observations, humor, and nonsense
A groovy month of beautiful books, my StoryGraph, and how to get out of your literary echo chamber. In January’s Reading Roundup, I shared StoryGraph, an alternative to Goodreads that puts your reading into these colorful and interesting graphs and charts. Now that the first quarter has passed, I thought I’d share what mine looks…
Read More
I used to work for a management company as an administrative assistant. There were a bunch of us, underlings, who were assigned to different managers (who were in charge of fancy condos and gated communities). I started off as a temp downstairs, but as often was the case, after head honchos figured out I could…
Read More
Short month means short books! Ha! I read four books this month. Three were fairly short, under 300 pages while one was over. Two of the books I read with my teenage students, who are studying literature with me online, which means the other two were for my nighttime reading. First up was Out of…
Read More
Current status: reading obsessed! Since I enjoyed reading about other people’s reading lists from 2020, but reading challenges are a bit too much to commit to, I thought it would be fun to start a monthly reading roundup (let’s see how this goes). I’ve also signed up for The Story Graph which is a Goodreads…
Read More
[or how to eat more fruits and veggies!] It’s actually pretty easy and fun, but I enjoy cooking, being creative, and learning new recipes. Trust me though, you can be a lazy vegan — oh, and I hardly eat salads. For some out-of-character reason, I recorded what I ate for an entire month, early on…
Read More
Anyone else being forced to adapt and change during these times? Days before we closed 2020 and pulled out 2021, our apt manager announced that the pool and gym were closed due to a new wave of COVID. We howled over the lack of logic. Never mind the chances of COVID surviving in a chlorinated…
Read More
My colleagues joked that we had to get all of our COVID conversations out of the way before our Christmas dinner due to an anti-vaxxer coworker. But I had already decided I didn’t want to talk about work, politics, or the virus. And after we said good-night to everybody, my partner told me that it…
Read More
A year ago my partner and I decided to become vegan. We did it for health reasons even though neither of us have any obvious health problems. While I can’t speak for others, it’s been a positive change for us. We feel better, it’s good for the planet, and I no longer fear food. When…
Read More
November was the month that technology and I battled it out. Not exactly to the death, but it came to blows. The fieriest dogfight was over my OS or operating system. When I bought my Aspire All-In-One, I thought this one looks good enough and it’s cheap. (It’s how I chose my men…) But as…
Read More
My friend Kathy’s husband HATES small talk. We all got a giggle out of it, but I did try to have more meaningful conversations with him during social gatherings. And recently, I read an essay by David Sedaris on a scathing conversation he had with a taxi driver because he was sick of small talk…
Read More
The Social Dilemma was not what I expected. Therefore, I put off watching it because I thought I knew what it was going to be about β how social media harvests and controls our populations. It is, however, much more. How do you wake up from the Matrix when you don’t know you’re in the…
Read More
One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries. β A.A. Milne October was a month of discoveries. When we moved here about two years ago we were disappointed that transportation was challenging. In other words, there weren’t any Grab cars. But with the surge of food delivery options…
Read More
βTheyβre saying you need your passport.β βDonβt you have a copy?β βYeah, but they need your visa page.β βWhy?β βSome stupid COVID thing.β I turned away from talking to the BF, back to the front desk clerk. βI promise you he hasnβt left the country in three years.β βSorry, itβs the policy of the government.β…
Read More
The combination of my partner playing ELO in the gym and reading The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley made me think of one of my childhood favorites, Xanadu. Considered a truly awful movie by many, but a cult classic by Oliva Newton-John fans like me. While the soundtrack went double-platinum in the US, the…
Read More
The challenge. I didn’t go anywhere. What do I take photographs of? I’ve exhausted my little neighborhood, haven’t I? My world has shrunk, and like many, I don’t really venture beyond a small area. Yes, yes, COVID and all that, but the problem still needs to be solved. Ah, ha! What’s on your desk? Here’s…
Read More
I try. I really do. After all, there’s no shortage of horrible news that makes you want to suck your thumb, strap on an adult diaper, and lose yourself in a tub of tears and ice cream. Salty! Happy Panda did a ‘Happiness is…’ photo series which is such a good idea. Here’s one of…
Read More
Falling in love with reading has been one of my biggest influences. I can’t imagine my life without a good book or even a shampoo bottle for me to read. I was thirteen when I walked into Waldenbooks out of utter desperation to do something with my time after I had no friends, no outside…
Read More
Hello, again. I’m back! Sorry about missing June and July, needed a break, but I’m ending the month with a holiday so I’ve got time and sanity back (momentarily). Most of August was tough though. I was juggling two jobs, teaching online and in the classroom. We went back into the classroom at the end…
Read More
Some movies remind me of those long gone days of perusing indie video stores. Where you wandered down aisles and contemplated something outside your comfort zone. Sometimes you might have been hoping to bump into a handsome stranger, but that never ever happens in real life. Right? I might have heard Death at a Funeral…
Read More
On a long haul flight, most likely from Hawaii back to Thailand, the BF binged watched Chinese movies while my nose was stuck in Norse Mythologies by Neil Gaiman. And after watching god-knows how many films, Beautiful Accident is what he remembered and recommended. This was years ago, so that’s how long it’s taken me…
Read More
Every day, I usually do a quick scroll though Facebook because: it has become a second inbox, itβs how I remember birthdays, and it allows me to stay connected to my family, friends, and students from around the world. On this particular occasion, I was having a giggle over the above image. Was it 100%…
Read More
Quicksand economies, medical crises, personal blows, you name it, thereβs no shortage of external and internal factors that can cause us to reevaluate how we live our lives. A couple of years ago, I had a wake up call when I realized, like really realized, how much my mom and I are different, how our…
Read More
Finally, it was my time to introduce a movie my BF hadn’t seen! Although to be fair I think he’s much more of a movie buff than I am. What saves me is when I was in high school theatre, we thought it was our creative thespian duty to watch old classic films so I…
Read More
Until recently, I never saw Jaws. Now you might find that odd, or you could argue that since I was born and raised in Hawaii, this made perfect sense. We don’t fear the water over here; we respect it. I grew up listening to the surf report on the radio. Our islands have good warning…
Read More
Prior to 2020, life was plenty challenging enough, but after? As soon as we entered this new and momentous decade, 2020 took the reins, told us to reach for the sky, and it doesnβt look like its going to stop terrorizing us anytime soon. After months of isolation and contemplation, as well as witnessing whatβs…
Read More
I am not a fan of movie trailers. I think this is because trailers often do a poor job of grabbing my interest and often spill the whole story including plot reveals. When I was listening to Tim Ferris’s podcast with BrenΓ© Brown, she confessed that she likes to binge watch movie trailers and never…
Read More
Clothes and I have never had any problems. Clothes have taught me a thing or two about penny-pinching, distorted body images, and beloved jackets. And just like how you change on the inside throughout the years, βmy styleβ has evolved too. [Thanks, Marta for the inspiration for this post.] Childhood Running around with the boys,…
Read More
Hello! I’m back for another monthly photo recap hosted by Su (find out the details if you’d like to join here). For my birthday month, I decided to do something a little different. Please share yours too! My biggest wins: // getting published for my funny essay “Jumpsuits, not just for air-raids anymore!” on Drunk…
Read More
I have wanted to hang out with the cool kids, Darren and Sarah, doing their Film Fridays but it is a rare day when I watch a movie. Normally, I watch British panel shows or standup bits and specials. The last movie I watched before 1917 was months ago, and it was Grease because the…
Read More
Hello everyone! We’re back with another interview with expat bloggers from around the world. I know it’s been a while, but it’s my blog and I can do whatever I want. (* evil laugh *) I’m pleased to introduce Damianne who I met through WordPress’s April Discovery Prompts (met several great bloggers actually). But check…
Read More
Despite participating in #365grateful for several years, Iβd still wake up with an expletive as soon as my alarm went off on certain mornings. A gratitude (or even a mediation) practice is no magic pill, but many of us believe that it’s the Holy Grail to serenity, sanity, and everlasting self-discipline. Yet there are plenty…
Read More
April was… // nice long chats with family and friends // going to be what it was going to be whether I was okay with it or not // blogging (almost) everyday! // cutting a lot of hair off (3-4 inches) // hot, humid and rainy // devouring more news, opening all the…
Read More
Like most kids in Hawaii during the β80s, I enjoyed an abundance of free time and sunshine. My younger brother and I grew up in an enclosed neighborhood of tall rock walls and bougainvillea and hibiscus bushes. Even though I had a collection of Barbie dolls and her accessories, I ran with the boys. We…
Read More
Are you good at spotting hidden objects? Just for fun have a look at what Nature magazine has done. One of the things I did when the news first came out of China (regarding the virus) was avidly read scientific articles, and since I found myself returning to Nature magazine’s website, I decided to subscribe…
Read More
Beauty hacks come in all shapes and sizes, but budget beauty hacks that reuse materials you already have in the house are the best. I mean, donβt you just hate waste? For example, Iβve always felt a sense of loss after Iβve clipped my nails, especially my toenails because theyβre so big! But did you…
Read More