How much could I eat in Osaka in three days? I didn’t know, but I was excited to find out! Friends had told me that Osaka was unparalleled for its street food culture, which got me super excited to visit. I arranged a four night stay in the trendy Namba district, where I was surrounded…
An Epic Three and a Half Days at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea
I’m finally back from one the best trips I’ve ever taken: a solo two-week adventure to Japan centered around visiting the legendary Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea theme parks. There’s a lot of ground to cover, so I’ll try and be as brief and organized as I can. Background A couple of years ago, while in…
Rhythm Skating and a Formula for Getting Better?
I’ve been thinking about skate dancing and my progress over the nearly three years that I’ve been practicing this art form. Of the many dances I’ve practiced, rhythm / jam skating is one that I have progressed the fastest. Not that I am an “expert” by any means, but I feel like my level of…
May the 4th Be with You!
From an epic trip to Disneyland in 2019 with my bud Kristin.
Letting Your Light Shine… on Instagram
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