Growing up in a household where reading was greatly encouraged has given me an appreciation for and love of books. My mom bought hardbound editions of many fiction classics – from Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tales to Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters’ novels – and I read every single one multiple times.

When I was 12 years old, I discovered Nancy Drew mystery books and I got hooked. I aspired to be the next Carolyn Keene and I tried to write about a fictional teen-aged detective’s first case. Alas, I found out I didn’t have any imagination and gave up after an unsuccessful attempt at fiction writing. But words have always fascinated me, and I knew that writing would be a part of my life.

My dad, who passed away in 2019, worked as the press liaison officer for the American Embassy in Manila and his primary responsibility was to personally hand press releases to newspaper editors. Part of his job was to meet with various media people at the National Press Club and he used to take me with him. In this smoke-filled room I listened to loud discussions about the national economy, arguments about government policies, and comments about global events and how they affect the Philippines and Filipinos.

It was only fitting that when I went to university at the age of 16, I took Liberal Arts and majored in Communication Arts. My professors in junior year were all practitioners in their field so their classes were held from 6:00 to 10:00 in the evening – that meant I had an entire day free. At 18 years old, I found a part-time job as researcher for a national television show. A year later, I was employed full-time as a reporter for a national weekly publication. My Developmental Journalism professor used the newspaper I worked for as his example of what that writing looked like. And sometimes my by-lined article would be on the front page!

I graduated when I was 20 years old and by the time I turned 21, I was the newspaper’s lifestyle editor. It gave me an opportunity to meet fascinating and remarkable personalities; I stayed on the job for five years until I immigrated to California in 1982.

Intent on working in newspapers, I applied for jobs as a reporter – only to be told that I wasn’t a qualified candidate because I had no local writing experience. I ended up becoming an advertising sales representative and it turned out to be as interesting as it was challenging. In 15 years of advertising sales, I worked in all the different departments – classified, retail, and national.

Having learned so much about the business, I dreamed of becoming a publisher by the time I was 40 years old. Instead, three weeks before I reached that milestone, I became a mother for the first time. I quit my job to be a stay-at-home mom.

After my only daughter headed to Scotland in 2014 to attend the University of St Andrews, I embarked on my life as an empty-nester. Having gone through the highly competitive college application process, I thought of writing a monthly column as a guide for parents. Coincidentally, a friend from my days at the Pasadena Star-News was the CEO of Beacon Media News at that time. He was expanding the newspapers’ education section and he thought original content would greatly enhance it.

In January 2015, my monthly college search guide was published in Beacon Media’s community newspapers – Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly. Soon, I was also writing about arts and culture. And because I also enjoy traveling, I chronicled my adventures in travel articles. I have come full circle and returned to my first career.

This website is basically a record – an archive – of what I’ve written. While I have “retired” from newspaper writing, I still find some events of significance and personal resonance to write about. And, hopefully, this continues to be an ongoing endeavor until I literally can’t type anymore.