The Lost City Revisited
Standing in post-Katrina New Orleans, where America’s disregard for the commonweal resulted in anarchy, destruction, suffering, and death, it’s easy to imagine that a similar fate might befall the entire nation.
A Gypsy Turns 30 in the Grey City
Whether by birth or force of habit, a gypsy is what I am. I roam the vast plains of existence, following the herd of new experiences that sustains life. When all that remains are bones, I move on.
20.4 Hours in Hong Kong
I read some Murakami and imagine myself as a character in one of his novels whose entire life consists of circling the streets of Kowloon around the Chunking Mansions, forever living and sleeping and dreaming and shitting in a room just large enough to house his frame and a small collection of items.
The Shit List (China Edition)
The clinical description of traveler's diarrhea is “three or more unformed stools in 24 hours, commonly accompanied by abdominal cramps, nausea, and bloating.” Practically speaking, it means you find yourself at the Great Wall of China about to shit your pants.
The Ghost of Bipin Kumar
Nearly 100 years ago my ancestors, like Bipin Kumar, came to New York seeking a better life. Now I, the great grandchild of immigrants, am looking to leave America. While mostly due to my own search for greener pastures, my flight can also be attributed to the collective American unconsciousness weighing too heavily upon me.
The Morning Lobotomy
Each laugh I hear is a battle cry, announcing, “The world hasn’t broken me yet.” But on some days laughter isn’t enough, so I decide to howl instead. I rear back, begin to bellow like a beast...and then they come for me, drag me away kicking and screaming. A blow to the head and my world goes black…
Denver to Salt Lake by Bus
Went West with dust of haunted dreams in my blood. Stopped just short of where white caps crash against the sky. In Denver, just to get away, because I have to get away from something, just to kill some time, because I have to kill something.
Close Encounters of the Transgendered Kind
Any man with half a libido and a shred of honesty will admit, if only privately, that he’s put to himself the question of whether he’d get down with a shemale. Tonight, Seth and I face this moment of sexual truth together.
Expat Adventures in Neverland
While it’s difficult say when, exactly, one goes from being a Lost Boy of China to a Dirty Old Man of China, it’s easy to tell the difference. One remains a child at heart. The other could very well support child prostitution.
