"Slavery has a long history on the islands Before the Spanish came islanders enslaved other islanders usually war captives criminals or debtors."

"Instead I went upstairs and took out the electric razor Annie had given me for Christmas and shaved off
my moustache."

" I pushed the the chopsticks and the bowl before me away: stir-fried green peppers with five-spice beef."

" Suddenly, I saw, in my mind, Mom's hands as they folded and refolded tinfoil to make a shark for me, while Laohu and I watched."

"I could hear the skittering steps of the other animals behind in the hallway, timidly peeking into the living room."

"One of my earliest memories starts with me sobbing. I refused to be soothed no matter what Mom and Dad tried."

"Mom looked at him, "If I say 'love', I feel here" She pointed to her lips "If I say 'ai', I feel here." She put her hand over her heart. "

"The scene always stunned ne. The sheer number of cars and motorcycles and jeepneys. The people weaving between them and moving on the sidewalks in great brown rivers"

"Lola fed groomed and dressed my mother"

"Inside, I was surprised by the lack of hospital smell, although there was another odor or maybe the
absence of an odor. The air was antiseptic, sterile."

"The Downtown Cinema has a special Friday night offer— half-price admission for high school couples seventeen or younger. But the woman in the box office took one look at my moustache and charged me full price."

"Her skin was smooth, almost slippery, as if the years had worn away all the roughness the way the wind wears away the surfaces of stones."

"Everything was normal until this morning. I have planned a trip to South Korea with my dad since a few weeks ago. I was more steered by the thought that we were going to meet mom. "

"My eyes suddenly opened wide with a sharp and heavy thump in my heart. I immediately sat up. I was gasping to breathe. "

"I swept back my drenched hair and slowly calmed down. "

" The place exactly looked like a deserted Island that everyone would imagine. "