Five things Friday

Five things Friday is a post where I share five things that either made my week, what I am thinking about, or would like to share with all of you!

1. Turon in the break room

Thursday was a pretty rough morning for me. Thankfully turon in the breakroom brightened my day. Turon is a Filipino snack that is a plantain or a banana wrapped in an eggroll wrapper.

2. My Mom Believes In QAnon. I’ve Been Trying a To Get Her Out.

I’ve had people in my social media feed and family members who have fallen into the conspiracy theories rabbit hole. Back then I would laugh it off, but now I find it incredibly concerning because I see their life unraveling before my eyes.

3. To be an Asian woman in America

“To be an Asian woman in America means you can’t just be what you are: a fully enfranchised human being. It means you are a blank screen on which others project their stories…”

Ugh…why does this killer deserve to have a narrative? Instead of calling it a hate crime, it is a reframed as a “sex addiction” and having “really bad day?”

I felt this opinion piece described me perfectly as a Filipino American who has lived in the U.S. all her life. I do get stories projected on me to define who I am; for example, assuming my parents were poor because they’re from the Philippines. They assume my dad joined the military and that was how they arrived to America. To be honest, my family in the Philippines have a very prosperous life there. They own a lot of property and have several businesses. My dad never joined the military. After college, he moved to the Middle East for work and brought along my mom. After the Middle East, they were in Germany, and settled in the United States where I was born. People — even fellow Filipino Americans — are left in disarray after I share them this story.

4. More time for…

Breastfeeding journey has officially come to an end and I am OK with that. I can elaborate in a longer post. But now since I don’t pump during lunch break, I can use that time to blog, read, or even take a nap.

5. Teddy interacting more with Lana

Teddy, my miniature Schnauzer, has been doing a little more interacting with Lana. It makes me happy because for a while he was so awkward around her because he did not know what to do with her. Now he sniffs her. He knows better that he can’t play with her yet. Maybe when she starts crawling, he’ll do more playing.