When I was at a writing conference a couple years ago, a presenter jumped off his desk after I read from the first page of my manuscript."I love train stations," he exclaimed. "But you have to bring us to China. Let us see, hear, and smell it."I've since scrapped that … [Read more...]

For some reason I always feel nostalgic in the spring. I miss the places where I've lived and think back to a spring from my past, in another city or even another country.Twenty years ago I was in Baltimore, packing up my things and preparing to leave college for the summer. … [Read more...]

When my uncle told me he stayed at the August Moon in Hong Kong some 40 years ago, I figured the name must have outshone the building.In Hong Kong, I often ran into drab buildings with flowery names, as if the names could mask the blandness of the architecture.But when I … [Read more...]

I haven't stayed in many hotels in Hong Kong. But 15 years ago, for a special occasion, I ended up at the Miramar on Nathan Road and thought to myself, "This hotel reached its heyday years ago." Like back when my mom and her family traveled to Hong Kong in the 1960s.So … [Read more...]