Random Thoughts

I'm sitting in Joe's cubicle at the Mission Community Response Network (CRN)in San Francisco typing this. I'm waiting for him to get his street outreach team ready so we can hit the streets of Mission where gangs are a fixture. I'll be riding with the Mission CRN team to observe how it serve its neighbor in this fight to reduce violence in the community. It's one way for me to learn and collaborate with other street outreach worker so I can maximize my potential to help the Asian Pacific Islander community.

The more I get into my work the more I notice how busy I can be. I want to keep up with writing my blog daily, but somehow I can't seem to find time to sit down and write. There's so much I want to share with everyone about my experiences and observations as a return member to this "free world."

Though I've only been out here for a little over 6 months, I feel like I've been out here for along time - staying busy all the time is a factor.

I live in Oakland and work in San Francisco so I have to commute to work daily. However, I don't have a licence to drive. But I've gotten my driving permit and is learning how to drive. Yes, I knew how to drive when I was a kid - driving recklessly. I did get scared when I was got behind the wheel. I was afraid that I would hit the parked cars or the cars coming toward me. I didn't have a feel for the road. I didn't have that problem when I was a kid. I was fearless. As an adult, I'm more cautious and aware of the potential danger comes with driving.

I was on the panel in the Public Defender's second annual Safe Community Reentry Summit yesterday in San Francisco State University. Though there was a lack of API presence, I was able to highlight the issues dealing with API prisoners who are incarcerated in California's 33 prisons. There's a dire need for education and providing resources that are cater to the API population.

The Cliff House restaurant at Ocean Beach serves delicious food with a million dollar view.

Ishle Yi Park says, "Work is love." I love my work.