write a book that was contemporary and set in california. i knew i wanted to write a mother daughter story line. that's what i began with. it was the first time i said, this character not necessarily has to be asian. none of these characters necessarily have to be asian. i was of mind opposite of what you are saying happened through the book. what happened was the more i started to research when i discovered warner's, ime wantedo write. i was feeling older as a person and wanted to translate that into a book. when i thought i would write about the care taking situation and wanted to write about a mother and daughter and i thought was there an aging disease? where children grow old quickly. by the time they are 7 or 8 they

look like little old people because they age so quickly. the first thing i asked myself is there a version of this disease for older people. does it start later in a person's life? as i'm researching i discover warner's syndrome and that's how it came to be that particular disease in the book. i thought this works because she would have a life before the disease started to age her in the 20's as opposed to being very young. more i researched the more i realized that a large population of japanese people seemed to have this genetic defect. it brought me back to the japanese culture even though i was not looking for it. what happened was if she was half japanese. here again you will hear the

writing process. as i'm thinking about this and thinking about story line and her parents. if her mother is italian and her father is japanese which would make her half and half the genetic defect would come to the father then things would have to happen if they grew up in california. he grew up in pasadena which means he would be inturned. things start to happen without you looking at it from the beginning when writing a story but as you develop the characters and the year and the situation and the stories a father would tell a daughter. all this came out the camps, what happened. what he hoped for. what he wished for. all the stories he tells the daughters. some of them would have to cover that interment time and a lot is what happened from my research.

all that went in the book. does that answer your question? it's not that i purposely said, now i will advocate this. but if a story line covers a certain aspect of history that you tell it to the greatest truth you can. you know, you talk about the situation and if you inhabit the characters, hopefully, in the right way you try to feel hathey would feel. >> thank you. >> we started reading your book in my classroom a couple of weeks ago. >> he's lifting the book up. they are disapointed because we haven't gotten to the part you read yet, it's okay the story is not spoiled. i want to thank bobby and alex for coming on a school night. i want to thank you, too. >> you are welcome. >> [laughter]. >> one of the things the book has done is opened their eyes to

japan and japanese culture which is new to a lot of them. what are some of the more important aspects of japanese culture that you would want us to take away reading this book? we are fixated on figuring out who the samurai is we have ideas and we are trying to deconstruct the attributes of a samurai. in your opinion what would be useful for us to think about or focus on as we finish the book. we are a third of the way through it. >> one of those kind of questions [laughter]. i will tell you about an e mail i got this entire high school on the east coast is reading the samurai's garden. i started to get 30 e mails. they discovered through the website an e mail which would come directly tow me. i started to figure it out when all the questions were the same. they -- it was the questions which they had to write their

essay on. one young woman wrote me and said, i don't know if i have time to read the book can you tell me who the samurai is and where the garredin is? [laughter]. i thought these kids are going to be okay. you know this is our generation coming up. i wrote her and said, you know, read the book. i think for me, because i think every book is a learning process for me. in terms of my culture because i am the first, i don't know about all that needs to be known of both being chinese and of course being japanese. i get a lot wrong. i cringe when i pronounce a japanese word because i know i'm not say itting correctly. i can get away with it. here i don't know, it's harder to get away with it in the bay area because we are such a

melting pot. and so many people who know japanese where i don't. what i discovered i think on the whole, for all cultures both cultures and the writing process itself is the more i write about different cultures the more i realize how much alike we are. and if you take anything away take that. take the fact that all humanity is the same. you know the -- culturesar a background for me it makes you who you are. if you are japanese you bow. if you are chinese you don't. there are certain things that are specific to each culture. but if you are writing characters there are specific things that are everybody. and that's more important to me in that sense. you have the culture's background but if you can understand why a person who lives in that culture feels the way they do or does what they do i think that's the most

important thing. does that answer your question? >> yeah. >> thank you. >> you letting me off? [laughter] do i have another story to tell you? i would if i -- >> you seem very conscious of the writer's process you are aware of how you work. you mentioned you changed from a film major to an english major. can you talk about when you were conscious when you wanted to be a writer. >> as opposed to a film maker? >> yes. >> some writers are not aware of their process as you are and i'm fas nacinated by that. >> when i took my first film

class it was so boring. and it had nothing to do about the story that i was watching on the screen. and everything to do about how many frames per second or per minute or whatever it was. i thought, this is not at all what i thought it would be. then i moved from you know, to the technical aspect film writing course i took. it felt technical because i felt i had to be aware of the camera angles. literally aware it had to go down longshot or closeup and it was interfering with the story line. i graduated from san francisco state and it was creative writing within the english department. i was taking a class much like this. writers on writing and a writer came to speak to a group of young writers the first writer who came was a poet. and i was i fell madly in love

with language. i think that's why i'm probably conscious with the writing process because i began with the foundation of language, which is poetry for me. it made me aware of how to use language. not to over use language. you know things like that that aspects of it. i talk a lot about the writing process for a lot of reasons because i think that if you tell what it really means to be a writer people will think oh , it's not -- i think to a large extent you all think we run with the bulls. you know and you think we are sitting in cafes and i can never write in a cafe because i would watch people too much. how can you sit in a cafe and write a novel? we all have our process. i think the interesting things to talk about is the process how you do it because we all do it differently. i don't run with the bulls or

sit in cafes. this is the way i do it. there are many ways to do it and you have to find your own way. >> around the web i googled through me to see what it looked like i saw the big bridge and it looked industrialized. >> there really is love. >> i did. a real place and how you pick the location. i have family in japan and my kids are are in a bilingual program in san francisco that's japanese. >> i bet she speaks japanese better than i do. my kids might not me. >> when i had the gun i knew there was a [inaudible] and i started writing down things and i thought in my mind's eye, i think it looks like this. and it would be like that i had a small village in mind. there was a part in time i

thought, i could go back to japan and go there and see how it looked. i had in the book and in my heart what i thought it was, i almost knew that if i had gone back it wouldn't be the same. so i made the conscious choice of not going. now that you tell me this i'm thankful i didn't i think it would have destroyed what i created in my head. i thought places are best when they are imagined. i hesitated naming it after a place where my mom said what did exist. i'm glad i didn't go back. making that conscious choice would have changed had i gone back would have changed the direction of the book a lot. >> when i saw it it was so different than how an imagined from reading your books.

>> does that teach you never to look up things. always listen to the writer? [laughter]. >> we have time for one more question. >> can't be our essay question. >> she didn't give us a question yet. i wanted to know what made you think of the title like the samurai's garden? >> oh , know the title story. >> i'm sorry. >> quickly. this is actually a publishing business thing. i had written on the contract because i was reading about samurais and gardens. at the time the contract. i looked and said, oh , the samurai's garden. now they would put untitled. i put dount samurai's garden not thinking that would really with the title. and what happened was when it

was time to choose a title my editor had a god awful title she felt was the most brilliant title since the grapes of wrath. it was like this long and everything was in it but the kitchen sink. love, samurai, garden and sushi. it was a terrible title and i didn't like it and i didn't know what to say i had never disagreed. that was the first time i disagree. i said i don't want to look at my book case and see that book and cringe in 30 years. she called me from new york and said, i don't know why we are going over the title thing let's keep it the samurai's garden. then i was saying, thank you, god and it became the samurai a garden which in the end worked

when you decide hathat samurai is in your class you will see how it works. it works in many, many ways. i'm pleased it stayed the samurai's garden. not of anybody's choice but because it was the one we didn't want to fight over anymore. >> okay. >> [laughter]. >> thank you. i >> i think you wanted something else. >> well, i met the samurai and [laughter] >> thank you. >> thank you, gale so much for coming. >> [applause]. thank you.

>> and good morning, everyone. let's get this started because everybody wanted paychecks. it is a great occasion and historic when it is the first time the city is passing the two-year budget with all of the disciplinary things and others that watch our fiscal

responsibility along with the board of supervisors, a great day to celebrate. i want to recognize and think, beginning with the board president david chiu, thank you for working very closely with us. for carmen, who was assigned by board president to lead the effort again this year on the budget. and for the other members of the board of supervisors that have engaged directly with us. supervisors avalos, kim, elsbernd, cohen. and the department heads that worked very hard with us. i see of they cisneros, who the police chief and our fire chief.

barbara garcia and trent have worked extremely closely with us because of the tremendous pressure that we feel at the state level and the national of bochum, trying to get a really good conversation about how we can make sure that the community based organizations that provide invaluable service to us are taken care of and working in collaboration with us. hall of the a jar work that she does with all of us. i want to thank her for her tremendous leadership. again, i can say about about my good friend, someone who i got the chance to work with for many years. you have taken up so many complicated challenges this year, we're going to keep you busy. thank you for your wonderful

team. our new city administrator that is no longer new, your diving in there at every opportunity and helping all of the city department get ahead. thank you for your leadership there, our libraries continue to be great examples of our commitment to the public on how to use our bond worth. thank you very much. the key to the rec and park department. it will be the less complicated and very united effort, the bond we're going to push forward. with realignment come and gone, the commitment we have made to the state into our own communities to keep them safe, i just came back from the sheriff's department and the new jails, visiting all the programs out there.

we have a lot of work to do, but we have great faith in your leadership. thank you for leading the realignment efforts and making sure we do the right things. working with a juvenile justice. thank you for your great leadership working with richard and the former superintendent for keeping me focused on the education of the future of our city. your great work on our youth and the families, again, thank you so much for that. to emily, her work on the status of women, thank you for keeping us focused on the most important issues. our board of permit appeals this year, the small business commission, who m i forgetting? i remember the fire chief.

i also want to give a very special shot out to someone on my staff that has spent not only hours, but i think her demeanor and calmness has brought us through another successful collaborative effort. kay howard and the wonderful budget staff. if i can also do something that probably isn't mentioned a lot, i mention the work that we are doing directly with each of the members of the supervisors, but i think they would likely -- like me to mention that their aides are working very hard. how to think they aides of the supervisors. when they come in and they are meeting with jason and steve and we are exchanging life lessons about each other about what is

important that what is not important, how we appreciate the good work you are all doing with our supervisors, and we value the communication because sometimes you are the link homer critical votes and critical exchanges of viewpoints. i want to thank you for being here and keeping our purse strings there. thank you for collecting those taxes and making sure we got a healthy collection there. all of our elected officials, i hope i haven't missed anyone. we're working as a family. as you know, it is not a surprise to you that i work very hard with steve and my staff to try to build consensus with the board of supervisors, trying to create a ton of collaboration, especially on something as important and impacting as our

budget. now we have a balanced the budget, a responsible budget that will cost our police and fire departments have to win so many of the rank is retiring. and keep our cities save. that is irresponsible budget. we have a budget that extends itself to the richness of our communities by investing in small businesses, in community- based organizations that help us critically to deliver health and community social services to those in need. it is also a budget that is responsible because it places monies that we need because we don't control the rest of the world, how we have to be prepared and we listened over the years to the ratings agencies to the various fiscally

responsible entities including the comptroller's office. we must put away things in case things beyond our control happen and we have done that. we have done that in unity with the board of supervisors. i want to give a shot out to all of us that work collectively to make our budget responsible. it is the largest budget, but it is two years that builds on our success and reserves for dangers we have no control over. it also invests in seriously in our neighborhoods, small business corridors, that lifts up and gives hope to all of the voices that have registered themselves and we have cut ourselves very open to the voices coming out from our neighborhoods. i of the small-business

applicants and the merchant residence, and no longer are they screaming. we want them to engage, and i think when we respond appropriately to their needs ha, ha that is how the city should work. the voices of our communities come forward, we listen, contemplate, and we make decisions. which challenge each other. i will say to the supervisors have those of you that were past midnight had sought each other, while the stories is that some of what people war was like the job was when we were trying to close the deal. i appreciate the special powers that were taken care of the close this deal. while we may not agree with every single thing and the

priorities that have been made, there is a tremendous amount of agreement, and it is worth it to move this forward with everybody's participation. i want to thank the board of supervisors for their collaboration and for the excellent work that was left in this budget. if i may invite the board president to come to the podium to say a few words. >> i want to take a moment and thank each and everyone of you for being part of the village of san francisco that has helped to balance this historic budget. i think this year we have had a fundamentally different budget on a couple of different dimensions. first of all, as my colleagues

know, we have had a number of years where we have had to balance massive deficits. because of the work we have done together and the work in the private sector, the task of this year was not as difficult. i also want to take a moment talk about the two-year budget and reminisce about the fact that in 2005 when the city comptroller has brought to us the idea of a two-year budgeting, five-year financial forecasting, we knew the theory of what it would take who both have fiscal discipline and to allow us to spend on the priorities we would all share. it is because of the work we did together in part that led us to the easier place we are in. i am very proud of the fact that this budget reflects our shared priorities.

every single one of you is a leader in this city in some area, setting out for our parks, public safety, fixing roads, taking care of kids, seniors, immigrants, small businesses. we have come together in a wonderful way i want to echo the mayor and the thanks to all of you, to all of the city departments, to the budget office have their leadership. all of the community stakeholders' coming together. my colleagues at the border, and one person without whom this would not have happened. how to take a moment into trouble with one saying about the dress of the board of supervisors. i believe all the men were still in business suits. our board of supervisors were not dressed in pajamas, but there was one change of attire from our budget chair that slipped out of her high heels

and were flat at 5:00 in the morning. i want to thank sister carmen chu for her leadership and for dealing with us, helping to balance the incredibly diverse needs in the wonderfully diversity that we live in. i know you probably age of the last couple years. but you don't look as if you did. without further ado, i want to thank the budget chair. thank you for all your work. >> thank you very much to the mayor and board president, it has been my honor to serve as the budget chair this past year and the year before. i of the mayor ran through the partners that are here today. allow to a department heads and all of the staff. i see a lot of budget people in

this room, and this rotunda. and all the department heads and us, we would not be able to do what we do. i want to say thank you to the folks that make this happen. overall, there was a lot going on this year and many issues are coming out is still being discussed. our goal was to make sure that the budget was the least of everyone's worried. it was a low-key drama-free budget. we had a unanimous vote to pass the budget and with that, i think we really have put together a consensus budget. in addition to the key areas where we made investments in supporting small businesses and focusing on the economy, invest in opportunities to train individuals for the work force, who think the budget is ef