Last Friday, I took Mrs. jigg to watch the Off Broadway revival, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The novel, written by Betty Smith is one of my favorite books of all time. It's about a family growing up in early the 1900's in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and their struggles with poverty.

I knew it was also one of Mrs. jigg's favorite books, so once I found out about it, I secretly got tickets. I told her I would be taking her on a date on that day, making sure she didn't have other plans. For three weeks, up until we walked into the theater, I refused to tell her where we were going and what we were seeing. Once she saw the sign, her eyes lit up and she smiled ear-to-ear.

Overall, the musical was okay. However, if you know the story, you'll realize how loosely adapted it is. The main character, Francie Nolan, doesn't really have a part until the second act. The play touches on some themes, but doesn't explore on any of them too much.

I always wondered why adaptations were always so far off from the original. On a similar example, I saw the movie Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon with Andy Lau and Maggie Q this weekend. Terrible movie overall, but what I hated most about it was how different it was from the Three Kingdoms story.

Anyway, if you haven't read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, please do so! I read it the first time in high school and couldn't put it down. I think partially, it had to do with my pride of being from Brooklyn, but mostly because it's a great story. If by chance you get to see the musical, skip it.

It always surprises me when people tell me they have read it because there's almost no talk about it.

I played tackle football with some fraternity brothers yesterday. On my team were the alumni, playing against a bunch of kids who are still in college. Physically, I felt fine, despite a slightly sore hamstring from helping my father clean the basement the day before.

It was a crazy game--someone hurting their shoulder within 10 mins and had to sit out. I was happy to remember my mouthguard because there were lots of hits and many close calls.

Three hours later, my sore hamstring was bothering me and I had to stop. Today, I woke up sore, but not like I got hit by a truck. At the same time, I felt it yesterday--how I've aged so much in the last couple of years and how much slower I was on the field. Sure, I was still able to blow past my defenders, but I had to try much harder than I did before. I always considered myself to be a great WR, but I have to face it--I'm past my prime.

Physically, I keep on pushing my body, but what I should really be doing is conditioning it. Although I exercise and in pretty decent shape, I should still put in more time with exercise and workouts. I feel like an old athlete, still trying to show the young guys how things are done, but there are only so many tricks I have before my body starts breaking down.

We were up 4-1 at one point and stopped the game to teach them how to beat us. This match was meant to be a coaching session to prepare them for their real match against another team. By the time I left, we were down 6-5. That's the thing about youth--as long as you know what to do, your body will react and follow. Once you get to a certain age, you feel like you think a lot faster and your body just can't keep up.

I can believe that my body failed me, but I know I have failed my body. I guess now that I'm older, I just have to work that much harder to keep up. Can't let age get the best of me. Not yet at least.

It's funny how we spend so much of our youth, trying to grow up, but spend much of the rest of our life, remembering how great being young was.

Anyway, I'm curious to know if anyone feels the same way as I do--like you know you're not "old," but your body feels a lot older.

Everytime I think of the word "Heroes," I am reminded of the David Bowie song, later performed by the Wallflowers. I also think about all the people who risk their lives everyday so that other people can live their lives. This would include law enforcement, firefighters and soldiers. It also includes ordinary citizens who's extraordinary feat, saved lives.

The problem is, who are these people? What are their names? History remembers the tyrants, the conquerers and people of extraordinary feats, but does it remember the individuals who saved lives? Can you remember the names of the people on Flight 93 who went against the terrorists and made sure the plane was not used as a missile? I have to admit that I had to look it up as well.

Currently, 180 unnamed people are sent to contain and radiation from the power plant in Japan. If they succeed, how many people would remember who they are in say, 5 years? These people are literally walking to their deaths, being exposed to radiation levels that would in one way or another, alter their body and spike their chances of cancer exponentially.

I remember a couple of months ago when I read an article on Angelina Jolie--a person who gives whatever free time and money she has to help third world countries--yet many people criticize her for either not doing enough or doing it for attention and publicity. Maybe as little as 1 life has been saved by her--that in itself makes her a hero. How many people can say they have saved a life?

Anyway, my prayers go out to the people of Japan and the brave men and women who are trying to keep a disaster from happening. The world needs to acknowledge and remember their feats, but more importantly, the world needs more people like them.

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WWJD?

Yeah, the title is a little awkward... Anyway, a person commented on one of my older entries yesterday saying very matter-of-factly, that we look for lovers like our parents--men look for women who are like their mothers and women look for men who are like their fathers (this generalization applies to heterosexuals only apparently).

I'd be first to say that Mrs. jigg and my mother share only one thing in common--they same kind of chromosomes. Otherwise, nothing about them is alike--whether looks or personality. In fact, as bad or weird it may sound, I would never want to date someone like my mother.

I don't think I'm anything like Mrs. jigg's father either, yet many people believe what that person said. For me, all the girls I've dated were different. I actually cannot find much similarity between them. If I had to assign each person a categorization based on the Myers-Briggs system, not only would they all belong to different groups, it would also be different from my mother's. Coincidentally, I guess I was able to be with different personalities and test out to find which was right for me. Fate, is a funny thing.

I want to do a poll--which brings me to the question--If you think about every person you have dated or even, fallen in love with, how closely do they resemble your parent?

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WWJD?

I have an addictive personality. Actually to rephrase, I easily get addicted to things that interest me. I stopped smoking because I was addicted, yet after almost 13 years, I still think about smoking almost everyday. I stopped playing games on my PS3 because the more I play, the less restraint I have. I don't watch TV because I forget about everything else. I simply cannot do anything I like in moderation because I get hooked.

Lately, Mrs. jigg has been jealous of Richard Sharpe, I man who I engross my attention to any free time I have. I pour through the pages of his adventures on my commute to and from work, right after dinner, before the lights go off at night in the bedroom and the second there is enough light in the morning to make out the words. I am addicted to the Sharpe novels and I cannot stop reading.

Richard Sharpe is like James Bond, gone back in time to the colonial periods where England was always at war. Sharpe is a soldier and through about 20 novels, gets promoted through the ranks. The author Bernard Cromwell, uses real life historical battles and place his fictional character in it. The plot is lively and descriptive, giving you a real feel of how these wars were fought 200 years ago.

So far, I've read 5 of his books and completing the 6th as soon as this blog entry is finished. I would have read 3 books in the last 4 days.

Mrs. jigg always comments about how I lack moderation in anything. What can I say? Go big or go home.

Is there anything you love doing, but can't stop?

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WWJD?

While my parents haven't really bugged me about having children, quite a few friends and family member wonder when we will be taking the next step. Having children is obviously a huge step and no one is really ready until they have to be.

When I was a kid, I thought I'd be married by 27 and father by 30. I turn 30 by the end of this month, but still feel very young--almost kid-like sometimes. I feel like there's still so much to do before I have to focus all my attention to raise children.

While Mrs jigg and I are in no rush, having a plan is important. We're thinking another year or two, but time flies. We've been married for 6 months now and I really didn't even notice it. Two years will be coming on quick.

We have to plan on having a stable home first, living in a place with really good schools and teachers. Mrs. jigg was telling me how much it cost to raise children, but it has more to do with effort than anything. Both of us were raised in poor families. It took a lot of effort from our parents to provide a middle-class upbringing for us. I think we have to provide at least that to our children.

When do you think you would have children? Right after you're married or wait a bit? If you have children already, did the timing work out?

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WWJD?

When I was in elementary school, my parents only allowed me to go out if I said I was going to the library. It was about 5-6 blocks away and for someone so young, an adventure everytime. I would go there, look for as many books as I could carry back, which ranged from 10-16, depending on the size of the books. I remember reading all the Encyclopedia Brown books and were probably my favorite growing up.

As soon as I began collecting and buying books, I stopped going to the library. It wasn't until about 6-7 months ago that I convinced myself that going to the library is not only convenient, but would also save me a ton of money since I read so often.

Once again, going to the library was an adventure. I browsed through a ton of books on my first day there and wondered why I stopped going in the first place.

Not only are there shelves of DVDs of movies and TV shows available, you can literally find any book you want online. It will tell you how many copies they have throughout the system and how many "holds" there are on each book. If my branch didn't have it, they would ship it from another and put it on reserve for me. Once it gets to my branch, I would get an email that it would it be there for 10 days.

The next best thing after reserving online is being able to renew online as well. I just log in, click renew and viola, I have it for 3 more weeks.

Since rediscovering the library, I have read about 50+ books easily, much more than when I was purchasing them. When I was buying, I had to set a limit to about one a week. Now I read between 1-3 books a week, depending if I decide to read outside my normal reading hours of 8-9am and 7-8pm, during my commute to and from work.

It's a surprise that very few of my friends take advantage of such a resource. Not only is there a huge selection, it's FREE!

Luckily, my library is open 7 days a week and only about 2 blocks away. I can't shake off how convenient it is!

What's your relationship with the library?

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WWJD?

I don't really recall the time when I was a kid and was embarrassed being seen with my parents, but for some reason, every time I hear about it or see it on Modern Family, it made perfect sense to me. Yesterday, I felt it for the first time.

I was double parked, waiting for Mrs. jigg to buy eggs at the store. While backing up, I nipped the front bumper of a parked car that was parked crooked and had it's front sticking out a lot more than normal. It was really light--in fact so much that neither I nor the person in the car felt it when it happened. It wasn't until a few minutes later when the lady noticed how close my car was to her's and decided to stick her head out the window to see what happened. I saw her in the rearview mirror and quickly prayed that I didn't hit her car. I moved up and waited to see what happened. She came out, assessed the damage and knocked on my window. I got out of the car, apologized for hitting it and hoped that it wasn't anything serious. It was a scratch. I noticed that her white minivan was brand new and felt terrible. I quickly apologized again.

We waited till her husband came out of the store to decide what to do. As we were discussing the issue, my parents appeared out of nowhere. They live really far away, so I had no idea why they were there. I told them quickly what happened and right away, my dad decided to take charge of the situation.

He took a look at the scratch and said it was really small, barely visible. The guy said his car was leased would be charged for all nicks and scratches when he returns it. He was very polite and told me that it would cost $200-300 to fix it. He said he would be willing to take $200 and be willing to pay for the rest or go through insurance, whichever I preferred. I quickly called one of my friends who is a mechanic and asked for his advice. He said it really does cost that much because they would have to sand it down and repaint the whole bumper so the color matches. it would be at least $150, but probably $200-300 range as the guy indicated.

While I was trying to talk to these people my dad says $200 is crazy and offers $50. The couple began trying to explain that $50 wasn't going to do anything and that's when I dad begins to yell. He literally yelled at this couple, for reasons I still do not understand. It wasn't like he was saying they were trying to rip me off. He just lost his temper and said that $200 was impossible. I told him to let me take care of it and he turns around and says to me that I should offer $50 or go through insurance.

I already felt terrible that I had caused the couple such a problem and while I didn't want to pay $200, I empathized how they were feeling. They had a kid and a baby in the car and it was getting dark. Now they have this guy yelling at them and not only making the situation worse, he was embarrassing me, as if I couldn't handle it myself.

I almost lost it and told him to go home. I told my mother to take him away and I'll deal with it on my own.

I then discussed the options with Mrs. jigg and began wondering if I had to pay a deductible for my insurance. I called right away to ask for this information and also for advice and how to proceed. Luckily, my policy covers it and I wouldn't be required to pay anything. I would be able to file the claim right there and not have to wait for a police report. By the time we were through, it had been an hour since I backed into their car.

I apologized again and the apologized for my dad's behavior. They said it was okay and understood that old people tend to have poor tempers.

Were you ever embarrassed with your parents? Are things different now or do they still embarrass you every now and then?

I'm sure everyone who is getting married at one point, thinks about their wedding and how much it is going to cost. While some people think it's ridiculous and skip the whole wedding, most decide to do something, small or large.

I know a few who have done destination weddings, inviting just close family and friends. I guess even if they decided to pay for the lodging, it's still a small amount as compared to most weddings, where a majority of the cost is the reception, usually around (or in some cases at least) $100 a plate, multiplied by the amount of people who attend. Along with the ceremony, the music, photographers, limos, and wedding attire, these weddings cost tens of thousands of dollars. I've been to a handful where they were over $100,000.

Are such costs justifiable? Even considering that people who come will give you a gift to make up some of the cost, it is still shelling out enough money to put a downpayment on a house!

Sure, it's a once in a life time thing (we hope it is), so why not? Well, having the money and opportunity to travel around the world with the money may also be a once in a life time opportunity. There's so much that can be done with this money, yet we spend it on one day of happiness where it's usually more work (and a burden) for the bride and groom, than a day of celebration and relaxation.

Rationality tells us that weddings are a bad idea, but most of us tell ourselves that it's important to have them. Life is lived in moments and this would be one of those that would be remembered until Alzheimer's hits.

I can't imagine not having a wedding where I bring my friends and family together to celebrate. I just tell myself that money can be made back, which is true. Yet thinking rationally, how much happiness can this money buy? Are we really getting back what we're putting out? Does anyone ever look back and say, "I spent $50k and I definitely got back $50k's worth of happiness!"

So for those of you who are married and had a wedding, did you think it was worth it? Would you do it again if you could turn back time?

For those of you who are not married yet, how do you envision your wedding to be and how much do you want to spend? I can tell you right now, that number you're thinking about is going to be less than what you will really spend.

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WWJD?

It's a no-brainer that staying healthy is important, but more than just living longer, being healthy leads to more happiness. Just like in relationships where I think happiness trumps love in terms of importance, happiness is the main reason why I strive to stay healthy.

About a week and a half ago, I was diagnosed with gastritis, basically an inflammation of the stomach lining, which causes discomfort and pain. Doctor said it might possibly an ulcer, but wouldn't know for sure unless I saw a specialist. Either way, because of this, I have been stuck with eating a small choice of things. What can't I eat? Anything with caffeine, which (includes coffee, tea, soda, chocolate), alcohol, anything sour, anything spicy, and basic vegetables and fruits like onions, garlic, peppers, celery, tomatoes. Luckily, I can still eat potatoes.

Because of these restrictions, life has been pretty miserable. This past weekend, I made curry chicken with my dad's curry recipe for my friends on a snowboarding trip and I heard it was delicious. I had to eat plain grilled chicken on the side while I watched them devour their meals.

Generally, I don't drink much coffee, but I do like a cup on weekends. Can't have any now. The worst was when we went to a burger joint and I couldn't order anything with tomato or onions. Actually, the worst was realizing I couldn't put ketchup on my burger or fries and everyone knows I love ketchup so much I can drink it.

I have to go on like this for another couple of months, which is good. I can't imagine having to do this for the rest of my life. Staying healthy and doing things in moderation is really important, not because being sick sucks, but it takes you away from the things you love. Even when I snowboard, I am all geared up with a helmet, body armor, knee pads and buttpads. A lot of people complain that it restricts movement, but I haven't noticed that at all. Wearing all that protective gear keeps me safe and significantly raises my probability of riding again the next day.

People who over-indulge with very poor eating habits and do not exercise are not risking just their lifespan, but also the amount of happiness they can have at later points of their lives. Keeping your body strong so you can do more things makes perfect sense to me because I think if you're not living for happiness, what else is there to live for?

In hindsight I have no idea why I got this stomach problem. I blame it on the 30 or so oranges I ate in a week, all on an empty stomach. Maybe it was the excessive citrus acid that was causing my stomach a lot of stress or maybe it was the lack of variety in my diet as one friend pointed out. Either way, you can have too much of anything--even something thought to be as harmless as an orange.