Lately the numbers on my Instagram reels have just tanked. And if I can be honest, it doesn’t feel great. I assume there is some algorithm shenanigans going on. Which is fine, it’s their platform — that’s how they make their money. I’m more interested in unpacking how all of this feels as an online…
Cat Food and Admitting Defeat
For 17 years I’ve been blessed with a very easy-going cat who basically would eat anything I put in front of him. So I guess I am past due to get a finicky eater in his senior years. Over the past 16 months, I’ve been struggling with Mole Negro’s diet, trying to find the right…
Hosting a Quaker Meeting for Worship
This weekend I did something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time: hosted a silent Quaker Meeting for Worship in my home for my non-Quaker friends. It was a small group of just five of us, which was the right number because I would have been nervous hosting a larger gathering. Also…
Shiva and Dance as Triumph and Victory
This is a sculpture of Shiva manifesting as Natarāja aka “Lord of the Dance”. Its from the 12th century from Southern India. Shiva is a very important deity in Hinduism, and is often depicted as dancing. Such a bad ass! This weekend, I visited the new “Beyond Bollywood” exhibition at the Asian Art Museum, and…
Jamming with Friends: One of Life’s Best Experiences
There are few things I enjoy more than just jamming with friends to good music. I feel so flipping blessed that I get to do this all the time at the 6th Avenue Skating Place in Golden Gate Park. Here’s just one moment of the hundreds that I’ve experienced in the past three years of…
My Friend Amy (poem)
My friend AmyWears ballet slippers on the streetAdopts every child she meetsPuts salad dressing on her riceWould rather be called obnoxious than niceIs always flatBrokeSleeps like a narcoleptic catSmokesWrites poetry nobody ever seesAnd the rest you’d never believe. rik panganibanoctober 1992
Ms. Millar (a poem)
Ms. Millar After math class, you took me aside and said,“You don’t belong here.”I agreed. But how did you know? I’d always felt like the outsider –Too small, too odd, too yellow.A defective droid. You said, “You don’t belong here.You should be in advanced algebra.” I didn’t believe you.It took a couple more decadesTo see…
Performing “3 Hats” at the 6th Avenue Skating Place!
I had a super fun time performing “3 Hats,” my first solo skate dance piece, at the 6th Avenue Skating Place yesterday. I have a lot more to say about why I did this at the end of this blog. But first off, here’s the performance. Special thanks to Kenny Hoff for the amazing videography….
On Skating and Privilege and Donuts
It’s 10:30pm. My friends and I are at a 24 hour donut shop, getting donuts and coffee before heading to a skating rink for a late night skate party. An older Asian woman is behind the counter. We ask her if she has been to Roller King, the rink down the road. She admits that…
Reddit and Finding Support for Your New Hobby
I’ve been thinking about Reddit and how many folks use it to be the friend that they don’t have in their lives. There have been many times in my life when I was curious or excited about some activity but didn’t know how to start. Tap dance, playing the harmonica, writing science fiction are ones…