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)
Category: Health
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
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
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
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
Quote Of The Day: Love And Romance
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
Quote Of The Day: Knowing Yourself
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
My Breakthrough Vegan Dish
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
The Love Stories Around Me
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
The Flexibility Of Gender
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
They Can Fix Anything Except A Broken Heart (Flash Fiction)
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)
The Orientation (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)
An Old Story Retold (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)
Shall We Dance?
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?
The Reciprocation Confusion (Flash Fiction)
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)
Shoot The Messenger (Flash Fiction Continued)
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)
Shoot The Messenger (Flash Fiction)
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)
The New Year Resolution
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
The Beautiful Mountain (Flash Fiction)
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)
For The Right Or Wrong Reason
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
I Think I Got Omicron
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
Quote Of The Day: Husband And Wife
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
The History Of Narcissism (Continued)
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)
The History Of Narcissism
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
The Crazy Son-In-Law (Flash Fiction Continued)
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)
My Aunt Ayun (Flash Fiction)
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)
Four Colleagues (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)
I Used To Drink Like That
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
New Word: Health
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
The Truth Teller (Flash Fiction)
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)
It’s An Interesting Phase Everybody Goes Through (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)
Praying For Rain
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
Early Saturday Morning
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
Can I Take The Heat?
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?
New Word: 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
The Secret Of Vegan Stir Fry
Image by kakuko from Pixabay Here are some of the common misunderstandings of stir fry dishes: Stir fry is always oily. This is not true. You can add as little oil as possible. It doesn't have to be oily. Although vegetables love oil and absorb oil, we can cook very tasty vegetable dishes without adding … Continue reading The Secret Of Vegan Stir Fry
Is It Over Or Not?
Image by icsilviu from Pixabay Is the Pandemic Over? I wonder if the pandemic is over. Most people don't wear masks anymore around here. I am one of the few people who still wear it as much as we can, just to be on the cautious side. But I guess the effect is rather negligible. … Continue reading Is It Over Or Not?
A Story And An Analysis
Image by Ghinzo from Pixabay Let's just say her name is M. She told me a story, a true story, in which her mother's behavior really puzzled her. She was a teenager at the time, going on a vacation with her parents. Due to the holiday bookings or other inexplicable reasons, her parents ended up … Continue reading A Story And An Analysis
Friendly Observation
Image by djedj from Pixabay I have been watching YouTube videos about narcissists and their damaging effects on people related to them. Somehow I started to feel like an amateur psychologist. So I talked with my friends L who's a very good kind of woman and have a lot of common sense. After listening to … Continue reading Friendly Observation
Super Easy: Tofu And “Just Egg”
This is the best vegan dish I've ever cooked so far and the taste is so good that it rivals those meat dishes. It is extremely simple and there are only three ingredients: Just Egg--I used six table spoon of this plant based egg, which is equivalent to two medium sized real egg. tofu -- … Continue reading Super Easy: Tofu And “Just Egg”
The Vegan Eggs
I was thinking of getting the vegan option "Just Egg" from the Target store for months since it has had very good reviews online. However, Target is located in the Menlo Park section of the Edison Township, near those many acres of land Thomas Edison bought and established his lab more than 150 years ago. … Continue reading The Vegan Eggs
On My Way To Be A Vegan
I am not a vegan but I've been on my way to the vegan land for many years. And finally for the last two months, I've successfully cut chicken out of my diet. The only animal product remaining on the menu is the egg. I eat about two to three egg whites a day. Other … Continue reading On My Way To Be A Vegan
Tuesday’s Thoughts 2/22/22
Image by ElinaElena from Pixabay It's said that today is a special day, being Tuesday 2/22/22, which is noted as 22/2/22 in most parts of the world. Whatever the notation is, it is a day created for pair, duo, duet, duplex, twin, double, couple. How many English words are there to describe two? I don't … Continue reading Tuesday’s Thoughts 2/22/22
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
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 #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
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)
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
Happy New Year 2022
Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay I don't have a new year resolution since I know that I will never be able to keep it. Weather it's an exercise routine, a diet regime, a time management plan, or an avowed improvement on my imperfect manner, I will abandon it within a week and go back … Continue reading Happy New Year 2022
No Exception?
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay I just learned today that a hairdresser--he is really good with Asian hairstyle--in Edison, New Jersey just got notice that one of his clients was diagnosed with Omicron yesterday. So today the whole hair salon is shut down. All the clients in the past week were contacted, all the … Continue reading No Exception?
Healthy Food For Christmas
Image by Couleur from Pixabay Christmas is a time to try new food. Stores display new items on their shelves while people don't care much when they go beyond their budget at this time of the year. One of the reasons that I'm always seeking new food is because I want to eat healthily. And … Continue reading Healthy Food For Christmas
Easy Tofu Dishes
Image by hanul choi from Pixabay Since I started a healthy diet regime about ten years ago, I've always been on the look out for new recipes. One of my friends told me that healthy and tasty can not be used to describe the same food. I don't agree with this, but I have to … Continue reading Easy Tofu Dishes
Thanksgiving Options
Image by Ylanite Koppens from Pixabay I've never attempted to roast a turkey. And there are several reasons for that. Reason number one: The oven has always been an extra storage space for pots and pans for me. No other functionalities. So my skill in managing the process of roasting or baking is non-existent. Reason … Continue reading Thanksgiving Options
My First Reblogging
This is my first time reblogging and I don't know how the format will turn out. I tried it once a couple of days ago, but couldn't decide what to add to the post. So I reversed it to a draft. Now I am doing it again. This is a reblog about the Astroworld Festival … Continue reading My First Reblogging
Thinking Ahead
Photo by rikka ameboshi from Pexels I've never written serialized posts before. I've always wanted to try, but not knowing how to proceed. My stories are usually scattered, as disorganized as my wandering brain. Serialization requires some discipline, some control, some pre-determined plan etc, all of which I am not good at. The only thing … Continue reading Thinking Ahead
New Word #13: Learned Amid Pandemic
oximeter: an instrument for measuring the proportion of oxygenated hemoglobin in the blood. zoonotic: pertaining to a zoonosis, which means a disease that can be transmitted from animals to people or, more specifically, a disease that normally exists in animals but that can infect humans. endemic and epidemic and pandemic: Endemic means the baseline, or expected, … Continue reading New Word #13: Learned Amid Pandemic
My Special Diet
I owe my little "fame" on this special diet to the ex-prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, who resigned last year due to health issues. Suddenly his illness, ulcerative colitis, was in the news, with a little paragraph describing his suffering and his battle to get better. Several of my friends, who had been skeptical … Continue reading My Special Diet
Let Me Sleep
I am so afraid of my insomnia that I started to dream of not sleeping last night. I dreamed of myself walking about in dread of going to bed to lie there without feeling sleepy. My grandma appeared in my dream too telling me that if I am not as headstrong as I have always … Continue reading Let Me Sleep
Good And Bad On Standing Up
I can't remember who told me this--a person has to stand up or walk around for at least four hours a day. If not, the bones will not be healthy and the body will be in decline. Well, if the decline is impossible to stop, at least the four hour rule will help slow it … Continue reading Good And Bad On Standing Up
Friendly Advice
I got a friendly advice today when N told me to sanitize the second hand book I ordered from betterworldbooks.com in case there are remnants of Covid19 clinging to the pages ready to jump on anybody who touches it and send the person to fever, ventilator, or even an early grave. "You know the virus … Continue reading Friendly Advice
Insomnia vs. Somnia
"Somnia" is not a word; "insomnia" is. That's just English. Non-native speakers (like me) beware. There are as many exceptions to the rules as those that follow the rules. Not only many words starting with "in" don't have corresponding antonyms that lose the prefix "in", but also some "in" and non-"in" pairs completely disregard the … Continue reading Insomnia vs. Somnia
What A Headache
I've heard the drill many times before. "Don't take pain killers for your headache. Stop thinking too much." "Don't take sleeping pills. Just listen to music or count sheep." Among my friends, the general attitude towards medicine is--not to deal with medicine. This is why I often feel it strange that many Asian parents here … Continue reading What A Headache
Different Body
I've heard similar incidents happen again and again here in the Asian community in New Jersey. This is one story I heard about five years ago. One manager in a big drug company suddenly fainted. He is middle-aged and held a lower level management position, which is reachable by Asians before hitting the usual bamboo … Continue reading Different Body
Haoyan Do 