Writing eventually gets done and then it's time to send it out. You look up some possible markets in Writer's Digest magazines and Writer's Market. Then you sit back and wait. You know you sent it to the right newspaper and they won't accept multiple submissions so you abide by their rules. Within a week or so, you get a rejected letter from them. You start to despair and figure you will try others but this time you're not going to follows their rules. Why worry? If there are more than one editors who want it, then you will have a problem but it's unlikely that will happen.

Ever tried writing a children's story? That market seems to be changing quite a bit. I think it has a lot to do with illustrations today. When I was young, I could sit in an library, read some short fairytales (some with very few drawings) and be quite happy using my imagination as I drifted into another world. Stories like Cinderella and Snow White were so popular that today there are many different versions. That's okay but let's face it, nothing is ever as good as the original. That goes for everything.

Now that we write -- many of us feel that we need to get into a critique group so they can give us their take on what we wrote -- I've been doing this for many years -- and I've learned that it's best not to be a large group -- by that I mean no larger than 4 people. Otherwise, it drags on and on and on. And I think it's important to be with other writers who have been at this for the same length time as you only because there are so many wannabees that don't take it seriously. Most people are lonely and sees this as an opportunity to make friends, communicate and then nothing gets done -- this also wears on some writer's patience and that's not good. Writing is serious business and others should respect that --

Writing is not all that hard. It's getting published that is! It's amazing how everyone thinks they can teach and try to get you to take their class so they can give you information on how to write. One of my mentors once said to me that you need to find your own voice and I believe she is right. No two people write the same. A person can give you a subject matter, tell you to write about it and someone else will come up with something totally different than yours. We all have our own interpretations of things and that makes life interesting. Of course it might have something to do with life's experiences.

There are so many things to write about that interest me but I find that if I don't get it down on paper right away, it disappears. Sometimes the best ideas come late at night when I suddenly wake up and then I figure I'll remember and write about it when I get up -- but when I do get up in the morning a few hours later, I don't remember a thing. It's a complete blank and try as I may, I can't remember. That really is annoying! Memory is a funny thing. Then there are an incident from the past, maybe 20 or 30 years ago that I can envision and write about. The brain is a strange machine.

Chinese New Year -- Year of the Tiger --Most popular New Year's dish is Jai, or Monk's food. This dish originated with the Buddhist monks who were vegetarians who went begging door-to-door and were given meager portions of vegetables. From this, being inventive cooks, they came up with the delicious meatless dish. Jai is a play of Chinese words, especially those symbolizing good luck -- Fat Choy (hairlike seaweed) is wealth: Fun see (cellophane noodles) and Chin Ngee (fungus) is longevity; Foo jook (dried bean curd sheets) means blessing every household: Bak Ko (ginkgo nuts) means 100 Grandchildren. Ho see (dried oysters) means good tidings and successful business. Gum Choy (dried flower) means gold and good luck and Hua Sing (peanut) means deceased ancestors. Candied preserved fruit and vegetables together with melon seeds are symbolic of Chinese New Year and signify something -- melon seeds mean many children: and the long vines of squash and melon mean a long line of descendants; lotus seeds means production of sons; carrots, tangerines, kumquats are also prized because, also being round and golden, they signify prosperity-"kum or gum" in Chinese means gold thus golden wealth. Coconuts are hopes for a strong relationship between father and son.

Walking around Vancouver Chinatown was an adventure in itself when I was a child. I remember the first time I went with Dad to pick up something to cook for dinner. In front of a Chinese poultry store we stared at all the fresh chickens stacked in boxes one on top of the other. I grimaced and said, "Dad, what is that smell? It stinks." He laughed, "That's the way it is." He grabbed my hand and dragged me inside the store. Aroma wasn't any better inside either but fresh fish swimming around in a large fish tank got my attention. Distracted, Dad told the butcher, "Get me one of the chickens outside, just make sure you clean and feather it good, rinse it too." He returned a few moments later with a squawking bird, wiped his hands on his apron, and right in front of me, slit it's throat. Blood spurted out all over his already filthy blood-stained apron. The bird's head went down, going limp in his hands. I recoiled, "Ugh, that's horrible! I can't stand the sight of blood." Then Dad pointed to a large rockcod and the butcher used a mesh net to pull it out. He placed the squirming fish on the same chopping block and hit it hard with the flat side of his cleaver to kill it. The fish stopped struggling and then the butcher proceeded to clean it before handing it to Dad.