"Don't be surprised by the emergence of undiscovered talents." I had such an inspiring time over the weekend with teen girls! The nonprofit WriteGirl is a fabulous organization that pairs young women with mentors to express themselves through creative writing. Sunday’s afternoon event was a fiction workshop and drew over 100 attendees. Held at The Autry, mentors and mentees filled up the auditorium of the Wells Fargo Theater. I shared a few tips on jumping points for starting stories … [Read more...]
Embracing Aging
"An admirer is concealing his affection for you." Honestly, I never thought I'd live in L.A. for so long when I first moved here. Besides the traffic, I remember the extreme focus on looks. In newspapers, I saw (and was scared by) the ads for cosmetic surgery. I also met people looking to break into modeling and acting, and needing to look gorgeous. It seemed like folks wanted to--needed to--reverse aging to feel loved and accepted. Thankfully, this attitude is slowly changing. I'm happy for … [Read more...]
Seniors Around the World
As part of the challenge of "5 Photos, 5 Stories" (by Evelyne's invitation), I'm presenting my five memories of meeting seniors during recent travels: 1) Los Angeles, CA During a volunteer reading at a local senior home, this resident came my way. He has actually been through the traumatic event which inspired my first novel, The 228 Legacy. I was honored to meet him, and the residents' director later told me was really excited to hear me read. 2) Monterey Park, CA During … [Read more...]
Foodie Friday: Minced Pork Noodle
Minced pork noodle: a dish containing those two delicious ingredients It sounds deceptively simple. All that's needed is ground pork and noodles. Every time I've tried to make it, though, I've failed to capture the correct taste. There's something undeniably yummy about slippery noodles with a slight give to their texture. Then, there's the savory meat sauce that makes you crave for seconds. It's the quintessential go-to-dish for a quick snack. In fact, I'll see if I can find some when I … [Read more...]