I started this blog because I had nothing on my resume. I’ve always been passionate about writing, and so it seemed like an obvious step: I was in grad school,…
I recently posted about why it is so impressive when foreigners read Chinese literature, and have received a few responses asking for a list of recommended material. I admit I…
Credentials are constantly undergoing a Spanish Inquisition. SAT’s, graduate school, the Western literary canon, gap years, travel, the nuclear family, and internships are all subject to the flux and flow…
First of all, apologies to any dedicated readers that I was absent this past month. I passed my thesis defense and am now considering how to send the project to…
I have just finished rereading Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes and ‘Tis, which I last read in early teenage years. I see now how then I could not begin to appreciate…
As the masthead to the blog testifies, I have a soft spot for Chinese graffiti. Something about the rebelliousness and angst in an otherwise monochromatic-feeling country is something I can…
As the days rapidly warm and the blossoms show their fair faces on the streets Nanjing, I’ve had the great outdoors on my mind. In the past few weeks, I’ve…
Benjamin Barber wrote a piece in 1992 that later became a book, titled Jihad vs. McWorld. Its basic tenet is that the world is comprised of two main competing axioms:…
A Chinese person asking me if I’m used to using chopsticks and eating Chinese food has always been a sure way to tick me off, especially if that conversation is…
For the most part, I’m used to having censored internet. As long as I can sign into my VPN to browse Facebook and BBC news, I don’t have much to…
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