TAF Real World – Week #27 of 51

G’day mates! Love Out Loud can often start chain reactions. Howard reports from down under on how LOL can trigger a new path in life for week #27 (or 24 weeks ’til TAF)!

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR FROM SYDNEY!

Now this is a story, all about how
My life got flipped, turned upside-down,
And I’d like to take a minute,
So just sit right there,
I’ll tell you how taflove helped me move down to Australiayer

Love has over 20 different definitions, but for me taflove has only one definition. It can best be described as a profoundly tender and compassionate concern/enthusiasm for the well-being of others. With taflove, all are accepted as is and there is no room for judgment or exclusiveness. Taflove is not just exhibited by your actions, but by your state of mind.

The beginning of this story dates back to my first year at TAF in 1996. I was 12 years old and well, I had no desire to go to TAF. To me, TAF was a stupid camp just like every other camp my parents had signed me up for, with the only difference being the camp would be filled with Taiwanese kids. I remember packing my bags ever so slowly, hoping my lack of effort would be rewarded with not having to go anymore. Unfortunately, this was not the case…my mom dragged me kicking and screaming to my friends’ car (Tim and Joh Kuo) and off we went to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI.

Upon arrival we were greeted by enthusiastic counselors whom I found scary and overly excited. I was a shy and awkward kid and I was in an entirely new environment. Going to potlucks, Sunday school, and other Taiwanese events with your parents is one thing, but going to a camp by yourself with all these strangers who look just like you is another altogether. Tim and I were shuttled off to our room, and the rest of the day was a blur. What I distinctly remember is the ice cream social in the basement that night, where four simple words struck up a friendship that’s lasted to this day, and a friendship that helped bring me to Australia (Butterfly Effect style).

Those words were: “Want to play Signal?” and they were spoken by Jonathan Ray Lee.

Jon was outgoing. I was not. Jon was a TAF veteran at 13. I was a noob. Jon knew how to smile. I knew how to brood.

Jon is the first friend I made at TAF, but will certainly not be the last. By being friendly and open, Jon exhibited what taflove meant at a young age. He didn’t judge me by my clothes or my demeanor, he just wanted to hang out and make a friend. This attitude is one that’s made a significant impact on me, and one I try to live out each day.

After playing Signal, our friendship and interests grew over the years. 1999 was our first year on TAF Slideshow with Charlene Chen and Roger Lin, and it was the last year of TAF at Calvin College. It was also the last year that Slideshow was on actual slides. (Since retro is in we should bring it back.) In 2000 we were on Slideshow again, this time with Jay Liang and armed with 1.3 megapixel digicams. (Top of the line, you know.) In 2001 Jon abandoned me to be a Youth advisor, and I did Slideshow with Carolyn Huang and Anna Wu. To make up for it, we began construction of a Slideshow manifesto… which Jon should have a copy of somewhere. In 2002 we were back on Slideshow, but also worked as JH advisors (Taiwanese Terror with Amy Liao) alongside Kevan Lin and Michelle Hsu. (JH PD’s represent!) 2002 was also the year of our infamous glamour shots. (Don’t ask, don’t tell.)

I missed TAF in 2003, but it was Jon’s first year as JH PD. From 2004-2005 Jon was PD and I was a JH advisor for the Magical Bah-Tzang’s with Ranee Wu and Super Powderpuff- I’M SO SORRY I FORGOT OUR GROUP NAMES with Gloria Chang! 2006 was Jon’s last year as a JH PD with Alex Chen, and I abandoned JH to become a TAF Consultant. Because of this abandonment, our friendship, as most do every once in a while, hit a rough patch. Just kidding. Maybe. In 2007 I was only able to attend for the weekend and I was immediately thrown into Slideshow with Jon Lee, Jon Chen, the College Program, and Kevan Lin. It turned out pretty awesome. Then in 2008 I was brought on as JH PD with Tiffany Sun (first swing choir partner ever) and Jon kicked off TAFLabs with Kev Yau. The rest is history… like Juliana Wu (2008 JH PD.)

Since I digressed a bit with my career at TAF, I’ll get back to my point. Through the years we’ve participated in ITASA (as attendants and speakers,) met parents and grandparents, roadtripped, started a fledgling company (!!!) and hopefully impacted mankind in unique and compassionate ways. Last year we released a Public Service Announcement for Taiwanese Census 2010 as Slideshow Pictures with Alex Yang, Kev Yau, and the very special help of HoChie Tsai. While we were filming this, I brought up a trip to Australia and New Zealand with Jon, and he stated that he had relatives there. The seed was planted.

Soon enough we (mainly Jon) brought Jeff Cheng and Alice Wang on board to go on the trip with us, and it was the trip of a lifetime. We went scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, trekked through the rain forest, climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, drove to the coast of New Zealand and more. It was during this trip that I decided I HAD to live in Sydney.

In Sydney, Jon and I decided to do laundry at his cousin Kevin’s house while Jeff and Alice went to watch a show at the Sydney Opera House. While we were waiting for the laundry to finish, we decided to go to the mall that was just about to close. As we were walking past the food court we decided to make a right turn instead of a left, and we ran into Kevin’s friends by pure coincidence. It was here that we made friends with local Aussies and where our experience in Sydney elevated. These friends were a blessing in helping me move and settle into Sydney; I’m not sure I would be where I am today if I didn’t meet them. Moving to Australia would never have happened if I was never friends with Jon and didn’t take him up on his offer to play Signal. Through our friendship, I ended up on the other side of the world but I’m as happy as ever.

The moral of this story is live and breathe taflove…because a little love never hurt anybody, you might make a friend that will last you a lifetime, and your dreams might be realized.


TAF Real World – Week #25 of 51

HELLO TAF!

As the Junior Staff of 2010, we wanted to share a few things we learned from our campers last year. Even though they may be much younger and sometimes half the size of their Big Sibs, they are so full of love. They have so much to offer to the TAF Family, and they even taught us, the STAFF, a few things about loving out loud. Here are a few things we learned:

Karena: I learned from TAF that Loving Out Loud means loving and welcoming people even though they’ve been absent from TAF for 8 years (like me); TAFers don’t discriminate if you’re a return camper or a new camper, they give you unconditional love out loud regardless of how many years you’ve been at TAF, which makes you feel even more at home.

Sherry: I learned form the JRs that Loving Out Loud means accepting those who might be a little different and becoming their friend.

Roger: I learned from the JRs that Loving Out Loud means listening to your friends, holding doors for others, and writing notes to each other. 🙂

Liz: I learned form the JRs that Loving Out Loud means loving like a child – without prejudice, without judgment, without conditions- because everybody needs love.

Steven: I learned from JRs that Loving Out Loud means caring for others enthusiastically, especially when times are tough.

Kristin: I learned from JRs that Loving Out Loud means to take the time to listen to what they have to say.

Deanna: I learned from the JRs that Loving Out Loud means to serve others and the importance of encouraging others. Mad props juniors!

Emmeline: I learned from the JRs that Loving Out Loud means thinking about other people before yourself and finding ways to make whatever they’re doing easier.

David: i learned from the juniors that loving out loud is easier than multivarible integration.

Godwin: I learned from JRs that sometimes Loving Out Loud is going just a little out of our way to show someone we care about them, like telling a friend how much I appreciate their company or putting candy in our small groups’ mailbox.

WE MISS YOU JUNIORS!!!!
Thanks for showing us how to LOL!!!!


TAF Real World – Week #23 of 51

TAF Real World around the world!!! Here’s HoChie, who is an expert at traveling long distances to spread some LOL:

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We’re looking for 10 more TAFers to post this year. Don’t miss out and sign up here!


TAF Real World – Week #22 of 51

Happy New Bunny Year!

Yes, it is the year of the bunny. That means it shall be a fantastic year. How do I know this? Because I was born on a bunny year. According to the Chinese zodiac, I am a red fire bunny. Yeah you better watch out… We’re super cute 🙂

2011 being a bunny year also means that I’m turning 24 in 2 months. What have I accomplished since then? Well, I just finished college, started a wedding videography company with Kev and Anna called Seaglass Cinema (video later), and I have fully completed my transformation into a woman. That’s right. I think I’m fat, I want plastic surgery, and sometimes I just go crazy.

Joking aside, 2011 will be a super great year for TAF as well. From a tafLabs perspective, 2011 marks the advent of new photovideo equipment, cinematography experience, and new food recipes for tafé. But most of all, I’m itching to see what kind of camp TAF will become after a whole year of loving out loud.

Things I look forward to in 2011:
TAF
Bones
The Closer (Mary McDonnell from Battlestar Galactica)
Grey’s Anatomy
Hawaii Five-O (Grace Park from Battlestar Galactica)
CSI (Katie Sackhoff from Battlestar Galactica)
NCIS
SVU
Unemployment.

Also, enjoy our first ever Seaglass Cinema video! Our very own Nick Huang from Juniors (which is Kelly Huang’s brother if you didn’t know because I didn’t know and it was a huge revelation to me) was married last September in Indianapolis. Take care and happy new bunny year!

Erin & Nick | 09.18.10 from Seaglass Cinema on Vimeo.

-Steve W.


TAF Real World – Week #21 of 51

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays TAFers! Can you believe it’s been 21 weeks since TAF and that it’s already Christmas? I hope you all got what you wanted for Christmas this year and that you were all nice this year! Hopefully you are all enjoying your breaks for the holidays from school or work and are spending some quality time with your families and your friends! This is one of my most favorite times of the year because I get to spend a lot of time with my family. Christmas, and well, most of the Holidays was the time where all of my family in the Chicago area got together and celebrated the holidays together. Back then there were always so many of us in the area because it was all before most of us started growing up but as the years went on, we slowly began to spread around the country. Although we’re not all just in the Chicago area anymore like we used to be, the time we get to spend together is all the more special. We all come into the Chicago area from different parts of the country now just so we can spend time with each other, re-live past memories of being together and to of course make new memories with each other. It’s amazing to have seen how the last 19 years of my life have gone by so fast! I went from being the youngest cousin in my generation to now being called uncle by many of my cousins’ children. It’s been awesome seeing how I got to celebrate the Holiday and Christmas spirit with the family back when I was a kid and how I do it now, to already see the next generation already celebrating it with us. I feel like I’ve been really lucky to have been able to celebrate the holidays like this with my family because not everyone does it the same, and it makes the experience all the more special. There are some things that I feel is the same for the holiday experience for everyone though, and that’s the feeling of the holiday spirit, which I feel is the unconditional love you feel for those around you. It’s really the time of the year every year that you truly Love Out Loud! So make some life long memories with your family and Love out Loud with them!

(Some of my family last year when we went out to eat. It’s hard to find big family pictures that are digital!)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
TAF LOVE,
Eddie

P.S. – Don’t forget that TAF is 30 weeks away and TAF New Years is ONE WEEK AWAY! If you’re able to go, don’t forget to RSVP and hopefully I’ll see you there next week! Go! Really! It’s a lot of fun! Seriously! You get to see lots of TAFers and you get to have a lot of fun! The time you spend with TAFers is like the time you spend with your family! It might not be as long as the time you spend with your family, but you definitely feel the love and you feel like they’re your family too! Seriously, people are actually coming into Chicago just for TAF New Years! Just to spend time with
TAFers! So if you guys can go to TAF New Years, I highly recommend it!

(TAF New Years 2009! Lots of people! Go this year!)

P.P.S. – Michael Hsu and Kevin Hsia, I miss you guys! It’s weird you guys aren’t here for TAF New Years and crashing at my place. I miss everyone else too! Hopefully see you all soon or at TAF 2011!


HAPPY HOLIDAYS TAFers! WOOSHA!

Seasons greetings to all, and may your holidays be spent with your family and the friends that have become like family. The tafBlog happily gifts this most excellent minute-long video clip of WOOSHA from TAF2010, aka the amaZOMG family group game. For the TAF alum who don’t know what WOOSHA is, think of it as Big Booty multiplied by 20 with a square root of awesome.

WOOSHAAAAA!


TAF Real World – Week #20 of 51

Here’s Dan, the TAF historian, with a little bit of a TAF time capsule piece. Don’t forget to RSVP for TAF New Year’s! (2 weeks left!) and 31 weeks until TAF 2011!

Wow, 20 weeks since TAF and we’re well into the holiday season. Part of me is still wondering what happened to November, but I’m getting into the spirit of things – and not just because I’ve been spending too much time looking at Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other Christmas shopping deals. We’re into the Christmas/holiday (or other reason to) party season the last couple of weeks, which has been a time of good food/drinks, and just generally getting to spend time having fun with friends/family/co-workers/random strangers, etc…

Its nice to see the way people are during the holiday season – even among people who are busy shopping and running errands. A couple of Saturdays ago, TAF Chicago spent a few hours volunteering as Salvation Army bell ringers again. And although (once again) the weather was somewhat less than cooperative (cold + snowing), it was worth the time — not only for the money that we collected, but for the good cheer and smiles on the faces of the people who were dropping money into our buckets. (Plus its always nice to spend time with my TAF Chicago family!)

Another thing I’ve been doing recently is helping my folks who have been preparing to move out of the house they’ve lived in for most of my lifetime. Much of what I’ve been helping with is sorting through (and either rescuing, recycling/donating or discarding) stuff that has been in storage in their basement (and stuff still in my sister’s and my old bedrooms). Besides all the old magazines, school books, papers, etc to be recycled (or shredded and recycled), and old games and toys (donated/given away or discarded — depending on condition), there have been quite a lot of boxes full of TAF-related stuff — which have been kinda fun and really nostalgic to go through before shredding. (partially kidding — there were a lot of printouts of registration lists and stuff that was shredded and recycled, but I brought all the letters/cards/photos and stuff that I found back to my little condo, where they are now sitting in boxes and bags all over the place). Seeing all of these things and going though (some of) them has been a visceral reminder of just how important TAF has been to me over the years, and how much TAFers have meant in my life.

Anyway, since I’m already late on this, I’ll end this here. I leave you with one of the things I came across: a poem that our hospitality coordinators distributed on the last day of TAF one year – a long, long time ago…

Bits and pieces
Bits and pieces

People. People important to you, People unimportant to you cross your life, touch it with love and carelessness and move on. There are people who leave you and you breathe a sigh of relief and wonder why you ever came into contact with them. There are people who leave you, and you breathe a sigh of remorse and wonder why they had to go away and leave such a gaping hole. Children leave parents, friends leave friends. Acquaintances move on. People change homes. People grow apart. Enemies hate and move on. Friends love and move on. You think on the many people who have moved into your hazy memory. You look at those present and wonder.

I believe in God’s master plan in lives. He moves people in and out of each other’s lives, and each leaves his mark on the other. You find you are made up of bits and pieces of all who have ever touched your life, and you are more because of them, and you would be less if they had not touched you.

Pray God that you accept the bits and pieces in humility and wonder,
and never question,
and never regret.

Bits and pieces
Bits and pieces

Have a very merry Christmas and hope to see you all at TAF New Years!


TAF Real World – Week #19 of 51

Can you believe it’s WEEK 19 (only 32 weeks ’til TAF!)???!!! It’s been amazing seeing how TAFers are making a difference in life beyond Manchester by LOVING OUT LOUD this year. We would love to collect more stories. Sign up HERE for a week to post.

Since we didn’t have a volunteer this week, we’re going to do a little flashback to August. Juniors remind us that it’s not just important how we LOL, but also, why we LOL. Here are some reasons why Juniors love their families.


TAF Real World – Week #18 of 51

Anna Wu is a photographer who’s been wedding-hopping TAFers weddings over the summer. Here she is with a post about the quiet side of LOL for WEEK 18 (or 33 more weeks ’til TAF!)

Imagine tafLove. It’s loud, right? Ride the Pony. Woosha woosha. Laughter. Jokes. Group cheers. Ridiculousness all around. But you can also imagine the quieter side of tafLove. Nighttime conversations. Small Group heart-to-hearts. Soul searching. The unspoken support we have for one another.

Oftentimes, we think that louder is better. We think that the louder we are, the more people will follow. And we spend a lot of energy on the obvious ways to LOL– loudly. But I challenge us to remember that love doesn’t need to be loud to be powerful.

I’ve always been kind of a quiet kid. When I first started going to TAF, my brother Albert and his friend Kevin were the showstopping cute kids. They were wacky and adorable, and this earned them plenty of love and attention. As for me, I was an observer. I learned to watch for the quiet moments through all the noise. Some of my most memorable TAF moments have been those quiet displays of Love: a personal conversation when I thought no one really cared; our “racism workshop” in JH; and countless small gestures of caring that have happened in between.

LOL is not about volume. It’s about open expression. TAF can help us develop our own ways of finding love and expressing love. TAF helped me grow from being the shy kid to being a program director and feeling like I could contribute something worthwhile. TAF also helped foster one of the most important means of silently LOLing in my “real world” life today– photography.

I photograph love for a living. As a wedding photographer, I’ve found the heart of my photographic style in the understated, the unspoken, the quiet. I look for those LOL moments in the silent moments that often go unnoticed.

You can see it in the way she looks at him and breaks out in her sly smile, a gesture of openness and surrender. It’s in the way he quietly grasps her hand, communicating his support without a single spoken word. These are some of the infinite ways ways people quietly Love out Loud every day.

Finally, I’ve been lucky enough to photograph three TAFers’ weddings this year, so I thought I’d show some of these quiet LOL moments with you. First, Jenny & Kevin’s Aliso Viejo wedding:

Margaret & Eric’s San Francisco wedding:

And finally, Erin & Nick’s Indianapolis wedding– for which we shot video, so these are the few photos we have from the night:

If you want to read more, I’d recommend:
Jenny & Kevin’s Aliso Viejo wedding
Margaret & Eric’s San Francisco wedding
How I Wanted to Live | Pursuing Passions A heartfelt post about “living the life”
Digging up Treasures | True Beginnings of Anna Wu Photography A tribute to my beginnings in photography as a kid with a camera at TAF


TAF Real World – Week #17 of 51

Gobble, gobble and Happy Thanksgiving TAFers! It’s Chikuan, your trusted PA from TAF!! We are in week 17 and that means, hopefully, a short 34 more weeks until TAF ’11! It’s Thanksgiving, so not only am I going to tell you what I’ve been up to but also what I am thankful for.

To be 100% honest, when I was asked to do this blog post, I was very nervous because I’ve never felt like I express myself the best through words but here we go :). So since TAF, my “real life” much like some of the other posts has been very TAF-oriented. Being a part of TAF Chicago has blessed me with being able to see TAFers pretty much all year round. Much love to group #2 DDSB(Deep Dish Silver Beans)!! Aside from my regular 40hr work week, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to plan for TAF Chicago events, share birthdays, share a wedding and everything else in between with TAFers.

Do I do anything in “real life” that doesn’t revolve around TAF? Of course I do! Didn’t I mention I work too? Jk 🙂 Aside from all that, I’ve been doing a little traveling to Columbus, Denver & Los Angeles. I’ve been playing some sports in kickball, softball & basketball. I’ve also been doing things anyone else would in hanging out with friends, playing video games and cat napping :). All in all what I do is probably not too different from probably a lot of you. Well, maybe you all don’t call it cat napping :).

So it is Thanksgiving and much like the tradition, I am going to tell you what I am thankful for. I am thankful for my family first and foremost, because they have always been there for me whether I am up or I am down. They have been there to support me when I’ve needed someone the most and have been very forgiving of me for my many faults. They have also been very encouraging of me during my life’s journey and all ventures I’ve pursued. I am also thankful for my friends who I share many of my adventures with, whether it just be hanging out or traveling to things such as Ohio State games. They make everything more fun and accept me for me :). Last and definitely not least, I am thankful for TAFers which I consider a part of my family and my friends. I’ve always considered TAFers to be an extension of my family just because I feel loved and accepted no matter what. They support me in such things as what goes on at TAF and in TAF Chicago as well, and of course I can spend time with them without feeling like I have to put on a mask over who I am. In my eyes, TAFers are pretty much my family except we aren’t related. So, many thanks to you TAFers and people from TAF Chicago that keeps TAF going for me all year round. I am a part of DDSB at TAF Chicago, but here is my real small group :).

Happy Thanksgiving TAFers! LOL!

Chikuan

P.S. – To my Michigan TAFers… OSU – 31 UM – 10 😉

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Does Chikuan know that half of TAFLabs are Wolverine fans? We got some serious sibling rivalry here. Get it? Siblings. Family. TAF. Yeah!
Anyway, we would love to hear about how loving out loud is making a difference in your life. There are still slots with no volunteers, especially the week of December 5th. Don’t break the chain! Sign up HERE, encourage your friends to sign up, or sign up together!
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