2025 March End of Winter

A Family: 3 Taiwanese and 1 American cats

The first thing to note is that I started my new role as a drug safety physician on March 1st. This was also my second role in the US industry. I was really proud of navigating myself through the uncomfortable zone. During my middle age, I was so lucky to have the opportunity to keep learning down a road. 

Alice started her second season of rowing from indoor core strength training. This made me recall that Emily started rowing in the spring of 8th grade. Jolie and I have also learned a lot over the past 4 years. Alice, as 2.5 years younger sister of Emily, also gets some benefits. 

Although Daylight Saving Time started on March 9, the temperature was still not high enough, and Barehill Pond had not totally defrosted yet. Therefore, all the training was still conducted indoors. The squash season finished at the end of February. Emily and Alice also attended Ergzilla. Emily got first place in Women U17Light Weight and Alice had her first 2K ERG record: 9'23''5'''. This is a relatively peaceful month. 

Over the past few years, our family has often watched the annual musical at Open Door Theater in RJ Grey. Again, we went to watch PROM together. Although this is a local amateur musical performance, Jolie always encouraged us to support such local activities. When you see all the actors from your community, it is a totally different feeling from watching a professional musical in a theater. 

Marc 22nd, PROM School Edition at RJ Grey

Anyway, we are really looking forward spring season coming along.

2025 Feb

Again, Emily traveled with BAB for SnowBird Rowing in Sarasota, Florida. In one week, Emily worked with the teammates and coach at Nathan Benson Park for training and two regattas. After not staying on water for a winter, the girls started with the American Youth Cup, followed by daily training, and ended with the Sarasota Invitational. We were happy that Emily and her teammates, after one week of hard work, won the golds for 4+ and 8+ at the Sarasota Invitational 2025. 

Snow Birds in south, 2025

Alice continued her squash and rowing training and experienced her indoor rowing tank at the College of Holly Cross. Alice also experienced her first curling on the frozen Bare Hill Pond! I really appreciated that coach Gary voluntarily led this very interesting winter activity. Jolie and I also enjoyed not traveling for the squash tournament this winter break.

Curving on the Barehill Pond, Harvard, MA

This February was also my transition month. In January, I finally successfully got my new role as a patient safety physician after I diligently endeavored to find my opportunity in 2024. As a result, I had a whole month to wrap up my projects and had a small farewell luncheon! Since I am not leaving my current company, I got my farewell luncheon in office. This is really a fantastic ending and exiciting new start.

My first farewell in the US, Feb 25, 2025

One of my previous colleagues invited me to join weekend drinking sessions for the Six Nations. It was a very new and interesting for me although I bearly know how to play rugby. However, I experienced happy sports hours with delicious food, beer and wine at friend's home. 

2024 End Holiday: A Real ONE

 I can not believe time has passed so fast to the end of 2024.

We have been through the end of 2021, 2022, and 2023 in the US. Looking 2 years back, we were in the junior squash tournaments during the holidays. However, we understand our kids well enough and have balanced their sports interests and competitions. As a result, we really stayed and hung out near our home. 

Emily, Alice, and I spent a lot of time watching Monk through season 1 and season 8. Monk will leave Netflix on January 14, 2025, and watching all the series became our first mission during the holiday. 

I will say the 2024 end-of-year holiday is a real one for our family in the US. From my perspective, I also get used to leaving the company laptop aside and spending all of the time with family. Jolie and I also don't need to travel to attend the junior squash tournaments. It is awesome and great to be with all of the people that you love all the time during the holidays! 

Happy New Year of 2025 at Micahel and Alison's home

We had a great hot pot visiting a friend's home on Christmas and had a great meal and wine with another group of friends for the final countdown of New Year 2025. Alice, Emily, and I also walked through part of the Freedom Trail in Boston. We would find another time to walk through it again with Jolie because she help with the elderly daycare center on that day.

Old State House, Freedom Trail in Boston, Dec 26, 2024

I really appreciate moving here from Taiwan to realize the meaning of "Family First". I will continue to follow it always and ever. 

2024 Howe Cup: US women squash event

After leaving the junior squash tournament, we have a lot of relief from traveling and spending. 

Emily continues to be very involved in women's squash and enjoys the open league in MA Squash with her club teammates. We also keep Alice in regular squash clinics with private lessons. We encourage Alice to sharpen her squash skills and hope she can follow Emily's steps to enjoy squash social life and competition after her 14-year-old birthday. 

Emily's junior year has a busy schedule: rowing varsity team, AP classes in school, an internship in an association, and volunteer service in the Hebrew Senior Life. However, squash still plays an important part in her life. As a result, she decided to join the 2024 Howe Cup U.S. Women's Team Championships in Philadelphia. She was in one of the A teams from MA squash. Her team is "Hail MARIs" because her teammates are from both MA and RI. 

Arlen Specter Center, Philadelphia, PA

The Howe Cup is the United States’ largest women's squash event. It is an annual team championship tournament run by US Squash. The attendees are from different age groups, and a few are juniors. Arlen Specter Center is not a stranger to us since we have been there for the US Junior Open and Silver Championship in the past two years. I believe that this is absolutely a different experience from the previous one. It is still competition but with more friendship intra- and inter-persons and teams. In the meantime, I believe Emily is also learning to incorporate squash into her social life. She went to dinner with all Boston teams and also attended the social night dinner with 300 players. 

Captain was coaching Emily, the Final of 1st consolation

I also spent three days in Philly. However, I stayed at the hotel most of the time and was able to work remotely. I know Emily enjoyed the completion. At the end of the day, though, there were wins and losses. 

All teams from Boston in 2024 HOWE Cup

One of Emily's team members got injured, so she needed to play up to one seed. She took the challenge and helped the team advance to the final of the first consolation of Division A. In the final match, she met a great opponent: a previous PSA pro and coach of the Columbia University Squash team. It was an amazing first experience of the HOWE Cup for her life. 

West Glass Court, the final match in the final of 1st consolation

Electric Board for Emily's Final Match

Emily's Varsity Rowing Fall 2024

Actually, the rowing fall season was on the Charles River. This sean, Emily was always on 4+ and also had chances on single. 

Emily started her rowing fall season at the CRI Invitational on the Charles River. I felt that all A teams in New England areas came to this even as a warm-up for HOCR in October. As a result, Greenwich A, B, C and D boats swept the Women Jr 4+,

In the second Regatta on Merrimack River, BAB won back and took Silver in Women Jr 4+, 1.4 seconds slower than the Gold.  

Oct 6 Lowell, MA: Women Jr 4+ surpassing the opponent

One week before HOCR, she attended the Head of Quinobequin (Head of Q), juniors-only, singles-only time-trial-format ("head race") event on the Charles River. We were really proud of her No 5 in U17 using her excellent and skillful rowing technique. It is absolutely a thing for a girl of 5'4'' in the rowing world. 

Head of the Charles (HOCR) 2024 is absolutely highlighted in the fall every year. Emily and her teammates placed 23rd among 90 boats and left a ticket for the team next year. Again, Emily told me they absolutely were not at good status on that day, including the mechanical failure in Cox's speaker, and should perform better! However, having a chance to compete in HOCR is already a sort of honor and extremely valuable opportunity, along with roughly 12,000 athletes, including 300 Olympians from around the world—100 fresh off the Paris Games 2024.

 

Women Youth 4+ passing by Eliot Bridge, 2024 HOCR

The fall season concluded in Head of Fall in Saratoga, NY. This time, I drove Emily and another two rowers to Saratoga after they finished the SAT at Chelmsford, MA. The round trip was ~400 miles. The wind was crazy strong Although the girls did not get the lacquered fish heads (the Gold medals), the team still enjoyed the tradition of Secret Santa and various costume themes in Head of Fish. 

Rowing Fall season ended with Alice's first regatta and Emily's Varsity team's full endeavor. Challenges will continue, but hard work with the team always wins. 

Alice's Sport Life in Fall 2024

I cannot believe it is the end of 2024. We were all busy with school and work.

This fall, Alice also started her first rowing season on the middle school team. Alice was excited about her two regattas: the New England Championships and the MPSRA championship. We were proud of her and her teammates because the regattas in the fall are usually long-range, 2.5-3.5 miles, which is longer than their practice in BareHill Pond. 

It was cold and rainy for the New England Championship. The BAB middle school teams were the only two boats in the division. Two boats finished their first 2.5-mile regatta. It was a pity that no medals were awarded because there were fewer than three boats.

Pull the efforts to lift the boat in the rain, Worcester, MA (New Egland Championship 2024)

With all the efforts, Alice's team, Girls Middle School 4x+, earned the first gold medal in the MPRSA championship (4.5 km) after beating another boat from BAB! It was really exciting to see Alice's endeavor to make excellence with a team. 

Biting the Gold, Lowell MA, MPRSA Fall 2024 

Another amazing achievement is that Alice's soccer team, the the AB Independence team, had a 10-0 undefeated BAYS season. All the young ladies buckled down together and got good jab at the end. It also means Alice has made commitments to soccer and rowing simultaneously and keeps her squash practice. I can not imagine that I could make all of these if I were her. Actually, after summer Olympic, she has become a soccer fan, especially for the US Women National Soccer Team.

Coach Michael, Assist. coach Warren and AB Independence Team, 2024 Fall

This fall, Alice also started 8th grade and began learning time management. I really believe that she has grown a lot this fall! When I looked all of these back in the past 2 months, I suddenly found she has been involved in sports deeply. 

 

2024 Summer: still rowing with some squash

The end of June is the start of summer. 

Emily successfully applied for the RYLA leadership program. I believe it is a good idea for her to step out of her comfort zone since she is not social. She also quickly started her summer rowing training.

This July 4th, a Taiwanese neighbor invited us to enjoy the fireworks at NARA Park for the Independence Day celebration. Their home is near NARA Park, and we were able to get there on foot. Actually, we are also one of those who paid for this because the town hall used tax for this celebration. We also met another family who has lived in Acton since the 1980s. Their kids also came to the US, similar to Emily and Alice's ages. Jolie and I just imagined we would be in the same as them 20 years later. It is still a long way to go, though. 

Fireworks at NARA Park, Jul 4th 2024

Actually, summer schedules for both girls were not light. Jolie arranged three weeks of summer camps for Alice, including First Aid training, cosmetology, and electrical enlightenment. Alice also attended level II sculling in preparation for her first rowing program this fall.

Alice was still in squash training this summer. However, we did not travel a lot for Silver Tournaments anymore. Instead, we went to only one Gold tournament in RI. The result was not as good as we thought, but it was still a positive experience for Alice. In addition, we also found the Hampton Inn to be a good hotel to stay at for our domestic travel in the future. The squash camp ended with the interesting working with a pro, Joel Makin, at MSquash. 

T-shirt with signature by Joel Makin

At the same time, Emily traveled to St. Catharines, ON, in Canada, for her first Canadian Henley Regatta. This was also her first time leaving US soil after we moved to the US in 2021. She did a pretty good job of getting into the final of U19 2- and the semi-final of U19 4x and U19 2x. Even with her single sculling, she rowed with an awesome time, which would have made her advance to the semifinal if she had been in any other heats. Although Emily ended with 6th place in U19 2-, this was the first time BAB advanced to the final in Canadian Henley. Emily has found underlying reasons hindering them from having medals this time. I believe she can work this out in the future, and this is also a good opportunity to learn from the teamwork sport.  

Before Canadian Henley, Emily also attended the local regatta, Cromwell Cup, on Charles River. She and her teammates won the gold medal for U17 2x and the bronze medal for Junior 4+. Although this was a local regatta, it was a good way to warm up for the coming season on Charles River. 

Cromwell Cup, 21 Jul 2024 on Charles River (2x Gold Medal)

Summer is never boring, although it always costs a lot! Jolie and I believe we have become better than previous summers.