Yearly Playlists and Yunasa

Every winter, my dad and I send an invitation to over 50 exclusively selected music-loving family and friends. The challenge: pick one song released from the current year for our collection: Project Mixtape.

Much Ado About Nothing

Up on stage, under the glowing spotlight, and in front of the glowering judge, I felt as if nothing could get in my way. As would soon be evident, I was absolutely right.

I’ve Been Pooped on Many Times

I have been pooped on many times. I mean this in the most literal sense possible. I have been pooped on by pigeons and possums, house finches and hawks, egrets and eastern grays.

Self-Improvement, Piano, Dance

It’s 5:30 pm and I’ve come home to an empty house. My dad works late night shifts and my mom usually gets home at 11pm. As I walk to the dinner table to start homework, I see the $30 left for me and my brother to buy dinner for ourselves.

Theater/Writing

When the inflatable couch arrived, I knew the play would be a success. Now I could see the physical space that my characters had been occupying in my mind.

Sweetie

Light permeates my life: it is my steadfast comrade in pursuit of scientific knowledge, my accomplice in illuminating the inked words of Mrs. Dalloway, and my spotlight as I pluck the harp to communicate the sensitive melodies of my heart; yet, most of all, light defines my relationship with my brother Robert (“Sweetie”).

The Women At Tumkur Jail

Blood. Drop. By. Drop.  Staining her precious white dress. The Two Fridas. A painting for some. Truth for us.

Grandparents

What are you? I’ve been asked this question most of my life because people don’t know what to make of a face that’s both Japanese and Caucasian. But when I think about who I am, I think of Baba and Jiji.

Teachers

Inhale. The scent of dusty pine bookshelves, the sound of the librarian stamping return dates onto back pages. Exhale, open eyes–stacks of multicolored volumes

Ice Skating

Expectation: it’s like synchronized swimming, but on ice, right? Reality–it’s like bringing each of the other disciplines of figure skating together and watching 16 Michelle Kwans simultaneously skating in sync on the ice.

Family Camp

The long drive to Camp Seabeck never gets old. As the Seabeck General Store comes into sight, the stale air of the car is replaced by the salty ocean air of the Puget Sound.