Our world hangs like a magnificent jewel in the vastness of space. Every one of us is a part of that jewel; a facet of that jewel. In the perspective of infinity, our differences are infinitesimal. We are intimately related. May we never even pretend that we are not. One of my favorite stories comes from the Seattle Special Olympics. For the 100-yard dash there were nine contestants, all of them so-called physically or mentally disabled. All nine of them assembled at the starting line and at the sound of the gun, they took off. Soon afterward, one little boy stumbled and fell, hurt his knee, and began to cry. The other eight children heard him crying; they slowed down, turned around and ran back to him. Every one of them ran back to him. One little girl with Down Syndrome bent down and kissed the boy and said, “This’ll make it better.” And the little boy got up and he the rest of the runners linked their arms together and joyfully walked to the finish line. They all finished the race at the same time. When they did, everyone in that stadium stood up and clapped and whistled and cheered for a long, long, time. People who were there are still telling the story with great delight.

Some people tell me that the Special Olympics are unique and something of that nature would never happen in other venues. Well, in April 2008, with two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence.

However, it appeared to be the shortest of dreams come true when she missed first base, started back to tag it and collapsed with a knee injury. She crawled back to first but could do no more. The first-base coach said she would be called out if her teammates tried to help her. If a pinch runner was called in, the homer would only count as a single.

Then, members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned spectators by carrying Tucholsky around the bases so the three-run homer would count–an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs. See Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky.

The umpire said there was no rule against it. Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace promptly put their arms under Tucholsky’s legs, and she put her arms over their shoulders. The three headed around the base paths, stopping to let Tucholsky touch each base with her good leg. As the trio reached home plate, the entire Western Oregon team was in tears. This story was all over ESPN and the news.

Both these stories continue to be told by people who witnessed the acts and people that have not. They are told because deep down, we know that what matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What really matters is helping others win too; even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then.

As June 12 approaches, Filipino communities across the world prepare to commemorate the independence of the Philippines from long time colonizer, Spain, on June 12, 1898.

Communities often have fiestas with vendors and entertainment. In Vallejo, Pista sa Ngayon will be on Saturday, June 6, 2009. In Sacramento, the Filipino American Fiesta of Sacramento will be on Sunday, June 7, 2009. In San Francisco, the Fiesta Filipina will be on June 13, 2009.

There certainly is much to be celebrated, as well as improved, in the Philippine and Filipino American community.

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Bamboo is a plant often associated with the Philippines. There are creation myths and legends surrounding bamboo. It is an amazing plant, rightfully earning its place amidst Philippine literature. The bamboo also holds symbolic meaning to me.

Bamboo grows new shoots annually. This growth generally takes place during a certain period, for a couple of months during the year. The main shooting season varies with the species, of which there are over 1,000, depending also whether it is a tropical or temperate species and other factors..This is comparable to the thousands of islands of the Philippines, from which my family came.

If one starts off with a small plant, the canes, called culms, are relatively small. All growth takes place over a period of a couple of months or so. After this, these culms do not get any larger in diameter or taller in height, and the only new growth these culms produce in following years are side branches and new leaves. Eventually these culms die, being replaced by new generations of culms. My family is small, and with new generations, grows more and more.

Each following year, under good growing conditions, the bamboo planting will grow new shoots which will grow larger and taller. It can take over ten years for the bamboo plant to reach full maturity, in which the new culms produced for the season will grow to their largest height and diameter. I do my best to provide my family and friends good growing conditions, where they can grow and prosper.

One species, under ideal conditions, at its fastest growth stage, grew almost two inches per hour, or four feet per day. When a shoot emerges, its upward daily growth is slow, and gradually picks up speed. At mid height, its daily growth is the fastest, then it gradually decreases upward growth as it begins to reach its full height. This is the goal that I want for all my family and friends.

It was a privilege and honor to see and hear Dr. Cornel West today. One of the first things I saw for the event today was a quotation in the program. It read, “I remind young people everywhere I go, one of the worst things the older generation did was to tell them for twenty-five years, ‘Be successful, be successful, be successful’ as opposed to ‘Be great, be great, be great.’ There’s a qualitative difference.”

Dr. West expounded upon this statement in his speech, telling the audience not to misconstrue success as greatness. He specifically noted that while many athletes are successful, they are not great. One great athlete he mentioned was Muhammad Ali, for dominating in his domain but giving it all up in protest of the treatment of Blacks and the Vietnamese in the Vietnam War.

There was also a strong message of mentoring in his keynote. He made it a point to say role models should be people that one can touch; that Oprah can be inspirational, but should not be a role model unless one can embrace her. Dr. West said that the youth need to be embraced, encouraged, and supported.

Finally, Dr. West encouraged the audience to find their voices, to be original, and not echoes. He said that echoes are copies of sounds. Dr. West briefly mentioned homophobia, which was a particularly outstanding statement in light of Proposition 8 and its relation to the Black community. Some studies have indicated that about seven in ten Black voters supported Proposition 8 at the ballot box in November. What spoke to me most was when he said more people need to reach a point when they are outraged that other people are suffering.

Hearing this affirmed my feelings with the world, and what direction society seems to be going in, as well as the glimmer of hope that I have in humanity to transcend the trend and prevent the pain we inflict upon one another.

It is a scary time for me with the newly proposed cuts. I will need to engage in some creative budgeting in preparation for the worst.

I was at the Capitol today, there as a part of the Asian Pacific Islander Policy Summit, but we certainly were not the only ones there. The Assembly was hearing testimony regarding major cuts to health programs and services. Parents and children, able-bodied individuals and disabled individuals, advocates, and patients, all came and stood as one against the cuts. The United Healthcare Workers unions was present, also protesting the cuts.

I submitted written testimonial, addressing how the cuts would affect my five-person household, which has members that receive aid in the form of Medi-Cal, In Home Supportive Services, and Supplemental Security Income–all up for cuts. My emotions were overwhelming as I wrote my testimony, and as tears began to well up in my eyes, another individual came up and put their hand on my shoulder. The programs help our most needy individuals, and cutting them harms us all. We can not continue to cut programs that serve our most underserved populations.

Everyone at the Capitol understood that. The inspiration around and within the Capitol was contagious and inspirational.

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On May 25, 1925, the Supreme Court ruled in Toyota v. United States that Filipinos could not become U.S. citizens. The only exceptions were thsoe who served in the U.S. Navy for three years. This was during the time that the Philippines was a colony of the U.S. The case further reinforced that Filipinos were considered nationals of the U.S.

Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova, Executive Director of the Filipinos American National Historical Society (FANHS), has written a book, published by Arcadia Publishing, entitled Filipinos in Puget Sound and capturing this history in photographs. It joins about six other titles published by Arcadia Publishing about Filipino Americans, namely:

1. Filipinos in Chicago
2. Filipinos in Hollywood
3. Filipinos in Los Angeles
4. Filipinos in Stockton
5. Filipinos in the East Bay
6. Filipinos in Vallejo