In the California Department of Education (CDE) building, there is a lot of art built into the architecture. This includes paintings on the elevators and quotations above the elevator doors. Above one door reads a quotation from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. It reads, "Man's mind, stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions."

That's an amazing description of human capacity. I've said before that "People never rise to low expectations." That's my idea - that we can challenge ourselves to become bigger, stronger, better individuals. That includes being more compassionate, caring, and sincere. Greatness abounds in all of us, and it's just a matter of harnessing and utilizing that greatness as well as recognizing greatness in others, for that greatness to be honored and revered. We all deserve at least that.

I saw "The Great Raid" on Saturday. If you haven't heard, "The Great Raid" is about the rescue of World War II Bataan death march survivors from a Prisoner of War (POW) camp near Cabanatuan in the Philippines.

The movie certainly brings a tangible image to the many stories that I've heard and read. That alone is quite valuable, not to mention the observation that most of the recorded history that is taught and published in regards to World War II is about the European front. In refraining from ruining the movie for anyone, I will suggest that people watch the movie, but that they do not take the movie as the whole truth. If you want to discuss the movie with me directly, feel free to contact me.

As an aside, Cristeta Comerford is the newest head chef at the White House. While ABC News (gma.abcnews.com) is touting that she is the first woman head chef, I'm also proud to say that she is Filipina as well, based on an article I found in The Capital Times (www.madison.com/tct/features/stories/index.php?ntid=41766&ntpid=2).

By now, I'm sure you've all heard. The Superintendent, otherwise known to me as "Boss," is one of the plaintiffs suing Governor Schwarzenegger and other defendants for not abiding by state law, specifically Proposition 98 to fund education. It's been hard for me to keep this under wraps for as long as I've known, but now that it's in the public eye, let me just say, "Hell yeah!"

We can't really know someone's intent without them sharing that with us. Either they are lying to us, or they are telling the truth. Humans are really complicated in that way. So we have to control what we can. That doesn't particularly include most people. I am not praising or condemning anyone for what they do, but rather I am reiterating that what people do affects others, and often more people than we realize.

What's it going to take to really get people to give a damn? Humanity seems to rally together when there is a common tragedy, enemy, or cause. After the tsunami, an outpouring of support came from many organizations, large and small alike. Lance Armstrong's "Livestrong" bracelets, a successful fundraiser for cancer research, started a trend that has crossed over into popular culture and many copy cats of the elastic bands.

Maybe we just complicate matters way too much. Nobody is going to say, "Don't do cancer research, it's bad." Yet people say, more funding needs to go into stem cell research, rather than HIV/AIDS research. Is the pie really finite in size? We pit resources and causes against one another for seemingly limited resources. Do we not continually add and expand this pie through our contribution of resources and efficiency, thereby making it essentially infinite?

The only people that can effectively hold us back is ourselves. When we hate on one another, and refuse to support each other, or even talk smack about someone else, we all contributes to a society that doesn't believe in humanity. How many times have we taken someone's opinion of another and immediately apply it to our own assessment. Person A got a weird vibe from Person B. Person C tells Person D that Person A felt that way  Well, as Person D, I refuse to buy into the hype. I'll find out for myself thank you very much. Not everyone thinks this way though, and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I will not enable others and give them permission to hate on others through any actions of my own.

Imagine a place where we supported each other to the best of our capacities. Where only the elements and circumstances were the only problems and stressors we faced. We work on that at FAYLC. We work on that outside of FAYLC. I hope we all continue to work on that. That's what I would want to enable others to do.

I was really put in my place this weekend. It was amazing to be among such strong individuals, but oh what a wrecking yard it was for my esteem and self-worth.

I was a counselor for the Filipino American Youth Leadership Conference, which this year was held at McClellan Business Park. Because of circumstances surrounding the recruitment of counselors, I really didn't know what to expect from the group. They came out fierce though. The participants really connected with them, a skill that I feel I lack. Whether it was because of their dynamic personality, their sense of humor, or their abundance of empathy, all the other counselors were definitely favorites of the participants. For some it is more obvious than others. Glenda is lovable and empathetic, not to mention all-empowering. Her partner, Alan, Krystle's "Spoken Word God," entertained and amazed with his productions and raw energy. Then Robski, the always clever, always entertaining, communications major from Sac State, who is an improv king in his own right and his partner, Rebecca, were the self-proclaimed second strongest counselor pair. Rouel, aka Buddha, and Jermel brought their affable and personable auras to the mix as well as the every energetic Arcy and her experienced partner in empowerment, Ivan. My partner as well, Jen, is such a creative friendly force that one cannot help but enjoy her company.

Then there was me. I felt like I was lacking energy this weekend. A case of shyness came over me. There were such strong personalities among the counselors and the presenters, they overshadowed any charm or skills I could ever possess. At least, it felt that way. My only hope is that Jen and I were able to connect with at least one participant. Alan mentioned that all we have to show is that we care. I hope that message came across.

Do other people find it hard to motivate themselves to do something when it doesn't feel appreciated? How does Stella get her groove back?

I got a nice little gift at work today. A penguin. I guess I talked about "March of the Penguins" so much that someone cared to notice. Cool stuff, if I do say so myself. I plan to pay it forward, especially since I don't know who got the penguin for me. It's the little things that keep you happy.

My friends or anyone that is working or has worked on their thesis can appreciate this short play:

The Thesis

SCENE:

It's a fine sunny day in the forest; and a rabbit is sitting outside his burrow, tippy-tappping on his laptop. Along comes a fox, out for a walk.

Fox: What are you working on?
Rabbit: My thesis.
Fox: Hmmm. What is it about?
Rabbit: Oh, I'm writing about how rabbits eat foxes. (Incredulous pause.)
Fox: That's ridiculous! Any fool knows that rabbits don't eat foxes!
Rabbit: Come with me and I'll show you.

They both disappear into the rabbit's burrow. After a few minutes, gnawing on a fox bone, the rabbit returns to his laptop and resumes typing.

Soon a wolf comes along and stops to watch the hard working rabbit. (Tippy-tap, tippy-tap, tippy-tippy-tap.)

Wolf: What are you writing?
Rabbit: I'm doing a thesis on how rabbits eat wolves. (Loud guffaws.)
Wolf: You don't expect to get such rubbish published, do you?
Rabbit: No problem. Do you want to see why?

The rabbit and the wolf go into the burrow, and again the rabbit returns by himself. This time he is patting his stomach. He goes back to his typing. (Tippy-tap, tippy-tap, tippy-tippy-tap.)

Finally a bear comes along and asks, "What are you doing?"

Rabbit: I'm doing a thesis on how rabbits eat bears.
Bear: Well, that's absurd!
Rabbit: Come into my home and I'll show you.

Scene:

Inside the rabbit's burrow. In one corner there is a pile of fox bones. In another corner is a pile of wolf bones. On the other side of the room a huge lion is belching and picking his teeth.

Moral:

It doesn't matter what you choose for a thesis topic. It doesn't matter what you use for your data. It doesn't even matter if your topic makes sense. What matters is who you have for a thesis advisor.