We're in this incredible city, but all I can think of is our little girl. She's battling a bug and running a little fever. The good news is she's getting better.

The even better news is we're already starting to see her bond with us. Sometimes parents or caretakers take it for granted, but it takes a lot of trust for a child to fall asleep in their arms. Everyone sees babies that freak out when they're handled by someone they're not familiar with. For my little girl to recognize me and allow me to care for her is the best feeling in the world.

Needless to say, there are still many barriers to break. She still a little apprehensive around us. We want to see her play, and more importantly, display that sweet smile that we've grown accustomed to seeing in our communications with our liaison. We're not there yet, but we're certainly hoping that it'll come soon.

On a side note, as she naps, I've had he opportunity to explore the neighborhood eats. Trust me when I say that there are some great eats in Shanghai. Depending on where you go, you can get find fantastic food at extremely good prices. Case and point: Soy Sauce Pig's Feet Stew, Rice, and Spicy Pork Noodles. All for 56 RMB (a little less than 10 dollars)!

After 16 months of endless paperwork and long discussions, it's finally come to fruition. In roughly 6 hours, I pick up an adorable 3 year old from a Shanghai orphanage and will be her father. This little girl's story is amazing, one that probably is best shared in person.

Our journey, in itself, has been remarkable as well. Up to this point, I feel like I've gone through great lengths to make this happen with my wife, to start our family, to tie our lives together.

As I sit here at 3:30 a.m. in the Bund Hotel, feeling the effects of 16 hours of travel yet energized by the anticipation of meeting this special little girl and nervous about how she'll respond when she meets these two strangers who've already fallen for her 7 months ago, I can only wonder and hope that this bonding process is quick and not as frustrating and difficult as I've heard it to be. I hope there is an instant connection, much like that spark two people have on a first date, where she sees us and realizes that her life is about to change for the better because no longer is she alone in this world.

On a side note, we're in this incredible city of 22 million people where the architecture is a mishmash of east meets west and old and modern. As much as I look forward to exploring Shanghai, I'm more intrigued by what is to come in a few hours.

Diapers, snacks, toys, camcorder, and a big smile... PACKED!

Today, I'm packing up all my stuff.

My company is leaving San Francisco and heading to Vacaville.

Needless to say, we're all kind of down. For almost 7 years, I've had the pleasure of working in the heart of the city, Civic Center. Sure, the occasional disturbance from the homeless was an eye sore, but overall, I enjoyed my time here.

With an open mind and good thoughts, I hope Vacaville brings me the same joy.

According to Wikipedia, it is a German proverb that means that the bonds of family and common ancestry are stronger than those bonds between unrelated people (such as friendship).

Now, I've experienced enough in my short lifetime to know that saying carries little weight. I've seen enough instances where one would wonder why deal with family at all, when 'family' is nothing more than gossipers, opportunists, and wishers of ill will.

Along the way, I've learned to cherish and love those that support me. Needless to say, they aren't always family. In fact, I'm not afraid to say that I have friends that I value more than my 'family.'

As I make that statement, I know there are those that can never turn the blind eye to their family, no matter how poorly they're treated. Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" showcases a perfect example of this. These same people find it nobler in the mind to suffer inconveniences, whether it be minor or major, to accommodate those that don't value them... all for the purpose of standing by and supporting their family. Their hope is that their family will one day recognize how much he or she has done and that they would earn their love and affection.

I pity these people.

When comparing this to other relationships, I can't help but think of the "good girl" who continually gets mistreated by her "bad boy" boyfriend. She hopes that by offering her love and support to him, she can change him for the better. In her "sick and twisted" mind, she thinks that he'll see how wonderful she is and will turn his life around and stop mistreating her.

When I see that, I want to tell her, "Poor girl, that crap belongs in movies."

My point to those that care to read this blog is, don't bother to invest time and thought on those that won't do the same for you. Earning love and respect shouldn't be that difficult.

The season has finally come to a close. The Bobo made a rare appearance and was greatly disappointed as she quickly realized that all her former lovahs have left the CBC. Instead, she was greeted by a Fat Jerry, who urged her to return to the CBC. Like I always say, "Better to be loved by a Fat Jerry, than to not be loved at all..."

After the Bobo refused Fat Jerry's many advances, she did, however, serve a greater purpose: Pick next season's teams.

The final results were:

Team 1 will be led by Captain Super and will be comprised of the Super, the Grand Puba / Bush Baby, and the Sensei.

Team 2 will be led by Captain Cheeze and will be comprised of Da Cheeze, Judgie, and Tylon's Bro.

Needless to say, the results were knee-jerking and the responses were gripping. There is much anticipation for next season.

The Sensei has already promised to get angry for the Puba. The Puba has already insisted that he will improve the Super's bowling. The Judgie continues to make no promises to get a new ball. Tylon's Bro has already rejoiced that he will not be teaming with the Super.

But before we jump the gun into next season, an assessment of each bowler's performance as observed by the Puba, himself.

GRAND PUBA - Improved avg by 9 pins (187 to 196)
The Puba unleashed a new ball (Total Bedlam) this season and the results were overwhelmingly positive. Excited with an infusion of "new blood," the Puba made it a point to show the newest member of the CBC, the Sensei, why he is, the self-proclaimed, "Most Hated Man in the Chinese Bowling Club." Averaging over 5.5 strikes and less than 2 opens a game, the Puba continues to showcase why he is an opponent to be feared.

However, at various times in the season, the Puba has allowed his emotions and his teammates' performances to affect him. While the Puba has improved overall in the area of controlling his emotions, he does, at pivotal moments, get frustrated by others and lose concentration. This has resulted in some close games which ended up being losses for his team. Needless to say, it continues to be the Puba's "Achilles heel," and will be an area he can improve on.

Having already established himself as a force to be reckoned with, the Puba knows that his presence alone brings out the best of his opponents. But with his ability to unload strike after strike, the Puba can counter his opponents' heightened play and break down their will.

BUSH BABY - Avg dropped by 3 pins (152 to 149)

As rare as a real bush baby, the CBC's Bush Baby made only a brief appearance. Unable to work on her craft, the Bush Baby's overall game did not have much of a shot to improve. The Bush Baby is still adored by the other CBC bowlers, much in part due to her pleasant and humble demeanor and the fact that she is the antithesis of her intense and overly-aggressive husband, the Grand Puba. With new obligations, there is little to suggest that the Bush Baby will be returning to action anytime soon.

JUDGIE - Avg dropped by 7 pins (175 to 168)

A disappointing season to say the least. Unable to buy a strike at times, the Judgie has resorted to a spare game that, for the large part, provides little upside. Unable to take over a game, the Judgie has mostly been a liability to his teammates. Once a challenger to the Puba, the Judgie now is a role player who hopes to do enough to not lose the game for his team.

Despite constant badgering by his teammate to get a new ball, the Judgie refuses to fork out the dough to replace his 8 year old rock. Instead, he hopes for brooklyn's and gets frustrated when his ball does not react, leaving him with a low 1st ball count and splits.

Kind of troubling is the Judgie's willingness to take a backseat to his teammates performance. Standing silently, the Judgie absorbs the game around him, but does not appear to be able to decipher an answer for this season's struggles.

SENSEI - Established 172 avg

The Sensei started the season slow, most likely due to him getting familiarized with bowling competitively and in a league. But as the season progressed, the Sensei recognized that his sub-standard performance had a lot to do with his old equipment. After getting a new ball, the Sensei carried his team for much of the second half, providing much relief to his teammates.

Displaying an intensity and anger that may even overmatch the Puba's, the Sensei is recognizing that emotions can be a source of strength or a hindrance. At times, physically releasing his frustration in the form of a fist into a wall or a chair, the Sensei must eventually learn that a hurt or broken hand will not help his team. Instead, his silent and focused approach complements the Puba's competitiveness and enforces to opponents that he and his team are serious about winning.

Impressively, the Sensei welcomed his new position as the anchor on the team in the 2nd half and has delivered an ability to close out a victory on countless occasions. Despite being new to the league, there is excitement knowing that the Sensei has the ability to handle the pressure, come through in the clutch, and take over games.

DA CHEEZE - Improved avg by 2 pins (161 to 163)

Da Cheeze continues to fluctuate like the stock market. Able to carry his team for weeks on end, Da Cheeze, at times, suffers occasional setbacks. Needless to say, there is constant pressure for Da Cheeze to perform well as he has the ability to strike in succession as demonstrated by his 267 high game.

Equipped with a new ball, Da Cheeze's throw has improved slightly and gradually. With varying lane conditions, Da Cheeze understands and struggles to bowl at a reduced, but optimal speed. As a result, this may have resulted in his struggles to pick up his spares as he fights to control his ball location.

Even-tempered in nature and coupled with work and family obligations, Da Cheeze has to delineate that every Tuesday night, for two hours, he has an escape and a place of refuge from all his other pressures. During that time, he has an opportunity to be great. But even more so, he has to believe and embrace the notion that he must be great for his team to be victorious.

TYLON'S BRO - Improved avg by 1 pin (168 to 169)
Much like Da Cheeze, Tylon's Bro's game has fluctuated considerably through the season. As usual, Tylon's Bro gets extremely excited for each season and his team, but during the season, his excitement wavers which leads to spikes and dips in his performance.

Unwilling to admit that he needs a motivator (aka the Puba) to get on him each week, Tylon's Bro can get discouraged and all out defeated not by his opponents, but by his teammates' performance. When motivated, Tylon's Bro is a force to be reckoned with. However, sans a few matchups, Tylon's Bro seem disinterested most of the time.

Leadership, something Tylon's Bro prides himself in having, comes two-fold. A leader must accept when everything goes right and when there is failure. As in any competition, there is struggle. Instead of gutting it out and demonstrating to his teammates that he will fight to the bitter end, at times, Tylon's Bro resorts to shrugging off his teammates' poor performance and his team's failures. In order to get the most out of his team and himself, Tylon's Bro has to come each week with the notion that he must be the catalyst to his team's success. Admittedly, the odds and challenges are overwhelming for Tylon's Bro, but if he carried his enthusiasm and excitement from the start of the season, it is very likely that his overall performance would be better. To sum it up, Tylon's Bro's possesses the ability to carry his team, but his (constant) desire is a little suspect.

SUPER - Avg dropped by 1 pin (144 to 143)

Continuing to be a source of frustration for his teammates, the Super's inconsistent play is attributed primarily to his poor release. The other part is the Super's perceived lack of consideration. Showing up late and not getting to throw some shadow balls makes accepting the Super's sub-par performance difficult. While the latter can be easily solved as it is ultimately up to the Super's decision and desire to be punctual, his release, however, requires major work.

Determined (or maybe taught) to over-spin his ball, the Super has a cupped ball release. Despite constant urges to throw the ball straight, the Super continues to demonstrate an inability to bowl in this fashion. As a result, his ball speed is considerably lower than the other CBC'ers, and he struggles to get the ball to flip at the right point.

As the Super gets another disappointing season under his resume, he needs to make a decision to abandon every bad habit and allow a better bowler to deconstruct his throwing motion. At times playing the part of being anti or be it his nature, the Super has to completely surrender himself to the craft and his instructor in order to establish a foundation in which to build upon and improve.

Super's upside is considerably high as demonstrated by his occasional 200 game every blue moon, but there needs to be constant monitoring and instructing.