Today is my awesome dad's [number]th birthday! In our adult years, we share a love of photography, gadgets and foods that we shouldn't be eating. He also tells the worst jokes ever. And his name is Wally, which is pronounced in a way that might surprise you. Sadly, I don't think we will be doing…
Category: Family
Breaking It Down at My Cousin’s Wedding (video)
So "Ice Ice Baby" comes on at a wedding. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?
The Alameda County Fair: Pig Races, Fried Everything, and Weird Al!
My sister and some of my cousins and I went out to the Alameda County Fair yesterday for some old-timey fun. My family has been going to the Alameda County Fair for most of our lives. What's remarkable is how little is has changed over the decades. It still has the same slightly sketchy…
Beyond Buffets: Less is More
Here's a picture of a typical buffet spread at my family's gatherings. For most of my life, I've loved a good buffet meal. The idea of endless choices of dishes and heaping plates of food has been a fantasy of mine. A lot of this comes from my family, who throw lavish potluck meals…
Cute Overload: Bali the Doberman Puppy Enjoys Weed (pic)
Yesterday my sister's doberman puppy Bali got his first exposure to actual dirt, grass and weeds yesterday, at at my cousin Ryan's house in Vallejo. Once he discovered a bit of nature, Bali wanted nothing to do with concrete or the indoors. Who can blame him? It's fun to roll around in the dirt! Bali…
Celebrating Reena and Blake’s Nuptials in Gangnam Style!
This Saturday, I had the pleasure of being a part of the wonderful wedding of my cousin Reena and her new husband Blake in Rodeo and Benicia, California. It was a great opportunity for the extended family to come together and celebrate their love in true Filipino-American fashion — with lots of food, drink, and…
The Joys and Pitfalls of Sobriety in a Drinking Culture
Here's my sister and her boyfriend drinking shots at Mua in Oakland, with the third shot meant for me sitting on the table untouched. We are all celebrating our respective birthdays. I haven't had a full glass of any kind of alcohol for many, many years. I wish I could say it's because of my…
Thankful
About a year ago, I moved to the Bay Area from New York, with some fairly ill-defined goals — more of what Quakers call a “leading,” rather than any kind of concrete plan. I knew that I wanted to be closer to my family. I felt like it was time for some kind of big…
Golden Gate Park “Dim Sum Run” by the Net Zero Running Squad
Yesterday, I went running with some family and friends in Golden Gate Park on a gorgeous Saturday morning. It was one of those days that make you grateful that you live in the Bay Area. We did a medium-difficult four mile run through the park, starting and ending at 30th Avenue and JFK. Afterwards,…
A New Year’s Eve Fun Run to the Golden Gate Bridge
For the last day of the year, my cousins had the brilliant idea to do a casual, 5 mile "fun run" from Crissy Field to the Golden Gate Bridge and back. It was a gorgeous Bay Area winter morning, in the mid-50s, sunny, windless and clear. Folks were out jogging, biking, walking their dogs and…