We’re Moving!

Hi!

Thanks for reading my blog :) It’s moving from stanleyquan.wordpress.com to stanleyquan.com as of today! So if you’re subscribing to posts, make sure you change the url.

I added some features to the new site to improve navigation. Take a look around!

Best,

Stanley

Live Laugh Love (and Learn)

Live

There is beauty  in life. Really take the time to see it all around you. Enjoy the little things.

Live in the moment. Go on an adventure.

Laugh

Don’t take life too seriously. It’s pretty funny most of the time. Have fun.

Love

Do what you love. Make someone’s day. Follow your heart. Be true to yourself.

Break, melt, and meld.

Learn

Be inspired. Learn from people. Try new things. Seek out new challenges. Take a leap.

 

No One Truly Understands

“Anyone who tells you he really understands what’s going on is lying to himself.”

No one ever truly understands, but we all try our best. Whether or not the pursuit for understanding ends in resolution or even more questions, there’s comfort in the attempt.

We live and we learn.

Late Night Adventuretime

Last night I went on an adventure in the city with good friends of old and new.

We had originally planned to go to the SF Bay Launch Party for The Generation Project and that’s how we started off the night. If you don’t know about The Generation Project, you should definitely check them out here and learn more about their amazing work. They are an educational philanthropy that allows donors to become actively involved in their giving.

Once the party finished, we decided to get spontaneous. The night was young and after all, we had a car, a camera, and an adventurous spirit! As my friend Emily proclaimed, it was “ADVENTURETIME!”

A short recap of our late night adventure:

• burger stop at In N Out
• ice cream sundaes at Ghiradelli Square
• short frolic on a mini beach
• cruise down Market Street, oohing and ahhing at the pretty Christmas lights
• windy drive up to Twin Peaks for an absolutely beautiful view of the Bay Area
• detour through Golden Gate Park
• foggy drive across the Golden Gate Bridge
• trying and failing to hold our breadth as we drove under bridges
• zooming down the freeway looking for Waldo (the city), missing the exit multiple times, turning off onto a creepy not-through street, but finally finding Waldo!

Great people, great night.

I had a blast and hope you did too, Jimmy, Emily, Karen, Gabby, and Cheryl!

With Generation Project Co-Founder and President/CEO Jessica Rauch

At Ghiradelli Square

Found Waldo!

Photos by Karen Wong

When It’s Cold Outside, Hot Showers Are The Best

When it’s cold outside, hot showers are the best. Both literally and figuratively.

For one, if it’s freezing outdoors, there’s often nothing much better than a hot shower. After braving the cold, it’s always nice to come home, turn on the faucet, and feel that jolt of heat.

For two, if the world seems cold to you, the perfect medicine is something that excites you or cheers you up. A jolt, with a smiley face.

Warms your body, warms your heart.

Through Santa’s Eyes

Earlier this week, Santa Stanley made an appearance to help fundraise for Camp Kesem at the holiday photobooth :)

I should actually say re-appearance. Being Santa this week reminded me of four years ago, when I dressed up to hand out presents to kids my senior year of high school. It was an unbelievable experience and here was my attempt at putting it into words for a newsletter:

Generosity is something many of us take for granted, especially in the winter season when the holidays roll around.  Many of us enjoy the socializing over giant family feasts and gift giving that bring us happiness during this time.  But we often forget about the less fortunate, those who aren’t able to share our jubilation in getting exactly what we asked for from Santa.  This past winter, I learned the true meaning of Christmas spirit.  As the President of the San Mateo Police Activities League (PAL) Youth Director’s Council, I helped start the first annual holiday toy drive to collect toys for local kids who otherwise wouldn’t receive a Christmas gift.   In early December, we organized the toy drive with a goal of 250 gifts for deserving kids who are less fortunate.  Our council was composed of only ten high school students and we were hesitant at first, mostly because we had never attempted a project so big, but also because we were afraid that our enthusiasm would be met with apathy.  We were going to spend long hours in front of toy stores asking for donations, so we had to trust that shoppers would respond graciously to our initiative and spirit.

I was pretty nervous at first going up to strangers and asking for a contribution of any size.  Being rejected over and over again by people who simply ignored my presence eventually became kind of expected.  But these many moments of shame were easily wiped away when someone came over and dropped of a toy they had picked up in the store.  Just seeing the toys pile up one by one in our little collection bin gave me and my team the boost to continue braving the cold, wind, and rain.

Much to our surprise, we collected over 300 gifts including four bikes, and $900 overall in just two weeks.  Our drive was so successful that we were able to select multiple gifts for 85 kids and also give half of our gifts to officers to hand out on Christmas Day and to local charitable organizations.  I was stunned by our success, not because of the great amount of time and commitment we put into it, but because of the local generosity we received.  In our increasingly competitive society, I was starting to lose sight of generosity.  It seemed like Christmas spirit, or so they say, was fading away behind the commotion of shopping season.  But in participating in a drive like this, giving instead of receiving, I saw the spirit of generosity alive and strong.

Although the collections and gift-wrapping were great, the best part was dressing up as Santa and handing out gifts to the kids.  I put on the fat suit, beard, wig, hat and all, and found my inner Santa as I “Ho! Ho! Ho!”-ed my way through one of the most memorable nights of my life.  Upon seeing the happy children who could only smile and give the big white-bearded man a hug, my countless hours handing out flyers and toil in organizing the whole thing instantly melted in their warmth  One mother even cried when she came down to the police station to pick up a bike we chose for her son.  She couldn’t believe that there was such generosity and care in the world.  I didn’t really believe there was either, until I saw the world through Santa’s eyes.

How We Change The World

From our good friends at Random Acts of Kindness:

Thankful

As I grow older, I think Thanksgiving is quickly becoming my favorite holiday. Giving thanks never gets old… and it’s nice to have a day dedicated to it.

It’s a time for family, friends, and loved ones. For just being around each other and sharing a feast. These times become  rarer as life continues to get busier.

There are so many people and things that I am thankful for that it’s hard to cover them all. But you should know that if you’re a part of my life, I am so very thankful and grateful to have you. Your support never goes unappreciated.

Reliving Childhood Never Gets Old

A few nights ago, I read a news story that reminded me of one of my favorite video games from childhood. So  through the magic of the internet, I searched for it online, found it, and played it for the next few hours.

Although I’m older now, it was still great fun to play a video game again. It brought back memories of when my brother and I would play it all the time during long road trips. I could look back, smile, and remember all those happy memories.

As I was playing, I was reliving my childhood. Something that made me happy when I was younger could still make me happy. That’s something that never gets old.

My Favorite Quote

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”

-Confucius

♥… follow it.