Joe always makes me happy!

Just a whiff of Joe and instantly I am transported to a good place. I feel equally mellowed out and elated, ready to take on anything. I’m talking about coffee, of course. A cup of fresh brewed coffee made from fragrant roasted beans, with just a touch of frothy hot milk, always puts me in a good mood. I know people, including my son, B, who don’t drink coffee. B can’t because it gives him headaches. I look upon him pityingly, because although I feel for him when he needs caffeine, life just isn’t quite worth living without coffee.

Navigating old age with my friends

Recently, when I was on a visit to Shanghai, I seemed to see lots of old ladies out on the streets, taking a stroll together, stopping to chat, or just hanging out. Maybe it was the time of year, at the end of summer when there was a nip in the air and everyone seemed to want to catch the last warming rays of the sun. Or maybe it was just me, being acutely conscious of my impending old age and wondering who was going to be around to make the journey with me through our senior years.

Michelle Obama made me cry

Sticks and stones, and words, hurt.

This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever written. I knew I would write on this subject one day, but I kept putting it off. I dealt with the issue a long time ago but I’ve never addressed it in words like this. What pushed me to write today was watching Michelle Obama give her speech in New Hampshire. In tackling Donald Trump’s abuse of women, her speech resonated with millions of women, not just in the United States. And it struck a chord with me, in a very personal, visceral way. You see, I was once abused myself, physically and emotionally, and kept quiet about it for a long time.

Leftover at 27?

You would think that in this, the seventeenth year of the new millennium when the United States will soon decide on whether they get their first female president, strong, independent, smart and successful women can choose to live their lives on their own terms. But in the largest country in the world, any Chinese woman over the age of 27 who is still single is referred to as sheng nu, or leftover woman. With all the rights that women everywhere have fought so hard for and won, it’s disheartening that so much of society still thinks that if you’re not married, you’re doing something wrong.

Baked BBQ Baby Back Ribs

I used to make a stop at Tony Roma’s, just for their baby back ribs. Juicy, succulent, meat falling off the bone. With just the right hint of smokiness and sweetness. Enjoyed together with their signature coleslaw and corn, it was bbq heaven. While beef ribs are easily available where I live, I used to salivate at the thought of baby backs, which weren’t so readily available. So I was delighted when I saw them at the butchers, and trawled through recipes to find one that would do them justice.