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Present
Participles

...actions from the last 13 years...

From Toison To Tucson is a multi-generational  artful web collection of actions passed down to Leslie Tom (she/her/hers)

About

01 about

Hello. My name is Leslie Tom-- translated from "Tan, Get Ley".  I grew up in Tucson, but originally my family is from Toison, China. I like being super geeky, artsy, structured, and reflective.  When I was 26, I started an open source semantic media wiki to organize & observe my daily activities - people, place and things.  When I was 29 I moved from Tucson to San Francisco. At 33, I moved from San Francisco to Detroit.  I feel like I'm finally growing up living in Michigan for the last 7 years!  Today, June 27th is my 40th birthday and post pandemic, I'd like to aim to write one wiki inspired reflection every decade.  Much gratitude for all family, friends, mentors, people that introduced me to words / action / practices below... Here's a birthday gift/present of time and 10+ year data set to anyone that cares --- a collection of present participles (action words that end in ~ing). 

A 5 minute Eyeo Festival Ignite talk, Making Vision Boards Come True given in Minneapolis, right before I moved to Detroit (2015)... (strangely my focus is pretty much the same.)

My Present Participle Rules: Create an article / category at the age introduced / practiced and record.  Otherwise keep practicing and refining / living below actions...

Findings (Leslie's random thoughts & patterns):  

  • The more you become an expert, the more nuanced and important history / legacy becomes.

  • Plural words == typology; Singular words == methodology 

  • When one focuses on present participles, one needs knowledge / technology / tools to complete.

  • A male / Asian American experience is very different than a female / White experience.

27

26-27 years old (Tucson) 2009

  • Cleaning

These are the present participles I am introduced / focus upon each year.

28

27-28 years old (Phoenix) 2009

  • Baking

  • Cooking

  • Dating

  • Event Planning

29

  • ​Green Printing

  • Knitting 

  • Relocating Residence

28 - 29 years old (Phoenix) 2010

  • Camping

  • Dying

  • Operating Systems (Computing)

  • Publishing

  • Reading

  • Writing

  • Sewing

  • Towing

30

29 - 30 years old (San Francisco) 2011

  • Analyzing

  • ​Blogging

  • Curating

  • Dancing

  • Flying

  • Hearing

  • Instant Messaging Lighting

  • Microblogging

  • Naming

  • Networking

  • Operating

  • Painting

  • Screencasting

  • Sharing

  • Social Networking

  • Traveling

  • Urban Planning

  • Voting

  • ​Writing Tools

31

30 - 31 years old (San Francisco) 2012

  • Burning Man

  • Caring

  • Computer Networking

  • Consulting

  • Controlling

  • Decision Making

  • Drawing

  • Drinking

  • Fundraising

  • Hiking

  • Measuring

  • Networking (Business)

  • Printing

  • Public Speaking

  • Reading and Writing Files

  • Firing

  • Lighting Systems

32

31 - 32 years old (San Francisco) 2013

  • Accounting

  • Carsharing

  • Downloading

  • Editing

  • Food gatherings

  • Listening

  • Navigating

  • Sharing Economy

  • Video Editing

33

32 - 33 years old (San Francisco) 2014

  • Driving

  • Freelancing

  • Making

  • Mentoring

  • Naming Conventions

  • Ordering Food

  • Recruiting

  • Singing

34

33 - 34 years old (Detroit) 2015

  • Being

  • Biking

  • Cost Estimating

  • Disrupting

  • Estimating

  • Finding

  • Finding Accommodations

  • Helping Friends

  • Relocate Residences

  • Improving

  • Improvising

  • Lean Manufacturing

  • Lighting Tricks

  • Manufacturing

  • Navigating (Graphical User Interface)

  • Onboarding

  • Parenting

  • Performing

  • Planning

  • Playing

  • Professional Coaching

  • Recording

  • Recycling

  • Remembering

  • Speaking

  • Visual Notetaking

  • Brunch Planning

  • Critical thinking

  • Dry Cleaning

  • Finessing

  • Following up with people

  • Voicing your concerns

35

34 - 35 years old (Detroit) 2016

  • Agreeing

  • Asking

  • Biking Culture

  • Checking in on People

  • Committing

  • Consenting

  • Dreaming

  • Eating

  • Extending Comfort

  • Forgiving

  • International Cooking

  • Museum Recycling

  • Parking

  • Photographing

  • Prioritizing Relationship

  • Status Changing

  • Requesting

  • Reserving

  • Storytelling

  • Submetering

  • Transcribing

  • Volunteering

  • Agreeing

  • Agreeing on time

  • Asking

  • Backing up computer

  • Corralling

  • Disrupting

  • Encouraging human interactions

  • Flooring

  • Hiring

  • Thinking deeply

  • Video taping

36

35-36 years old (Detroit) 2017

  • Collaborating

  • Advocating

  • Bike Valeting

  • Exercising

  • Grantmaking

  • Winter Living

  • Apologizing

  • Catering

  • Encouraging cooperation

  • Researching

  • Swimming

  • Weekly Reporting

37

36 - 37 years old (Detroit) 2018

  • Announcing

  • Grant Administrating

  • Grant Writing

  • Judging

  • Measuring Sustainability

  • Meditating

  • Parking Citations

     

  • Reference (Recommending) 

  • Vision Boarding

  • Bidding

  • Committing

  • Creating Exhibitions

  • Encouraging Informing (present participle) RSVPing 

  • Skiing

38

37 - 38 years old (Detroit) 2019

  • Branding

  • ​Budgeting

  • Card Sorting

  • Composting

  • Declutting

  • Healing

  • Investing

  • Organizing

  • Protesting

  • Updating

  • Working

  • Budgeting

  • Carpooling

  • Container gardening

  • Working remotely

  • Zero Based budgeting

39

38-39 years old (Pandemic) 2020

  • Changing

  • Cohousing

  • Delegating

  • Farming

  • Healing Trauma

  • Home Buying

  • Journey Mapping

  • Keeping Friends

  • Maintaining
     

  • Mothering

  • Project Managing

  • Reporting

  • Snow Shoeing

  • Visioning

  • Visioning (Feminine Energy)

  • Asking for Help
     

  • Conserving Water

  • Funding

  • Healing

  • Laughing

  • Peace(ing)

  • Pet sitting

  • Recruiting

  • Social distancing

40

39-40 years old (Pandemic) 2021

  • Accepting Myself

  • Car buying

  • Community building

  • Considering

  • Exercising

  • Family Planning

  • Flood cleaning

  • Generational Healing

  • Living

  • More Forgiving 

  • Sanctifying

  • Saying No

  • Saying Yes

Contact

03 contact

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live in the present, learn from the past, vision the future

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