Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 22th part. The previous 21 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. I don't have an ending for this story because all the narcissists in my family, except … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (The End Part 2)
Month: March 2023
A Tale Of Two Cousins (The End Part 1)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 21th part. The previous 20 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. I have been thinking of several endings for this story, but none is satisfactory. Although the story … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (The End Part 1)
Cultural Differences Overwhelm Jury (Continued)
Image by Raskhan Kaderi from Pixa This is the second half of the story. The first half is here. Let me tell this story from the very beginning. The Tang family are Cantonese and they run a successful furniture business. Let's call the boy little Tang. His mother and his father were both engaged in … Continue reading Cultural Differences Overwhelm Jury (Continued)
Cultural Differences Overwhelm Jury
Image by Raskhan Kaderi from Pixabay This happened in British Columbia (BC), a province of Canada, located on the Pacific coast. I remember this place because I watched the 2010 Winter Olympics on TV, which was hosted in Vancouver, the largest city in BC. This is a true story and it happened in BC in … Continue reading Cultural Differences Overwhelm Jury
Finally I Find Something It Can Do
Image by Free Photos from Pixabay I am still waiting for the AI that can make videos for you on command. It is said you can just give commands, like make a spring themed video with birds, trees, and flowers, upon which there will be soothing music and this 10-line practice poem I wrote to … Continue reading Finally I Find Something It Can Do
Listless Sunday
Image by liuksena from Pixabayy It's Sunday again and I don't have anything to write about. I am listening to "A Carnival of Snackery" while cooking, but I don't feel I like this book as the author's previous books. He was very interesting and entertaining when he was struggling to make a living as a … Continue reading Listless Sunday
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 20)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 20th part. The previous 19 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. Cousin Arjin, Right Now After Fanfan came back, we've had relative peace so far, but it is never … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 20)
When We Talked, An Idea Just Came
Image by Couleur from Pixabay Yesterday, I went to my favorite Walmart on Route 1 in North Brunswick township and bought my favorite veggie griller, lettuce, cucumber, tofu, juices etc. At the checkout, I waited in line for more than half an hour, which is normal for this particular store. About six months ago, the … Continue reading When We Talked, An Idea Just Came
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 19)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 19th part. The previous 18 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Nalan, Right Now I am not surprised that Uncle Big is a popular guy in the Lakeview retirement community, … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 19)
Know My Triggers
Image by Gosia K. from Pixabay Recently I have become more aware of my own triggers. Sometimes I am just triggered by certain things and become uncharacteristically excited or agitated. For example, I remember people pointed out to me I pronounced a person's name wrong, or I misspelled something, or I mistook one person for … Continue reading Know My Triggers
I Made A Good Comparison
Image by JAGADEESH S from Pixabay I've never come up with one good metaphor ever. I always want to but I have never achieved that. However, I made a beautiful comparison today and inspired somebody unexpectedly. I felt very good about myself. I wish I can do this every day. What happened was that I … Continue reading I Made A Good Comparison
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 18)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 18th part. The previous 17 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Cousin Arjin, Right Now After leaving Nalan's apartment, I immediately go to see my father, who's living in a retirement … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 18)
Nothing To Write For Sunday
Image by Nicky from Pixabay I have nothing to write for today. I thought I would come up with something during the course of the day, but nothing comes up. Now it is almost midnight and I think I should still write something even if I have nothing to write. I went to two Asian … Continue reading Nothing To Write For Sunday
Quote Of The Day: Walk Through A Wall (Continued)
Image by photosforyou from Pixabay Quote Of The Day #71 This is the 2nd half of the post. The 1st half is here. I've had "The Complete Stories" by Bernard Malamute for many years, but I didn't like it before. I don't know why. I didn't read it for a long time, but recently I … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Walk Through A Wall (Continued)
How To Make It More Interesting?
Image by Tiểu Bảo from Pixabay It has come to the point that I feel so bored with learning Spanish that I just can't watch another video or listen to a minute of podcast. I guess every language learner experiences this moment of crisis at one point or another when reading or listening is still … Continue reading How To Make It More Interesting?
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 17)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 17th part. The previous 16 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Nalan, Right Now "Just tell me what you know about my mother. I won't believe you, but I am curious." Arjin … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 17)
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 16)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 16th part. The previous 15 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. Cousin Arjin, Right Now "It was not a swimming accident." Nalan says. "Really? How did you know? That was 19 years ago." … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 16)
Quote Of The Day: Walk Through A Wall
Image by photosforyou from Pixabay Quote Of The Day #71 "There comes a time in a man’s life when to get where he has to go, if there are no doors or windows, he walks through a wall." --Bernard Malamud I am not sure about a man's ability to walk through a wall when he … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Walk Through A Wall
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 15)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 15th part. The previous 14 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Nalan, Right Now Arjin says to me, "I don't believe a word you are saying. What I know is whenever I meet you, … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 15)
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 14)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 14th part. The previous 13 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Cousin Arjin, Right Now Nalan says to me, "I don't know about you, but I am starving. My blood sugar is getting low since … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 14)
New Word: Beauty
Image by David Mark from Pixabay New Word # 132 Whenever I hear a story of somebody doing a blepharoplasty (a procedure to double the eyelids), or microdermabrasion, botox, laser resurfacing (all wrinkle reducing treatments), I don't know what to say and how to feel. On the one hand, we all want to be beautiful. … Continue reading New Word: Beauty
Just Be Happy
Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay When I went to the local UPS store, I was a little surprised to find that everybody was new there. The people I knew before were all gone. So I made inquiries and was told that those people who used to work there all found new jobs. This store … Continue reading Just Be Happy
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 13)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 13th part. The previous 12 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12. Cousin Arjin, Right Now After grandma's funeral, I had a business trip out of town for a few days. When I came back, my wife … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 13)
Pets And Cultural Differences
Image by huoadg5888 from Pixabay We have all witnessed this on videos or in real life that Americans talk with their pets. I mean they really treat their pets as chatty friends. They would stare into their eyes, touch their pet "shoulders" (sometimes even asking for permission first as if their pets would file harassment … Continue reading Pets And Cultural Differences
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 12)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 12th part. The previous 11 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11. Nalan, Present Day After a socially appropriate period of mourning, my father married again. I was a little shocked to see how sad an appearance my … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 12)
The Meaning Of Life
Image by Deborah Hudson from Pixabay I don't have anything to write today since during the day, I wrote thousands of words of correspondence to give opinions about a resume, a powerpoint, a self portrayal, a portfolio, a letter, together with a list of my suggestions. All the time, I was afraid that I was … Continue reading The Meaning Of Life
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 11)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 11th part. The previous 10 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10. Nalan, Present Day Well, that was 25 years ago. Time flies whether one has a good time or not. For this reason, one probably should enjoy as … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 11)
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 10)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 10th part. The previous 9 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9. With rumors swirling around, my mother was in full damage control mode. Whenever my parents found their common enemy, they would work together against the external threat, real … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 10)
Quote Of The Day: Sleeping On The Wing
Quote Of The Day #70 Finally, I find a translated poem that I really like. If you are one of the millions and millions of non-native speakers, you will understand why I dislike translated poem; you would have noticed how bad your favorite poem sounds like when it is translated into English. It is probably … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Sleeping On The Wing
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 9)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 9th part. The previous 8 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Nalan , Twenty Five Years Ago I was ten at the time, on the brink of becoming a troublesome teenager. My parents were scared that I would bring … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 9)
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 8)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 8th part. The previous six parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Cousin Arjin, Twenty Five Years Ago A week later, Nalan came back, carrying a bag of deep fried crispy pretzels with her. She grew taller and had a smile … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 8)
I Just Can’t Stop It
Image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay Have you ever had such an experience that a temporary decision (or a small project or an insignificant passing comment) ends up becoming something more permanent? You don't know how it has become this way and you feel like you've never wanted it to be this way, but it … Continue reading I Just Can’t Stop It
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 7)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 7th part. The previous six parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. The next day, I came back home. Nalan was still nowhere to be found. "Arjin, I hope you have told everything to the police. Don't you cover for somebody else. … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 7)
A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 6)
Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay Flash Fiction #163 This is the 6th part. The previous five parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Cousin Arjin, Twenty Five Years Ago Nalan didn't come home that night. When my aunt and uncle asked me, I just told them that I didn't know where she was. "Where … Continue reading A Tale Of Two Cousins (Flash Fiction Part 6)
Haoyan Do 