Image by k-e-k-u-l-é from Pixabay Armei has had relatively good relationship with her mother-in-law Nana, who has been living with them in New Jersey for seven months for the purpose of taking care of the grandson. However Nana is about to leave, flying across the Pacific and going back home, where her other son and … Continue reading The Lunar New Year Party (Flash Fiction #102)
Month: January 2022
A Good-Natured Woman (Flash Fiction #101)
Image by Sergio Cerrato from Pixabay Fei is a very good-natured woman. She always speaks sweetly and has never lost her temper even once in her life. Most women in her situation would have complained a million times, but not her. Her husband Wei is a little temperamental, but Fei has never complained about her … Continue reading A Good-Natured Woman (Flash Fiction #101)
The Winter Storm
A winter is measured by snow storms. A good winter usually has three or four small snow storms with less than six inches (about 15 centimeters) of accumulation, an above 40F (about 5 degree Celsius) weather right afterwards to melt the snow completely. Most importantly, no snowfall during major holidays like Christmas, Lunar New Year, … Continue reading The Winter Storm
The Insomnia
Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay I can't believe I'm having insomnia again. I should take melatonin. It says 10mg maximum strength--is it too strong? It is said it's a hormone. Taking hormone is damaging to one's body, probably. I should read online reviews about it and know all the side effects. … Continue reading The Insomnia
New Word #95: Name
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay nickname, sobriquet, alias, aka, moniker, hypocorism I've never seen hypocorsim, sobriquet, or moniker being used, but I've seen alias, aka, and nickname very often. We all have nicknames and I just love people's nicknames more than their formal names. For example, American Indian warriors always have wonderful nicknames like Sitting … Continue reading New Word #95: Name
February Festivities
Image by Lubov Lisitsa from Pixabay February is the month with the most festivities because it has four holidays. This happens almost every year, except when the Lunar New Year falls in January. For 2022, Feb 1st is the Lunar New Year; Feb 13th, The Super Bowl; Feb 14th Valentine's day; Feb 21st, President's Day. … Continue reading February Festivities
Poem Of The Day #46
Image by Melk Hagelslag from Pixabay This is not working, and that requires a repeating. Is the effort futile? Is the work worthwhile? Monday's questions increase the frustration. As if it's not enough-- learn about Omicron cases again two colleagues of hers, and one client of his. All day long, bad tidings keep coming-- but … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #46
Hero Or Villain, Crime Or Justice (Flash Fiction #100)
Image by Herbert Bieser from Pixabay This happened in 1960s and it is a true story. I heard it when listening to the conversations between my parents and their friends when I was growing up. I also knew Sister Cabbage, who's a mixture of old age and young passion, severity and naivety, reticence and outbursts. … Continue reading Hero Or Villain, Crime Or Justice (Flash Fiction #100)
New Word #94: H And K
Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay Hike, Hiker, Hiking hike: It means a walk outside of the areas inhabited by humans. It can be a mountain, or a wild park. Usually in these places, there are hiking trails to accommodate hikers. Actually I went hiking several times, but I really didn't like … Continue reading New Word #94: H And K
Quote Of The Day #35
Image by Erin East from Pixabay I stumbled upon a YouTube video, which is also a book “Political Philosophy” by Steven B. Smith. It's posted by YaleCourse and it is part of the Yale Open Course series. I instantly thought that the view in this course would be too conservative for my taste since I … Continue reading Quote Of The Day #35
Accidental Discovery
Image by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay A Sweater Discovered a long-sleeve fluffy top from Uniqlo in my closet, still with the store tag on. No idea when I bought it and why I bought it. I just thought to myself, "Why did I buy this and why did I spend money on my looks? … Continue reading Accidental Discovery
That’s Fate (Flash Fiction #99)
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay "Where are you going? You are going to the tournament, right? How much I wish I can stop such an event. No participation. Just observe. You promised." Maylan says to her husband Jay Lai. "Of course. The tournament is half way through already. How can I participate now?" Jay … Continue reading That’s Fate (Flash Fiction #99)
New Word #93: Ten
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay Tenure and Tenuous Despite their similarities, the two words have nothing to do with each other. tenure: It can be a noun or verb, meaning occupying a place or holding an office. "During his tenure in the office, he did ...." However this word is most often used in … Continue reading New Word #93: Ten
Cultural Differences (Continued)
Incense Drying in Vietnam–Image by Xuan Duong from Pixabay I wrote about this yesterday in here, and today I feel that I have more to say on this topic. I said in the previous post that one can feel very strongly the first time one encounters the cultural difference, but that strong feeling can't be … Continue reading Cultural Differences (Continued)
Poem Of The Day #45
Image by Marna Buys from Pixabay A gallon of gas rises to three fifty, A bag of rice costs more than twenty. Can you believe that Asian store I went? They were changing their price tag swiftly right in front me without feeling guilty. Don't worry--I try to comfort her. You don't drive as much … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #45
Cultural Differences
Incense Drying in Vietnam--Image by Xuan Duong from Pixabay I've always trying to write real stories, but plagued with the fact that real stories tend to be too mundane to sustain people's interest. I still don't know how to manipulate the language to make a mundane story more fun to read. So it has been … Continue reading Cultural Differences
New Word #92: Verb
Image by Tracy Lundgren from Pixabay Verboten is a word I learned from Bonnywood's post here. Although it starts with verb, it doesn't have much to do with verb. Other Words Starting With "Verb" There are more words that start with "verb", but I only selected several that are commonly used. verbatim: in exactly the … Continue reading New Word #92: Verb
Poem Of The Day #44
Image by WikimediaImages from Pixabay The road is dry, the trees are still-- The big snow storm, in forecast only, not for real. I sigh in relief-- what a lucky escape. I'm having chionophobia-- the fear of snow, and the dirty road afterwards. She says, "Me too. We don't have snow either-- only freezing rain. … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #44
The Fix Up (Flash Fiction #98)
Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay "Koo, I heard that you are such an excellent matchmaker. I mean for a young man, that's quite unique, isn't it? Are you still doing it?" Whenever people say that to Koo, he would smile modestly and reply, "well, it's a complicated undertaking, really. I don't … Continue reading The Fix Up (Flash Fiction #98)
Quote Of The Day 34
Image by Kristine Lejniece from Pixabay I found some quotes on "hope" that I think are very interesting. We can't live without hope, but hope can sometimes lead us astray. “It’s not the despair... I can take the despair. It’s the hope I can’t stand.” This is from Blackthorn's post here. The post describes a … Continue reading Quote Of The Day 34
New Word #91: Rag, Rig, Rug
Image by Jerzy Górecki from Pixabay Rag, rig and rug are all commonly used words. There's no "rog", but there is a word called "rogue", which I call "instant word". "Instant word" means a word that one can remember instantly, like love at first sight, and never forget. Rogue is such a word. rag: a … Continue reading New Word #91: Rag, Rig, Rug
Poem Of The Day #43
Image by Couleur from Pixabay Let's have a dumpling party, that's tasty and hearty, with meat and veggie, to help her get over him. Who knows where he's now, could be anywhere in the Pacific rim. Let's make dumplings from scratch-- knead the dough, chop the spice. All the mixing and stirring and wrapping-- to … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #43
Spoken Or Unspoken
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay When I was driving past Walmart in Piscataway yesterday, I thought to myself, "why don't I go in to ask them when I will be eligible for the booster shot? Probably in a month?" So I went in and asked one of the pharmacists. She immediately said, "yes." I told … Continue reading Spoken Or Unspoken
New Word #90: Figure Skating
Image by Дмитрий Бирюков from Pixabay Every year, I would watch half to one hour of figure skating competition. Every four years, I would watch two to three hours of figure skating Olympics. However my knowledge of figure skating never improves. I don't understand the differences between different jumps, can't distinguish between two, three, or … Continue reading New Word #90: Figure Skating
Dreams And Miracles (Flash Fiction #97)
Image by Leandro De Carvalho from Pixabay Rida has been battling her husband Mung for years, but today's battle is more severe than any of the previous ones. Mung took out a loan of $5,000 from their insurance policy without telling her and then sent the money to his hometown in Southeast Asia to buy … Continue reading Dreams And Miracles (Flash Fiction #97)
Irrational Man
Image by Sarah Richter from Pixabay I just finished "Irrational Man" by William Barrett, with only an hour of appendix to go. I have to say I still don't understand existentialism more than before even if I've finished this book. However, this is not to say the book is not entertaining. There are many quotes … Continue reading Irrational Man
The Old House (Flash Fiction #96)
Image by Đức Vũ from Pixabay "Let's go visit your grandpa's house in the village. I really want to see how good a mathematician your grandpa was. 'My grandpa built the house with mathematical precision, even better than those science used in building pyramids, even outshine what Da Vinci could do.' That's what you told … Continue reading The Old House (Flash Fiction #96)
Poem Of The Day #42
Image by Ulrike Leone from Pixabay At Paris Baguette, the Edison bakery, three women meet for tea, cake, and story. "The weather is cold and dreary. Arjay will be gone for a while-- what am I going to do with my hair?" He just can't catch a break, can he? He's such a good hairdresser … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #42
He Is Wild (Flash Fiction #95)
Image by Pexels from Pixabay Lo runs a small home improvement and home repair business in Edison, New Jersey, but he is more known for his reckless driving than his occupation. When I first met him, I didn't know his driving reputation. I even took a ride in his car, but now I've already forgotten … Continue reading He Is Wild (Flash Fiction #95)
Poem Of The Day #41
Image by Jörg Vieli from Pixabay First snow of the year, hardly an inch on the ground. But the wind is howling, the air is chill, reminding me of another winter long ago. The southern edge of Mongolian steppe, wind-swept, dust swirled, potato frozen like stone. Gusts bit your nose, blue your lips, redden your … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #41
New Word #89: Snow
Image by Daniel Roberts from Pixabay The first snow of the season fell last night, only one to two inches of dust for Edison, but from the news I learned that other places got much more. There was a 24 hour pile-up of traffic in Virginia two days ago. Really have to make sure to … Continue reading New Word #89: Snow
One Hundred Judges (Flash Fiction #94)
Image by Here and now from Pixabay "If you want my opinion, Dr. Tsai, I would say you should make it more personal. Right now it has a stern official air to it, that it put people off. I will add, you know, like favorite colors, hobbies etc." That's the comment two undergraduate students give … Continue reading One Hundred Judges (Flash Fiction #94)
Poem Of The Day #40
Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay "3G is no longer supported. What does it mean?" "Don't you know? Where have you been?" I sweat and I toil, with no time for technology, which advances so fast--it's almost obscene. The plan is out of date, the phone needs an upgrade. What to choose, how to deliberate? Decisions … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #40
The Mistake (Flash Fiction #93)
Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay Whatever happens, he is not going to give up smoking. That's his last shred of comfort left in his life and he refuses to surrender it. Ever since they bought the house, he and his wife have been struggling to pay the mortgage and the property tax. Needless to … Continue reading The Mistake (Flash Fiction #93)
Poem Of The Day #39
mage by Public Co from Pixabay She dines and she whines, but that's just the prelude-- what she really wants is to connect. They know and they care, but only with partial knowledge. Kindness in heart, scolding in manner. He says, echoing opinions of others "how come they spend so much money on their girl? … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #39
New Word #88: New Year New Beginning
Image by t3ddy4rt from Pixabay Let's celebrate the new year by compiling a list of words for "beginning", even though I am still the plain old me, with no difference whatsoever with one week, one month, or one year ago. A friend sends a message saying that he has very modest wishes for the new … Continue reading New Word #88: New Year New Beginning
Easy Fusion Food
Image by Trang Pham from Pixabay Easy Curry Tofu Last time after I talked about easy tofu dishes, I realized that I forgot about curry tofu, which is my favorite. It is so easy to do. Cut tofu into small pieces (half bit size) and microwave it on a flat plate on high for 2 … Continue reading Easy Fusion Food
Haoyan Do 