Memories with Mom

This album is more for me than anyone else. It certainly isn’t for my mom, as she never liked being the center of attention. And it certainly isn’t for anyone out there on the internet, as these photos will undoubtedly mean nothing to you (though it would mean something to me if you actually looked at it).

Yet, for me, something about the idea of putting these photos out there, in public view, on an internet notorious for things being impossible to delete off of …

It’s like a form of security.

Continue reading →

Insights

Sick of arguing with anti-mask wearers?

I created a page with responses to the most common arguments you’ll come across: https://dennis.blog/masks/ You’re welcome.

Memories

Like Mother, Like Son

For my mom’s part, I know she was just happy that I was excited. I guess it makes sense now that I’ve realized how much dancing was a part of her entire life.

Accomplishments

An Arranged Marriage …

We had no choice but to learn to depend on each other for strength and support. And so, we rose to the challenge. We worked together, and we struggled together. We studied together, and we partied together. We shared both our personal accomplishments and our personal tragedies with each other. We embraced each other in every sense of the word, and we became a family in almost every sense of the word (aside from actual biological relationship — but that’s a pretty minor detail, all things considered).

Ultimately, we chose to depend on each other. In the same way that partners in an arranged marriage can choose to love each other and become a family, we chose to love each other as well. We were arranged as a Marriage and Family Therapy cohort, but we chose to become a family.

Memories

My Mom Was Dr. Frankenstein

Anyone who’s been to my parents’ house in Irvine knows about my mom’s fruit garden. Over the course of the 34 years she lived in that house, she slowly transformed a tiny stamped concrete-laden OC tract home back yard into a trove of exotic fruit trees — everything from apples and oranges to starfruit, guava,…

Nobody to Everybody Else

I was a mama’s boy. For literally my entire life, my mom and I were super-close, and it started partially from necessity. When I was two years old, my dad left Taiwan to pursue a new opportunity for us in the United States. The only snafu was that it took more than three years before…

Parallels

I love this video from January 2015, when my dad was just starting his recovery from his aneurysm. It was a rare moment of affection and playfulness from my parents. The parallels between my mom and my dad were uncanny. Both suffered mysterious and catastrophic ailments that left them completely incapacitated and in the hospital…

Mom and Dad’s Wedding

After my mom’s passing, Melissa and I went up to Irvine last weekend and dug through some old photo albums. Here’s a set I found from a particularly special day on January 2, 1971. Mom, I wish it had occurred to me to dig these up and post them while you were still around. I…

Farewell, Mom

You hung in there for over a year, which is pretty impressive in itself. But I guess we all knew how this was going to end. I don’t know where you’ve been for the past 14 months, but I hope you’re finally at peace now. I’m touched that you waited until I submitted my last…

Haunted

Yesterday was exactly one year that my mom has been in a persistent vegetative state. I was drained by the end of the day, but that was more due to school than anything with my mom. I did tear up a bit at one point. But here’s the weird thing … I didn’t cry about…

One Year …

Hey, mom. Hi. Hey. Where are you? It’s been a year now. Do you even realize that? It was one year ago today that you decided to take a break from … well, breathing. Fortunately, the doctors were able to get your heart beating again. Unfortunately, doctors still have no idea what happened. And worst…

Meet Elsa the Wax Fruit Tree

One day soon, we’ll have to leave the older sibling in Irvine, to be cared for — and hopefully, not chopped down — by a new family.

But not Elsa. One day soon, I hope we’ll find Elsa the Wax Fruit Tree a permanent home where we can spend many years together.

10 months

Sometimes the days seem to drag along. Other times, the months fly by. It’s hard to process that it’s been 10 months now since my mom went into cardiac arrest. 10 months now that she’s been in a persistent vegetative state. Man, whoever coined the term really wasn’t kidding with the “persistent” part … Anyway,…

Our last day together

I’m pretty sure I took more photos of Mama yesterday than I ever have in my entire life … of any cat … combined. I think I just became that guy. (You are free to define “that” in whichever way you deem appropriate.)

What would you be doing?

What would you be doing if you knew you had less than 24 hours to live? … Lots of things, probably. … What would you be doing if you didn’t know you had less than 24 hours to live? … This, I guess … … At least, if you’re Mama. We’re saying goodbye to Mama…

	Dennis Hong on Memories with Mom
	Social Savvy Sage \|… on An Arranged Marriage …
	gracexaris on Memories with Mom
	My Mom Was Dr. Frank… on Meet Elsa the Wax Fruit Tree
	Dennis Hong on Farewell, Mom

Dennis Hong's Attic

Nothing fancy. Nothing polished.