About William...

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 18:06:00 GMT

I'm a single parent blessed with an amazing and beautiful ten year-old son (nicknamed "Bon"). I adopted Bon when he was nine months old and I was living in Thailand. He's a healthy, happy kid—full of energy, excitement, curiosity and all the other wonders of childhood. Most pictures here are of him and not me for the obvious reason—he's a whole lot cuter than me!

School and Work...

Although nothing in life's been more "educational" than the experience of being a parent, I have an embarrassing number of degrees—an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, a Master's of Science in Financial Analysis from USF, a Master's in Public Administration from Rutgers University and a Bachelor's in Economics from UC Santa Cruz. I know... It's ridiculous.

I work as a Portfolio Manager for Citi Community Capital - the community development division of Citibank. My professional interests are broadly in the areas of affordable housing finance, sustainable development and land use economics. Two organizations I'm active with are the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). I'm also the founder and Board President of Bay Area Youth Arts, a nonprofit youth development program that fosters self-confidence and creative expression in lower-income, inner-city kids through education and participation in the arts.

Peace Corps, Thailand and China...

I have an interest in Asia that comes from living in rural Thailand for seven years. For the first two years I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Chiang Rai, working with the Thai Ministry of Education and Department of Economic Development to establish youth AIDS prevention programs, teach in a Thai school and train teachers. After Peace Corps I worked as the elementary school principal in a Thai elementary school in Chiang Mai.

I speak Thai well, but wouldn't say I'm "fluent." I probably read and write at about the level of a third grader. สวัสดีครับ...ผมชื่อวิลเลี่ยม ผมมีมนุษยสัมพันธ์ดี ใจดี และสุภาพครับ ผมพูดภาษาไทยได้บ้างแต่อ่านและเขียนไม่ค่อยเก่ง

A couple of years ago I spent a summer in China studying Mandarin at the Beijing Language and Culture University. After two months in Beijing my son and I traveled for a few weeks around southern China (Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Yichang, the Yangste River, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Taiwan), followed by a month in Vietnam (HCMC, My Tho, Vinh Long, Co Gong, Can Tho and Ha Tien), Malaysia and Japan. One day I'd like to go live and work in China.

Hobbies, Music and God...

I have all sorts of hobbies and interests, but computers and "surfing the net" aren't among them. I'm just not into carpalling my syndrome and melting my brain into a flickering monitor. I'm not a health freak but I'm vegetarian and meditate semi-regularly. Interests include swimming, scuba diving, biking, traveling, pottery, sculpture, different cultures, basketball, world music and playing with my son. I try to swim 3 or 4 times a week for exercise.

I check out lots of live shows and listen to all sorts of music. Favorites include the Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, the Clash, the Neville Brothers, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Lou Reed, Dr. John, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Los Lobos, Daniel Lanois, Wynton Marsalis, Toots and the Maytals, John Coltrane, Cesaria Evora, Cui Jian, Pongsit Kampee, Ad Carabou and a bunch of others you've probably never heard of.

I'm respectful of all religious beliefs (or disbeliefs) while not at all certain of my own. I'm Buddhist more than anything, but think of it as a healthy way of living rather than as a "religion." I believe Jesus, the Prophet Muhammad, and the Buddha were all messengers of a loving God who neither condemns nor judges people by the color of their skin, sexual orientation or religious beliefs. I attend church at Glide in San Francisco most Sundays, but also go to Thai Buddhist temple in Berkeley every now-and-then.

Although I don’t have much free time and do a lousy job of keeping in touch with friends, I’m always open to meeting new friends. I try to be genuine, down-to-earth, creative, thoughtful, compassionate and caring—and like to be around people with similar qualities. Age and appearance aren't particularly important to me, but a love for children—or, at least, a tolerance for noise—is probably necessary if we’re going to hang out together. My son does lots of joyful, happy screaming.

Email...

I realize web pages don't begin to describe a person's heart and soul, but I guess this is a first step. If you're interested in knowing more, drop me a line.

Click HERE to send me an email. If you write, it'd be nice if you enclosed your picture (preferably with clothes on).

Peace.

William and Bon: Blog

About William...