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Arlan, Maylin, Wani are doing their hair at the hair salon, although only Maylin has the money to do the flat ironing and highlighting. They always book the same time so that they can talk and catch up with each other. Sometimes if they don’t think they have talked enough, … Continue reading At The Hair Salon (Flash Fiction #17) →

For some reason, New Jersey has a higher rate of spring allergy than other places, which is puzzling since there aren’t more flowers or trees here than other states. People will tell you when you first come that you won’t have allergy for several years, and then gradually you will … Continue reading The Acupuncturist (Flash Fiction #16) →

oximeter: an instrument for measuring the proportion of oxygenated hemoglobin in the blood. zoonotic: pertaining to a zoonosis, which means a disease that can be transmitted from animals to people or, more specifically, a disease that normally exists in animals but that can infect humans. endemic and epidemic and pandemic: Endemic … Continue reading New Word #13: Learned Amid Pandemic →

Photo by bantersnaps on Unsplash Ever since I watched the video “Bullets Over Broadway”, I’ve been interested in stories of mafia romance–maybe it is already a literary genre. In this early Woody Allen production mixing anxious witty remarks with some gangster flair, a cash starved Broadway play desperately seeks financial … Continue reading A Mafia Romance (Flash Non-Fiction #15) →

In the summer of 1830, Russia was experiencing one of its worst pandemics. Cholera spread far and wide. A sip of contaminated water or a little unwitting touch of sewage will make people sick–diarrhea, vomiting, shock and death quickly followed. The tsar imposed quarantines and travel restrictions and cordons guarded … Continue reading Past, Present And Future →

Plans are made to be changed; reading lists are drawn to be unfinished. That’s my motto for May. When I don’t have to be ashamed of my own “grand” plan, I feel deliriously happy. As a slow reader, I need all the encouragement from an unhinged delusion of my reading … Continue reading Merry Month Of May →

In 1231 AD, the Mongolians–my ancestors–invaded Korea. The mighty Mongolian army, which at the time occupied a big region stretching from Middle East to East Asia, met with a resounding defeat by the little kingdom on the Korean Peninsular–the Mongolians were dumbfounded and couldn’t believe what had happened. For the … Continue reading Conflict →

To describe people is one of the best ways to learn new words. This person can be somebody around you or a movie or TV character that you are familiar with. And you can do it with your friends together to pile some words on a person you all know. … Continue reading New Word #12 Describe A Person →

“Look, Yinla is declaring her intention to run for the board of county commissioners.” Pammy says. “What is that? What does it do?” Pammy’s perpetually gentle but disagreeing husband Pan says. “I don’t know. A political position of certain kind. We should donate to her campaign, shouldn’t we? We need … Continue reading The Opportunist (Flash Fiction #14) →

You smile, head tilting a little, lips parting a little, showing your perfect teeth, wearing your favorite dark suit and and striped tie. The same wholesome smile, for the last ten years– photo freezes time; webpage for eternity. You’re ten years older now, a bigger waist, a rounder chin, deeper … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #9 →

Although Pammy and her husband Pan live thirty miles away from Manhattan, they rarely go there during the weekend. Traveling through the Holland Tunnel and the forever congested lower Manhattan will dampen the most vivacious spirit and exhaust the energy of the best athlete. However their friend Fei and her … Continue reading A Trip Like No Other (Flash Fiction #13) →

I’ve always tried to find painless learning methods, especially when vocabulary is concerned. Learning From Others Reading other people’s posts is a good way to learn new words. Here are several new words I learned recently. xaern: (v) to enjoy something so much you begin to hate how much you … Continue reading New Word #11: My Methods →

“You know Pammy. I think your Pan is such a good husband. He is straightforward. His likes and dislikes are clearly displayed. He won’t pretend to agree with you on the surface and sulk silently afterwards. He is a little nerdy, interested in eating good food and watching soccer. He … Continue reading The Difficult Decision (Flash Fiction #12) →

Introduction: There’s a little bit of history involved in this story. Currently there are about 10 million Manchu people and very rarely they speak the Manchurian language. Manchu are descendant of Jerchen people who in 1115 AD established Jin Dynasty, which was replaced over 100 years later by the Mongolians–my … Continue reading The Manchu Prince (Flash Fiction #11) →

Arjian is a local hairdresser, but his true passion is poker. He’s very skilled in women’s hair and very good at following the latest trend of South Korean singers and actresses. Consequently he’s always in high demand. There are women who would travel all the way from Eastern Pennsylvania to … Continue reading The Gambler (Flash Fiction #10) →

malaprop: the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect, as in, for example, “dance a flamingo ” (instead of flamenco). homophone: two or more words that sound alike, but have different meanings or spellings. I encountered this word in Luisa’s post … Continue reading New Word #10 : Malaprop →

In my dream, you take a thousand shapes and forms, but last night you are shapeless and formless, only a shadow, a whiff, a soft press, and a vague impression. But I saw the tattoos. What a surprise? All over your shoulders and arms and elsewhere– figures of beauty and … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #8 →

“The reason our team’s sales volume is low is because many people use our flexible hour to take care of their family or even take a second job. This is unacceptable. If you are not concentrating on your sale, how can you produce?” Hana can still remember her sales manager’s … Continue reading The Second Job (Flash Fiction #9) →

Finally Yuet’s little boy starts to speak. Yuet and her husband are so happy that they phone everyone. If you don’t pick up their phone call, they will text you with their happy news and wait anxiously for your reply of congratulations. If you don’t reply within a short span … Continue reading He Speaks, Finally (Flash Fiction #8) →

As a non-native speaker, I’ve always felt uncertain and insecure of my language. Just listening to my accent and looking at my Asian face, people may dismiss me or disqualify me right away, without giving me a chance to prove myself. I think a lot of people are like me, … Continue reading New Word #9: Word Replacement →