Growing up in a Chinese family, you never hear enough stories about how it was back then—at least not according to my parents. They love to talk about the old days and that’s how it was all the time.

It was already evening by the time I arrived. People were streaming down the hill. Could the temple already be closed? This was my last chance, I knew, though also my second chance.

The airport seemed like a megalithic bathroom, with its janitorial-fresh aroma, pale yellow tiled walls, and green steeped corridors. We headed into the front lobbies near the baggage checkpoints and ticket counters where my mom scoured the proximity for her brother, Uncle Bhoy.

I have yet to meet a parent who doesn’t have the tiniest bit of the worrywart in him or her. There seems to be this constant vigilance over the welfare of his or her child inherent in the position.

The other evening I woke up to sounds that should be familiar to me by now.

I live alongside one of the busier intersections in my area. Across the way is a supermarket, two Starbucks, a gas station and various shops and restaurants that I rarely remember exist.

What are the qualities that attract us to those we date? This question can be debated without ever reaching a conclusive answer, but to some people, the answer is actually quite simple.

It’s natural for people to characterize the people we meet into neat schemas, “A pattern imposed on complex reality or experience to assist in explaining it, mediate perception, or guide response” (dictionary.com), since that simplifies identification and file the information away for future reference.

It’s Friday night, and I am sitting in a beautiful hotel room in Manila. The window looks out to a modernized nightscape, and I could see Shangri-la Hotel in a distance. The Conan O’Brien Show is playing on the television and the audience is laughing at a punch-line I did not catch.

In the Philippines, where the temperature can go as high as 38 degrees Celsius, people have only one goal in the summer months of March to May: cool down. Back in the ‘80s, the lucky ones got to spend a week in what is considered the Summer Capital, Baguio City, or a few days in the 2nd Summer Capital, Tagaytay City. Some went to their respective provinces, which may or may not be much cooler than Manila but at least guaranteed new surroundings to explore and the presence of relatives to entertain bored city folk.

The last week of school is a breeze, filled with games and movies and parties. Teachers pass out assignments to keep the students busy but have no intention of grading them. As a middle school teacher once confided, the final grades are already locked in, the students are just doing busy work now.