Monthly Archives: March 2018

Anita Shreve, I never got to meet her

A pop-up window flashed “Anita Shreve dies at 71″ while I was on FaceTime. Suddenly, I felt a pang of regret. I’m attending a major writing conference in Boston next week. I’ve moved to New England, where Shreve had set … Continue reading

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This time last year in California

We think in cycles, every full moon, every birthday, every St Patrick’s Day, every Valentine’s Day. This time last year, I was clearing the home of an 84-year old woman named Maureen. A sudden fall on 4th of July 2016 … Continue reading

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April 15: ex’s of evil in Texas

In my quest for songs to fit thematic jam sessions and repertoire for thematic concerts, I came across two things that perplex me. Axes of Evil and Exes of Evil. Maybe it’s a play on words, but it made me … Continue reading

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Culturally themed concert: from New Zealand to Hawaii

Music can transport you to another world, another place, another time, another feeling. Such was my motivation yesterday in South Boston and today in Brockton, Massachusetts when I gave a culturally themed concert to take my audience first to New … Continue reading

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The validity of student evaluations

Whoa! A new Slate article entitled “Student Evaluations Can’t Be Used to Assess Professors” caught my attention today. Research shows that it’s biased in favor of white, cisgender, American-born men. This could explain why my ex-colleague, a white alpha male … Continue reading

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The next essay

Since October 2017, I’ve been looking forward to writing an essay on “music and relationships” — a topic I’m not only intimately familiar with but also crave to research and write about. Yet, I procrastinate writing the first word. It’s … Continue reading

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Temptation of the tropics in winter

It’s been over a year since I last posted to my Maui blog for newcomers. I had long left and travelled to mainland USA and Europe, back and forth. However, every winter I experience withdrawal symptoms, that is, looking back … Continue reading

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