Turfin’ Through the Bay: Part I
A haphazard journey to creating a new life in the Bay Area
Day 1: The 5 North & Noms!
The journey begins with leaving LA at around 12 pm with my mother who was nagging me with “why do you have to move up north?”. She was super indecisive in coming up with me and delayed my carefully planned departure time to make it to a 6pm SF Design Week event . Expectedly, we left late and busted on the 5N at 100mph. Scared the shit out of my mom driving that fast as she constantly reminded me, “I still want to live!” The fast speeds combined with the heat caused the tire pressures to get all out of whack. After stopping half way for In-N-Out and 100 more miles, we quickly made it to SF on 1 tank of gas, hooray for new car technologies!
I got to the event an hour late at the AutoDesk Gallery which was chill. It was more of a casual party type of event that you would go to with friends. Not the kind I was expecting where you’d hear a presentation and schmooze over a couple of cocktails — damn you USC Marshall for conditioning me. First off the AutoDesk gallery was super dope with the exhibition of their pieces and work. For the event, they had various food-related stations including: a blind food taste test, creating your own bitters, umami tasting station, creating your own recipe card, and the Manhattan Project. With all the food, open bar, games, and photobooths — I admittedly got very little networking done and handed out zero business cards.
After the event, I met up with one of my good friends who lived in the city named Sahil. We studied business together back at USC Marshall. Met up for sushi at Nara — everything was delicious, but overpriced and undersized. While stuffing my mouth with sushi, I made eye contact with a passerby through the front window of the restaurant and immediately recognized the person. It was Minh! — a co-founder to the startup I worked for back in Panama. Interestingly enough, I never actually met the guy before and only recognized his face from Facebook/website photos. We chatted a bit about where we were in life and how he hustled his ass off into a role at IDEO. After dinner and a short stop for ice cream at Smittens, I crashed on Sahil’s couch.
Pretty fun first day. I’m glad to have a network of friends that provide me with shelter, great food, and inspiring conversation on where our lives are headed.
Sheltered in: San Francisco, Fillmore District
Day 2: Saba & Social Impact Design
I woke up early and did a little bit of my morning rituals: 100 pushups, 10 minutes of meditation, and journaling. I dipped out of Sahil’s place and went straight to the closest cafe (YakiniQ) to strategize my bay area game plan whilst enjoying a croissant and latte. After slamming some emails, I got an unexpected call from Nora, a connection I had through my DFA network on helping out with her awesome and unique project regarding an interstate traveling bus loaded with entrepreneurs working on cool projects.
I later met up with momz to have lunch with her in Japantown. We hit up a place called a Kui Shin Bo and had some saba and ramen.
After that, I headed to Adaptive Path at Pier 1 by the SF port to attend a social impact design event. There I met up with my fellow DFA, StartingBloc, and USC Marshall BSEL heartner, Sara Yang. Schmoozed a little and had a brief convo with a designer from IDEO.org.
After the event, I headed to my cousin’s house in Walnut Creek to prep for my other cousin’s wedding tomorrow in San Rafael.
Sheltered in: East Bay, Walnut Creek
Day 3: Wedding & Whiskey
Started the day with a beautiful lunch in my cousin’s tranquil backyard. Brie cheese, cinnamon toast, and blueberries for the win!
After that, my mother and I headed off to our hotel in San Rafael located just a few minutes away from my cousin’s wedding venue at the Dominican University of California. We spiffed up then drove up with our other family members to the spot. The scenery was pretty — very green, lush, and up in the hills. The ceremony was held on a beautiful open patch of grass where you could appreciate the nature around you.
After the main event, we headed up the path to the reception area where they most importantly had an open bar, cornhole, and other awesome games — kids games or drunk adult games? 10 whiskeys please.
They did all the traditional wedding things and had a Filipino cover band. My cousin’s newly wedded wife, Becky, was so grateful and outspokenly emotional that I actually found it to be quite inspiring. Filled my cup up with so much love and gratitude.
Sheltered in: North Bay, San Rafael
Day 4: Food + Family = Filipinos
Woke up early and met up with the other family members who attended the wedding. We had complimentary brunch near the main lobby — hooray for unlimited bacon!
After that, we checked out and headed off to my cousin’s condo a few minutes up the hills of San Rafael. Upon arriving we caught the bride and groom surrounded by family reading messages from the cards gifted to them for their wedding. With each reading, Becky gradually filled up with love and emotion again and burst out into tears of gratitude. Again, super inspiring and so much love.
After a bit of catching up, the main core of my family decided we were still hungry and headed off to a late lunch in search of the closest Filipino joint we could find. We found a place in the city of Hercules called Cabalen. We ate all the things — nilagang baka, kare kare, lechon kawali, diniguan, lumpia shanghai, and mounds of rice. Can someone say high blood pressure and heart disease?
Still unsatisfied, we looked on yelp again to find the closest place where we could get halo-halo. Can someone say diabetes?
Later on, I headed back to my cousin’s house in Walnut Creek to plan the work week ahead of me of more schmoozing and figuring out how I’m going to create my new life in the Bay with the little money I had left.
Sheltered in: East Bay, Walnut Creek
Day 5: Peking Prototypes
Ran some errands in the morning in Oakland. Stopped by Locol to support the homie Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson on their quest to serve the local community. For some odd reason I didn’t really like the vibe of this Locol. For one, it wasn’t in the hood. And two, it was bustling in a commercial area with, what felt like, privileged, techy white people. Shoutout to the Watts location though!
For lunch, I went to the Oakland Chinatown and had some bomb ass peking duck at a Cantonese joint called Gum Kuo. In my mind I thought: ‘I probably got to chill out on the food until I get back to my regular fitness routine lol.’
After lunch, I headed into the city and chilled at a Philz Coffee before an event called Prototyping like a Superhero at the PayPal offices.
Upon walking into the office, damn. It was everything I imagined from the show Silicon Valley. Arcade games, beer, decent tacos, and tech geeks playing 8-player Super Smash Brothers! The event started and we immediately began creating responsive prototypes using various apps/tools!
Furthermore, I ran into Stef — a girl I originally e-connected with when I was working at Ashoka as a recruiter. We caught up on creating our lives in the grueling and competitive world of the Bay Area as social designers.
It’s interesting to finally meet people in person unintentionally who I’ve only connected briefly with online. The world is so small.
Sheltered in: East Bay, Walnut Creek
Day 6: Eggs & Exygy
Still in Walnut Creek. Woke up, had a classic diner breakfast at Sunshine Cafe and headed downtown to work at the Coffee Shop.
Later in the day, I headed off to Exygy in the city for an event where they spoke about one of their civic innovation projects. They were working with the city of SF on a project called DAHLIA that improved the user experience in applying for affordable housing. Interestingly enough, I actually applied to Exygy a couple of months ago where one of their current employees was also a former Ashokan.
Furthermore, I met up with a few other TradeCraft people who were also interested in applying their new technical product design skills to social innovation.
Sheltered in: East Bay, Walnut Creek
Day 7: Congrats & Co-living
During the day time, I headed off to my niece’s 2nd grade award ceremony where she received a ‘Fairness” award! Did a little bit of emails and applications in my cousin’s dining room.
Later in the afternoon, I headed off to the city to check out the co-living space called Serendipia Nest where one of my awesome friends, Gustavo, is currently living. Gustavo just launched his startup called LetsGoHustle, check it out! Furthermore the people I met at the house were super dope. Very international and all working on amazing projects/startups. No doubt, the future leaders of tech. And again, one girl formerly worked at Ashoka as well lol.
Sheltered in: East Bay, Walnut Creek
Week 1
This week has been eventful and enlightening. Full of new friends and even new family! I’m beginning to get a feel for the Bay Area and don’t exactly find myself gravitating towards the high-tech world of things. All very cool, flashy, fun, and efficient but I’m craving for something more community-centered + creative. Excited to begin exploring more of the Oakland and Berkeley areas!
