Year of the Rooster has me thinking about how happy I am to finally, truly appreciate my difficult parents. The two of them, plus my first shrink, now occupy the V.I.P seats in my head, reserved for my most precious ancestors. Yup, they’re both dead. A heart attack killed Dad when I was a teenager. Mom died seven years ago, …
Love trumps Trump — if it’s true love
All the news coming out of the White House makes me insane. But after much gloominess and overeating, my doubts are gone. I believe 1,000% in my mantra. Against the odds, I know that love trumps Trump. The only way to carry on is with love — true love. While feel-good emotions can be nice, I’m chasing something more practical …
How writing saved my life: Part 3 (Independence)
Note: This is Part 3 and the final installment in my series. Part 3, with three key words: writing-saved-life. During my 30s, I played The Asian Babe Who Had It All. There was a hot journalism career and cool husband. We owned a Manhattan condo with marble bathrooms and a fireplace. By day, I ran all over the city, writing …
How writing saved my life: Part 2
Note: Welcome to Part 2 in my 3-part series about how writing saved my life. My father’s fatal heart attack brought a weird peace to our Chinatown apartment. Yet, the tough-love patriarch still lived on in my head. I was 19, and clueless about making my own choices. Eventually, I found my path. But in that moment, there was only …
How writing saved my life: Part 1
This is Part 1 of a 3-part series about me, writing and how writing saved my life. Everyone needs to write — everyone. By the time we get to Part 3, you’ll know why your words are so important, too. Okay. Here we go… My Chinese immigrant parents expected my birth to make them lucky. Instead, they felt cheated. For …
Storytelling & microaggressions in #TrumpAmerica
When I showed up for my Wednesday evening communications class, the mood was miserable. Donald Trump’s victory at the polls was just hours old. Everyone was angry and scared. Most of these students are people of color, with many from immigrant families. What kind of America is this, where it’s suddenly okay to be racist, sexist, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-everything? …