Read before you think. Somebody said this, but I don't remember who. I don't think it is achievable. For many of us, we think and make decisions long before we read something about it since we have little time to read every day. Sometimes it is a delay of ten years. Finally we read something … Continue reading Before You Think
Month: February 2021
A Procrastinator
Remember Hurricane Sandy eight and half years ago? It happened at the end of October. As a typical procrastinator, I'm usually very busy in the last several days of the month. A lot of things were due and I was in half panic mode. Guess what, Sandy hit us hard and our electricity was knocked … Continue reading A Procrastinator
Over-Preparation
H went for an interview to get a contractor job and came back a little distraught. It's a disaster, according to him. I helped him prepare--revising his resume and brushing up his English etc. Well, English is not his first language and the interview is rather important to him. He needed all the help he … Continue reading Over-Preparation
She Will Survive
My friend M called last night from the West Coast that she was being contact traced and had to go for a virus test. It's all because one business meeting she had, during which they didn't wear mask and their talk was very long. M has been very careful indeed, but still things happen. Now … Continue reading She Will Survive
Politics In Small Town
When Jun Choi was running his mayoral campaign for Edison, New Jersey in 2005, many Asians I knew didn't vote for him, not because they had anything against his candidacy, but rather due to the fact that they were content with the way things were and saw no need to replace the incumbent. That's exactly … Continue reading Politics In Small Town
My Unbelievable Friend
Let's just call him Wai, which is not his real name, and I've changed several details so that nobody can recognize him even if they read this blog. However the story is true. I've always felt that at least half of my friends are mad, and I think my friends are probably thinking everybody else … Continue reading My Unbelievable Friend
The God Of Gamblers
of Taiwan died last week and I just want to tell his story since he is a quirky character. However I have to start with Arjin and her husband, who run a small cell phone store and travel agency in one of the strip malls in Edison. I don't know why Arjin and her husband … Continue reading The God Of Gamblers
Love Is A Mess
She was very young, in her twenties, walking right in front of me, pushing a shopping cart full of daily essentials. Suddenly she turned around, looking past me, and said, "Where are you?" I looked around likewise and saw her husband, loitering in a little distance, with two kids in tow of about four years … Continue reading Love Is A Mess
Weird Winter
These are some of the weird things I witness during the winter. People wear sandals barefooted. I know it is indoors, but still it is winter. Now it almost becomes a trend to be barefooted. Too bad my feet are not pretty and I tend to hide them in socks and shoes. People eat ice … Continue reading Weird Winter
Leave The Lovers Alone
We all know those famous witch-hunts in Europe and North America, but there were witch-hunts in Asia too. As far as human absurdity is concerned, no continent is immune. And I am about to describe one of these concerning a pair of star crossed lovers. I promise there's no gory detail, no hopeless injustice, no … Continue reading Leave The Lovers Alone
The Argument
Prehistocial man P and H are roasting several big sweet potatoes on a camp fire. Soon it is done. The aroma is irresistible; the skin is charcoaled and broken here and there with tasty sweet texture exposed. It's a bet. P would circle the tribal ground twice while H is supposed to eat the biggest … Continue reading The Argument
The Reverse Psychology Expert
Lulu the customer: "Don't you think I need to change the rear view mirror? I somehow cracked it with the back of my snow brush." Maahi the auto mechanic:"No need to do that. It's cracked a little on the edge and it won't bother your vision." Lulu: "Don't you think I need to change the … Continue reading The Reverse Psychology Expert
The Owner Of “Maahi Repair”
Maahi is not his real name. Since I am not sure whether he desires this kind of publicity, I have to change his name to tell his story. He's a graduate of Indian Institute Of Technology, and he loves cars. He came to America twenty-five years ago, attending graduate school in New Jersey and intending … Continue reading The Owner Of “Maahi Repair”
Frozen
I've seen this neighbor's dog in the neighborhood for quite a while, but I can never tell if his barking is a gesture of friendship or aggression. Thus I don't know if I should stop to pet him or to flee. His language, let's call it Doglish, is frozen at the point of not conveying … Continue reading Frozen
A Romantic Comedy Or Not
Me: "We need to cook some jollof rice today since we promised that we would do that this weekend and share the result with others." My Mind: "I feel like sitting on the couch all day today. I have to say no. I have also sent messages to the body to stay on the couch." … Continue reading A Romantic Comedy Or Not
Alternative Valentine’s Day Tradition
Women give men chocolate as gift on Valentine's day in Japan. It's a tradition since the end of the WWII, when a chocolate company tried to market chocolate to Japanese people. In those days both chocolate and Valentine's Day were something new in Japan--rarely anybody ate chocolate or observed Valentine's day. The chocolate shops were … Continue reading Alternative Valentine’s Day Tradition
Lunar New Year
https://twitter.com/Haoyando/status/1360348311052550151 First day of the ox year, or bull if you prefer to call it. I was hoping to add several photos of festivity to my upcoming "About" page, but alas, all the stores here are out of spirit, with absolutely no holiday decorations anywhere. Blame the pandemic, I guess. For the past ten years … Continue reading Lunar New Year
Creating An “About” Page
I am trying to create an "about" page and here is the thing I want to say about myself. I am an Asian, living in Edison, New Jersey. The reason I spell out where I live is because Edison township is as famous as New York City-- I mean among Asians. Many Asians who have … Continue reading Creating An “About” Page
Colorful And Perilous
She's an incorrigible gambler, an incessant drinker, a perpetual presence in local parties, a lover of fine clothes and gossips. She sounds like a typical college girl of the 21st century, except that she lived almost exactly one thousand years ago. Yes, it is true that history repeats itself and the same kind of women … Continue reading Colorful And Perilous
Long Twilight
Dawn starts from 6AM to a little before 7AM--a wonderful period of twilight that I usually miss except when attacked by insomnia, like today. I like dusk better, which stretches from a little before 5PM to a little after 6PM. The nice one hour twilight. My favorite time, but I didn't realize it is more … Continue reading Long Twilight
Knowing Yourself And Others
Lulu has finished a long day's work at the Ivy Training Center, which has established classes from 4PM to 9PM every weekday, and all day weekend to cater to students of all grades. She calls it Ivy, never using the full name, just like everybody else. Before 4PM, Ivy also helps translate, fill forms, make … Continue reading Knowing Yourself And Others
My Mischievous Great Aunt
My great aunt Zu, my grandfather's eldest sister, had long been dead before I was born, even my father had never met her. All stories about her was hearsay. Still my father repeated her story several times. Somehow I suspected that he did this for my benefit--the moral of his story is that aunt Zu's … Continue reading My Mischievous Great Aunt
Who’s Afraid
of Virginia Woolf? I really like that movie, but I don't really like Virginia Woolf's writing. Long time ago, when I was young and fervent, torturing myself through reading something I dislike was part of my duty. So I thought. That's when I took on Virginia Woolf but I dislike everything, from "Night And Day", … Continue reading Who’s Afraid
Snowy Sunday With No Appetite
https://twitter.com/Haoyando/status/1358464097520660482 No appetite;no wish to cook,but it's time to eat.What a chore.How about a hotpot?Food cooked without me cooking;one dish with a little bit of everything.
Snow And Romance
Snow and romance, two completely different concepts, share the same central theme of being very beautiful in your dream and being very messy in real life. This is what Lulu is thinking when she is stuck behind a string of cars trying to get into the TJ Maxx shopping plaza. The snow storm three days … Continue reading Snow And Romance
Saturday’s Little Woes
https://twitter.com/Haoyando/status/1358166073791705088 Suddenly everyone is double masked.Me too.Dragon Fruit is $6.88 a piece -- Robbery.Bought a book from Betterworldbooks.com with the library label still attached.Why are these people at the car wash?Don't they know another snow storm is coming tomorrow?Why is this white haired eighty-year-old out and driving today?The road is jammed; half the right lane … Continue reading Saturday’s Little Woes
Something In Between
I dislike writing reviews, but I also dislike not saying anything after reading a book. So what to do? Which one I dislike more? Those people trained in writing workshops or master programs know how to criticize without offending anybody, but I'm unschooled in this direction. The compromise will be to read books written by … Continue reading Something In Between
Kids Protecting Parents
This is a story about me and my friend Ying when we were teenagers. It's when I realized how protective some kids are towards their parents, whether the parents deserve it or not. Ying's father and my mother both worked for a university as English teachers, and both our families lived in the university living … Continue reading Kids Protecting Parents
The Boy Who Cries “Fire”
Alia only wanted to make things a little bit fun and less didactic. However once she unplugged the fun bottle, things started to get weird. This morning, she found a little piece of paper on her desk, saying "I don't know how to spell because I am not a witch." Anybody could have entered her … Continue reading The Boy Who Cries “Fire”
An Improbable Debate
When Genghis Khan was getting old, people around him were bickering more than ever. Too much was at stake. The one who could influence him most won not only for the time being, but also for the time after his impending death. He was old, forgetful, often dozing off during meetings. He couldn't digest the … Continue reading An Improbable Debate
Wednesday, Not Tuesday
https://twitter.com/Haoyando/status/1357101310852612097 I even forgot today is Wednesday. Am I losing my mind? The book is falling apart with pages breaking away one by one. A little touch of my finger, a page is off from the binding edge. Also my failed sweet rice chicken dish is waiting for me (in its most unappetizing way) from … Continue reading Wednesday, Not Tuesday
I Can’t Believe This
Shoveling snow is a depressing job. And it might cause some unexpected effects, like weird thoughts rushing into one's mind. I really thought about this when shoveling snow: In heaven, when people first meet, the question they ask each other will not be "what's your job" or "where are you from", but rather "how did … Continue reading I Can’t Believe This
Digging Out
Spend the whole morning digging out. Just ten miles south of Edison, there's no snow, only rain. How unfair. However New York City is getting more than 2 feet of snow, I heard. So can't complain. https://twitter.com/Haoyando/status/1356677015286464513
The Chef And The Snow Storm
It's rumored that Shanzu was a little orphaned girl, living among the urban poor in the capital city of Chang'an during Tang Dynasty, which was about 1400 years ago. It seemed that fate had doomed her in the beginning of her life's journey. What prospect could she have other than being an illiterate servant girl, … Continue reading The Chef And The Snow Storm
Haoyan Do 