big or bigger

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that LGBT awareness still...

Tue, 29 May 2012 22:48:10 -0400

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that LGBT awareness still exists, especially if you live in a metropolitan area like Los Angeles or San Francisco. But the reality is, even in these fashion forward cities, a lot of ignorance still exists.

What can you do about it?

DANCE.
Support the API, Asians and Pacific Islanders for Equality, in raising awareness.

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE 12. Walk around for a day in your...

Sat, 05 May 2012 10:01:14 -0400

My Yellow Nike Heels

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

12. Walk around for a day in your favorite pair of shoes.

Be proud of who you are, and don’t be afraid to stand out.

-Bri

#BRIPOSITIVE

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE 14. Join the Bone Marrow...

Fri, 04 May 2012 17:01:56 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

14. Join the Bone Marrow Registry.

Unfortunately, I was denied. But that’s okay… I donated $21 instead!

For all of you who are blessed to be in good health out there, please take 5 minutes of your day to register online at www.marrow.org!

Who knows? Maybe you will save someone’s life. :)

-Bri

#BRIPOSITIVE

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE 4. Dance like no one is watching. The...

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:55:01 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

4. Dance like no one is watching.

The morning of my birthday, I was able to share the stage with these lovely dancers, teaching them a piece and recording it for a concept video. Perfect way to kick off my special day!

-Bri

#BRIPOSITIVE

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE 19. Get a massage. Sometimes, you got to...

Fri, 04 May 2012 09:44:03 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

19. Get a massage.

Sometimes, you got to do what you got to do…

Get a massage on the Golden Gate Brigde? Why not?

-Bri

#BRIPOSITIVE

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE 20. Drink a root beer float. Root beer...

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:58:31 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

20. Drink a root beer float.

Root beer floats were a regular drink for me 5 years ago. My Nana used to make them for me after every chemo round in order to soothe the pain from my mouth sores- just one of the lovely side effects of cancer treatment. They also served as a great way to help fatten me up!

It was amazing to finally drink a root beer float pain-FREE and in good company. Shout out to some of my awesome housemates, Tiffany Wong and Michelle Vu, who were able to enjoy this special moment with me!

-Bri

#BRIPOSITIVE

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE 18. Go to a Farmer’s Market and...

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:06:41 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

18. Go to a Farmer’s Market and find your favorite fruit.

Due to my weakened immune system during my cancer treatment, I was forced to be on a neutropenic diet, reducing the amount of food introduced into my body that had high levels of bacteria. In other words- no fresh fruits and vegetables.

While this may sound like a fun diet for some people, being on a neutropenic diet for a year sucked. All I wanted was to bite into a crisp apple, or to eat a Caesar salad.

On Thursday, I had a mission to go to a Farmer’s Market. Initially, I was worried that I wouldn’t have time. Then to my surprise, my 2PM class was canceled, and that gave me enough time to go to the Farmers Market in North Berkeley and be back by my next class at 3:30PM. I love it when life decides to work out perfectly.

I ate my strawberries all the way back to campus, covered with bacteria and all, thinking about how miraculous it is that something this delicious and sweet comes from out of the ground.

Enjoy your health and eat good food.

-Bri

#BRIPOSITIVE

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE 5. Eat at Zachary’s Pizza in...

Thu, 03 May 2012 09:52:58 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

5. Eat at Zachary’s Pizza in Berkeley.

… because I had never gone before. Best deep dish pizza ever. So thankful to share this moment with these amazing ladies. Here’s to the future!

-Bri

#BRIPOSITIVE

GenY, #TheLoveLetter

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:02:56 -0400

Hey there, big or biggerers— Denise here!

Earlier last month my awesome, amazing, inspiring friend Arielle Scott, one of the co-founders of Genjuice, posted this letter to Gen Y on her facebook. I loved it and wanted to share it with all you other nutso Millennials daring to dream BIGGER and working on some crazy idea that’s supposed to change the world :P.

This is a reminder that we at Big or Bigger, like Arielle, are right behind you! We believe in YOU and know that you really are about to achieve the impossible. We know things get difficult and life likes to put these ridiculous hurdles in our path, but we’re going to finish and we’re going to finish strong!

Stay inspired, keep choosing “bigger,” & don’t stop dreaming!

Denise

February 13, 2012

Dear You,
I wanted to just check-in. You see…

I’m sitting on an air mattress in the living room of my apartment. I’m broke as shit. I have no clue where rent will come from this month, but I’m strapped with a laptop and a cell phone. I’m surrounded by white boards. I’m covered in ideas and debt. I’m learning, breaking down, getting excited and getting sick. I’m dreaming, networking and eating leftover chocolates next to my computer because I forgot to eat this morning.

It’s 12:13AM.
I’m a mess, and you’re just like me.

Sure, the paths are not similar. The interests are different. We have two completely different approaches. There’s actually nothing that connects my story to yours in any way.

But you’re just like me. You want it too.

You feel it. You know it’s close. You know the hours and the sweat and the heartbreak had to be leading towards something. There’s no way it was all a lost cause, right?

I wrote this for us. I don’t know how it’s going to help or where this will end. But I wrote this for us.

And I don’t want to take up too much of your time, either. You have calls to make. You have lunches to plan, ideas to pitch.

And I don’t know what exactly it is that’s burning inside of you. I don’t know the passion you’ve decided to dedicate your blood and sweat and tears to, but I know you have a focus.

I know you wake up in the middle of the night and Google endlessly. Sometimes, you can’t sleep because you’re working on how you’ll write something, how you’ll convince someone to believe in you, what you’ll say to keep your team going.

I know.

At times, you feel guilty when you achieve something, it’s hard to celebrate. You feel guilty for the praise. And what do you do? You go back to work. You have work to do.

You’ve always had work to do.

This is a letter, but it’s really a gathering of people who believe just like me that hard work and pure work ethic is a requirement. Pain is a requirement. Sleepless nights, lost friendships, sickness are all requirements. This is a message to the overachievers in my generation who give themselves away for the things they believe in.

The funny thing is you probably feel like you’re not working hard enough and you shouldn’t define yourself as an overachiever or a go-getter, or even as an entrepreneur.

But even that is characteristic of who we are.

We’d never define ourselves as such because that would require having a deep intimate understanding of the accomplishments we’ve made. It would require taking some time to sit back, take a deep breath and say, “that was good”.

We don’t have time for that. We live in the future. We stress on the future. The present is and will always be dead for us, and that’s why I’m talking to us.

We should never relax. I don’t think that’s emotionally possible for us. But I do think we should allow ourselves a pat on the back.

So, I’ll say it. You, my friend, have worked hard. You’ve worked hard all of your life.

You see, all of our lives we were told we were meant for something. We were the smart kids. Some of us with GPAs and degrees to prove it, others with pure gangster hustle and work ethic. It didn’t matter, we were all smart kids.

We excelled at whatever we put our thoughts to; we saw what a little hard work and a few extra hours could do early on.

The attention, the doting, the kind words, the bonuses, the extra care… All of it was given to us because we were extraordinary in our respective schools, classes, projects and so on. This happened when we were young, and when you’re young competition doesn’t exist.

We were rockstars.
We were prodigies.
We knew we were meant for something.

We figured if we were killing it when we were young, there would be no chance for the future! We were going to take over.

So, what is this really?

At times, I read this and saw it as a reminder.

It’s a reminder that you are actually all of those things. You actually do deserve all of those things. You actually can do what you’ve been dreaming to do.

This is a reminder that you led your entire life by doing just a little more than the others.

It’s a reminder not to forget your roots. Not to forget the energy you had. Not to ignore how you got to be sitting reading this in the first place.

Also, it’s a reminder not to become the person they expect you to become after you get deeper into the “real world”. In fact, it’s a plea to never enter that world at all.

That’s not what we’re here for. You’re here to create something and you need to tell the world that you’re ready to raise fucking hell until you do so.

I don’t know you. You don’t know me, but I’m here to help you raise fucking hell. I’ll bring my pitchfork, I got your back.

Why?

Because I struck me that you really don’t need anything to raise hell. The requirements for hell-raising are pretty low this time in the year.

In fact, you have everything you could possibly need to do anything you want tomorrow to start a movement, to encourage change, to take over the world… You can literally do ANYTHING. Absolutely anything.

And, I’m sure it doesn’t feel like that. You’ve made commitments. You have to keep your word. Quitters never win. Cliches are even sexier when they are used to hold you from doing something scary.

I got your back because you can do anything, but more importantly because sometimes you just need someone there to remind you what your heart is thinking.

Hint: it wants to jump.

Your heart wants passion. It wants numbing fear. It wants anything opposite a flat line. This letter is a reminder of that. A reminder that you’ve done it before, a reminder that you’ve felt like this before and a reminder to never forget your heart wants more.

Because think about it.

Imagine how crazy we all have to be. There are six billion people in the world, living today.

Every single day, each one of us thinks we will create something that no one in the entire world’s population has created before. Let’s ignore those who have died trying.

Do you understand how fucking crazy that is?

But you think it. You believe it. And, you have every single reason to do so. Because you will.

You will do something different. You will be the one that wins. You will be the one that achieves.

How the hell could I not stand behind you in this? I’m here. We’re here. We’re all doing this together.

So to generation of crazy obsessive overachieving lovers of all things innovative. I’m here. We’re all here. Let’s do this.

Your fan, Arielle

P.S. Don’t forget to tell me about that crazy ass thing you’re doing, so I can tell the world about it. You can reach me at arielle@thearielle.com.

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE12. Walk a day in your favorite shoes We...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:03:34 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE
12. Walk a day in your favorite shoes

We have some stylish friends! Here’s VJ rocking his favorite shoes for #BriPositive! Expressing yourself through your fashion choice is an awesome way to go BIGGER!

Cheers to good taste!

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE This week has honestly been inspirational...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:53:00 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

This week has honestly been inspirational because of the BRI+ movement. I was motivated by the BRI+ project and definitely felt that I celebrated my life. I accomplished things that I would have otherwise dragged on if it weren’t for the BRI+ movement—-

I donated blood, swam, got a massage, climbed a tree, and got tested all within the span of a week. It was truly inspirational. Thanks to the BRI+ movement…I found self value and realized how to love myself more and love LIFE more…I’m beginning to think that maybe…just MAYBE we should live like this everyday…take our chances, take risks and our opportunities to live our life to the FULLEST like there’s no tomorrow… like there’s no consequences … and just smile and enjoy the MOMENT.

Thank you BRI for inspiring me so much :) <3
-Chris

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE Talk about going BIGGER! Here’s...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:01:51 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

Talk about going BIGGER! Here’s Asia.. climbing a tree, dancing like no one’s watching, AND drinking a root beer float!

Cheers to being a rockstar :)

BRIPOSITIVECHALLENGE12. Walk a day in your favorite...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:01:53 -0400

BRIPOSITIVECHALLENGE
12. Walk a day in your favorite shoes

Here’s a compilation of friends who walked a day in their favorite shoes! Sometimes, it takes doing something nice for yourself to realize that you deserve the best. Even if it is as simple as putting on your favorite shoes.

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE20. Drink a root beer float Thanks Denise...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:31:18 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE
20. Drink a root beer float

Thanks Denise and Linda for taking part of the BriPositive challenge! Treat yourself to something nice once a day <3

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE 1. Watch the sunrise. I had attempted...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:12:01 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

1. Watch the sunrise.

I had attempted twice last week to watch the sun rise. I failed each time because it was super overcast. On Friday at 5:30 AM, I ventured to Tilden Park in Berkeley with some friends to watch the sunrise, with hope that we would see the sun…. and we did!

I have never seen a more beautiful sunrise in my life. and it all happened so fast. First we saw a golden speck, and in a matter of minutes, it became a fully exposed sun! We ate butterscotch brownies, discussed random things like tree houses, and pumped up the seat warmers on the ride home.

It’s the little things that make life worthwhile.

-Bri

#BRIPOSITIVE

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE #11. Make a friendship bracelet On my trip...

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:03:00 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

#11. Make a friendship bracelet

On my trip to Tanzania 2 years ago, I had a handful of heart-melting moments. Moments so pure and sweet that I felt like I was melting into the universe. Two of these moments involved friendship bracelets.

The top 2 bracelets represent the one from my little brother, Evans. We were at our community day, where the whole village came out to learn about HIV/AIDS. We had yarn for the children to braid bracelets for each other. My brother came up to me with a set of navy blue, hot pink, and baby blue yarn. He simply asked me to hold the end as he braided the strings. When he finished, I asked to see it… Before I could, he tied the ends around my wrist and said to me “zawadi” (present in Swahili). I was heartbroken when the bracelet broke a year later, so my sister and Bri gave me these bracelets to remember the one from Evans.

The beaded bracelet is from an orphan we met at the Babati orphanage. We were exchanging dance moves all day long as the rest of the kids sang and played music. He had smooth Michael Jackson moves as I rocked the Tanzanian “motorbike” dance style. At one point I briefly said to him “I like your bracelet.” (I learned that this is not a normal compliment to give ppl in TZ.) After parting ways, I was already 500ft from the orphanage when I heard my roommate yell “VIVIAN!!!! I HAVE A SECRET FOR YOU..” She had something in her hands, but told me she promised not to give it to me until we returned home. I immediately knew what it was…. Seeing their homes and knowing how little they have, I was incredibly touched that he still found something to give me. I ran back to the orphanage and gave him my SIC bracelet. I’ll always remember his sweet smile and smooth moves :)

The yellow bracelet is the one I made for #BriPositive. It’s for my mei, Sara. You are my sunshine <3

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE 6. Fly a Kite “True courage is like...

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:01:01 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

6. Fly a Kite

“True courage is like a kite; a contrary wind raises it higher.” - John Petit-Senn

Yesterday, I went to the Berkeley Marina for the first time with my good friend, Ammar Rizvi, to fly his SUPER LEGIT dragon kite. It was so peaceful and relaxing to sit on the grassy hill and watch the kite soar in the air. Sometimes, it’s the simple moments of life, that end up being the most amazing.

-Bri

#BRIPOSITIVE

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE 10. Run 5 miles - for each year being...

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:50:00 -0400

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

10. Run 5 miles - for each year being cancer free!

I will begin by saying that I do not like running. In fact, I’m kinda bad at it. But before my classes began this morning, my good friend, Wil Torres, and I ventured over to Lake Merrit in Oakland for my 5 mile run. At mile 1 and 2, I was thinking to myself, This isn’t so bad… I got this. Then at mile 3, I began to think, Uh oh…. this may be more difficult than I thought… At the beginning of mile 4 was when I cramped up. I could tell that my body was angry with me. But Wil kept encouraging me, saying every so often, “We’re almost done!” His encouragement made it easy to push through the pain, knowing that if I just kept going, I’d be finished.

This is the same journey I faced with my cancer treatment. Doctors said I needed 14 rounds of chemotherapy, 25 rounds of radiation, lots of surgeries…. My initial thought was, How in the heck am I going to get through this? But I found a way- it was through my friends and family. Their encouragement, support, and love cured my cancer, and reminded me that there was light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dark and scary it may seem.

-Bri

#BRIPOSITIVE

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE 21. Write a letter to someone you are...

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:42:45 -0400

Happy Birthday, Sabrina!

5 years ago

BRIPOSITIVE CHALLENGE

21. Write a letter to someone you are thankful for.

Happy 21st Birthday, Sabrina! You are my right hand, my Nurse Nina, my womb-mate, my other half… and I would be nowhere without you. Although we may be thousands of miles apart, I think of you everyday. Words cannot explain how perfect of a twin sister you are, and I am so thankful to have you in my life. May all of your wishes come true.

-Bri

#BRIPOSITIVE

BRI POSITIVE CHALLENGE #2. Climb a tree Bri’s sister,...

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:08:25 -0400

BRI POSITIVE CHALLENGE

#2. Climb a tree

Bri’s sister, Jessica Mercado, taking the Bri Positive challenge!

Cheers to awesome sisters in our lives :)