I am not a Martian

Enjoying Life

Feeling reflective today. This is a lesson that I constantly have to learn and re-learn…still trying to ingrain it into my head. 

Life occurs in the present. One breath at a time. One moment at a time. One continual experience. Often times I find myself, and the people around me, living for the future, and therefore less appreciative of today. For example, in highschool, I was constantly thinking “when am I going to graduate and go to college!” I was so eager to go to college that I didn’t FULLY appreciate my high school experience. Now, it is just a faded memory…remembering the good times of high school. 

Thus, I aim to truly appreciate every moment of every day. To be satisfied, yet to continue striving for more. To be the best person I can be. To learn something new everyday. To inhale, and breathe.

ITASA ECC 2012

Kind of late, but I just wanted to quickly reflect on the impact that the ITASA East Coast Conference had on my life. Coming back from the conference has really re-emphasized why I’m so involved…I simply love meeting other Taiwanese Americans, fostering new relationships and friendships, and developing myself both as an individual and as a leader.

I think the area where I grew most is how to translate my passion into a career. Although I’m still not completely sure…listening to Teddy Zee talk was simply awesome and motivating. There is a total void in terms of a national Asian American movement, especially at the collegiate level. Although there are different agendas for each Asian ethnic group, we have a similar goal of achieving racial equality and having American society see/view us as equals. To them, we are all the same, whether we are Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Cantonese, etc. Therefore, I believe that a career involving “relationships” and “connections” is right for me. Ultimately, I want to influence people, make an impact on their lives, and help minorities achieve social justice. Social Media is a powerful tactic/tool to connect people and mobilize them. With all our voices united as one, there is nothing we can’t achieve. We must not fall into the stereotypes that society gives to us. We must not be conservative and passive, as our parents’ generation has taught us. We are Asian Americans (neither singularly Asian nor American). We have a unique culture. I want to unite the community to achieve dreams we thought we could never attain!