My Dearest Boy, You have been the one who gave me the least to worry about, but yet--I still worry. You have proven that studies of middle children, and people lied when they talked or wrote about the middle child syndrome and all of its characteristics. You have never been one to fit the mold. … Continue reading A Letter To The Middle Child On His 21st Birthday
Cold for Alaskans means it has to meet the -20 threshold. If it's above -20, many of us consider the weather not too bad. On Saturday, March 24th, the weather was somewhere between 20-30 above zero. A perfect day to be outside and for Fairbanksans to hold a rally in support of March For Our … Continue reading March In The Cold
I’ll be somewhat disclosing my age here by writing this essay, but there’s a point to be made about the generation that I am a member of. The generation that has been defined by experts as those who came after the baby boomers are now grown. The Generation X—because no one could fucking come … Continue reading The X Legacy
The saying goes that "if you are not changing, you are dying." I take it that this must means that a person must continue to strive for change--whether it is a physical change for the better, a philosophical perspective kind of change, a spiritual change--whatever it may be--it's change, right? There are those of … Continue reading Cruelty
The first elementary school I attended in the U.S. was Emerson Elementary School located in Oakland, California. My dad was stationed at Oakland Army Base for three years, and my family flew in from Cavite City, Philippines. Before Emerson elementary, I went to a regular public school, and before that a Catholic private school … Continue reading The Way to Dream..
Sunset on New Year’s Eve In life, there’s a tendency to always long for something. Many of us can’t decipher what that may be. Sometimes we long for a life free of sadness and despair. Some of us long for wealth through some kind of luck bestowed upon us. There are those of us … Continue reading Sunset on New Year’s Eve
Full confession here: I didn't want to leave the comfort of my family holiday traditions. The tradition composes of Christmas and New Year's to be celebrated quietly at home. The kids and I would spend our days lazily on the couch enjoying a marathon of Harry Potter movies, as well as, the Lord of the … Continue reading Family is Beauty. Beauty is Ohana
I believe I have been reborn twice in my life. I was first born in Cavite, City Philippines in the 70s. I was reborn in Oakland, California in the 80s, and again in Fairbanks, Alaska in the 90s. Monique Truong wrote about her being reborn from a child born in Vietnam, to her childhood in … Continue reading Reborn.
“Let’s do a challenge while we’re in San Diego!” Jackie texted while I was in my office preparing a list of items that I needed to do before taking off for a short vacation. “Ok, we should eat Filipino food every night since we don’t do this often!” I texted back. “Yes! Let’s eat … Continue reading In Pursuit of a Quest.
The first time I wrote about my dad it was about the events that unfolded when he had a stroke. I wrote from my perspective as his eldest daughter coming into to his aid at a life altering moment in his life. I believe I will always have this perspective since this is my role in … Continue reading In Defense of Fatherhood
The Echo Muse 