I have always maintained that the writer's task has nothing to do with mystery or magic, and that the poet's, at least, must be a personal effort for the benefit of all. The closest thing to poetry is a loaf of bread or a ceramic dish or a piece of wood lovingly carved, even if by clumsy hands. p. 49

Just as we were unsuccessful in not celebrating Xmas, we were also unable to avoid "celebrating" Spring Festival - which in case you didn't already know is today, February 18th. It is now the year of the Golden Pig (or Boar if you prefer something a little more intimidating sounding).
Wear some red, eat some Chinese food, and send lots of funny, ( Read more... )

Lam and I have a habit of visiting our favorite "cool tea" stand on the way back from the market to buy fruit and veggies. "Cool tea" is not to be confused with iced tea or even lukewarm room temperature tea. "Cool tea" is actually served very very hot - in conventional temperature terms nearly boiling.
I always have to wait until it's merely ( Read more... )

One is not born traditional; one chooses to become traditional by constant innovation. The idea of an identical repetition of the past and that of a radical rupture with any past are two symmetrical results of a single conception of time. We cannot return to the past, to tradition, to repetition, because these great immobile domains are the ( Read more... )

"So are you heading back home for Spring Festival ( Read more... )

The massive ribbon of reinforced-steel concrete stretched for kilometers gradually fading away into the dusty grey foothills ( Read more... )

"Creative action, one might say, is at any level encompassed within a larger system of action in which it ecomes socially meaningful - that is, in which it takes on social value. All creative actions is to some degree revolutionary; but to be revolutionary to any significant degree, it must change that larger structure in which it is embedded. At ( Read more... )

As my poor friends can probably attest, I've been having a lot of fun with the nanofiction form. I apologize if they are bugging people. I have a free account and can't seem to figure out how to make smaller friend filters yet. If they are too annoying let me know and I'll start privitizing them ( Read more... )

"One is tempted to say that "society" is created as a side effect of such pursuits of value. But even this would not be quite right, because that would reify society. Really, society is not a thing at all: it is the total process through which all this activity is coordinated, and value, in turn, the way that actors see their own activity as ( Read more... )

Sister Three coughed and sniffled all throughout the incantation and the brewing process. The resulting chemical imbalance caused shockwaves in the destinies of heros, gods and civilizations ( Read more... )