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I remember the days when Mommy took Frankie and I to
the movies after she completed an issue. It was a little celebratory
ritual that we would do together. That was about 10 years ago. Today I
stand here 19, at the Agora theater with all of you to celebrate 10
years of Erie Chinese Journal with all of you.
The celebratory ritual didn’t even last for a year. ECJ
became a real thing when I was 9. “It” warped into a baby. ECJ was
like having a new baby brother. Now there were 3 of us she had to
juggle time with. But like any child and like any family, we grew and
learned from each other everyday.
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Dianna Lu 與 Frank Lu 及Yuanhua(元華) 剛剛從印刷厰取出新出版的一期華報
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浦瑛的兒女都是華報的好幫手
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Growing up as the daughter of a publisher,
reporter, advertiser and delivery crew. I have the opportunity to
listen to all of her day. in the car. Frankie would have school to
karate or soccer, wrestling to track to dance. Then there was me-
ballet to tap class straight to swim practice. Wake up calls at 4:30
AM for morning practice, though you would sometimes still be awake
from writing articles that you started when we fell asleep because
that was the only time you could concentrate and you still drove me to
practice.
She would put meetings in between practices, meets,
recitals, or even have the meeting exactly where we were having our
afterschool activities. When we got home, there would be food on the
table, though most of the time you weren’t present we always were full
and happy.
See I have never really had to sacrifice anything in my life. I have
always been given opportunities, like my education for an example.
First I never wanted to go to an all girl private school at the age of
13, but since you had an advertisement with Hathaway Brown School she
made me visit. It wasn’t easy on both ends. Both my parents knew this
would be a huge challenge. One thing lead to another, and now I
honorably can say I am a HB graduate.
Another sacrifice she had to endure to be
interested in sports. Since she’s a reporter is to interview athletes.
First of all, my mom doesn’t know anything about sports. She would go
to frankies soccer games when he was a munchkin and would “exercise”
or I would like to call it “hide and seek with the sun” Nonetheless
she would carry a huge umbrella when it was 70 degrees and sunny. I
remember when she came to my State meet my freshman year, I saw her up
in the stands more nervous than I was. To this day she still doesn’t
know how to swim..
Anyway, this is one of my favorite stories of all time. It
was my first Cavs game. It was the Cavaliers vs. the Houston Rockets.
It was when Yao Ming was still playing on the Rockets. She was
escorted down to the mens locker room for some reason. She walked in
without any warning. Suddenly 5 naked Houston rocket players were
alarmed by a small asian woman. She did meet Yao Ming, he is also from
Shanghai, so they spoke in Shanghai nese when they had their
interview, but the picture she got with him is just priceless, as she
couldn’t get the image of the naked men out of her mind, a mortified
Asian woman with a very tall Asian man. On the elevator, Lebron James
steps on. This was the time when Lebron was a big shot and everyone
loved him. Daddy, Frankie and I were waiting in the car for her, she
calls us all excited, out of breath, “I SAW LEBRON JAMES IN THE
REFIDGATOR!” what we were not impressed. We were all sitting there
dazed, then we knew she meant elevator. That was probably one of the
funniest interviews/stories shes ever told.
I’ve realized that not anyone could do what she does. She
came her with very little, learning a new language, culture to having
her own business. Basically creating a new life, all within 25 years.
Lets here it for my unreal mommy Ying Pu…
Almost everyone in this audience in the audience today are
friends and if we are not, lets make that happen.
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浦瑛、Ben、元華討論華報版面問題
Yuan Hua, you stayed
faithfully be mothers side ever since the beginning. You have
contributed writing, editing, and even more important, a best friend
to her and the family. Please stand yuan hua
I like to acknowledge Ben Chen, the Canadian
layout master of ECJ. He has always been hand and hand there working
with my mom. Its surreal that I have known his kids when the older one
was still in the basket net. I remember singing lullabies to both of
them and babysitting when they came to visit. His children are little
genius’s. It might not be as impressive now because they are older
but, these kids spoke 3 languages coming out of the womb. They speak
perfect mandarin to dad then switch Guang dong hua (dialect) to mom,
but at daycare through grade school spick spam English. Ben and his
wife and two wonderful kids have been with ECJ everyday. Please stand
Ben and family.
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2004年浦瑛和兒女及Ben和家人在多倫多
A decade seems like a long
time, yet it feels like it was just yesterday. Compared to a
skyscraper such as World Journal, ECJ is as my mom would say a small
potato. On the other hand, ten years is a milestone that is constantly
and rapidly advancing is an achievement that we can be proud of. It
means we have managed to establish ourselves in this industry.
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