I spent a 4-day weekend travelling through 4 states: California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Just passed through Utah going to Vegas from the Grand Canyon and went 4x4 wheeling through the Mojave Desert in Southern California, played the slots and bought socks in Laughlin, Nevada, passed through cattle ranches and red rocks at National Prescott Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, and walked around Vegas drunk on mimosas at 9:30 in the morning before finally heading back home to San Francisco through that godly piece of land that is Yosemite. I did not expect to see so much and feel so much.... Continue reading

Ginevra says people don’t change. I say people don’t really change either. I believe it’s pretty much true. We don’t mean that people, if they’re bad, will always be bad (especially if they don't find Jesus). We mean people are just who they are. THAT doesn’t change. We may change what we do. We may start acting good. Or start acting bad. Like do bad things or do good things. Whatever the hell that means. But I say we remain the same people. We laugh the same way. We laugh at the same things we always laugh about. We like... Continue reading

M: i am hungry! O:‎ you are always hungry O:‎ you are like a guy O:‎ do you have a penis? M:‎ i think i have a pet tape worm in mah belly! O:‎ or balls? M:‎ in my purse - all the time O:‎ maybe you are a hermaphrodite M:‎ the balls i keep in my pockets to keep my hands warm O:‎ it would explain a lot Continue reading

Greg got into work right after my coffee was done brewing and he grabbed it from under the coffeemaker. I assumed he was going to hand it to me to make room for him to make his. He proceeded to walk into his office so I yelled at him to better give me my damn coffee back! He laughed, turned around, put down my coffee on his best and shook his head. "You are the worst assistant ever. I should put you in touch with my old assistant." "Well, I want a shiny medal for that award and another pair... Continue reading

Now why would I get married? Do I need to get married? Let’s think – how would marriage benefit Maile? (long pause). Ok. One: cock. (Megan laughs) Yup. 24/7. Pssh. Not even. Wait, are you just going to think of material benefits? Don’t you want someone you can hang out with forever, ALL THE TIME? Ok. Now you’re making it sound dreadful. Forever? All the time??? Sheesh. Yah, it will be like me and Pooka. Great. Continue reading

I was preparing lunch at my dad's place, in the boondoks of Batangas, a province south of Manila, when I thought I saw the cat go by with something in its mouth. Was that a mouse? A rat, maybe? My dad lives in a small, rural town. His kitchen overlooks a deep ravine with lots of fruit trees he's planted along with other wild plants growing on the side. It's also filled with a lot of bugs and birds. All good stuff except for the ones that bite (haven't been bitten by a bird yet, though one bearded yellow and... Continue reading

Can I say I've quit smoking even though it's only been a little over 2 months? What if I make it until after my birthday in a couple of weeks? Does that make me an official "non-smoker?" I highly doubt I'll go back to smoking. I've already tested myself in as many ways that I could. I started off by hanging out again with ex-fellow-smokers (hehe), gauging to see if I was going to grab a cigarette right out of the pack they were holding. I didn't. I took a subtle whiff of the air, tried to get a bit... Continue reading

So I've always been about change. Every year, something always changes in my life. Either I move to another place, get another job, or quit one. Start another relationship, or end one. Like the inevitable death and taxes, the only other things that have stuck in my life are change and my kids. Oh, and adventure, of course. I've been exploring and curious. I haven't found any job or any 'one' I would want to be stuck with. Okay. Maybe there IS someone but he's a pain in the butt (oh, you know you are). But I definitely haven't found... Continue reading

I was having a couple of beers with some Americans I met a couple of weeks ago before dinner, just outside Serendra, at Market Market in Fort Bonifacio area, watching all the people walking by, hanging out in the heat and humidity. "Oh my god. I'm in the Philippines. How the hell did I get here?!" It just came out. Said half to myself, half out loud. Maybe hoping to have someone give me an answer. But Fletcher and Eric just laughed. "We ask ourselves the same question!!!" But as much as they complain, they love it here. They're still... Continue reading

Didn't watch the whole Miss Universe pageant on TV. I saw a couple minutes of it, the gown part, while eating lunch out real quick. There was a small TV on the side that other Filipinos were also watching. Just saw a bit, glanced behind me every now and then until we were done eating. I saw Miss Philippines and thought, "Yah, my sister was right, she is pretty attractive and confident." I guess that showing wasn't live because as soon as we got back, the Internet said Miss Mexico had won. Awww...too bad! And then I read more online,... Continue reading

I don't profess to know anything much about anything. Heck, I can barely understand some aspects of my own life. I guess that's the price I've been willing to pay to escape boredom. But I've believed for a long time that I've always valued freedom. I've lived my life revolving around that belief, to the extent I haven't been "successful" in life, in the most acceptable way. No, I don't have much savings. I actually have more debt than savings. Just slightly. Even if you include all my assetts. Well, maybe not, I'm not sure. I do own a lot... Continue reading

Why move? Why now? And where??? I've been asked so many questions like these ever since I've put it out there, that I'm moving back to the Philippines. It especially throws off Filipinos when I tell them where exactly I've moving. Jagna. In Bohol. It's not Manila. At all. In fact, it's a little town in one of the thousands of islands that make up the Philippines. It's there, but its nowhere. I only know two other Filipino folks who've heard of the place. I don't think they've ever been there. Hell, I'VE never been there! Oops. What! Now it's... Continue reading

"Hey, Jill," as I was walking back from our kitchen at work, tea in hand. "Was it you that said it was weird how I don't have any pictures of my kids or anything else at my desk? "Yah," shakes her head. Sarcastically I replied, "I guess I must be such an unfeeling pers.. - AWWWW!!" as I burnt my finger with the tea bag I was trying to pull out of my mug. Jill hella laughed. "That was funny!" Continue reading

This is a text conversation Pooka and I had last week while I was on my lunch break. Notice how she uses "y" for 'you' instead of the usual "u." We've told her to change it but she keeps insisting on doing it her way. As usual. POOKA: What are y doing ME: Leaving bookstore, going back to work POOKA: Lucky ME: :-) not really POOKA: Why ME: Have to work still :-( POOKA: Y will live Continue reading

Pooka sleeps with me most times and I have to place a pillow between us, even though my bed’s already a queen. There’s just not enough room throughout the night for Pooka’s kicking, arm-swinging, and eye-socket gouging by elbow moves. And she hates it. Oh, how she hates that divider pillow! Pooka has no sense of personal space. All space is hers AND yours. So the other night, I crawled into bed after placing all the pillows were they need be. I hadn't even pulled up the covers yet when she jumped in, snatched the divider pillow away, and wrapped... Continue reading

I think I want to take my kids camping again this year. It will be great to do it before Megan heads off to college. I took the kids camping for a weekend out in Santa Cruz a couple of years ago. It was pretty crazy, stressful, and hilarious. You can read all about it here. It involved showing up at the campsite at 1 o'clock in the morning and taking at least 20 minutes to find our spot in the dark. And Pooka dropping our pillows on the ground countless times. There was also that episode with the raccoon... Continue reading

I would make such good adobo. What? You're gonna make adobo? No, I would make good adobo! (as Megan cups her calves with both hands). I would not eat you, Ate. I would be, Nope, I'm not eating my sister. Continue reading

I guess I'm starting another new one. I've taken a break from blogging due to multiple reasons, not just one huge one. Twitter is one of them. Before Twitter came along, I was more diligent about blogging what I was up to, what I saw, what I'd be thinking. Twitter became very convenient to do and composing didn't take much thinking, being limited to 140 characters and easy to send off from my cell phone. I think one other reason why I quit talking so much about my life was that I've had too much shit going on. Not good... Continue reading

I don't quite know where to start. I've been meaning to talk about it, to say something, but I never quite know what to say once I start thinking I'm going to start writing about it. It's been years. It's... Continue reading

Come to me Old ancestors of mine. Your blood still flows through mine As they do in my daughters' Though have thinned through time. You're still here, right? I still know what's wrong, what's right! But sometimes I don't. Sometimes... Continue reading