A Very Sad Wedding Planning

YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS JET SKIING WITH MY FIANCE'S BROTHER, I could not stop thinking of Andrea. She’s my Colombian friend and golf teammate from college. I could just imagine Andrea’s face shrieking with joy as the waves crash against a standup jet ski in full throttle. In front of us was a light blue water lagoon; behind were beach resorts peppered with white umbrellas and tourist snorkelers. She would have loved spending all day there, talking about how she could live an island life away from the rat race.  Right now I’m living in Cebu,...

Stories And My New Life In Cebu

I SAT IN FRONT OF JAN YANEHIRO IN HER 79 New Montgomery office at downtown San Francisco. She's dressed in a yellow wool jacket over a black top and long pants. Her gently parted bangs and lilac-colored eyeshadow struck me first as I stare at her. “Crystal, your voice tends to fall off at the end of your sentences. Project like this.” She proceeds to say a few words. I follow them.  “Yes, better. Keep practicing.” Jan is an Emmy-awarding winning journalist. As the Director of Multimedia Communications of Academy Art University,...

How I Learn By Samm McAlear

THIS SERIES IS ABOUT PEOPLE I admire answering the question: "How Do You Learn?" According to the dictionary:  learn (verb) means to gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, experience, or being taught. I want, and hopefully my readers as well, to pick up lessons from individuals who are happy, socially responsible and uniquely successful.  I started off by answering this question myself, and now it's time to pass the baton to Samm McAlear. He and I knew each other as student-athletes...

Letter To Myself 10 Years Ago

At 13 years old, it was a rough life for me. Inspired by Simple Dollar's Trent, today I write about what I wish I knew ten years ago.  ------ Dear Crystal, Today you are 23 years old. You're leaving the US after five years of building a life there, worked and saved the most you've ever made in your life, and engaged to marry your life partner of almost a decade. Right now might be hard to imagine that this was all possible, so I'll just pop in a few suggestions to guide you along. Right now, take your scrapbook and diary and write with...

How I Learn By Jovi Neri

THIS SERIES IS ABOUT PEOPLE I admire answering the question: "How Do You Learn?" According to the dictionary:  learn (verb) means to gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, experience, or being taught. I want, and hopefully my readers as well, to pick up lessons from individuals who are happy, socially responsible and uniquely successful.  I started off by answering this question myself, and now it's time to pass the baton to Jovi Neri. He is my fiancé and my biggest influencer....

How I Learn by Crystal Superal

We all have unique beliefs and ways to gather news and information. Lifehacker has a series called, "How I Work"; Oprah is known for her "What I Know For Sure"; and Bianca Gonzales writes for Philstar for "10 Things."   So if you met the person you admire, the best thing to tell them is: "I'm a fan of your work. How do you learn?" From today onward, I'm starting a series asking people this question, starting with me. How I Learn by Crystal Superal What Inspires You? This quote from Mother Theresa: "You...