There was a time not too long ago when I thought I had lost everything, including myself.

This was a period of darkness I had never known.

When I caught a glimpse of my own image in the mirror, I did not recognize myself. I had lost my enthusiasm for being,/… Read full post »

"How can you stand to watch so much horrible news all of the time?" my pre-teen asks me.

"And they are usually wrong anyway," she says, as she walks out of the room rolling her eyes.

Out of the mouths of babes, I think. 

But I… Read full post »

As a young child, I did not realize how fortunate I was to have a Buddhist mother. 

I simply assumed that all children grew up with the gifts of wisdom, sound solace and a tangible sense of calm.

But after I flew the safe nest and breast of my mother,… Read full post »

It’s another crisp fall afternoon with owl-shaped orange and crimson leaves falling, falling in front of her dust-free window.

The silence is darkly deafening and her heart screams. She shakes her smallish head and pounds her rickety fists into the air, but not on purpose.

Sue is jo… Read full post »

1. Not all Men are Bad

Yes, there are a few bad apples in every bunch . . . but most men are not only not bad  but even quite wonderful if you give them half or even a quarter of a chance.

If you have female friends or family who… Read full post »

The ever-ironic and witty Mark Twain once said, "The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. The moment it arises, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place."

Little did he know how wise and truly… Read full post »

I am not by nature or nurture an angry woman, but sometimes I get a Bee in my Bonnet and simply need to allow my well-heeled anger to buzz as much as any reeling, radical and righteously raving man.

But this is one rare time when my feminine flourishing must leave me.… Read full post »

Like Obama, I too was born in Hawaii and even attended a high school not far from his alma mater.

It is likely I also shared the same rickety bus he did called The Express, which used to rattle its way through the different 1970's multicultural neighborhoods of humid/… Read full post »

Rodney Dangerfield once lamented, "I was so ugly, my father carried around a picture of the kid who came with his wallet."

My dad too carried with him a lot of acerbic wit, and often we couldn't tell if he was serious or not.

I will never forget the feeling… Read full post »

There is nothing scarier for a racist than the prospect of a smart black man.

Someone has to say it.

While the Obama camp has been publicly conscious that the President might "ever" appear as the angry black male, with all of the ugly parables and historical conclusions/… Read full post »

Until I was about four, I thought my first name was Shutup.

No kidding, and what's worse . . .  I learned to like it.

I'll never forget the sound of kids laughing at me at a Los Angeles playground when I told them that Shutup was my name.

And this… Read full post »

There was a time not too long ago when I thought I had lost everything, including myself.

This was a period of darkness I had never known.

When I caught a glimpse of my own image in the mirror, I did not recognize myself as I had lost my… Read full post »

Comedian Rita Rudner once said, “My husband and I are either going to buy a dog or have a child. We just can’t decide whether to ruin the carpet or ruin our lives."

Ruining one’s life and a child’s life can both easily be said and done, given the fac/… Read full post »

In Japanese culture, it is considered shameful to brag or boast loudly or even in whispers about one's accomplishments.

Rather, we are taught from birth that our actions speak for themselves; and that the more calm, stoic and resolute we are about our deeds-- the more they in fact matter.… Read full post »

As the mother of daughters who are the same ages as the Obama girls,  I understand just where she is coming from.

Those tender glances she gives them . . . gentle tugs on their pressed, swinging dresses, and that oh-so mothered smile she shows when she doesn't even know… Read full post »

Woody Allen, worshiped by some and annoying to others for "fearing everything" but doing most of them anyway once said, "You can live to be a hundred and give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred."

On the other hand-- he wisely commented,… Read full post »

If there is one thing we can all agree on now that Barack Obama has won another term-- is that it was easily the most stressful and unnerving Presidential race in the history of our United States.

And whether or not you happen to be a Republican, Democrat, Independent, or… Read full post »

My grandmother was a whippersnapper alright!

Even at the ripe young age age of 95, she dumped her much younger boyfriend of 78 because "he didn't bother to vote in the presidential election."

It is another crisp Fall afternoon with owl-shaped orange and crimson leaves falling, falling in front of her dust-free window.

The silence is darkly deafening and her heart screams.

She shakes her smallish head and pounds her rickety fists into the air, but not on purpose.

Sue is  jones… Read full post »

Pro:  He takes Viagra

Con: He takes Viagra

Pro:  When we eat out, sometimes the waitress also lets me order from the discount Senior Menu

Con:  Everything on the Senior Menu tastes like it came from the Old Country  . . .  the really, really, really Old Country… Read full post »

Do you think it is any wonder that a ferocious and deadly hurricane named after a woman is now threatening the lives of millions on the full-mooned eve of this election?

Frankly, I am surprised it has taken this long. 

It won't be the first time that Ms.… Read full post »

I don't know about you, but I think that Undecided Voters may just want attention.

A lot of attention. 

As a matter of fact, let's just call them "very special" at this point.

They remind me of that one kid in class who would always raise his hand and remind the… Read full post »

Like a lot of people today, you often probably feel anxious, nervous, scattered, overtired, manic, and stressed . . .

And those are the good days.

Sure, there are moments when you may pause for a half-second with your vendi-trendy coffee and notice a bird in flight or the… Read full post »

In the days of my youth, the boys of summer and winter never cried.

Both the the fair-haired and the dark-haired Chris in my neighborhood got the belt from their fathers but never shed a tear.

One day the younger Chris came to school late and was so… Read full post »