A life is but a flicker, if we think of the thirty-something Chinese celebrities who suddenly passed this year. What for, if just, a flicker? Why the running from city to city, hours criss-crossing metropolises, meetings and events that pile upon each other until we are almost shells of people — undernourished, underslept, overcaffeinated and … Continue reading
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Peace on earth
In a near-deserted Beijing subway station at 9 p.m. on a Saturday, an underground Japanese restaurant is still open. A group of men discussing a new fitness business are the only other customers. Soon, they leave. I am left alone with my grilled mackerel and rice, and a few restaurant workers. One plays with her … Continue reading
To measure in lightyears
Stars spiraling through the universe Glistening through the darkness Even if gravity would pull it all apart Still they will shine. Pull it all apart and put it together again From the cracks will emerge Something brighter than gold And in the void some kind of hope Blossoms. Collapsing by the side of the road … Continue reading
沉默 / Moment of silence
乐器是否退休, 有生有死? Do musical instruments retire? Do they die? Continue reading
A new addition to my East Village
It is dangerous to find a new bookstore because its novelty entices spending. Just like trying a new restaurant, the new bookstore, especially if it evokes more nostalgia than the last shop, seems to say, let’s see how it feels to buy a book here. Experiences are a thing, right? Like most things in life, … Continue reading
A pause before the sun
The little prince loved sunsets, but I have fallen in love with sunrises this week. Continue reading
On re-reading Fahrenheit 451
Yesterday I read Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 again for the first time since social media became a factor in my life. When I first read Fahrenheit, probably early in middle school, television still seemed to be the greatest threat to interest in good books. What’s jarring is that on this second read… Continue reading
Hello / 你好
Hello — What a charming word you are. Continue reading
The internal canyon
In a land of red parched stone that doesn’t feel like America, only the ice cream shops and hamburgers evoke the U.S. to me from that southwest corner of the country. The backwoods feel of the canyons makes it easy to forget Continue reading
Light in the whirlwind
Emerging from the snowstorms, the stomach norovirus that hit a third of students in a Chicago school and whatever else that has knocked tough Americans hard this winter, spring appears to have arrived. Now, especially on weekends, the mind drifts to relaxing and vacations. The modern life is to work hard for days off. So … Continue reading
Sifting 