for the New 7 Wonders of the World. I've got two down from my recent travels. Five more to go.

All this psuedo-numerical "talk" has made me thirsty. So, with that in mind: Before I go to work tomorrow on 7/11, maybe I will head over to my nearest Kwik-E-Mart and enjoy a fresh breakfast Squishee?

An update: Because you loyal readers are sick of looking at my angry, deformed Comedysportz pic. So am I.

Fireworks in the sky, not on the field: While the company was fine, this year's 4th of July Dodger game was frustrating to watch. There was plenty of opportunity for the Blue Crew to win. It's just the bats went cold at key moments. The post-game fireworks show was great though. I don't think I can ever get tired of seeing that festival of lights to the background of Ray Charles' "America the Beautiful".

Strangest display of patriotism on Independence Day, besides that hot-dog contest: Several Korean nationals, huddling around a laptop, watching a live stream webcast of the 2014 Winter Olympics city announcement. They enthusiastically applauded the Pyeongchang promotion. Unfortunately, they were also quite crestfallen when IOC President Jacques Rogge awarded the Games to Sochi, Russia.

"And you will see it come to its fruition": I was also at Dodger Stadium a couple of weeks ago to attend The Police concert. Our group arrived just in time for the second opening act, The Foo Fighters. Their short but tight set comprised mostly of their biggest hits. The headliners were all that and then some, as their songs brought back some good memories of yore. I still find it funny that students nowadays associate the "Every Breath You Take" hook to P. Diddy's ode to Biggie Smalls. So for you students, here is the original song in all its black and white video glory.

Miming Machu Picchu: A large group of friends came by for my latest Comedysportz show on June 24. That was fun, especially when we used their suggestions in our games! Here's a photo of my teammate, Chris handling a kitty who went through shock therapy. What a gentle giant! Photo courtesy of bluebutton.

Prime Time?: I am catching the Transformers movie tonight. Several of my xanga subscribers enjoyed the film. But, I have reservations. I grew up loving the old animated series and the 1986 flick. Will I be disappointed with another Michael Bay helmed disaster (i.e Pearl Harbor)? Maybe I will have the chills when I hear Optimus' voice again, since they brought back Peter Cullen to reprise his role.

In the interest of trying different activities to stay healthy and fit, I've been wanting to do an inline skating half-marathon. I did a 10K skate in Redondo Beach two years ago which was a lot of fun, but they canceled that for the subsequent years. Since then, I haven't had an opportunity to skate another race or be photographed reluctantly in mid-tuck. Some of you may fondly remember this "I'm too sexy for Milan" picture.

So, lo and behold, there is a half-marathon skate in Napa Valley during the July 14-15 weekend. And barring any unforseen circumstances, I plan on being there at the starting line.

Of course, I prefer to do races that are local, but this one has appeal on multiple fronts. I think it would be nice to visit Bay Area friends and catch up (Hint hint!). After a 13.1 mile skate, maybe I can enjoy a hot spring bath in Calistoga. And by coincidence, the Dodgers are in town that weekend.to play the Midgets Giants. Perhaps I can catch Barry Bonds' 756th HR ball and use the seed money to start that ramen joint I've been always dreaming about!

Today was the officially the last day of our church's mentorship
program with the Sunday school children. As a form of celebration, us mentors
took the kids out to lunch at a local fast food joint of their
choosing. Most of them went to the popular In-N-Out. But strangely
enough, I noticed that my mentee PK (aka pastor's kid) John and the rest of his three siblings
wanted to go to Burger King. I found out later from the eldest one, Faith, that P. Daddy takes them to In-N-Out quite often and they wanted something different. Having a good knowledge of my pastor's eating habits, I was not surprised by that remark!

I took some funny shots (and a video!) from our pleasant lunch get-together. As usual, you can find the photos in the "Pictures at an Exhibition" section. Here's my first xanga video submission of John trying to balance the kid's meal toy (The ubercool Silver Surfer) on his dome. Never mind the voiceover in the background!

Hanging with all the kids made me reflect on how much they have grown over the years. I remember when I first started attending the church 11 years ago; Faith was going to hit four, and second-oldest Grace was just months old! Now there are four of them: all amusing, down-to-earth, and good kids. And yes, they are still in the middle of developing their own personalities and quirks! As an admitted "people-watcher", it has certainly been a pleasure to see all that has taken place. I can partially understand why parents find it fascinating to see their children grow and mature. Maybe I will see that too. But I think I need to find the wife first!