I feel stuck writing this piece.  A lot of starts and stops. So many tangents, and yet I don’t want to say “tangents” because everything is connected.  I am also scared of getting too emotional. I’ve always been scared of getting too emotional. I want to write something funny.  Funny and powerful. I feel like... Continue Reading →

[Photo of my family on the day of my First Communion, circa 1981. I'm pouting and my brother is giving one of our houseplants the side-eye. I would totally wear my mom's dress in this day and age, and my dad is looking pretty Studio 54. They both look young and amazing, not a gray... Continue Reading →

Dear Mrs. ________, You were my teacher in third grade. I was in the “advanced” reading group. Me, L., and M. We were learning expressions and idioms, though I don’t remember if we used those exact terms at that age. The workbook said to form a sentence with the words “itching” and “camera.” Ok, I... Continue Reading →

[Photo: Me, R.J., cousin Stella, Lola, and my best friend S. at Frankenmuth, MI, circa 1980s] My best friend S. and I opened a letter that wasn’t ours. It had been accidentally delivered to my house. The letter, in a plain white envelope, was addressed to my neighbor, a girl I grew up with who... Continue Reading →

[This is a photo of me and my daughter, Gabriela, slinging my homemade adobong manok at the first and only Adobofest in Seattle, summer 2013. I didn't win, but I'm proud to say that DJ Sabzi from Blue Scholars voted mine as the best of the fest. Sarap!]   I rinse the chicken and put... Continue Reading →