occasionally subtle
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
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if i look back, i am lost
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Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
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JBB: An Artblog!
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@gracebagunu
Shut your pie hole... This place is #foodielicious! I'm on a #foodie adventure at LAX and this terminal 2 spot was worth the detour between Terminal 8 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal! Veggie Curry Pie for the win! #SYPH #YelpElite #GraceontheGo (at The Pie Hole - Los Angeles)
So I don’t usually post writing to this blog, but I needed to process this and I didn’t want to create another blog to make one post. So these are some thoughts as they come to me, and I hope to hear from folks if they resonate.
5 Things White People Can Do After the Ferguson Decision:
-Talk...
#repost from @naspa6 So excited for this #photochallenge for careers in student affairs month! #October #csamphotoaday #nasparvi #naspanerd who's going to do this with me?! #studentaffairs #lovewhatido
#soblessed to be teaching with this amazing co-instructor for another semester! #firstdayofclass #lead350 #groups #lovewhatwedo #leadership #minor #sadoc life #lovewhatido (at Mother Rosalie Hall At University Of San Diego)
What an honor it has been to facilitate this incredible group of leaders in the Diamond District. Thank you to Joseph for bringing me in this week and allowing me to share this experience with you! Like #kidpresident says... We are the heroes (and sheroes) the world needs right now! #leadership #community #awesome #future #becauseisaidiwould #leaders #lovewhatido
Back to Work...Another School Year Begins #lovewhatido
As many colleges and universities are in the swing of back to school festivities, I found myself quickly returning to the student affairs office that I left less than one year ago. In a flurry of events, I was asked to come back to UC San Diego to fill one of my colleagues shoes temporarily for the academic year....and over the course of one weekend, I was back in student affairs and facilitating a program I didn't plan. An almost perfect way to re-enter back into this #sapro life!
So here I am, after a full 2 weeks in my last student affairs position (interim, part-time), reflecting on how quickly time flies and how many things stay the same. It's been a fairly easy transition...going back to doing the things I always loved about my last position in student affairs reminds me of the saying, "it's like riding a bike, once you get on you remember exactly how to pedal and go!" You never forget how to be a student affairs professional!
I feel #soblessed to be able to facilitate seminars and workshops on #communication and #leadership topics. I am excited to be working with the colleagues I trained just a year ago who took over when I left to focus on school. I love that I now have the ability to work part-time and still focus on my academic teaching and learning. Most of all, I feel welcomed back into a place I called my "Home away from home" for so many years...
I'm not in my old office, but I'm excited to experience a new set of four walls (and a door!) I'm determined to pull my decor from storage and nest into this new space. I'm ready to share some of the things I have learned at the University of San Diego (USD) through my doctoral program with the UC San Diego community. I think this year away from this work has made me appreciate and #lovewhatido even more than ever.
These past two weeks have been a blur, but I believe it was a success! From jumping right in to #TCLI to bringing what I have learned at USD to UCSD, I know I am in the right place. I want to leave you with this quote that decorated my door this week that perfectly sums up this moment: "Success is...knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing the seeds that benefit others." - John C. Maxwell
We did it! The second cohort of #TCLI has completed the #leadership institute at UCSD! I'm #soblessed to work with amazing students & staff! What a great way to come back to #UCSD in full swing! #gohardorgohome #lovewhatwedo #socialjustice (at UC San Diego)
The #NASPAfamily always has opportunities for more #NASPAnerds!
Less than a week ago I was in Anaheim, California for NASPA Region VI Advisory Board and NASPA Western Regional Conference meetings. It was a busy four days filled with student affairs colleagues, meaningful conversations, and productive work for the region! I feel #soblessed to be a part of this #NASPAfamily. I never imagined that getting involved with NASPA 10-years ago would have brought me to this place of reflective and rewarding work with some amazing student affairs colleagues in the Western region.
Getting involved with a professional organization started with my mentor, Zauyah Waite, who suggested that I become a member of one of the professional associations for student affairs professionals. I joined NASPA because she was a member and we took a road trip as a staff to the annual conference in Denver, CO. That is where I discovered Knowledge Communities (KCs) and joined the Asian Pacific Islander KC. This was my first experience of a #NASPAfamily.
The next year, I was nominated and won a regional award which brought me to Fargo, ND for the NASPA IV-West regional conference. I volunteered at this conference and met my #NASPAnerd mentor, Sherry Mallory. It was there that I also met Prakash Mathew who served as the Regional Vice President and was looking to fill some open advisory board positions. I put my name in the hat to serve as the Graduate Student Representative on the board. Within a month, I was asked to fill this position (thanks to a recommendation from another mentor, Lori Reesor) and this started the road to many service positions on regional and national boards and committees of NASPA. Thanks to Henry Gee for allowing me to build a social media presence for #nasparvi to engage members online...this work has been so rewarding and allowed me to work with the amazing Ashlea Wilson.
To tell you all about my involvement over the years would make this blog much longer than it needs to be...but no matter what the position or opportunity that I have been blessed to experience, the tie that binds is the feeling of family that I get from being part of this organization that keeps me serving this association and the student affairs profession. From drive-ins to publishing in a NASPA monograph, this professional association has been a part of my student affairs journey for a decade.
If I could give an aspiring student affairs professional (or even a seasoned one) any advice about NASPA, it would be:
Get involved. Volunteer. Submit a Program Proposal. Serve on a Board. Mentor a NUFP. Read Program Submissions. Attend a Conference. Join a Knowledge Community. Read NASPA Publications. Attend the Business Meetings. Donate to the NASPA Foundation. Present a Workshop. Connect with NASPA through Social Media. Say "Yes!" Apply for a Research Grant. Write an Article for the Newsletter.
Take full advantage of what the association has to offer. Be a #NASPAnerd.
NASPA has been my professional family for many years and there is always room for this family to grow! Ask me how you can become a #NASPAnerd!
My first set of personalized "Thank You" packages to new #NASPAGIVES donors from this last week push to reach our donor goals. Visit NASPA.org/foundation/naspa-gives by June 30th, message me your mailing address & I'll send you a package, too!
Worthwhile and Worthy
After a worthwhile 12-hour academically rich day of writing for publication and discussing developmental theory...all the while struggling through a personal internal battle, it's time to pause and reflect. My tired and emotional being needs a break... A walk to land's edge to see the infinite ocean and a deep breath to fill my lungs of the salty air. I'm always on the go, and with all the 'busyness' of my #sadoc life, I seemed to have revisited how to quickly go down the spiral of negative thoughts and I have forgotten how to be kind to myself instead. God has blessed me in so many ways... To love what I do and to love where I live, to be surrounded by people I love and to love myself enough to feel I am worthy of these blessings. As I sit here along the cliff's edge, taking in each breath, I exhale the toxic thoughts that bring me down and I breathe in the intention of love and kindness. And with each breath I calm my mind and find myself centered in my heart. I am appreciative of this life in this moment. So, maybe I am not the 'old' me, that in that panicked state, I thought I had regressed back to, but maybe I am a more 'developed, self-aware' me that now knows better to be kind and loving to myself. That knows when to just stop and breathe and just be. All the therapy, 12-step, and adult development work is paying off...And I feel more centered, present and alive! I believe this is a good reminder to me (and anyone else out there who needs it.) Life on earth is a gift of love from God. All that I am in this moment is enough. What I do with this love is worthwhile. Who I am is worthy of this present.
Facilitated the CollegeBound Leadership Lab this week for 11th & 12th graders at Castle Park High School for Chula Vista Promise Neighborhoods in conjunction with UCSD Extension. What an incredible group of student leaders who have overcome so much and have gotten this far and will continue to make a difference in their communities. I am #soblessed and #grateful to #UCSDextension, the staff @cvpromise, and the students for allowing me to do this work. #cbll #leadership #inspired #lovewhatido
It's never too late...
to visit the Philippine Islands or to write again!
It wasn't until I clicked "Purchase" on the airline website that it really hit me...this trip is happening, this research is happening, this is the life I am living.
It's been over 2 decades, 20 years, 1,040 weeks, 7,300 days, 10.5 million minutes since I have travelled to the Philippines. After losing connection to my ethnic roots, the culture from which my life originates, I will embark on this journey to rediscover what it means to be a Filipina - including life on the islands, the love of family, and what it means to lead in higher education. When I started my PhD program just two years ago, I would have not imagined that I would be interested in researching the stories and experiences of Filipino/a Americans in higher education. Now that I have made the decision to focus my research on this population of leaders, I also have discovered my desire to learn more about the islands, the people, the culture, and the language from which I originate. So this is what I will be doing: I will learn the language. I will understand what it means to be Filipino/a (in the US and the PI). I will talk to both sides of my family and collect ourstories. I will learn what it means to be a leader in higher education. I will love where I come from and the life I have been gifted. ...and I will write. I will write it all down because my words and these stories are powerful beyond measure and more valuable than gold. It's never too late to rediscover life, love, and leadership.
It's been over 2 decades, 20 years, 1,040 weeks, 7,300 days, 10.5 million minutes since I have travelled to the Philippines. After losing connection to my ethnic roots, the culture from which my life originates, I will embark on this journey to rediscover what it means to be a Filipina - includin...
Kicking off Spring Break in the Bay
When some of my fellow doc students asked me if I wanted to road trip it with them to San Francisco...my quick first response was...Yes! I can never say no to a trip to the Bay. As the day of departure got closer and closer, and the pile of school work got higher and higher...I began to second guess my decision to go on this weekend trip. Partially because of the work I had to do, partially because of the trips I was taking after the trip, and partially because I had never travelled with this group before and I wondered what might happen when 5 bright, young, strong, and opinionated women travel in a car together and stay in close living quarters for a couple of days. Days before the trip I thought of dropping out...which would have been the worst decision I could have made. It was a trip worth remembering!
Friday started off with a song-filled car ride with Jessica, Mari and Tara from the #bottomtotheBay with a stop in San Mateo for a quick bite to eat at 31st Union (see my Yelp review to get the details of that story) to kill time before Annie's flight landed. Friday night was chill once Annie arrived at SFO. We checked into our hotel at Club Quarters near the Embarcadero, went to dinner near Pier 1 1/2 then called it a night.
The next day we walked the Embarcadero from the Port of San Francisco to Fisherman's Wharf. We ate at a fantastic restaurant at Pier 39 called Fog Harbor Fish House and then went on a boat tour of the Bay. Afterwords, I got to see my niece then my friends Chris and Andy joined us on our walk up to Ghirardelli Square. We took a bus to Chinatown for foot massages then enjoyed a fabulous Italian dinner at Firenze by Night in North Beach. We finished off the night at a local saloon in the Tenderloin district called McTeagues. Since it was a late night, we slept in the next morning and then I was off to SFO to head back to San Diego while the rest of the gals continued on their spring break trip.
A great question was asked on the first night of the trip, "What is your intention for this trip?" and initially I didn't have an answer...I hadn't really thought about it! It wasn't until the next day that I realized what my intention was for this trip. I wanted to kick off my spring break in the bay with these four bright, young, strong, and opinionated women from school who I wanted to get to know better outside of the doctoral school setting. That is exactly what happened. I feel closer in many ways to each and every one of them.
Here's one of my favorite pics of the trip taken by Jessica.
What a weekend to remember! Now that's how to get Spring Break started off right!
Do Something...Make Positive Change
Every year someone always asks me, "What are you giving up for Lent?" In short, I never have a good answer for them because when I was a "kid" I would always give up "chocolate" or "eating meat" or some other random "thing" that I thought was "sinful" or "bad for me." Over the last decade or so I realized that giving up something seemed like a passive way of honoring the Lenten season, so instead, I DO SOMETHING more in my day that allows me to MAKE POSITIVE CHANGE in myself and the world around me. This, I believe, is more in line with my spiritual practice and my Catholic faith.
So this year, I decided...I am going to walk at least a mile a day...to use that time to REFLECT or to MEDITATE and to engage my body in physical ACTION while I APPRECIATE the beauty in world God has created for me to take in through all of my senses.
What I have realized on my walks is that...
I need better insoles for my shoes to avoid shin splints.
I smile at more people.
I see a lot more animals like dogs, cats, birds, squirrels (and their poop).
I explore more paths.
I love the way all types of music helps me connect thought and emotion.
I breathe more deeply.
I find the natural beauty in almost anything and everything I pass by...even these huge mushrooms growing in a patch along the sidewalk!
I wonder if we'll ever start to ask each other, "What are you DOING for Lent?" instead of what we are giving up. And even if you aren't religious or if you don't participate in Lent...what are you doing to make positive change? As I have learned through my own experience and education, LEADERSHIP is an act, it is something we DO, and it is through that action that POSITIVE change happens in this world. So, what are you doing?
Music is... My Muse.
As I sat at a local coffee shop this evening, overhead played a song performed by Louis Armstrong that repeats the words "We shall overcome" and I was instantly inspired to write again for my reflection after a week of experiencing life to the fullest. Like the words of author, Madison Daniel, MUSIC IS MY MUSE tonight.
The past few days have brought the people I care about to share some of the trials and tribulations, challenges and blessings, deaths and births, and comings and goings of their lives. I am sure this happens quite often to me as I invite people to be open and honest when sharing with me their feelings, but this week seems to have been filled with the extreme highs and lows and everything in between that life can bring. The overwhelming feelings of happiness to the unrelenting feelings of despair, it is clear people are living life! Myself included.
I am so blessed to have some amazing and beautiful people around me. They love me, support me, give me critical feedback, and celebrate with me! And in return, I share that same love and support with them and others.
Thank you...
for reaching out,
for your loving embrace,
for breaking bread with me, and
for being here for me through life's many ups and downs.
Together we shall overcome anything that comes our way.
and as I watch the DVR recording of the Oscars...I watch and feel the music of Pharrell Williams and the fabulous song "Happy" from Despicable Me 2 (one of my favorite animated films!) and I'll leave you with this thought:
Life is better when you have others to love, words to sing, and music to dance to!
One of my favorite artists and stories! Had to share.
