It was during onboarding, the second day of training, that I first noticed you. Stylin in your dark green cardigan & coordinated tie, wearing the orange backpack I’d eventually steal from you, talking it up and already making a name for yourself. We were strangers then, all possibilities still open. We might get to know…
Even before you can spot the water or hear the waves crashing, there is a distinct scent that floats in the air. It’s the ocean smell that welcomes you back every time. Add a setting sun, and it’s a sensory haven. The kind of scene that makes you breathe deeper, slower. As we continued down…
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Laura, Phil, and Tommy welcomed us into their home today for these tasty mooncakes and some delicious homemade dumplings. Check outside to glimpse the full moon tonight!
Back on Labor Day weekend, we took a day trip to Lake Tahoe. Tahoe is that great big lake on the California-Nevada border, synonymous with amazing ski slopes three quarters of the year. But we checked out the summer version: empty ski villages and a day of beach hopping all around the top of the…
I’ve been working this week at Taiwanese American Foundation, the summer camp I’ve attended since I was ten years old. I’m serving as part of tafLabs, a new program in which we develop projects to make awesome things happen in our community. To see some of the multimedia work we’ve been doing, follow out the…
Welcome to Taiwanese American Foundation 2009: Sprout! After a two-year absence on my part, I am very happy to return for my 13th year at TAF, this time as a member of the TAFMedia crew. Our first project of the week: given 24 hours, produce a video to be used as the Intro/Theme skit for…
A brief life update from me: I just accepted a position in Oakland Chinatown as a BAYAC AmeriCorps member with OASES, and I’ll be working with the QUEST After School Program. Not enough acronyms? The short story is that I will be working at the Oakland Asian Students Educational Services helping to run an after…
Ok. This is admittedly a very silly thing, but I’m ok with that. I monitor my website using Google Analytics, and every so often, I go in to take a peek at the data–all sorts of nifty graphs and charts. Today, I looked at the lifetime map and noticed this one last bastion of uncharted…
Getting a bit restless in the apartment, we decided to head up to Napa Valley for a day trip. First stop was a tour of Robert Mondavi’s winery. We also hit Chandon for some bubbly and Jaccuzi/Cline for free tastings. Perhaps the best part of the Napa trip was that all the good wines inspired…
Since I’m behind on updates, I’ve decided to just keep posting images from my adventures in no particular order. Here are two pictures from our day trip to Point Reyes a couple weeks ago. Jennie and Johnny were in the Bay Area visiting, so we grabbed a couple people and headed up the Marin coast…
So much of our relationships depends upon context. I’m reminded of that moment in grade school when I first saw a teacher at the mall and was stunned to realize teachers went shopping just like normal people. Or this year, when we (as teachers) brought our 8th graders into the woods for a 3-day camping trip and we got…
Armed with flashlights, cell phones, tripod, and my camera, we headed up the hill for some light writing fun. These photos always turn out super impressive because the camera documents what we can’t see in front of us. But it’s just physics! And all it really takes is a very slow shutter (as long as…