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One night, I was walking around the neighborhood with my girlfriend Ree who is Chinese. As we walked and talked, I noticed people kept staring at me.This is China and I’m a foreigner. I’ve been living here for 7yrs so I’m used to the judgy looks from time to time but on this night it was annoyingly persistent. All the locals were looking at me as if to say, “what’s this foreigner doing here? He doesn’t belong here.”It’s not something I need to take personally but this impression does cross my mind at times. One lady looked at Ree up and down and then glanced at me, staring with judgment as if to say, “how could they be together?”People are prisoners to their own judgments, which has no impact on…

Years ago, during a mid-winter morning in China, I was cycling to a soul-crushing job. With depression thicker than a bowl of porridge, the wind blew cold and my jaw stiff. My vision was bleak but I clearly knew I didn't belong to this company. I was thankful for the thoughtful friends who worked there with me, and the customer interactions were fulfilling. These things really sustained my spirit during that time but I had one leg out because the company culture was too heavy on mistrust and bureaucracy. From the irrational salary cuts to overworked staff, the cringy feedback sessions, and high turnover - all signaled that employees were a spiritless tool for profit. Leaders didn't care to relate with their employees and ask thoughtful questions, they were consumed…

It was a sunny day during the city-wide lockdown. Every morning, everyone was required to take the throat test. With the testing stick in hand, the white-suited woman was in a position of power. She decided how my throat was going to feel that day and it was dependent on her mood. To avoid the roughhousing to my throat, I softened her mood with some calming tactics. I sat at the table, looked her in the eyes, and with a calm tone, in Chinese, “I appreciate your hard work. Please be gentle. Thank you.” A feather turned in my throat, I said “thank you,” got up, and left. On the way back home I saw a bird laying flat on the ground. I bent down to take a closer look…

The sun was setting over the forested mountain in Sichuan. The famous golden Buddha Statue stood somewhere at the top and the three of us were lost and exhausted in the trees facing an endless flight of stairs. Our original plan was to hike the whole day and settle into a temple before sunset. The evening came and we saw no temple for miles. It was dark now, monkeys and mosquitos were known to be near. Neither was known to be friendly. Sleeping outside didn’t seem like a good idea. The other option was to skip sleep. The forest became quiet but the sound of our steps. Stars were multiplying in the sky. I pointed my phone's flashlight toward the stairs and occasionally through the darkness of the trees. Kieran…

One night Little Timmy was lying in bed. In the stillness of the night, a full moon slowly passed through the window, reflecting into Timmy’s tired eyes. Through the window, suddenly, a Terabasaur jumped inside the bedroom. Timmy screamed and wet his bed, “AHHHH what the fuck!” Terabasaur said, “muhahaha You look delicious boy!” Timmy said “fuck you! I’m not your boy.” An owl flew to the scene and perched by the window, “Whooo whooo. This doesn’t look goood.” What will Timmy dooo?” Terabasaur grabbed Timmy and tossed him in his mouth like a mint. Its tongue was gray, wet, and bumpy with tiny blades on the surface. Just as it was about to bite down, Timmy yelled through its yellow teeth, “eww gross! It stinks here. Don't you brush…