Wonderemployment

If you have followed my Facebook activities, you may have seen recently that I've been commenting EVERYWHERE about how we should stop celebrating Dr. Seuss. I've posted on every single idolizing event or post that has popped up in my feed in the past month, leading up to his birthday this past Saturday. I've emailed and private messaged local libraries, bookstores, our school district, and nonprofit organizations as well. In case you aren't caught up with why Dr. Seuss is so problematic, I'll share an example email I sent out, which summarizes my concern: Dear [school/library],  I am disappointed to see the upcoming event for families celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday. While I know many generations have enjoyed his books, his explicit racism towards Asian Americans and use of offensive stereotypes of Black Americans immeasurably taint his legacy of humorous rhymes.  There has been a lot written on this subject and I hope that your staff will take the time to r...

With G graduating high school last week I've been reflecting a lot on our journey together. I’m so proud of her, and I’m grateful to be able to experience this feeling. I’ve been proud of friends and loved ones before, but this experience is new to me because of how invested I have been in her well-being and how closely I’ve watched her grow. (I can only imagine how her father feels, or how I will feel when Holly reaches these kinds of milestones.) I enjoyed her graduation ceremony much more than my own. For many of us, graduating high school was a given. Getting into college was not something our parents hoped we would do; it was an expectation. I realize now that those of us who grew up this way were extremely privileged. No one in her family has ever been to college before. It wasn’t always clear that she would make it to this point. But she did it. Seeing her walk triumphantly across the stage was really special. Beyond being proud of her, I am proud of what we've built to...

One of my biggest roles as a board member at the Peninsula Family Y is advocating and fundraising for the Y's amazing programs. This year I have the honor of being the Community Campaign Chairwoman. I spoke at the Campaign Kick-Off event this week, to share my own Y story and encourage others to share theirs. Gabbie and her father came to cheer me on and celebrate their place at the Y too.  To kick off my own personal fundraising, I want to share my remarks from the event.  --- My name is Mai and I’m so excited to be the Campaign Chairwoman this year. Thank you all so much for taking time to be here, and more importantly, for supporting the Peninsula Family YMCA. We’re going to hear some incredible stories from people within our Y community today. Before we do that I want to tell you a little more about myself and my Y story. I’m currently on the board of managers, but I actually started volunteering with the Y as a Reach and Rise mentor. Reach and Rise is a therapeutic...

"Do you think we'll ever lose touch with each other?" "No. I say no because I think we've built such a strong connection, it's like, it's almost unbreakable." Anyone who is willing to listen to me talk about it has undoubtedly heard about my friendship with G and how important my role as a mentor has been to me. What I haven't shared as widely yet, is that late last year I grappled with the decision to finish my mentorship term with Reach and Rise, and in February ended my formal participation in the program.  My original commitment to was to spend time with G for 1-3 hours each week for one year. At the outset we had established some goals together with her father and the program coordinator at the Y. Our goals were to help her build confidence, expose her to new experiences, and get her through a difficult loss she had recently experienced.   G and I spent two years together in the program. We seldom, if ever, explicitly referred back to...

I often pass this woman walking her dog on my way to work. Most mornings we don't talk, we just wave from a distance. If I'm within close enough proximity, she will invariably say "have a good day!" with more sincerity than is customary. Finally one day a couple years ago, I stopped and introduced myself to her. It felt strangely old-fashioned. After learning my name, she instead started saying "have a good day, Mai!" when I passed her. Such a small addition, yet decidedly more personal. Then I didn't see her for a while because of my erratic wonderemployment schedule. I wondered about her now and then, but didn't know anything about her besides the time she walks her dog each morning. Now that I'm back to a regular commute I've been seeing her and her dog again. The first week back, we stopped to catch up a bit about why it had been so long since we'd seen each other. She mentioned her poor little dog had been sick and not up for wal...

It's almost Thanksgiving, and I want to focus on giving thanks for my health and safety, my family, my friends, my opportunities, and all the positive change that is taking place in the world. In order to do that, I really need to get some things off my chest. Since last night I have had a hard time thinking about much else besides what is happening in Ferguson and all over the country. I don't know why I am stunned each time these decisions come down, but I am. It saddens me so much not only to see young black men being killed without consequence, but also the level of racism and ignorance that fill my news feed and the internet at large. It is hard to even say anything about this because I know I will probably be judged and criticized as well. But it's also getting hard NOT to say anything. This affects me. It affects all of us, and if you are not sure why, please take time to ask someone and reflect on the answer. Most of us have no idea what happened during the even...

I am blessed with amazingly talented and generous friends. My friend (and hairstylist) Rhea is the co-owner of Le Reve Salon in Burlingame. Today her wonderful team put on an event called Cuts for Kids to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and a local non-profit called Kids & Art , which partners with artists to bring art sessions to children and their families during cancer treatment, recovery, or bereavement. As part of their fundraising efforts, Le Reve was offering $20 haircuts, which is a steal for the beautiful, high-quality work they do. When I first saw them advertise the event, I knew I had to get an appointment for G . As many teenagers do, G is always fantasizing about changing up her look with clothes, piercings, body art, and of course, hairstyles. A lot of ideas come and go, but she has been talking about a new haircut for the past six months or more. Resources are tight for her family though, so trips to the salon are understandably not a top p...

One of the most interesting parts about my job is that I get to travel to various parts of the state and meet people in settings I would not normally be in, such as high schools and detox centers. The last time I talked about a business trip was in June, when I got to go to Disneyland ! This past week, my job brought me somewhere that could not be more different: prison. My colleague and I spent almost 2 full days working with a special group of inmates at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla. This was not my first time at a prison, but it was my first time at a women's facility. I am very privileged in that I do not have any personal experiences with friends or family being incarcerated. Having no firsthand knowledge, my only point of reference was Orange is the New Black (which I love!). I didn't know what to expect, but what I got was one of the most rewarding teaching experiences I have ever had. As I have talked about before, a big part of my jo...

Last night I attended a meeting of the Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) in San Francisco to show my support of Stevon Cook , a friend of mine who is running for school board. I know Stevon because we were in the same City Hall Fellows cohort in 2008-2009. It's hard to believe it was so long ago! This endorsement meeting was a whole new experience for me in a lot of ways. First of all, I did not know the DCCC existed, or that it is the governing body of San Francisco's Democratic Party. I also had no idea what an endorsement meeting would be like. Turns out they are very popular events. It was standing room only last night, and it took me over half an hour to get in the door because of long lines and security. Everyone wanted to be there to support or denounce certain candidates and local propositions. The public comment process was wearisome (as they often are!), and it seemed to me that it did not make any difference in swaying the committee members since they are...

This post is almost a month overdue! In July, I had the pleasure of participating in Mama G's Burrito Project. This burrito project is a new initiative from Mama G's Thanksgiving Street Dinner , an annual event that my friend Peter created and has led for several years. In his own words: Since 2009, Mama G's Thanksgiving Street Dinner has served over 500 people a warm, nutritious, thanksgiving dinner in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, a group of committed volunteers from throughout the City gather to support a community in need of vital services, political attention and civic care. In a political and economic climate that continues to neglect the needs of the poor and most vulnerable, Mama G's seeks to counter the status quo by taking it to the streets and bringing resources donated by members of the community directly to the community. With the success of the Thanksgiving Dinner, Peter and his co-organizers pil...

After I returned from my trip to Anaheim, I wanted to keep the good vibes going and bring some of the lessons I had developed for my teen workshop home to my favorite teen, G. One of the elements of my workshop involved positive affirmations. Positive affirmations are statements that can remind you of your self-worth and capabilities. They generally are first-person, present tense statements that are meant to be repeated daily. It is thought that the more you repeat these positive affirmations, the more you will internalize them and start to believe them. Positive affirmations are not a magic genie that will suddenly make you smarter, prettier, or more successful, but our minds our powerful tools that can effect the way we approach challenges and opportunities in our life, whether we step up, back down, or choose to shut them out altogether. Positive affirmations are a way to counterbalance the negativity and judgement that can permeate our mind. Here is an idea sheet I made for the ...