Life must be a constant education one must learn everything from speaking to dying.

Dreams can be like charades in which we act out words rather than see or speak them.

Our theme for this year's festivities Dreams and Challenges of Asian Pacific Americans speaks to the many generations of Asian Pacific Americans who worked hard to overcome economic hardship racism and other barriers in their pursuit of the American dream.

Like all young reporters - brilliant or hopelessly incompetent - I dreamed of the glamorous life of the foreign correspondent: prowling Vienna in a Burberry trench coat speaking a dozen languages to dangerous women narrowly escaping Sardinian bandits - the usual stuff that newspaper dreams are made of.

I worked on my voice for Sweet Dreams but only to match my speaking voice to Patsy's actual singing voice. That was my way into that character.

Dreams do come true even for someone who couldn't speak English and never had a music lesson or much of an education.

No one may speak for the dead no one may interpret their mutilated dreams and visions.

My own dreams fortunately came true in this great state. I became Mr. Universe I became a successful businessman. And even though some people say I still speak with a slight accent I have reached the top of the acting profession.

When the Grateful Dead needed a quality sound system to deliver our sonic payload I learned electronics and speaker design.

I have an all-Japanese design team and none of them speak English. So it's often funny and surprising how my ideas end up lost in translation.