71

Do you venture beyond the city streets, to where the sea becomes the sky? Or to places where the mountains meet the dark and endless night?

The darkness there wraps you up and lights you up more brightly than the city ever could.

Each star a quiet invitation to trace each constellation with your wonderfilled and wonderful eyes.

When you find these places and see the twinkling sky, you'll see the stars shine coyly… just like when your eyes meet mine

Have you ever seen the bare night with curious, unwavering eyes? When you do, I hope that each star shines brightly for you.

Musings 29

When the controversy of TMT first came out, I was pro-TMT. I didn’t understand how deeply the controversy ran, and frankly, figured that there were tons of stuff that we should be worrying about instead of it.

I revisited my initial opinion about it… And a lot of those points still stand. What I've realized is that I looked at all of it wrong. Many of the problems I originally outlined continue to persist. It isn't that people don't care, it's because we've been fatigued by fighting against the status quo that it looks like complacency. Protecting Mauna Kea is a big deal. It's the culmination of a conflict that has been quietly brewing in the background.

We’ve been working with people who simply don't care.

TMT, the Ala Wai, the homelessness, the rising cost of living… These are all symptoms of a larger problem. The people who are in charge of making decisions have consistently placed Hawaii and its citizens’ welfare secondary to outside interests. I'm all for compromise and working together… Yet what I've seen from these people is a severe lack of concern towards its people. Not only to the protectors of Mauna Kea, but the homeless communities, and the people who've left the islands because of the insane expenses here. These decision makers are looking to make a profit where each of us bears the cost.

These “leaders” have consistently shown that they're not good stewards of the land and never have been.

This behavior has existed since the plantation days, and continues to persist in different forms. The forms today include “affordable” high-rises, rail, and continued gentrification without regard to the islands’ resources. It caters to those who don't have a deep and continued interested in seeing Hawaii thrive. I watched someone at an unrelated Q&A, ask his company's leaders about what's being done to honor the land. What are we doing to recognize the people who've preceded us? What are we doing to honor their relationship to the land? They handled it much better than Governor Ige.

The histories of indigenous and minority cultures have been systematically erased at various points in world history. I've seen few examples where leaders choose to recognize past atrocities and instead, continue to ignore and erase previous histories. We’re taught to believe that science and technology is the only way to go… But I don't believe that's true. There's so much about the natural world we don't know and understand. To insist that one way is wholly and inarguably better, is wrong.

I've since changed my stance on TMT. I don't think we should build it. I don't think we should move forward with anything until the state and its decision makers prove to be good stewards of the land. They should tangibly demonstrate their commitment to Hawaii and its people. They haven't, not yet. Hawaii has been more than generous and accomodating, yet these “leaders” have shown that they're willing to take until there's nothing left for anyone. Building another telescope on Mauna Kea is assertion of dominance by an outside interest. Again.

TMT wants create a community with the telescope, but one already exists. This community’s wealth isn’t measured in millions of dollars and IQs and degrees. It’s measured in the relationships of its people, the stories they share, and the deep respect they have for the land. I do believe culture and science and community and technology can coexist. However, it won't be done if these decision makers continue to ignore the Hawaiian people. They can try, but they can't erase them. There's no nice way to say it—It's disrespectful.

TMT can leave. Or it can choose to adapt in a way that honors Hawaii and work with its people to bring culture and science forward… As one. It's time for our “leaders” and outside interests to authentically invest in Hawaii and its future. Until then, no to TMT from me.

The sound of water

For me, listening to music is an active activity. I can’t really be doing anything else, unless it’s painting, exercising, or something with my hands. Music is a very consuming experience and I just like what I like. When I listen to music, it’s important to get a sense of the composition, and especially the lyrics. In the past few years, I noticed that water was a theme in a lot of music I like.

I mean duh, it’s an easy metaphor to use. What a strange piece thing to notice. What could I possibly do with that information. So, I challenged myself to make a complete narrative with water as the main theme. Does the story have love? Loss? Betrayal? Who knows? I didn’t.

The kind of music I listen to is lyric heavy, so I began composing this story using what I knew. I initially wanted the whole thing to be a conversation between a man and a woman. While adding music, I found that I couldn’t find an even ratio of people singing about different sides of the same coin. While you’ll see it in the case of Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake and River of Tears by Alessia Cara, it wasn’t the norm. I found that women were more likely to sing about the transformative and healing powers of water, and a way of signaling a rebirth or cleansing. Men sang about water as a way of just jumping in, having fun, starting something new, and as an obstacle to a relationship. FASCINATING.

I was limited in scope to the kind of music I like listening to. I had to expand it. I mean, if you’re here reading this, you may already know I asked Facebook what their most loved/favorite water themed songs are… And I specifically excluded Moana. Although, listening to the playlist now, I could probably include Moana. I’m open to more suggestions, but I’m actually really digging this playlist.

If you’ve made it this far, great. If you just scrolled down here for the playlist, well. Ok. What do you think? Should I do it again? Am I missing essential songs? Let me know in the comments!

Into the Spiderverse

“You’re the best of us, Miles. You’re on your way. Just keep going.”

This gem of a quote came up when I finally watched Into the Spiderverse. Aside from being a creative and innovative addition to animated films as a whole, it starred Miles Morales… Possibly the most popular version Spiderman to date. He’s a mixed race kid growing up in the Bronx, with all the hopes and dreams of his family riding on his shoulders. Then he has to be Spiderman? Talk about pressure, you’re reading about it from someone who stays in bed for hours when possible.

Though, the reason that quote struck out to me mostly because… Well, I guess I get it. I gained a lot of perspective this year. Earlier in the year, I made a friend who grew up in the ghetto. Her friends and family know her as the one who made it out. She’s one of the more resilient, persistent, and kindest people I know. Her love for people is bigger than her, and if those things aren’t the best in people… Then I don’t know what is. Each of those people from her neighborhood root for her everyday, and will support her and her continued success.

Reflecting on her story got me thinking about my own and how they parallel. What her friends and family want for her are not much different from what my parents want for themselves and for us. Immigrants and their families share my friend’s story and Miles’ story. If they moved on their own, it’s to continue their family’s story in a new place. Many others moved their families here so that their kids could have the best chance at life. Some of them moved away from dangerous areas, poverty, sickness…. Or they moved closer to their dreams, safety, and peace. For parents, each hopes that their kids embody the best of them, and fulfill their potential.

Being the best you isn’t such a unique idea. I read something recently that I loved. It was that each time we looked in the mirror, we should think our faces are our heirlooms, handed down from our ancestors who chose to keep going. Our faces, our color, our voices, our stories run through each fiber and DNA strand of our beings. Kids nowadays are lucky to see their dreams reflected onto screens in characters like Miles. The successes and struggles of our parents and their parents and even theirs are stories that are seen as valid and celebrated. Look how marvelously far we’ve come with sharing our histories and ourselves.

Many of us are on our way to whatever is next in our journeys.

I’ve had a wild, beautiful, crazy year, and I couldn’t be happier. Some downs, but mostly ups, and I’m incredibly grateful. Everyday, I lay in bed and think about how lucky I am that I’m surrounded by loved ones, met great people who challenged and supported me, and was readier than ever for every opportunity that I ran towards. I feel like each year I find different levels of personal accomplishment and inner peace, and I hope to continue that with whatever life throws my way.

For my next year, I hope I can continue to see wonder and joy in the world around me. I hope for health and happiness for the people I love, and that they find success in all their endeavours. I know sometimes the world is awful, but I hope that passionate disagreement and empathy can create something productive. I’ll look for new adventures and exciting happenings. Together, we’ve accomplished so much and we’re all working towards our best.

Miles resonated with me because his parents’ hopes are my parents’ hopes. His story wasn’t about accepting the responsibility of power, but instead about accepting the power in himself. Who we are and what we have to offer in the world is valid, we just need to uncover it and polish it. His character charmed me because of the earnestness and enthusiasm that he approaches the world with. He’s a teenager that captures the challenges of growing up and the pressures of his family’s hopes perfectly. While I don’t have to deal with being a Spiderperson myself, I hope that I can capture his attitude in my everyday next year.

We’re all getting there. We just have to keep going, and appreciate the magic and mystery of life as it comes.

Happy New Year everyone.

Midweek, mid-vacation, pre-nap time

Since being home, in Hawaii, I've spent about 2 hours each morning just staying in bed. Sometimes I'll go back to sleep, other times I'll play games. I don't know. It doesn't really matter.  

There was a time maybe two years ago, I woke up from a nap and remembered thinking that I should savor that moment. It was late afternoon and one of my days off. Since I used to be off on Wednesdays, I would finished running errands and come home for a nap. My room is, and continues to be, one of the hottest rooms in the house. Even if I slept with the AC on and stripped to my underwear, I could still be marinating in sweat. The sun still peaked through my blackout curtains, no matter how dark or thick I got them, and the old house smell would be hidden under the scents of my lotions and perfumes. I knew once I got up, I'd go eat dinner with my parents, watch The Filipino Channel with them, only to have a post dinner snack at 8pm. Before even getting up, I just thought, "Man, I wish I could keep this feeling forever."

I knew I could not, or would not, but I think about how peaceful the thought of being at home with my family is. It made me feel as though I had the greatest gold stored safely in my heart.

Recently, I've spent time thinking about how wild this year has been for me. I spent less time on my childhood bed this year than any other year of my life. Also, I feel very grateful that I've been able to take advantage of opportunities around me too. Hearing the birds chirping in the papaya trees, the trade winds rustling the leaves outside, and the gentle hum of my parents talking downstairs reminds me that I'm very blessed. Or lucky. Or whatever worldview helps you simultaneously feel in awe and at peace.

Lying down in my life

Let it be known that I love my bed. I just got home from Seattle yesterday, and being in my childhood bed is a literal dream. When people ask "what would you save in a house fire?" you bet the answer is going to be my mattress. 

Lying in it reminds me of how soft it is. It’s like being enveloped in a bunch of tiny chinchillas. As much energy as I have to do things and talk to other people, I've probably spent double that time in bed. What am I doing?

Anything really.

Reading, playing on my phone, playing games, going back to sleep, thinking up random ideas or fun things. I feel like it's a really meditative experience for me... But also I'm pretty lazy. In fact, I've been up and writing this using the Squarespace mobile app on my phone... Mostly because I didn't want to get my computer from my backpack. 

This blog is meant to be a more casual thing, like Someone I Met... But around what makes me want to lie down. And trust me, that's a lot. 

I just wanted to document everything that makes me want to lie down. No matter how fun, frustrating, saddening, or maddening it is. Whether it's overwhelming, or under, lying down is just a reminder that sometimes I need to just chill.

My memoir

The other day at work, my coworkers and I talked about what we would title our memoirs. I told them I still had a hard time deciding what I would call it…

Though today is the day!

I’ve finally come up with a name, and told Khara. Our conversation went something like this:

Khara: I’d read it. You should write a memoir.
Me: What?! A memoir about my 27 years of life? I’m not that old.
Khara: Ok, wait till you’re 30.

THANKS. I told Tam the conversation later, and he thought it was a great idea.

Tam: You don’t need to be old to have a memoir. Just write a blog.

Duh. Why didn’t I think of that?

Anyway, I think it’s a great idea and here I am. I’ll try to keep my blog around the theme of my memoir…

Can I just lie down?

It’s my go to response for stress, excitement, overwhelming joy, agitation. Anything. So I’m just gonna write down those things that really just make me want to lie down.

Here’s to a new journey!

Musings 28

This month, I started reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I've been wanting to read his book since his suicide a few months ago. Only in the past few years, did I realize his genuine appreciation for the world around him and his ability to observe without judgment. Between his first and last works, there's a sincerity under the outrageousness that very few people can emulate. Through his anecdotes, I'm able to hear his voice and his humor, and I'm certain many other fans feel the same. It's a shame I didn't appreciate his work until now. So why am I ruminating about it?

Recently, I was consumed by another book in a completely separate discipline; Factfulness by Hans Rosling. Hans Rosling is a renowned public health scientist whose final book aimed to highlight how much better the world is than we think. Though much of his book is data driven, there are several personal stories strategically placed to highlight the misperceptions people have of the world.

Rosling's work highlights the biases that many of us in "developed" countries have. Many of us are under the impression that if other people don’t live in countries like the US or the UK or Sweden, we're living in some primitive undeveloped world. But, like everything else in the human experience, development exists on a spectrum. Despite what we're lead to believe, many countries are slowly implementing benefits to their society. Who knew something as simple as being able to access clean water easily can impact the ability to get or finish a solid education. Simply buying a cheap stove can improve a family's food quality and health.

On his website, Gapminder.org, Rosling lays the foundation this spectrum of wealth. The wealth of countries spans from Level 1 to Level 4. Level 1 includes countries whose citizens only live with$1 a day, while Level 4 has people who live with $100 a day. Connected to his website is another project, DollarStreet.org where people volunteer access into their homes to demonstrate how they live. Without direct exposure or tools like this, how you able to get access to that perspective?

At first glance, Bourdain's culinary explorations and Rosling's public health research couldn't possibly overlap. Despite this, both their works revolve around the same theme: the human experience. Rosling's work showed that the world is getting better. That despite the challenges that each country faces, people are still inspired to be enterprising and courageous. The cycle of poverty is a difficult one to break. Sometimes, as Rosling's own stories showed, we make poor decisions because of our fear or overconfidence. Despite that, people still choose to live the best way they can.

Bourdain's work, like in Parts Unknown, captured these authentic perspectives. He found people whose lives mirror those on Dollar Street or those who are finding happiness and growth, in spite of their living situations. His work complements the story that Rosling's data tells us, that the human spirit continues to move despite and in spite of everything. Bourdain's gift, however, is not in telling the story himself, but allowing these people to tell their own stories.

On Sunday, Bourdain's final season premiere showed. He took W. Kamau Bell to Kenya and exposed him to the dynamic and colorful lives of the people there. With each person, he only asked questions to create more depth or context for viewers. Each perspective shares was uniq.

It's crazy to believe that these people from different disciplines would have work that would overlap. Consuming each person's work reinforced how connected our experiences are. As I watched the Parts Unknown premiere, I was constantly awed by the human spirit and how beautiful it becomes when faced with difficult. As I watched different women talk about their enterprises or motivations to educate children around them, I was reminded to check my biases, as learned from Rosling's book. 

Both these men are dead now. Through their works, I'm pleasantly reminded by the uniqueness of people. No matter how disconnected we seem, there's always going to be something that connects us to each other. Bourdain and Rosling have seen or experienced the worst of the world, and could have chosen to be cynical. Instead, these chose hope. They chose optimism. It seems silly, but I do believe there's magic in the world. The awe I feel just seeing people tell stories of creativity and endurance, and compassion is just one of them.

The premiere closed with a finale narration from Bourdain. As much as I respect the man, I respectfully disagree. While he spent much of his career telling his story, he somehow found ways to give others a chance to share theirs.

Who gets to tell the stories? This is a question asked often. The answer, in this case, for better or for worse, is I do. At least this time out. I do my best. I look; I listen. But in the end ― I know ― it’s my story. Not Kamau’s. Not Kenya’s or Kenyans.’ Those stories are yet to be heard.

Musings 27

It’s been a little over a month since I started my new job. Let me be the first to say I absolutely did not think I would end up in a corporate job through retail. I didn't think it would happen. Why would it?

Retail is one of those industries that you're in for a short time, or you're stuck in forever. It's also one that people seem to look down upon and assume less of your intelligence. Hopefully you’re not one of those people, there’s dignity in work. There are people doing jobs you may not want to, like being a janitor... Or maybe taking drive-thru orders all day because you hate talking to strangers.

Anyway, I've reflected over my career and what's driven a lot of my decisions. It's not a formula to success by any means, but these played a large part in shaping my path.

 Know yourself

Each time I've made a choice for myself or my career, I've asked if it would make me happy. Does it align with what I want for myself? I know that everyone doesn't have the luxury of doing that. What everyone can do is prioritizing what’s important to them. What do you want for yourself? Family? Work-life balance? Money? Opportunity? Growth?

Everyone has drivers, and you need to know what yours are. You also need to decide what you’re willing to be flexible on, and how much work you’re willing to put in. Be honest with yourself. Either you’re doing the work, or you need to start making better decisions about your time.

Knowing yourself means defining what success looks like to you.

Get uncomfortable

Each time I learned or tried something new, I was uncomfortable. It’s been almost 6 years since I’ve graduated college, and I haven’t stop learning. Because of different needs my work and friends have had, I’ve learned about so many things that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

You’ll learn what you’re good at and what you'r limitations are. It helps you see value in your time, your work, and the value of other people’s work. In trying different things, you might find a new interest or something you absolutely hate doing. I know I have. I learned a lot through picking up a blog and testing things like SEO in it. I forced myself to talk to new people. I stayed uncomfortable and found myself growing as a result.

Some people might call that bravery. The braver you are in little things, the stronger you’ll be in big things.

Learn to discern

Your journey to isn’t going to be easy. There will be people who don’t think you can do it, think you’re taking the wrong path, and tell you that you need to reassess your life. I’ve had many people tell that about my college choice, job choice, and aspirations.

They’re not wrong. There’s value in the criticism, as long as you can filter it out from people being deliberately mean. Achieving your goals isn’t smooth sailing, and it’s easy to fail if you listen to all the naysayers and believe everything they’re saying. There will also be people who give you good advice, and it’s up to you to figure out its timeliness.

You’ll find supporters and enemies all around. Any of them will have their sets of challenges and provide you chances to learn. Being around both kinds of people are a good test of your resolve in achieving your goals. Sometimes the people you love are the people who tell you you’re doing it wrong. Sometimes the people who challenge know you’re doing something right, even if they can’t admit it.

The obstacles people throw at you aren’t what shape you, it’s how you choose to respond that does.

My journey

This was my way of achieving my goals and it isn’t the only way to do it. My path is unconventional, but I chose to stick through it despite the obstacles I faced. I learned and challenged myself during the process, and took breaks when I needed to. I took time to reflect and reevaluate my goals. I looked for opportunities, or made them for myself. There’s a lot in my journey to be proud about, but I just consider them stops in my ongoing journey.

The real pride I feel is in knowing I did it my way, and no one can take credit for that.

Musings 26

What a year this has been.

I had taken a break from my blog because of a bunch of different life events happening... Coming back from being away for 3 months, moving out, but the biggest one was getting promoted and moving to Redmond.

Application and interview process

I applied for a corporate job in April, after talking to the hiring manager about it. I didn't hear anything for a month. No is something I've heard a lot, so I wasn't expecting anything for a while. I got an email informing me that I was selected for an interview! I was already in Redmond, so that meant I'd be in Redmond again... In two weeks. Trust me, traveling for work can be fun... But sometimes it's very very tiring. I was pretty over it. 

I was scheduled to fly in 6/12, on a Tuesday night... Interview all day Wednesday, and fly home Thursday night. Flying from Hawaii to anywhere is always long, and it was further exacerbated by the fact that I didn't have my plastic license... So no car to pick up either. I wasn't super upset by that, picking up a rental is time consuming and I needed to maximize sleep... Which I didn't do. 

Something nice that happened was that all the strangers I met that day wished me luck, and I got lots of good juju my way that day.

Interview day

At this point, only a handful of people knew I was being interviewed. I texted all of them on my Uber ride over. I overestimated the traffic time, and got to the building an hour and a half earlier than anticipated. I spent the next hour practicing my portfolio review and pacing outside of the building. 

I spent an hour doing my presentation, and sweat buckets. Thank god I had a thick shirt on because you would have been able to see it. My brother texted me and said I should have worn maxipads in my armpits. The next couple hours were filled with 5 one hour interviews. Jesus. I have never been so tired in my life.

The biggest thing about interviews is knowing the story you want to tell them about yourself. I had practiced these over the 2 weeks leading up to the interview. They were working to understand my thought process and methodology, so I made sure I highlighted key features about how I work. 

After this, I went to the hotel, took a nap, and celebrated my friend's birthday.

The day after

I ended up going back to Microsoft Campus and hanging out with my friends for half the day. I know my presence surprised some people because they "don't just fly you to Redmond for no reason." I also didn't want them to know why I was there, I didn't want to jinx anything.

I sent thank you emails to everyone who spent time interviewing me. On 6/14 2:13pm, I heard from the hiring manager that they wanted to offer me the job. Hearing that you got a job within 24 hours of the interview is unheard of! My friend and I ran outside, kick-punched the air and screamed a few profanities. Who gets that?! WHO DOES THAT?!

Anyway, I headed to the airport shortly after, and saw an eagle sitting on a street light. My friend, Cresta, suspects its my spirit animal. It's shown up at pivotal points in my life since coming to Washington, and I'm included to agree. Plus side, my seat got upgraded to business class at the airport, for free! As Tam said, when I win, I win. 

Reflecting on it all

My journey here has been a long one. Working in retail is not the way most people would get to a corporate job, and my journey is no exception. I worked at Apple and Microsoft retail through college until now, and that retail experience is one I share with many people. I feel very lucky to have the opportunities I have and am excited for what's to come. The people I love made sacrifices for me to get here, and I'm grateful for all of it. 

I'm sitting in my temporary housing right now, living out of a suitcase, with the majority of my stuff on a ship sailing here. This is just a start to a lot of amazing things to come in the future, and I couldn't be readier. 

Weekend One: Nuclear Scare

The Flight Home

I flew home for the weekend to join Tam for his friends' wedding. I dug out of work early to catch a flight home.

Let me tell you; catching an Uber from Redmond to SeaTac is no joke during rush hour. It didn't help that it was raining, and I arrived with 45 minutes left to spare to get to my gate. Fortunately, I have TSA pre-check, and had enough time to get some chocolate for my parents.

The flight home was alright. It was one of the first flights in a while that I had to sit next to a child. That was mostly fine, except the kid kept kicking me. THAT was annoying. In fairness to him, he seemed younger than he looked. It's like when you see Great Danes that still think they're puppies. 

At the end of the flight, he kicked me one more time. I was annoyed at this point, and asked him, "Can you not?"

He apologized and stopped. My bad, but I really was a little peeved at that point. Anyway, Tam picked me up, and I went home to sleep. Travel days are hard, and I was tired.

37 Minutes

The next day, we woke up and were looking on our phones, passing time. He got the missile alert; I didn't. I turned those types of notifications on. We analyzed the text message in seconds, wondering about the authenticity of the message. Looking at each other, we made weak references about times when we've joked about dying together. 

Except... In this moment it was our reality. We counted down the 15 minutes from receiving the alert; the same amount of time it supposedly takes for us to get hit. I thought about my parents downstairs ambling through their day like normal. In that moment, I was happy that my parents wouldn't have to live a day without each other, and happy that we were together. 

But time counted down to zero, and up from there. Reports stated that it took 37 minutes for the governor to make a statement. Within those 37 minutes, I became very at peace with my imminent death. There's a gentle calm in embracing your mortality.  The days succeeding the false warning uncovered people angry about the inconveniences and fear it caused. I know people made some dangerous choices so that they would make it home to their families. Some people even had to choose between family members to go home to. That does suck.

Some people quickly blamed the state, adding this occurrence to their ever growing list of woes. It's just unfortunate that the takeaway wasn't that we need to be better at preparing ourselves. Whether it's with supplies or plans or even the reality of life's impermanence. Maybe it's weird, but I often reflect on my mortality to help me savor the seconds that seep away with every single day.  

Wedding at the Kahala Hotel

We joked about not getting ready for the wedding, since the false missile was a sign. Of course, we went anyway. All the guests were in good spirits, and even the officiant joked, "Not even a missile alert can get in the way of their love." In case I've never said it before, I like open bar weddings. It makes it last a lot shorter. I don't even remember what I ate, but at least I recall the food was awesome! I napped after anyway.

For dinner, Tam and I went to Tonkatsu Tamafuji, which I've talked about several times in my Someone I Met blogs. I think that last visit finally broke my binging on it, which basically lasted a year. Anyone who knows and loves me, knows that I can binge on the same food for weeks... And then I'll turn, and won't want it anymore. That's what happened this time, but I still see it as a positive. I'll be able to savor it just like the first time, whenever I go next.

A Pleasant Return Flight

The Sunday was mostly me flying home. Funny thing is, I sat next to a fellow who worked for Microsoft in the 1990s. He told me about how he was able to sell his shares and retire in Hawaii, but he would work for them again if the opportunity was right. He also told me that the campus only used to be buildings 1 through 10; 12 at most. 

It made for a pleasant flight back to Seattle, and this was where my adventure would continue without intermissions home. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

I had belatedly learned that I was off on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so I took to Facebook to ask for food recommendations. My friends did not disappoint... Also, I was relying on them to dictate the rest of my day so via their favorite places. If there's anything I like to do, it's eat, and I'm always excited to try new things. I decided to head into the city, and because I hadn't figured out how tolls work with rental cars, so I went the long way around.

I had Manao Thai food on Capitol Hill for lunch. I don't really know what it is about traveling, but I always seem to crave panang curry after a flight. It all started on my trip to NZ, and it's been something unshakeable since. 

Since I was blessed with a sunny winter day, I walked a couple of blocks to try a salted cheese bubble tea drink. It's supposed to make it savory, but... It tasted like a dessert I would have rather eaten than sipped. The Moo Bar also has the cutest logo, and while I didn't like the drink much, I could at least peep the cute cow. 

On my walk back to my car, I also checked out Molly Moon's, a popular Seattle ice cream shop. Their seasonal flavor this time around was Meyer Lemon, and I am a sucker for citrus. I know I already had dessert, but no one said I couldn't have second dessert. 

To Bellevue and Home

I went home the same way I came, the long way around, and the view worth it. I'm so used to seeing choppy water because of the constant beating of the ocean waves. When I sailed in high school, it was rare to see glassy water stretch so far. 

After a quick pitstop in Bellevue, I called the end of my weekend adventure. 

Week One: Trial by Fire

My first week in Redmond was a little crazy.

Getting Here

That was kind of fun... Not. I somehow got sick the day of my flight, and it felt like I had the flu. I basically did everything in my power to sleep on the plane, and I felt extremely bad for anyone who had to sit next to me because I was sick. One woman I sat next to had a mouth mask for the occasion, probably for the best. Phlegm is no laughing matter. The time of day I flew was beautiful, and it might have been the one redeeming part of being sick on a flight.

A post shared by Maxx R (@chococow280) on Jan 7, 2018 at 8:46pm PST

As soon as I landed, I headed over to the baggage claim so I could "get home" to shower and sleep. At the baggage, I saw a man empty his pockets looking for his claim ticket, dump it on a chair, and completely ignore it until a janitor tried to throw it away. Then he threw a fit and basically had the look of annoyance and disgust on his face. I tried not to laugh at him, she was doing her job, and he wasn't really doing anything with the contents of his pockets otherwise.

I began heading over to the car rental building, which is one building with all the rental companies in it. The way that SeaTac organizes the rental cars is genius. Instead of taking a lot of space horizontally, they've opted to take it vertically. As a result, there's only one shuttle for all the companies. It eliminates the need for different shuttle services to pickup customers in the same spots, causing bottlenecks in the arrivals area. LAX, I'm looking at you.  I mean, SeaTac has other problems, don't get me wrong... But this is a definite win.

I was given the wrong car when I first got here, and had to switch it out just when I was trying to exit. It's too bad, it was an Audi... And I had just spent 30 minutes looking at the driver's manual while waiting for my phone to charge. Anyway, I picked up my keys and got settled as best as I could.  

Feeding Myself

I thought the Sunday before my first day of work it would be the perfect time to use Uber Eats and Amazon Now. With services like that, there's almost no need to leave the house. I was also in no shape to be driving around Redmond. What I didn't expect, however, was how badly I overestimated my ability to carry everything up the elevator. 

Since I would be returning home the following weekend, buying a bunch of perishable foods was not the way to go. We don't have a Trader Joe's in Hawaii, so I was very unaware of the great microwaveable options for single serve dinners. Just an FYI, Trader Giotto's is a cute name for their Italian food. Hm... I kind of want the lasagna now.

My Temporary Digs

It's nice. Honestly, it's more space than I could need. I spent a lot of time milling around in my attempts to feel less feeble before my first day. Man, it's been a while since I've written a relatively alliterative sentence.

I generally spend my time off glued to one spot. Now there are several spots that I can sit in:

• The Nook: I brought my watercolors because I felt like it would be fun to have an art project to do myself for a bit. That's what lives on that table. 
• The Couch: If I feel like watching TV for hours, this is where I live. I also sometimes work here leisurely.
• The Bedroom: I sleep there for extra hours on the weekends. It's amazing. 

Having all this space is nice. At home, I generally do everything in my bedroom... It's nice to separate my activity spaces from my resting spaces. 

Jumping Right In

In terms of work, I assisted a training session right away. And when I say assisted, it was more helping out my new manager with the logistics of the training. Nothing super crazy, just making sure that the food showed up on time, and was cleaned up on time. I clocked in a ton of overtime so I got to dig out early on Friday.

That was kind of fun. When you work hourly, you're more conscious of your time, in the sense that you're counting down. When it comes to salary, you have more flexibility. If you're definitely over, then you dig out. You get paid the same no matter what, which is a different mentality than what I'm used to. I think I'm lucky, because my company has policies and benefits that support a healthy work-life balance. I strongly believe everyone should make time to recharge; it keeps people motivated and their ideas fresh.  

My office space.

It's also really humbling to be around people that are smarter than you. It's a good way to check your ego, and engage in opportunities to learn. You're conducting an ongoing internal dialogue  where you can recognize what your strengths are and build upon them, while still creating a foundation for your weaknesses. You won't be amazing, but at least you can do the basics. 

My host manager and I met on Friday to talk about my time here. She asked me what my goal was, and I told her to learn about where I can grow into. I didn't know what's available outside of retail, but I'm willing to learn and try.

She told me that it was brave to say that, and that it takes some maturity to recognize your own lack of knowledge. From there, we concocted our plan to expose me to as much as possible and learn from there.

I never liked too much structure anyway, so this worked for me. Growing is a part of any worthwhile journey, and it was time to get going!

 

One Year of People

I know this post is overdue by a bunch, but hey. I made it through one year of meeting different kinds of people.

What did I learn?

My first instinct is to say nothing but that's not true. Through doing this project, I feel like I've become braver. I'm still painfully uncomfortable in large group settings, but when I'm in control of the conversation... It's a lot easier for me to make a genuine connection. 

People are more likely to share information when you have a real interest in what they're doing. I already knew that, so it's nice to receive the validation. Despite everything, people are more open than you may initially think, and there's a lot of potential to connect with anyone. Finding the best place to start is hard, but gets easier with practice. 

Getting to know people isn't just practice. It's also putting yourself out there. You're never going to meet new people if you keep going to the same places. It was a good way to force myself out on my days off. It was also a great way to try new things and explore different places. Vacation is the obvious and easy way to do it, but you can always make an adventure at home. 

Overall, it wasn't an easy project. I like spending time by myself, so forcing interaction was tiring at times. It still is. Doing this helped me flip the switch quicker. It doesn't change my inclinations, but it does give me tools for the future. 

Will this project continue?

Maybe in some form. I haven't yet decided what that will look like yet. I know I haven't exactly been keeping up with it. A lot of that has to do with the fact that I work at a corporate office right now.

I'll revisit the idea when... Well, when I know what's next in my future.

Until then, check out my new project: Roaming 'Round Redmond.

8 January 2018

Today, I met a bunch of different people I'd be interacting with, on and off... For the next 3 months!

I applied for a work program that allows me to live and work at Redmond to grow my work experience, marketability, and career. I'm super awkward when I first meet people, so that's always fun. Overall though, my first week will be jam-packed because we're just jumping in.

Either way, I'm super excited to do stuff here... Which will put this project down on hiatus for the best reasons possible! 

7 January 2018

Today, in my sickness, I met one, and only one person.

It was the guy who dropped off my stuff through Amazon Now!

That's amazing. I first mentioned Amazon Now when I visited my brother in Portland last year. Holy crap, it was convenient. The drivers are also very nice too. My only problem with it is my inability to properly estimate how much I actually had to carry up to my apartment. 

Let me tell you, I wasn't very graceful. 

6 January 2017

Today, I met some pretty nice airport people.

They helped me weigh my bags ahead of time because I was overweight on some stuff. I was also super sick, so this was really helpful. I felt bad for the people who had to sit next to me on the plane, I was miserable. But the woman next to me on my first leg made sure I had the opportunity to get a drink every time the trolley passed by. 

Even in my feverish haze, I took some beautiful pictures on my flight though. 

I spent most of yesterday on a #plane. So... I got some pictures of #sanfrancisco, #sunset, and #craterlake. Thanks #united for nice views as I was sick out of my mind.

A post shared by Maxx R (@chococow280) on Jan 7, 2018 at 8:46pm PST

Project: Roaming 'Round Redmond

I'm putting Someone I Met on hiatus for a different project, RRR... Which is really just me writing about my experience living in Redmond, Washington for 3 months.

Why this project? 

While I regret not starting this sooner, you'll soon learn why I didn't. The purpose of this project is really to document the personal growth I've experienced while I've been away. It's not just personal growth though! It's also stuff I've done in my free time, and really my adventure living on my own for the first time. 

That seems silly, I know, but I've been living at home for a while. I like living with my parents, and it's not just because they cook me food. My family is important to me, and it's why choosing to take up on this opportunity was a BIG deal. Strong support systems are important, and it's the first time I wouldn't have one in my own home. 

How did I get there?

Well. It all started in November. I applied for an opportunity to work at corporate temporarily. People who know me know that I love retail. People who love me feel that I could be doing more. Both of them are right, but neither of them understand that I move when I'm ready. Of all the time I've been working, this was the first time I felt the readiest. Anyway, I applied expecting to hear back from them in two weeks.

I heard back from them in a month... I definitely wasn't expecting that. I assumed that I wouldn't hear from them after the two weeks were up, so it definitely was a surprise. I interviewed for one experience on one day, but didn't get it. On a Monday, I interviewed with the first manager, and it went well. I prepared questions I thought I would be asked ahead of time. I was spot on with the majority of them. An hour later, she called saying that her boss would be calling me at 330pm PST. I said ok. While I don't remember much of the conversation... I remember this:

"You're from Hawaii. Are you sure you'll be ok without the sun?"
"Yeah, I've done cold before. The weather doesn't bother me as much as you might think."

The next day, I knew I was chosen and that's that! 

Stay tuned, as I'm basically playing Sherlock Holmes with all the stuff I've said and done in the past few weeks. 

5 January 2018

Today, I met my parents' accountant. 

He's pretty fascinating. Though he's an accountant, he said he really is in the business for people and helping them. In about an hour, I think I learned more of his life than I felt necessary. Leaving out some really confidential stuff, here were some good pieces: 

• Taught while his first wife went to med school. While the two eventually divorced, she refused to take him for anything. Her reasoning was that without him, she wouldn't be where she is. He also made it a point to take their children to eat meals with their mother on days she was on duty. I believe she's the head of a med school department in the mainland now. 
• His mother was a Broadway singer, so the #MeToo movement doesn't surprise him. He shared that his parents often wondered if she should have conceded just so they would make it.
• One of his family members used to own the NY Giants. 
• He's Auli'i Cravahlo's accountant, and he warned her mother about Hollywood culture.
• He was once busted for supposedly running a prostitution parlor... But the judge threw the case out because none of the women would testify against him since he actually treated all of them very well.

There was more, but I think those are more his children's stories than his own. He was a cool cat, and I wouldn't mind running into him again. 

Week Two: The Fun Begins

After my exciting 3 day weekend, it was back to work. It would be the first time I'd be working in the actual office, as I spent the previous week in the mock store environment. 

Getting to Work

Since I would be living in Redmond for 3 months, I figured I should learn how to navigate the neighborhood without my phone. Microsoft's HQ is a 5-7 minute drive away from my temporary home, so I figured there was no way to mess up... But MAN, did I mess up.

The first time I tried to take the highway to work, I missed the onramp and took a left. In Hawaii, almost all the side streets can still get you where you need to go. I learned very quickly that it is not the case in Washington, and I was moving very, very far from where I wanted to be. I turned right at the next stop so I could circle back onto the main road. 

On the 2nd turn, I braked. Hard. In the middle of the road, there was a bird tearing into the freshly slain carcass of some animal. While counting up the minutes I was late to work, I quickly figured out I was staring at a bald eagle engaging in its first meal for the day. As fascination and disgust battled out in my brain and stomach, I was thankful I hadn't eaten yet. 

While I watched it fly away, I confirmed the animal it had slain. In its talon, bouncing in sync to each flap of the eagle's wings, was the leg of a rabbit. After this, I can certainly say that not everyone starts their day with front seats to nature's stage.

Standing Your Ground

This week, I was assigned my project for the next 3 months. I was tasked to meet other people working on different legs of the same product. I made sure I set my first meeting right away, since time was ticking.

My first meeting was with another person on this Career Experience program. His project focused on the deployment of the product, and how to make the process smoother for our in-store teams. Mine was to help our sales teams better understand the product. The goal of our meeting was to make sure that our separate projects referenced each other. 

I explained to him how I wanted to lay out the training modules. I would focus primarily on the product sales pillars. He acknowledged that while it was a good strategy, the team should have a better foundation in cloud technology first. He gave me a bunch of reasons that made sense, and suggested that I try to change my training to align with his goal. Eventually, I said, "If teams don't know how to sell it or talk about it, your deployment teams won't have anything to work on."

I reiterated that the purpose of the meeting was to see where we could align. Our audiences weren't the same types of people, so we shouldn't be creating the content the same way. In the end, he agreed.

From this conversation, I began my weeks long journey of trusting my instincts when it came to my project. Not to say I didn't change directions at times. I remained flexible, took the tasks I was given, and stayed firm on how I wanted to deliver the content. I was still in the planning phases, but similar conversations would come up in different forms a few times more.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Test

The following week, I needed to attend an event called Impact. Event attendees are individuals from each store who are selected to grow their careers and leadership skills. A pre-requisite to the event  was taking a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test. The point was to determine your personality and decision making process so you could better lead a team and connect with its individual members.

My results were strange, to say the least. I tested at an ISTP, but I thought I was an INFP. The test allows you to choose what you think you are, after showing you what you had picked prior to the descriptions being revealed. I think that's where I got confused. While I'm a hard introvert, I scored extremely close to the middle for most of the other categories. Cresta, my host manager, is an ENTP. Gricelda, my team member, scored the same and picked the same (ENFP)... I had a harder time with mine.

The next week would have sessions about our types, so I wasn't worried yet. I know for me, the reason I chose the F (Feeling) had a lot to do with the fact that I think feelings are important. If you want to read more about types, click here. It isn't the test we took, but it gives insight to each of the letters, what they mean, and how any particular combination of letters can display a different personality. 

Career Development Talk

At the end of the week, Cresta shared that I should talk to a variety of different people to figure out what I wanted to do. She also gave me some people to begin reaching out to. I was excited, to say the least. I like learning about what other people do. We then began discussing my project, and revisiting what my final output would look like. 

Earlier in the week, I had pitched to her an idea I had for explaining my assigned product. She said It was a good idea, and to begin working on it. It went under a few revisions, since the first version was speaking to the wrong audience (salesperson). I revised it to speak to the right person (business owner), but also had to redo the video and audio tons of times. Tons. I even sat in my closet to make sure the audio had less echo. 

I basically did a long-take screen recording, and edited out all the mistakes to make it appear as if it was one take. If you've ever seen, Saving Private Ryan, you'd see that long takes are complex scenes shot with no edits. My video was nothing like that, but the amount of work for one person was intense. Could you imagine if it was a major production?

Anyway, the video needed to be ready for the Impact training I was attending. Let's just say it took a lot of long nights to get that done on time. After many long nights revisiting the video, I couldn't wait for the weekend. 

4 January 2018

Today I met my new neighbors.

They're super friendly, though it was a little weird since the first interaction we heard was... Well, someone had broken into their house and there was a commotion caused and the would be burglars got hurt.

Anyway, these people are super nice. Husband works for Hawaiiantel and the wife works for Philippine Airlines, which is always late. That confirms what everyone else has ever said about it to me. 

The nice thing about Filipino people from the motherland is that they automatically gravitate to forming communities with the people around them. It's an enviable for many people who are looking for a sense of belonging. It's something I find wonderful and beautiful about my culture.