Several years ago, when I studied in Yorkshire, England, one winter weekday, I made an overnight solo trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, to visit a university there and meet with a professor. I would have loved to stayed there longer since it was my first time to visit any part of Scotland, but unfortunately, it was […]
In this memory, I am five years old. One morning, when I wake up, I find my little brother sitting up on the bedding next to me. My mother is already up. I can hear her working on her typewriter in the next room. It is all very quiet except the typing sound. I sit
Ruined opportunity Read More »
You know that I don’t like ketchup too muchI’m not a person who puts ketchup in everything I eatOnly with fast food I use ketchup So when I first saw you pulling up ketchupNext to almost every food we ate togetherI was upsetKetchup? With this dish?No, no, no!It’s inappropriate!It’s impolite! But you looked so happy
In this memory, I am five years old. It is a weekday evening, and I am taking bath with my mother and my little brother. After my mother washes me and my brother, we sit in the water by ourselves until my mother finishes washing herself. This is a gold moment that I have been
Strange dance in the bathtub Read More »
It was when I was about fourteen. We were at a large family gathering in a hot spring resort in Japan. My grandmother, her sister, my aunt and uncle, my cousins’ families were all there. In the evening, I was taking a long bath with my female relatives. The outside bath was made of smooth
A comment about aging Read More »
I am five years old in this memory. It is the night of a local summer festival. After dinner, my mother has left home to help out a few things at the festival. My father, my little brother and I are sitting by the open window of our tiny half-dilapidated apartment. The sound of the
Secret ally on a festival night Read More »
When she was born, she had no siblingIt was just her As she learned to turn, sit, crawl, then walk and talkShe was always on her own with adults around her One day, the life of one became a life of twoWhen a baby boy was born to the family Her life had changed foreverSuddenly,
In this memory, I am four years old. We are sitting at a cheap family diner to grab a quick dinner. Other than food, I ask for my favourite drink – a glass of melon soda, green-coloured sparkling juice topped with a vanilla ice cream. When it arrives, I immediately take a sip from the
He doesn’t like sparkling juice Read More »
In this memory, I am five years old. We have just finished a weekend shopping at a large mall in the outskirt of town and are now driving back home. My mother is driving, and my father is sitting in the backseat between me and my little brother. His assigned mission is to keep the
The Kindergarten Bus Read More »
In this memory, I am five and my little brother is two. It is dinner time and we all sit around the tiny dining table in our tiny kitchen. I am seated in front of the fridge, my mother in front of the microwave, and my father in front of the washing machine. My little
