p e s c a d e r o
s t a t e    b e a c h

 i love spending my days off at misty beach
shorelines that go on for miles and miles.

 I took a daytrip down to santa cruz & played with
crab legs at a beautiful beach off highway 1.

then, i alternated between listening to
static and horribly redundant radio music
while cruising up the coast back to the city.

100% banana slug
an alumni amongst the redwoods

my secret star strikes again!

she (Camille) is wonderful,

talented and magically creative.

my room is now filled with little cardboard

houses, paper lilies, rainbow candles & a little

astronaut man gliding through the solar system

"i had a lot of fun at your storytime,

you're really good at this. thank you."

-what a mom said to me today after my

storytime program for ~35 people

^___________^
thank YOU.

i wasn't planning on it, but i ended up teaching a 5 year old all about Communism in the art studio.

he was really interested in pennies and fairness,

and started asking super relevant + hypothetical
questions, which really led me no choice but to educate
him in child-friendly metaphorical language.

today, i opened my locker at work &

these paper lilies burst and overflowed out.

i stood there, shocked.

it was one of the beautiful, surprising

and poetic things i've ever experienced,

like something out of a GG Marquez novel.

thank you my "secret star", whoever you are.

i will always make time to lounge in the sun.

gotta prioritize some things in life :)

a cross country flight and

some strategic planning later,

my sister and i successfully surprised

our mom for her birthday!

i've always wanted to show up at home

unannounced and it finally happened!

a mini 3.5 day vacation back home :)
it's such fun being a tourist in your own hometown!

DIANA VISITS THE BAY
even though i got heat exhaustion/stroke
earlier at work and she was recovering from the flu,

we decided we still needed to go hiking

along the california coast at sunset.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think there was

more sunshine in Seattle than in San Francisco.

That's why days like today are absolute perfection.

I lounged amongst fluttering dragonflies,

watched puppies and kids play,

read my library book and got happier

with each passing moment.

i hadn't planned on eating an entire

pasta entree by myself while a wedding was going on. 

the original plan was just to
sit in a coffee shop and read.

this is happening more and more, but
sometimes, when I look at a kid,

i feel this overwhelming burst in my heart.

i see this smiling wild bundle of energy & untapped

potential and i want to do everything to

nurture the bundle and prevent it from

being trampled on, thrown in a cage

and told they are an animal.

then the song "i can show you the world"
plays in my head and i unleash
paint, glitter, needles,
literacy + numeracy foundations, and some lens for
developing compassionate critical thinking
at them and we dance in the woods with our new tools,
and together, diverge from the System
and set each other free.

#whatifantasizeabout
~
Cathy said I am going to shift the world,
 so let's shift on.

woohoo!

i successfully ran my own toddler program
for the first time today!

thank you parents + babies for acting entertained

by my singing, wiggling & storytelling

and participating in active engagement.

my last minute lesson-planning + improvisation
skills from working with kindergartners
really came in handy; phew.

now i feel like i can do anything
 ~ * ~ * ~ *

breezing across bridges
My commute will never get old.

it's STUNNING every single day.

-sunshine, rain, or fog.

just cruising through sleepy towns

"if you have come to help me

you are wasting your time.

but if you have come because

your liberation is bound up with mine,

then let us work together."

- Lila Watson (Australian aboriginal activist)

^one of my top 3 favorite quotes.

"the clearest way into the universe

is through a forest wilderness."

I drove to the Muir Redwoods! Hooray for
exploring new roads & celebrating/appreciating/enjoying

nature at it's absolute finest.
 
My parents and I came here 4 years ago:

discussions of our deepest flaws,

meditation processes, things we've stolen,

produce stickers + bedtime stories

Heisenberg and I watched twinkling city lights

from a park, and then I quizzed him on his supposed

knowledge of southeast asian national anthems.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

 today was filled with such beautiful

little moments, sceneries and being present.

THANK YOU PAI FOR A WONDERFUL DAY.

SO EXCITED FOR ALL THIS PRODUCE

FROM THE FARMER'S MARKET

*strawberries

*pluots

*avocados
*peaches

*samosas

The hollyhock seeds I planted 29 weeks ago

finally bloomed! My mom sent me pictures:

 THEY ARE EVEN LOVELIER THAN I HAD PREDICTED.

I made this at work while parallel playing
and giving positive descriptive feedback.

Completed another week! I deserve some ice cream.
T G I T

~*~*~*~*~*~

Spent the morning in the Mission,

picked up some amazing things at Tartine Bakery

and ate a chocolate croissant on Linda St.

 banana cream pie tart ~*~*~

^ THIS building has glory.

I chatted with a stranger selling vintage things
on the street and turns out, he worked at the deyoung
35 years ago, in the room King Tut was exhibited in.
 ~
Then, suddenly, I saw my friend Mary sitting on

the curb, eating a salad while on her lunch break.

The view was so beautiful I had to pull over

to get a better look. I tried to go to this beach

but realized every single car in the parking lot

was a secret service vehicle, got really confused,

so i left and ate a crab sandwich instead.

Legion of Honor

I love being a tourist (with a car).

I am always so amazed when I give the
front desk my work badge, and they hand
me a free admission ticket...

e x p l o r i n g   m y   n e w
 n e i g h b o r h o o d

2.5 months ago,

i envisioned myself driving across this bridge,
with the radio on and my hair flying around
in the golden afternoon sunshine & bay breezes.
 

And now it's actually happening
(DAILY, but with some more fog..)

i'm living the dream~*~*~

only at this job can i wear a sunhat all day,

and play the Amelie & Miyazaki soundtrack

while setting up the art studios.

i keep meeting THE COOOLEST little humans.

we dig for treasure, converse in Mandarin,

design paper pizzas and twist wire into bouquets.

they are curious, unafraid and
have no filters. it's pretty
refreshingly amazing.

'Heisenberg' and I huddled in a nest on a sand dune,
sipped sake and cheered to "summer" in san francisco :)

cheers to more adventures~*~*~

REREUNITED WITH PAI!!

browsed lots of vendors + got free bags of chips.

happy birthday ellen!

you deserve a trophy.

"i have scoliosis, but it's only mild"

"i do too! 8%" 

~*~*~

i love mornings to myself.

i sat in a lovely garden and noticed how

perfectly balanced & intentionally harmonious

the design was. i became inexplicably happy + sleepy.

I passed out on a bench inside the museum
and then later, deliriously wandered into a video
exhibit about the fusion of contemp + traditional
Maori garment making.

The artist kept on speaking about the
importance of whakapapa and it filled me with
more happiness that i knew what that meant,
and how special and ingrained it is
for Pacific Islanders.

then i sat next to a room full

of Frank Lloyd Wright's creations :D

I am completely baffled by how

extraordinarily kind and unnecessarily helpful

everyone i've encountered has been to me.

SF, you have restored my hope in humanity.

~*~*~*~*
looking forward to all that is to come~

 and cheers to new people, flavors and
getting to know/supporting local business owners!

first day of new job!

i think i said "HI FRIEND!" about 200 times today.

~
"what flavor do you think this green ice cream is?"

"cabbage." 
~
as a job perk, i get free unlimited access to
all museums in the bay area.
whooooOOOOO!!!!

there are such amazing murals everywhere!

#finallyseemyselfreflectedinpublicart