Yat Batjouh, Yih Batyau: to do something by hook or by crook; to not stop halfwayYes, that's me hiking in Montserrat, Spain.I'm excited to announce the publication of my flash fiction piece, "Look Again," in the March issue of Foliate Oak Literary Magazine. Part of my enthusiasm comes from finally feeling validated as a writer. Here's a parallel example that explains my thinking: When I did math problems at school, I always double-checked my answers. If I ended up with the same solution twice, I … [Read more...]
Sunny Days, Sweeping the Clouds Away
Sik Yinghuhng Juhng Yinghuhng: mutual appreciation between heroes; thinking highly of one anotherThe last years of the Han dynasty involved periods of great disorder. Warlords rose against one another in a struggle for supremacy. It is said that leaders Chouh Chou and Lauh Bei were discussing the heroes of their time when Chouh Chou complimented Lauh Bei by saying, "Now you and I are heroes (yinghuhng)." My fellow writers are my heroes. Thank you to Lara Britt who recently gave me the … [Read more...]
Mission: Submission
Sihdaahn: anything will doAt times, Cantonese phrases get abbreviated. For example, "si-mouh-geih-daahn" means "without restraint of any kind." The shortened term becomes sihdaahn.Please accept my submission. When I think about submissions, I'm in a sihdaahn mode. Any positive response will uplift me. Last month, I participated in Khara House's Submit-O-Rama challenge. For October, I queried three literary magazines a week, for a total of 15 entries.Here are my results: 1 acceptance, 1 … [Read more...]
Our Fears
Gengcheng: frightened, scaredThe Chinese use lion dancing to celebrate many special holidays and festivities. Businessmen believe a lion will bring them prosperity, so they hang up a cheng (lit. green), a stalk of vegetable with a red envelope as a prize. With gongs and drums in the background , the lion dancers will reach for the cheng, sometimes with one man standing on the shoulders of the other. The expression gengcheng comes from the spectators being afraid that the dancers will … [Read more...]