One time, I woke up from an afternoon nap, and I went downstairs and found the den full of ladies in red dresses with plates and drinks in their hands. I took it they were from the school next door.

I feel that simply having faith is more important than collecting religious paraphernalia; a spiritual faith without an expiration date attached because life is full of changes. There was a ten year gap from when I last stepped out of a church before I visited another church. This visit was about five years ago, when a friend invited me to attend a church revival.

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.

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.

The elevator doors opened and I stepped out in anticipation. I was about to meet the elusive “Korean guy” that few people in the group had met. I felt a small spark of excitement, as I had never before befriended a Korean guy. I was hoping that this was my chance.

She referred to him as the ‘evil pope.’ I didn’t like it. Others didn’t either. She created a poem declaring ‘the evil pope has died.’ I told her she can remove herself from the group (a tribute site for the pope) but she didn’t. She prided herself in that she was an atheist and mankind was going downhill because they believed in God.

As a person of mixed descent, I understand what it’s like not being able to reach both sides of my heritage. There are always those few sentences that relatives tell you when they haven’t seen you in awhile, from, “Oh, you look just like your mother!” to “Ah, you are shaping up just like your father.”

Minutes before the curtains went up, I was standing backstage telling the band, “Once in a lifetime opportunity is right here. Let’s have fun. Let’s rock!” On that note, the whole band screamed in approval. It was our chance at that moment. We heard the people on the other side of the curtains. I was nervous, almost shaking. I was sure my band members were feeling the same way.

Of all minority groups in the United States, Asians have the unenviable distinction of having the least amount of political clout, though we are often viewed as the “model” minority. What this means is that Asians are the ideal minorities; they generally get good grades in school, they work hard and most importantly, they don’t make a large outcry in the face of discrimination.