pigmentia

Hefei is a small city by Chinese standards (4,789,000 compared to Boston’s 589,000) in Anhui Province in China.  That's where Ken's grandparents have been living for the past decade and a half, when the University of Science and Technology invited Ken's grandfather to help expand their chemistry department (to include free radicals) as something equivalent to a professor emeritus.   The stay in China this past week was a short one, but it took a lot of preparation and the actual journey to... Read Full Story

There are so many baby products out there that it's really hard to know what to spend your money on.  I've wasted a few bucks buying the wrong stuff.  Four and a half months into my job as a mom now, I have a better idea of what I like. Baby Carrier – ERGOBaby .  My husband really likes the Moby Wrap, but I like the convenience and comfort of the ERGOBaby.  It's a bit pricey, ranging from $105 to $120, not including the infant insert, but the comfort and good craftsmanship is well-worth it... Read Full Story

Loki passed away suddenly yesterday from what I gather was a stroke and subsequent cardiac arrest.  I just want to take a moment to remember him while it's peaceful in the house. I adopted him in April 1997 with his brother Apollo, an orange tabby, when I was living in Tokyo.  He was born to an English mother and a Japanese father.  The mother was owned by an English family who let her roam about the streets of Tokyo unspayed and later returned with her to England right after she had her... Read Full Story

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis My rating: 5 of 5 stars I saw the movie starring Sandra Bullock first and loved her in it, and MONEYBALL has been sitting on my to-read list for a couple of years now. When I found out that the movie was actually based on a Michael Lewis book, I decided to read THE BLIND SIDE. I'm glad I did. The book is far superior to the movie, which is a bit too sentimental in hindsight. Michael Lewis is a wonderful writer. At times his prose is so... Read Full Story

The little one had her first encounter with the swimming pool today.  That didn't go so well.  She did not like the feel of the water.  I'm hoping to try again on a ninety-degree day. My friend and I brought our babies into the water and struck up a conversation with two other mothers with young babies.  We exchanged the usual platitudes and ages of our respective babies. Then, one of the other moms suddenly asked my friend if she's breastfeeding her baby, to which she replied she did, but... Read Full Story

Earlier in the day, I posted a link in Facebook to the article "Rent a White Guy" from The Atlantic Magazine, and I just want to clarify a few things.  I didn't post it to show people that the Chinese are evil and dishonest.  The Western press has already done enough of that since the beginning of the Cold War.  I didn't post it to reaffirm stereotypes about China. Yes, there are some very dishonest Chinese businesses out there, but, gosh, people, please look beyond the obvious.  Was this... Read Full Story

I've come to the conclusion that I really dislike the term Asian-American, and I will, from now on, refrain from saying it personally.  I won't be offended by others who use it (especially those who simply aren't knowledgeable enough to tell the different ethnic groups apart), and I will only get annoyed at first-generation, American-born and/or raised Chinese who are talking about something specifically Chinese but apply it to all Asians. Because they should know better. Asian-American-ness... Read Full Story

Esther was born one week ago, ten days before her due date, immediately after the two-week celebration of Chinese New Year for the Year of the Tiger and, coincidentally, immediately after the Jewish holiday Purim in honor of her namesake, who saved her people on the brink of genocide. You'd be right if you guessed that Ken and I are not Jewish, but we like the Old Testament story.  It may not be obvious at first, but persons of Chinese descent are similar to the Jewish diaspora the world over... Read Full Story

I liked the Andrew Sullivan open letter to George W. Bush in the October issue of The Atlantic. I would not consider myself a Bush fan, and I don't agree with the idea of torture. But I was really surprised to find that many people really seem to think that torture was never condoned by previous US presidents. Can we really naively believe that torture was unknown to the CIA during the Cold War under the administration of our beloved JFK? One reader wrote in a letter to the editor, published... Read Full Story

What's Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life by Lise Eliot My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is probably the most useful child development book I've read. I now have a much better understanding of the physical limits of a child's brain at different stages. Also helpful are the motor milestones to look for in case early intervention is needed. View all my reviews >> Read Full Story