Hong Kong is rainy this time of year. . . .

Well, I’m back from Hong Kong. After living there for nearly 3 years, you would think that I would be able to remember what the weather is like in summer. Luckily, I packed an umbrella, because we definitely needed it. It rained everyday. Actually, rained is a pleasant way of putting it for some of [...]

Returning to, and Blogging from, Hong Kong

In a few weeks, I’ll be heading off to Hong Kong.
For 3 years, I lived there, and going back will be a crazy experience. First, I never thought I would. Second, I’m finally with the person I wanted to be with back when I lived there. Third, I’m finally getting to do some on-the-ground scouting [...]

Reality, Made-up Memories and Memoir Writing

This summer, I have plans to work on a new book. This one will be centering on my experiences living in Hong Kong, my life as a tai tai (a largely literal, yet somehow derogatory, term for a wife), and the demise of my so-called marriage.
In the past, I have frequently thought about writing a [...]

A Shameless Plug for my First Fiction Book - The Eye of the Virus

My novel’s main character is a virus itself - a new strain of avian influenza that makes its debut in a small village in Vietnam. Like the American movie Crash, the story follows the virus as it travels first to Hong Kong and then to the United States. Like a ricocheting bullet, the virus affects [...]

Year of the Golden Pig - with an ironic twist . . .

The New York Times reported last week that an epidemic was killing pigs across the border from Hong Kong in mainland China, in two areas in Guangdong province.
This is ironic because this is the year of the pig in China, and the mystery disease allegedly began to surface immediately after the New Year celebrations. I’m [...]

My New Book In Progress (hereafter known as BIP)

Would anyone read further, if this were the first paragraph of something?

It all started with my father. At least that is what I tell myself as I stand on the roof deck, staring out at all the neon of Hong Kong invading the night sky. Eleven stories up, leaning over the concrete edge and [...]

My Trip to the ER

I just spent the last hour in the late outpatient/emergency room in Hong Kong Central Hospital. Luckily for me, it is within walking distance of my apartment. Here’s what happened:
I decide that I want to make a cheesecake. Not just any cheesecake, but Key Lime cheesecake. So, I get out my ingredients and I’m hard [...]

Safety in Hong Kong

Tonight we went to see a late movie. Since our apartment move (more on that later), we are now more central to everything and well within walking distance of our favorite movie theatre. So, instead of the usual jump into a red taxi, we walked home past midnight, down by the docks and through dimly [...]

Christmas in Hong Kong

I realize that I have been terribly remiss in updating this site. I do, however, have some valid excuses. The first is that it was the end of my semester and I was cramming Chinese into my increasingly storage-capacity-challenged brain. The second is that I have been having a slight health dilemna involving a sexually [...]

Culturally Confounded

I am a little depressed. This could be because I have been enduring my first “Asian” cold of the year, which has left me feeling lethargic and like I just ran up a steep mountain in flip-flops. Every part of my body is aching. I have noticed an acute correlation between my physical well-being and [...]