Silicon Valley Impressions Spring 2015

Silicon Valley

Impressions

Spring 2015

A magazine for the Silicon Valley community to celebrate our innovative spirit and international culture

Former Mayor ORRIN MAHONEY: Cupertino, HP, Steve Jobs and Apple Founder of APAPA: CC YIN, Interview Notes from “The Jungle�: TODD GERHARDT Woman of the Year: HUNG WEI, essential home and parents for teenagers Youth Corner: Volunteer program in Nepal and More ...

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Montessori philosophy, materials, curriculum and environment.

Stimulating & innovative learning atmosphere to foster independence, creativity & personal responsibility in our children.

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contents

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orrin mahoney

letter from our team

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‘o sole mio

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CC-YIN: A LIFE OF ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT

W elcome to the first issue of Silicon Valley Impressions. We are excited to bring you this magazine in honor of the Silicon Valley communities. Their diverse, innovative, and inclusive spirits give us infinite richness through charity, volunteerism, and leadership.

In many ways of our own, both small and large, consciously and unconsciously, we are co-creating a time, rich with the knowledge from many world cultures and an awareness of and passion for living life on this earth.

10 A WATCH WITH MULTIPLE ATTITUDES 11 cupertino 12 DO YOU SHOP ONLINE? 14 Character from “the jungle” - todd gerhardt 16 ivymax Nepal Orphanage Improvement Program 18 ivymax Students’ reflections 19 Education Realism 20 Little tree montessori school 21 PRAY FOR RAIN 22 Woman of the year: hung wei 24 cupertino rotary book club 25 Food 26 the taichi kid

Silicon Valley Impressions magazine is delighted to celebrate the communities’ people, places, and ideas with our readers. We offer this print version of our magazine to give our readers a relief, a break, and an escape from the digital experiences that have taken over our lives. When we have a physical copy for reading and flipping through the pages, amidst a natural landscape, and disconnected from electricity, we can experience a moment that is closer to our ground, to our center, and to an earthy simplicity.

In this issue, we honor our community volunteers and leaders for their efforts and their dedication to uniting the community. We also focus on a small group of the underprivileged population, who are struggling to survive. No matter how we judge them, no matter how distant we feel from them, they are intensely like us, fully human. Finally, we offer a closer look at the Silicon Valley youth, whose lives of rigor and vitality are fostered by many of our parents and teachers, who are devoted to ensuring their future is healthy, alive, and engaged.

We hope that you will enjoy our magazine. We welcome comments and article submissions. Have a wonderful spring; we will see you again in July 2015 with our summer issue.

Submit letters and articles to the following address: info@opensocietymedia.com 20111 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite #280, Cupertino, CA 95014.

Silicon Valley Impressions Team Don Sun | Publisher Ling Ling Kulla | Editor James Gong | Photographer Ragini Sangameswara | Graphic Designer

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the writers and interviewees. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher.

Copyright notice : No part of this publication and/or website may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher. Permission is only deemed valid if approval is in writing. Silicon Valley Impressions owns all rights to contributions, text and images, unless previously agreed to in writing. copyright © 2015

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Orrin mahoney people service and charity to the influence of Hewlitt-Packard (HP), where he was an employee for over 30 years. “At the time it was one of the best companies in the world.

It was good to the employees. The employees were empowered. We had good work and family balance, we never brought work home.”

Those days when you actually worked 8 hours a day, played 8 hours a day, and slept 8 hours a day seem now a relic of the past.

Orrin Mahoney

An

interview with Orrin Mahoney is like having a conversation with an old friend. No matter how nervous you are before your first meeting, his smile has the power to calm and relax. He makes you feel right at home.

This 30-year Cupertino resident has seen the city transformed from a sleepy suburban town to an internationally known, high profile city, with growing demand for its prime real estate. Many are happy that he has finally been elected as mayor; if there is one person who can balance the ego and power struggles in the city, it is Mahoney, with his down-to-earth manner.

Recently, we had a chance to interview him at his office, and chatted with him about his life, his work and his future endeavors.

HP Mahoney credits his sense of civil

“The reason why I am here is because of HP’s community involvement program. I have done quite a bit of community volunteer work.” HP would regularly supply many volunteers to community events.

Unfortunately, good things don’t last forever. With a few bad decisions and one really bad CEO, HP’s reputation for having the “best” community service program and being the “best” company in the world ended. After working with John Young, and Lew Platt at HP, Mahoney was not impressed with the new HP leadership: Carly Fiorina brought good things to HP, such as the Compac merger, but was not strong on operations. Mark Hurd was fantastic as an operations person, but cut too many costs and did not treat employees well. And Leo Apotheker was a disaster; not much good at anything. Luckily, the fall of the HP era in Cupertino also marks the beginning of the Apple empire. It is another exciting company that has put Cupertino back on the world technology map.

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Cupertino Mayor Mahoney has had a long and local political life. As the Cupertino Planning Commissioner for eight years, and on the board for the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce, he understands what it is like to be a resident and businessperson in Cupertino.

He first ran for mayor in 1999, but lost to Michael Chang, an incumbent running a second time, and to another challenger, Richard Lowenthal. In the Cupertino Council election history, almost no incumbent had lost. In response to his loss Mahoney said “I didn’t have a good vision for where Cupertino should go like Richard, so I lost to him.” One silver lining in that loss is that Mahoney and Lowenthal became good friends during the election; and following a recommendation from Richard, Mahoney joined the Rotary.

Although losing to Dolly Sandoval in the 2001 election, he finally got elected in 2005. “I guess the third time’s a charm, as they say” Rotary “I love the Rotary Club of Cupertino, especially their international projects. Through the Rotary, I have been to 12 provinces in China, as well as five other countries. Most projects are education focused.” His work with Shin Shin Education Foundation, a charity led by Steve Ting to build schools in rural China, taught Mahoney to the reality of life in China. “As the world focuses on

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China’s rise to economic leadership, China’s per capita income is still less than that of Mexico.

In many places in China, children don’t have schools to go to. Some countryside schools were very simple with flat pieces of wood on a post, if you take the post out, the ceiling will collapse. I was able to learn about history and culture. I was able to build relationships, discovering truth and the real information when I travel with Rotary members.”

Apple So what is it like to lead a city home to a dynamic force like Apple?

“Compared with HP, Apple is not so much people or community oriented. But people like Apple, they like the product, the story, and it does put Cupertino on the world map. Apple has been a good neighbor, not in a sense of philanthropy, but making sure that they don’t cause problems in the community. They have been very good in dealing with their traffic problems, they actually do go out and send people to help.”

It is expected that the new Apple campus will bring huge financial resources for the city: the short term one time income for the city will likely be 50 to 60 million dollars of fees and construction tax on materials they buy, as well as point of sale, for Cupertino. In the long term, the city will get only a small percentage of the property tax dollar, but the total value is significant. When HP left, the city lost sales tax revenue, but it will be made up in additional sales tax revenue from Apple, as well as from indirect revenue from hotels and restaurants.

With these newly added financial

resources, the city will have money to build new parking structures and make road improvements.

The short-term negative impact for Apple’s new campus is its potential to increase traffic in the next ten years. Compared to the bigger transportation issues on the 280, the 101, and the expressways, this is not a huge concern though.

Apple will implement many traffic mitigating measures including new 280 on and off ramp enhancements to reduce the problem for the city.

Steve Jobs “Jobs was not generally a community focused person. If you read Steve’s biography, you realize that he could be quite impulsive in his decision making. At time he was extremely frustrated with the city that he would have just pulled the whole company out of here.

One night at a city council meeting for the new campus, Kris Wang, a councilmember at the time asked him to give the city of Cupertino free Wifi, he argued that Apple has given Cupertino much more than free Wifi and Apple pays taxes to the City, therefore it is the City’s responsibility to provide free Wifi.

At the time he seemed very sick and frail. It was only after that session that we realized how ill he really was. In fact, that was Steve’s last public appearance before he died.”

Trouble in Paradise Under Mahoney’s leadership, Cupertino has been running well with not many areas for improvement. But even a nice city like Cupertino has its share of problems: First, the Memorial Park’s geese were causing residents a lot of headaches; they multiply in large

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quantities, make noises, and droppings. In a creative move, the city hired trained dogs to chase them away.

Historically people don’t want to see more development in the already saturated Cupertino.

However, the state requires a city to put up a certain amount of housing, especially since the city has added more jobs. Despite this job growth, it is still a challenge to meet the state’s standard.

The Lehigh cement plant has always been a common Cupertino resident complaint. As it’s outside Cupertino, the city cannot do too much about the problem. However, its operations and environmental practices have been a major concern for Cupertino residents because of their close proximity to the plant. Though the company has been very good at working to meet government standards, such as air quality, it would seem that some Cupertino residents feel there is no place for such a plant so close to home.

Lastly, the Blue Pheasant restaurant on the golf course is in a building that the city owns. The city’s plans for modern renovations are being challenged though, primarily by neighbors of the golf course who do not appreciate the rowdy crowd on Thursday and Friday nights.

Discussions are still ongoing as to finding a suitable solution for both residents and the city.

End of an Era Mahoney’s public service in the city of Cupertino comes to a close in 2014. This year he will be the District 5170 Governor for 2017-2018 for the Rotary Club. We look forward to seeing him achieve many more successes for himself and Cupertino in the future.

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‘O SOle mio PLACEs

N estled in a street a few steps

sold in 2006 to self-made billionaire Rosalia Mera of the Spanish away from University Ave, Stanford Garden Court Hotel has carved Zara Empire. Mera would spend $9 million dollars over the course itself a small Mediterranean oasis of 9 months to renovate the hotel. under the Palo Alto sun. You can Every guest room in the hotel was feel the sun’s increasing force as early as 10 a.m. in the morning, its destroyed and rebuilt to allow more light, and each was endowed with warm radiance lasting even into its own balcony and courtyard the month of October. Standing in facing French doors. Opening the the middle of the courtyard facing balcony door invites in the immedithe French doors on the balconies, ate warmth of the sunshine and the you may feel like singing “O Sole beauty of the clear blue sky to the Mio”. guest room.

Built in 1986 from an old apartThe newly renovated rooms were ment building, the hotel was a designed by the Spanish architect partnership project between Sam Pablo Paniagua to be bright and Webster and Irwin Kasle. It was

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airy. The geometric black and white carpets give contrast to the neutral surroundings. The public restrooms and ballrooms designed by local designer Denise Rainoldi-Phantom have a quaint, calm air about them.

The lobby is modern, with old-style comfort probably accentuated by the simple, solid wood and natural colors of the furniture. With Yuanzhi scented candles from Molten Brown burning gently in every corner of the hotel, this hotel exudes a passion for international design.

The warm terra cotta colors of the hotel exterior enhance the sun’s warmth and glow, reflecting varied

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colors depending on the strength of the sun; it creates energized feelings in one moment, and calm and relaxation in the next. Keeping your balcony door open, you can hear the soft sounds of the surrounding environment: people chatting, the restaurant downstairs busily moving, and the distant bustling of the street. When the door is closed, the room restores to your own sanctuary, quiet and sound proof. The design truly allows you the choice to be part of the outside or to have a moment of peace with yourself inside.

If you are fortunate enough to have discovered this hotel prior to your engagement, it is the perfect place to host your wedding banquet. The red carpet is truly rolled out for these events, and you are guaranteed to be well attended by the hotel’s event manager. The lucky bride and groom each receive a Tiffany flute along with a bottle of

Paul Goerg’s real Champagne. You will also have an exclusive menu from the hotel’s own chef Clive Bergman, the multi-cultural chef from South Africa who knows both how to cook, and how to entertain.

With many fresh local ingredients in his pantry and refrigerator, Chef Clive Berkman makes his own bread, his own dessert, and his own pastry. However, his self-made menu is only for guests and events, and the treats are exclusive to those who stay at the hotel.

Next we move to the penthouse, one of two in the hotel. With 1,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space it features a king sized bed, one large private patio for sunbathing, and another patio looking into the courtyard. My favorite spot in the penthouse is the private patio.

Lined with natural colored tiles and walls, the patio exudes the air and tranquility of a volcanic desert.

With the large comfortable couches

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facing each other, one can invite guests and share intimate moments under the sun, or beneath the stars and the brilliant rays of the moon.

The photographs by George Allan in the hallways of the hotel remind one of the rich flora and fauna outside of this small man-made paradise. The neighborhood in which the hotel is located is similarly idyllic, a bit of heaven that isn’t so far away. Other than the Palo Alto restaurants, businesses, hotels, shops and streets, one only need venture a few minutes outside the downtown core to easily explore the surrounding environment and find a nice place to breath the air filled with the aroma of eucalyptus, bay leaves, and the redwood trees all while watching cows graze on the rolling hills. Don’t stroll too far though; after lunch the sun is in full force, and signals time for a nice siesta.

Stanford Garden Court Hotel 520 Cowper Street Downtown Palo Alto, California, 94301 Phone: 650-322-9000 / 800-824-9028. Email: reservations@gardencourt.com

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CC-Yin: a life of active involvement people

America is a great country, there are always opportunities.

Maybe there is not 100% equality, but you can change that if you participate”.

M eeting with CC at the local

Eighteen years after becoming an engineer, he decided to make the family restaurant was a treat. He confessed to us that he mostly eats drastic change from engineering to at one of his 32 McDonald’s restau- running a McDonald’s franchise.

He has never looked back. rants; however, he appreciates the non-fast food atmosphere of this As business grew, CC started to place. deal with more and more social issues related to running a business.

Being CC is not easy. He admits He realized that he had to rely on that he is a complex person. A his community, his people and his complex person with complex local government to be successneeds and a complex mind. ful. Throughout his business and personal development, his entrepreLife was hard for the young neurial spirit became enmeshed Taiwanese engineer 50 years ago. with a passion for communi“When I first came here, I needed ty service. He increasingly made help to find work, to understand himself available to serve his the American ways. I felt far away community; at the same time he from home and I was lonely. My realized that being involved in local fellow Chinese people have given me much support and help. I owe it politics could help him make a positive impact in the community. to them to be what I am today.”

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CC defines his idea of community service and civic engagement as at the “grass root level, community based, and building connection with all grass roots”. The correct political engagement is to empower the people so they can take ownership of America, be motivated to serve, and be inspired to contribute.

“My only gift is that I am a steady and stable person. I am a long term minded person. I love to make friends, love to organize people, and I feel rewarded to get people to do things together. Doing things together is always more powerful than doing things alone.”

CC himself comes from a community service family: his sister Eleanor built Chinese Service

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Centers to help Chinese immigrants in finding houses, jobs and schools; his brother Henry was involved in Citizens For Better Community; and his wife Regina was on the board of CAPA. CC has continued to serve many communities throughout his service: the Chinese community, the Latino community, the Vietnamese community, the Filipino community, and the African American community all have experiences working with CC. He is an “ask-and-I-will-be- there” person.

In 2001, he finally founded his own organization - Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association. APAPA, like CC in his many years of personal growth, has gone through many transformations.

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quiet, with zero political involvement from the Chinese community.

Candidates were random and there would often be nobody in the pipe.

But when a candidate comes along, people would rush to give money and support to a candidate without considering whether he would be the best candidate: “this is called the shooting star system, where you just shoot a few of your political stars and with the possibility that you might be running out of stars”.

importance and purpose of this pipeline as follows: “We educate the community through town hall meetings and the media. We send out interns to talk to the voters about the current candidates, bills and we ask them to vote. Voter education is an important part of the democratic system. Welleducated voters are smart voters, they can select good politicians and we can ensure that we have great leaders in office.”

APAPA fills the emptiness between the spikes by creating a continuous flow of Chinese political talent. Things no longer happen by chance. “When we set long term goals and do things for the long term, it may not directly benefit our generation, but our children and the grandchildren will be hopeful.”

3) The financial pipeline: Money is the life blood of politics. CC helps support candidates financially in two ways. First, he donates through his nonprofit organization APAPA. Second is through a political action committee, or PAC, which is separated from APAPA.

“To start something is always hard.” In the making of APAPA a successful organization, CC did what the Chinese called 摸着石 头过河 (“crossing the river by feeling the stones”). After many years of feeling the stones, APAPA has found many solid rocks for its path. After 13 years of dedication and tireless work, APAPA has become a well-rounded organization with a complete program teaching the politically aspired how to become more politically involved. With 20,000 volunteers, 200 active officers and 12 chapters in the East and West Coast, any Asian American who is interested in civic service can count on receiving APAPA’s support.

APAPA has five focuses which CC calls pipelines:

APAPA differentiates itself from the traditional method of supporting Chinese politicians, which CC calls it the “spike system”. In an election year, there would be a huge spike of political activities. During the off years with no elections though, all would be

The third element is mentorship: A one-on–one teaching and learning relationship between an elected official and a student in training.

1) The leadership pipeline has three elements to grow a future leader: The first element is scholarship: Its goal is to train early stage politicians by giving support to other candidates through providing work experience in political campaign training, fund raising, walking, and phone calling.

The second element is internship: This puts the interns to work with politicians holding public offices to better show how to run an office and work with a designated community.

2) The voter pipeline includes voter registration, voter education, and voter support. CC states the

4) Appointment pipeline: This pipeline identifies candidates for appointment and helps people to get appointed.

5) Political influence pipeline: Lastly, having friends in high places helps APAPA better support its future politicians. “We seek to expand our circle of influence.

We build coalitions with other community leaders to help each other achieve goals.”

With a pipeline system, political knowledge is accumulated; talents are developed and nurtured; and voters become connected with their representatives. As these pipelines grow to be stronger and bigger, APAPA will continue to serve future generations.

“America is a great country, there are always opportunities. Maybe there is not 100% equality, but you can change that if you participate”.

CC will be busy for many years to come!

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a wat ch with multiple attitudes Technology

W hen you live in Cupertino, you are close to the real action.

The home town of Apple gets new things stirred up all the time and we are happy that we can be part of the action.

On April 24th, we will anticipate a brand new product from Apple, the Apple watch.

Pre-orders begin on April 10. The 38mm aluminum Sport edition starts at $349 (£299). The 42mm size is $399 (£339). The stainless steel collection starts at $549 (£479) and goes up to $1099 (£949), depending on the size and band configuration.

The limited gold Watch Edition will cost $10,000 (£8,000) to $17,000 (£13,500, AU$24,000) and that’s for the VIPs.

Advertise with us

Silicon Valley Impressions is a quarterly magazine serving Cupertino, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and other cities in Silicon Valley.

We distribute to your local businesses, libraries, community centers, hotels, supermarkets, and sports clubs.

Each issue, SVI Magazine will devote two free advertisements for nonprofit organizations. Please submit your 501(c)(3) number.

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Cup ertino

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by Gail fretw ell- hugg er

Cupertino historical society

J uan Bautista De Anza’s expedi-

tion in 1775-76 was remarkable in that none of the over 100 men, women, and children who walked the near-trackless miles from Tubac, Arizona, to the presidio at Monterey in Alta California died along the way. In fact, two babies were born and survived – a miracle under the harsh conditions.

Padre Jose Antonio Morguia in building the mission on its second site. Under the direction of Padre Magin Catala, he and his tribesmen planted the four rows of black willows along the road known as the Alameda in San Jose.

Marcello stood 6 feet and 2 inches and weighed 250 pounds.

According to “Ripley’s Believe It or Not,” Marcello had five wives.

De Anza forbade his soldiers to His great strength enabled him to mistreat Indians they encountered place the bells into the high mission along the way. But, as his small scouting party wound its way along towers. He loved to ring the bells, our creek , the shouting Indians that calling the faithful to mass. During his long lifetime, he saw the hunter emerged from the trees could not gatherer Ohlones become cultivahave known what was in store for tors, and watched as his people their band and thousands of other faded away.

Native Americans in the valley in the coming years. Disease epidemics, military actions, labor under the James Boholi, another Ohlone, was mission rancho system, and assimi- called the “last of the Santa Clara Mission Indians.” In the sketch of lation into the Spanish-Mexican culture decimated their number into Boholi shown here (taken from a photo from the Mrs. Fremont Older the mere dozens by the late 1800s. collection), he is shown clearing the path that leads to today’s Prospect Two historic Native American Road in the foothills. Boholi figures contributed to the rich worked for the first governor of history of Cupertino.

California, the Hon. Peter Burnett who had a 20-acre orchard where The legend of Chief Marcello, Prospect and Stelling roads are now Cupertino area’s most famous – the former Painless Parker ranch.

Ohlone, covers a lifespan of 125 years. One inscription reads that The Ohlones, who called Marcello was born in 1750 and themselves the Tares, spoke a died in 1875. His ancestors are different dialect of the MutSun supposed to have been royal language than the tribe at San Yumans of the Colorado River Francisco. Boholi said the Lord’s Valley, and he was hailed as a Prayer in the dialect spoken as chief by the Ohlone. Until his death he was a walking encyclope- far south as the Mission San Juan Bautista and as it was spoken at dia of mission history. According Mission Santa Clara. to corroborated stories, he aided

Historic accounts tell of the clear, sonorous singing voices of these early converts to Christianity and how the Franciscan missionaries used colored notations to mark the music sheets to enable the Native Americans to follow the leader of the mission choir.

However one views this part of our early history, we are grateful to have accounts of these historic men.

Resources: Drawings and partial excerpts from the stories of A. “Pete” Emig in the Cupertino Courier; “The Five Franciscan Churches of Mission Santa Clara” and “Marcello, Last of the Mission Indians,” by Rev. Arthur D. Spearman and Charles D. South.

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do you shop online?

Just for fun

D o you shop online? Many of us

do, as it’s a convenient way to buy many things. Here we list some of the most popular sites, along with their background information. If you have your own favorite sites, please let us know.

1. Forever 21 Founded by a Korean husband and wife team in 1984, the first Forever 21 store opened in Los Angeles with a location size of only 900 square feet. The company has grown rapidly since its humble beginnings though. It now has over 480 stores in the U.S. with shops in malls up to 9,000 square feet, as well as their own massive 24,000 square foot XXI flagship stores. Despite its rapid growth, the company has remained a family owned business for 30 years.

5:00 am to 6:00 pm; on weekends 8:00am to 6:00pm.

2. Mod Deals Mod Deals is an online women’s fashion store that sells accessories, jewelry, purses and beauty products. ModDeals has 12 years of retail experience and 15 physical store locations in San Diego.

The online store provides a large selection of trendy fashion at 70% off the suggested retail price.

Shipping is unfortunately not free, but the company’s fantastic return policy of 365 days makes up for this. ModDeals.com accepts Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Discover, and PayPal. www.moddeals.com Customer service hours: 8:30 to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday.

In addition to its physical stores, Forever 21 has become one of the most popular websites for high school and college students.

The brand is known for its trendy styles and its cheap pricing. They sell women’s, men’s, and girls’ clothing, accessories, and beauty products; they also have the Forever 21 Plus line designed for larger sizes.

3. Styles For Less Styles For Less, Inc. was founded in 1992 in Anaheim, California, and currently owns and operates a chain of physical and online stores in the United States. It offers a wide range of products such as novelty knit tops, outerwear, sweaters, shorts, pants, skirts, dresses, jewelry, intimate apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and plus size tops and bottoms for women.

Forever 21 accepts Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and Paypal, and offers free shipping for purchases over $50. It offers a 30 day return policy from ship date for clothing; however, no returns for accessories, cosmetics, and final sale items. www.forever21.com/ Customer service hours: Monday to Friday

Stylesforless.com offers free shipping for purchases of $50 or more. Returns and exchanges must be made within 30 days of the shipped date. You can earn points when you shop, and rewards when you register or follow them on social media. Rewards can be used for extra discounts on your

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orders. Stylesforless.com also has a VIP card for purchase which will give you 10% off each time you buy online. During the week of your birthday you may use the card in stores for a 20% discount as well (DOB proof required).This discount is available on all purchases after the initial purchase of the card for a period of one year from the purchase date. www.stylesforless.com/ Customer service hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 3:30pm PST. 4. 10 Dollar Mall 10 Dollar Mall started operations at the end of the 80’s with a small store in San Diego, CA. In 2011, 10 Dollar Mall launched their e-commerce website 10DollarMall.com.

The store sells trendy clothing for men and women for only $10 dollars or less. 10 Dollar Mall also has a fabulous 365 days return policy, but shipping is not included.

You can receive further discounts when you log in to your account, write a review, participate in the forum, or refer your friends to the store.www.10dollarmall.com 5. Necessary Clothing Necessary Clothing is a great website for cash strapped college students to find great bargains on fantastic clothes.

You can get free shipping if you spend $125 or more within the US. Be sure to check out the new arrivals on sales, dresses, shoes, and more.

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Returns must be received within 14 business days from the date of the delivery; returns after 14 to 30 business days require a 20% restocking fee. Customer service is available 24/7.

6. Charlotte Russe Named after the French dessert, Charlotte Russe began its sweet journey in 1975 with the first store opening in Carlsbad, California.

Putting a spotlight on women in their teens and early twenties and focusing on trendy, affordable clothes, shoes, jewelry, and accessories, Charlotte Russe grew quickly from 35 stores in Southern California to over 500 stores across the United States and Puerto Rico.

Charlotte Russe is headquartered in San Francisco with operational functions in San Diego. There are always deals going on at Charlotte Russe, especially for shoes for which they offer a $5 pair with the purchase of another. The skirts and dresses are also stylish and super cheap.

Charlotte Russe offers free shipping for orders over $50.

Customer service hours are 9:00 am and 12:00 am EST every day. Returns can be made within 30 days at a store or by mail. www.charlotterusse.com 7. Rue 21 Headquartered north of Pittsburgh, PA, Rue21 has over 1,100 stores in 47 states’ shopping malls, outlets and strip centers. Rue 21 offers amazing clothes for both men and women. You can find awesome graphic tees, dresses, skirts, accessories, fragrances and more.

Even better, Rue 21 always has sales going on.

Returns are accepted within 30 days of purchase for refund or

merchandise credit. Customer service hours of operations are Sunday-Saturday 10:00 am to 8:00 pm EST. www.rue21.com/store/ 8. Go Jane GoJane LLC is an Internet retailer of shoes, tops, bottoms, dresses, formals, jewelry, and accessories for women in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company was founded in 1998 and is based in Ontario, California. The company became a subsidiary of Aéropostale, Inc. in late 2012.

Go Jane has pretty women’s clothes for every occasion. You can buy accessories like hats, belts, and sunglasses for low prices.

Free economy shipping is offered for orders over $50, and free standard shipping for orders over $100. Returns and exchanges are accepted within 30 days of the ship date. Shipping is free for exchanges. Customer service is available from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm PST. www.gojane.com 9. ASOS (As Seen On Screen) ASOS.com is a British online fashion and beauty store primarily aimed at young adults. ASOS sells over 850 brands as well as its own range of clothing and accessories.

You can find a variety of different styles and can even buy vintage clothing. College students can join ASOS on Campus to get 10 percent off purchases.

ASOS offers free economy shipping for purchases $40 and above, as well as free 2 day shipping for orders above $140.

Returns are accepted within 28 days of receiving your original order, including sale items.

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• Unlimited Standard shipping • Unlimited free 2-day shipping* ** (worth $12 per order) • Early access to sales • Exclusive sales and offers Customer service: by email only. http://us.asos.com/ 10. Urban Original Urbanog.com is an online fashion store that started in 2005 by offering the latest fashion footwear, at competitive prices. Urbanog.com now offers unique apparel lines as well as swimwear, costumes, handbags, and fashion accessories.

Urbanog.com headquarters is based in Chino in Southern California.

Urban Original offers free standard shipping for continental U.S. orders over $60. Customer service hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Pacific Standard Time. www.urbanog.com At Urban Original, you get more discount when you shop through their point system. When you accumulate 500 points and you can get a $25 gift card towards your future purchases. www.urbanog. com Shopping online is a wonderful experience. You can browse more items faster than you can in store. These online stores try to make shopping fun and exciting, and provide excellent customer experiences.

ASOS has a Premier customer membership program for $29 a year. Benefits include: S I L I C O N VA L L E Y I M P R E S S I O N S | A p r i l 2 0 1 5

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Charac ter fro m “ t h e ju ngle ”

- todd gerhardt society

“T he Jungle,” located in Silicon

Valley, is about 10 to 15 minutes away from the world’s largest hi-tech companies, covering 68 acres. It is the largest homeless camp in the United States, with about 300 homeless residents.

They come from many walks of life. Among them are Caucasian, African American, Latin American, Middle Eastern and Asian. The oldest person is 80 years old and the youngest is only 2 years old.

Living conditions are harsh, and no drinking water is available, as well as no bathrooms and no garbage facility. Trash and human refuse abound the jungle, polluting the area and its surroundings.

Crime is commonplace: almost all of its resicents have drug addictions. Many have AIDS; almost all of them have criminal records and have been in jail for various crimes such as stealing, fighting, and drug dealing. These

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factors make it hard for them to obtain a job or receive government aid.

This issue, we feature Todd Gerhardt from the Jungle, a 50-year old Caucasian man who grew up in San Jose. Todd graduated from high school and worked as an electrical engineer. He has been living in the Jungle for 4 years. Both his parents were alcoholics. They moved to the Bay Area when he was 8 years old.

He began to smoke in his teenage

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to close down the Jungle, everyone has to go, otherwise we will be put in the shelter or go ‘in’(to jail).”

years. He was a licensed electrician where he worked long hours under tremendous stress, after 5 years, he became mentally ill. He lost his job 6 years ago. He has been in the Jungle for 4 years. He smoke marijuana on a daily basis, “it relaxes me and helps me to deal with my mental illness.” He has four children, they all live with

their mother. Having been in San Jose for 42 years, he remembers the place being orchards everywhere, he even worked in the orchards as temporary help during his high school years. “I wish to open a small company, with some aid from the government, I can do well. But now I see no hope no matter how hard I try. The government wants

Losing The Jungle: Being a San Jose native for 42 years, in this city that receives thousands of immigrants every year from other countries, Todd cannot find a home.

It will be Thanksgiving in two days, Todd stares at a Pooh toy, he is thinking of his family and his children.

On December 4th, the Jungle has been cleared. The people that we have interviewed have lost a place where they called home. The Jungle is gone, but homeless problems remain and the people like Todd still don’t have a home to go to.

Trying to find peace

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Ivymax: nepal orphanage improvement program youth corner

IvyMax students visit HIV positive orphanage kids in Nepal.

I n Nepal, if a mother goes to Pris-

16-day philanthropy project in the ancient capital city of Kathmandu, on, her children must accompany her. Prisoners Assistance Nepal, has where they will live and work alongside full time Nepali staff on established several orphanages for the renovation of a deteriorating children to live in that are outside Orphanage. of the prison environments. In addition, PA Nepal facilitates regular visits to the prisons for the children Before departure, each student will complete homework on Nepalese to spend time with their mothers.

Due to the lack of funds, volunteers culture, language, and politics and human rights status. Students will are sent to repair, refurbish and also study the impact of Prisoners expand orphanages’ dormitories.

Assistance Nepal on local human rights improvement. Prior to and During the 2014 winter internship upon arrival, students will undergo project, students will be guided a thorough orientation, where they

by IvyMax Senior counselors on a S I L I C O N VA L L E Y I M P R E S S I O N S | A p r i l 2 0 1 5

will be trained in cultural differences, awareness, and key skills to thrive in the foreign environment and aid with the successfully complete their duties.

Students will be required to effectively lead a group, interview PA Nepal staff, perform construction duties (sand, paint, build, expand and refurbish), organize and coordinate construction project planning with on-site staff and interact with orphans on a daily basis, and work on their final presentations.

Each night students will have group

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sharing sessions and reflect on their experiences in written journals that counselors will review and provide feedback on. As a group, students will also have the opportunity to see temples, religious sites and other places of interest during a counselor led field trip.

Prisoners Assistance Nepal Information: PA Nepal was established in 2000 by Indira Ranamagar. This was a continuation of the prisoner welfare work started by renowned writer and human rights activist Parijat, (also known as Bishnu Kumari Waiba), in the early 1990s.

Indira worked closely with Parijat during this time and was inspired to found PA Nepal. Throughout the years, PA Nepal has grown into a well-established NGO that provides education, skills and rehabilitation training for the most vulnerable groups (women, children, sick people and mentally ill people) while advocating for their rights.

PA Nepal seeks to improve the human rights of women and their children who are affected by their mother’s imprisonment. PA Nepal provides community based education and counseling to both women and children to help reintegrate them into society by providing

Kevin Gao playing Nepali Drum.

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them with vocational training, social skills and self confidence. They also work with similar CDOs and the community to improve awareness and attitude towards this target group. PA Nepal also has a home which provides accommodation, food, care, education and friendship to about 370 plus children and young adults.

Living Quarters: The center is located in a quiet residential area of Kathmandu within 12 minutes walking distance to Thamel, the famous backpacker location of Nepal.

The house has electricity, running water (most of the time), and 24 hour wireless internet (most of the time). There is only one computer available and you are welcome to bring your laptop to connect to the internet. The center will serve volunteers in orientation, language training and as a resource center that supplies books, magazines, games and other various publications on everything in Nepal. There are nine rooms, shared by 4 people of the same gender. There are four bathrooms in the house (2 western, 2 squat). The center provides pillows, sheets, blankets and towels.

There are 2 large rooftops and several small balconies for space

Reception on arrival

to relax. Laundry can be washed by hand and hung to dry on the roof-top or there are several businesses that will wash and dry your clothes for less than $1USD per kilo. A continental breakfast is served every morning with at least one cooked breakfast provided per week. Packed lunches can be provided during your stay. Delicious Nepali dinners are prepared 6 days by the wonderful cook DC. If you are interested in learning how to cook Nepali daal bhat, DC is happy to put you to work in the kitchen!

Location: Nepal.

Length of Program: 14 days.

Size of Group: 15 students on average Job Description: • Interview PA Nepal staff.

• Coordinate construction efforts on the orphanage with on-site Nepali Staff.

• Refurbish the orphanage by painting, sanding, building, planning.

• Gain first-hand experience from working in a developing country.

• Prepare group presentations.

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ivyma x students’ refl ections youth corner

High school students from the Bay Area helped renovate HIV orphanage.

Wesley Wang

I think that my greatest challenge on this trip is one that many people will think of. That challenge is to have the mentality and motivation to be on such a trip . I‘m basing everything on the idea “Why should I do this?” Why should I do all this for these people? Why should I spend time painting buildings?

Over the course of this trip, I have found the answer. At the beginning, I feel like all of my motivations were based on the excitement of new experiences: a new country, new cities, and new people. Who wouldn’t be?

One the first day, I felt like I wanted to paint because it was something I haven’t done before.

I was productive during those first few days because I really liked learning new things. However, as I got used to the procedure, I was

bored. I didn’t want to paint any more. I didn’t really see the connection between painting buildings and helping the children in Nepal. The only thing that kept me going was that I felt that I could be helping the people. But that wasn’t enough.

I started to take breaks and killing my time such a as playing with the dog Chunky.

trip. I really enjoy reflecting on what I have experienced. I finally have understood that although this is a philanthropy program, this trip can also open participants; minds.

I started to also focus on my own mental developments, of course, I probably still have to improve that, but I think I have successfully solved my challenge for this trip.

Over the next few days, I started finding solutions to my challenge.

During our daily night sessions, especially during the leader meetings. I was made a co-leader.

Having some responsibilities introduced more meaning for my participation in the trip. From these meetings, I gained a lot more insights about the purpose of my trip. For example, I finally realized that the new paint jobs and the murals we painted would help the children be happier; as they would be living in a newer, cleaner environment. I even began to regret that we didn’t get to finish the murals.

Kevin Gao

However, I think that the major solution was an improvement to my own mind. After learning so many new things and listening to Indira’s talks, I changed my attitude. I thought to myself, if I tried to do more work, I will learn more and have more to reflect in the future. This trip was the first trip that I started to actually have some reflections. Last few trips, I essentially summarized everything I did and did not really reflect. My change of attitude changed my view towards life, at least for this

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I’ve been here in Nepal for 9 days., Everyday was worth it.

From the beginning of looking at the general environment of Nepal, to visiting many places and look deeper , I learned many things. The most interesting thing I did was interviewing Indira and visited the PA Nepal. Before I visited her and her organization, I never thought there can be a woman, who came from a poor family, can changes the lives of thousands of children. This was a big accomplishment because there are only few people my age know and actually understand her action, and are able to talk to her in person, and inspired by her. Her actions had taught me a lot, and let me understand more about Nepal.

And she inspired me not only to the people of PA Nepal, but also inspired me to become a person like her, to help those at the bottom of the society, overcome challenges, and inspire more people.

Another thing I felt is an accomplishment was to help an HIV orphanage to paint their home. Maybe my own personal action was tiny and trivial, but

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every time I played soccer with the children at the orphanage, taught them how to play guitar, and helped them in other things, I made them laugh and be happy. This was very touching because they have HIV. They know their life will be short and different from anyone else’s life, but they still enjoy their life,

and appreciate other people’s help..

Nearly everyday I was painting the orphanage room. At first, I felt very energetic and excited, but day after day, I felt more tired than ever, but I made it through. If I could make them feel happy and have more hopeful than before, I would do this again, and I don’t regret.

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Lots of people in this world need help, and I hope I can spread the words at my home country and we can do the same for many people, and we can change billions of many lives.

Edu cation reali sm Foothill college adds 4 year degrees

I n his book “Real Education”,

Charles Murray challenged the “Education Romanticism” inherent in the American education system’s fundamental philosophy. He argued that because not everyone is equal in academic ability, not everyone can benefit or enjoy an academic education in our universities. Murray proposed to save the university academic education for those who are academically gifted, and that our schools should provide excellent vocational training for the rest of the population. “Real Education” received much criticism and controversy when it was published in 2008. However, many of its observations and problems are true and should not be denied.

about making community colleges universities, we’re not talking about offering bachelor’s degrees in history and sociology and political science; we’re talking about addressing the fact that jobs that previously could be met with an associate degree (AA) now require a bachelor’s degree (BA).”

In September 2013, Thor’s Senate Bill 850 (SB 850) passed unanimously in the California legislature. Of the 112 community schools in California, fifteen were selected to offer one bachelor’s degree each in a subject specialized for a particular local job market; these programs were not to overlap with the curriculum of the nearby University of California (UC) or California State University (Cal Twelve years before Charles Murray’s book was published Linda Sate). Foothill College was selected to be one of these fifteen schools Thor, president of a community college in Phoenix, had realized and, starting in 2016, the college that the two year associate degrees will offer a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene. The remainoffered did not provide enough ing fourteen colleges will offer skill and knowledge training for future workforces. She thus began such diverse degrees as respiratory therapy, automotive technoloher mission of bringing bachelor gy, bio-engineering and aerospace degree programs to communimanufacturing technology. ty colleges: “We weren’t talking

Lower-division coursework for a bachelor degree in community college will cost $46 per credit, and upper-division coursework will cost $84 per credit, with an estimated total cost of about $10,500 for a bachelor’s degree. By comparison, in the UC system, a four year degree will cost close to $50,000 in tuition. Further, it is expected that the recent 28% rate hike will raise tuition to $62,000 by the year 2019.

At the Cal State system, it costs $20,000 for a four year degree.

SB 580 will also assist the state in meeting the needs for individuals in high demand technical disciplines which increasingly require more education and training. It has the potential to greatly improve workforce quality and competitiveness in the global economy.

Despite the criticisms of Murray’s book, SB 850 is a move towards his proposed direction: encourage less academic learning for those who are not academically inclined, and instead provide them with excellent training and career paths.

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L i ttle Tr e e Mon t e s s ori I n ternational s ch ool rai s e s t he b ar for pr e s ch ool s Kids

I f one could use the hotel star

has 5 classrooms. Each classroom has its own child-size bathroom. rating system to rate preschools, Little Tree Montessori International The Little Tree Montessori InternaSchool would have a solid five-star tional School has a long education history in the Bay Area. The origirating for its view, room variation, nal Little Tree Bilingual Montessori sizes and comfort at its two new School and Growing Tree Learning campuses in Sunnyvale and FreCenter were established in 2004 to mont. serve the busy Bay Area parents The Sunnyvale Little Tree Montes- with education and childcare for the sori International Preschool boasts 18 months to 6-year-old children.

Both schools provide Chinese and of 16,000 square feet of indoor English curriculums in Montessori space, the total lot is over 1 acre, style. Currently, the Little Tree and and there are 8 classrooms. Each Growing Tree family of schools classroom has a boy’s and girl’s have facilities in Saratoga, Campbathroom. bell, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, and Fremont. Serving children from The Fremont Little Tree Montessori International School has 9,600 18 months to 6 years, its programs include full-day, half-day, aftersquare feet of indoor space. The total lot area is 1 acre. This facility school, transitional kindergarten

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and summer camp for first graders to 7th graders.

Preschool curriculum includes bilingual Chinese/English and English-only. Curriculums are designed following the Montessori teaching philosophy in 8 areas of development: daily life skills, sensorial skills, geography and culture, language arts, math, science, and music. Each month, the curriculum has a theme such as reptiles, birds, bugs, holidays, etc. Teaching materials and curriculum is carefully researched and prepared.

While Growing Tree Learning Center and Little Tree Bilingual Montessori are at their full capacity and a wait list is necessary, the new

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facilities are currently open for new students.

Websites: Saratoga - www.ilovegrowingtree.com; www.welovegrowingtree.com Cupertino - www.ilovelittletree.com Campbell - www.Littletreemis.com Sunnyvale - www.LittleTreeMisg/Sunnyvale.com Fremont - www.LittleTreeMisg/Fremont.com

Pray for rain our environment Lexington Reservoir on HWY 17 17

T he few days

of rain at last in the past months have provided a small relief for the 4th year of drought in California. At this point, anything helps, but it is definitely not enough to make up for the lack of rain during the previous 3 years, we need to continue to pray for rain.

Stevens Creek Trail

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woman of the year: hung wei redefines everything bay area women The Asian parents are generally not good at showing affection.

The Asian kids don’t get hugged often. Sometimes, a simple gesture of love is just to hug them and tell them that everything will be okay.

Redefine • anti-stress home • success • school grades • getting college education • parental love • competition • goal • Social fulfillment • happiness

T his year, in Honor of Women’s

History Month, the 28th Assembly District of California announced that the Fremont Union High School District Board of Trustee Hung Wei was elected to be the Woman of Year.

Hung, a Cupertino resident, is serving her third term on the high school board. She is currently the board’s vice president. This year, she is also the president of the Rotary Club of Cupertino.

Wei and her husband, Ta-Wei Chien, have three children. Her first born, a 19-year-old daughter, was attending college when she committed suicide. Now, the two

Hung Wei other children, both sons, are grown.

Open Society Media (OSM) magazine talked to her about her work, her life, and her passion.

Hung has redefined the concepts of parenthood, raising teenagers, and real personal satisfaction in life.

Redefine the anti-stress home: Our teenagers are vulnerable and living with many challenges in life. We need to listen to them and support them. By using the term “supporting,” Hung meant to hug them, to tell them “I love you” and to provide a safe environment for them at home. In another word, to “de-stress” them. Hug them:

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Redefine success: The children in the Silicon Valley are well protected by their parents. They started to be academically trained at a very young age: Math, Music, sports, languages etc. Often, parents want their children to be the best of everything. It’s common to see a child at his or her graduation ceremony receive a long list of awards and recognitions. No matter what the parents do for the child, and no matter what they have achieved, there is still more to be done. Some kids spend so much time perfecting many things. They are overly burdened with the stress of being the best and it kills their interests. It’s totally fine not to be the best in a few things in life, but to be the best in one or two things and simply enjoying the rest. Do certain things to make friends and to work well with peers, or just for the sheer enjoyment of it.

Redefine school grades: As far as schoolwork is concerned, your children will have A’s and B’s.

B is good, and C is average. A is excellent. Accept your children when they have B’s or C’s because it is okay to be average. It is okay to have teachers giving A’s to as many students as there are deserving of A’s. Many teachers are stuck

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with the notion that a class has to have a small amount of A’s, and a large amount of B’s and C’s. This is unfair for many of the children in this area. Most of the children study very hard and they have mastered their subjects. The teachers tend to make the tests harder and harder in order to distinguish between the A’s and B’s. Many of these tests are beyond the level of the subject and the scope of the class. We should not give hard tests simply because we are afraid of giving too many A’s.

Redefine getting college education: Many kids here are so good at all academic studies, but they have no passion for anything.

I don’t recommend they choose majors in the first two years of college. Let them explore all the possibilities then decide. At the end of the day, you need to do what you love. We don’t have to require our children go to college right after high school. They can go to college after 1 year, 2 years, or at any time when they are ready. Many kids follow the conventional path of high school to college and when they finish college they don’t know what to do. They end up staying home after college and not doing anything. There are jobs, but not the kind of jobs they want to do because they don’t know what to do and they cannot find their passions.

When the children go to college, our job of raising them is not over.

Many parents think that once the kids are in college, the job of raising children is over. It actually just started. In the American colleges, drug, alcohol, and sex are everywhere. Even though some children try to stay away from these things, temptations are always being shoved in front of their faces all the time. The children have left home with full freedom. In the meantime, they are also lonely.

They have only a desk and a bed to go to at night. There is nobody to take care of them. The school will not notify the parents of any problems their children might experience once they turn 18. This is an important time to guide them through and to continue to care about them.

Redefine parental love: parents need to provide an environment where the children feel loved, no matter what – successful or not. Children who come from an environment that is unconditionally loving feel supported and safe.

Parents need to take care of their teenagers’ mental and emotional growth and well-being. This aspect of parental love means that we do not mix our feelings for our children based on their academic or physical achievements, that even when they fail, they know that we love them the same.

Redefine competition: The Asian culture is highly competitive. We view all our peers as our competitors. In reality, once at work or in the public, not that many people are competing against their peers.

People need more collaboration to get things done. It’s important to teach our children that their peers are important parts of their success, once they learn to collaborate with their peers, they will have a higher chance of success.

Redefine the goal: The end goal for our younger generations is not to get into college; college is where life just starts for them. The goal is for them to realize their passions through college learning and developing the skills to do what they love and what will fulfill them and make them happy. It is not important for a child go to a top-tier college, but it is important for the child to find fulfillment and passion in the college he or she goes to.

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Redefine social fulfillment: The Asian culture in general isn’t familiar with the idea of volunteering, America is a great country because of immigration and volunteering. Volunteers in the community provide friendships and self fulfillment. “I encourage all the children in our school district to do community service work and I ‘force’ many of the moms to work with me to serve the community.

If you educate other people’s kids, that’s good for your kids. If you do work to help other children to be better people, you will provide more good people to society. They will be your children’s coworkers or friends, and your children will have a better society to live in,” Hung says Redefine happiness: The Rotary, where Hung has served since 2007, is like a family to her. “Community service is not just working for other people, you also get a lot for yourself. The selfish reason is to make friends and feel a sense of belonging. And in the meantime, you help others, which gives yourself a purpose in life. When you have friends and a purpose, you are most likely to be happy.

Being happy is the highest achievement in our lives and you cannot achieve it by having money alone.

The Chinese concept of managing your family, managing your country and promoting world peace is the highest ideal for personal achievement and fulfillment. It works at any age and at any time.”

---Wei Hung, we are happy you are there to watch over our children and we are happy you are in the community, fully involved to provide your time and inspiration.

We look forward to seeing you in the community, building more friendships.

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cupertino rotary book club notes - by wendell stephens Books CRBC by simply showing up. We try to line up books as much as six months in advance.

T he Cupertino Rotary Book Club

(CRBC) started about three years ago when the Cupertino Rotary Club began “affinity” groups. The purpose was to allow more social interaction among members. At that time, we had affinity groups for cycling, a golf fellowship playing about 8 times a year, a dinner group, and a monthly movie night. The CRBC meets monthly at the Northwest YMCA at 7 p.m. and usually on the fourth Monday of the month. We have anywhere between 12 and 20 attendees at the meetings. The book club is open to anyone, but we regularly mail info to Rotary Club members and an additional list of “friends” of our Rotary Club. Friends are people who have expressed interest in Rotary, people who have helped with our projects or who are community volunteers. You basically join the

The book selection process is pretty simple. We send a notice to people asking for their suggestions of books the club should read. We’ve learned to eliminate tomes. Later, we discuss the 20 or so books on the list and pick the top 6 that are of interest. We try to stay balanced with mystery, history, and various cultural books. The six books we selected for the first half of the year are listed in the table below, along with the dates of our meetings.

In the first quarter, we read the thriller “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, “My Promised Land, The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel” by Ari Savit, and “Behind the Beautiful Forever” by Katherine Boo. In “Gone Girl” we struggled to find a character we liked, but loved the twists and turns of the plot. “My Promised Land” was a well-written book and we read it at time of Netanyahu’s visit to congress and the discussions concerning negotiations with Iran nuclear facility plans. That meeting had 19 people attending. We learned a lot about Israel’s history, as well as its internal factions on various issues. We will close the quarter with “Behind the Beautiful Forever” – a story of life in the slums of Mumbai. The book is quite depressing, initially, but ends on a hopeful note as well

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as a discussion of the author’s approach to documenting how she learned about life in the slums. The book is based on true stories. It tells the story of grinding poverty, corruption, bribery, and a lack of hope.

In the next quarter, we will read a WWII mystery, a stirring story of Olympic glory from a depressionera team, and the story of life in Leningrad during the Nazi siege of that city. The “Boys in the Boat” is true story of a rowing team from the University of Washington who won Olympic Gold in 1936 in Berlin. You meet the rowers and learn of their depression-era struggles.

You meet an outstanding coach and probably the foremost skull builder of that time. Over the four-year period of the book, you get to know people you can truly respect. And “The City of Thieves” reminds me of the book and movie “The Book Thief.” It is a depressing time, but the human spirit succeeds in spite of it. This easy read may have been my favorite of the six books.

Come and join us in these discussions. We have both men and women attending, great moderators, wonderful books, some treats, and attendees from around the world that give us great insights into their cultures. Our one-hour meetings usually runs for an hour and a half, and attendees linger afterward for further discussion. We have a great time.

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Here’s the list of the books and our schedule: Monday, April 27th.: “Churchill’s Secretary: A Maggie Hope Mystery” by Susan Ilia MacNeal.

Moderator: George Tyson Thursday, May 28th.: “Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Quest for Gold”.

Moderator: Ann Cleaver Monday, June 22nd.: “City of Thieves” by David Benioff.

Moderator: Wendell Stephens

food Just for fun

Got Tofu?

Sogo tofu

I f you feel that the price has gone up, but the quantity has gone down, you are not the only one.

fish please SUSHI KUNI

I t is a crowded hole in a wall, which some say has been around for 30 years. It is also my favorite Sushi place, Sushi Kuni. For years, it has been the place I take my friends to, and come myself for sushi. To me, Sushi Kuni is the only good sushi place in Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Los Altos and Mountain View.

If you happen to like California rolls, do yourself a favor, and never order California rolls anywhere else: it is one of the rare places where the California roll is made with real crab meat - yum! Their unagi is also fantastic. Fresh and flavorful. For the adventurous, order the chef’s special sashimi dish, and ask for the whole fish bone to be fried. You can eat the bone, head and the tail for an

Sogo Tofu House used to be my favorite place to get vegetarian food for my family, and I often all-in-one protein and Omega-6 recommended this place to many rich meal. of my friends. In the past, you could get a bento box for less Daily specials are listed on the than $4, which contained so much board - the seared halibut, and brown rice, tofu and vegetables squid, are particularly excellent. that you could not possibly finish The baby squid sashimi was not my it in one meal. Now it’s over $8 favorite though. The steamed clams a meal and the quantity has been are great in a sake broth; make sure halved; be prepared to get two to drink the broth too! Also, ask orders to equate to one meal. The for the baked hamachi cheek, and food has been consistent despite dig in – you will not be disappoint- the pricing changes. Not too many ed. Yum! Exploring the culinary new dishes have been added, excitement of this place allows you but the same old dishes are still to eat fish like the Japanese. Ask available: lots of fresh tofu dishes for the daily special or try anything with fresh vegetables, all with that sounds good to you. no MSG, and no greasy feeling.

Sometimes the service isn’t perfect, and sometimes there is a long wait. That’s how it goes though in small restaurants where the food is carefully hand made.

In the end, it beats a place where the food comes out of a machine and is handled by rubber gloves.

1600 S De Anza Blvd, San Jose, CA 95106. (408) 517-8958

10211 South De Anza Boulevard, Cupertino, CA 95014.

(408) 257-5864.

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26

SI LI CO NVA LL EY IM PR ES SION S.C OM

the taichi kid kids

B enson Lin is a 16-year-old

Cupertino High School student.

Like any other high school kids in the Bay Area, he is busy with academics, preparing for college.

He also grows up in a bilingual family. What is different about him is that 3 years ago, he took an interest in Taichi, a form of Chinese Martial Arts that focuses on balance, controlled movement, and inner awareness. “Taichi as a martial art has always had the image that it is for the elders because of the slow movement and its calm appearance. However, to achieve slow movement and calmness, one needs so much inner power and strength. Most people think that it is a low impact exercise. It actually requires more strength than many other more active forms of sport.”

Benson’s Shifu Yunjian Zou explains. “It seeks balance of the external and the internal. It infiltrates our everyday life and behavior.

“I like Taichi because it is different.

In my school, I can do basketball, I can do track and team and many other sports, but Taichi is not being offered at school, so I decided to try Taichi.” He spends 2 to 3 hours a week taking Taichi lessons and often thinks about Taichi movement during his daily activities, especially when he listens to music.

Last year, Benson took part in the World Taichi Championship competition in Chengdu, China. During the competition, Benson had a chance to meet martial arts students from all over the world and he learned the many styles of training and martial arts performance. “It was an eye-opening experience.

The refined movements and beautiful styles from many of the participants mesmerized me. I learned a lot from this experience.”

Omei Wushu Academy was founded by Mr. Yunjian Zou. He started his martial arts training at Wushu Sports and Physical Education Institute in China. After graduating in 1993, he was selected to be in the national Wushu team in

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1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001. He has won many awards in international martial arts competitions in China, Vietnam, and Japan. Mr. Zou enjoys working with the Bay Area children and hopes to promote Taichi as a way of life: in health maintenance, in resolving conflict, and maintaining our inner balance and harmony.

For more information, please visit. www.omeiacademy.com

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