Every now and then, I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. I worry that I’m not making enough or not living up to my potential. And I wonder what kind of future I’ll have. But then I think of my mother and I know it’ll all turn out okay. This post today is for my mother. You see, today is her 60th birthday (a major milestone!) and being half a world away, I can’t offer anything else except to tell her…
A story about rice and home
The 1-year anniversary of my grandpa’s death passed a couple of weeks ago. I had wanted to write this story for a long time, ever since I first heard it, but as per usual, I procrastinated and didn’t get it out on the anniversary. My grandpa was a war veteran, and fought on both sides of the China and Taiwan civil war. He was born and raised in Taiwan, and at the tender age of 17 was drafted into the…
Chinese New Year: 15 days of food traditions
This Chinese New Year has been pretty tame, compared to the constant festivities, outings, and reunions we had last year. This year, we remained in at home, barely even venturing outdoors. Instead, we stayed warm and cozy, spending a lot of quality time with our little diminishing family. This year’s celebrations could be summarized as a lot of good home cooked food, a lot of relaxation, and a lot of mahjong. One thing we did do though. We celebrated all…
4 days in Japan: an overview in photos!
My 81-year old grandmother is now a first-time passport holder. She has never been out of the country and has only flown on a plane ONCE in her life, over 15 years ago, on a short domestic flight to visit her sister in Xi’an. Her health is not too good. She needs to always carry around her insulin shots, and though she looks fine, her legs are often stiff and in discomfort, making it so that she can’t walk long distances. These…
Pear picking in the Beijing countryside
Autumn is the best time to visit Beijing. The sun is warm, the breeze is cool, and it’s prime fruit season! One of the best things to do in Beijing is to get out of it. Come the weekend, city dwellers like to leave the noise and dust of the city behind and instead, head for the countryside for some fresh air, scenery, and good ol’-fashioned country cooking. (I’m going to give a warning in advance for the extremely photo-heavy…