the littlest things take me back– a swig of lukewarm coke, a whiff of muggy air, the rumbling of an engine, and for the next fraction of a second i feel like i am in the philippines. when i snap back to here and now, i am awash in longing and nostalgia for everything and […]

lisa and i walked down the street, drunk on guitar riffs and possibility. we were smiling, because it had been a good night — and it wasn’t over, yet. two guys followed closely behind us. “is it a full moon tonight?” one asked. i looked up at the moon, hanging low in the dark sky, […]

i: we are starting to think alike. it’s scary. either you’re thinking like a 26-year-old or i’m thinking like a 15-year-old. she: we have been! ever since the scottish accent incident i am used to it! :-) i: ha! The Scottish Accent Incident. she: i think im thinking like a 26 yr old! :-) im […]

“i don’t like dogs,” said the little boy, walking zig zags in the grocery store aisles. “why not?” asked his mom. “because they bite cats,” he said matter-of-factly. “sometimes, they bite people, too.” –ralphs supermarket

you know a website is good when you visit it and instantly smile, over and over again. everything that craig makes is beautiful like that and its beauty lies in its simplicity and appreciation for little things (some of them literally little, like his world-famous minipops). i’ve been lucky enough to correspond with him through […]

she held up the line at the post office over $1.09. she was insisting that the cashier gave her the wrong change, her german accent rising as she got more angry, her shaky hand waving the receipt in the air. they recounted the details once, then twice, and the cashier sighed and said, “i am […]

“that guy’s hair looks like that one ’80s band but i can’t remember its name.” “flock of seagulls.” “oh my god that’s right.” –roof, martini lounge, hollywood

it’s a bit like knitting, i’d imagine. i can sit on the sofa with a handful of beads and wire and pliers, and the hours vanish into each other. loop, insert, loop, stretch. the repetition is relaxing, even soothing, and i forget i’m doing anything at all. unlike painting with watercolors or tending a garden, […]

this weekend, i went to a preteen-infested rock show, a drag queen beauty pageant, a rubber stamp convention and a crepe party. my head is spinning with bare midriffs, blonde afro wigs, ladies wearing fanny packs and sizzling butter. some of these are good things, some of them are not. can you guess which is […]

he was wearing a yellow plaid shirt rolled up past his elbows, tight jeans and a black cowboy hat. his hips swayed to and fro, reminiscent of male strippers and marlboro ads. –queen of silver lake pageant, silver lake

my new favorite comic: cat and girl. the heroine, who bears a striking resemblance to my friend lorraine (and some might say myself, as well), is a girl after my own heart. brilliant, really.

the resemblance is striking, no? this morning, i rescued wonder woman from a yard sale. she was trapped in a mattel box on a dusty shelf in a dirty yard, and i had to take her home with me. it seemed a funny twist of fate as just last week i’d been reminiscing about my […]

i’m standing in line at rite-aid, getting an assortment of provisions like shampoo, ziploc bags and a new dish-washing sponge. the checker has ringlets of black hair that frame her round, shiny face, and i say hello and ask how she’s doing. they aren’t words i just say, like hello or what’s up. i mean […]

last night, we tried, for a second time, to go to the standard hotel downtown. it’s been hot during the day but cool at night and it was a perfect night for sitting on a rooftop. we battled closed and one-way roads, scored on parking and humored street performers begging for change, but we were […]

i was filling ricky in on all the latest when an idea struck him: “grandma should do yoga.” “she will never do yoga,” i said, trying to imagine our 86-year-old grandmother twisting herself up into pretzels. “she could pray to the patron saint of yoga, though.”

standing on the grass, feeling the sprays of water splash my leg, holding the hose and pulling the trigger, i remembered a game i used to play when i was a little girl. i was an angel and i was raining on the shrubs and rose bushes and trees. i was forging rivers and making […]

i had forgotten all about the oasis song, talk tonight, and how i used to put on my headphones and listen to it on repeat and stare out train windows when i lived in paris (and visited london). but today, i dusted off the CD i bought for too many francs and popped it into […]

i know it’s been a good weekend when i can’t muster up any good stories, because i’m too busy living them. instead, the remnants of such weekends are found in messes in my house and the smile permanently glued onto my face. come sunday night, evidence of the fabulous four-day weekend included leftover desserts in […]

he gleefully showed us hat, which was red and white striped with white stars on blue. he proudly tipped the bill downward and then pointed to red flashing lights, battery operated fireworks going off on his head. later, he would take it off and gaze at it, lovingly. “it’s my birthday weekend,” he announced. “happy […]

i love the u.s.a. i don’t go around singing amazing grace nor do i have a flag decal on my car rear window, but deep down inside my filipino brown body, i have a strong affection for this country, despite its faults. if it weren’t for america, i wouldn’t know french fries or fireworks on […]