You Know You're Over Fifty When...(To all the Fiftyishes and Over that I know)

you start worrying about your expanding latitude and shrinking longitude.
you decided to dye your hair, had a facial, a nose piercing and tattoos.
you think jeans are out and polyester is in.
you asked your kid to pull a white hair on your head, and got mad when he make a mistake of pulling one or two of your precious non-white ones.
you bought a motorcycle because it makes you feel youngter.
you went whale watching in the South Pole.
you can't stand teenagers' rambling on and on with "lile, like" a thousand times in one sentence.
you start to knit, quilt, and crochet.
you looked at you recent photos and noticed "LA's freeway overpasses" on your hands, and realized that not only Robert Redford and Harrison Ford are old.
you see "blue branches" on your calves.
you got up one Tuesday morning and asked your husband: "Is today Sunday?" He answered: "It's Tuesday." And you thought that he must have been out of his mind.
you find skirts and pants with elastic waistbands are more in synch with your mid-section.
you read books about menopause, and watch Dr. Phil.
you wish that you could pause and rewind life, and the winds of change would stop blowing toward your direction.
your ears perked up when you heard news about the "Fountain of Youth" and cloning.
you waited patiently for the green light to change before crossing even though there was no traffic.
you are vacationing at home.
you got promoted to "Grand" or "In-law".

Wow! You've made it half way through, so keep it up because the other half is even more challenging. Be Healthy, be Happy, and be Humorous.

Happy Birthday to myself and to Gwen J..

Trinh Tuyet Nga
January31, 2006

Reception at Berkeley Art Center, Jan. 22, 2006

From left to right: Harvey(a friend), Nga, Hong Bao and Anh Vu.


Sunday was beautiful. The sky was clear and deep blue. The weather was warm, and the air at Live Oak Park was fresh and fragranted. What a day it was to start the Annual Members' Exhibition at the BAC. There were about two hundred artists showing their art work. It was just plain fun to be part of something so creative and beautiful, especially with great company of art enthusiasts. We took these pictures to mark this wonderful occasion.

Farewell to Denise, December 30, 2005

Have you ever wondered
What lies beneath all the beautiful smiles?
The honest truth:
Sad, happy, relief that you go away.
I just hope
Whatever that you'd take with you
May the truth will never lie
and that fairness, righteousness
at the end
will dictate
the
true
color
and
nature
of
a human's
heart.


Thanks for your friendship, Denise,
(even though it was a little rocky at first.)
I'll miss you, and that is the truth.

Trinh Tuyet Nga

COMMENT:

January 4, 2006

Hi Nga,

What a lovely surprise! The pictures are terrific and the poem is beautiful. I really look forward to the day that you are recognized as the talented artist you are. I see you gathering momentum and I don't think it will be too long. I can't wait to tell everyone that I knew you before you were famous.

Thank you for your kind thoughts and your friendship.

Love,

Denise Fane