Writing Highlights from 2012

Deihseui: blind manIn Gwongdung province, there is a folk song called "Deihseui naahmyam." Deihseui refers to a blind (man) musician. In ancient times, almost all music masters were blind men.Music, the life of celebrations.Instead of a Christmas letter, I usually send out a New Year's mailing. This is mostly due to procrastination, but I also like reviewing the whole calendar year before I write to family and friends. Oftentimes, though, I feel like a blind man, not knowing what to put down on … [Read more...]

Who Am I?

Hahmbahlaahng: allAncient Han language, dialects of northern China, and foreign languages collude to form Cantonese.  The word hahmbahlaahng came from the spoken language of northern China during the Yuan dynasty.  While "hahp" means all, "bala" is an empty morpheme, a sound without meaning tacked onto the end of an adjective.  What happens to our identity when we, like the Cantonese dialect, come from multiple origins?  Best-selling novelist Lisa See's lineage holds both Chinese and Caucasian … [Read more...]