Chinatowns

For New Year's we visited quite a few Chinatown's. Brooklyn, Philly, Boston. Travelling to another Chinatown kinda feels like travelling to an akternate universe. Like those movies where you change something in the past and that has consequences for your future. Like in Philly, the biggest Lion Dance club us the Philadelphia suns and it is run by a church. To make a Boston comparison, that would be like if Boston Chinese Evangelical Church had the largest Liin Dance troupe. See? Isn't it weird to play this game? Weird and fun right? There were other differences too. I wanted to do a post on the Chinatown Blog about it...but  feel like I dont have time to do something real formal...maybe I'll just share this post over. This post I am writing on my phone while waiting for my son's bus to come.

Parades

Well we did many a Chinese New Year event and parades, from Brooklyn to Philly to local NJ events. This weekend we will go into Boston as well. We will miss Manhattan, but honestly parking is so hard...maybe next year... and with a team.

Funny stories about fircrackers...I will tell you next time.

Chinese New Year's Eve

Chinese New Year kind if crept on me. I did a few events for it already. But the whole cleabibg the house and decorations thing was haphazard. I did what I could. I have valentines candy in a Chinese New Year candy dish. At least they are red colored. Hong baos shoukdnt be hard. And u did clean up a little. The problem is the house still has a lot of stuff and now us not the time to tackle it.

Tomorrow is no school. But I have to go to work. A neighbor offered to watch the kids, but what if my kids misbehave? Well I guess that's better than work right?

Writing a novel on your phone and other stuff

I tried writing a novel on my phone, and realized this was over zealous. I wrote one characters introduction twice. How can I write without seeing the words ftom my orevious post? I almost want to gi back to hand writing, though I know that will take even longer when editing.

And them I found several nivela I had written in their rough draft form. I read part of them to Noah and so so many mistakes. Perhaps tomorrow I will begin combing through these books while reading them aloud to him.

Recently my schedule does not involve much reading or writing. I cook clean and teach Kung Fu and practice a littke while watching the Condor Heroes... the 1983 version.

Teaching my kids is going to give me a stroke. I must make sure to make them do Kung Fu first... before anything else. If I let them play outside first they are all tired...if its homework first, the work just never gets done.

Also, now that they know a fighting form and a hand form its correction time.... which is si much harder than just showing moves. To teach a clear technique... maybe its just not worth it. Its worth it to show them but maybe not to demmand that level if performance.

I tried to show them something "easy" and of course Noah can just do it anyway, but Jonah sort of can, but then quickly loses patience.

I guess the key is just a little everyday... maybe even a little several times a day. 10 min. In the morning. 10 min after school, 10 min  befire dinner. But then its like pulling teeth and 10 min. Turns into 1 hour...

We'll see.

Chapter Three Haiku cookies

The girk spoke softly in the flickering light, from which fire or candle was the source was unclear. Old Xiong wanted to turn on the lights but the girl, who nire and more seemed to give off an aura not onky of mystery, but of something oerhaps nit quite right, had eyes on him. The stare seeme ti freeze him where he was. But the okd man laughed thinking "I am an ild man and this pretty young woman is staring at me. I am enjoying the experience. That is the onky reason why I am not getting up to turn on the light." So he spoke aloud, "Kara turn on the light." But Kara was enchanted to. And so had the sinking feeling one gets when your car  has lost control and is swerving into oncoming traffic.

He cleared his throat and looked at Kara.

"So....." said Kara trying ti save old Xiong face by speakibg first whike he played nysterious Sifu..  though perhaos this play acting woukd be useless against a womab whi comes to your hoyse apoearing out if the shadows at midnight. "What's your name?"

"I am the rightful warrior queen of the kingdom in the reflection of the moon on the lake."

"Errr... so we shoukd call you...." Old Xiong began..

Her eyes flashed copper...."Serena"

Chapter two: a girl selling cookies

One day a young sprite of a girl walked up through these tunnels andbrang the door. A boy and a girl guarding the door called from within as they trained wooden swords and cross bows on the visitor.

"Gwai sing dai ming!" What is your surname and what is your name!

"Serena, is what I am called." The girl answered without missing a beat. She coukd have been an old 13... or a young 30. She was hard to place. She looked young, but she had an air of immortal gravity about her. "I have no surname. I lost it."

The boy and the girl guards imagined she lost it in the tunnels or perhaps left it on the bus.

"Do you want us to help you find it?"

"In a way, yes." Said Serena. "I'm looking for the owner of the Phoenix sword. I have brought these cookies as a gift."

They boy and girl had no idea what that was, but they became very excited when they heard Serena talk about it. "Well this is the Dragon Phoenix school of healing arts.  So I think you have come to yhe right place. But we can't let you in because you are a stranger and you might be an adult. Are you an adult? Anyway, even if you aren't an adult you are a big kid and we don't know you so we have to get a grown up. Wait here....Old Xiong!!!! OLD XIONG!!!! There is a lady at the door, ir maybe a kid, but a big kid. She could be 13
and look old, or she could be 30. She has cookies. Can we have them?"

Old Xiong came running quickly on sock covered tiptoe.

They never got visitors. The houses were quite far away from each other and nobody ever went up to someone's door unnannounced. They would have sent a message ahead by some means or another.

Old Xiong looked at the girl woman. It was true, she could of been 13 or 30... but she had the severity of someone who was 300.

"How can I help you?"

The woman simply stepped into the house with such grace that Old Xiong could not bar her way.

" I brought these Haiku Crescent cookies... each cookie has a poem inside."

Old Xiong grabbed them. He was lax, and none of the 18 had allergies...in fact despite the possibility if it being somewhat disvriminatory he did not accomodate children with serious allergies.

But who knew what was in these things. The girl had them in a bag..." ok chikdren can take one home each when their parents pick them up."

"One each? There are only three here....whats wrong with you? Why are you so nervous?"

"I don't think parents woukd appreciate a stranger around their children."

"No problem, I'll come back tonight."

"Some of the older children sleep over."

"I will visit you in you dreams."

There was nothing flirtatious or joking about her manner. It was all business, which made Old Xiong think that hisnlast guess in age was the closest and that he was in the presence if an immortal, or perhaps a demon. She did not turn to leave, but instead walked further i to the house. Old Xiong followed her down the hall and lost her.

The 18 thought it was hillarious and played a game where they tried to find her.

Old Xiong called all the parents and suggested that they pick up their children. He believed there was a snake demon in the house.

It was Friday anyway and most parents picked up their kids, and some did not. They thought the snake demon woman sounded fantastic and asked if they coukd dress up as Snake demons as well.

Old Xiong's wife thoughtbhe was crazy anyway, and his sons thought that maybe he was on some scheme or something.

In any case. Old Xiong burned incense to Kwan Gung and readied himself to do batyle.wity evil spirits. He asked Kara to take out the oak sword and parctice Pik Che geem faht and the Hail Mary sword form. Old Xiong readied his one sword and suddenly the shadows flickered in the firelight and the girl.woman appeared.

"There are three of us now....take out the Haiky Cookies."