Flash Fiction #180 I’ve always had this feeling that anything I write doesn’t come out as I would like it to come out. I don’t know why I feel this way, but I do. I can’t even articulate why this is the case. What is the problem? What is the gap between what’s in my … Continue reading My Self Sabotaging Mind (Flash Fiction)
I can’t believe I am so devious. I am definitely not. Well, I never consciously want to be devious, but probably my subconscious sabotages me in ways that I am not aware of. Anyway, all these thoughts come from the fact that I encountered an attachment test. Usually I don’t take such tests since I … Continue reading The Attachment Theory
I was very agitated, so much so that I couldn’t get my mind off it even if I knew I should be doing something else. I had no reason to be so agitated since it was not something that concerned me. Something happened to somebody else and I was just an outsider, being a friend … Continue reading My Trigger In Full Display
I have stopped playing Wordle now because I think it feeds the kind of narcissistic thinking that I want to get rid of. I just read a book about how to deal with emotionally immature people, which include narcissists. In it, the author, a psychologist, said that narcissists tend to like games—board games or trivial … Continue reading Against Our Competitive Instincts
I am already planning what to buy tomorrow, which is the last day one can get quality groceries from mainstream American stores. After tomorrow, one has to wait until after Thanksgiving for the stores to refill its shelves to the normal level. This year will be the first year in my life that I encounter … Continue reading Friday Before Thanksgiving
I've heard about the rice problem for several weeks, but I've never acted on it or tried to stock up on rice products. One reason is that I've been busy and haven't paid attention to what is happening around me for a while. Another reason is that whenever I step into the Asian grocery stores, … Continue reading The Rice Snack
If I hear one more complaint, like "it's boring", I will explode and blast my fragile good girl image to pieces. I am not afraid of explosions, but I am wary of the consequences since I have to clean up the mess, rehabilitate my reputation, and extinguish the fire of self doubt. I think it … Continue reading From Boring To Interesting
Suddenly, last week, I came down with an upset stomach and a diarrhea for a day and a half, which resulted in my lying in bed for most of the time, except when answering phone calls. I feel that a person's voice is different when standing vertically or lying horizontally. This is why I never … Continue reading Feeling Normal Again
canva stock image I have nothing to write today. I did something thinking today and realized that I just couldn't write three posts at once and schedule them for the next three days. I can't do it. I also can't make a schedule, block up a time period, and ask myself to write for the … Continue reading A Lot To Think, But Nothing To Write
canva stock image This is the second half of the post. The first half is here. Two Different Systems Many people have two different aesthetic systems in their mind. For me and many other Asians who speak and utilize English as a second language, we have two distinct aesthetic systems, one connected with English and … Continue reading Cultural Differences On Beauty (Continued)
canva stock image A food-and-travel video blogger on YouTube, whom I watch regularly, is putting up a video about his wife going for cosmetic surgery in Thailand. As you know, Thailand and South Korea are the places to go to become more "beautiful" for people living in the vicinity. I really feel…. Well, judging from … Continue reading Cultural Differences On Beauty
I ran into L today in the supermarket. As you know, I have lost my interest in shopping for groceries ever since the inflation started. I used to like looking for coupons, buying discount stuff, and feeling the pleasure of saving money while spending money. However, recently coupons are hard to come by, discounts are … Continue reading A Different Perspective
This is the second part of the story. The first part is here. It turns out that Alotus' father died two weeks ago and she just came back from attending the funeral overseas. She describes her journey and I express my condolences. Then as we walk, we veer towards meaningless pleasantries and mutual congratulations on … Continue reading The Professor’s Wife (Flash Fiction Part 2)
Flash Fiction #170 I meet Alotus from time to time in stores, financial seminars, children's events etc. I wouldn't call her my particular friend since she is the kind of person who has a perfect life, who concentrates on her perfect family, who has no need for outside friendship, who tends to talk about "facts" … Continue reading The Professor’s Wife (Flash Fiction Part 1)
Image by Freepik This is the 6th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Ted Hughes and his sister Olwyn Hughes imagined at first that a biography telling their side of the story would be helpful to them in fighting against the ever increasing army of Plath fans, … Continue reading Quote of The Day: Want Everything And Nothing (Part 6)
Image by Freepik This is the 5th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4. If the after-life of Plath were a movie, Ted Hughes would be the main character who's perpetually plagued by his wife's ghost. There was no escape for him. He moved into the apartment his wife … Continue reading Quote of The Day: Want Everything And Nothing (Part 5)
Image by Freepik This is the 4th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3. When Assia Wevill and David Wevill became their neighbor, Assia and Ted started an affair quickly and openly, much to Sylvia Plath's anguish and dismay. Ted had up to that point tried to be very respectful … Continue reading Quote of The Day: Want Everything And Nothing (Part 4)
This is the 5th part of the post. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3,4. Family Life I've known several families, which have the good luck of sending their kids to top colleges. They all live in this area. I have to say the aspiration of getting their kids into better colleges takes a … Continue reading Education In A Form Of Madness (Part 5)
Image by Freepik This is the 3nd part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1 and 2. At Cambridge, Plath was astonished by the women in the university. This was the end of 1950s and it is said the university only started to accept women into their campus several years earlier. And all … Continue reading Quote of The Day: Want Everything And Nothing (Part 3)
Be Positive It is hard to stay positive when one has to deal with a negative person. It makes one dream of the days when things will come to an end and the obligation of service is no longer there. For the time being, it is what it is and one has to endure it. … Continue reading Monday’s Meandering Mind
This is the 4rd part of the post. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3. Choices and More Choices I just watched an online video of a young Asian guy coming to the evening news of two weeks ago to defend his conservative Asian organization and its lawsuit, which precipitated the termination of affirmative … Continue reading Education In A Form Of Madness (Part 4)
This is the 3rd part of the post. The 1st and 2nd part are here and here. Insecurity And Not Belonging For most of the Asian immigrant families, insecurity and not belonging is an overwhelming feeling. The parents of the families, usually the first generation immigrants, live in the enclave of their own communities and … Continue reading Education In A Form Of Madness (Part 3)
As I was doing laundry today, I listened to some news from several Asian channels on YouTube. And I just couldn't believe my ears. This is what I heard. It was about this well known woman--it really didn't matter she was well known or not since it could happen to anybody. She was married in … Continue reading The Sunday Morning News
In order to be an "almost vegan", one has to have one or two miracle sauces, which can add flavor to any dishes. The most bland, unpromising, flavorless food can be transformed instantly when such sauces are added, sometimes just one tablespoon. And my miracle sauces are Brown Braising Sauce from Lee Kum Kee and … Continue reading My Miracle Sauces For Vegan Food
This is the 2nd part of the post. The 1st part is here. In the 1st part of the post, I wrote a little about the recent termination of affirmative action in college admission. It is regrettable to see that Asians have played a central part in this event. I am not surprised since the … Continue reading Education In A Form Of Madness (Continued)
When I was in high school and stayed with my maternal grandparents for a weekend, I watched them eating a fisherman's delicacy--raw crab pickled in alcohol. My grandparents had grown up in a fishing village. Even if they had moved to a big city later on, away from their traditional life, they enjoyed all kinds … Continue reading Food And Tradition
Image by Freepik This is the 2nd part of the story. The 1st part is here. I finally finished the two books "The Red Comet" and "The Silent Woman". And now let's proceed to continue the book review. In college, Plath got a chance to become an intern at the Mademoiselle magazine headquarter in New … Continue reading Quote of The Day: Want Everything And Nothing (Continued)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Image by Ingo Jakubke from Pixabay I've had various friendship mishaps over the years, mostly due to me being a "grey rock", who pretends to be sweet, docile, obliging, passive and pacifying. I have a hidden fear that if other people know my true self--a person being a little bitter, harboring misgivings, growing up among … Continue reading The Friendship Puzzle
Image by Rolf Dobberstein from Pixabay Quote Of The Day #78 "She was quarrelsome, dogmatic, and shrewd. Her speech was alarmingly forthright, or else bewilderingly circumlocutory. Her eyes were large and alert, green like green glass, with no yellow or hazel in them, with none of the compromises people have when it comes to green … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Experiment In Love
Image by Erika Varga from Pixabay The other day, I watched an Asian TV program, in which a young reporter--a girl probably just graduated from college--went around to interview several centenarians in a mountainous subtropical region, which is well known for its clean air, pristine environment, and people who have longer life spans than those … Continue reading Real Life Interviews
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba I've never been able to imagine a story before, and most of my stories, except a handle of them, have been real. I want to change that. So here I am imagining a robot translator, who is going to replace Ayun, a legal assistant in a law office. The robot … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 1)
Image by D. from Pixabay I am almost a vegan, but still not quite there yet since I can't get rid of occasional eggs or Campbell's chicken noodle soup or a slice of turkey breast for sandwich or one or two silk scarves (throwing them away is unthinkable by the way) or the daily fish … Continue reading New Vegan Dishes I Tried
Image by Denise Husted from Pixabay Long time ago, I worked in an Asian restaurant for two months during the summer. The place offered a wide range of Asian dishes from Vietnamese Pho, Pad Thai, Cantonese Dim Sum, to Japanese Sushi. I didn't understand why the owner didn't specialize on one regional food, but I … Continue reading Kitchen’s Cultural Difference
Image by Hans Toom from Pixabay I was reading an article about New York City, in which it said, "New York is now the business center of American culture, the excitement center, perhaps even the anxiety center. But it has no independent and original intellectual life." "New York is the principal producer and distributor of … Continue reading The Impossible City
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)
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
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
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
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
Image by Kati from Pixabay Quote Of The Day #69 I am glad that I paid so little attention to good advice; had I abided by it I might have been saved from some of my most valuable mistakes. I am most faithless when I most am true. After all's said after all's done, what … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Love And Romance
Image by John Hain from Pixabay Quote Of The Day #68 “Narcissistic and toxic relationships tend to hijack our brains, leaving our bodies to do the heavy lifting. Over the years, I have had myriad clients who spent decades contriving complex rationalizations and excuses and downright amnesia for a narcissistic or toxic person’s behavior. And … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Knowing Yourself
Image by Chris Hilbert from Pixabay Last week I found one great vegan item from the grocery store called Aldi, which is said to be the fastest growing discount store here. I bought the "Meatless Breakfast Patties" and it is delicious, even better than its counterpart from Trader Joe's. Most of the vegan items are … Continue reading My Breakthrough Vegan Dish
Image by Couleur from Pixabay Valentine's Day is already gone as I am writing this. Timing has never been my strength; delaying is often the consequence. Last year, I talked about Valentine's vocabulary, and the year prior, I talked about Valentine's day traditions in different countries, especially in Japan where women would usually give chocolate … Continue reading The Love Stories Around Me
Image by Capucine from Pixabay "I pulled a seat for her. She thanked me, but she used 'krap' instead of 'ka' to end her sentence. I was shocked since I thought only men use 'krap'. Women are supposed to use 'ka'." That's a message online from a young man who traveled to Thailand for holidays. … Continue reading The Flexibility Of Gender
Image by Ingo Jakubke from Pixabay Flash Fiction #161 "Can you fix it? Are you sure? Just tell me honestly. Well, if you can't fix it, I can always go to Mario's or The German Car Shop not far from here." The customer says to Patel, the new owner of Mahaul Auto, which has changed … Continue reading They Can Fix Anything Except A Broken Heart (Flash Fiction)
Image by Anna Lysenko from Pixabay Flash Fiction #159 Lisa doesn't really need extra tutoring, but that didn't prevent her parents from sending her to Ivy Training Center (ITC) since she got a "B" in the first quiz of the semester on pre-calculus, an important high school course. In her family, an "A-" is a … Continue reading The Orientation (Flash Fiction)
Image by Gosia K. from Pixabay Flash Fiction #157 He is handsome, competent, diligent, polite, and educated. He has a good life, working for a big corporation for a decade. Then his boss leaves the company and finds greener pasture elsewhere. He thinks he should be promoted to the position that is vacated by his … Continue reading An Old Story Retold (Flash Fiction)
Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay Whether you believe it or not, dancing is quite popular in Asian communities here, as popular as playing mahjong or watching K drama, especially among the middle aged and older individuals. I've been observing this for quite a while and it is quite surprising, considering the fact that dancing is … Continue reading Shall We Dance?
Image by Pexels from Pixabay Flash Fiction #155 I wonder if you have experienced this, but I certainly have. There's this acquaintance, with whom you haven't had much interaction. She (or he) showed up in a party or a meeting you both attended. Then you met in grocery stores, hair salons etc. After a while, … Continue reading The Reciprocation Confusion (Flash Fiction)
Image by Samuel F. Johanns from Pixabay Flash Fiction #153 (This is the 2nd half of the story. The first half is here.) The conversation happened two years ago. And Lulan hasn't thought about it until now. Just several days ago, Ajun came back from a trip to Southeast Asia. He should have taken a … Continue reading Shoot The Messenger (Flash Fiction Continued)
Image by Samuel F. Johanns from Pixabay Flash Fiction #153 "This is really... a case of... a case of ... shooting the messenger." Lulan manages to say, almost out of breath. But what can she do but to accept the reality? She has been regarded with disfavor by somebody whom everyone admires. She admires him … Continue reading Shoot The Messenger (Flash Fiction)
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay I'm not going to have any new year resolutions, knowing that I am not resolute enough to carry out any of them, such as regular exercise, positive mentality, time management etc. However I am going to propose some new year directions, towards which I can try to make an … Continue reading The New Year Resolution
Image by Reimund Bertrams from Pixabay Flash Fiction #150 Aila and Nali have been long time friends since their high school days. Nali and her family just come back from a trip to California where they visited places in LA, and drove along the coastal Highway 1 up north until they reached San Francisco. "Oh, … Continue reading The Beautiful Mountain (Flash Fiction)
Image by Marjon Besteman from Pixabay The FIFA World Cup is coming to its most exciting final stretch, but not before Brazil was knocked off the quarterfinals. And people love the Brazil team and hate to see their unceremonious exit. So I heard. And even in America where soccer is not really popular, many of … Continue reading For The Right Or Wrong Reason
Image by Anrita from Pixabay It all started last Sunday afternoon with a little bit of pain at the back of my throat. I immediately suspected that I might have either a cold or the Omicron. Regrets immediately poured into my mind: I should have gone to our local Walmart to get the Omicron booster … Continue reading I Think I Got Omicron
Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay Quote Of The Day #64 Joe Castleman is flying from New York to Helsinki with his wife Joan to receive the Helsinki Award for literature (imaginary. No such award exists). Joan was an aspiring writer once, and attended Smith College, but she quit and ran away with her professor … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Husband And Wife
Image by S. Hermann / F. Richter from Pixabay This is the second half of the story. The first half is here. My father grew up in a Mongolian family of a half Mongolian village not far away from the Steppe. They would have preferred Mongolian style ranching if they had choices, but as time … Continue reading The History Of Narcissism (Continued)
Image by S. Hermann / F. Richter from Pixabay I have done a lot of thinking and reflection on the history of narcissism in my family. Since I am too much a coward to broach this topic with my relatives, I can only rely on recollections, stories I heard, my own logical deduction, and certain … Continue reading The History Of Narcissism
Image by alba1970 from Pixabay This is the second half of the story. The first half of this story is here. Ajin is sitting in the living room, leafing through a pile of mathematical papers and murmuring something to himself when everybody comes out of the car and into the house. "Ajin, are you OK?" … Continue reading The Crazy Son-In-Law (Flash Fiction Continued)
Image by Phong from Pixabay Flash Fiction #142 Aunt Ayun is my mother's younger sister. She is my favorite aunt, not only because she is a great cook and very clever, but also because she is very good tempered (just like my maternal grandfather), and very good to children. And needless to say, in a … Continue reading My Aunt Ayun (Flash Fiction)
Image by OyeHaHa from Pixabay Flash Fiction #138 "Jama's always like 'I can do it', 'I can do it' even if she really can't. Ivy, our boss, tends to talk about looking into the future, expanding our customer base, tap into new projects. That's just routine. She's the boss and she has to talk that … Continue reading Four Colleagues (Flash Fiction)
Image by Pexels from Pixabay It is said Chiapas, Mexico is the capital of Coca-Cola--not that they produce the fizzy beverage, but rather they drink it more than any other places in the world. In certain towns in this state, people drink on average 2 liters of it per day per person. That's more than … Continue reading I Used To Drink Like That
Image by Couleur from Pixabay New Word #120 well-being: being healthy and happy indisposed: unwell in one's health. wholesome: conducive to or suggestive of good health and physical well-being. healthy vs. hearty vs. healthful: These three words all mean being healthy, but I particularly like the last word, for the simple reason that it sounds … Continue reading New Word: Health
Image by Hamsterfreund from Pixabay Flash Fiction #135 "Can you persuade her? You are such a good girl, Venven, but your cousin Arlai is the exact opposite. Remember she went to Thailand for vacation and came back expressing her desire to be a Buddhist nun? Remember that? Then she tried to set up an animal … Continue reading The Truth Teller (Flash Fiction)
Image by Quang Nguyen vinh from Pixabay Flash Fiction #134 "It's an interesting phase everybody goes through." Armei, Lulan look at their friend Pammy and reach a consensus. If somebody asks them what "an interesting phase" really means and why everybody has to go through it, neither of them can give a satisfactory answer. But … Continue reading It’s An Interesting Phase Everybody Goes Through (Flash Fiction)
Image by Gosia K. from Pixabay Finally the rain came today after more than two months of absence, after TV weathermen or weatherwomen talking, predicting, praying, and begging for some relief from the high temperature and the dry spell that have scorched all the vegetation around here. It's typical for a summer in this region … Continue reading Praying For Rain
Image by CANDICE CANDICE from Pixabay The Weather I expected the heat to go down in August, but one week into it, the high temperature shows no sign of letting up. 95F (35C) for three weeks now, which has been punctuated by only one or two days of 89F (32C). Google says the average day … Continue reading Early Saturday Morning
Image by Pexels from Pixabay Remember I have been talking about a friend who refuses to listen or discuss about narcissism? Remember I said that I talked about my own narcissistic parents, and she tried to defend them as normal parental weaknesses or misunderstandings? Remember this friend? Let's just say her name is Aya--a fictitious … Continue reading Can I Take The Heat?
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay New Word #113 I don't know where the birds have gone? Maybe they've flown to Canada to seek some cool air since I don't hear birds chirping as much in the morning anymore. For the entire week, temperature hovers around 100ºF (about 38ºC) each day, which will last until … Continue reading New Word: The Heat
Haoyan Do 