-
Falling Leaves
autumn leaves falling spilling rain from cloudy skies goodbye summer Since I could never be Japanese, despite being born and raised in Tokyo, the urban forests that surrounded me throughout my childhood are my only truth that Japan is home. When my father passed, we had to move out of the house that we called our home. I realized that…
-
Lola Lolo
In Tagalog (one of the many dialects of the Philippines), Lolo and Lola means grandfather and grandmother, respectively. These come from the Spanish abuelo (grandfather) and abuela (grandmother). Photographs are the closest representations of my origins and my most important connection to my ancestors. These pieces are the stories that make up the histories of my past. They make me…
-
Always Growing
I stopped writing on my blog during the COVID-19 pandemic and had been posting recipes for my past few entries. Initially, I created a blog to showcase creative projects, art or music finds, technology research essays, and now it serves as an online journal. I need an outlet to reflect on learnings, connections, and parallels to nature, wildlife, and human…
-
Farewell Honey Locust
Today our honey locust tree in our front yard came down. It had been struggling, but I didn’t know much about trees until I took a TreeKeeper course with a non-profit organization called Openlands early this year. Founded in 1963, Openlands protects the natural and open spaces of northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region to ensure cleaner air and water, protect natural…
-
Planting Trees
On October 25th, 2018, my colleagues and I planted native trees with Openlands to increase the green canopy at what was then called Douglas Park (renamed Douglass Park after Anna and Frederick Douglass). This was a life changing experience for me. I always loved nature in all the places I have traveled, but this felt different. For the first time…
