Lola Nita used salmon fish heads in her sinigang recipe. One of my earliest memories of Lola Nita cooking sinigang na ulo ng isda was at our old Albany Park apartment on Sawyer Street in the summer of 1988. My Kuya and I lived on the third floor of the building, while my grandparents inhabited the second, and my … Continue reading An Excerpt from Sinigang
This morning I woke up slowly to the sounds of airplanes flying overhead, cars driving passed our home, and the air conditioning blowing cool air throughout the room. I can't remember the last time I got this much rest and could feel every fiber in my being thanking me for taking this time to recover. … Continue reading Running Free
Yesterday my uncle stopped by to plant some yew shrubs in the front yard. He's an avid gardener and was happy to gift us these shrubs and plant them in our ever so slowly developing garden. When I got home from a long work commute and day, I was drained and moving slowly. He was … Continue reading The Master Gardener
I reached an afternoon lull at work today and ventured outside to get some fresh air. It was gray out; the clouds a large crumpled blanket below the faded periwinkle in the distance. I welcomed the rain to drench me or the sun to burn me, the roar of the train to rumble through my veins. I wanted … Continue reading Being in the Moment
I've been practicing mindfulness today and this idea of being free and grounded keeps circulating in my thoughts. I imagine a bird flying in a bright blue sky with an anchor around its torso, weighing it down as it struggles to soar. Then I realize I'm projecting and really what it means to be both … Continue reading On Being Free & Grounded
It's half past midnight and I keep staring out the window at the bare swaying branches glistening beneath the orange lamp post. I close my eyes and a moment with my daughter earlier in the day replays in my mind. We're walking in the rain and singing the "rain rain go away" song. Despite the … Continue reading Rain
I'm striving to become more aware of what my body is telling me and making sure to not only notice what's happening inside me, but also around me. I'm constantly being reminded that I have to trust my gut and follow my heart. What I'm realizing through overdue introspection is that I do neither of those … Continue reading Unpacking
When my grandmother passed away several years ago, I salvaged a few dusters from her boxes of belongings. Dusters are basically Filipino "house dresses" or in American terms, muumuus. I wanted to repurpose them, use the beautiful fabrics that use to adorn her silhouette and bring new life to my space. As I was leaving, … Continue reading The Revival
Last night, the sun was so vast and breathtaking as I was driving, I had to stop, get out and try to get some shots of it melting into the lake. A flock of geese started to "honk" (just learned that sound they make is called that--I'm not going to pretend that I didn't just google that) … Continue reading Let It Flow
The first book I ever purchased was "Poems" by Maya Angelou. I brought $10 to school that day because I had been looking forward to the book fair for weeks--I must have been in 5th grade. I circled the aisles and something drew me to this book with the teal cover and photo of a woman … Continue reading Still I Rise
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