Image by Deborah Hudson from Pixabay Last night, I had an insomnia. After counting a hundred sheep and lingering with the indecision of getting up or lying down, I searched for natural cures of sleeplessness online. As a non-native speaker, I am baffled with orphaned words. One of them is insomnia, which means sleeplessness. Where … Continue reading Insomnia With No Somnia
Month: June 2023
Characters And Hiccups
When something happens to the project you are doing with several other people, you feel this urge to talk about it, discuss it, recall past conversations, elaborate on different ways of moving forward, and describe possible outcomes. It is impossible to be silent. Your mind is absorbed in it and you feel that you have … Continue reading Characters And Hiccups
The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 6)
This is the 6th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Babutai pauses and looks around, enjoying the astonishment of his audience. "Chef Chow's cleaver is very sharp. He sharpens it every day." "What happened next? Did Chef Chow hurt anybody?" We ask and urge Babutai to continue. … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 6)
The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 11)
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba This is the 11th part of the story. The previous 10 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Ayun is cooking while thinking of a way to broach the topic of communication with her husband Tram. She is throwing packages of pre-seasoned veggie and … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 11)
Sweet & Sour Sunday
Image by Jeff Klugiewicz from Pixabay One grey sky, two busy birds, and three tea bags steeped dark and strong. Sunday morning routines get delayed by a social media call--not really urgent but with an unexplained urgency. Unfinished chores wait at the sink and uncompleted shopping list sticks to the fridge. A leftover soup begs … Continue reading Sweet & Sour Sunday
Risks And Thrills
Image by goonerua on Freepik I have nothing to write about today. Life is so repetitive and uneventful, which is probably why some people want to take risks to feel the thrills. And I have to say I did take some risks before, but none of the risks I took gave me any thrills at … Continue reading Risks And Thrills
Zoos And Animals (Continued)
Image by Almeida from Pixabay This is the second part of the post. The first part is here. Many normal people and parents like zoos too and like to bring their children to zoos, but narcissists like zoos for different reasons, most of which are not normal and most have a hidden sadistic twist. A … Continue reading Zoos And Animals (Continued)
The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 5)
This is the 5th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4. One of the employees of the coffee shop comes to the table to ask Babutai and the three strangers standing behind me if they want to order something. Babutai becomes strategically silent and looks at his admires with … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 5)
Zoos and Animals
Image by Almeida from Pixabay I can't say every narcissistic parent loves zoo, but I can certainly say that many do. Here I am going to share a childhood story of mine first and then I am going to discuss why narcissists love taking their children to zoos. As I am typing this, I can … Continue reading Zoos and Animals
Food Choices
Image by KamranAydinov on Freepik Sauce Is Everything Today at the supermarket, I couldn't find my favorite brand of dark soy sauce. As a replacement, I bought Lee Kum Kee's Brown Braising Sauce, which I had never tried before. And so coming home, I made braised tofu by pouring the sauce on a plate of … Continue reading Food Choices
The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 10)
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba This is the 10th part of the story. The previous 9 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. "Well, my husband is very different from other men. You know I'm an anthropologist. An unemployed anthropologist is still an anthropologist. If he had agreed to accompany … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 10)
The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 9)
Image by kiquebg from Pixabay This is the 9th part of the story. The previous 8 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. "Your husband Tram is the best. You told me so and I think so too, although I have only met him several times when he came to pick … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 9)
The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 8)
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba This is the 8th part of the story. The previous 5 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. "Oh, well, Fifi was gone. The idiotic robot couldn't translate well. My boss couldn't stand it and put it away to collect dust. Finally, it's about time." Ayun says … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 8)
Too Mild To Be Acknowledged
This is a canva.com stock photo. I tried to add two words to it, but it doesn't look as I expected it to be. Sports It has been easy for me to recognize my parents' narcissism because they were extreme cases on the narcissism spectrum, to the point that they were normal but barely functional, … Continue reading Too Mild To Be Acknowledged
The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 4)
This is the 4th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3. Now Babutai has got every woman's attention, he is not in a rush to reveal what he knows. To enhance the sense of suspense and drama, he asks questions instead, "So you don't know what happened yesterday. However do … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 4)
Quote Of The Day: Want Everything And Nothing
Image by Freepik Quote Of The Day #80 “Perhaps when we find ourselves wanting everything, it is because we are dangerously close to wanting nothing.” This quote can really summon up the two books I have been reading: "The Silent Woman" by Janet Malcolm, which I bought from a discount second hand book store, and … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Want Everything And Nothing
Good Or Bad Listener
This is my first picture created from scratch using canva.com. The texts look awkwardly large, the pen has an unusually large attachment on the side for retractable purposes, the cell phone is strangely elongated, and the buttons on the laptop keyboard seem to be twisted on the edge. However, just look on the bright side--the … Continue reading Good Or Bad Listener
A Better, Brighter Sky
Free Image from canva.com The Bright Sky Today I don't have anything to write today. The only thing that comes to my mind right now is the weather. It is quite bright today although still not sunny. If I compare it to the last two or three days, it's a great improvement. Yesterday was the … Continue reading A Better, Brighter Sky
The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 3)
This is the 3rd part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2. "Can you believe what he did to me a week ago? He tried to force me to do takeout while I wanted to eat in the restaurant." I tell Pammy, Jen, and Dodo. Four of us are sitting at the … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 3)
The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 7)
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba This is the 7th part of the story. The previous 6 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Making Fifi reveal its weakness for smaller cases will not convince her boss Ku to give up on the robot. Ayun thinks. Smaller cases don't have much impact on Ku's … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 7)
Life Is Full Of Clues
Image by Freepik The day before yesterday, Wordle's answer is a five-letter word "nanny". And I put in a very lucky first word "moany", for which "ny" are the right letters in the right place, and "a" is the right letter for the wrong place. After my lucky first-word break, I went on to guess … Continue reading Life Is Full Of Clues
Quote Of The Day: A Lighthouse
Image by callmetak on Freepik Quote Of The Day #79 I was trying to publish this post last night, but I realized that I didn't feel like doing it after all. If one has been reading for the night, one often feels disinclined towards writing, as if the two activities are mutually exclusive somehow. Anyway, … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: A Lighthouse
Optimum Ratio
Image by vecstock on Freepik One To One Ratio A while ago, a friend of mine told me that he has a strategy of decluttering at home--whenever he buys something new, he will make sure to throw away something he hasn't used for a year, and probably will never use. I thought it was a … Continue reading Optimum Ratio
The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 6)
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba This is the 6th part of the story. The previous 5 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Ayun ponders on her strategy--how to get rid of Fifi? Her husband Tram has already declined her request for help, but she could press him to do what he doesn't want … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 6)
Haoyan Do 