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Musing and Amusing

  • The Peril Of Persistence
    It’s the peril of persistence. I was brought up on the principle of finishing what you started and now I am suffering the consequence. I can’t go on with this book, but my habit of persistence doesn’t allow me to give up in the middle. What to do? I can’t … Continue reading The Peril Of Persistence
  • Short Story: Trouble With Language (Part 2)
    One week later, they met again. Pammy looked haggard, her under eye circles darkened, her eyes more guileless and fierce than usual. “My old man (her term of endearment for her husband which sounds more of a term of respect in her native tongue than in English) and my father-in-law … Continue reading Short Story: Trouble With Language (Part 2)
  • Short Story: Trouble With Language (Part 1)
    Lu, Pammy, and Armei met at Armei’s little cosmetic store, specializing in Asian cosmetic brands, every Monday afternoon. It’s not really Armei’s store. She’s just a shop assistant. Monday is slow and a perfect time to meet her friends. If the owner of the store happened to come in, which … Continue reading Short Story: Trouble With Language (Part 1)
  • Dusk Falls At 7:00PM
    Darkened sky, brisk air; cool breezes chill the arms bare, ruffle my summer wear. Dusk so soon I am not aware. A year passes a blink of an eye; a day goes by before I could sigh. Chores I can’t simplify; Do it or not do it, either can satisfy. … Continue reading Dusk Falls At 7:00PM
  • Nothing And Everything
    Have you ever had that feeling of dread that when you open your refrigerator, which is filled up nicely, but can’t find anything to eat? Soy milk–I just drank it for the breakfast. Tomato soup–I had it yesterday. Vietnamese pizza with rice wrap underneath–I tried it twice already within 48 … Continue reading Nothing And Everything
  • Magnificent In Different Ways
    This is not for me. I mean the book, “Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue”. It’s obviously for those native speakers. The magnificence described by the book must be felt by a lot of people, but as a non-native speaker I feel differently. If I feel the magnificence, it’s a different kind … Continue reading Magnificent In Different Ways
  • Lost In Translation
    No matter how I explained, he just wouldn’t understand. Or probably it’s just his pretensions which offer him his rights to insist on his own idea. Show your stubbornness long enough and other people would mistake that for your strength. What a wish. Go your own way; enjoy your freedom … Continue reading Lost In Translation
  • Foist
    is a word that I cannot handle. No matter how many times I’ve encountered it and looked it up, I have to look it up again for the next encounter. Same for words like flout, flounder, flaunt. F for failure to remember. I don’t know about native speakers, but for … Continue reading Foist
  • Old News and New News
    I’ve often seen the phrase “old news”, but never seen the phrase “new news”, which is obviously considered as redundancy, pleonasm, tautology or whatever other pedantic words available. However in the age of frantic pace of various media, there should be a phrase “new news” to distinguish the news within … Continue reading Old News and New News
  • Fall Is My Favorite Season
    When I first came to America, I was surprised to learn that autumn is commonly called “fall” here, probably due to the falling leaves. The autumn foliage of red and yellow and orange in Pennsylvania is spectacular. Nothing characterizes the autumn better than the word “fall” of these beautiful leaves … Continue reading Fall Is My Favorite Season
  • The Cauldron
    There’s always this table, on which books pile up high, in one of the local grocery stores, the ShopRite of Edison township. Sometimes one or two precariously perched books on top would fall off when an inattentive shopper passes by and inadvertently brushes against the table. I’ve seen the books … Continue reading The Cauldron
  • Canopy And Canape
    At first I thought it means awning and then I realize it is not spelled canopy, but rather canape, for which Firefox’s quick search shows it means those little bite sized dim sum like food. For Asian immigrants like me, hors d’œuvre is a type of dim sum no matter … Continue reading Canopy And Canape
  • The Year Of Change
    I ordered the book “The Barbarians Are Coming”, borrowed the book “Pangs Of Love” from Archive.org, and are planning to proceed to Chang-rae Lee’s books sometime later. I haven’t read any books by Asian American authors for a long time, all because of “Joy Luck Club”. It’s not that I … Continue reading The Year Of Change
  • Likes And Dislikes
    I like that here when it is quiet it is truly quiet. Probably this is unachievable in New York City, but in New Jersey it is common. Still it is not as quiet as in the rural area in the nearby state. That’s dead quiet. At night, one can hear … Continue reading Likes And Dislikes
  • Disillusionist
    is not a real word (I’ve checked the dictionary. As a non-native speaker, I’m never completely at east with English), but I think the word is self explanatory when it comes to its meaning. I am a disillusionist, sadly. Whenever I like something and get into that fluffy feeling of … Continue reading Disillusionist
  • Night Vision
    At first I thought it is the word “college”, but the sentence just doesn’t make sense. Then I realized that it is the word “collage”, which I don’t know the meaning of. English has so many words and some are confusingly similar. Collage is an epitome of it. Does it … Continue reading Night Vision
  • Aimless Mind
    Too lazy to tidy up. Remember my grandmother who has nine children, but still keep the place so clean and things so in order. Where did she get so much energy for repetitive work? Can’t imagine I have nine children. My friend told me that when I have nine children, … Continue reading Aimless Mind
  • Videos I Like
    I can’t even remember when I started to watch Monkey Doo and how I started to watch. It probably came to me as a random recommendation since I love to watch animals–big cats of Africa, little cats going to vets, lemurs of Madagascar etc. I have to say once I … Continue reading Videos I Like
  • The Autumn
    Last night I felt that familiar chill–the autumn is approaching. Just knowing it from the calendar doesn’t feel real. One has to sense it. However the grass is as green as ever, the leaves as abundant as the summer time. The heat and the humidity during the day are still … Continue reading The Autumn
  • From A Text Message
    My friend sent me a text message that the resigned Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is suffering from colitis, the same chronic illness I’ve been dealing with for more than ten years. None of my friends understand this malady of mine. Whenever I tell them that I have to observe … Continue reading From A Text Message

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