GO RAY!!! (Before reading, please take note of what I am about to say: I jacked this off of Vic's site bc i wanted to blog about ray too, but i have three tests this wk, and frankly, don't have time, but as important as my cousin, Raymond, is, I must show my love for him by blogging about him, so thank you Victor Shen for letting me copy your blog on your big bro. (i guess you really didn't let me...i just stole it w/o permission, but since you're such a loving cousin, i'm sure you won't mind.) So for those of you who have read Vic's journal, you may save yourself the time and skip the following message, and for those of you who have not read Vic's journal, please continue and replace the word "brother" with "cousin." And the part at the bottom where it says i need to get off my lazy butt and go to the gym is true for me as well, i need to do that and that was probably what I was doing too when Ray overcame natural forces of evil. Now ladies and gents, you may read on...

WAY TO GO, RAYMOND!My brother Raymond finished a triathalon this past weekend, which is pretty amazing for multiple reasons. First of all, there's the obvious: it's hard. It includes biking, running, and swimming (in the San Francisco Bay, no less -- too bad the Giants aren't playing, he could have caught a Barry Bonds home run ball). His goal was just to finish and he did.And just for that reason alone, I'm really proud of him.But wait, there's more.Let's not forget that he's a Shen, and with our genes, comes some major physical problems. Between his bad knees, weak ankles, painful back, he's literally the walking wounded sometimes.And he's still only 17 years removed from two major surgeries to remove a growth near his spine that caused him to collapse multiple times without notice. This is a guy who literally had to learn how to talk again ... twice.And while he was doing the triathalon, I was sitting back on the couch, watching TV, and eating chips. How sad am I!Today, Ray, I'm encouraged and inspired at your perseverance, your determination, and your heart. Thank you.I'm taking my lazy, fat butt to the gym.