Flash Fiction #178 Many years ago, I attended a boarding high school hundreds of miles away from home. My parents didn’t want me to go, but I insisted on it. The school was well known for its bad food, worn out dorms, rigid rules, and indifferent teachers. It would have discouraged any normal people from … Continue reading My First Relationship Heartache (Flash Fiction Part 1)
I just learned the word pyrrhic, an adjective, meaning "won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor". It is pronounced "pirik". People always tell me that I pronounce "i" as if it is "ee", a typical non-native speaker's mistake. I have always wanted to improve my pronunciation, but I've never … Continue reading Easy Or Pyrrhic?
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba This is the 15th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Koi's second wife Malia was a graduate student of the same department and an Eastern European immigrant. As a professor, Koi has never … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction #15)
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba This is the 14th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Thanks to Fifi's amazing organizing skills, the dinner party goes on smoothly. Fifi arranges the dinner menu, prints out recipes for the cooking machine, … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction #14)
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)
This is the 2nd half of the story. The 1st half is here. "What? What are you talking about? What got us together?" Jong asks. "It's an epiphany today. Thank you for enlightening me. I can't believe I didn't realize it before. It's hiding in plain sight but I just can't see it for what … Continue reading Love Makes Us Blind Or Perceptive? (Flash Fiction Continued)
Flash Fiction #169 "Love makes one blind or perceptive?" Shia says to her boyfriend Jong. "Probably blind." Jong answers absentmindedly. They are sitting in Bamboo Palace, finishing their dinner. Shia's animated expressions and eager communication are in direct contrast to Jong's nonchalant politeness. Their relationship has always been like this--Shia is anxious while Jong is … Continue reading Love Makes Us Blind Or Perceptive? (Flash Fiction)
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)
This is the 13th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. "It suddenly dawns on me what this is. This is a charade, for which you are indirectly involved, Pammy. No wonder you switch from Team Chrysanthemum to Team Lau. No … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 13)
This is the 12th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. It's another weekend. Pammy, Dodo, and I are sitting at the Paris Baguette for its delicious rice donuts and coconut croissant. Our conversation lingers on its new store opening in New … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 12)
This is the 11th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. The news of Lau's heart attack spread among the restaurant patrons and throughout the Asian community, inevitably provoking a debate between Team Lau and Team Chrysanthemum--should the money from the Korean businessman … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 11)
This is the 10th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. That night, Lau and Chrysanthemum have their biggest fight over it. "He gave the money to me, for the sole purpose of fighting bad wives like you. He deliberately said that it was … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 10)
This is the 9th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Everybody has her defining event (or moment) in her life. For Chrysanthemum, this defining event didn't come until she ran away with Chow. Before this, she was a good girl, a silent partner who … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 9)
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)
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)
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba This is the 13th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. "Can you believe it? Last week Tram bought this all-in-one multi-layer electric cooking machine, that can make dough, bake bread, churn ice cream, grill meat, … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 13)
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba This is the 12th part of the story. The previous 11 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. The annual office dinner is usually held at a mid-town restaurant with white table cloths, liquor license, and spotless counters, which is very different from … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 12)
This is the 8th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. "If Chrysanthemum had rejected Chow's proposed runaway many times before, why did she accept the one to go to the West Coast for a marijuana farm? Why this proposal? Why this time? I mean her … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 8)
This is the 7th part of the story. The previous parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. I wrote the last part of the story really badly, but I hope this part is better than the last one. Anyway, Chrysanthemums and Chow disappeared, together with two stashes of cash in two safety deposit … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 7)
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)
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
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)
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)
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 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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
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)
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)
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)
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
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)
This is the 2nd part of the story. The 1st part is here. Anyway, it is a Saturday, but I work the whole day to finish an urgent document. When I finally finish everything, it is 8:30PM already. Driving home, I pass Bamboo Palace, thinking that I should reward myself with a nice dinner. Everybody … Continue reading The Dim Sum Drama (Flash Fiction Part 2)
Image by Jess Bailey from Pixabay I talked with my friend L who told me that she and her colleagues went to an Asian restaurant last Friday. And they ordered two edamame and two miso soups as starters. She wanted to say they should not do that since one can boil edamame at home and … Continue reading Different Cultures Different Choices
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba This is the 5th part of the story. The previous 4 parts are here: 1, 2, 3, 4. Ayun arrives at the office early today. Upon arrival, she immediately goes to Fifi, unplugs her cord, and dislodges her battery. As she is pondering what more damage she could do, she … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 5)
Image by kiquebg from Pixaba This is the 4th part of the story. The previous 3 parts are here: 1, 2, 3. If Tram doesn't want to help her, she will do it herself. She has always been a resourceful girl even though she has never had much resources in her command. She is an … Continue reading The Robot Translator (Flash Fiction Part 4)
Image by maryannandco photography from Pixabay I made a very bad decision tonight to add the leftover debris (from my soymilk making process) into the scrambled eggs. I just didn't want to waste the insoluble residues of soy beans. And guess what? The scrambled eggs tasted awful. This inflation is really getting on my nerves … Continue reading Good And Bad Decisions
Image by Mali from Pixabay I would have given up learning long time ago if it were not for him, who has about 200 videos posted online. I only learn it for 20 minutes a day, but often 20 minutes are too long and too boring for me. As you know, Thai is not a … Continue reading My Internet Crush
Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay Quote Of The Day #74 Every journalist...knows that what he does is morally indefensible. He is a kind of confidence man, preying on people's vanity, ignorance, or loneliness, gaining their trust and betraying them without remorse. Like the credulous widow who wakes up one day to find … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: The Double-Faced Reporter
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Flash Fiction #166 "Computer modeling can calculate the success rate of a pharmaceutical experiment before the lab work is done. My work has just improved the efficiency of identifying transporter protein by 10 fold." Arlong says to his friends. It is Arlong's 40th birthday and his wife Jasmine throws … Continue reading How To Improve The Efficiency? (Flash Fiction)
Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay I have nothing to write about today. I've had another "same old same old" day with my mind often occupied by mundane concerns I had to deal with. Both the immediacy of the issues and the expediency of the solutions made me feel like a problem solving servant who … Continue reading Nothing To Write About Monday
Image by Gosia K. from Pixabay (This is the second half of the story. The first half can be found here.) I have been reflecting on Uncle D's life for the purpose of explaining what have been puzzled me for so many years. Why is fate so unkind to Uncle D? Why do people always … Continue reading An Old Story Retold (Flash Fiction Continued)
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 David from Pixabay Flash Fiction #154 "Do you know that most lunar calendars are actually lunisolar calendars since only the months follow the lunar cycle while the years are still largely in their solar cycle." Pan says to his wife as they drive down to Atlantic City to celebrate the Lunar New Year. … Continue reading Husband And Wife At Atlantic City (Flash Fiction)
Image by hoahoa111 from Pixabay Quote Of The Day #66 I have become a bore, I have been asked to forfeit my independent young feminist card. I don't care. I balance his checkbook, I trim his hair. I've gotten so retro, at one point I will probably use the word pocketbook, shuffling out the door … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: The Perfect Performance
Image by ImaArtist from Pixabay I've read several thrillers during the Christmas break--well, not really reading, but rather skimming and skipping, as most people do with books like that. Wait, wait. I should not say that. When I was learning English as a non-native speaker, I read two Agatha Christi books carefully, step by step, … Continue reading The Dream Plot
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay Flash Fiction #152 Lea and I have been acquaintances for years, and then about two years ago, I started to talk with her about narcissism. At first she laughed and brushed my idea aside, but then she started to tell me about her mother-in-law Sandi who's a super sized narcissist … Continue reading The Sacred Myth (Flash Fiction)
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay Flash Fiction #151 Pammy, her husband Pan, and their son Sam, who's a sophomore in high school, are having their first breakfast of the new year. Sam: This homemade soy milk is a little ... Pan: You are right, Sam. It is diluted. I've told your mom several times. Pammy: … Continue reading The First Breakfast 2023 (Flash Fiction)
Image by Annie Le from Pixabay This is the 3rd and last part of the story. The 1st part is here, and the 2nd part is here. Daughter: OK, you can tell me. So you had an affair and I am not Dad's daughter then. That's OK. I can take that. I guess Dad doesn't … Continue reading A Love Story With A Twist (Flash Fiction Part 3)
Image by Annie Le from Pixabay Flash Fiction #149 Mother: It's the story of my life, but I've never told you about it for fear that you were too young to understand. Now I think you are old enough to digest the information... It all happened in America twenty years ago. Daughter: Is it a … Continue reading A Love Story With A Twist (Flash Fiction Part 1)
Image by James from Pixabay Flash Fiction #147 I have known King Lee for more than ten years. I've always wanted to write about him, but have never come around to do it. It is not that I don't want to write about it, but rather that I've always felt that I'm not ready. The … Continue reading King Lee (Flash Fiction)
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 Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay Flash Fiction #144 "My first love was a total disaster." Lola said. "I really liked this guy in my class for no reason in high school. Then I was silly enough to tell him that. I was in general very shy, and I didn't know what came over me. … Continue reading Love Stories (Flash Fiction)
from my cell phone This is the second half of the post and the first half is here. I read this book because I heard that this book is based on the author's marriage to Clara, his second wife, who's a famous actress. The author grew up admiring her movies. It is said the two … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Fiction & Reality (Continued)
from my cell phone Quote Of The Day #62 Ira never graduated from high school and he worked in a factory after WWII. However he had a gift in talking and was quite active in labor unions. He became a well known radio actor in New York area, where he met Eve, who was ten … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Fiction & Reality
Image by Alexa from Pixabay Flash Fiction #140 "Oh, my beautiful cousin Alia again. Every time my mother posts a family photo with Alia in it, she has to mention that Alia was in competition for Miss Malaysia in 2007. She just has to. And if I don't give a star or click 'like', she … Continue reading My Beautiful Cousin (Flash Fiction)
Image by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay This is a story I heard when I was a student of a university not too far away from Philadelphia. I lived in an international house with a rule -- no more than two people from each country. And in this house, most students are doing humanity science, … Continue reading Different Opinions
Image by yamabon from Pixabay Serial Fiction Part 1 I want to talk about my step sister and her husband. Since her name means ocean, I will call her Oshina and her husband Oland for the sake of the story. I liked her and her husband a lot, and still like them, but due to … Continue reading A Real Life Romance (Part 1)
Image by Anemone123 from Pixabay It is said every year, there are about 9% of teenagers running away, among whom 20% come back within 24 hours and 20% will disappear forever. And in the Asian immigrant community I'm living in, I've heard several incidents of it. People probably tend to think that boys are more … Continue reading News Of A Runaway
Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay Arton always speaks with his daughter in a tone that is a mixture of politeness, humor, and whining. Yilan has always enjoyed conversing with her father, basically following her father's train of thoughts and agreeing to his ideas. However recently Yilan has started to see a psychiatrist and has … Continue reading The Village Psychic (Flash Fiction Part 2)
floating river market Image by rajukale119 from Pixabay Years ago, I was a saleswoman for company X for a short period of time. Since it is a big company in New York and the surrounding area, I don't want to name the name--I guess it will not really look good for the company. Our targets … Continue reading I Think I Know But I Don’t
Quote Of The Day #46 Alan and Jane had a perfect marriage--he's a professor, architect, and writer in a university in upstate New York while she's a capable senior administrator in the same place. One day Alan played sports with his students twenty years his junior, fell to the ground, and hurt his back. At … Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Complicated and Unexpected
Image by k-e-k-u-l-é from Pixabay Armei has had relatively good relationship with her mother-in-law Nana, who has been living with them in New Jersey for seven months for the purpose of taking care of the grandson. However Nana is about to leave, flying across the Pacific and going back home, where her other son and … Continue reading The Lunar New Year Party (Flash Fiction #102)
Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay This is based on a true story. Let's just say her name was Arong. She worked as a team manager for a big energy company that provides electricity to a big Asian city about four decades ago. As in many developing countries, the energy company is … Continue reading Life And Love
Image by justraveling from Pixabay I went to the grocery store this morning. As I was pulling in the parking lot, I saw a woman sitting in the car next to me--she is crying while talking on the phone. I felt the urge to go comfort her, but I knew this couldn't be done since … Continue reading Sunday’s Story
Image by Jamie Nakamura from Pixabay Pammy: "I've never seen Armei and Arhu quarreling this much before. Almost everything Arhu said, his wife Armei objected. I wonder what has happened to the two. I observed them at the party. Glad the party is over and we are home now." Pammy's husband Pan: "Really? I hardly … Continue reading A Relationship Speculator (Flash Fiction #45)
Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash Here is another story of the family of Nita, her husband Lian, and her son Kevin. There's a previous story about the family here on the topic of superfluity--the two stories are not related and there's no need to read the previous story to understand the current story. Nita's … Continue reading Romance And Pandemic (Flash Fiction #40)
Image by marcelkessler from Pixabay It's an weekend afternoon at Pammy's place. "What am I going to do?" Lil asks, staring at her friend Pammy and then Armei. "Just confront him. Just be straightforward and open about it. Of course you want to have solid evidence first." Pammy says. "OK, let's go then." Lil says. … Continue reading Good Or Bad Suggestions (Flash Fiction #27)
Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash Father: Son, what are you doing? Are you writing poems again? You know I want you to get involved in some useful activities, like math camps, music, painting etc. Son: Dad, I don't like those things. Father: We are not talking about your preferences. We are talking about usefulness … Continue reading Summer Activities (Flash Fiction #25)
Photo by Sascha Bosshard on Unsplash When Tony Tung suddenly announces at the dinner table that he is going to be a vegan starting the following week, his parents are totally confused what he's talking about. They've never heard the word before and have to consult the online dictionary. "It means a person who does … Continue reading The Vegan (Flash Fiction #24)
The grandpa is the king of his modest castle, where the mother and the newborn come to live after the father dies. The grandpa is proud of the family longevity-- anybody who dies young is an abnormality and an affront to him. The mother--his daughter--is treated as an unpromising child. Her passivity is considered burdensome; … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #11
"Sulun, I heard that you were promoted to a position in Washington DC. Are you going to come back from time to time?" Pammy says. Sulun was Pammy's college friend and he's a dinner guest at Pammy's place with Pammy and her husband Pan. "Promotion? It's more like a demotion in the disguise of a … Continue reading The Ex-Boyfriend (Flash Fiction #20)
Haoyan Do 