Reflections on the last 45+ years

Peter Woo YamPoon

2008/12/27

Written for my high school classmates reunion. We took the HK School Certificate Exam in 1957, 50 years ago.

         Q. Hello Woo YamPoon, some of us have not met you for 45 years or more. How have you been these 45+ years?

      A. I had my ups and downs, my own lot of frustrations and setbacks in life, but also joys and pleasant memories. I was a software programmer for 20 years, then a math professor for 17 years at Biola Univ.

         Q. Have you any deeply felt observations after all these years?

      A. All of us want to be successful in life, successes in career, in our children, etc.

      When I compare myself with others, I see I am just an average guy, win some, lose some. But I am learning not to pin my values or happiness on one's successes.

         Q. How is that?

      A. Back 20 years ago, I went back to HK, and had a dinner with my science major classmates of HKU. None of them majored in math, but we all remember our times in the chemistry lab or physics lab. Lam WingChee will remember names such as Shen ChaoMing, Au KwokLun, Chan WaiKin. I remember Kong ShiuChung, my QES classmate, was there.

      I suddenly discovered that the guys who had the sharpest minds, getting distinctions in those days, turned out not necessarily successful in life. Whereas some who finished HKU with not much fanfare turned out to be very productive in their career, research, etc. Their secrets were, perhaps:

      (1) a longer, stronger drive to do more, learn more, etc., and

      (2) to acquire a pleasant, understanding, affable personality.

      I also notice that back when we met in our 30's, we talked about accomplishments, job successes, to build up our self-image. But when we were over 40's, my old friends would ask me about life in California, and how they can send their own children to colleges in USA, etc. Suddenly I feel we were back to our undergrad days, our hearts feel closer drawn. Life has less need of boasting and bragging, but openness towards one another.

         Q. I agree, life is liberated when we can talk to one another without putting up a face of achievements and accomplishments. But I thought you were pretty good in math back then. Have you done much academic publications?

      A. Back in high school, my math ability was my crop and prop, I mean, my way of getting respect from others. Otherwise I was a socially backward, shy, self conscious little guy. Slowly, through various life experiences, the Almighty began to help me get mellowed in speech, and learn about how to understand other people's views and feelings about things.

      Once I see that I am living daily in love, from God and from my family members, I have less need of academic accomplishments in my life goals. I still admire many friends who have produced hundreds of academic papers. For me, I have only two or three such. One is called "Constructions with a ruler only (no compass), plus a given parabola in the plane."

         Q. You mean you did not go into advanced things such as differential geometry, algebraic topology, etc.?

      A. I learned a bit of those things, but I see not much beauty in those abstract stuff. On the contrary, I still have my schoolboyish fascinations with plane and 3-dim geometry, being cultivated by Mr Terry Chamberlain, and then by Dr Busemann, a geometry giant at Univ. of So. Calif. I am most fortunate.

         Q. It seems you have not "lived to the fullest of your intellectual potential", some may say.

      A. May be you have overestimated my potential. Well, for the past 9 years I was engaged in solving math problems in a math magazine of the Canadian Math Society, then submit my solutions. I like this magazine because they occasionally publish my solution, and otherwise at least put my name in the "Also solved by" paragraph, for each problem. This activity kept my mind active, and help me in preparing undergrad students for an annual Putnam math competition.

      On the other hand, life is not valued merely in accomplishments, but more in giving to and inspiring others. St. Paul said "better to give than to receive". I by nature is a most self-centered, self-interested ego-filled man, but 20 years in computer industry plus another 20 years in teaching had helped me find much joy in helping others and giving to others.

         Q. How is that possible?

      A. One example in industry: One day they told me a hardware engineer that I, a software guy, worked with for a few weeks, is suddenly dying of cancer. I rushed to the hospital, chatted with him. Finally I asked, "Do you have fear of your prospects (death)?" He said, "Frankly, yes." I shared with him something about our future hope, from the Bible. He took it all in. Then afterwards I visited him once a week until he died 2 months later. His memory was fuzzy, but he began to tell others that he has no more fears about eternity. This experience changed my values.

      Another experience is to see the famous quadriplegic girl Joni Eareckson on TV, around 1975, witnessing on how Jesus gave her strength to live on, after her debilitating accident. I got interested to find how I can use computer technology to help the handicapped. That was before the days of Microsoft Windows and microcomputers. I also got interested in inventing a way of writing and printing Chinese on the computers.

      At my late forties, I started a new career as a college professor. Teaching really helped me to become articulate, more confident, and even recognizing the attitudes of the listeners from their faces. This in turn helped me at church. I can tell in one glance what percentage of folks are listening, or daydreaming, or enjoying my talk. Occasionally I have to switch my talk, telling a story (then everybody wakes up and stop day dreaming), or turn on a different emphasis. This audience interaction turn out to be fun.

         Q. What happened to your musical ability?

      A. Well, at HKU, a "senior" Addi Lee at my dorm was a good violinist. He got me to accompany him on the piano whenever he had a chance to play before the public, such as at some student union activities at HKU. That opened my eyes into the repertoire of violin music, and in turn helped my sense of direction in improving myself at the piano.

      For the last 10 years, I finally begin to put something together on CDs, not for sale, but just to share the joys of life with friends. I have developed my own style of improvising a Christian hymn to make it sound folksy an a bit jazzy in harmony. Sometimes I mixed in a few pieces of Chopin. I play with less and less flair to show-off tricky skills, but pay more attention to present the songs in a warm, with a fireside chat atmosphere, as if you are sitting in my living room after a dinner. I like to give you some, and see whether you like it.

      Recently I reconnected with our music teacher back when I was in Kowloontong elementary school. She is only in her eighties, in Vancouver. I sent her some CD of mine, and she called back and share her deep thoughts from it. If my CDs can bring a bit of joy to others, that in turn make it all worth the effort.

         Q. Tell us about your children.

      A. We got two girls. The older one, Celest, is an English literature professor in White Plains, NY. The younger one Rachelle is an artist, teaching part time at my university, with a 10 year old son Jeremiah. Both girls are good in math, but they chose to excel in their careers. My wife Gloria was a history major at HKU, with a sharp analytical mind. She teaches ESL (English for immigrants) for over 20 years.

         Q. Did you write a lot about your recent trips to China?

      A. Yes, and I think I can pick 100 photos plus my best essays and publish a little book. I am seriously thinking about it. I found out that in So. California I can print a 180 pages book, with glossy color cover but only black and white pages, for about $3 US per copy. I guess I can do it 5 times cheaper in China, but shipment is horribly expensive.

         Q. How did you get in love with people in China?

      A. In 1994 I and my brother were visiting Guizhou, with its beautiful mountains, caves, waterfalls, etc. There at a Miao village, a dancing girl looked exactly like my daughter, front view, side view, smiles, dimples, etc. I began to see a bit why the Bible says God loves you and me, not because we are good, but just because He sees so much more in us than we see ourselves.

      In 1997 we went to north China to teach English for 2 weeks, then in 1998 we started visiting some poor students in GwongDoong province financially supported by our friends. Our hearts were moved when we visit their homes in the villages. Their families are poor farmers, yet very simple and honest and lovely people. Their organic fresh vegetables taste so much better than from our supermarkets in US.

      Then in 2002 we went to visit a friend in Yunnan. There we met many Westerners and Asian Americans some serving in agriculture, some in medical clinics, some helping the handicapped, even ex-lepers, to find ways of living. We were moved to tears by seeing so many folks loving China and doing good things there. Yunnan is as big as California and with same population, about 40 million, half of which are tribal peoples. I found out that renting apartment and food are 5 times cheaper than in US.

      So we came back in 2004 for 5 months. It was like a second honeymoon for us. We can help with little things here and there.

      Eventually in 2005 we went again for 9 months, I taught, part-time, math in an international school for the kids of foreigners. Again, we get to know more people deeply, both foreigners and locals. We tread on the grounds of some foreigners who came to China back 90 years ago, lived and served among tribal people, for decades, and visited the grave of some.

      Actually other provinces are equally worth visiting.

         Q. Are your computer and math skills useful there?

      A. Not as useful as medical skills. However, I would like to see more families bring their teenage or older children or grandchildren to visit China, see the poor people. It will be a life-changing experience for such kids, getting them to see new human values, joys of giving rather than getting at things.

      Computer skills are useful. A doctor there wanted to set up a database system, so that for some handicapped patients they can shoot a 10 second video of how they walked or moved their arms and neck, and then save it on the internet, so that medical experts in USA can look at the video and diagnose the problem and the cure. Too bad my skills in database were still not good enough to help him.

         Q. Any suggestions of your secrets in facing your "senior years"? We know you are a Christian.

      A. Senior years, some say is a "third career". Second career is when you faced your mid-life crisis and made some changes. Similarly, third career comes with its pros and cons.

      Pros: 1. You are more mature, wiser, more patient with cantankerous oldies, as well as impetuous younger folks.

      2. You have learned to be grateful for all the good fortunes that happened to you.

      3. You have a lot of good stories to tell to your children and grandchildren.

      4. You have more leisure time.

      Cons: 1. Your body behaves like an old machine, but when you look at others in wheelchairs, you say, "Thank God, I am only slightly handicapped. I still can go about, do things I like."

      2. You worry about how much time you have, and what to do with it.

      We had our 40th anniversary while in Kunming. On a Sunday noon, we went to our favorite Cantonese restaurant, with an American couple who just had their 49th anniversay. The man is a scholar in Japanese and Tibetan language and culture, and they lived in the 15000 ft. level in Tibet for years. Now they are very active working for a charity foundation in Hong Kong, helping newcomers from the West to adjust to life in China.

      Then at the restaurant, we happened to meet another American couple, who just had their 60th anniversary. They are in their eighties. They were so successful in writing small size bilingual textbook for learning English, they got invited to teach in a Buddhist monastery in Cambodia. I have seen their books, printed in English on left pages, and Thai or Burmese or Chinese on the right. They are so happy, they talked of making another "ten year plan." of their life.

      I felt God was speaking to me, "Don't groan and moan that you are 66. Look at these couples. I can use them at their old age, I can use you. You have at least 20 years to catch up."

         Q. I like this positive attitude to old age. We like stories like these.

      A. One thing we have at senior age is leisure time. Each day we all have our chores to do, like: go on the exercise machine, take all kinds of pills or health food, check your emails, feed the cat, water the lawn, etc. While doing all that, a good way is to do a prayer, "Lord of the universe, bless us today, give me a lively, joyful heart, help me look at things not from a dark cloud. Give me smiles that can sweeten the lives of others I come in contact with."

         Q. But should I pray to a God whom I am not sure exist?

      A. Ah, you may not be a Christian, but such prayers do no harm. Jesus said, You need to have simple hearts like a child, and then you can see God. Really, with a simple, quiet heart, you will feel and discern God's loving hand guiding and protecting you the whole day. You begin to feel not only there is a Mind that designed all the physical laws of the universe, but also a Hand that is gracious enough to cater to the personal needs of you, a small, puny human soul.

      Perhaps you have not read the Bible for 20 years, now if you read it again, you will feel as I do, that old age helps us to be wiser, think deeper, and see the love of God for you, in more ways than you saw while you were in your forties or twenties. Reading it becomes a delight. Suddenly you discover the secret of heart peace: you can rest daily in the hand of His love. You can discover how glorious is the life of Jesus and the life of any one who follows Him. You can even face death, with peace, even assurance.