Friday, June 14, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
December 2010
On Dec 6, my good friend Joe died after the ambulance medics gave him a shot of morphine for his back pain.
The next day, I was on a flight to Florida to see the newest 16 color screen printing machine that I wanted to buy for my new business in California I told you about.
The same day my mom called to tell me she was feeling something abnormal in her left breast. So I asked her to book immediately a private clinic screening for this. She called me back and told me that she had an appointment on Saturday Dec 11.
Dec 9, I come back from Florida, very nervous about Dec 11th mom's coming medical results.
Dec 11 I got a call from my sister in Lebanon telling me my aunt Juliette just died unexpectedly from a heart attack. Of course I could not tell my mom her sister just died, because she was already too stressed out because of the medical exams that day.
The results came positive for breast cancer. The doctor told me that they would get the biopsy result on Monday to see the gravity of it.
Monday the 13th, I get an email from Montreal from an old friend's wife; Daniel, whom I had known over 25 years, dropped dead from a heart attack in front of his computer. A few hours later, my sister in law called me to confirm that mom's cancer was in the 3rd stage and needed urgent surgery, probably before Christmas.
While all this was happening, I signed the deal for a business I had been working on since August, paid about 12,000$ for rent of the premises and also paid a 25,000$ deposit on a brand new printing machine.
Then suddenly, California had the biggest torrential rains ever for 2 weeks non-stop .. the factory I bought was flooded before I even plugged the machines and hired the workers! All was put on hold until after New Year 2011.
But then I had to go to Canada right away for mom's surgery, from Dec 22 to 25. By the time I was back, the deal was going wrong with the factory and all hell broke loose when I realized that the figures I was given for the expenses were not correct; so I pulled out and lost all the money I had deposited, plus all expenses.
All the month of January, I was back and forth with another business lawyer trying to break the lease with the least damage possible.
On Feb 6th, my mom had to go through her first out of 4 chemo therapy treatments. So I had to go to Canada again from Feb 6th to the 13th. I was then supposed to go to China before end of February. But my bookkeeper kept ignoring my numerous emails, phone calls and text messages, to call me back to set an appointment with the accountant for the end of year taxes before I leave to China.
Having gotten no reply, I had no other choice but to push my flight to Guangzhou from February 25 to March 6th.
On March 1st, while training at the gym; the leg press machine unlatched and guillotined both my feet with 3 X 45 lb plates on each side. Both my feet got sandwiched between the two steel plates, almost severing the main tendons above the heels.
The right foot suffered a strained ankle, cuts and bruises and had to be in a half-cast for 2 weeks. But the left foot got much more seriously hurt; 3 broken bones on the top of the foot. One of them twisted and couldn't be straightened back. But the orthopedist is hoping it will heal fine. I have to stay in a cast up to my knee, until April 15th
Of course; I had to cancel my flight to China and reschedule for April 24th instead.
So I ended up spending my 54th birthday in a cast.
Roger
The next day, I was on a flight to Florida to see the newest 16 color screen printing machine that I wanted to buy for my new business in California I told you about.
The same day my mom called to tell me she was feeling something abnormal in her left breast. So I asked her to book immediately a private clinic screening for this. She called me back and told me that she had an appointment on Saturday Dec 11.
Dec 9, I come back from Florida, very nervous about Dec 11th mom's coming medical results.
Dec 11 I got a call from my sister in Lebanon telling me my aunt Juliette just died unexpectedly from a heart attack. Of course I could not tell my mom her sister just died, because she was already too stressed out because of the medical exams that day.
The results came positive for breast cancer. The doctor told me that they would get the biopsy result on Monday to see the gravity of it.
Monday the 13th, I get an email from Montreal from an old friend's wife; Daniel, whom I had known over 25 years, dropped dead from a heart attack in front of his computer. A few hours later, my sister in law called me to confirm that mom's cancer was in the 3rd stage and needed urgent surgery, probably before Christmas.
While all this was happening, I signed the deal for a business I had been working on since August, paid about 12,000$ for rent of the premises and also paid a 25,000$ deposit on a brand new printing machine.
Then suddenly, California had the biggest torrential rains ever for 2 weeks non-stop .. the factory I bought was flooded before I even plugged the machines and hired the workers! All was put on hold until after New Year 2011.
But then I had to go to Canada right away for mom's surgery, from Dec 22 to 25. By the time I was back, the deal was going wrong with the factory and all hell broke loose when I realized that the figures I was given for the expenses were not correct; so I pulled out and lost all the money I had deposited, plus all expenses.
All the month of January, I was back and forth with another business lawyer trying to break the lease with the least damage possible.
On Feb 6th, my mom had to go through her first out of 4 chemo therapy treatments. So I had to go to Canada again from Feb 6th to the 13th. I was then supposed to go to China before end of February. But my bookkeeper kept ignoring my numerous emails, phone calls and text messages, to call me back to set an appointment with the accountant for the end of year taxes before I leave to China.
Having gotten no reply, I had no other choice but to push my flight to Guangzhou from February 25 to March 6th.
On March 1st, while training at the gym; the leg press machine unlatched and guillotined both my feet with 3 X 45 lb plates on each side. Both my feet got sandwiched between the two steel plates, almost severing the main tendons above the heels.
The right foot suffered a strained ankle, cuts and bruises and had to be in a half-cast for 2 weeks. But the left foot got much more seriously hurt; 3 broken bones on the top of the foot. One of them twisted and couldn't be straightened back. But the orthopedist is hoping it will heal fine. I have to stay in a cast up to my knee, until April 15th
Of course; I had to cancel my flight to China and reschedule for April 24th instead.
So I ended up spending my 54th birthday in a cast.
Roger
December 2007
Betty, my mother-in law passed away on Nov 11th. The day after Monet turned 6.
Then when my sister Joséphine called from Beirut for the condolences, she told me that her brother-in-law, Gys had also passed away.
Now, I'm stranded in the giant snow storm in Montreal where I arrived on Friday Nov 30th at night to be the surprise present for my mom on a surprise party for her 70th b-day ... 30 minutes before we reached the restaurant where the 50 + people were waiting for the surprise on Saturday, my brother's father in law, Arthur, dropped in the supermarket, while on his way to get ready for the party, and died from a massive heart attack.
The party was cancelled of course and so I spent my few days in Montreal between the funeral home and the notary for the will.
My flight back to LA was on Dec 5th though as I couldn't postpone and attend the funeral on the 6th. That's because on the 7th early morning, I had to fly to San Francisco, to attend my partners' wedding on the 8th, near Russian Gulch (a few hours driving distance north of SFO)
Did I tell you that the guy who was supposed to be the best man on their wedding was found dead on Nov 1st at age 25?!
that makes it 'Four Funeral and a Wedding"
What a month!
Roger
Then when my sister Joséphine called from Beirut for the condolences, she told me that her brother-in-law, Gys had also passed away.
Now, I'm stranded in the giant snow storm in Montreal where I arrived on Friday Nov 30th at night to be the surprise present for my mom on a surprise party for her 70th b-day ... 30 minutes before we reached the restaurant where the 50 + people were waiting for the surprise on Saturday, my brother's father in law, Arthur, dropped in the supermarket, while on his way to get ready for the party, and died from a massive heart attack.
The party was cancelled of course and so I spent my few days in Montreal between the funeral home and the notary for the will.
My flight back to LA was on Dec 5th though as I couldn't postpone and attend the funeral on the 6th. That's because on the 7th early morning, I had to fly to San Francisco, to attend my partners' wedding on the 8th, near Russian Gulch (a few hours driving distance north of SFO)
Did I tell you that the guy who was supposed to be the best man on their wedding was found dead on Nov 1st at age 25?!
that makes it 'Four Funeral and a Wedding"
What a month!
Roger
Saturday, December 10, 2011
The new www.Picasso.com website is finally up and running!
I have decided that the domain name Picasso.com should remain as a meeting place for Fine Arts lovers. I have had multiple offers to profit financially from it, in exchange of turning from the Fine Arts words. But I just couldn't. Picasso will always be synonymous of the most creative, finest, most unique and exclusive Painter Artist in modern history.
Picasso.com must therefore remain a "lighthouse" for Art lovers.
I am confident I made the right decision.
Hope you all enjoy the new site.
Merry Christmas 2011 and Happy New Year 2012!
Picasso.com must therefore remain a "lighthouse" for Art lovers.
I am confident I made the right decision.
Hope you all enjoy the new site.
Merry Christmas 2011 and Happy New Year 2012!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Go Monie, Go!!!
Today was my daughter Monet's 1st swim meet at the Hawthorne pool! Boy did she make me proud :-)
She swam the 25 yards backstroke in 30:40 , the 25 yards breaststroke in 32:38 and came in 3rd in the 25 yards freestyle, in 30:59 !
I am happy she found her vocation so far as she's now a SeaTurtle, training 5 days a week at The Plunge Junior Olympics pool in El Segundo .
Tomorrow I'll be leaving to China, on Asiana's midnight flight to Guangzhou, via Seoul and schedule back in LA just on time for her 8th birthday, November 10, 2009
Go Monie, Go!
She swam the 25 yards backstroke in 30:40 , the 25 yards breaststroke in 32:38 and came in 3rd in the 25 yards freestyle, in 30:59 !
I am happy she found her vocation so far as she's now a SeaTurtle, training 5 days a week at The Plunge Junior Olympics pool in El Segundo .
Tomorrow I'll be leaving to China, on Asiana's midnight flight to Guangzhou, via Seoul and schedule back in LA just on time for her 8th birthday, November 10, 2009
Go Monie, Go!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Some businesses have no business staying in business!
I don't know whether I'm getting to turn into an old grumpy old man or whether I'm just fed up of getting ripped off and time-robbed by goods and/or services providers out there.
Don't you hate it when you have to call a number only to be greeted by some "beta version" speech recognition software that keeps making you speak as slow and intelligibly as you possibly can to no avail, no matter how hard you try?
I am sick and tired of having to waste half my day waiting on-hold and hoping that the next "associate" who will handle my case will finally identify the problem and have it solved. What's wrong in this picture? And it's not like I'm calling a customer or a potential customer. It's always when calling suppliers that this happens! I mean this defies logic and business principles; one has to usually take aggravation and grief from a customer, not from a supplier. Suppliers should be standing in line competing for my business, not the other way around.
I had wanted to start this thread years ago, but I always dreaded negative approaches before. This time, I just had to say something, having realized that sometimes, being nice does not mean we have to just sit there without reacting.
From this day on, I will be reporting the good and the bad, giving "bricks and flowers"
And this is only the beginning. (To be continued)
Monday, September 07, 2009
The Journey Is Its Own Reward
I’m now at the peak of my life’s first half century and can finally look back and have a good laugh at myself, realizing that happiness is a journey not a destination. I lived well and to the fullest and I re-live it when my mind drifts. But the thoughts of the worse decisions I made force me into a self-induced amnesia. Fortunately, I have much more credit in fond memories.
“May you never forget what is worth remembering, nor ever remember what is best forgotten” (Irish Proverb)
“May you never forget what is worth remembering, nor ever remember what is best forgotten” (Irish Proverb)
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Do they ever watch the news?
On May 11 2008 late night, I had just finished packing my luggage, as I expected my ride to LAX (Los Angeles Int'l Airport) early morning of the 12th. Destination; Shanghai, China.
Back to my computer before going to bed to check on the late night email, I see the familiar CNN News Update titled "Major Earthquake evaluated at about 8 Ms, just hit in Sichuan province, China!" The time was May 12th 14h28 CST.
China Eastern flight 586 landed in Shanghai at 18h15 on May 13th, less than 30 hours after the initial shock. I was greeted at the airport by my Chinese broker who had come to pick me up to take me to Huzhou where I was going to stay for the next few days. Huzhou is about 2 to 2 1/2 hours drive west of Shanghai.
During the trip, I asked my broker for news about the earthquake tha day before.As we were discussing it, the driver must have picked parts of what we were saying and started questioning her in Chinese. He then slowed down and frantically started placing several calls on his mobile phone.
Perplexed, I asked Rachel what happened. She told me that the driver's family lives in Sichuan and he just learnt of the earthquake hearing us discussing it in the back seat!
Back to my computer before going to bed to check on the late night email, I see the familiar CNN News Update titled "Major Earthquake evaluated at about 8 Ms, just hit in Sichuan province, China!" The time was May 12th 14h28 CST.
China Eastern flight 586 landed in Shanghai at 18h15 on May 13th, less than 30 hours after the initial shock. I was greeted at the airport by my Chinese broker who had come to pick me up to take me to Huzhou where I was going to stay for the next few days. Huzhou is about 2 to 2 1/2 hours drive west of Shanghai.
During the trip, I asked my broker for news about the earthquake tha day before.As we were discussing it, the driver must have picked parts of what we were saying and started questioning her in Chinese. He then slowed down and frantically started placing several calls on his mobile phone.
Perplexed, I asked Rachel what happened. She told me that the driver's family lives in Sichuan and he just learnt of the earthquake hearing us discussing it in the back seat!
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