Every time I drive pass Roosevelt Park, I think about forgetting you. In that long forgotten corner not far from the parking lot, the basketball courts, and the lake, we had our picnic. I forget exactly what I did and didn't do-- eating, chatting, sitting, walking, but what I really want to forget is your … Continue reading Every Time I Drive By →

At first I thought it is the word "college", but the sentence just doesn't make sense. Then I realized that it is the word "collage", which I don't know the meaning of. English has so many words and some are confusingly similar. Collage is an epitome of it. Does it have anything to do with … Continue reading Night Vision →

Now whenever I think of going to the grocery store, I think of Trader Joe's. Not Shoprite, not Audi, not Costco, not HMart, not 99 Ranch, not Kam Man. And not even Wegman's, which used to be my favorite. I don't look into the ingredient panel to weed out all the things with emulsifiers, sorbate, … Continue reading Arugula And Toona →

"The Descent Of Man And Other Stories" is as interesting as the previous short story collections I read of Wharton. Actually I like her short stories even better than her novels. Comparing her with other short story writers I like, for example, Alice Monroe, Everlyn Waugh, Issac Babel, John Cheever... Why do I want to … Continue reading The Other Three Or More →

I think the word "barbarian" in "Barbarians of The Steppes" is used to entice the audience rather than to be derogatory. Actually people use it so randomly and so carelessly that rarely anybody has faith in it anymore. Whenever somebody is called a barbarian, one begins to think that this person may just be exotic … Continue reading Barbarian Or Not Barbarian →

I chose to listen to this book because I like the "The Screwtape Letters" by C. S. Lewis very much. I like to know what he has to say about writing and writers. However I haven't got any useful tips for my own problems in writing. I guess everybody has his own problem and he … Continue reading Reading “The Art of Writing and the Gifts of Writers” →

I am not afraid of awkwardness. Very often, awkwardness makes me alert, piques my interest, perks me up for explanation. Yet I hate our awkward conversation that day. "They don't look alike." "Well, if you have met those in between them, you'll understand they belong to one family." "I have another question for you ..." … Continue reading Awkward →

After finishing the book, "Argumentation: The Study of Effective Reasoning", I still don't know how to argue. The problem is that I enjoy neither winning nor losing, and will not be happy either way. Another problem is that I often sidestep my track or lose my temper or become frustrated along the way. The book … Continue reading Don’t Know How To Argue →

Yesterday, I went to buy sneakers and found a really good pair of Under Armour brand, among the last three pairs on the shelf. One's sized 7.5 and it's on sale. At the checkout, a woman queuing behind me coughed continuously. It's a dry cough with no sound of sniffling nose, which inevitably reminded me … Continue reading Don’t Panic →

It is not just a simple question of standing up for one's own opinion, of having a liberal leaning or a conservative one, of caving in to peer pressure and group mentality. It's not as simple as that. The usual conceptions, easy delineations, well accepted categorizations are as helpful as they are damaging in our … Continue reading Agree or Disagree (continued) →

Dinner yesterday at Season 52 with one of my friends. We went early, 4:30PM. The place was half empty. Our conversation veered towards Hmart and Lotte, two competing Korean grocery chains, both located in Edison, one on Route 27 and one on Route 1. I told her that in Hmart I met at least two … Continue reading Agree or Disagree →

After a week of taking NyQuil for my cold, I can't fall sleep at night anymore without taking any pills. This must be the sign of aging since for many years I don't take any medication for my cold. However now I won't be able to go to sleep at night with all the sniffling … Continue reading Cold or Flu →

It should have five stars, but most people only gave this book four stars. The reason is not difficult to guess--it's a bit heavy on rarely used terms to describe ancient ruins and garments of unfamiliar people. If it is not for the author's exceptional skills in writing, such a lengthy description of Middle East … Continue reading About “In Xanadu” →

It took me all the perseverance I can muster to finish the book "The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath". Pages after pages of mundane descriptions. However years of education has trained me to finish whatever I've started, which in light of all the real life events I have experienced so far is the worst habit … Continue reading Old Habit →

It is said in the bad old days, New York City mafia only charges small businesses 3 to 5% for helping frighten away business competitions so that nobody would open a similar business right across the street from you—3% for doing the job and an extra 2% if bribing officials is involved. That doesn’t sound … Continue reading Zhuangzi and New York →

Why is it called 'fireworks', not 'firespectacle' or 'firefestival'? One can't reason with English. Fireworks seems to be a word more appropriate for a stove fire to cook meals or a furnace fire for porcelain—fire is called upon to work to produce products just like the way humans are employed. Of course you can say … Continue reading Fireworks →

One of the things that have always puzzled me is the existence of the specialty shops for candle, chocolate, mattress, and ice creams. Each of these shops only sell one special item, nothing else, and they can not only survive, but also thrive. I have always thought that in order to attract more customers, one … Continue reading Specialty Shops →