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Articles by P Chang
Him or us?
The breaking news of Trump's failed assassination reached us yesterday evening while we were on our way to a long-planned party. We quickly scanned the social media, and the official news sites to make sure this was indeed a surreal reality performance from our everything-is-possible magic wonderland of America. "We must be very tongue-tied when we get to the party!" my husband and I almost spoke simultaneously to each other.
What I sacrificed in the honor of the round trip flight ticket of $79!
Tomorrow I am heading for Las Vegas for a five days four nights serious high tech conference. Like many companies these days, we were encouraged to save every penny we could on corporate spending. More than two months ago I found this unbelievable flight and hotel bundle deal from a no-frill local airline where the ticket started as low as $79 and the hotel could be as low as $37/day during the week days. I immediately placed an order and forgot about it.
It actually hurt less when I was accused of stealing a drone because …
In preparation for the college reunion, I wanted to play the cool kid I used to be. I wanted to use a drone to follow us roaming on the campus laughing and dancing, near afar, like in a movie. The only problem was that I came up with this idea too late, just about four weeks before the reunion. But I took the shortcut to learn from the best. I went to borrow the drone from one of our photographer friends Johnny and begged him to give me a crash course.
Reflection of the recent reunion trip back to China
Ever since I left China many decades ago, it was not until three weeks ago that I embarked THE very first trip that I was one hundred focus on friends and relatives reunion in six cities. I have been very reflective and most of the times I felt that there was a second part of me standing aside and observing me mingling with my old friends and relatives. I was so absorbed in the reflective state that I feared sometimes I acted a bit absentminded.
When a life long friendship is at the brink to drift away
Living in this social bubble is like being in an exclusive club of friends, a bunch of us who go way back to college days in another country. I’m starting to think of us as the VIPs of friendship circles — seriously, it’s that rare and special. Let me take you back to the ’80s in China and paint a picture of how college life was a whole different ballgame.
How the cuteness save the day
One of the most disheartening moments in life is accidentally discovering the expiration date on the various dry goods in your pantry. Suddenly, you pick up something you thought you bought just a few months ago but expired five years ago. “Where has the time gone?” you ponder, staring at a bag of still-fresh-looking dry beans with an expiration date of December 2016, shaking your head in disbelief. A few weeks ago, I thought I reached a new low.
The moment you know you are so lack of certain talent of imagination
In the realm of the Chinese Instagram equivalent, I find myself captivated by a group of women who share their spontaneous flower arrangements. Unlike the formal ikebana style, these creations emerge from impromptu trips to grocery stores, where a handful of fresh flowers are snatched up, brought home, and quickly transformed.
At last a chicken soup tasted like childhood ones
I was born into a world overshadowed by the tumultuous era of the Cultural Revolution in China. My mother, who had fond memories of a better time during her own youth, couldn't help but worry about the challenges that lay ahead for me. So, from the tender age of five, she began imparting a set of survival skills, anticipating the uncertain future. By the time I turned eight, I had become the household maestro, overseeing the culinary affairs of our modest family - just my mother and me.
Mushrooms from friends' hair and a sign of a super clean colon of mine?
Now let me turn to my own colon story One of our closest old friends, one of the healthiest and most agile people we know, was diagnosed with colon cancer a few months ago. This news startled us, prompting everyone to schedule check-ups. My husband underwent his examination and encouraged me to do the same. Reluctantly, I reached the point where today was the day for the final 24-hour grueling cleanse. I was surprised by the amount of water I had to drink and nothing else.
I finally live (work) long enough to see one dream come true
One day, a senior engineer approached me quite persistently, asking for a field in our tool to be renamed. This tool was an exclusive domain for a select few, including me, to make changes. This engineer had collaborated with me on and off for about a month, adding numerous fields. Amidst this flurry, I assumed that the field she wanted to rename was among the newly added ones. Hence, I thought it best to rename it sooner rather than later. In retrospect, I should have exercised more caution.
Fleeting thoughts about Las Vegas, South Pole and Mars
Las Vegas is full of beautiful service people We were descending to Las Vegas International Airport. The small talk stopped, and we all stared at the city landscape getting bigger and bigger from a bird's eye view. The residential housing areas were spread out and sprouting to the end of the skyline like any other American city. But the surrounding mountains, hills, and lands were barbarically bare and harshly gray.
Where are you hiding from me this time?
I have been very proud of myself for keeping the same stable weight for nearly two decades. I attribute it to my secret daily morning weighing ritual where I strip off all my clothes (or earrings or rings if I happened to wear any) and step on a scale. The scale would command me on how much I should eat or not eat that day.
How to raise a perfect kid for the future?
I always count myself blessed to raise my kid when I was barely a kid (mentality-wise). It had been a worry-free ride, thanks to the lack of knowledge. I spent my childhood in a dystopian society that almost collapsed. We grew up with minimal adult supervision and were largely neglected by our parents during my pre-teen years. Then, one day I became a new mom in a new world. I was in a situation that was lack of parental references and role models that I could trace back.
Now you can find me anywhere anytime
We met our in-laws in LA during Thanksgiving, and our precious kids joined us. While we were driving to LA, our daughter did one thing unthinkable - she shared her location "indefinitely" with me and suggested I do the same. She emphasized the word "indefinitely" twice as if I were a tech illiterate stay home mom.
Once again an Asian mom finds nowhere to brag about her daughter
The stalking mom downloaded this from the PU's program site My brother told me the other day that my daughter will visit his family as she was invited to speak at a symposium at Princeton University organized by their arts and technology councils. The last time she did something similar was in February 2020, when she was invited to speak at the Design School at Harvard. It now seems she is picking up again within the US.
I want to love you more
Sam is a global road warrior, not for work but for personal interests and betterment. Time after time, when she is back home, I like to spend some time with her and learn something new and insightful from this humble but super intelligent best-traveled wise woman. During our latest Sunday brunch last week, I mentioned my slight frustrations about how little I knew about San Francisco, one of the most desirable travel destinations on earth. Sam agreed.
A peony story
On a hot summer day of June 5th, I suddenly decided to leave China, leaving everything behind at any cost. That was one of the very few major stubborn decisions I made in my now seemly very long lifetime. I even left my newborn daughter to my parents, and they soon hired a permanent nanny. Her name was Furong. In English, I like to call her Peony. Peony was introduced by the doorman of my parent's apartment building.
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