Here's something I'm working on. This isn't the last draft, I'm still working on it:

Kamay-kamay is what my mom would call it as we ate rice. She would say it in mocking tones as my brother and I would struggle to ball rice between our fingers as deftly as she could. She looked at us with pity and amusement and a bit of repulsion as we ate left-handed, dropping more than just grains onto the plastic table cloth, and struggled with the other bits that refused to unstick from our fingers, which also had its share of unwarranted bites. But the blandness of the rice and the biting saltiness of bulad went so well together that our struggles were rewarded in the end. Although we never became dexterous in this art, we managed a decent semblance after some more practice but we opted, after a while, for the fork and spoon.
My parents’ climb hand over hand, struggling with American culture, into a right fit took a long time to master and they had a tendency to fall back into their original nook. With some things it was easier to slip back than keep grasp of what was there, mostly just missing the smoothness of the American speech, settling for harsher tones, settling for what they were familiar with. To say “tennis shoes” instead of sneakers or "pi-cha" instead of pizza, oh how we cringed when this was said in front of friends. We would mock them behind their backs or to their faces. In exasperated tones, “Mom! Say hand. Haand, not hun!” and we’d hear her repeat over and over “hane-duh” until she forgot and speak in rapid English, as if to get it over with quickly, “wush your huns na, pi-cha’s here.”

Yar, just posted some old stories on mulberrystreet. There's one quick one about living in the apartment. A quick event, nothing too great but I think it's fun. I have to write essays so I will keep this short. See you all soon.

Me

Ugh, can we quit using the word "normalcy"? I think after 9/11 was the first time I heard it used and it hasn't stopped since then. When will we finally return to normalcy and not use the word normalcy? Huh? We should replace it with the word "minute" not the "watch" related word but rather the "micro" related word. Today we finally declared that we are back to minute. See? screws you up when you read it. That's why I chose this word. I always thing normalcy should be normalacy. Nor-mal-uh-si. I gotta go.

Me

Yes it's been a week and few days since my birthday and there's a funny smell happening outside my window. I suspect a dead little creature, perhaps a squirrel or the poor bunny that i've been feeding lettuce to, or maybe another 'possum. The bunny track seems more plausible because today Rich and I spotted another bunny sitting right by the carcass bush, perhaps looking for its mother. I tried to take pictures of the carcass but could not find where it had hidden itself. I think perhaps one of the neighborhood dogs or cats have found it and injured it and Rich said that it was alive enough to crawl beneath our bush and die therewith. It reeks to high heaven and when I open my window the smell comes crashing into my room. My cat doesn't seem to enjoy it either for she hardly stays at the window for long periods. I left lettuce for the bunny under the bush. However I scared it away by trying to take pictures. The flies have come to congregate by my door and await their maggots to ascend to the skies and follow their ways. And so with death comes life. And so my story ends.

Me

Oh and so my birthday came and went. It was decent. I got tons of stationery from my aunt! four books, not counting the books Mike forgot to send me! 3 CDs..., money, a brand spanking new hand mixer, one book light, a page mark dictionary (that I had fun with last night), 4 cards and two text messages wishing me a good one and one email. Mom woke me up to sing me Happy Birthday over the phone. Yeah i'm cool. haha I also made a birthday cake and due to its gooeyness started to flop on one side and other foods to be included are chicken marsala, marinated chicken wings, tiramisu, crap soup, lumpia filling (cause only Mike eats the wrapper), and slammin' salmon pesto. So we had a little feast, the 3 of us (in actuality it was four). Soot doesn't eat our food. Rich took a few pictures of the cake and the whole ceremony with the blowing and the opening and the eating and cooking and the going to the post office and supermarket. Perhaps I shall post a few for you lucky people out there. All in all twas a good day. Oh and I happened to follow a cake recipe that asked you to drizzle on some raspberry liqueur which I thought was delicious after having a slice but it seemed that two other people found it too alcohol-ish and I left before more people complained, except I must add that Rich had three slices...(1/4 of the cake). And it was a small cake. He claims it was just "to make sure..." I'll leave it to you.

Oh Mick Happy 17th birthday today! yay!

Two days until my b-day and here I am happy pappy. Nothin going on right now, waiting for my presents to come in so where are they guys? haha dun worri. lalala. I'm making some of my birthday dishes tomorrow and also the day of. Tiramisu is better the next day so I'm making it tomorrow for wednesday. I don't know what else to make. I can't have anyone else make it cause, trust me, no one can cook in this household but me. I'd probably end up eating something bland or some kind of meat smothered in some flavoring and thrown in the oven...nada mucho losah. gotta go.

Me