Though I spent a lot of time under her care, my Pau Pau and I didn’t speak much. Our exchanges were generally limited to one-way admonitions in her native Toisanese. Hehk fahn was her most common invitation — “It’s time to eat.”

There’s an African proverb that states, “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”

I’ve been a monster fanatic for 13 years. Anyone who walks into our living room is bombarded with a large bust of Frankenstein’s monster’s head on the mantel, Frankenstein/Bride of Frankenstein movie posters on the wall, gothic/horror fiction and monster paraphernalia on the bookshelf, and random monster toys on the coffee table.

WHILE STANDING in the courtyard of one of the oldest hotels in Waikīkī, I noticed a large monkeypod tree standing tall above a clean, well-trimmed lawn. It was magnificent, with branches that reached wide and a canopy that welcomed you in.

I'M NARCISSISTIC. I tend to center my life on being attractive to others, because I want them to like me or at least see me in a positive light.