a solitary grace

move

2008-10-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

It's been exactly one year since I began this blog "a solitary grace." At the time, it marked a new chapter in my life--a life without cancer, without a husband, without Robert. I began it with the idea of surviving loss, settling for peace over joy and a life alone.

But, recently, someone asked me, "Do you feel like Robert is still with you?"
And, surprisingly, my first thought was, "I hope not."
Because I hope he isn't, I hope he isn't caught up in the petty and small things that run my living life. I hope he isn't with me, because that would mean he was worrying about me. I hope if he is anywhere, he's sitting on a beautiful beach having a grand time--knowing I'll join him when I'm ready.

So things have changed this past year. Or perhaps, it would be more truthful to say I have realized things have not changed. The things that filled my life--my work, my friends, my family--are still with me and still bring me happiness. That life, even without Robert, is still full of richness.

And with that, I think it is time to close this particular blog. From now on, I will post at gracenotes(outergrace.blogspot.com) and no longer write here at "a solitary grace." Please visit me there. Because if this last year has taught me anything, it is that I am not solitary and grace is not found alone.

interlude

2008-09-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

So I finished the artwork for WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON right under the wire...okay, I bent the wire a bit, so I had to get the art there as soon as possible. So, I decided the fastest way was to jump in the car and bring it to New York, NY myself.
Handing the art in was strangely anti-climatic, perhaps because my brain was a bit numb from the two month intensive creative purging. But a pleasant stroll in Central Park with Alvina and chat with Hans Christian Anderson helped.

Well, it helped enough that I could be fairly coherent during a little audio interview Little, Brown will put on their website as a promotional for the book. At least I think it was coherent. I realize I am not the best judge.

But I do know, the thing that most cured my mental blahs was this:

YES! My elusive half-moon cookies, called in NYC-speak "black and whites." To me, they will always be half moons and they will always be my remedy for lethargy. For as soon as I ate one (or two) I felt ready to go again.

Which is good, because I am now doing a three-week marathon of school visits in Texas. Yes, three weeks. I had to bring my bunny slippers so I could make my hotel room feel like home.

finally finished

2008-09-24T08:06:00.001-07:00

It's done! I've finally finished the art for WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. I can't believe it. I almost feel like there is a part of my brain missing now, I had gotten used to the constant pressure of creation. It is very strange. I think I might be babbling incoherently...

first day of school

2008-09-17T07:01:00.001-07:00

I still have not finished the paintings for WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON, but I stopped for a school visit in Rome, Georgia.

The school put me up in this gorgeous B&B, The Claremont House, so with the break in painting and the beautiful room it was a nice change. I was a bit nervous, this would be my first school visit of what is scheduled to be a very hectic presentation year for me. I wondered if I'd be rusty and, since the school year had just begun, if the students would be ready for me.
But I shouldn't have worried. The Darlington School, under the direction of the lovely librarian Ann Glass (whom I mistakenly and repeatedly called Ann Darlington) prepared the students so well that I was amazed. The school had made the day before I came into an author appreciation day with activities based on my books. They wrote and drew season haikus, like in my book OUR SEASONS:
stretched their imagination with UGLY VEGETABLES
and shared their fears like OLVINA:
That's only a sampling of what they did. They also made origami, kites, soup...so by the time I arrived, the students were excited. And it showed--their enthusiasm washed away any rust I might have had and it was a wonderful visit. I think it was a great way to start of my school year!

Thank you, Darlington School!

habitual

2008-09-03T07:07:00.001-07:00

I am beginning to suspect I might be a really boring person. I can eat the same thing, do the same exercise routine, listen to the same music over and over again and not get sick of it. As I get down to the last two painting of WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON (and I am really feeling the burn!), I realize I have listened to the same two Feist albums for a month straight. The neighbors must be so annoyed.

But that is why when Alvina showed me this I was extremely happy. Or maybe my days of isolated nonstop painting are causing me to develop euphoric lunacy...

for Aunt Vicky

2008-08-29T05:38:00.001-07:00

After Robert's memorial service, his Aunt Vicky handed me a tin of...half-moon cookies!

Yum! They were delicious, even though they were not like the ones I had in my childhood. As soon as I finish my book (2 more paintings to go!) I'll reciprocate the half-moon cookie gift. But in the meantime (at her request), this is recipe of the cookies from my youth:

HALF-MOON COOKIES (HEMSTROUGHT'S BAKERY)
Source: Saveur Magazine, March 1999

MAKES ABOUT 30

Hemstrought’s Bakery generously shared its recipe with us, but we had to adapt the quantities: The original makes 2,400 cookies!

FOR THE COOKIES:
3 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 cup sugar
16 tbsp. margarine, cut into pieces
3/4 cup cocoa, sifted
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk
FOR THE FUDGE ICING:
3 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
3 1/2 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 tbsp. butter
4 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch salt
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM ICING:
7 cups confectioners’ sugar
16 tbsp. room temperature butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
7 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Pinch salt

FOR THE COOKIES:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. Put sugar, margarine, cocoa, and salt in bowl of standing mixer and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat. Add half the milk, then half the flour mixture, beating after each addition until smooth; repeat with remaining milk and flour mixture. Spoon or pipe batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets, making 3-inch rounds 2-inches apart.

Bake until cookies are set, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove from parchment.

FOR THE FUDGE ICING:
Melt bittersweet and semisweet chocolates and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water over medium heat. Add confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, salt, and 6 tbsp. boiling water and mix to a smooth, stiff paste with a rubber spatula. Thin icing with up to 8 tbsp. more boiling water. Icing should fall from a spoon in thick ribbons. Keep icing warm in a double boiler over low heat.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM ICING:
Put sugar, butter, shortening, milk, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat on low speed to mix, then increase to medium and beat until light and fluffy.

TO FROST THE COOKIES:
Using a metal spatula, spread about 1 tbsp. of warm fudge icing on half of the flat side of each cookie. Spread the other half of each cookie with 1 heaping tbsp. buttercream icing.

remembrance

2008-08-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

365
why should today be any different from yesterday?
the days i circled the sun
instead of you
was a revolution
without a victory

indulgence

2008-08-20T05:17:00.001-07:00

As the WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON deadline closes in, I seem unable to escape my bad habits. I've tried to get on the bike every couple of days and I've eaten so many blueberries (instead of candied ginger) that my blood must be blue hued. But the other day, maybe because I have been painting so many moon scenes I began to crave half-moon cookies:

These are the cookies that I ate in my childhood, bought at the local bakery. Every time my sisters and I return to our childhood home we always indulge in these baked treats, much to the chagrin of our significant others. Full of Crisco and corn syrup, they don't rank high on a gourmet's palate--however mixed with nostalgia, they are delectable.

And they are especially mouth-watering in contemplation. Throughout my entire painting of this picture, I kept thinking about them. You can have one after you finish this, I told myself.

But it was not meant to be. Half-moon cookies are surprisingly difficult to find in my adult locale. Instead, I satisfied myself with a cannoli (which was very good) and the mental promise that once I finish all the paintings I would bake my own half moon cookies. Hey, once I'm finished, you can all have one!

on my desk

2008-08-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

I'm working like crazy on WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON illustrations. I always have about 20 references for one painting--my desk is full of reference and the actual painting just takes a fraction of the desk! For this painting I looked at Chinese roof tiles for designing the circle motifs of the painting border.

race

2008-08-13T05:49:00.001-07:00

Here is the first color painting I've done for WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. Upon looking at the manuscript, we decided it would be ideal if there were 10 color illustrations...but I need to do them by the end of the month. Yikes! Wish me luck!

I want them all to have this level of detail, though I do think I overworked this one a little. If I have time, I'm going to go back and decrease the contrast of the gate, take the yellow/orange light away from it, make it a bit more monochromatic so it isn't so fussy looking.

sacrifice

2008-08-06T07:15:00.001-07:00

At the start of the summer I had three goals:

1. finish WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON to the highest quality possible
2. write THE YEAR OF THE TIGER
3. be/get healthy

As the summer and deadlines have progressed, I'm forced to concede that that accomplishing all three goals are impossible for me. One goal had to be sacrificed.

My first impulse was to let #3 go. I think that is the impulse that many authors and illustrators have. Exercise, eating right, and living takes time--and some of it not the most enjoyable. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that was the goal that should not be given up. Art is important, my work feeds my soul, but the body needs care as well. If there was anything I learned through Robert's illness is that, as trite as it sounds, if you don't have your health, you don't have anything.

So thus remained #1 and #2. To attempt both would make both works subpar in my eyes, I had to choose. But it was difficult. I loved what I had done so far with WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON, I think it is my absolute best writing to date. I want it to be a book that I would be proud of. A book that, no matter the reviews or criticism, I would know that I did to the best of my ability.

But the YEAR OF THE TIGER called to me as well. For me to get The YEAR OF THE TIGER out in the actual namesake year, I had to have the draft finished by fall--or I could wait another 12 years. The Tiger is my year and the year of the Pacy character of the book. How could I not have a book for it?

Then the word came in that WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON would be printed in color(!), and the choice was made for me. The publisher's gamble of printing full color novel demands the respect of my full attention. THE YEAR OF THE TIGER will have to wait (Sorry, Janet!).

At least, if I keep #3 going, by the time I get to it I will be in good shape.

homonym

2008-08-04T21:19:00.001-07:00

At the Salvation Army, I caught sight of these old dry goods storage cannisters. They were rather rusty and dirty and I thought, "I wouldn't keep my flour in that!"

But I changed my mind.

indifferent

2008-07-30T04:52:00.000-07:00

So last week I recieved notification of the deadline for the Society of Illustrator's Original Art Show. I glanced at in nonchalance and it was only recently I realized my reaction. It was the Original Art Show, where the elite children's illustrators are admired and it is an honor just to be accepted. And I did not care.

I should preface this with the fact that in the past I have cared, horribly. Of all the Blue Rose Girl illustrators I am the only one whose work has never been accepted. It has filled me with a mixture of doubt and longing. As much as I brushed off the rejection (the Society just thinks my work is too commercial, it's too niche for them, etc., etc.) it always came down to the inevitable truth. My work was simply just not considered good enough.

This would sting my soul so much that even recieving the deadline notification for the entry would unsettle me. Until now.

Strangely, now I am truly cheerfully indifferent. Suddenly it doesn't seem to matter too much if a society doesn't think I measure up. Maybe due to Robert's death, maybe due to my own growing confidence--regardless of why, I finally feel like I can start casting aside others' judgements and begin embracing my work for what it is. Mine.

bonne chance

2008-07-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Paris leads to a one way street to Fortune.

I think I should make my next vacation a trip to Europe.

inevitable

2008-07-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

So, the deadline for the art of my new novel has been pushed up to…as soon as possible. I’m still determined to do my best quality work; however I know how this song goes. As my illustration activity level escalates to full capacity, my physical activity level diminishes to nonexistence; and #3 of the ten things I’ve learned becomes an unwelcome reality. It is inevitable—the shorter the deadline, the more unhealthier (and chubbier) I become.

And even though I foresee my fatty future, I seem unable to change it. Because not only do I spend my waking hours sedentarily sitting, my eating habits become appalling. My creative brain cells demand candy and pizza, calling labor strikes if I resist. The truth is I am completely unable to create well for extended periods of time unless fueled by unhealthy, high fat food. My focus seems to be sugar driven-- if I remember correctly I was on about three bags of candied ginger a day while writing WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. I shudder to think what is upcoming...

If anyone has any helpful tips (other than hitting the gym like a maniac when my deadline is over) I'd be thrilled to hear them!

the luxury of self-doubt

2008-07-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

For me, personally, I've found my speed of creation has altered drastically since Robert's passing. During the days of his illness, the desperate financial needs were incredible motivators. Necessity became a strange creative impetus, the muses constantly sang and when they could not they hummed until it became a song. And while the songs were perhaps not the inspirational hymn preferred, I got used to the background music.

But now, without the pressure, my muses have become tempermental. Sometimes the inspiration flashes, but, now as I attempt to write the YEAR OF THE TIGER more often than not I find myself simply pegging away. I have never been a writer whose characters speak to them (like my friend Justina Chen Headley ) but I have never before felt the true exhaustion of writing. During the final writing stages of WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON the focus I had taken for granted seemed to disperse into the wind and for the first time I found myself questioning my ability to continue. Will I be able to write this? Can I do it?

And, I realize that self-doubt is a luxury that I have not had in a long time. It is a strange relishment, this allowance of the idea of failure. It is oddly refreshing.
That is, as long as it remains an idea. I hope the actual realization of failure is unnecessary!

in progress

2008-07-09T06:49:00.001-07:00

o I have been hard at work the interior illustrations of my new novel "Where the Mountain meets the Moon." It's a Chinese folktale-inspired fantasy, so I want the art to have an Asian traditional feel. But the novel is not a classic retelling or historical story, so I want the illustrations to traditionally inspired, but not reproductions.

The chapter headers are drawn in the style of chinese papercuts. There is still no word on whether interior will be color (cross your fingers!) but if it is these will be red on white:

And, if color does get approved (double-cross your fingers!) there will be 9 full page color interiors. I chose 9 because it is a Chinese lucky number symbolizing forever/everlasting---and I want this book to everlasting for the readers as well as in print forever! I have been looking at cloisonne and the art on Chinese vases and dinnerware as inspiration for these pieces:

Only about 20 more chapter headers and 1 more full page interior to go. Then I get to paint, hopefully (triple cross your fingers for the color interior!).

fait accompli

2008-07-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a long road, or least it has felt like it, of my bathroom looking like this:

But now, it looks like this!

Yippeee! I am especially happy with my new shower curtain (which is ironically the least expensive transforming item).

generation

2008-06-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

My older sister Lissy, on her 5th birthday:
Her daughter, Lily, on her 5th birthday:

hoping for happily ever after

2008-06-24T22:00:00.001-07:00

So instead of working diligently on the illustrations for my new novel, I am in Upstate NY making pink princess cupcakes:
for my niece's birthday party:
I had slight twinges of guilt leaving my studio as I do NEED to get this book done but my niece only turns five once and, honestly, I couldn't take the bathroom renovation anymore. There is only so long I can stand stand the dust, loud noises, and looking at this:

But before I fled, I did do this:
The gold paint is not reproducing well in the photo, but I think the cover might be done. I'm not sure, I'm letting it sit and when I come back I'll decide if it's finished. If I'm lucky, when I get back the bathroom will decide it's finished as well.

five-year old wisdom

2008-06-23T19:53:00.001-07:00

Niece: Why is there a rainbow?
Me: When the sun is shining and it rains, sometimes it makes a rainbow.
Niece: So there's a rainbow when the sky is crying because it's happy.

no excuses

2008-06-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

There are more times than I like to admit that I look at my past work with twinges of regret. While flaws due to talent, or rather lack of, are disheartening they are in a way more acceptable than the ones that cause me to shake my head. "If I had only been less distracted, had more time," I think to myself, "that book would've have been so much better."

And those are laments I refuse to have about my next book. At New Year's, one of my resolutions was to make my new novel the best work I've ever done.

So I am doing my best to sway the scale in my desired direction. I'm pulling out all the stops for this book, from the writing to the cover (which I am now working on, photo), I am taking pains as I have never been able to before. If time, focus, passion (and possibly production values--crossing my fingers for some really great features, including color illos on the inside) can do it, my book should be an object of person pride--something that epitomizes the best I could possibly do. Or at least something that doesn’t make me cringe.

MEME

2008-06-13T09:19:00.001-07:00

Alvina tagged me for this, so here i go...

The rules of the meme get posted at the beginning. Each person answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the blogger then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?
Getting these bookshelves built:

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?
1. goto to the gym
2. start painting the cover for my new novel
3. call dell to fix my computer (again)
4. write an outline/proposal for "Year Of The Tiger"
5. buy a sleeping beauty cake mold so I can make a princess cake for my niece's birthday

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. candied ginger
2. blackberries
3. cherries
4. fuji apples
5. snap pea crisps

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
1. donate to cancer research
2. make a series of grants for aspiring artists, awarding the first to any of my talented friends who are struggling
3. get or build a nice house with a yard
4. open a cupcake bakery/children's bookstore/art gallery/theatre
5. take time off to learn how to cake decorate, taiko drum, and ride a vespa

What are five of your bad habits?
1. eating while reading and vice versa
2. internet shopping
3. speaking really fast
4. avoiding confrontation
5. getting lost and being late

What are five places where you have lived?
1. New Hartford, NY
2. Providence, RI
3. Somerville, MA
4. Westwood, CA
5. Montreal, Canada

What are five jobs you’ve had?
1. giftware designer (making t-shirts that said "World's Best Dad")
2. children's book specialist (which is to say, just a bookseller) at Curious George Goes to Wordsworth Bookstore
3. beer menu designer
4. worker at a fast food place called "China Gourmet"
5. b/w photography teaching assistant for RISD Continuing Ed.

Let's see, I tag, um...anyone else who reads this.

wonderland

2008-06-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this a while ago, but forgot. However, my fusion friend Paula Yoo just sent me the link again:

wonderland

It is a very, very neat project--photographic recreations of children's drawings from Korea. I completely heart it...and I want to get some of the photos for my wall.

The Story of Paint

2008-06-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know about the rest of the illustrators in the world, but I get very attached to my paint. I've used the same brand for the last 13 years and I love it. I know how it will mix and blend and dry.

So, I got very upset when my local art store stopped carrying it. Worse yet, I couldn't order it, couldn't find it online...nothing! Had I imagined Turner Design Gouache into existence? Finally, after hours of searching I found a phone number and address of the manufacturing company, located in NYC.

Which began a series of somewhat sketchy phone calls. Yes, they could sell me the paint, a woman with a strong accent Asian accent said to me. I could send her an e-mail, but she wouldn't be able to reply because she didn't have Internet access (?). It would be best if I came to pick the paint up in person. I could leave the payment with the guy in front and he'd give me the package. Oh, and could I pay in cash?

What was this, drugs? I was going to NYC anyway, so even though I thought it was odd, I said yes to all of her requests. Even with fears of some sort of random police paint bust.

The truth was, I didn't care. I wanted my paint. I needed it. Okay, maybe this paint IS some kind of drug...

But I got it. The actual exchange turned out to be fairly anti-climatic, the woman was actually a quite friendly Thai artist living in a nice condo building. The only unexpected thing was that my paint weighed about 20 pounds. I had been so worried about the paint's future availability that perhaps I overbought a bit. Oh well, at least I know it will be a while before I have to go through this again!

cool times in NYC

2008-06-10T19:58:00.001-07:00

So my recent visit to New York was full of fun, adventure and friends! It was really hot, over 80 degrees. I thought I would melt in the street. But I persisted and the social coolness kept me solid.

First, I had a Broadway show to see. Alvina and I decided that for our birthdays we would buy each other tickets to go see MARY POPPINS!

The Mary Poppins books were some of my favorite as a child, so much so that I even loved the Disney movie (though I was confused that they made her so nice). If you remember in Year of the Dog, Lissy reads Mary Poppins before we go to sleep on Chinese New Year's Eve, while I read B is for Betsy. Let's just say that Mary Poppins was quickly handed down!

So, I was thrilled to go to the show. This is Alvina and I trying to take our picture with the Mary Poppin's marquee:

We finally gave up and I just took a picture of the marquee without us in it. Obviously, I am still mastering the iphone camera--like my big thumb shadow?

The show was great and I got to blab all about it the next morning at breakfast at Pastis. Apparently, this place is featured in Sex and the City so this added to my very cool and cosmopolitan feeling.
Though, maybe it was because of the company I was with. My friend, illustrator Aaron Meshon joined me and his uber-success is really amazing.
This past winter, his art was all over Boston as part of an ad campaign for NYC. And I really mean it was everywhere--every bus stop, subway station--you looked and there was Aaron! I definitely didn't know if I was cool enough to hang out with him.
But then I had that talk at the Asian American Writer's Workshop to give, the whole reason why I made the trip to NYC. It was with amazing authors Janet Wong (not pictured), An Na and David Yoo (Alvina moderated) and I KNOW I am not cool enough to hang out with them. But it was kind of neat that I was at the same table though.

Kind of like how my visit to NYC was pretty neat too.

fun with friends

2008-06-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

I have decided that if my children's book career fails, I am going to go to pastry school and become a cake decorator. Really, a cupcake decorater. Or maybe just a cupcake maker. Obviously, I'm hoping that children's books continues to work for me, but I thought it would be nice to prepare with a cheerful Plan B.

So, in the case that Plan B must be put into action, I've been doing some self-teaching. Most recently, some of my fellow blue rose girls got together for a belated birthday tea party...which I insisted on making cupcakes for. I was determined to master a whipped chocolate ganache frosting and make them my best cupcakes ever.

I didn't think I had succeeded but when I put the cupcakes on Libby's beautiful, antique dinnerware, I was suddenly charmed. They looked so great! Almost like a magazine! I had real potential, maybe I should switch Plan B to Plan A! I was quite excited...
until I realized that it was not my cupcakes, but Libby's plates that were the magic. They were so gorgeous that even the ugliest cake would have looked lovely. It makes me wonder if my illustrations would look better served on them too.

Janet Wong

2008-06-04T05:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I got to see my friend, the indomitable Janet Wong speak at the North Shore Reading Council. To me, indomitable is the perfect adjective to descibe Janet. Within an hour of conversation, she had convinced:

-me to write The Year of the Tiger
-me create product designs and sell them on my website
-Elaine to get her poetry published
-and a visiting friend to illustrate picturebooks

And she hadn't even started her formal presentation yet!

Which, as always, was great. Janet is one of those speakers that doesn't need a formal speech prepared or ordered slides--she is one of the few authors I know who can just stand,speak and be completely engaging and fun. She and her talk is much like her poetry-- direct, thoughtful, intelligent, sometimes sad,and sometimes hilarious but at all times mesmerizing.

*And you can meet Janet in NYC, at the event below! Come, I guarantee by the time she has finished speaking, you will be convinced into starting your own children's book empire...

Going to NYC

2008-06-04T05:11:00.000-07:00

Panel: Fusion Stories: Next-Gen Asian American Books for Young Readers
On Thursday, June 5, 7pm
@ The Workshop
16 West 32nd Street, 10th Floor
(btwn Broadway & 5th Avenue)

Parents and teachers, having trouble finding Young Adult novels that speak to you and your kids? Fusion Stories is a new website that aims to tell Asian American stories for this generation of young readers. These aren't traditional tales set in Asia or stories of hard-scrabbling immigrants. Instead, Fusion Stories offers fun, relatable stories about teen-dating, growing up biracial, eyelid surgery, and just feeling like you don't fit in. Fusion novelists Grace Lin, An Na, Janet Wong and David Yoo talk about the next generation of young adult literature featuring Asian American characters. Bring your kids for treats from the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory!

Grace Lin is the author and illustrator of Year of The Dog (Little, Brown Young Readers, 2005) and over a dozen books such as The Ugly Vegetables (Charlesbridge Publishing, 1999) and Dim Sum For Everyone! (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2001). While Grace's books cover the Asian-American experience, she believes that "books erase bias, they make the uncommon everyday, and the mundane exotic. A book makes all cultures universal." Year of The Rat (Little, Brown Young Readers) continues the story of Grace, a Taiwanese American girl, as she navigates the challenges of growing up "different" in an upstate New York community.

An Na was born in Korea and grew up in Southern California. She is the author Wait For Me (Penguin, 2006) and A Step From Heaven (Penguin, 2001), a Michael L. Printz Award winner and National Book Award Finalist. In her latest, The Fold (Penguin, 2008), Joyce Kang never felt pretty enough especially when compared to her older sister, but when her plastic surgery crazed aunt offers her the chance of a lifetime - to change her eyes forever - Joyce must decide what she believes is beautiful.

Janet Wong is the author of eighteen books for children, mainly picture books and poetry collections, including The Dumpster Diver (Candlewick Press, 2007) and TWIST: Yoga Poems (McElderry/Simon and Schuster, 2007). A former lawyer, she chose to write because she wanted to "do something important - and couldn't think of anything more important than working with children." In Minn and Jakes Almost Terrible Summer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008), we learn that Jake has a Korean grandmother, which makes him one-quarter Korean, or "Quarpa," as he likes to call it.

David Yoo is the author of Girls For Breakfast (Random House, 2005), which was named a NYPL Best Book for Teens and a Booksense Pick, and Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before (Hyperion, Sept 2008). In Stop Me a resigned loser Albert Kim captures the affection of his dream girl Mia, only to get bumped to the sidelines when Mia's uber-popular ex, Ryan, gets cancer. David teaches adult fiction workshops at the Gotham Writers Workshop and writes a monthly column in Korean Journal.

Co-sponsored by the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

$5 suggested donation; open to the public

hometown

2008-05-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

I've been traveling so much that I tend to forget about the place where I actually live. I've been in the Boston area for more than 12 years now, on and off, and I think it's one of the best places for a children's book author and illustrator. I love when children's books seep into the real world like...

a children's bookstore called Curious George,
or a tree made into Pooh's house,

and a statue of ducklings.

egg auction

2008-05-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

So on Saturday, I drove 2 hours (I kind of didn't realize how long of a drive it was going to be) to go to the Open Fields Egg Auction where, if you remember, I contributed an egg to be auctioned off. And I'm really glad that I did. Like the snowflakes, nothing compares to seeing the original art in person. They were so lovely, I was quickly circling my list to for possible bidding. Did I want Marla Frazee's? Ashley Bryan's?

Or should I bid on my own? But, unlike Robert's Snow, the auction for the eggs is done live, not anonymously online. So, if I tried to up my own egg price, it would be quite obvious that I was a big loser. Darn!

Luckily, I didn't need to--it went for a very respectable price. It did make me wonder what that broken egg might have gone for.

And I got to get in on the action as well. In a heated competition with a grandfather who seemed to be buying up all the eggs (he must have thought of them as investment property) I finally won the egg I had my eye on...

It's called Twilight, by Mary Peterson. She's not a children's book illustrator but she's a beautiful egg painter, don't you think?

happy birthday to me

2008-05-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

shift

2008-05-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

After a presentation at a recent school visit, I was rather surprised to see a group of third graders in the library reading my blog. I was pleased that I had made such an impression that they wanted to learn more about me; but I suddenly realized that maybe my personal blog is...too personal.

So, I have begun to shift things around regarding my blog(s). I'm trying to separate things more--I've made a gracenotes blog which I will attempt to make my "official" blog. It'll have almost all the same posts as I have here minus the more inner thoughts. I don't really want to close this blog down or make it invitation only just yet-- but if those of you who have me on a blogroll could change the link to gracenotes blog, I'd appreciate it. It's kind of strange to say, but I don't want any new readers on this blog. I feel like those of you who already read this are friends, tried and true. And while I always welcome a new friend, I feel like the gracenotes blog might be a better way to make an acquaintance. Especially if they are third graders.

darpl

2008-05-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

During my recent trip to visit my sister and her kids, my niece gravely informed that she when she grew up she was going to be artist like me(as well as a princess and soccer player). "Really?" I said, "Then let's draw a picture. Draw me your favorite thing that we did together!"

I thought that was a pretty good, open-ended subject-- I particularly wanted to see what the four year old mind remembered and treasured. And there was plenty to choose from, we did SO much. We did our nails,

visited the U of Chicago campus,
went to the aquarium,
and music class:
Like I said, plenty to choose from, right? Well, she drew me this:

Ah, darpl! Of course!(When I asked her what darpl was she laughed and ran away).

i'm a dope

2008-05-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

So, I've been traveling, writing, and having many a technology crisis...but that doesn't excuse the fact that I've let my mail pile up unopened. It's only today, after being stricken with germs from my sister's kids, that I have finally began to peruse the pile.

And there are fan letters in there, quite a few and almost all from kids. One line breaks my heart, "I'm related to Dun-Wei," one boy writes, "because I moved to this country and nobody wanted to talk to me."

Dear friends, I'm sorry. I truly apologize if you never heard from me, I never respond to your comment or you only receive a response a year after you sent me something. Despite my thoughtless actions, I treasure each one of you. So many of you have told me what my work meant something to you; and when times were hard your words helped me believe and gave me strength. Thank you. You are wonderful! And I am a disorganized mess.

e-card

2008-05-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

Random House just made an e-card with the art from Bringing in the New Year! It is very neat--with an animated dragon and exploding fireworks.
Did you forget to send out Chinese New Year greetings? Because it's perfect for those late wishes, if I do say so myself.

story

2008-05-06T20:09:00.001-07:00

One of the things that my sister and her daughter do nightly is "journal." It's the time where Lily dictates whatever she wants and Lissy (my sister) writes it down exactly. Usually it is about the daily events, but sometimes Lily talks about what she wishes could happen (she wants to have a princess birthday party) or makes up stories. I found the stories particularly fascinating. Here is an example:

We were looking for the magic pen and then I had the magic pen. I couldn’t get back to where it was supposed to be. It led it to a genie. It could have a genie. Genie came out. It said, “Oh that’s my magic pen.” And he took it and he put himself back , then the magic pen was dead.

I really don't know what to say to that. It might be genius.

kite flying

2008-05-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from a week of visiting my older sister, niece and nephew in Chicago and what a time it was-- keeping up with an active 4 year old and baby is exhausting. But fun! One of the many things we did was go to a kite festival.

This was especially heartwarming for me due to the obvious connection to my book, Kite-Flying. That book was inspired by my own childhood memories of flying kites; it was a lovely circle to experience it again, this time as an adult watching a child enjoy it for the first time.

Because with the wind blowing, we made the kite,
decorated it (that is a drawing of a bird, by the way)

and then flew it in the sky.

It joined the rest of the kites--talking to the wind,

just like the book!

me again

2008-04-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

My last post was perhaps not the best to entice you to read more about me, but just in case you do, Jama Rattigan has posted a thorough and lovely interview of me at her alphabet soup blog. She's also offering two personalized autographed copies of The Year of the Rat for two people who leave a comment there no later than Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Read it here: http://jamarattigan.livejournal.com/106681.html
Thanks, Jama!

old

2008-04-30T09:08:00.001-07:00

As my publishing schedule has significantly lightened, I have started to feel a bit of panic. Some of the "lightening" was by choice, which may have been an unwise decision, now considering my recent dearth of potential picturebook projects. For while ideas have been plentiful, stories have not and I begin to wonder if I have just lost my touch.

Then I realize that these are the feelings that I have had for every book that I have done, for the last ten years. Yep, ten. I know this because Charlesbridge, the publisher of my first book "The Ugly Vegetables" has just agreed to put out a 10 year Anniversary edition of the book! The book is going to be redesigned with a new cover, some new spots and backgrounds. Very exciting!

For the new cover, I want to do a throwback to the promotional piece that caught my editor's eye and inspired the whole book:

I'm also hoping they will inspire me for a new picturebook project as well!

technology defeats me

2008-04-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

My Dell computer that was used for all my business dealings recently exploded (metal bits flying!) was recently returned to me from Dell...still broken. The blue screen of death remains a permanent fixture which requires a many-hour troubleshooting phone call. And speaking of phones, my cell phone decided to join my computer in technological rebellion. The cell phone screen flickered black and white static lines and now refuses to turn on.

In retaliation, I've decided that I will now embrace only Apple products. Iphone, I am now ready to adopt you.

relic #2

2008-04-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

More than ten years ago, before the glamour there was this:

the typical moody artist studying in Rome who was unsurprisingly awkward. Maybe those eyefolds would've done me good back then.

my most popular book

2008-04-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Recently, when I prepare to go to a social gathering, a friend or acquaintance sends me an e-mail asking me to "bring those photos." Fulfilling this request unvaryingly leads to the horrified, yet absolutely hilarious, reaction which none of my other books have achieved. Ah, my album of glamour shots! Such ironic visual poetry! Such tragic comedy! Shakespeare is jealous.

Conversations with Barbara McClintock

2008-04-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

Last night, Elaine and I went to the Foundation for Children's Book talk with Barbara Mcclintock. These foundation events are great fun, the more I go to them the more I enjoy myself. And I am a big fan of Barbara McClintock's work as well so, of course, that was a large part of the enjoyment factor. She is just like her books-- lovely, elegant, tall...okay, her books are not tall but they are lovely and elegant:

And this is just a snippet of her lustrous body of work. Her work is also very shiny because of all the awards she has won: four New York Times Best Books, two Time Magazine Best Books, six NY Public Library 100 Recommended Books, two Parents Choice, an ALA Notable Book, a NEBA and probably many more stickers and trophies that are too redundant to mention.

The conversation was extremely interesting. I loved hearing about her process,her path, the ideas behind her work. In fact, talking about Adele and Simon set in Paris gave me a squirt of water for a set-in-China book idea that has been blossoming in my head...so these events are good for personal work as well!

However, my favorite anecdote from the conversation was how Barbara learned how to be a children's book illustrator. Nineteen years old and in North Dakota, she called Maurice Sendak on the phone(!) for advice. Which he gave her(!). This brought her to NYC, where she called up publishers from the yellow pages and met with them (!). Then, after having her book dummy rejected sixteen times(!), it was accepted. And it received a NY Times Best Book Award(!). All I can say is...wow.

I think times have changed(or at least Maurice has, from what I've heard!). Ironically, the only thing that is timeless from her story is that almost every publisher she met with told her that children's books was a nearly impossible field and it was extremely hard and competitive. Hmm, I guess things really haven't changed that much. I'm realizing more and more, going into this industry is truly an act of faith.

But I am glad that I have found fellow believers.

The Fold

2008-04-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

Fellow Fusion author, An Na's book "The Fold" just came out today and I look forward to reading it with great interest. In it, an Asian girl is offered the chance to get plastic surgery done on her eyes to give it the coveted caucasian eyefold.

And this surgery is quite common across Asia, especially in Taiwan. Having those eyefolds are mandates of beauty; something I experienced up close and personally.

Because at my photo shoot for my new author photo (my new novel is a Chinese folktale-inspired fantasy--since it takes place in an imagined reality, I thought it fit to have the author photo be a bit of a flight from the imagination as well), my eyes were the first thing that were changed. The make-up artist, after taking off my glasses, cut pieces of thin plastic and glued them to my eyelids and, voila!, I had eyefolds. I had misgivings about the entire procedure but was persuaded by the studio workers' coos of admiration.

And that is how they took me bouncing into the studio looking like this:

and changed me into this:

Yikes! (I also was instructed not to smile in the photos which is why I am smirking in all of them). Obviously, I have regrets.

Because now I, the me I know, am unrecognizable in the photos (the only good ones were the ones where I was looking down when the fake folds were not as noticeable). I realized, in that moment I allowed myself to choose between being "beautiful" and myself, when the original goal of the photos was to achieve both. I hope the character in An Na's book realizes the same.

author photo: take II

2008-04-07T05:22:00.000-07:00

I realized that my dissatisfaction over my previous author photos had really nothing to do with the photos or the background, but my own author photo envy. The truth is after seeing fellow blue rose girl Linda's author photos, I realized how much more these photos could be. Not just a standard snapshot of a robotically-smiling author, Linda's photos are amazing--artworks themselves, they are a true extension of her creative self. See, like this:

and this:Can you blame me for having some author photo envy? They were such an inspiration that I was determined to do more with my pictures. However, since I have no Ophelia or Amelia Earhart tendencies in my blood or art, I obviously needed to think of something else.

So in China, when I saw this package of Old Calendar/1910-1940 postcards, the bells began to whistle in my head. Wouldn't it be fun to have an author photo like this:
or like this?But when I asked my mother if she had any qipaos (the Chinese dresses they wear) that I could borrow and told her why, she laughed. "Come to Taiwan," she said, "They have studios with costumes for people to do that in. It's very common and inexpensive."

So, last week, in Taiwan I did what they call a "glamour shoot." It is VERY common there and it is not very expensive (less than $100. US, though it depends on what package you want--some packages were crazy fancy--bound albums, posters, etc., I got the cheapest one). Apparently, engaged couples and teenagers do these fantasy glamour shoots fairly regularly--they are everywhere. Any store that seems to sell formalwear also offers these shoots.

And these shoots are not your run-of-the-mill come in, throw on a costume and get a poloroid either. I had kind of pictured it like the single shots you get at carnivals, when you put on old western clothing and get a fake sepia tintype. No, these are elaborate, complicated affairs that they ask at least two hours for.
So what do they do? Well, at my photo shoot, they covered my face with a mask of makeup so that I couldn't smile, stuck these strange transparent stickers on my eyelids to make my eyes larger, and shellacked my hair so that it could be snapped into two. When they finally allowed to take a peek through my glasses (I was not allowed to wear them so I was pretty blind to what was happening the whole time) it was actually quite a horrifying experience. "Don't worry," the make-up artist said in very broken English, "under camera light, looks very natural."

Well, at that point I just had to take her word for it. So I was pretty scared when I finally got the photos. And for good reason--they WERE scary! There was only one or two that I felt I could live with.

But luckily, one is all I needed...
to make my brand-new author photo! I hope they let me use it for the back of my novel. What do you think?

day 7

2008-04-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

day 6

2008-04-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

day 5

2008-04-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

day 4

2008-04-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

day 3-details to come

2008-03-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

day 2-details to come...

2008-03-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

day 1- to be filled in later!

2008-03-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

grumpy monkey

2008-03-29T08:39:00.001-07:00

So intermittent internet access and familial responsibilities have already derailed any hope that I may have had for daily travel blogging. Meeting my parents in Taiwan and having them tour me has been a pleasure except for one miscalculation—my mother, with the best intentions in her attempt to show me EVERYTHING, has created an unchangeable itinerary that would exhaust even the most energetic of people. And I, suffering from novel-burnout as well as jetlag, find myself getting quite grumpy at daily 7 am excursions that last until bedtime. I will most definitely need a vacation after this vacation

things that have changed

2008-03-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

I have a five hour layover before getting on my flight to Taiwan and the airport seems to be bringing out the melancholy in me. Somehow, airports contain the key emotions of life and death. It is the place of joyful,loving greetings and painful, tearful farewells. And in between both is the helplessness of waiting.

And because so much of my travels used to happen with Robert or away from him, I can't help sit at an empty gate without thinking of him. It has been over half a year since his actual death, but in reality I had been grieving him for many. So, the finality of his last breath was in many ways the finality of an existence I had, the end of a person I was. For better or worse, his death transformed me.

Perhaps it is those changes that fill me with an unusual fearlessness. I find myself embracing happiness that might not be easily understood, working on projects without worrying about reviews, and losing interest in promotion. And I begin to grasp that my ideas for a successful life have been redefined--I no longer pine for movie deals, 6-digit advances or even the glory of a gold sticker. The success of colleagues with better toys, larger homes and fancier cars somehow leave me cheerfully indifferent. It might be temporary, but it is strangely freeing to realize that suddenly I do not care.

Don't get me wrong, I love my work, truly appreciate accolades and still strive for greatness. But as the days go on, I find myself redefining greatness as well. Perhaps greatness is connecting to people, not impressing them. Because admiration is an emotion one rarely sees at an airport.

and i'm off

2008-03-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here I go to Taiwan! Maybe I will finish writing about China during my 17 hour plane ride.

patting myself on the back 8 times

2008-03-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Ahh, I did it. At 4:04 in the morning, I finished my new novel. At first I was a bit dismayed as 4 is a particularly unlucky number in Chinese culture (my book has a lot of Chinese symbolism and superstitions interwoven in it) but then I remembered double 4 equals 8--a very, very lucky number! So I am taking it as a good sign.

So, as a reward I am tempted to do one of the following:

1. buy myself an iphone
2. book myself an hour long massage
3. buy myself some pretty jewelry

Really, I am tempted to do all three, but I think budgetary restraints will force me to go with the last option. Who knows, though? I'll decide after I get some sleep. 8 hours of it.

fusion stories

2008-03-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

So while I've been rushing to finish an extensive revision of my new novel, a lot of things have been swept under the rug. Things like laundry, blogging (don't think I'll finish posting about China before I go to Taiwan!), cleaning, talking to people...But I am proud to say, that I was able to make a little bit of time for the following:

FUSION STORIES: New Novels For Young Readers To
Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May 2008)

Newton, Ma, April 2, 2008 — Ten new contemporary novels by Asian Americans aren’t traditional tales set in Asia nor stories about coming to America for the first time. They’re written by authors who understand two-time Newbery Honor Book author Lawrence Yep’s (Dragonwings and Dragon’s Gate) removal of the ethnic qualifier before his vocation. “I think of myself principally as a writer,” Yep told the International Reading Association’s The Dragon Lode. “I often write about my experiences as a Chinese American, but I’ve also written about faraway worlds. Writing is a special way of seeing.”

Without a doubt, an Asian American vision has moved into the mainstream of the children’s literary world. In 1994, only 65 of the 5,500 children’s books published featured Asian American authors. Last year, that number doubled. Some of these have become national bestsellers that are guaranteed a place on bookshelves for years to come. Linda Sue Park (A Single Shard) and Cynthia Kadohata (Kira Kira) each won the prestigious Newbery Medal, while Allen Say (Grandfather’s Journey) took home a Caldecott Prize. An Na (A Step From Heaven) won the Printz, an award for young adult novels, and Gene Luen Yang garnered a National Book Award for his graphic novel, American Born Chinese.

In 2008, a wave of middle grade novels (ages 7-11) written by Asian Americans is already catching the attention of readers, teachers, librarians, and parents – and not just within multicultural circles. Children’s literature experts are calling Grace Lin’s Year of the Rat (sequel to the popular Year of the Dog) a “classic in the making” along the lines of Besty-Tacy. Janet Wong’s forthcoming novel Minn and Jake's Almost Terrible Summer explores the joys of vacation and friendship, with Jake divulging that he’s a “quarpa,” or one-quarter Korean. Winner of the Sid Fleischman humor award, author Lisa Yee makes kids (and adults) laugh out loud with bestselling stories like Millicent Min: Girl Genius and her newest title, Good Luck, Ivy. When it comes to books like these, as Newbery winner Linda Sue Park told author Cynthia Leitich Smith (Tantalize) during an on-line chat: “At last it seems we’re getting ready to go to stories where a person’s ethnicity is a part but not the sum of them.”

New releases for teens, too, aren’t mainly immigrant stories or traditional tales retold. These YA novels deal with universal themes such as a straight-A teen struggling with a cheating scandal at her school (She’s So Money by Cherry Cheva), a promising athlete coping with a snowboarding injury (Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley), and a Pakistani-born blogger whose father is about to become President (First Daughter: White House Rules by Mitali Perkins). An Na’s The Fold, a novel about a teen considering plastic surgery to change the shape of her eyelids, speaks to all who long to be beautiful, and art-loving teens far and wide will connect with Joyce Lee Wong’s novel-in-verse Seeing Emily. Paula Yoo, a one-time writer for People magazine and television hits like The West Wing, fuses her pop culture savvy and love of music in Good Enough, a novel about a violinist in rebellion. Her brother, David Yoo, connected with hormone-crazed nerds of every race in his funny novel Girls For Breakfast and is offering his fans the forthcoming Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before.

Founder of readergirlz, a literacy initiative for teens, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley notes that these books are relished by readers from many different backgrounds. “There are a ton of interesting cultural trends that make it cool to read about Asian American characters,” she says. “Take manga and anime, for instance. Or Gwen Stefani’s harujuku girls. Mainstream, popular celebrities from actors to athletes are Asian American, and this is filtering into YA and middle grade novels.”

Dr. Sylvia Vardell, Ph.D., a professor at the School of Library and Information Services at Texas Woman’s University, isn’t surprised either by the growing appetite for books featuring protagonists of every race: “Most kids live with ethnic and cultural diversity everyday. It just makes sense that books for teens would reflect this too.”

These stories continue to resonate with Asian American readers as well. Lisa Yee remembers the frustration of not finding many books about American girls like her. “When I grew up, there was no fiction featuring contemporary Asian Americans, unless of course the book was about the struggle of immigrants,” she says. Thanks to exciting changes in children’s book publishing, it’s a different world for today’s young readers of every cultural heritage with many choices when it comes to novels.

This year’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month begins May 1, 2008, and ten authors are banding together to offer FUSION STORIES (www.fusionstories.com), a menu of delectable next-gen hot-off-the-press novels for middle readers and young adults. FUSION STORIES' critically acclaimed authors so far include Cherry Cheva (Los Angeles, CA), Justina Chen Headley (Seattle, WA), Grace Lin (Boston, MA), An Na (Montpelier, VT), Mitali Perkins (Boston, MA), Janet Wong (Princeton, NJ), Joyce Lee Wong (Los Angeles, CA), Lisa Yee (South Pasadena, CA), David Yoo (Boston, MA), and Paula Yoo (Los Angeles, CA).

FUSION STORIES aims to be a helpful resource for parents, educators, and young readers, so if you know of a novel that (1) is for middle readers or teens, (2) was published in 2007-2008 by a traditional publishing house, (3) features an Asian American protagonist, and (4) is set primarily in contemporary America, please send a .jpg of the cover, a .jpg of the author, one or two reviews, and a brief description of the novel to press@fusionstories.com. FUSION STORIES would be delighted to add titles and authors to the site.

A press kit package (available at FUSION STORIES, www.fusionstories.com) includes downloads, bios of FUSION STORIES authors, information on their books, and conversations with experts about Asian American literature for young readers. For more information, review copies, or interview requests with any of the authors, please contact press@fusionstories.com.

by the way...

2008-03-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

I am continuing to add to my China travel posts (cheating with the post-date option blogger provides), most recently I've posted about our stop at the Temple of Heaven and the White Dagoba Temple. I hope to have all my China posts done before I goto Taiwan at the end of the month (!); and will put them in a separate blog under my travel blogs section which I am hoping will continue to grow.

Ed Emberley Inspiration

2008-03-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

Last week, Anna and I had the treat of attending Elaine's North Shore Reading Council dinner and seeing Ed Emberley!

For those of you whom the name does not ring a bell, Ed Emberley is an icon to children's book illustrators, creating books like :

as well as his famous drawing book series like:

I'm a huge fan. To me, he embodies so many of the traits of what I aspire to professionally-- a career of longevity and quality books that always make a connection to their intended readers. Of course while my attempt to reach his pinnacle is mainly for his creative accomplishment, when he spoke of his two houses, his boat and his schedule of leisurely drawing in the morning and then choosing his afternoon activity of either biking, boating or skiing, I have to admit the motivations became a little stronger!

But he deserves it. Not only was he completely charming, his talk was inspiring. His theme was "Anyone can draw, at least the Ed Emberley way!" and it was easy to see how kids--usually so scared to make a mistake--would find their courage, both artistic and personal, from his books.

He drew the whole time he was speaking, which is why my photos are blurry! Never kept still for a minute, that man.

His talk was so good, both Anna and I began to reevaluate our own school visit programs. Were my presentations boring in comparison? I have to admit, I began to feel a bit of a panic. But luckily, both Lucille Beeth (Hi, Lucille!) and Pat Keough, librarians at the Weston School that I visited, were there and calmed my fears by mentioning their plans of inviting me again. Phew!

I'll try not to disappoint. Maybe I'll be better then ever--I would think so after seeing Ed Emberley as an inspiration.

listen to me stutter

2008-03-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

If you happen to be free tomorrow (Saturday, March 8) between 1:00 -1:25 pm EST, tune into WBAI 99.5 FM to hear Alvina interview me and YA author Justina Chen Headley about our books. You can also tune in via their website: http://stream.wbai.org/

It's always hard to tell how well these things go, radio interviews are the worst as you have no facial features or hand gestures to work off of. And I never know if I should be silent, make agreeing noises or interrupt with my two cents. Usually I opt for #1, but I think there are a couple instances where I stutter in unexpectedly. Luckily, the interview was taped, so anything too awkward has been edited out. At least I hope.

back to work

2008-03-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

So my sabbatical from work has ended, in reality it ended a while ago, but it was only recently that I returned to school visits. My first one was at 4 day event in the West Bloomington area of Michigan, where I am honored to say I was the official "Pine Tree" author. The Pine Tree program is a district-wide reading program, where students are challenged to read a specially selected book titles. Lucky for me, Year of the Dog was one of the titles which is how I wound up in West Bloomington.

But since it was a district wide program, that meant there were a lot of students. Let me repeat that, there were a lot of students. Really. The photo below only shows half the room, my camera did not have a wide enough lens to capture more than that. As I watched the students come into my presentation room, all I could think of was a quote from Homer Price (when the doughnut machine malfunctions): "they just kept right on a comin', an a comin', an a comin', an a comin', an a comin'."

And it's about at this point I realize that West Bloomington is kind of an intimidating place to make my inaugural return visit.

Nonetheless, I entered the gauntlet. And it wasn't too bad. Performing a school visit is like riding a bicycle-- but if you haven't ridden in a while the bicycle chain might be a bit rusty. For example, I presented a slide show to the fifth graders with this image:
Ah, I can still hear the tittering. The last time I presented that lecture it was to adults...and I forgot the middle school mentality when reviewing ahead of time. Oops. Needless to say, that slide was deleted before the next group.

Which went smoother; and by the second day I felt back in the swing of things. Confidence in full gear, I now only felt bad that I did such a mediocre job for the first group.

But the best thing about the visits really were the kids. Creating books alone as well as reading and experiencing discouraging industry news by myself makes me forget that my books are actually read. And that is a nice feeling.And truly makes it worth it to go back to work.

covet

2008-03-04T22:11:00.000-08:00

I admit I am a horrible procrastinator. Along with income taxes, school visits, family discord and life nuisances (like laundry), I have a very extensive novel revision that needs to be done before the end of the month...yet I find myself online shopping.

Most recently, I have become enamoured with these vintage Chinese Dictionary necklaces, but I am forcing myself not to buy until I have finished my revision. I'm trying the bribery/reward system to getting my work done. Unfortunately, since it is self-induced it doesn't really work as well as it should. I find that I almost convince myself on a regular basis that if I buy a necklace that features a helpful characteristic it will inspire me. But, deep down, I know that isn't true-- unless, of course, there is one that encloses the word "late."

usage

2008-03-04T15:49:00.001-08:00

Yes, that's me already using my brand-new author photos:
http://jademagazine.com/

I'm reality

2008-03-03T15:50:00.000-08:00

I've been busy, busy trying to keep up with life and finish my novel before I go to Taiwan at the end of the month (yes, traveling again! I will finish blogging about China before I go!), so have been neglecting this blog. But today, my teabag (I drink a lot of tea when I write) said this:

Isn't that nice? I'm reality. A busy, hectic reality, but a reality nonetheless.

studio dreams

2008-02-26T18:16:00.001-08:00

Earlier in the month illustrator Rebecca Doughty invited Anna and I for tea at her studio. I looked forward to it with great anticipation, because I think seeing other people's studios are fascinating. My own studio always seems to be a work in progress, which is why I have never finished the "studio tour" portion of my website. It's only been under construction for three years.

And maybe that is because touring other people's studios is much more interesting. Rebecca's most certainly was. It was large, bright and airy--complete with a small lounge area and a gallery wall for her beautiful, small bunny paintings. I definitely began to feel twinges of studio envy. It made me want to go home and start hanging little paintings on the wall and rearrange the furniture.
Something tells me the studio tour on my website will need another three years.

no use crying over broken eggs

2008-02-19T16:53:00.000-08:00

This year I set aside some time to paint an egg for the Open Field Egg auction. It's similiar to Robert's Snow with different artists creating works of art to be auctioned off for charity, except it's an egg (not a snowflake) and the money goes to a school (not cancer research).

I'm trying to make it a point to do an egg every time I am asked, and to do a good job with it--at least attempting to make it an art piece of value. The egg auction is in honor of beloved children's illustrator Trina Schart Hyman (she founded the event). Trina participated in the first Robert's Snow, shortly before her death--ironically from cancer. Her snowflake was probably one of the last pieces of art she created. The least I could do was to at least try to paint an egg of quality for her namesake auction.

So with my recent trip to China as inspiration, I decided to paint a lantern scene--glowing red lanterns floating in the dark sky with crowds of people walking and gazing below--it was going to be detailed, intricate, beautiful...

until I broke the egg.

Luckily, the smart people of the Open Fields sent two eggs just for these type of calamities. But now I was running out of time. I had spent too long with the broken egg, now there was no way I could do the in depth lantern scene in the time I had. So, I had to quickly come up with a simpler design:

Which is an illustration of part of a poem by the Chinese poet Li Po:

The birds have vanished down the sky.
Now the last cloud drains away.
We sit together, the mountain and me
until only the mountain remains.

It is one of my favorite poems, so for the time I had left, I was satisfied with the egg. But I think the lantern one would've been better. Oh well, maybe next time.

life continues

2008-02-19T16:43:00.001-08:00

I admit I have been stubborn this last month about my blog. The days of my life continue, yet I refuse to write about them because my post-blogging of China is incomplete. However, I am beginning to realize the futility of postponing the rest of my entries until my China posts are complete. Since this blog functions as a kind of record for me, it is inaccurate if I keep ignoring notable events just because past events take longer to document. Also, I have discovered the genius of blogger's "post options" which allows me to change the dates of my posts--essentially lie about when I wrote them. This means I can continue to write about China slowly, post date them so all my China posts are together--while writing about my daily hum-drum life. Ahh...brilliant.

white dagoba

2008-01-31T23:10:00.000-08:00

After Tian Tan, we hopped in a taxi with hopes to see Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. However, our taxi driver insisted that the area was closed off for a diplomat and offered to take us to a "very old" temple instead. With many a misgivings, we agreed and were then subjected to the mandatory Chinese taxi rip-off(where they drive you around and around). While it was slightly annoying, I mainly chalked it up to experience and realized it was pretty amazing that it hadn't happened before.

So, our unscrupulous taxi driver dropped us off at what I think was the Miaoying Temple White Dagoba. Of course, we didn't know this at the time, but I deduced as much from my guidebook later. We were given a complimentary tour guide with the price of admission, but he didn't speak and English so Jen worked as translator with amusing results.

For example, when the tour guide spoke at great length at each of these locations, Jen's version was as follows:

"This is a gold Buddha..."

"in a very old building. This building is old. Very old."

"This path and archway is old, too."

"I think he said this Buddha is not so old."

"But that white thing? That's what this place is famous for. And this is the end of the tour. Thank you. Goodbye."

Needless to say, I think some things were lost in translation.

Tian Tan

2008-01-31T23:07:00.000-08:00

It was on Thursday morning that we realized after the day was done, we would only have ONE more day left in China. There was still so much to see! We rushed out in the morning to go see Tian Tan, the Temple of Heaven; and we wanted to get there early because we were told that, every morning, big gatherings of locals did tai chi there. With the sky above and the temple above, we were told it was a sight not to miss.

But we had not counted on transportation difficulties. It was our 12th day in China and we had managed the streets, subways and taxis without too much difficulty, so perhaps we were a bit overconfident. Because after our subway ride we got confusingly lost. So confused that I began to hallucinate math equations on bridges. Or was that real?
Anyway, by the time we got to Tian Tan, instead of crowds of people doing tai chi there were only two.

But Tian Tan was still a sight to see. Instead of the city, the temple stood against the backdrop of the blue sky--giving it a majesty and dignity I hadn't quite felt before.
And this, of course, was the intended impression. Built as the place where the emperor would make sacrifices and pray to heaven, it was meant to convey spiritual stateliness. For example, while most building have yellow or green tiled roofs, the tiles at Tian Tan are blue--the color of heaven.
The most common misnomer of Tian Tan is that there is an actual Temple of Heaven. There isn't. What I thought was the Temple of Heaven (the building above) is really Hall of Prayer. The Temple of Heaven refers to the whole complex: the Heavenly Gates--
the Hall of Prayer--
the Vault of Heaven--
and the Round Altar--
And connecting all these is the Red Step Bridge--the raised marble axis walkway which did not look very red to me...
so I was happy to add that bit of color myself.

foot massage

2008-01-31T19:20:00.000-08:00

All of us had "must-see/ must-do" lists that we made before going to China. Mine included the Chaundixia village, and the Marco Polo Bridge. Alvina's list,of course, was topped with the Great Wall and Ki-Ki wanted to see the art district. Jen's list, however, was starred with a foot massage.

So a day where we all had lost feeling in our feet seemed like a good day to accomplish this. Our tour guide directed our bus driver to a place she knew and within moments our feet were soaking in warm tea water. Ahh!

We had to tell the masseuses that we wanted "gentle" massages--Chinese usually get foot massages as part of a reflexology health regiment, and they can be quite painful. But since we were there for relaxation, we had the gentle ones.

Which weren't really that gentle. The masseueses hit and rubbed our feet in rhythmn and in unison, like a musical chorus, with a fairly good amount of strength. But for feet that had lost a great deal of sensation, it was rather invigorating. And luxurious.

And very Jen-satisfying.

bridge of lions

2008-01-31T07:29:00.000-08:00

After visiting the village, the next place on the agenda was the Marco Polo Bridge, or Lúgōu Qiáo. This was one of the sites that I had longed to see before I came to China (I had put it on my "must-see list")--a bridge described by Marco Polo as having "few equals in the world", with over 400 stone lions--each one unique. For some reason, I was sure it would inspire many picturebook ideas in me.

Unfortunately, the ideas were slow in coming as it was almost as cold at the bridge as it was in the village. My frozen brain couldn't process any thoughts other than trying to feel my feet. To our embarassment, the most we could do was cross the bridge, each pick our own favorite lion,

and run back. See us shiver? Cold is not conducive for creative thinking, at least not for me.

But all was not lost. As we scurried back over the bridge to the warmth of the bus, three children began playing with balloons on the bridge. Somehow, I had the sense to photograph them and when I look at them, they seem to be straight out of a picturebook. Perhaps, I have the inspiration right here...

I just needed to wait for my brain to thaw out, first.

cold village

2008-01-31T07:28:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, we took an out-of-Beijing expedition to Chaundixia, a tiny mountain village dating from Ming dynasty. It is incredibly well preserved, a "living museum" of architecture from that time period. It is such a good example of an old village, that a major portion of the village's income comes from movie studios--it was the setting for a recent Jet Li movie.

And I must take full responsibility for this excursion. My new novel has some passages that take place in an Asian rural village, and I felt that this was too good of an opportunity to pass up to see one and take good photo reference. I mean, when would be the next time I could see this, right?

But one step out of the bus, and I was frozen with guilt. Oh, maybe that was the VERY VERY COLD air. Yes, I know I've complained about the cold before, but I take it back. This was definitely the worst--biting, freezing, and mind-numbing. Though my mind was able to process one thing: being in the mountains is colder than being by a lake.
So when our tour guide told us that one interpretation of Chaundixia was "oven", as it was to symbolize how the village was a warm haven from the cold, I was a bit skeptical. It probably was balmy back in the days, after traveling through the cold on foot or horse...but getting out of a toasty bus into the extreme freeze of the village seemed to make the name a bit ironic.

But, lucky for me the camera lens did not frost over(and I did worry about that) and we were able to stand the temperature long enough for me to take some photos. There were many interesting tidbits the shivering guide told us about (I have a feeling she gave us the condensed version) but my ice-cube brain could only focus on photographing.

We finished up by eating at a villager's house. Yes, people still live here. There are about 70 villagers all together and if you want something to eat, you simply knock on someone's door and ask if they want food customers. Many of them offer overnight hospitality as well.

And the rural cuisine was quite tasty. We spent more time eating then we had touring the entire village. But by the end of the meal, everyone agreed that the village was an interesting experience that we were glad to have seen.
See how that last picture is blurry? That is because the guide who was taking the picture was shivering from the cold.

moon over beijing

2008-01-30T23:12:00.003-08:00

And just like that, it was out last night in Beijing. Even after seeing so many things, it felt like there was still so much to discover. But had been incredible, a trip that I'll always remember and a place that I hope to come back to.

beijing duck

2008-01-30T23:09:00.001-08:00

Our days in China were quickly coming to an end, so we decided we HAD to have Beijing (Peking) Duck in Beijing! Friends too us to one of the best Beijing Duck places in the city. Duck, however, was not all they served. The menu was like a picture dictionary, everything looked amazing in the photos.

But, they looked (and tasted) even better in real life:

The chef came with the duck:

And could be eaten in three ways:
Which the hostess demonstrated:

The hostess also demonstrated the proper way of eating the yummy dessert, which we all only barely had room for.

It was a great dinner.

forbidden city

2008-01-30T23:07:00.002-08:00

Finally, after a detour to the White Dagoba we reached the Forbidden City. Unfortunately, we only had a limited time before it closed, so I rushed the girls to the Imperial Garden--the area where I really wanted to see as part of research for my book. So it was a whirlwind of a visit--we whizzed through while I called out bits of info from my guidebook:

like how we were walking on one of the 5 marble bridges that symbolized the 5 cardinal virtues of Confucianism:

and that I thought this was the Gate of Supreme Harmony, but I wasn't entirely certain.
but I was sure this was the way to the Imperial Garden:

Which was correct! Because here is the Pavilion of a Thousand Autumns...or maybe it's the Pavilion of Ten thousand Springs?

I had no idea what this was, but it was very impressive.

However, this, we learned by an informational placard that is the Marble Carriageway--a ramp carved with dragons out of one single piece of marble, and reserved only for the Emperor.
Having learned one bit of information, it was time to go.

Outside, soldiers were running drills and we knew it was better not to try to do something forbidden in the the Forbidden City.

street food

2008-01-30T23:04:00.001-08:00

Before I left for China, my mother was full of dire warnings. "Don't keep all your money in one place," she said,"Don't leave your passport in the hotel. Don't forget to bring tissues for the bathroom. And don't eat anything."

Well, when I pointed out the difficulties of this last bit of advice, she begrudgingly allowed that I could eat at restaurants, but under no circumstances was I to eat food from a germ-filled street vendor. I agreed.

But in China, not eating food from a street vendor was more of a challenge than I thought. In the cold air, there always seemed to be some inviting warm wafting fragrance of roasting sweet potatoes or corn, as well as fascinating exotic snacks I had never seen before.

One such exotic snack was the bing tang hulu, which . Shiny and red, these candied hawthorne berries were too irresistible and despite my mother's warnings I decided to try it.

Ooohhh, it was good. The perfect blend of sweet and sour, crunchy and soft. After my first, I was smitten.

From then on, whenever bing tang hulu was for sale, I bought one. And ate it.
And I got the rest of the girls to eat it too,
even Ki-Ki.
Sorry, Mom!

Old Style Beijing Teahouse

2008-01-30T23:03:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday, we decided to take have a low-key day and simply saunter the Qian Men area (near Tiananmen Square). I wanted to go to a real Chinese teahouse and my guidebook suggested the Lao She Cha Guan as a fine example of the "old-style" Beijing teahouses; and I think even translates to "old tea house". Since we quite enjoyed Beijing's "old-style" restaurants and it was nearby, we decided to give ol'Lao She Teahouse a try.

We were greeted in by a a large fellow who theatrically told us that small rooms were on the second floor and the large room was on the third. We didn't exactly understand until we reached the second floor and saw that it was divided up into small private tea rooms, beautifully decorated and serene. As we realized this gorgeous second floor was for the true tea conneusier, we quietly shook our heads at the elegant hostess and clomped our puffy jacket, furry hat, and dirty winter boot wearing selves to the third floor.
Which was elegant as well, but in a much more casual way. While a quintet of musicians played old Chinese music, we watched a woman order tea and take out a bag Kentucky Fried Chicken out of her pocketbook and precede to eat it without any qualms. With a sigh of relief, we stripped off our outerlayers, settled in, and ordered tea and snacks.

What we didn't know about Lao She Teahouse was that it specializes in sculpture tea. I think this is a fairly new phenomenon; and it is fascinating. Instead of tea bag or loose leaves, a tea "seed" is put in the bottom of your cup which blooms (and brews at the same time)in the hot water. When the blossom is fully open, your tea is ready.Very cool and beautiful. And the tea is very good too.

And if the tea was not enough of a show, there was plenty of other entertainment. A shadow puppet show took the stage. I was excited to see the objects I bought at the dirt market in use, even though I didn't understand a word that was being said. But that didn't seem to matter too much, as the shadow images were mesmerizing.

So mesmerizing that we didn't even realize how long we had been at Lao She Tea House until the musicians came back on stage. We had been there for hours! I guess that is "Old-Style" Beijing enjoyment, as well.

Lao She Teahouse
3 Qian Men Xi Dajie
Beijing
6303 6830

kufu

2008-01-30T23:01:00.001-08:00

So we had to have a quick dinner because we were running off to see a Kufu show. Nicole had asked us if we had wanted see one and we said yes, thinking it was going to be some sort of martial arts competition/show--like a scene from Hero or Crouching Tiger but without the scenery and costumes.
So we were a little suprised when we arrived at a theatre, complete with programs and cds for sale.
For the Kufu show, was definitely a show, much more theatre than martial arts--with elaborate, sets, costumes and lighting. The performance was a mix of:
acrobatics,
karate tricks (here a man laying on a bed of nails on top of another man laying on a bed of blades is about to slab of stone broken in half on his chest),
and ballet
combined with very theatrical martial arts moves.
Once the shock of it wore off (the actors voices were also dubbed in English suprisingly, so that added to our recovery time); we were able to appreciate and enjoy the show. This was truly a Chinese Cirque du Soleil, much more so than the weak comparison I had made previously with the Shanghai acrobats.

But my favorite comment of the evening? When one of the girls (who shall remain nameless) said, "I've never seen so many buff Asian men in one room before. That was enjoyable."

old Beijing bargain

2008-01-30T22:45:00.000-08:00

With the viewing of the Summer Palace being so cold, we decided a warm meal was in order. But it had to be fast because we had plans for the evening, so Nicole brought us to Lao Beijing Zhajiang Mian Da Wang which somehow translates to Old Beijing Zhajiang Noodle King. As the name indicates, this place is a typical "Old-World" Beijing style restaurant with:

a very loud and open room--everytime someone walks through the doors, the waiters in blue yell a welcome as well as instructions on where to sit:
time honored food such as:
the conventional tea,
these Beijing specialty noodles, which you mix with the brown sauce in the small bowl before eating. Delicious!
thousand year eggs--not gummy like the ones you get in the States!
and my new favorite fruit, the Chinese hawthorne berry. Here they are marinated on noodles:
But the "old custom" feature we appreciated the most? The price. Why is Alvina smiling? Because this whole dinner cost $70 yuan, which is less than $10. US! Yippee, Old Beijing traditions!

Old Beijing Zhajiang Noodle King, Hong Qiao Main Branch
29 Chong Wai St. Chong Wen District
Beijing
67056705
67055678

summer palace in winter

2008-01-30T22:34:00.000-08:00

After the cloisonne factory, we headed off to the famed Summer Palace. I had high expectations for this as people have told me how beautiful a sight it is.

However, there was a logic that had escaped me. It is called the Summer Palace for a reason. Due to it's location to Kunming Lake (a lake which was enlarged to the shape of a longevity peach as the emperor's gift to his mother), it is several degrees cooler here than the rest of Beijing. The Imperial Family made this their refuge because it was much colder here in the summer. Well, it's much colder here in the winter too.

So cold, that seeing the area was not that enjoyable. Even though we had layered up for the Great Wall, the wind from the lake seemed to seep right through. Instead of appreciating the artistry of the outdoor long corridor, it just seemed very long.
In fact, the highlight of the event was when we went into a gift shop to warm up. The gift shop sold all sorts of cd's, all Chinese music except for...Kenny G? Who knew? He had the distinct honor of being the only non-asian cd sold in all the gift shops of the Summer Palace. Maybe the Empress Dowager was a fan?But in the brief moments the cold did not bother us (usually just exiting a gift shop), I could see that, even in winter, the place had a silent beauty.

I just needed to scrape the frost off my glasses first.

cloisonne

2008-01-30T21:30:00.000-08:00

So after our cold but highly rewarding trek on the Great Wall, Nicole (our tour guide) took us to a cloisonne factory. I don't think the girls had a cloisonne factory as high on their list of priorities, but I had a professional interest.Because it was cloisonne that inspired the style of my 2007 snowflake for Robert's Snow. I had thought about making it real cloisonne, but after researching the process I settled for an look-a-like painting. That is because real cloisonne is a multi-step, complicated process.First there is the actual making of the copper objects--vases, hairpins, bracelets, etc.
Then someone traces the desired design onto the vase.
And then, someone painstakingly hand bends and lays the wire onto the vase to follow the design. Yes, every gold line in cloisonne is a hand-shaped wire. The wire has to be bent in right angles so that it does not curl up and it is stuck onto the vase with a special glue that will burn off during the firing process. This is eye squinting work, the use of tweezers and magnifying glasses is standard.

Then, the vase is painted with special paint--really colored powdered glass. Each outline of wire filled in meticulously. It is an extremely elaborate paint by number activity.

Then the vase is fired, the powdered glass paint melts onto the metal, creating a the shiny color and a lovely cloisonne object.

After seeing how beautiful it looks, I am almost disapointed that my snowflake was not real cloisonne. Well, maybe next time.

truly great wall

2008-01-29T22:58:00.000-08:00

We had decided to save the significant sights of China for the latter part of trip, thinking it would be best to be over jet lag and able to truly enjoy them. So, it was with great anticipation when Monday arrived, the day we were finally going to see the Great Wall!

By now we were not only more acclimated to the time zone, but the weather. We each put on multiple layers(I had five) and carried extra hats and other necessities. Nothing was going to slow us down.

Well, except maybe the long bus ride. Kevin (our tour guide in Shanghai) put us in touch with a Nicole, a tour guide in Beijing who arranged for a minibus to drive us to the Badaling section of the wall. Usually, she told us, she didn't recommend that section as it is completely overrun by tourists. But since we were here in January, that wouldn't be a problem.

And she was quite right. Coming in the cold had given us an unexpected bonus. There was only a smattering of tour buses and the largest crowd of people were the performers at the entrance welcoming us in (while shivering).

It was almost as if we had the Great Wall all to ourselves. It was actually quite magical. The snow was falling lightly and the only footprints on the ground were our own.

However, climbing the Great Wall in the snow was a bit tricky. Many areas were quite steep and icy, we were constantly slipping and sliding. The whole way up I was wishing I had cleats on the soles of my boots.

And somehow, maybe because I am the least athletic of the group, I was always the last one in the back--the one whom everyone was waiting for. I think they felt obligated to shout encouraging words to me from time to time. But, I'm going to blame my slowness on my photo-taking dedication. Yeah.

So when we all finally made it to our desired location top, the emotions were quite strong, ranging from: victorious amusement,joyful jubilation,and quiet elation.
I think it was a thrill none of us will ever forget,

especially for me and Alvina. A long time ago we had made a list of things we wanted to do before we died, and both of us had put "climb the Great Wall of China." And now we had.
Of course, when I put "climb the Great Wall" on my list, I never really thought about climbing down. Ah, a new adventure!

But, one that I will always remember.

more dumplings

2008-01-29T22:12:00.001-08:00

I have to admit, since leaving Shanghai, I craved xiao long bao-- those amazing soup dumplings. So when asked what kind of food I wanted for dinner, I had to ask for them.

So, we went to Din Tai Fung-- a Taiwanese restaurant in Beijing that specializes in Shanghai dumplings. I'm not sure which Asian region is primarily responsible for our dinner, but it was delicious nonetheless.
It was here that the "real Chinese" dumpling test-- how eating these dumplings can prove your authentic Chinese-ness-- was further explained to me. Apparently these dumplings are made so that one side has a thinner skin than the other; and you are supposed to break the dumpling on the thinner side to sip the soup out--making less of a mess. But only a "real Chinese" person can tell which side has the thinner skin.

I failed this test everytime, so perhaps it is accurate.

But no matter, real Chinese or not, I still got to eat them. And I got to try the other variations of xiao long bao as well.
Ones with different fillings:

And different methods of eating:
These mini xiao long bao are meant to dipped and eaten with a spoonful of soup. For these, the soup is on the outside, so to speak.

And to cap off the meal, we had red-bean paste filled peach buns which symbolize longevity. I had seen similiar ones in Hong Kong and always regretted not trying it so I was glad to taste it during my China trip.

It was good, but somehow I had expected it to taste...peachier? Regardless, I think longevity peach buns was quite an apropos way to finish the meal. I forsee my love of dumplings being a long-lasting affection.

Din Tai Fung, Dongzhimen Branch
No.24, Xinyuanxili Middle Street, Chaoyang District
Beijing
010-6462-4502

post-blogging

2008-01-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

So the hectic schedule and China's internet blocks on blogger made it impossible for me to keep up with the blog-a-day ambition in China. I am back in the States now! But stay tuned, I am still cataloging the days of China in detail...I am post-blogging, if you will.

dirt market

2008-01-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, we decided to go to the Panjiayuan Antique Market, known to the locals as the "dirt market." A place called "dirt market" didn't seem exactly appealing (especially after you've been exposed to some of the bathrooms here in China), but we were told it was something we shouldn't miss.

The first thing I couldn't miss was the thousands and thousands of carts and bicycles that lined the streets up to the entry way of the market. As the procession of carts grew longer and longer, I realized that these were all carts of vendors--that the scale of this dirt market would be immense.
And it was. There were rows and rows and rows of stuff that seemed to go on for miles. You could easily get lost amongst the goods. From antique robes to ceramic vases, everything and anything old(and not that old) you could imagine seemed to be displayed and for sale. Even used and polished gramophones.
There was brightly colored-jewelry being sold by ethnic minority Chinese, dressed in their traditional costumes.
And lots of jade. I was finally given the reasons why jade is such a precious stone in Chinese culture. Symbolizing good luck and longevity, many elder Chinese used to use jade rings in marriage (now the younger generation has embraced the western diamond instead) and the jade bangle bracelet as a health indicator. Apparently, if you wear the jade bracelet continually on your left hand (as it is directly connected to your heart) and are in good health, the bracelet will slowly turn a darker green and the lines or branches in the jade's surface will grow. It has to be real jade though, not those $2 green glass imitations you can get in Chinatown.

The market was really a slice of Chinese history. At one stall, we stopped and looked at these tiny, beautifully embroidered shoes--small even for baby shoes. In horror, I realized these are the shoes that the grown women wore after their feet were painfully bound. I always knew about the custom, but I never realized just how small their feet were made. At first, we tried to believe the shoes were for babies, but a nearby photo showing a women wearing the same shoes quickly dispelled our optimism; and I felt glad that this tradition was one that had passed.
But with all this stuff for sale, it was quite intimidating to try to buy something. I was tempted to get one of the many statues...
...until the puppets caught my eye. They reminded me of fellow blue rose girl Linda...
...and when I saw the shadow puppets, I knew I had to give this bargaining/buying thing another try. The young vendor poured on the charm, telling me how his grandfather hand made each one of these puppets from leather. I'm such a softie, I probably would've paid his asking price. But, lucky for me, Alvina is not such a sucker and got the price to about a third of what he originally asked for. But even then, she told me she suspected it was still way higher than what a local would've gotten. Oh well, I don't mind--I got my shadow puppet and I helped pay for this guy's rent...or maybe a hot date with his girlfriend. Somehow, I have to think it's good fortune for all.

Which is how I felt about our day's experience--the market was a fascinating place and I think we were dirt lucky not to miss it.

dessert

2008-01-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

After our day in the Hou Hai area, we had dessert in the extremely hip and cool Bellagio restaurant. Did I mention how extremely hip and cool it is? Well, it is so hip and cool that all the waitresses have the same haircut.

I am not sure how they pulled that off. I wonder if when the women are hired if they are told that they must get their hair cut and are given a photo to copy. Or if there is a restaurant barber whom the waitresses line up for like sheep to be shorn. Or if the managers specifically recruit women with this haircut, constantly scouting the streets for this short spikey 'do.

But I am sure that one of the enticements that the restaurant uses must be the desserts. Eye-catching and mouthwatering, it seems the most popular dishes are the shaved ices covered with fruit and syrup. So even though they look quite large, we comforted ourselves by claiming the dessert was mostly water; and not as fattening as if it were a giant sundae.

Okay, so the logic behind that may not be well-founded, but after taking a few spoonfuls of the dessert I was willing to go with it. Heck, after a few spoonfuls, I was willing to get my haircut, too.

Bellagio
6 Gongren Tiyuchang Xi Lu
Beijing
6651 3533

Beijing Boyfriends

2008-01-24T18:47:00.002-08:00

As I am reentering the dating scene, I find myself quite fascinated with the mating rituals in China. According to the stereotype, Shanghai women are very domineering while the men are domestic--they do the cooking and cleaning. Beijing boyfriends, however, are not so easily categorized. From what I gather, there are three things that signify a Beijing man is your boyfriend.

1. You pout at him. A lot. Whining is good too.

2. If he doesn't do what you want, you can hit him. With two hands if needed.

3. He carries your purse, at all times and in public.

Not bad, I can deal with those benefits. But I think I might lean more towards those Shanghai men...

Hou Hai

2008-01-24T18:47:00.001-08:00

We returned to Beijing in the morning and rather than waste the day, after a break , we decided to visit the Hou Hai, an area known for its hutongs, traditional houses that people still live in.

So we began this tour of this traditional area with the ancient custom of drinking Starbucks coffee. Yes, right at the start of Lotus Lane is a Starbucks.

Yet even with this slice of US commercialism, this is not an area just for tourists. Thousands of native Beijing-ers come here to ice skate and (something I have not seen before) ice-sled.

In fact, this whole Hou Hai area is an interesting mix of tourist attraction and local living. Visitors from all over take overpriced rickshaw rides to explore the neighborhoods of hutongs which is a labyrinth of ancient alleys and antique housing. At one time, these were the homes and courtyards of the nobles and merchant; now they are lived in by the less wealthy as they do not even have indoor plumbing (residents use public shared bathrooms). It's fascinating to me that people live in these homes at all; that what we photograph and stare at is some one's everyday home. It must be strange to have crowds of strangers gaping at your house all the time.

But I suppose they are used to it, as the area is full of several bars and restaurants. This bridge, the Silver Ingot Bridge, dates back from the 1200's; I bet the builders would never have expected to see the sights that surround it now:

like girls pushing for cotton candy,
or brides having photo shoots,
or an Asian-American tourist watching it all on the frozen water.

leaving Shanghai

2008-01-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

After a good luck rub on a jade Buddha's belly, Kevin rushed us off to the train station. There would be just enough time, he told us, to grab some fast food and get some traveling snacks before putting us on the train back to Beijing.

We were all still stuffed from our huge lunch (well, Melody was hungry, but she was the only one) so we decided to go to the restaurant in the train station and get youtiao, a type of Chinese donut that you dip in warm soybean milk. I had had youtiao before, but only in the States where it is rather rubbery and tough. This fresh youtiao was soft, light and flaky. It was quite a revelation to me. While eating it I thought, "Oh, this is what youtiao is suppose to taste like!"

We were sad to be at the train station because it meant we were leaving Shanghai, Kevin and Melody. Melody had been a constant source of amusement for us. As we prepared to go to the train, Jen asked about the bathroom. Now, bathrooms in China can be quite disgusting to those with Western sensibilities so asking about the state of the local bathroom is a common question.

However, this time when Jen asked, "How is the bathroom?" Melody responded quite vehemently, "You're in a train station. In China. What are you expecting?" I guess she had a point. Ah, Melody, how we would miss her.

But as goodbye gifts, Melody and Kevin stocked us up with these traveling rice cakes with shredded meat in them, the Chinese equivalent to ham sandwiches. Very tasty, especially at 5 in the morning on a train.
A train we were soon on, waving goodbye to Shanghai. It had been a great trip; hopefully with some of that Buddha belly luck, we'd be just as lucky with the rest of our time in Beijing.

vantage point

2008-01-22T05:15:00.000-08:00

After our very long lunch, Kevin brought us to the Jinmao observatory tower to see the aerial view of Shanghai. This tower was designed by SOM, an architectural firm that Robert once thought of working for, so I think he would've approved. It is one of the better-looking skyscrapers of Shanghai.
Unlike the Pearl Tower (the one with the round bulb) which not only looks a bit like a skewer of two tomatoes, it is strangely purple-pink. I feel pretty certain Robert would've scoffed at it. But it is very striking and one of the memorable buildings in the skyline

And it is only from this vantage point, from way above, that I see what Robert had told me about Shanghai. He had called it a modern architect's dream, a city without any rules--allowing an architect to design his/her dream. Shanghai is an enormous hodgepodge of buildings, seemingly built upon eachother. And perhaps because I know how much Robert would have loved to have seen this, it is here that I see how much my life has changed. Faster than I had anticipated, I have created a new life for myself with a future that looks different than expected.

So, strangely, the pangs of grief I suddenly feel are not for myself but for him. It is for all the dreams he had that will not come true, all the plans he made that will not happen and all the things he wanted to see but never will.
I am glad, at least, I will see some of them for him.

eating our way out of Shanghai

2008-01-22T05:05:00.001-08:00

It was our last day in Shanghai and Kevin promised us a great last day. My suggestion for anyone going to China is to get a private tour guide--not one of those big bus groups. The big bus groups go to factory restaurants, very low-grade (but safe) fare. If you get a private tour guide, he can take you to specialty restaurants.

But, then again, maybe it was just our tour guide that does that. Kevin got to know us quite well and we all enjoyed each other's company (Alvina and Jen even went to karaoke with him). I think he was quite amused at having the company of five girls constantly teasing him and asking him unusual questions (Jen asked him who his favorite panda was. He was very confused.).

So by now, Kevin knew we really liked to eat. I mean, we really liked to eat. For our last day, he took us to one of the best restaurants in Shanghai and ordered all the local delicacies (including the much recommended marinated roasted pork- hong shao zhu ro, and these stuffed Chinese dates that I don't know the name of) that amazed our gastronomical palates. It was the best meal I had in China so far, and that is saying a lot.

At one point we asked Kevin if he had ever eaten this much before. He said, "Yes, but never with girls."
Oh well, glad to hear we are able to keep up with the big boys. Or at least the Chinese ones.

Homes, Shanghainese Restaurant
Ju lu ed 791
Shanghai
54030010
54030060

impressions of Suzhou

2008-01-20T15:58:00.001-08:00

My jet lag finally began to settle down and on our way to dinner I was able to stay awake and see what the of city of Suzhou was like. And that was fortunate, because Suzhou is really lovely. Unlike the very metropolitan Shanghai or Beijing, there seemed to be a nice blend and balance of old and new. It is probably like what Boston feels like to New Yorkers, a little more provincial and slightly quaint. I really liked it and decided if I ever do a picturebook with a story in contemporary China, I will probably use Suzhou as the backdrop. Which is why I took many, many photos.I did have to stop taking photos eventually, because it was dinnertime. Kevin told us that Suzhou was famous for a type of noodle dish that some considered "the best noodles in China" as well as some rice cakes desserts. We asked if the rice cakes were considered "the best rice cakes in China" as well; and he said,"No. But still very good."

I'm not sure if the noodles were the best in China but they were pretty good and we ate a lot of them. It seemed like every meal, Kevin would order what we would think was a gigantic amount of food...until we ate it all up. Personally, I blame Melody. She's barely 5 ft tall and maybe 85 pounds but she can pack it in. Every day after eating, when everyone else could barely move, she would talk about our next meal. I think she set the eating pace for the rest of us.

Anyway, we took so long with dinner that by the time we were done it was dark out, Suzhou was lit up like a Christmas tree, and it was time to go.

Goodbye, Suzhou!

Humble Administrator's Garden

2008-01-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

After the silk factory, we went to visit the "Humble Administrator's Garden", considered one of the finest gardens in China. I am inclined to agree. Even in the cold and Kevin's disclaimer that this was not the proper season to see the garden, it was extraordinarily beautiful.
There was a much different feeling to this garden than the YuYuan Garden we saw in Shanghai. That garden was owned by an aristocratic family who used it as a tool to display their power and prestige. This garden was built by a retired administrator who had no need to impress anyone and designed it as a place of meditation and contemplation.

And since the owner was more concerned with spiritual matters, the garden was heavily designed with Buddhist beliefs in mind. For example, in Buddhist philosophy there are three mountains--in the east is hell, the west heaven and in the middle is earth (where man lives); and dividing heaven and hell from earth is a great river. To represent this, our humble retired administrator had the garden built with three pavilioned hills with a lake separating the two of them from the third.

And instead of a preponderance of dragons, there were bats. This is because the word for bat is bian fu and since fu is the Chinese word for luck, bats are lucky. Five bats are especially lucky because there are five elements: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal.

Lastly, since the garden was to be a place of relaxation and artistic appreciation, all the buildings and architectural details were designed to compliment and frame pictures of nature--so that every view was like a painting.This, perhaps, is one picture that the administrator would not have thought of as particularly scenic, but I think it quite adds to the beauty.

Suzhou Silk

2008-01-20T15:34:00.000-08:00

The next morning we woke up early to go to Suzhou, a canal city outside Shanghai. Unlike the others, I had not adjusted to the new time zone and I was unable to get more than 3 hours of sleep so I was barely able to stumble into our car, much less make an intelligible sentence. However, the traffic made the 32-mile ride about two hours, so I was able to catch up and sleep some.

And when I woke up we were at the Suzhou Silk Museum. Apparently, Suzhou is famous for their silk--the climate in that area is optimum for silk worms. They are able to harvest cocoons twice a season with much higher quantity and quality. The "Long History of Chinese Silk" begins here.

But the most fascinating part of the museum was the tour of a real working silk factory. Even though I knew where silk came from, the process never struck home until I actually saw it being made in front of me.

Because silk really comes from silk worms. Those cocoons are separated from those ugly little larvae and are used in one of two ways--to make silk thread or to make silk padding.

To make silk thread, the cocoons are assembly lined boiled. This loosens the strands of the cocoon,

allowing the workers to find an end to begin the machine unwinding process, making silk thread.
These threads are dyed and woven using these looms, making silk cloth.

The process for silk padding for quilts is a little different. The worm larvae is separated by hand from the quilt, and after being thoroughly soaked it is stretched over that U-shaped hoop that Melody is touching. After 100 cocoons are stretched over the hoop, it is taken off, dried...

and then stretched by hand to make the inner padding for a quilt. They let us pull one of the skeins and it was rather a thrill. It takes at least 8,000 cocoons to make enough padding for a quilt.

And that ended our silk factory tour. It definitely gave us a new appreciation for silk; and I felt a lot smarter. Well, at least a lot smarter than I did that morning.

acrobats

2008-01-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

We returned to the hotel and had a quick dinner because we didn't want to be late for our next event. We were going to see the Shanghai acrobats!

I take full responsibilty for this outing. Before I left for China, my friend Elaine and I were brainstorming ideas for new books, and one of the possibilities was a book on Chinese acrobats...so I asked the tour guide to book tickets for a show.

Which was not exactly what I expected. I had thought it would be full of traditional acts like plate spinning, bowl balancing, and chinese yo-yo's; but it was more an Asian pirate of a Cirque du Soleil show.

And like all things that are pirated, things were not exactly up to the same quality. Don't get me wrong, the performers did absolutely amazing and mind-blowing stunts--but unike a Cirque show were you have a certain confidence that the performers will be fine, we didn't feel that so much in this show. It was rather watching Olympic ice skating--you know the skaters are doing amazing things but you also know at any minute they might fall. Jen, who is in the midst of doing her medical internship, was gripping her seat the whole time. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to run up there and save someone!" she whispered.

But she didn't, and all the acrobats were well and alive by show's end. And once fear for the acrobats left, I was able to enjoy the beauty as well as gasp at the feats. Perhaps the fear made the show better for us, it definitely made it more exciting.

five for tea

2008-01-17T15:22:00.000-08:00

We were all a bit chilled after walking in the garden, so Kevin suggested that we go to a tea house that offered instruction on Chinese tea drinking. It sounded like a good cultural experience as well as warm so we agreed.

And it was quite enjoyable. None of us had realized that the Chinese tea had so many proper steps. Our tea instructor informed us which teas should be prepared with boiling water (ginseng) and which should not (dragonwell--will kill the healthy nutrients) as well as the health benefits of each variety (lychee-puer helps weight loss, ginseng for energy).

Here are steps to properly drink Chinese tea:
1)The tea is presented to you in a smelling cup with the drinking cup covering it.
2)Very carefully, flip the this over so that the tea empties into the drinking cup without spilling.
3) Dip the top edge of your smelling cup into the tea. Then in a circular motion, rub the edge of your smelling cup with the edge of your drinking cup.

3) Smell the aroma in your smelling cup. Nice, right?
4)Now, delicately sip your tea. Ah, delicious!

Yu Yuan Garden

2008-01-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

After lunch, we went to the Yu Yuan Garden, the largest Chinese Garden in Shanghai. Even in the gray and chilly weather, it was really lovely and it was here the Kevin really began to prove his worth as he was able to explain many of the garden's finer points.

The Yu Yuan Garden has five of these remarkable dragons, each one representing a different area of the garden. Officially, these are not real dragons (long) but are called jiao, a mystical "other" beast that looks a whole lot like a long dragon. That is because only the imperial family was allowed to use the image of the long dragon; and to escape the wrath of the emperor the garden's owner had two of the claws of all the dragons removed--claiming that since his dragons only had 3 claws and not the imperial 5, they were not dragons at all. Somehow he got away with it and the jiao beast, the 3-fingered wanna-be dragon, was born.
Perhaps the owner got away with it because he did not hesitate to use the garden as a device to flatter his superiors. For example,to get to the area that only friends or powerful officials would be allowed to enter, one passed through a round entrance way and then a rectangular one. This is because the round entrance way symbolizes heaven and the square one symbolizes earth. It is a compliment to those who pass through, that they are from heaven visiting the owners on earth.
Or perhaps it was just because imperial officials were willing to take any excuse not to harm this beautiful place, which visually balances the ying/yang elements of stone (symbolizing mountains and man) and water(symbolizing woman)with every glance...

as well as various creatures of interest. This is a dragonfish, one of the sons of the heavenly emperor whose special power is controlling water. He is placed on the roof as a protection against fire, a sort of spiritual firefighter.

This is one of the guardian lions. The unique feature of this lion is that it has a stone ball that moves around in its mouth, but cannot be taken out. Usually this is done by carving the lion and ball with one piece of stone; but the ball in this lion is made of marble--a completely different stone than what the lion is made of, which means the ball was made separately and then inserted. Apparently, the marble ball was cut in half and then placed and fused together seamlessly into the lion's mouth. The technology and skill to do this is now lost and this lion is the last one in China that exemplifies this vanished art.

But the most prized feature of the garden is this Jade Stone. It is not made of jade but it is treasured as if it were. A complete nature-made sculpture, this highly valued piece of rockery was on its way to the emperor when the boat it was on sunk and it vanished to the bottom of the river. Many years later it was found by a local fisherman and presented to the owner of the garden as a wedding gift for his daughter.

If one pours water on top of this stone, water will come out of every single one of its holes--a tribute to the interconnectedness of all things. This and its ancient age represents everlasting perpetuity, so many couples like to take their picture with it to symbolize their undying love. We, however, settled for eternal friendship. I think it wil work just as well.

Shanghai dumplings

2008-01-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

We were afraid Kevin, our tour guide, would be a bit overwhelmed with the responsibility of us four giggling girls, but instead he seemed rather amused. Even when Melody, a friend of Ki-Ki's who is temporarily living in Shanghai, joined us, he was nonplussed. Instead, when we told him we were hungry and wanted a substantial meal, he calmly took us to a teahouse at the Yu Gardens Bazaar--an old-looking, but modern shopping area full of knick-knacks and tourists just like us.
There, before we went into the teahouse, we watched the chefs make the dumplings we would be about to sample. It seemed to chaotic dance, the chefs' fingers flew as dumpling after dumpling was made. But even though it seemed fast to us, Kevin told us that this was non-impressive quickness; a famous woman chef had been recorded to make 1 million dumplings in 7 hours and 20 minutes. That, he told us, was speed worthy of respect.

However, when we sat down to eat, Kevin gained a new respect for speed when he saw how fast those dumplings disapeared. They were delicious--a Chinese specialty called xiao-lan-bao. Unlike the typical potsticker, these dumplings had a flavorful soup inside of them, making the meat especially tender and tasty. The first bite of these dumplings is accompanied by a savory squirt of soup; which if you can eat without making a mess marks you as a "real Chinese."

Some of us were better eating the dumplings than others, but our pace was beyond comparison. Suprised out of his professional demeanor, Kevin had to make two more orders to satisfy his American girls because we only stopped until we were stuffed like dumplings we we ate.

train travels

2008-01-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

Due to the extensive haggling, our shopping expedition took more time than anticiapted and we found ourselves rushing to the train station. Where were we going? Why, we were going to Shanghai. We had booked a 3-day, 2 night tour for ourselves and if we wanted to keep with it we had to catch our 12 hour overnight train.

But there are few things more confusing than a Chinese train station, especially when you don't read a lick of Chinese. People don't like to be asked questions when they are in train stations, they are running to catch their train. Like we should've been..except we had no idea where to go.

I take it back, I had no idea where to go (and neither did Ki-Ki) but Alvina and Jen with their far superior language skills slowly figured it out, while Ki-Ki and I followed like sheep. And after sweating and straining with our luggage through rush hour and throngs of people to the correct gate, I realized I read the tickets wrong and we were an hour early. You know your friends are true friends when they don't get annoyed by things like that.

But maybe it was good fate, because somehow we were unable to get tickets that allowed all four of us to be in the same sleeper car and we needed some time to sort things out. We didn't realize what an issue not sharing the same car would be until we saw how close the quarters were in these sleepers...and that we were paired with strange Chinese men. We quickly put on our most pathetic, pouty faces, and Jen cajoled in Chinese until they were willing to make the switch.

And thank goodness, for riding sleeper car was quite fun. Not much of a view as we were traveling by night, but nothing beats a getting up at midnight on a train to eat brought-from-home ramen noodles and peanut butter on bread. And Ki-Ki woke us all up at 3 in the morning when she got up to eat Nerd candy.

But when the sun began to rise (or the smog lightened, little hard to tell), we knew we were close to our destination. Before long we were being pushed off the train into Shanghai station. Luckily, Kevin, our tour guide, was there waiting for us and saved us from another painful navigation through us a train station; and we soon found ourselves on the streets of Shanghai.

Hello, Shanghai!