“You must be new,” he said in a smooth, yet husky voice. I nodded, not understanding what he was saying. “Well, you’re going to fit right in here with all those kids,” he pointed with his salty, savory-smelling hotdog, adorned with just the right amount of yellow mustard. “Yep, a lot of Asians around here.… Continue reading Say hello to Michael Jackson
Author: youngjung
Journaling daily to see where things lead.
Riding In Car With My Brother
Dad was leaving for work, and no, we couldn’t come. Both my younger brother and I quickly exchanged disappointed glances. That meant we would be left in the apartment by ourselves again. We couldn’t help but think that my older sister was the lucky one; she always got picked over us. In Korean, my dad… Continue reading Riding In Car With My Brother
FaceBook Friend Request
Every month or so, I receive a random request from strange men. Despite being a Gen X‘er, I still hang around on Facebook—no, we don’t call it Meta (take note, snarky tech bros). These random friend requests typically come from middle-aged men, somewhat handsome with their distinguishing grays, and always, it seems, widowed—forever without their… Continue reading FaceBook Friend Request
First Fight
“If you ask my husband what my only wish is, he’ll say it’s to eat whatever I want without gaining weight. But after pondering for a moment, I’ll know I have trained him well. Because above all, he knows that one of my dreams in life is to beat the shit out of someone. I’m… Continue reading First Fight
What’s in a Picture
Sometimes for fun, I enjoy blackmailing my friends with old pictures of us and threatening to leak them on social media. It would be more dramatic to say “Stop the presses!” but I don’t have that kind of power. In the 90s, disposable cameras were all the rage. You could find them while standing in… Continue reading What’s in a Picture
Lucky Dream?
On numerous occasions, my mother and father have regaled me with tales of lucky dreams. “If you ever see a pig in your dreams, that means you’re going to be rich or have good fortune,” they would say gleefully. These conversations often coincided with me watching The Cosby Show — yes, that show. Despite the… Continue reading Lucky Dream?
Tony Danza- My TV DAD
Everyone has that place when growing up; it’s like a secret bunker where you can escape from annoying siblings, nagging parents, or situations — like when you sneeze so hard your snot rockets reach your crush’s perfectly shaved head, marking him with your DNA. You don’t just die a little — oh no, you plummet… Continue reading Tony Danza- My TV DAD
Gijibae 기집애 (Saucy Girl)
No one knew I was molested as a child, not my family, not my oldest friends, or my boyfriend. I don’t know why I was compelled to tell the one person who potentially wanted to sleep with me. Looking back, we shared a secret language of unspoken expectations, and between us, he held the power.… Continue reading Gijibae 기집애 (Saucy Girl)
Angela
My uncle, my mother’s younger brother, immigrated to the United States when I was about 11 years old. Our uncle was always mistaken for my older brother as he looked youthful. His appearance didn’t resemble that of a middle-aged Korean man; he had huge eyes like a manga character, smooth skin, and cool wavy locks… Continue reading Angela
What not to wear- FOB addition!
When you’re fresh off the boat, no one tells you what to wear, but more importantly, no one tells you what not to wear. It wasn’t my parents’ top priority to ensure that I joined the glam squad or became one of the popular girls in school. Like many other parents, they were busy trying… Continue reading What not to wear- FOB addition!