I thought this man had long ago drained everything from my heart. But now something strong and bitter flowed and made me feel another emptiness in a place I didn't know was there. I cursed this man aloud so he could hear. You had dog eyes. You jumped and followed whoever called you. Now you chase your own tail.

Chance is the first step you take, luck is what comes afterward.

Why do you have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then why don't you learn to play chess." - Ch. 5

Clichés are static, the emotion behind them long spent. If you are tempted to use them, here is a saying of my mother’s: Fang pi bu-cho, cho pi bu-fang. Basically that translates to: "Loud farts don’t stink, and the really smelly ones don’t make a sound." In other words: When you’re full of beans, you just blow a lot of hot air. If you want to have a real impact, be deadly but silent. Oh, also recognize the difference between a bad cliché and a good quotation. My mother’s saying is a good quotation. You should use it often.

I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them.

I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these things do not mix?

A mother is always the beggining. She is how things begin.