薇妮的心導管手術

Winnie and Ming-Yen right outside the catheterization center before the operation

Dear friends,

My daughter Winnie had a cardiac catheterization operation on Wednesday afternoon at Veteran General Hospital in Taipei. The operation usually takes 2 hours. But, Winnie got some luck today -- the doctor succeeded in one shot and wrapped up the operation within 1 hour. It was a successful one without any complication.

Winnie seems to gain back her sense of humor after biting a piece of fried chicken from Berger King, although Ming-Yen insisted that it was because of the pain killer before her meal. In any case, it is a great relief to all of us. There are ways to express the feeling of relief. Winnie and Ming-Yen chose to compose the live symphony of mammal snorts while I am as awake as an owl to put down my thoughts.

During the operation, Ming-Yen and I were waiting outside, with our hearts floating up in the air. We chatted about the miserable stories and scenes we gathered after we checked in the hospital. Being aware of the abnormal intensity of misery in hospitals beforehand, it is still rather alarming when encountering the real people in the real-life stories. A scent of sadness is unavoidable. And, reflections about the meaning of lives are certainly constantly in mind. Or, at least for the mammals without fatal addiction to cable TV programs.

You may have heard about this many times. But, at the moment to face up the slicing knife between life and death, many mind-bugging stuffs, of the so-called great importance in daily routines, shrink to a small piece of cake. It is the moment for a little bit of honesty from your heart. Fame and money feel like brilliantly beautiful yet distant clouds which do not matter anymore. Then, listening to the echoes in your mind, and you know whether life is on the right track. Yes, it is so personal since only you know the answer which only you should know anyway.

My dear friends, here is some honest reflection from my heart. I asked whether I would treat in a Nobel Prize for the success of Winnie's operation. Without a second of hesitation, the answer ``Yes" rushes into my brain with ``Of course" arrives no later than a nanosecond (got to be nano somehow nowadays).

So, I know, I am on the right track of life, raining or shining. To make it even more enjoyable, with lovely companions. What about you?

Time to join the symphony now.

Best,
Hsiu-Hau