Sunset at Newport Beach

Beautiful sunset, when the world looks perfect and filled with new promises...

Gutenberg Window in Denison Library at Scripps College

In a college dedicated to the formation of women, there is this giant stained glass window -- beautiful, glorious, multifaceted -- and the two central figures are male: Gutenberg and Ben Franklin.

Irony.

The theme centers around an inscription: "Dedicated to the greater wisdom of women."

Tan Le on TED

: http://on.ted.com/AiOu

Finding Our Spaces: Niebuhr House

Welcome to the Niebuhr House. It's not really anything so formal, but I like calling it the Niebuhr House to remind myself that back in the early 1900s, a smart, old German theologian lived in my house. He is long dead and buried, but I suspect his spirit lives on somewhere nearby.

We make such commotion about what a space is called, don't we? The space in this little three bedroom house where we do our office work, where I sit writing this blogpost, isn't called the "office" but is the "study". When Richard Niebuhr was here, this was called the "pastor's study."

I find myself incapable of thinking about writing any poetry seriously if I don't have pen and paper in front of me -- so this typing is not really writing but merely white noise, to keep my head occupied while I (and my parents and the whole world) wait for the real genius to appear.


I won't bore you with the details of our laborious journey/move into this quaint little abode, but suffice it to say, while here, I feel - like goosebumps on my skin - as if I need to be, daily, just as industrious and diligent as I assume the dear Rev. would want me to be if he were still alive. I must say smart things, entertain intelligentsia, behave like an educated young lady. Richard N would probably frown on my watching I Love Lucy reruns and Food Network food challenges. I should be watching Rachel Maddow and browsing TED Talk clips and reading the Bible front to back everyday.

So while I am incapable of following in the footsteps or living up to the namesake of this house, I endeavor in my own ordinary way to make a difference.


I've started collaborating on a fantastic online journal, Cedars, which is a virtual space for excellent fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. It is a gathering place, at once similar to but different from the Niebuhr House. Nonetheless, I imagine myself immersed at the foci of creative processes. How lucky am I to participate actively instead of being a spectator (oh, Parker Palmer, wouldn't you be proud to hear that I remember your words of wisdom when you last visited Washington University?)! 

Where is your space for creative thinking, inspiration, and rejuvenation?

Cedars, an Online Literary Journal, goes .com

One of the most powerful ways we can change the communities in which we live, and the world which we inhabit, is through the power of words. Ordinarily, I forget that I (and you and we together) have immense capacity for making good, for wielding this power for the greater benefit of all. So, a little while ago, I was lucky enough, and still feel so, to have been invited to join the editorial team of Cedars, an Online Literary Journal of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Telling myself not to feel and act like a complete incompetent, I signed on and we are now looking at a fantastic second issue that is forthcoming at the end of this month.

For me, Cedars is a sustainable community and virtual space that pays homage to words and language, to our love of words, as well as the human tendency to grapple with the power of words -- for good or evil. We make a space for words to be written, spoken, seen, performed, lived, morphed, inverted, subverted, contorted -- and through that space, we slowly become change-agents for a sustainable world. At least, that is my hope.

Check us out at:  http://www.cedarsmag.com/

Feasting with Dragons: Dragon Party 2012

(Dragon Cake by Cakemaster Roger Bridgewater)

In true Tran Clan fashion, we decided to celebrate the Year of the Dragon by throwing a Dragon Party.

I handmade some invitations, complete with Borgia maps and dragons, and distributed them to some old and new friends in the area. We debated whether or not to extend interstate invitations, but decided in the end that it was quite too far for our friends to travel -- even with the tempting offer of dancing with Dragons.

For this party, we had 3 live dragons in attendance (2 Water Dragons and 1 Fire Dragon). I quickly realized that, being the only Goat, I was the youngest zodiac animal to be present in the Lair on this auspicious occasion,  but unfortunately, I did not receive any lucky Li Xi envelopes. Alas...

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A 10-course menu of dragon hors d'oeuvres was presented under the leadership of Chef Mai Le of the Tran Clan. Off the top of my head, the menu included:

Dragon's Hair Salad with Dragon Scales:
Sturgeon salad with prawn chips as scoops

Dragon-in-the-Forest Roll:
Shrimp and pork, bean sprouts, fresh mint, butter lettuce, and  vermicelli wrapped in rice paper, dipped in spicy peanut sauce

Dragon's Bait, Steamed and Stuffed:
Baby eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash steamed and stuffed with pork and shrimp

Dragon on a Stake: Grilled shrimp on sugar cane sticks, with sweet and spicy pineapple sauce

The *hit* for the evening were the Rolled Dragons (grilled beef rolled in perilla leaves).

Dragon drinks and flavors were tested 2 weeks in advance (we have never had so much liquor in the house except for this Dragon fest!). On the night when the drinks were served, the most popular was the Sister's twist on the Dragon's Bite, featuring lychee syrup and Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum, and the Tran Clan's version of Dragon's Blood Punch. Also available were: Flying Dragon, White Dragon, Dragon Slayer, and a tamed version of Dragon's Fire. Although I came up with a fantastic concoction for Dragon's Snot, no one ventured to try it. Wonder why? (I left out the absinthe so that might have been the reason...?) 

The special guest, as you might have guessed, was the Dragon Cake, which was commissioned by one Dr. DN. The cakemaster was our very dear Roger Bridgewater of Bridgewater Bakery [if you live in the STL area and want cakes, let me know because I would be happy to send a reference -- you won't regret it].

From the moment the guests walked in the door, Dragon was the topic of conversation. You can see only some of the details from the photos, but trust me when I say that the Dragon took center stage. Complete with golden tiara and golden wings (edible!!), Dragon graced our makeshift Dragon's Lair with serenity if not indifference. Chef Bridgewater took about a month to design the Dragon, and actual work began on the Tuesday before the Dragon Party. Chocolate and buttercream, with gum paste fangs, Dragon was truly a magnificent guest of honor -- which we carved up into delightful slices at the end of the evening. It was the best way to end the night: Chocolate Dragon cake served with juicy red strawberries. Delightfully sinful. Welcome to Year of the Dragon.