meet barack obama

in continuing with recognizing the great work of community organizers and social justice advocates, this guy is my new favourite:



i dunno why i got involved & interested in american politics. thanks to mr. bush i guess!

calendars collide

so it turns out that i ought to be celebrating next week according to at least three calendars that i follow religiously:

- school calendar: it's reading break next week! feb 19-23!!
- chinese calendar: it's new year all over again!! my iCal marked off feb 18-20 for me!
- liturgical calendar: hahaa... this one i'm stretching a little, but yes there's carnival, three days before lent. it's also landing on feb 18-20 this year!! i've never celebrated mardi gras before, but i guess i will this year!!! :D

one week in counting!!!


(photo from flickr: fishywang)

me to we

i have to give a 10 minute group presentation tomorrow on a notable social justice advocate. i chose nelson mandela cuz of my recent experience in south africa, and the unsettling reflection i had after visiting robben island. i admire his inner strength & resiliency, and i gained a lot from his autobiography. he said, "the struggle is my life", yet we saw & know that this struggle is ongoing, even in the post-apartheid days. long walk to freedom... yes indeed.

tien told me about metowe.org a few weeks ago. i think if i had gone to the website earlier, or if it was an individual presentation, i would have pulled a last-minute change and present on Marc and Craig Kielburger instead. i mean, who else could say that they've changed the lives of a million people when they're still in their 20s, or have built 450 schools around the world?!! similar to how craig was inspired by reading about a 12-year-old guy when he was 12, i guess i'm now amazed by what craig & marc have done with their lives. and craig is a few years younger than i!! born in thornhill, ontario!!

i think the mark of a great social justice advocate is the ripple effect that continues onward. and yes, craig has done it for me. on that note, it's interesting to point out that among the many awards craig received, one of them is the Nelson Mandela Human Rights Award!

hmm... not many people are watching the me2we videos at youtube just yet. so maybe this would booster up some 人氣 for those videos:

(this one is marc talking about global stats)

on a separate note, i think my favorite author on coaching (or the only one i know so far, pat williams) has stolen m&c's me2we idea for his new article in choice magazine.