I thought I was going to read Agatha Christie's "Hallowe'en Party" today, but I just can't bring myself to read it. I feel that I am trying to squeeze myself into the jeans I used to wear when I was a teenager. Not that I wore jeans in those days. I was so skinny then … Continue reading “Hallowe’en Party” And The Change Of Taste
Month: October 2020
Scary Things I’ve Encountered
I really haven't encountered scary things in my life, and now I feel that my life is strangely inadequate in this aspect. Probably many people are like me in this way, and probably this is why many people like Halloween, just to be scared once a year, to have the experience of fear and the … Continue reading Scary Things I’ve Encountered
Binge Watching Scary Movies
Years ago in Pittsburgh, my friends liked to go to the popular local Halloween parade around this time. Often they brought back descriptions of what they saw--for example someone who painted his body with paints with blood dripping from a fake wound. I don't believe that's body paint. Since it is cold, like today, around … Continue reading Binge Watching Scary Movies
Feeling Today’s Right Yesterday’s Wrong
I often feel today's right yesterday's wrong. I don't know why. It's strange that it is rarely the other way around, although let's be fair each has equal claim to be correct. Well, how about I grow wiser as time passes by, which obviously benefits today more than yesterday? That's possible only to a certain … Continue reading Feeling Today’s Right Yesterday’s Wrong
I Know I Won’t Finish These In November
"Nine Horses" by Billy CollinsEven his complaints are delightful to read. I wonder why? "Forgotten Wars: Freedom and Revolution in Southeast Asia" by C.A. Bayly, Tim HarperThe end of WWII is just an opening for new battles. It's as thick as two books, but I hate speed reading, which takes all the fun away. "Where … Continue reading I Know I Won’t Finish These In November
Unfinished October Reading
It's different from what I planned a month ago, but several lovable books have made it all worthwhile. "If I Had Your Face" by Frances Cha-- This is the first book I read about South Korea. Isn't it strange that I used to watch many South Korean movies, but never think of reading a book … Continue reading Unfinished October Reading
Mini Story: Chul And Jool
My friend H told me this story and H heard this story from her colleague Chung, who grew up in a town in the Midwest, somewhere within 200 mile radius of Chicago. Chung's parents run the only Asian restaurant in town, which serves a range of items from Vietnamese rice roll, Mongolian BBQ, to General … Continue reading Mini Story: Chul And Jool
Struggle With Broth
Last weekend, I had to struggle with the question--what broth to use--all because the local Trader Joe's runs out of the low sodium organic chicken broth. This Trader Joe's on Route One in the township of North Brunswick is too small, probably only three thousand square feet, which as a store is not much at … Continue reading Struggle With Broth
Mini Story: A Non-Greek Tragedy
My friend H told me this story, and I have since changed the location and the background setting of the original story to make this a fiction of fictional characters. It's about the neighbor of my friend H, an Asian immigrant couple, both engineers, which are not uncommon among Asian immigrants in New Jersey. They … Continue reading Mini Story: A Non-Greek Tragedy
Haiku: Falling Leaves
A night of wind and falling leaves. Everywhere I go, I walk on the carpet of leaves. Remember last October, Twelve months as if a blink of an eye. I'm one year older but not a bit wiser. Can't get rid of the inertia, can't change my habit. A continued cycle of misunderstanding.
Mini Story: The Battle Of Love
"Yesterday I threw all his books out the window." Lulu says to me."Really?" I feign surprise but I'm not really surprised."I made sure the car is not parked in the driveway first and the screens were taken down for the winter." Lulu and her husband Tun live in a tenement style townhouse and the driveway … Continue reading Mini Story: The Battle Of Love
Poem: It Is A Ghost
A common Friday, not bad enough to be tragic, not funny enough to be comic, not good enough to be happy, not unproductive enough to be a total waste of time. Every method of human contact can be used to thwart real communication, which is the best way to lie without really lying. An advice … Continue reading Poem: It Is A Ghost
That’s No Joke
"Alexa, tell me a joke?"Silence. My Kindle Fire is hitting a mini glitch. "Alexa, hello.""It's Sarcasm Awareness Month, and I say 'hi'.""Alexa, can you tell me a joke?""Why do zombies make such excellent golfers? They really know their way around a corpse.""I can write better jokes than that." I say to my friend immodestly. "Really? … Continue reading That’s No Joke
Good And Bad On Standing Up
I can't remember who told me this--a person has to stand up or walk around for at least four hours a day. If not, the bones will not be healthy and the body will be in decline. Well, if the decline is impossible to stop, at least the four hour rule will help slow it … Continue reading Good And Bad On Standing Up
Haiku: Memory
A sunny day, A simple breakfast. It's there-- the memory smiling at me from the charred toast. I stop the car, raise my eyes. It's there-- the memory appearing, hanging on to me, like my handbag. I walk past the familiar hedges of careless landscaping. It's there-- the memory recurring, like someone repeating a tired … Continue reading Haiku: Memory
Friendly Advice
I got a friendly advice today when N told me to sanitize the second hand book I ordered from betterworldbooks.com in case there are remnants of Covid19 clinging to the pages ready to jump on anybody who touches it and send the person to fever, ventilator, or even an early grave. "You know the virus … Continue reading Friendly Advice
Life’s Discrepancies
Years ago one of my acquaintances told me this. At the time, I didn't really think about the merit or the moral of the story. I should have, but I didn't. I am not completely impervious to learning, but I pick up hints or wisdom very slowly. Now I can't even remember it was a … Continue reading Life’s Discrepancies
Things I Don’t Want To Do
Things I don't want to do, like weekly chores, suddenly don't seem to be so bad when I am stuck, blocked, not able to proceed for one more line. At such a moment, my self doubt is everywhere, sitting on this very chair, filling up the four corners of the room, clinging up to the … Continue reading Things I Don’t Want To Do
Read And Misread In October
Reading often goes hand in hand with misreading. Being an immigrant and reading English as a second language have taught me this fact. At first this made me rather uncomfortable--the sense of uncertainty and self doubt following me like a shadow in a bright sunset, which means the shadow is much bigger and longer than … Continue reading Read And Misread In October
Backyard Farming
I call them backyard farmers, but they probably don't agree with me. It's popular among Asian immigrants in New Jersey to engage in backyard farming every year. I even know a couple who don't live in a house and don't have a backyard to grow their produce. What do they do? They rent a plot … Continue reading Backyard Farming
When You Don’t Have An Appetite
I don't have an appetite today and I don't know why. Is it because of the melatonin pills I've taken these past two weeks for my insomnia? It could be. It is said online that melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone in our body and taking a little won't have any side effect on the … Continue reading When You Don’t Have An Appetite
A Mini Love Story
G is my distant cousin and he is always considered, by my parents and my relatives, to be the most intelligent and most unfortunate among all my cousins. His life started well--a cute kid, indulged by his parents, growing up to be a handsome teenager. He's half Mongolian, just like me, but he looks more … Continue reading A Mini Love Story
Poem: The Season Of Leaves
Rain all night and all morning. The bright yellow leaves in tears,shaking on the branches,sprawling on the ground,carpeting everything--the lawn, the paths, the cars.The season of leaves,a beautiful death,a colorful eulogy,a spectacular funeral. The slice of toasted bread turns soggy quickly.Rains pouring from the broken corner of the gutter. I say to myself I can't … Continue reading Poem: The Season Of Leaves
Binge Watching
Just binge watched "Billions" for eight episodes on showtime from Amazon, starting last night. Now I am feeling exhausted, hungry, eyes hurt, whole body ache. It's a wonderful show no doubt--the plot is quick paced, the acting quite convincing, the actors too handsome, the actresses too beautiful, the human relationships full of twists and barely … Continue reading Binge Watching
Word Confusion
Some words are created to communicate, while others just to confuse. I thought I read "ruminative" on an article about what Fran Lebowitz has to say about her current state of staying at home, but it is actually "remunerative". I don't know about native speakers, but as a person learning English as a second language, … Continue reading Word Confusion
Ghost Arriving Before Halloween
I am talking with two friends in a cafe. One of them asks me to look at a picture on his laptop. I lean over and stare at the screen. Minutes later, when our attentions come back to the hot tea arriving at our table, we notice the other friend's absence. At first we think … Continue reading Ghost Arriving Before Halloween
The Thrill And Peril Of Imitation
Living in the Asian community in New Jersey, one can't help learning stories about engineers and scientists. One of these widely circulated stories is this: A newcomer in one of the research institutions, where people are madly nerdy and competitive, finds that everybody in the department is sharpening their pencils with a knife. Everybody has … Continue reading The Thrill And Peril Of Imitation
Haiku: Autumn
Leaves creaking dry.The sound of autumnunder my steps. Fiery hues--red, yellow, green--sway in the wind.The color of autumnalong the road. The remnant of summer heat can't warmthe cool touch of autumn.Bare arms shudder. Last October, same spot, same weather, but a younger me.The mood of autumnwon't quit my mind.
Finished With A Sigh
I shouldn't read this book, "We Wanted to Be Writers: Life, Love, and Literature at the Iowa Writers' Workshop" by Eric Olsen. I knew I shouldn't but I still did. A lot of things I did in my life, I only did for conformity and convention and survival, which take up huge amount of time … Continue reading Finished With A Sigh
Insomnia vs. Somnia
"Somnia" is not a word; "insomnia" is. That's just English. Non-native speakers (like me) beware. There are as many exceptions to the rules as those that follow the rules. Not only many words starting with "in" don't have corresponding antonyms that lose the prefix "in", but also some "in" and non-"in" pairs completely disregard the … Continue reading Insomnia vs. Somnia
Things I Want To Do But Can’t
Such a beautiful day today that one just wants to go out and walk about, but instead one's stuck here staring at the computer screen. Sunny, a few clouds floating decoratively, 72 degrees, humidity not too high to mess up the hair and not too low to dry up the skin. There are only ten … Continue reading Things I Want To Do But Can’t
Event Before Election
"Have you registered to vote?" The lady behind the thick plate of glass asked. "No." I answered."Why do you answer for her? I am asking her?" The lady said, pointing to my friend W. I translated for W and W shook her head. So I said "No" across the glass barrier again."Do you want to … Continue reading Event Before Election
Mini Story: An Awkward Picture
This awkward picture is an oil painting of me when I was about 11 years old. Every painting has a story behind it, and here it is. I remember this today only because that's the first time I felt a strong sympathy towards a man--the artist painting this--who totally despised me and detested his job … Continue reading Mini Story: An Awkward Picture
Mini Story: The Sales Training
Pammy is a fictional character but the event is something that really happens, not as infrequently as we tend to imagine. The idea of this story is based on my talk with my friends on the sales training they had been to. It goes like this: Pammy lives with her husband Pan and their son … Continue reading Mini Story: The Sales Training
Can’t Live With Or Without Impulse
I hate impulses, especially impulse purchase. I went to Trader Joe's today and bought a big bunch of things. Completely over my budget. Do I really need the "Tomato Basil Hummus"? No, but it is so good that I can finish the whole thing before I start my dinner. Do I really need the one … Continue reading Can’t Live With Or Without Impulse
The October Book Plan
For about half a year or so, I wrote book reviews devotedly for books I read, but then I felt that I didn't really enjoy doing that. I guess the main reason is that it feels like I'm still in school, trying to come up with something to say while worrying that what I am … Continue reading The October Book Plan
Haoyan Do 