It was as though time had been frozen here since 1992 — the year I moved off to college. My parents left my childhood belongings virtually untouched for 30 years. For 30 years, I could go home to Irvine at any time (yes, I always referred to it as “going home”), peek into my bedroom,… Read More The Hardest Decision I Ever Had to Make
While cleaning out my parents’ house, I found this letter my mom sent from Taiwan to my dad in the US almost exactly 43 years ago, down to the day …
It’s been over two years since my mom died, and I’m still baffled — literally baffled — by the things I end up finding meaning in. Someone offered to take my mom’s bedroom set today. This kitschy retro-looking rattan-like (but not actual rattan) dresser, chest, and headboard: I never expected that someone would actually want… Read More The Meanings We Find …
At 7:36 pm tonight — roughly an hour from when I’m writing this — it’ll have been two years since you died. I’m running out of things to write about you, but I still think about you every day. Every day, I walk by these photos sitting in our living room. And every day, I… Read More Two Years
Every time I’ve performed as part of Nightmare, I wonder what my mom would have thought of it.
I think she would’ve gotten a kick out of Nightmare. She was never into rock or pop music, but the sheer theatrics we put on — yeah, I’m pretty sure she would’ve enjoyed that.… Read More Something Bittersweet
I came across this photo last summer, when we were cleaning out my parents’ house … The only information I have on the photo is the date printed at the bottom — 7/17/2011. Aside from that, I have no idea where this was taken, or who the people with my mom are. Still, I really… Read More Random Photo, Random Thoughts
Happy birthday, mom. I still think about you every day.… Read More Happy Birthday, Mom
My mom died one year ago today.… Read More Waves of Sadness
Today is the one-year anniversary of my mom’s death.… Read More One Year … sort of
This album is more for me than anyone else. It certainly isn’t for my mom, as she never liked being the center of attention. And it certainly isn’t for anyone out there on the internet, as these photos will undoubtedly mean nothing to you (though it would mean something to me if you actually looked at it).
Yet, for me, something about the idea of putting these photos out there, in public view, on an internet notorious for things being impossible to delete off of …
It’s like a form of security.… Read More Memories with Mom
For my mom’s part, I know she was just happy that I was excited. I guess it makes sense now that I’ve realized how much dancing was a part of her entire life.… Read More Like Mother, Like Son
Ultimately, we chose to depend on each other. In the same way that partners in an arranged marriage can choose to love each other and become a family, we chose to love each other as well. We were arranged as a Marriage and Family Therapy cohort, but we chose to become a family.… Read More An Arranged Marriage …
Anyone who’s been to my parents’ house in Irvine knows about my mom’s fruit garden. Over the course of the 34 years she lived in that house, she slowly transformed a tiny stamped concrete-laden OC tract home back yard into a trove of exotic fruit trees — everything from apples and oranges to starfruit, guava,… Read More My Mom Was Dr. Frankenstein
I was a mama’s boy. For literally my entire life, my mom and I were super-close, and it started partially from necessity. When I was two years old, my dad left Taiwan to pursue a new opportunity for us in the United States. The only snafu was that it took more than three years before… Read More Nobody to Everybody Else
I love this video from January 2015, when my dad was just starting his recovery from his aneurysm. It was a rare moment of affection and playfulness from my parents. The parallels between my mom and my dad were uncanny. Both suffered mysterious and catastrophic ailments that left them completely incapacitated and in the hospital… Read More Parallels
After my mom’s passing, Melissa and I went up to Irvine last weekend and dug through some old photo albums. Here’s a set I found from a particularly special day on January 2, 1971. Mom, I wish it had occurred to me to dig these up and post them while you were still around. I… Read More Mom and Dad’s Wedding
You hung in there for over a year, which is pretty impressive in itself. But I guess we all knew how this was going to end. I don’t know where you’ve been for the past 14 months, but I hope you’re finally at peace now. I’m touched that you waited until I submitted my last… Read More Farewell, Mom
Yesterday was exactly one year that my mom has been in a persistent vegetative state. I was drained by the end of the day, but that was more due to school than anything with my mom. I did tear up a bit at one point. But here’s the weird thing … I didn’t cry about… Read More Haunted
Hey, mom. Hi. Hey. Where are you? It’s been a year now. Do you even realize that? It was one year ago today that you decided to take a break from … well, breathing. Fortunately, the doctors were able to get your heart beating again. Unfortunately, doctors still have no idea what happened. And worst… Read More One Year …
One day soon, we’ll have to leave the older sibling in Irvine, to be cared for — and hopefully, not chopped down — by a new family.
But not Elsa. One day soon, I hope we’ll find Elsa the Wax Fruit Tree a permanent home where we can spend many years together.… Read More Meet Elsa the Wax Fruit Tree
Dennis Hong's Attic 