On Thursday night, the world lost another one of my personal heroes, a champion of brotherhood, and a truly respectful, young gentleman...

Rest in Peace

Ryan Chester Medina Visalda

Epsilon Chapter, Zeta Class

XPO 163

"Shoulder to shoulder, through life and death..."

Ryan Visalda was one of those brothers that ALWAYS asked about you first. His pride in our fraternity and what Chi Rho Omicron (XPO) stood for is unfathomable. Whenever he talked about XPO, his demeanor always picked up, his speech became faster, and he spoke with excitement. He was a first generation immigrant from the Philippines, and he often shared with me his stories of how people made fun of his accent and called him an F.O.B. He helped to teach me how hurtful those words are. When so many people say that I taught them, I would like to say that he taught me.

"...side by side, through it all..."

Never yielding to those critics, he was proud of who he was and where he came from. I remember at the 10-year anniversary of XPO, as he, Daniel, and I shared and recounted our memories, hopes, plans, and dreams for the future. He said that XPO was the one place he could go where people didn't judge him, and compare him to others. He knew that in XPO, we were peers and equals. Rest assured, those memories and dreams shall not have been lost. They shall live on in us.

"...back to back, for support..."

People say accidents happen, that you can never predict how mortality rears itself. I say be preemptive, sharing your appreciation for others whenever you can. At the same time, be careful, and make a knowledgeable decision about what you are getting into before you go and do it.

"...Good bye, my brother."

Can one be dedicated to a fault? It's strange how I am willing to work beyond my limits for someone that works hard. The harder or more dedicated my coworker, supervisor, friend, brother, confidant, etc. is, the harder will I ensure that they succeed. Maybe it's my belief that if you do work hard, you should reap the rewards and benefits of that hard work. Or it could be from my feeling that together, we can achieve more than each of us could individually. I know the system is skewed, that there is an achievement gap. At the same time, I know that it can be fixed, but that it'll take some visionaries that won't quit to lead the struggle. The question now is, who is going to step forward?

I recently read a biographical entry on Ernesto Guevara on Wikipedia. Most people only know him by his nickname and not for his life and what he did and accomplished. I consequently urge people to look him up, and add some definition to why people sport his image on their clothes and accessories. The entry was inspirational, to say the least. Guevara is an example that one person can make a difference. He stepped forward. There seems to be fewer and fewer stepping forward this day and age.

Maybe it'll take some alien invasion for us as humans to come together and realize that we have more in common than different. Historically, only when a group of different people have a common enemy, do they find unity. Why can't we change that?

I got into a good debate with someone about apathy in voters ages 18-24. Basically, they argued that their vote doesn't matter, and I argued otherwise. So I went to seek information on that. Here's what I found:

In 1776, the American colonists had come from many different countries and were deciding what the new country's official language would be. Just one vote decided that Americans would speak English rather than German.

In 1850, the young United States government was deciding whether it wanted to grow to the West. Just one vote made California a part of the United States.

In 1868, Congress was deciding whether they should impeach President Andrew Johnson and remove him from office. just one vote saved President Johnson from being impeached.

In 1960, it was a very close presidential race. Just three votes per precinct made John F. Kennedy president in 1960 instead of Richard Nixon.

So yes, your vote matters. It may not seem like it does, but that's because there are thousands of people that feel that their vote doesn't matter, and when it adds up like that, then of course we aren't able to exert political pressure like we should be able to.

I was interviewed for the California State University, Sacramento Library and Ethnic Studies Department Oral History Project. It was strange being on the other side of an oral history interview. I am so used to conducting the interview. It was pretty nerve racking. I was so self-conscious that I don't think I provided a good interview. Part of me is perplexed as to why I was the subject chosen. There are so many other more worthy people. I'm not accomplished or anything. Certainly, I'm flattered, and it's also an appealing idea that fifty years from now, someone may pull the tape of my interview and view it. Hopefully I said something poignant and people gain something valuable from the interview.

The interviewer also needed pictures from me, so I looked through some photo albums and my picture boxes. It was nice going through all of them, reminiscing the good times. It's funny that pictures typically capture the good times if they are your own, but when a photographer takes pictures, they often can capture the not so good times. Yet both are powerful. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Tonight I felt that it was an understatement.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and plan-to-be moms. Personally, I have had a hard time on Mother's Day since mom died. I went to the cemetary today to drop off gifts and a note. If my mom were still alive, I'd tell her in person, but the note will just have to do. I told her -

"Mom, I always knew you set a very high standard for me to live by, a standard you also set for yourself. It took me too long to realize that underneath all the reminders and advice was a very deep love that wanted the best in life for me. As my understanding has grown, so has my appreciateion. I do have a lifelong feeling of gratitude for everything you did, for everything you were, for all that you encouraged me to be. And I respect you, admire you, and love you very much."

People don't rise to low expectations.

I participated as a judge at California State History Day 2006, an annual competition that I once competed in. The organizers had me judge in three heats, in three different categories. In heat one, I judged senior individual performances. This category included ninth through twelfth graders, who put together a ten minute long performance on a topic that they must relate to a particular theme. This year's theme is "Taking a Stand in History - People, Places, and Ideas." They write their own scripts, make their own props, and direct and perform their own work.

Another category I judged in was the group poster category. This category is for fourth and fifth graders. This is where I was truly impressed. I had three Mexican students who were doing a 30" x 40" poster on the California farm labor movement, and different leaders. Of course they had Cesar Chavez, but what I saw next was absolutely amazing. They included Philip Veracruz and Larry Itliong, saying they were the leaders of AWOC and CIO and were the first ones to organize a strike that Cesar Chavez later joined. They knew about the ethnic diversity among the farm laborers and the effects of those strikes. Also, in every category except historical papers, the competitors must put together a 500 word process paper, where they describe the process in which they completed their project and an annotated bibliography, where the annotations indicate how they used each source for their project. These elementary school students were doing  They were doing very sophisticated work. This same group got third place in the state competition.

The final category I judged was the finals of the senior individual documentary. These are again ten minute long documentaries, completely done by high school students. In the finals, I was part of a panel that selected two documentaries and an alternate to compete at the national competition in Maryland in June. The eight that we had to choose from were all really good, and it came down to being really nitpicky to choose the top three, and then to rank them. Ultimately though, I think we made good decisions.

Dealing with public opinion on the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), particularly in regards to the pending ruling that Judge Robert Freedman is expected to deliver today, I am reminded of something that former United States President Harry S. Truman said as he implemented civil rights programs and desegregated the military - "What is popular is not always right and what is right is not always popular." I know that we all struggle with this. We want to be accepted, and feel that going against the grain will hurt our chances of fitting in. Peer pressure can be a strong influence. It's up to us to minimize its effects, particularly if peer pressure is leading us in directions that are hurtful to ourselves or to others.

Yesterday, the California Legislature voted to get rid of the two tiered expectations of the Academic Performance Index (API), where schools with high concentrations of minority students were given lower expectations that those schools without high concentrations. Nobody rises to low expectations. We have to challenge ourselves, particularly when others won't challenge us to set goals that are above and beyond.

I am incredible sore today. It is safe to assume that this soreness stems from the accident that I was involved in at about 4:30 PM yesterday, May 10, 2006. Let me recount the situation, as I have done with the insurance company:

I was driving eastbound on Mack Road in the number one lane (number one being the rightmost lane). A white Nissan sedan was driving in front of me. As we both approached the intersection of Mack Road and Valley Hi Drive, I saw him brake, but remain in the lane. Near the intersection is a right turn lane, which I proceeded to enter. I thought that he was covering his brakes as he approached the intersection. As I pass him in my right turn lane, I feel that he has hit me. He hit the rear driver's side fender my Nissan Pathfinder. Fortunately, I have iron step-up bars and steel mudguards, which did quite a number on his fiberglass Nissan. There was a little bit of damage to my car, but quite a bit to his newer model car.

So we pull over into the Shell gas station, and the first thing he says is, "What are you doing? Why did you hit me?" insinuating that it was my fault. I was not going for it. This guy tried to make a right turn into the gas station from the second lane! He obviously didn't look over his shoulder and so proceeded to hit me. If this is any indication as to the safe practices of this driver, I noticed that on the other side of his front fender, the side that didn't hit me, he also had collision damage. He's obviously not the safest driver in the world. I'm not bothered that it happened. Accidents happen. But you trying to put the blame on me is ridiculous. He hit my rear fender with his front fender. I think that'll be enough to show it's his fault.

I know I've mentioned before that people think I'm a recording when I answer the California Department of Education (CDE) phones. Someone even mentioned that I could be a computer. Before they realized that I was an actual human, they were answering in one word answers, and I was having a hard time getting information from them. Then they finally asked, "Is this voice recognition software or a real human?" I never thought of that before. I've had to deal with voice recognition software before. One of my banks has software like that to answer their phones. That's too bad, because there is no possible way that software can deal with the variety of calls that people make for help.

I don't know how to react to this particular call. Offended? Complimented? Combined with other reactions to my voice, I've been said to have a "smooth voice," and to be "articulate and clear." I wonder if I have a voice suited for radio. That would be fun. It kind of makes me want to just try out. Who knows, it might end up in a career change.

One thing that I've noticed is that I get particularly annoyed when I have to repeat myself over and over to people. For example, I told a caller that the CDE only has jurisdiction over public K-12 schools, including adult schools that offer a high school diploma or equivalent. She asked me another four or five times if I could send her information on universities. Each time, I gave her the same response, as politely as I could. Yet she just didn't seem to comprehend, and I seemed to get more irked each time I repeated it. In the meantime, other calls were coming in, and were piling up. That sure didn't help.

I'm over it though. That's one thing that you have to know when you are a public servant. You have to know to not take it personal. Most people aren't mad at you, they are mad at circumstances. So do your best to help them and move on. Don't dwell on it. I know I apply that even in my personal life. I think it's a factor in my being able to stay calm all the time. Stress, in and of itself, doesn't do anyone any good. Stress has to be redirected into productivity.

Productivity is one of those items that gets better with efficiency. If we don't waste resources, we can be more efficient. If we don't waste our time, our energy, our mental, emotional, and physical beings, then we can be more productive. It's hard, but if we work at it, we can accomplish some amazing feats.

Speaking of amazing feats, the Filipino American Youth Leadership Conference is coming up. As always, the organizing core could use some amazing individuals to help out with planning, funding, and staffing. And I assure you that if you don't feel amazing, you ARE. We all have something amazing about us, even if we don't realize. it. I'm trying to figure out what my amazing quality is. But I do know that it's there. So help out. Do it for me!

Lots of developments. Not for me, but for stuff around me.

First of all, the pending ruling on the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). I think it's a shame. The CAHSEE has been postponed two times now and now will be postponed again if the judge rules the way we initially said he would. We all see how ineffective education is. The test provides the state another way to check that students are ready to actually graduate. I don't know how many times I've been frustrated with a person because they can't seem to figure out my change without their cash register doing the calculation. People often say that a high school diploma isn't worth what it used to be. Maybe it's partially because it's too easy to get a high school diploma! I wonder if anyone has thought about that? I feel for the students that don't test well or haven't passed the test. Really, I do. The test should be an indicator that they need more assistance. Then they should receive that, so that they do earn a diploma that means something. Cuz right now, it seems too easy to get a high school diploma without really earning it. People seem to be able to cheat their way through high school. It would be nice if the the students, parents, teachers, schools, and school districts should really put a stop to that. The state can't check on each and every student to prevent them from cheating. Using tests like the CAHSEE is possible.

On a less serious note, Rick Adelman lost his job as the coach of the Kings. Yes, he is a successful coach. He brought the Kings to where they are. But, he became a victim of "If you want to keep on getting what you're getting, keep on doing what you're doing." The Kings have made it to the playoffs eight years in a row, but have never won the big one. That then, falls on the head coach. Adelman knows that. It's unfortunate. He's a good coach...but he's not a championship coach. Just like the Kings are a good team, but not a championship team. Another team will love to pick up Adelman. The Kings though, they have to take that next step. Personally, I would've like to see them get a big man first, a center that will crash the boards and hold their own in the paint. The Adelman-coached Kings never had that. Maybe if he had that, we'd be expecting Adelman back next year. Alas, that's a big what if. So where do the Kings go from here? Hopefully, they bring in that championship coach. Although there doesn't seem to be many of those around that are available at the moment. It would be nice to pick up the coach that has won the most championships in the last five years. They would be relevant and they would be proven. Yet even then, they would not be a sure thing. It's a gamble. We know the Maloofs are gamblers. We've see it time and time again. I just hope their luck keeps up. In the meantime, go Monarchs! They are the defending WNBA champions.

The wedding was great. I was able to cruise around southern California, and seemingly hit every freeway in the area. Surprisingly, I only got stuck in gridlock traffic once. Before and after the wedding, I was able to meet up with some friends (Thanks Dianne! Thanks Charlene) and one of Davis' founding brothers. I kind of wish I had more time down south or a vacation home there so I could spend more time there. Again, I'm probably stoking the fires of my wanting to travel more. Cabo San Lucas? Belize? The possibilities are endless!

For the wedding, I did a little bit of horticulture work, setting up the centerpiece floral arrangements. I got props for my gold vest and tie, and of course, the matching gold Superman cufflinks! I met Eliseo, Alan's very talented older brother who has a lot of paintings that I admire and just had a good ole time.

The weather was perfect, and the wedding took place at the Glen Eagle Golf Club. The setting was just gorgeous, beautifully set within a valley between several mountains. The horizon was gorgeous, the environment just stunning. Of course, Amber looked great. She had a beautiful dress and was just glowing. Alan too had a bounce to his step, an extra air of confidence and swagger. The service was shorter than I was used to, as I've been to a few Roman Catholic weddings with all the trimmings and regiment.

During the reception, the emcee gave me the nickname "Philippines" and just totally employed me into his gig. It was fun though. Oh, and the ironic part. I got the garter! Haha! It didn't hurt that all the other guys totally backed off. Is Could it be symbolic and evidence that men are scared of commitment? Let the controversy begin.

I had a good time though. It was relaxing and a nice change of pace. I need to take part in more social events like that. Superman just can't work all the time.