When Stereotypes Don't Pan Out

It was one of the lazier days of our family vacation on Wednesday, our last full day in the LA area. So with our trips to Disneyland complete, we did our best American Idol wanna-be impression and went to Hollywood. After a quick drive up and down Hollywood Boulevard, we headed into the hills towards the famous Hollywood sign.

As an aside, it was both comical and surprising that the GPS in our van actually had “Hollywood Sign” programmed as an attraction. When we got to the suggested address, it was actually someone’s house…haha.

After snaking our way through the windy roads, we found a great lookout place affording a good view of the sign. However, it wasn’t the safest of places, as the road dropped off almost immediately to the mountainside…hence the “no parking” signs plastered everywhere. We decided to risk it though for the sake of a couple of good pictures.

We parked the van in front of a red pick-up truck (who by default was also illegally parked) and proceeded to take a few shots of the kids. I noticed the couple from the truck taking some of those “hold the camera as far out as you can with your arm extended so I can take a picture of ourselves” self-portraits with a pretty darn expensive-looking camera.

Wanting a family shot as well, I asked them if they could take a family picture for us before they left.

“Sure,” the male answered, stepping down from his truck.

“What’s your name, bro?” I asked.

“Kenji.”

“I’m Clay,” I said, extending my hand. “Are you Japanese?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m half. So you’re probably good at taking pictures then.”

Kenji offered a sympathy laugh while Gail shook her head in disgust, having heard me use that line countless times before. Usually, I’ll say it about myself in offering to take pictures for others. For example, a common occurrence at Disneyland went like this:

***

Clay sees a family taking a picture but with one member missing (the photographer).

Clay offers to take the picture for the family.

The family obliges.

“It will be good, I promise,” Clay says, “I’m Japanese. We make these things (referring to the camera).”

Family doesn’t know if they should laugh or run away.

***

Anyway, back to the current story. As we took our places for our picture, I asked Kenji about the massive contraption he had hanging around his neck.

“It’s a Nikon 42-6.934-G-SL-R-U-Crazy” he said. Actually, he named the true model of the camera but I have no clue what it was.

“Wow” was my articulate answer.

“Yeah, it costs like 9 thousand grand.”

I could barely contain my laughter. Technically, Kenji just told me that his camera cost him 9 million dollars. I knew it was nice…a heck of a lot nicer than my Canon PowerShot…but I’m pretty sure he meant to say 9 thousand…or 9 grand.

“Well, hopefully this one isn’t too complicated for you” I chuckled as I gave him our Canon to use.

I was extremely confident as Kenji took 3 shots of our family, each time adjusting the camera ever-so-slightly to surely get both our smiling faces and the Hollywood sign in. I mean...we had the best situation possible: a Japanese guy who was into photography taking pictures for us.

He handed me back the camera and then asked if I could return the favour for him and his lady-friend…using his Nikon of course. I said sure, and as I put the marvellous piece of equipment around my neck, I thought of myself as the ultimate photographer: Derek Juneson, Pat Guevara, Peter Vetter and Megan Siy all rolled into one.

After what seemed like a 10-minute tutorial on how to use thing, I snapped a few shots of them, carefully focusing on their faces before shifting towards the sign in the background. After a couple of practice shots, Kenji seemed pleased with the results. So I was pleased with myself too. I was pretty darn nervous. After all, I had a 9 thousand grand camera around my neck.

We said good-bye and headed off in our respective vehicles. At a stoplight a few minutes later, I took a quick look at the shots. I was happy with the ones of the kids and of Gail and me. Then, I saw the family pictures that Kenji had taken.

The first one had the bottom part of Jake’s face chopped off, and Sean’s mouth covered up by Jake’s head.

The second one only had Jake’s hair…the rest of him was missing.

The third one was very similar to the first…with the same amount of Jake missing but more of Sean covered up.

Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed. Not one of them turned out well, despite the great potential. I admit that it wasn’t Kenji’s fault that Sean was partially covered by Jake…but he still could have said something.

I guess the old adage is true sometimes: if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

Either that, or don’t presume that all Japanese people with expensive cameras can take good pictures.

I’m still gonna use my line though!

Sean's 1st Video Creation: Songs From a Couch (with Kayla and Jacob)

Here is my son Sean's first-ever video creation: he did the filming, the editing, and the music.

This video features his sister Kayla singing and his brother Jacob directing. She tackles songs like Jesus Loves Me, Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Twinkle, Twinkle. Watch until the end to see a special bonus song.

Enjoy!

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The Good (and Rather Unimposing) Samaritan

Today, I got to help a brother out.

It all started earlier this afternoon as Gail and the kids waited in the comfortably air-conditioned van while I ran across the busy intersection of Sepulveda and Vermont in Torrance, California in 90 degree heat. I was on my way to meet a complete stranger in the Food4Less parking lot, as he bought my extra Disneyland tickets from me through Craigslist (that’s another blog on its own!). As I had a few minutes to spare, I headed towards Burger King to use the washroom. That’s when I noticed that a big jeep had run out of gas in a left-hand turn lane…thankfully not yet in the busy intersection.

Promising myself that I would offer to help after taking care of my business, I used the restroom as quickly as I could. As I returned to the street, I noticed that the driver had succeeded in pushing the massive vehicle through the intersection and next to the curb in front of Burger King. In looking at the guy, I wasn’t surprised at his feat: the guy was massive. His legs were tree trunks, his chest was protruding from his under-sized tank top, and each of his tattooed arms seemed bigger than both of my legs combined.

“Did you need help, bro?” I offered…not really knowing what I wanted to hear as an answer.

“Yeah, sure, thanks man” he answered. Then he looked at me more closely. “It might be tough getting the truck into the parking lot though.”

It was likely a comical scene; in fact I wouldn’t have blamed him if he burst out laughing. Here was a smallish, wimpy-looking stranger offering his assistance to the second-coming of Brock Lesnar. I shot a quick glance at the entrance to the Food4Less parking lot: it indeed had a slight incline, both at its entrance to the street and also for the next 10 or 15 feet afterwards. I convinced myself that he was more concerned with the incline than my rather unimposing physique.

“Hey baby” he said to whomever had taken over the steering of the jeep, “we’re gonna push the jeep up into the parking lot.”

We counted three together and gave the jeep a mighty push from behind, our legs driving our collective strength up against the trunk. It took a few seconds to get going, but to my delight, the jeep eventually started to roll forward, and my new friend seemed a little surprised at my strength (or at least at the fact that I had any).

“Hey, don’t let this gut fool you,” I laughed, pointing to my stomach.

Bad idea, as I said and did this WHILE we were still pushing, costing us whatever momentum we had accumulated to that point.

“Whoops…sorry.”

After another 45 seconds of pushing, grunting, and sweating, the jeep finally came to a rest safely in the parking lot. The big guy thanked me and shook my hand, assuring me that they could take care of things from there. As I walked away from the jeep, I noticed that there were 4 heads inside of it, and not just one. No wonder it was so difficult to push: the other passengers (other than the one steering) didn’t bother to get out of the jeep!

Laughing to myself, I resumed my look-out for stranger #2 (the Craigslist guy).

After completing the transaction (it seemed so shady exchanging goods for money in broad daylight…anyone who has bought or sold anything from a stranger online would attest to this), I returned to the van and we embarked on our drive to San Diego.

I told Gail and the kids why I was sweating and out of breath. Sean, ever the inquisitive one, asked “Why did you help him, Dad? You didn’t even know him. That’s dangerous!”

“That’s what we’re called to do, son” I replied, admittedly a bit proud of myself.

“We should always help those in need,” Gail added simply yet pointedly. No wonder she’s a teacher!

“I guess the only time we shouldn’t help people is if we’re on our way to church,” Sean said. “Because we don’t want to be late for God.”

I smiled as the parallel to the Good Samaritan story from Luke (that we heard at Mass last week) struck me right away. How both the priest and Levite avoided the Jewish traveler that had been beaten and robbed and left at the side of the road for dead. Whether the priest in the parable was going to church, leaving church, or just wanting to “stay clean”, the bottom line was that he didn’t stop to help. The Samaritan, the supposed enemy of the Jew, was the one who helped.

“God will understand if you’re a few minutes late, Sean. Especially if you’re doing the right thing.”

As we continued our drive south on the freeway, I thanked God for the small opportunities to minister, whether it be with strangers or my own family.

Imoo Family Road Trip to California: Sean and Clay on Splash Mountain

Here's some quick video footage of the last drop on Splash Mountain. We were in the back seats and I took this footage with my Palm Pre (so the sound is a bit off-synch for some reason). I was too chicken to take our Flip on...haha.


Also, check out the pic at the end of the video...you can clearly see me holding my phone up to record! By contrast, you can barely see Sean...he's either hiding or the momentum of the drop is just too much for him.

http://www.claytonimoo.com/

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You’ve Got a Friend in Me…and in Woody…and in Jesus

Gail and I took the kids to see Toy Story 3 this Thursday on our 10 year wedding anniversary. Four of the five of us were completely blown away by the show (Kayla, not Jake, slept through most of it), making it a wonderful way to spend a “lazy day” on vacation.

I was extremely impressed by the entire movie, as it was a seamless weave of action and emotion. In particular, I was struck by the number of Christian themes in the movies, whether intentional or not.
At the end of the story, when Andy was reluctantly giving Woody to Bonnie the little girl, he described Woody in this way: “He'll never give up on you... ever. He'll be there for you, no matter what.”

I immediately thought of someone else who never gives up on us, someone else who is always there for us, no matter what: our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That is what makes our Catholic faith so special and so true: that Jesus is always present to us. Whether at Mass in the Eucharist, in the Adoration Chapel, in the Sacraments, in nature, or in other people: it’s not too hard to find him. But we need to be open to seeing him, as opposed to ignoring him or denying him. That’s the challenge.

I strive to be more like him in what I say, what I do, and most importantly, in who I am. That’s what we are called to do as Christians: to bring (or pass on) Christ to the world. And as Andy passed Woody on to Bonnie, I likened that to us passing on Christ and sharing Christ with all those we encounter. So that others may experience the incredible blessings that come from having relationship with him.

Similarly, Woody spent the majority of the movie trying to find his way back to Andy (little did he know that Andy would give him away…haha). Even going against the rest of his toys, Woody looked for opportunities to “return home.” I see this going both ways: as much as I seek Jesus and long to be more like him, I also think that Jesus is searching for me. I see Jesus as thirsting for me and longing to be in relationship with me, just as much as I long to be relationship with him. Again, it goes back to him never giving up on us and always being there for us.

Near the end of the movie, when Woody made the decision to stay with his fellow toys as opposed to with Andy, it showed his ultimate loyalty and sacrifice. Loyalty and sacrifice: sounds like another man who lived around 2000 years ago.

Lastly, and this is more of a youth ministry reference, when Woody was trying to leave Sunnyside Daycare the first time, the horse Bullseye kept following him to the door in an attempt to go with him. Each time Woody denied Bullsye, encouraging him to “stay here,” I thought of the popular “Crucified Again” skit that I’ve both acted in and witnessed at many a parish or diocesan youth ministry event. In the skit, a teenager character promises to spend the evening with Jesus after neglecting him for a while, but then reneges on his promise in accepting an invitation to a party. The skit ends with the teenager telling Jesus to “stay here,” while putting Jesus’ arms in a crucified position. While Bullseye didn’t end up crucified so-to-speak, the parallel was unmistakable to me.

Now, given that there are only so many themes and morals possible in a movie (especially a family-oriented one), it’s probably quite easy to find Christian themes (love, faith, loyalty, sacrifice, etc) if you look hard enough. But these four examples really left an impression on me.

As I prepare to go to Mass in about an hour, I will undoubtedly give praise and thanksgiving to Jesus for so many things: his loyalty, his love, and his sacrifice. But most of all, at least for today, for his friendship.

Imoo Family Road Trip Video Blog #2: 5 Tips for Disneyland

It was an eventful day at Disneyland on Wednesday, July 7: my first time there in 2 years. The memorable day started off with a foul-mouthed (yet friendly) parking attendant and ended with a show being cancelled because of a 5.4 earthquake!

In this video blog, I share 5 things to remember when planning a trip to Disneyland. I filmed the majority of this blog while waiting for Gail and the boys to emerge from "Soaring over California."

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How to Celebrate a 10-Year Wedding Annivesary

As Gail and I look forward to a cool milestone tomorrow (we got married on July 8, 2000), we've been discussing ways on how we might celebrate. Given that we're in LA, Disneyland (or another attraction) is an option. A nice dinner, or maybe a movie (we saw Ratatouille while in LA in 2007...with the boys). Toy Story 3 maybe...as long as it's not Eclipse!

Then there's the question of with the kids or without kids...definitely pros and cons to both...with babysitting becoming a huge factor.

Regardless, much like the CCC contest a few months ago, I decided to hold a little contest.

Send me your most reative, entertaining, comical, outrageous, or sincere (haha) suggestion as to how Gail and I should spend portions or all of our day tomorrow. We'll award a prize to the suggestion we like the most (we haven't really come up with any criteria other than if we like it). The prize won't be as good as Canucks tickets, but it will be a prize nonetheless! And keep it clean....haha.

And who knows....we might even follow your suggestion!

PS: The offer to fly down here and look after our kids might get you an automatic win...you'll just come out of it down $400 or so.

Imoo Family Road Trip to California: Video Blog #1

In this first video blog of our road trip to California, I share a few sights from our drive down the I-5, as well as share a few tips for making a long drive.


See the historic Mt. Shasta (along with Mt. Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew), how we lost Jake for an hour, and of course, some footage of our kids dancing.

http://www.claytonimoo.com/

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A Decent Proposal

The boys and I were chatting today in the van as we waited for Gail to finish her shopping. We got onto the subject of our 10th wedding anniversary, coming up on July 8. The hilarity soon ensued.


Jacob started things off: “When I want to get married, I need to buy the girl a ring, right Dad?”

“Yes, Jake…that’s the tradition,” I replied.

“And I have to get married when I’m 25 years old, right Dad?”

Hmmm…wasn’t sure where he got that from…especially given the fact that I was 24 when I proposed to Gail.

“Uh…no, Jake. You can be younger or older than 25.”

“Well, I know that I will hold her hand when asking her and I’ll speak ve-ry slooooowwwlllllllyyyyyyy. Do I say ‘Will you marry me?’ or ‘Would you marry me?’”

Taking a break from my laughter, I recalled that I actually asked Gail “Would you marry me?” when I meant to say, “Will you marry me?” I guess I was nervous!

“It doesn’t matter Jake…let’s worry about this in a few years.”

As an aside, Jake’s attitude towards marriage is vastly improving. The last time we talked about it, he asked me if he had to stay with the person he married. After I told him of course, he then told me that he would tell his wife he was going to work but then would visit another girl. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or seek counseling for him.

Back to today…Jake asked one final question: “Dad, where did you ask Mom to marry you?”

“At St. Paul’s,” I answered, “in front of all the teens, core leaders, and parents at LIFE TEEN!”

(See the video footage here).

Jake’s reply? “Oh my gosh!”

Then it was Sean’s turn to pepper me. More accurately, he offered his unsolicited opinion, just as Gail returned to the van.

“Dad, I think it was unfair that you proposed to Mom in front of everyone at LIFE TEEN,” he said. “Mom probably felt pressured to say ‘yes’ in front of all those people.”

Gail and I exchanged a quick grin.

“Well I knew she was going to say yes,” came my weak reply.
“And what if she had said no?”

Gail and I exchanged another quick grin.

“Why would she say no?” came my even weaker reply. “Besides, most women would say yes to me in that situation.”

I turned to Gail still grinning. Her grin had turned into a grimace. She punched me in my right arm, making me grimace.

Sean shot back: “Yeah, you’re right Dad…most women would say yes…”
My grimace turned back into a grin and then into an outright smile.

“…to just being your friend.”

I had no comeback. As Sean, Jake and Gail broke into uproarious laughter, I went back to grimacing and I started the van and drove. Even Kayla started laughing, and I’m pretty sure that she had no clue what we were talking about.

I can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s conversation will bring.

Or maybe I can.

Giving it His All

Sean has just completed his first season in the Richmond Ball Hockey Association and what a successful season it was! His team, the Raiders, came out of the Richmond league with just one loss all season and proceeded on to the provincial championships last weekend. There, they met some extremely tough competition, as all of the opponents seemed to be bigger, faster, and certainly more aggressive. When the smoke had cleared, Sean’s team finished in 4th place…a great accomplishment especially in considering that there were 46 teams in his age group province wide (only 8 teams were at the provincials).


I’m extremely proud of Sean, as the league was for players his age and a year older. He was certainly one of the most noticeable players out there, as all of our road hockey games in front of our house came in handy. Despite facing tough opponents, Sean always gave it his all. He let everything hang out (figuratively, not literally). And he gave 100%. Not 110% or 200%, which are physically impossible (I’m not sure why people insist on saying things like that), but his full 100%.

I actually rode Sean pretty hard this season. I admittedly expect a lot from him, whether it’s academically, athletically, socially, or spiritually. I’m getting better at catching myself, seeing that he’s only 8 years old and he’s probably already accomplished more than his old man (he’s definitely got more potential to succeed than his old man). However, there were a couple of times during games this year when Gail has remarked to me that I was a “tough hockey Dad.” Then I would start crying for being admonished.

One thing I bugged Sean about was his foot speed, or lack thereof. I would often joke that he looked like he was playing with a 25 pound weight hanging around his neck. He would counter that it was better than having 25 pounds hanging around his gut. But what he lacked in speed he more than made up for it with skill and more importantly, heart.

His exceptional effort reminded me of his track meet at Minoru back in May. Not fast enough to make any of the sprint teams, Sean entered the Softball Throw and the 400 meters. Knowing the Imoo boys’ penchant for avoiding any semblance of long distance running (I get winded going up 3 flights of stairs at work), I went into damage control mode even before he had raced. I wasn’t too confident, and admittedly neither was he.

"Don’t worry Sean, just do your best. I’ll be proud of you no matter what.”

“I just hope I don’t come in last.”

“Well just picture a big plate of beef sashimi waiting for you at the finish line.” Now there’s motivation for you!

The gun sounded and by the first turn, Sean was 4th to last. By the 200 meter mark, he had slipped to 2nd to last. As they rounded the 3rd corner, I could see Sean constantly looking over his left shoulder, making sure that he wouldn’t be caught.

“Forget about him!” I screamed from my sideline position down the home stretch. “Catch some people in front of you.”

Then, something happened. Faster than Jake falls asleep at Mass, Sean exploded into the final turn, his cheeks expanding and contracting with every large, quick breath. Arms pumping and eyes bulging, he blew past 11 or 12 other runners during the final 100 meters, with his fanatical father screaming from the sidelines. I was extremely impressed and surprised, as Sean’s final placing was around 27th out of 40…about 12 spots better than we both anticipated.

I quickly ran to the finish line immediately after the race to congratulate Sean but I couldn’t find him amongst the other runners. A few moments later, I spotted him hunched over just a few meters away from where he crossed the finish line. I gave him a hug and told him how proud I was.

“Way to go son!” I exclaimed as I eagerly anticipated his response. Something magnificent. Something profound. Something epic.

“Thanks Dad….I almost threw up.”

Well I guess I'll settle for honesty. At least he gave it his all!

Kayla Singing Jesus Loves Me

First it was Jacob singing this song as a 4 year-old, and now it's Kayla doing her rendition as a 2 and a half-year old.

Gotta love child-like faith! "Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:15