By the time you turn 25 there are some things you’ll never forget...
Some Things You’ll Never Forget
From the Bottom
"If you want to be a good writer, you have to know what the bottom looks like," my godfather told me as he lifted his beer bottle to his lips. Rain was pounding down outside, the humidity disappearing with the strong blast of the A/C. I looked him in the eye and nodded, because after two weeks in the Philippines I knew exactly what he meant...
Make Your Mark
My paternal grandfather travelled to France once, and my paternal grandmother to Japan. My maternal grandmother saw Hong Kong and Singapore. And my mother has seen Japan and China and most of the USA. It's one reason I'm not surprised that this wanderlusting has been etched into my skin and blood...
Being the Filipino Who Couldn’t Speak Tagalog
I can’t speak Tagalog. When I first moved to Canada it only took me three weeks to drop my mother tongue, and adopt English as my own. My parents never corrected me...
Oh, the Places I Went (and the Places I’ll Go)
I am a dot. On a global scale, I am a dot, in a dot, on a map. From my childhood I have always known this. I have always understood this. And in that clichéd, yet personal way, I want to connect the dots...
Congratulations on Participating
It's a known fact I hate to fly. I don't like being so high up in the air, I think it's terrifying that the only thing holding me up is an engine and some wings... That's why it still shocks me I willingly (and expensively, mind you) tossed myself out of a plane at 12,000 feet in the air...
