May 23, 2006

Relay for Life
My sister at a Relay For Life event!

On June 3, a group of friends and I will be participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life. Relay for Life is about celebration, remembrance, and hope.

When my mom died of lung cancer a little over a year and a half ago, my world was torn apart. She was the picture of who I wanted to become. The healing process has been slow, at times painful, and yet full of hope and looking ahead. My mom fought her cancer with all the strength that she had. During the last few years, some of my most treasured time with her was when I would take her to her weekly chemo appointments. We would sit and talk, read, and eat together one day a week. Yet, her body was fighting against her spirit. My mom was strong, beautiful, loved her friends and family deeply, and greatly involved in the lives of others. I hope to become those things as well.

Relay for Life is a 24 hour walk. Cancer does not sleep. Those who have experienced it personally or through loved ones can attest to this. For this reason, our team will be walking a track for 24 hours continuously from 9am June 3 to 9am June 4. Will you support us by donating to our team? We have a lofty goal of raising $3000 as a team. I am certain that we can do it. All of the funds go to support the critical work of the American Cancer Society's work in the areas of cancer research, education, and resources.

You can donate here: http://www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/mv/remember . You can also view our team page here: http://www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/mv/summerlovin

Even if you can't donate, your support through the years has meant so much to me. Each of you have been a part of the healing. Thank you for loving on me.

May 9, 2006

1-2-3 Not it!

I've been tagged. And since I'd rather do this than other things that need to happen, here you go:

1. Four Jobs:
a. Boba/smoothie maker at Planet Juice
b. Coffee/Donut setter-outter for the chemical engineering department at Cal (I was the grad student assistant and, apart from putting donuts out every day, I got to open grad school applications! mwahaha!)
c. West Nile virus queen
d. Disease Cowboy

2. Four Things I Wish I Had Done Earlier: (earlier?!? or ever? some are earlier/some are ever)
a. Triathlon
b. Studied abroad
c. Gone to Taiwan with my family when they went in 2001
d. Gone to bed last night!

3. Four Places I Have Lived
a. Charm City, USA (aka: Baltimore)
b. All my college years on one square block in Berkeley one block from campus
c. Lake Merritt in Oakland
d. The house with the Love Pit

4. Four Countries I Have Been To:
a. Brazil
b. Italy
c. France
d. Taiwan

5. Four Countries I Would Like to Visit:
a. China
b. Japan
c. Greece
d. Belgium

6. Four of My Favorite Dishes:
a. stewed pork ribs like my mama used to make
b. leftover lasagna
c. carnitas
d. the dol sot bi bim bop with seafood on top.

7. Four Sites I Visit Daily:
a. mail.yahoo.com
b. craigslist.org
c. bbcnews.com
d. sfgate.com

8. Four Software Applications I Cannot Live Without:
a. excel
b. trillian
c. itunes
d. picasa

9. Four Things I'll Never Forget:
a. saying goodbye to my mom
b. making a new life for myself in baltimore
c. my surprise birthday party that B.E.T. spoiled 3 seconds before I got to the location
d. being 3 years old and leaving my pink elephant on the airplane

10. I tag..
a. jessicaca
b. es
c. mel
d. punksam