An advanced celebration with family last night at @theparksfinest where we had the best seat, the best tasting food and great service! Thank you, my dear family.
Oh wait, my daughter made the best-tasting chocolate cake with chocolate mousse, another layer of cake, and then chocolate ganache. She makes high-quality cakes and pastries with the best flavors!
Salamat anak, and she does it effortlessly as a full-time working professional, mom, wife, and adventure-oriented climber of summits. I am in awe of all my children—two biological, their chosen partners, and my two wonderful, loving, and charming grandchildren. I feel full of love!
Thank you, dear sons—my biological son, his partner, my daughter’s spouse, and my dear hubby—for joining me to celebrate! The best gift to me was passing the DMV test and getting a new cellphone.
Give away your life to serve others, the saying goes.
My husband and I are doing that this weekend. From cooking for a guest, which I did, to babysitting my sons’ dog Saturday to today’s babysitting my charming, handsome, appreciative with lots of smiles 8 mo grandson #maharlikala2023 which I am doing so mom can go to the gym. Thank you Lord for our physical strengths to be able to do this, while also going out with friends. It is a giving and renewing weekend. #SalamatPoLord
Lingering question: do you accumulate wealth for your lifestyle or do you save for legacy building for the next generation to come? Have you just consumed life’s resources or do you build communities and leave a legacy for the future generations to have?
“The earth is not only full of God’s glory… the fullness of the earth is God’s glory.”-@Dr. Lester Edwin J Ruiz
P.S. I still have to write my column piece still and study for my DMV test, required for my age group.
This campus of a thriving Santa Ana United Methodist Church was repurposed, built in 2 years, and opened in June 2023.
93 unit housing complex, 33 units are dedicated for the homeless population.
Tenants are vetted by Mercy House with property manager on the site, ready to enforce the community rules and address repair issues.
Stacks of funding were provided by the city, county, state and church’s fundraising efforts while the church leased it to the developer for 65 years, after which, all improvements will be owned by the church.
Instead of razing the structure to the ground, as an example, the First United Methodist Church downtown LA, it is a legacy square with 93 units of housing, a multipurpose complex, a courtyard where some of the units are facing, and an office where piano lessons will be provided, and the hands of grace mission provided by the Santa Ana United Methodist Church.
The complex was built by Renaissance Core who also agreed to put in neighborhood improvements of roundabouts, streets paved, sidewalks renewed.
The housing complex was built next to a transportation station stop, next to a row of French styled houses on French St. and built right in the heart of downtown Santa Ana.
Not a blighted ghetto area anymore!
What are the intentions behind this project? Pastor Adiel de Pano shared that due to the declining church population, they are cash poor yet building-rich.
So by repurposing with a Land lease for 65 years, they can also help solve part of the housing crisis by offering programs of rehabilitating, ensuring the residents thrive and survive on their two feet, and not become permanent wards of the state, while the church earns land lease payments, as landlord.
By ensuring they partnered with agencies with the skills and talent to train the residents, for job placements, teach them life skills, the residents then become productive citizens, with higher sense of self worth, and quite responsible for their own lives.
SCAGS awarded this project for its innovative use of space, sustainability with solar power, electric stoves, and sensors to turn on the lights if used.
I just want to thank our good, diligent and hardworking Karen Bass for putting her concerted leadership efforts in resolving homelessness in Los Angeles as our Mayor Karen Bass. Thank you really! It shows that there is a #movementofgoodness for #gentlehumanity. I wish similar unused church and city properties are repurposed for affordable housing to positively support college working students, working families, caregivers, nannies, bus drivers, carpenters, plumbers, truck drivers, cleaning ladies, housekeepers, teachers, artists, poets, musicians, theater directors, actors and drive America to positivity, a positive way of surviving and thriving, instead of simply funding alcoholic and drug addiction programs of rehabilitation and military weapons.
It is time for government public policies support healthy ways of living, trail walking pilgrimages, healthy eating and Park amenities and programs for schoolchildren.
12 years ago, my first born was a working student and she graduated with a law degree. So proud of her – she is decisive and with determination, grit, focus and self reliance, she meets her goals.
Los Angeles Philharmonic & Legal Voices #lawyersconcert#LALawyersPhilharmonic are composed of 68 orchestra members and 51 chorus members who performed tonight, Father Day’s Eve, at Disney Hall to a near full capacity.
My daughter, C was one of the cellists. What’s remarkable is that she just gave birth five months ago, and started working part-time few months ago, while still breastfeeding the baby. How she made time for practice is a testament to her tenacity, determination, and discipline as well as support from her husband and daughter #princess2015la.
The concert was dedicated to the memory of Robert (Bob) Marx who commissioned a composition to show his gratitude for the City of Hope.
Their repertoire included Overture to the Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 (2nd movement), Verdi’s Agnus Dei from the Requiem, Rosenberg’s Tsen Brider, Leigh and Darion’s Man of La Mancha, Bill Marx’s Overture for A City of Hope, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Memory from Cats, John Williams’ Theme from Schindler’s List, Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Weill and Brecht’s The Ballad of Mack the Knife from The Threepenny Opera and Bock and Harnick’s Fiddler on the Roof Medley.
Quite remarkable are their featured singers: Renee Burkett, Zsofia Nemeth, Michael Maguire – a Tony winner and a lawyer; Victoria Gordon, Mike Lambert and a violin soloist, Anya Kwan.
“The concert features lawyers and judges in harmony. The program is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of music. The concert benefits Violins of Hope, City of Hope and LA Lawyers Philharmonic.”
Violins of hope are violins recovered from the Holocaust and lovingly and carefully restored by Amnon Weinstein and Avshalom Weinstein.
Each violin has a story. The Auschwitz Violin was made in Germany around 1850. It was originally owned by an inmate who played in the men’s orchestra at the Auschwitz concentration camp. He survived. 8 violins from the Holocaust were used in this concert.
Thank you for quite a good concert that moved us to tears and a closing that gave so much hope!
