My aim had always been to be a published author. I have achieved my aim. Now what? Writing a novel or two is the biggest time, energy and mental pressure you can undertake. In fact to write this blog post I had to take two Nurofen and a double espresso macchiato in order to steady myself. I have been writing for 40 years on and off, therefore I am not a new writer. But I still put...
In recent times, there have been clear instances of the infringement of freedom of speech in corporations and businesses where first amendment rights aren’t applicable as they are within private settings. For example, in 2017, James Damore wrote a memo that detailed his reservations to the diversity programs that are held within the Google workplace, asserting that while discrimination does exist, it doesn’t exist solely due to the oppression of the powerful (usually white men)...
In October 2008, at the age of 24, I was diagnosed and hospitalized for Myasthenia Gravis, MG, a neuromuscular autoimmune hurricane disease. One of my long-time friends since high school, Ken, told me he would visit me at the hospital right away. I waited. And waited. Two weeks somehow became five years. I haven’t seen him since. Like a dozen of my high school friends, he attended the many annual Christmas parties I hosted pre-MG. While most people stuck...
After visiting Thailand and then deciding to LIVE in Thailand for a few months, I’ve been able to scour the list of best hotels to stay in Thailand (overall). This list of the best hotels to stay in Thailand is personally vetted by me (I’ve stayed in them) and/or my clients who I’ve planned and organized epic trips for. This list of the best hotels to stay in Thailand are all 4 or 5 stars hotels and luxury or...
When Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother came out, I had to reserve the book at my public library due to its immense popularity. When I finally read it, I considered burning the thing and paying the fine for it so that it didn’t poison another mind against Asian parenting. Little did I know she’d return to the spotlight years later to show just how much damage she can personally cause to young women besides...
After I wiped away the tears brought forth by the emotional ending of Crazy Rich Asians, I logged onto the Chinese website Douban to see if there were some things written about the movie by users who either saw the movie abroad, pirated it, or were hyped about its presumed Chinese release. What I found was initially a gut-punch, but when I thought it over, it not only made perfect sense, but fits right into...
Introduction I finished a history book, Mao’s Great Famine, which details the consequences of the Great Leap Forward in the infancy of Communist China. It was written after the author, Frank Dikötter, studied in the newly opened Chinese provincial, city and county archives, which were previously inaccessible due to government policy. He was one of the few historians granted access to those archives, meaning that he is one of the few foreigners to be able to...
When you ask any baseball historian about who’s the best player of all time, the answer will most likely be Babe Ruth. It’s because he was simply the most dominant hitter of all time as well as excelling as a pitcher; a rare thing about a century ago. George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr. was the home run king for years in Major League Baseball with 714 homeruns before Hank Aaron broke the record with 755....
I remember Joy Luck Club, our first Crazy Rich Asians, our original Asian hope. It seems crazy now, but there was a time Joy Luck Club couldn’t be criticized. Oh, everyone in the theater knew it was flawed, but there was an unspoken rule among Asians: you don’t mortalize a tide that can raise other yellow ships. But then it happened: nothing. No more Hollywood Asian movies. Whispers of disdain quickly turned into a tsunami of criticism. Joy Luck Club,...
As a traveler, we’re observers and generally people watchers. It’s also imperative (almost your duty) as a traveler, to learn how to spot human trafficking. Human trafficking is largely a hidden crime and it is happening EVERYWHERE. In small towns, in large cities, in developed and less developed countries. In airports, airplanes, and hotel rooms. “[Traffickers] look for people who are susceptible for a variety of reasons, including psychological or emotional vulnerability, economic hardship, lack of social safety...
