I think for a lot of so-called post-colonial peoples, there's a feeling of not being quite legitimate, of not being pure enough.

I'm preparing for a multimedia theater piece, Airport Music, that's coming up in New York City.

My identity is linked to my grandmother, who's pure Filipino, as pure as you can probably get. And that shaped my imagination. So that's how I identify.

I don't believe in sampling some Tibetan music just to make it sound groovy, but you do your homework, you understand what you're doing with it.

Don't say Fili, sister. Say Pili. In Tagalog, pili means to choose. Pino means fine. Pilipino equals 'fine choice.

Adaptability is the simple secret of survival.

Everything matters. Time is precious.

Hybridity keeps me from being rigid about most things. It has taught me to appreciate the contradictions in the world and in my life. I scavenge from the best.

Life is not simple, and people can't be boxed into being either heroes or villains.

I love writing dialogue, and I think a lot of my writing is visual and very cinematic.

[On The Philippines:] ... eighty dialects and languages are spoken; we are a fragmented nation of loyal believers, divided by blood feuds and controlled by the Church.

The opinions of others are their perceptions. Define your life!

The new dumb, is now wisdom.

The further you descend into a pit, the darker things appear. You can't keep digging to find the light.

Just because you’re allowed to use magic now you don’t have to whip your wands out for every tiny little thing!

Jack shall have Jill.Nought shall go ill.

I suffer from two phobias: 1) Phobia-Phobia, the fear that you're unable to get scared, and 2) Xylophataquieopiaphobia, the fear of not pronouncing words correctly.

I'm interested in making works for museums in a way that make the space feel domestic, and I'm always thinking about how this work will be part of someone's daily life.

A passion for learning...isn't something you have to inspire with; it's something you have to keep from extinguishing.

I don't look like a model; I'm a rock writer.

The trick to writing an aphorism is to place a period at the point where you're inclined to say, "in other words.