I thought, how hard could it be to build a dragon out of papier-mâché? I had the mindset needed to solve problems.

Growing up in Hong Kong, I helped my mother take her goods to the market to sell. I was only a tiny little girl, but we pushed and pulled heavy boxes using a long rope. During droughts, I had to fetch water from the public well, carrying two full buckets balanced on a bamboo pole across my shoulders. Maybe that’s how I became so strong. As an adult, I never exercised. Then, in 2002, I landed a fabulous job with Emirates Airline in Perth, Australia. The frequent travel to M

From Florence, Italy, I came to the United States as a tourist in 1967. I lived with a wealthy couple in Atherton. The husband was crippled. Except for shopping and bringing the husband to physical therapy, I was free. I loved California. At one of their dinner parties, I met my husband and became a housewife, as was expected. Then he passed away and I was left with three girls.