tinabot's Blog, page 3

Chinese Civilization Channel

There's so much free content on the internet, but only a small percentage of it is quality content. On YouTube, I found these excellent high definition videos about Chinese history and culture. I immediately began to fervently create a playlist based on it. Be warned, these videos are mostly in Chinese, but the Chinese Civilization Channel also has some programs in English. Either way, the images are beautiful and the traditional Chinese music enchanting.  I haven't seen all these videos yet, but when I feel like taking a trip to the East in the comfort of LA weather, I watch this YouTube channel and brush up on my Chinese.

Taiwanese American Mother's Day

Much of the inspiration for writing The Legend of Phoenix Mountain came from my parents, especially my mother who loves studying Asian history, culture, and language and has passed that passion on to me.
For Mother's Day, I offered to take my mom out to any restaurant she wanted, and she chose to have a nice, big, stench drenched block of stinky tofu stewing in its own fermenting juices. (Click on the image to link to How To Make Fried Stinky Tofu on E-How).

First Steps to Publishing My First Book

"What are you waiting for? A certain shade of green?" - Incubus

The Legend of Phoenix Mountain is a dream come true for me in so many ways. I've always wanted to write a book, and finally it's done. I've always looked forward to reading a story like this one, and so now it exists. I've dreamed of making an impact on the cultural landscape of humanity's literary and conceptual heritage, and here's a big first attempt. I planned to make some noise as an Asian American voice, and here's my first big shout.

Now I embark on a journey to publish and promote this debut book. Although I have high hopes for its reception, I know I'm in for a long haul of lonely hours sitting at promotion tables and days that go by without a copy sold. Positive or negative, I'm looking forward to people's responses and interpretations of what I've written. If no one loves it, I know at least I do, and above all, I hope that those who read it will find that it gave them something to think about. ^_^

-- tinabot