Sunday, January 26, 2014

SkyBody System gets Featured as one of NYC's Wildest Workouts on PIX 11 Morning News

Taking fitness to new heights with an aerial workout - Part 2: Skybody offers a fun and exhilarating alternative in exercise and dance. Unlock your potential, and get in the best shape of your life in Float Aerial Yoga or Skybody's signature aerial fitness and dance classes using silks, trapeze, and other various apparatus.

Monday, May 27, 2013

100 Acts of Kindness

A member from my leadership team from Momentum Education posed the idea of getting at least 50 people to commit to doing 100 Acts of Kindness.  No deadlines. No pressure.  But to commit to the idea of choosing to help rather than to ignore.  What if everybody commits a little place in their hearts to this?  Wouldn't the world shift to be a better and more loving place?  Wasn't there a time that a complete stranger helped you out with no benefit to him/her?  The request is to also journal or post these acts to inspire others. Of course, I'm going to blog. heehee.

"If we all do one random act of kindness daily, we might just set the world in the right direction." - Martin Kornfeld




100.  I got somebody else's mail, looked at the address and it was supposed to right across the street from me so I wanted to make the effort to tape the letter onto the outside of the correct mailbox with a note.  After trying to find the building #, I learned it didn't exist... So I returned the letter to the post office with a "return to sender" note on it.  At least the sender now knows they need to find the correct address.

99.  Said "hi" to the personal trainer at my gym who's been there as long as I was a member.  Just decided to  strike up a conversation with him since he and I both know that we see each other a lot - so why play dumb?     He's like a gentle giant.  I showed him the Nike Training Club app I use and he was floored at how great it is.  

98.  In Asia, I gave the masseuse from The Foot Shop in Myeongdong, Korea a big hug because it was the BEST MASSAGE I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE.  

97.  Donated my leftover foreign currency from Asia to the Cathay Pacific UNICEF Change for Good program.  You can't exchange foreign coins and even small foreign bills back to your home currency anyway so this is a great way to make a difference in someone's life rather than to keep it as a souvenir.  http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_PH/aboutus/pressroomdetails?refID=27ac059821738310VgnVCM62000007d21c39____  

96.  Showed a fellow pole-mate a new combo spin she could do to improve her flow.  She loved it.  

95.  Volunteered to rally Kappa sisters for Bread & Water 5k run and 1 mile walk on June 1 (next Saturday!).  This will benefit disadvantaged kids from India and China.  Join the cause if you can!  https://www.facebook.com/events/248065558668034/?ref=22

94.  Volunteered to help with a summer kid's art program with my long-time friend from high school.  I later find out that it's the SAME summer school program I used to go to back in the day.  Talk about giving back...  Things work in mysterious ways.

93.  Volunteered to be on the gala committee for New York Asian Women's Center (NYAWC).  A center that helps women and their children overcome domestic violence and sex trafficking.  

92.  Enrolled my mother to do a closet audit for clothing donations.  A garbage bag full of gently-worn to almost-new clothes will be making its way to the Salvation Army!  And now we've made room for new things to come... whatever that may be. 

91.  In Japan, we showed our appreciation to our hostess by giving her a thank you card.  Plans to ship a present to her from NYC are in the works.  She rocked and was so inspirational.  She is a gardener and volunteers at a orphanage center in Cambodia for 2 months out of the year.  

90.  At the movies, I donated a dollar to the Regal Foundation's Stars of Hope charity program.  


See?  100 Acts of kindness doesn't have to be anything over-the-top.  I've made some serious committments to volunteering for some great causes for the long-term but saying hi, giving a hug, and sharing things/ideas with others is a joyful experience and can open up doors leading to something much greater....  

Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Big Day: NYC PanCAN PurpleStride 2013

I have so much to say :)  I'll start off with this quote that came from "The Heart of a Volunteer."  


"We are the ones we've been waiting for."  

The big day for NYC PanCAN's PurpleStride 2013 was today!  Friends, co-workers, friends of friends, and even strangers from all areas of my life came to support my cause for a cancer-free world and to honor my father at his 20th year memorial event.  I am HUMBLED for all the great words of encouragement and love that I received today from everyone!  I'm really no more special or courageous than you or anyone else.  The "leader" is in all of us and we can unleash those qualities by saying "yes," "what else" and "I'm doing this no matter what" more often.  We are the ones we've been waiting for.  

When you find yourself being inspired, ask yourself what you want to do with this energy.  Inspiration stirs the leader in you to wake up.  It sparks a goal, a dream, a desire that you've put on the back burner and it gets reawakened once you see the possibilities and results from others.  I want inspiration to be more than just a warm, fuzzy, happy feeling -- I want inspired people to ACT on that inspiration.  It tugs at your internal wants and it would serve you (and the world) to explore what rises on your conscious level when your inner leader is stirred.  

Inspiration is infectious.  I somehow enrolled 68 members to be on my team - that's 68 more people who are aware of pancreatic cancer and it's aggressiveness.  68 more people aware of that funding will go towards early detection methods and clinical trials so that 94% of diagnosed patients will have a hope that they can survive for up to 5 more years.  Imagine the type of inspiration you can have on others when you act on yours.  

It was someone's first 5k race today to start training for her first marathon.  
It was someone's first run to start a better lifestyle after gaining 20 lbs.  
It was someone's first charity event and now it won't be the last they contribute to.  

This day has changed the trajectory of many people's lives -- and I wouldn't even have known about it until they shared it with me.  Don't take your goals or dreams lightly.  They can have an impact in a multitude of ways.  The world deserves to have you step into your greatness today.  ACT on your inspiration :) 













Sunday, April 7, 2013

...and the beginning of a new journey

Leadership Team 92 rocks Momentum Education's socks off! While we graduated and are now a senior leadership team, we're starting a new journey coming from what we learned these past 90 days in a fast-paced, unreasonable, "live-as-your-word" game. We produced extraordinary results.





Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Top 9 PanCAN Team!

Since Friday, March 29, it was official that TEAM TOW - 20 YEARS STRONG made it to the Top 9 team with the most donation amounts!  My team name will be on the back of every NYC 2013 PanCAN PurpleStride shirt!  This is truly AMAZING and wouldn't have happened if I didn't really go for it.  Fearlessly. Unapologetically.  Thank you to everyone who listened, supported and connected with me.  I was able to share the news with my father at the cemetery last weekend when my family went to "bai san".  The entire experience was different this year.  There was pride, empowerment and peace.  

With the $3,000 grant I won from my company and the $6,922 in donations, I raised just under $10,000!  

Who would like to donate the rest of the $88 to hit that 10k mark?  :P 

Ba-ba - this is for your 20th year memorial :) You are living through me.  


Sunday, March 31, 2013

You can save a life - Be the Match Bone Marrow Donor Program



Yesterday, I registered to become a bone marrow donor.  In the past, I wasn't educated enough about what this actually meant.  How do take my blood/marrow and how much of it? Is this safe for me as a donor? What are the risks or side effects associated?  My good friend, Vielka, is on a mission to collect at least 300 new registrants for the Be the Match National Bone Marrow Donor Program and to raise at least $2,000 for the cause.  She, like many other people, have had loved ones affected with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, sickle cell and other life-threatening diseases who need people like you to register as a potential donor and save a life.  

Help support Vielka's cause to saves lives through a donation if you are unable to register as a potential donor: http://www.bethematchfoundation.org/site/TR/TeamBeTheMatch/TeamBeTheMatch-FY10TeamRaiser?px=2237165&pg=personal&fr_id=1450 

Register to become a potential donor here: http://marrow.org/Join/Join_Now/Join_Now.aspx 

This wasn't the first time I was approached to register to be a bone marrow donor but it was first time I was given an educated run-down of what my registration meant.  Some key things I want to pass onto others:


  • You can save a life.  In this case, YOU are the cure for cancer.  How fortunate are you to be healthy enough so that you can save the life of another?  If you were you in the other position, wouldn't you be so grateful that someone took the time to register in order to give the gift of life?  Forget the fear of needles and hospitals - there is a dire need - a calling - that rises above those considerations.  Express your gratitude for the life you have by giving life back to another. Tomorrow isn't promised for anyone.
  • You can always say no if you change your mind about becoming a donor.  You don't know where you'll be in 5 or even 20 years from now where you might be more open to the idea of donating blood or bone marrow to save a life.  If or when that time comes and you're contacted,  you'll be educated in detail with the process and what your blood/marrow donation entails.
  • Donating occurs in two ways:
    • PBSC donation is a nonsurgical procedure that takes place at a blood center or outpatient hospital unit. For 5 days leading up to donation, you will be given injections of a drug called filgrastim to increase the number of blood-forming cells in your bloodstream. Your blood is then removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to you through the other arm. Your blood-forming cells are back to their normal levels within 4 to 6 weeks. To learn more, watch the PBSC donation video.
    • Marrow donation is a surgical outpatient procedure that takes place at a hospital. You will receive anesthesia and feel no pain during the donation. Doctors use a needle to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of your pelvic bone. The marrow replaces itself completely within 4 to 6 weeks. To learn more, watch the marrow donation video.
And some facts to share with why it is so urgent that you register to get your cheeks swabbed for registration as soon as possible http://www.ij.org/bone-marrow-statistics:

  • This year, more than 130,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a serious blood disease.
  • Leukemia (a blood cancer) will strike 44,000 Americans this year, including 3,500 children.  It will kill about half of the adults and about 700 of the children.
  • Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer.
  • Only 30 percent of patients who need a bone marrow transplant have a matching donor in their families.
  • The remaining 70% must hope that a compatible stranger can be found using the national registry.  
  • At any given time, about 7,500 Americans are actively searching the national registry for an unrelated donor.
  • Only 2 percent of population is on the national registry.
  • A significant number of those on the national bone marrow registry cannot be located or will not donate when asked to do so.  The percentages of donors who are available and willing are:  65 for Caucasians; 47% for Hispanics; 44% for Asians; 34% for African-Americans.
  • African-American patients find an unrelated donor 25% of the time.
  • Asian patients find a donor about 40% of the time.
  • Hispanic patients find a donor about 45% of the time.
  • Caucasian patients find a donor about 75% of the time.
  • Multi-racial people face the worst odds.
  • At least 1,000 people die each year because they cannot find a matching donor.
  • If an African-American finds a match on the registry, there is an 80 percent chance that the identified donor is the only match on the registry.
  • Bone marrow donation requires less than 5% of marrow cells.
  • 70 percent of marrow donations use peripheral blood stem cell apheresis.
  • 30 percent of marrow donations use the traditional method of putting a needle in your hip.
  • Donating bone marrow is safe:  More than 35,000 people have donated bone marrow to a stranger without a single donor death.