There was a book sale at the office today and I had a great find. "America is in the Heart" by Carlos Bulosan. It was in great condition too. $0.75 for an awesome book in great condition.

Yesterday, I was really bothered by a comment that a friend made to me. I'm very proud of my work, and my friend basically said that it was awkward work in that it just doesn't fit. That's not so bad. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The part that irked me was that this friend went on to praise their own work. Maybe I'm not so bothered by the criticism that my friend had, but how much of a braggart they were being. Really, in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter. There are many other, more important events going on that affect a lot more people both positively and negatively.

I draw from multiple sources of inspiration as I go through my life. One that came to mind recently is a quotation: "Don't be afraid to make mistakes." It lends toward people taking chances, taking leaps of faith, and believing in themselves and their actions. At the same time, it also bolsters the truth that we learn so much from our own mistakes. When we make a mistake, it's not the end of the world. More often than not, everyone can walk away from a mistake without any permanent or traumatic damage. Of course, if the risk is too great, then we shouldn't take it. Maybe it would harm too many people or the damage would be to catastrophic. Sometimes it may be the difference between life and death.

The amazing part of this whole decision making process is that it can take place in nanoseconds. We can weigh out the consequences that we are aware of and make a decision. Maybe it won't be the most informed decision if we are impulsive and make the choice right away. Time is of the essence isn't it? Time will always be part of the equation. Time is one of those undervalued commodities. Once you spend your time, you can never get it back. So many people procrastinate, waste their time, without really thinking about how it's time they can't have back. I know that I want to make the most of the time that I have here.

Most people don't know when they are going to die. It's not like we have an expiration date on us like batteries or milk. If we did, would we do more good with our lives or more bad? Another quotation that I often use is "Money makes you more of what you are." To me, that means that if a good person has money, they'll probably use it for more positive goals. Similarly, an evil person will probably use it for more negative goals. Time probably has a similar effect on people.

I was recently accused of being insincere by a community leader. Well this leader delivered the message. I was told that it wasn't a pervasive feeling, but that a few people were concerned about it. Would you function in a community where this feeling was present? I always play the hand I'm dealt the best way I know how. How should I play this one? I could suck it up and keep on going, or I could avoid these toxins altogether. This could mean that I would have to adjust my position in the community, a community that I enjoy serving and proudly display where I stand within it.

President Harry Truman said that what is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular

The show ending is a big weight lifted off of my shoulders, even as enjoyable as I found it. My new project though is assisting with the editing of a publication from the California Department of Education. I'm not at liberty to say what it is about just yet, but when it is released, I'm sure I will say something about it. It's not everyday that a regular guy like me gets to work on a publication like this.

We ended our run with two standing ovations! You can't argue with audience feedback. The playwright came to see the production yesterday and she seemed very pleased. I wonder what it's like to see your work being performed in front of you. I can't say that I did my absolute best, but I sure tried. I think I could've done better with more time and more practice.

Some people say that community theatre needs to be even better than professional theatre because the budgets aren't as high and the ritz and glamour of pomp and circumstance are not available. The special effects and sets aren't readily backed by money. All that is there to carry the production is the script, strong acting, and the creativity of the crew to interpret the script.

Three Stars!

Carry the Tiger to the Mountain earned three stars from The Sacramento Bee, in the second article devoted to the show by the local newspaper.

Access the articles here:

http://www.sacticket.com/onstage/story/13473886p-14314577c.html and

http://www.sacticket.com/onstage/story/13521896p-14362659c.html

It's opening night. Interactive Asian Community Theatre's production of Carry the Tiger to the Mountain by Cherylene Lee. The play is a dramatization of the beating death of Vincent Chin and the subsequent civil rights battle that the Asian American community brought to society. The cast has been working hard and I am really proud to be associated and working with them. I'm sure that in no time, these next 11 shows are going to fly by.

We got calls today in the Department from a father who was distraught after losing their home. He and his family were in their car driving from New Orleans. He, crying, asked me what the cost of living was here in California, saying that he wasn't sure if their home was still standing. They were worried that they had lost everything. I did all I could to just keep from shedding a tear, but it was to no avail. I could hear his anguish, I could feel his pain, and I could sense his suffering.

And yet, with something like this going on, I get this e-mail also through the Department.

In the aftermath of the hurricane damage, many people are eager to help by sending donations to various charities. There are many good and reputable charities, but this is a heads-up that some disaster relief donation requests are not legitimate.

Please be advised that there are numerous scams already in place to take advantage of potential givers. Some of these are email and phishing scams, some involve fake web sites, and some are phony charities (and various combinations of all of these). In some cases the scammers are after credit card numbers or other personal information to be used for identity theft; in other cases they just want to take your donation. (Not all of the disaster relief scams are internet based - you may see people collecting money on street corners and in front of markets and I don't know of any way to identify which ones are there for what reasons.)

There are numerous legitimate web sites and mail addresses for disaster relief donations. Please use your good judgment in deciding what to do.

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Fake Hurricane emails

Like after similar events in the past, we do expect scams and viruses to take advantage of this situation. Please be careful with e-mails containing 'hurricane videos' as attachments, or e-mail asking for donations. Refer to fema.gov for a list of reputable agencies or donate to organizations you trust and have past experience with.

Where's the decency?