Tag: 30 Before 30
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My Mother’s Life: The States
In the dead of winter, dressed in a sleeveless top and sarong, my mother arrived, husband and 2 children in tow, to America, with not one lick of understanding of the language. It was January 31, 1986, New York, a winter storm brewing outside customs office. We passed through and made it to Boston, my…
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My Mother’s Life: Southeast Asia
My mother at the refugee camp My mother’s given name is Samnang, it means lucky. She thought herself unlucky so when she came to America, she shortened it to Nang, which has no meaning.
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Friends and Lovers
An old couple visiting Venice My mother once said, “you are the one living with the person you love. So why worry if someone else loves him?”
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Digging For Diamonds
Salt rock chandelier at the Wieliczka Salt Mine, my boyfriend sent me this photo many moons ago from his travels Diamonds don’t fall from the sky, my mother used to say. If you want something, you’ve got to get dirty and dig for them.
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What’s in the Past, Stays in the Past
It’s a real time machine! If I knew what I know now, would I go back and do things differently? Would the path I’ve taken change or would it be the same path? Would I always end up in a complete circle of my own life?
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Jazz Cruising into Her 30th
“The training wheels are officially off,” said my friend on her 30th birthday. It’s true because I found the 20s was just an extension of one’s teenage years, full of angst, uncertainty, self consciousness, and self loathing at times. But something clicks when you reach a certain point and life changes, in a very good…
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Chili Basil Shrimp
I’ve run out of food in my refrigerator! All I had was a measly bag of shrimp, some fish, and chicken, and some really bad vegetables. I went to my balcony and saw basil and researched some idea and found a simple enough recipe.
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Garlic Fried Rice
I spent this past Independence Day having All You Can Eat BBQ at this Japanese restaurant, Gyu Kaku. The first time I dined this restaurant was with my coworkers at A&E and I remember thinking it was very expensive. But recently, I stopped by with a friend after a movie and they have happy hour…
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Traveling
Curiosity seems like a natural thing when you see babies giggling and following mobiles and playing with simple block toys. They crawl to reach for things, for places they don’t know. It seems so natural to want to learn, we want to know and we want to grow. So when I hear that someone dislikes…