snowy gifted me a scoby.

today is day no. 1 of fermentation fun:

finished teaching my last class for this season!

thank you 1,000+ incredible students for

your bravery, curiosity, active participation,

humor, openness, and thirst for justice. 

the time i "studied" abroad

we painted peace rocks & talked about our lives.
kids are real, and i like that.

ryan turned to seth and said
"your rock is kind of beautiful!"

oakland, i want you to know...

you've brightened and opened up my world.

today, i got to attend a jazz a capella rehearsal

and participate in an exhibit design meeting

on play, joy, and immersive sculptures 

♥

wild turkeys
mount tam is always a good idea

新年快乐

 celebrated the new year by drinking tea

 in a family-owned ethically sourced

 teashop with a group of strangers

spring is lurking

i wear what i want,

when i want.

to stand in the front of the room,

leading students in a conversation about

the historical struggles POC faced

and continue to face today, teaching about the impact
art has in spreading awareness and promoting change,

acknowledging the power of resiliency and community,

and inviting children to imagine they future they want
and be the change
 

is my dream and i live it every single day:

this must be the magical mystery kind

~*~*~*~

birthday celebrations in a ghost town

this is the post-activity for one of the programs i
lead.  

these past 3 months have been a journey
and a whirlwinddddd, but i feel deeply grateful and
proud to have found a job where i do exactly what i
want to be doing: impacting and
empowering young people to see themselves as
agents of change in their own imagined futures.

 onwards.

today, i've entered into the wild world of
hOoPs:

miles and miles of mustard

i went out seeking magic,
and found it:

my beautiful city

showed up for high tea

& found my new favorite spot in the city

happy national pie day!

i had the banana cream and it was ~*~*~*~

SF MoMa
is always a good idea

my blog is 11 years old.

sally is 24 years old.

my, how time flies!

today, i looked into the mirror
and saw my mom~*~

catsitting in the city
part III

then, i walked around the dreamy neighborhood,

looking at architectural details.

"the change I want is to hear peace and quiet.
i don't want to hear shootings anymore."

(5th grader)

this is my commute view:

ferry building, coit tower, angel island, alcatraz,

and a tiny golden gate bridge in the distance.

~*~*~26~*~*

thank you for driving in the traffic + rain for 2 hours,

thank you for the lovely pink flowers,

thank you for the hand-made picture frame,

thank you for the thoughtful cards, tickets, soy candle,

thank you for joining me.

thank you my beautiful friends

for making my night the most

magical, special, and emotional

birthday i've ever had.

 there is no better way i would have

wanted to spend my 26th birthday.

vegetarian rainbow chard

& sprout quesadillas!

i claim responsibility for getting my roommates

hooked onto jigsaw puzzles:

"lindaaaaaaa"

i turn around and see x-tina standing there.

of course we would both be at j crew

on a rainy day after work, both deshoveled,

and trying on stuff we both can't afford.

 i hope you bought that floral velvet vest.
 ~ ~ ~
a while back, we miraculously got a table
at NOPA, and celebrated being alive,
with lamb olive pasta + roe avocado toast 

dreaming of vines, tiles, squash blossoms,

and the sea the sea the sea. 

can it be june already? i am ready, tuscany.

have you ever seen a cloud atlas so perfect?

"you're a sweet little puppy,

so so sweet,

so so sweet."

lounging in the gardens

my beautiful friends

i meet the most extraordinary people

in the most mundane and unexpected places.

 *

thank you kind stranger in sausalito

for letting us use your lighter to

make our cupcakes glow. 

when on the verge of losing my mind,

i always think of the time i successfully

memorized a samoan poem (in samoan),

survived and passed edTPA,

recovered from a collapsed lung,

and remember that i can do anything

~ ~ ~