Skip to main content

Care packages

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.29.2006

Blog book giveaway:
My Monday book giveaway is THE REMEDY FOR REGRET and A WINDOW TO THE WORLD by Susan Meissner.
My Thursday book giveaway is MOTHER OF PREVENTION by Lori Copeland.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Monday, I'll draw the winner for Susan Meissner's books and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

Care packages: I am one lucky girl. I don't know if it's just my parents, or if it's all Asian parents, or if it's parents in general, but my folks send me care packages all the time. It's just like college.

A few weeks ago, my dad sent my husband a case of home-made beer. Porter stout. Yesterday, I got a huge box filled with Styrofoam chips and three packages of taro chips, because they know it's hard for me to find those here in my area.

I admit, occasionally call home and ask for something. A few weeks ago, I asked Mom for any Asian-y jewelry she doesn't wear that I could wear for writers conferences. (She owns TONS of nice jewelry but rarely wears any of it, so I didn't feel too bad about asking.) She sent me some really nice vintage pieces that will crop up at RWA National and ACFW in Dallas.

Any of you still get care packages?

Technorati: Okay, here is something that's probably only cool to me. I'm checking my stats and find that if you plug in the keyword "Asian" in Technorati, my blog is the 12th one listed. That's pretty cool! Especially because I'm still sharing Google space with that Hong Kong singer Camy Tang.

TMI:

Writing: Going slow. Please pray I can write FASTER and be more efficient. I am really blessed by all the writing friends who have emailed me to encourage me, especially now with the pressure and stress of a contract. I'm not complaining (Robin), but I would like to be a better writer.

Diet: I'm trying a new addition to my eating habits. Before, I was concentrating a lot on eating vegetables with every meal and controlling total calorie intake. Now I'm going to try to do 300-350 calorie meals every 2-3 hours and see how that works out.

If you're also wanting some support in your weight loss (and obviously you're not going to get that here, cuz all I do is complain), head over to Rhonda Gibson's blog A New Day Begins Here. We're weighing in and being encouraging. However, if you'd like to continue the course of whine and cheese, tune back here tomorrow.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Sounds like fun. I'd love to get a care package, but it's too expensive to ship them to Japan from the States. Enjoy your goodies!
Kassiani said…
LOL...maybe Asian-American parents...over here though, we are expected to take care of our parents once we cease to become dependents.

And now it hit me...why your name sounded so familiar - the 'Tang' part at least. I only knew that Camy Tang as Tang Chui Ha...LOL
Yes, I still get care packages from my parents, which is funny because they only live 5 minutes away! It was quite convenient when I was first starting out so that I could "shop" at their house before ever setting foot in a grocery store.
Domino said…
Hi Camy,

I accepted the four things challenge at lauradomino.blogspot.com. I'm like you in the food department. I really enjoy eating. Especially because my husband is talented in the kitchen.

No, I don't get care packages. My mom shares her clothes now that she's lost a lot of weight. I get her "fat" clothes. Gee, thanks. Actually, I'm thankful - because they're nice clothes.

Keep writing! I'll be bugging my bookstores for your books soon. Right?
Camy Tang said…
Now here's one thing I've noticed about American Asian parents--they
resist being taken care of until they're so completely unable to care
for themselves that they're forgetting to take medication and falling
down and hurting themselves or setting their stove on fire, stuff like
that. Isn't that a switch from Asia Asian parents?

Camy
Anonymous said…
Well, I don't know if the latter part is just a switch from Asia Asian parents. I know my mother was definitely in denial about her Alzheimer's. Most older people seem to still feel the need for independence. Maybe until now, Asia Asian women have rarely had that sense of independence. They were always in the family. They never went out to work, though I don't really know what that is like now. But it seems to me the whole social structure was completely different from the more Western-style one.

I thought I'd alert you to the other Christian writer I know and whose blog I enjoy. She's doing a First Place book called "Everyday Victory for Everyday People" and deals with the same problems you've been discussing today. She's a published writer but seems to have rather few people at her blog. See what you think.

She began that blog with "Do any of you struggle with healthy eating or maintaining an exercise program?" I personnally don't have a "weight" problem as such unless it's that I weigh less than I should. But I know I'm not eating healthy if I'm skipping meals, forgetting to eat, don't feel like eating, get IBS. Maybe all of us can even get together and make this work or at least try to.

Her blog is a little more difficult to navigate but this particular entry is at http://bensonink.com/2006/03/30/first-place/

I see that you've got the Breast Cancer Site link up. I go there daily and click on all the different ecological or humanity- oriented sites (only 6). I have never gotten any e-mail from them. I mention this in particular because I also tried the ...2care site. I got so fed up with the e-mails I got. There was no place to unsubscribe. So now I have it blacklisted and don't go there anymore though they have one site, for battered women, that is important to me.

This group of 6 sites lets you click and shows you other ways you can contribute by buying products but you are never harrassed. I really am in favor of that.
Danica Favorite said…
Sadly, no care packages for me. Yours sound good, though. :)
Anonymous said…
Oh, yes, the topic was care packages. I rarely get any sent to me. However, when my sister comes she sometimes brings me some of my favorite foods: spare-ribs, red cabbage, Empire cookies, and French Creme candies (Christmas only). Seeing that I'm such a wonderful cook, I'll even take leftovers.

Popular Posts

Lavender hand lotion

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.05.2009 I have to tell you, I LOVE Etsy.com ! Etsy is dedicated to providing a marketplace for people who like to make handmade products and people who appreciate them (and buy them). It has everything from handmade gifts (like my mom’s Bucilla Christmas stockings and ornaments and tree skirts and wall hangings and … well, just click here to see what she has! ) to soaps and lotions and jewelry and knitted items and hand-painted yarn and ... I could surf that website for DAYS. Anyway, lately I’ve been concerned about the lead content in my lotions, especially since I’m using them more now that it’s turned colder and drier here in California. I have to use lotion on my hands everytime after I wash them. So I went onto Etsy and searched for organic hand lotions, and bought this lavender lotion from Lue Cosmetics . What was really nice is that the owner, Jane, sent me a direct message via Etsy right after I made the purchase to ask if I’d received it yet and ...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

Writing Goals for 2007

Captain’s Log, Supplemental I considered cheating on my goals for this year, but decided I was being a wimp. So here they are: Here are the goals required by my contract: Book 3 in the series marketing info sheet due March 15th Book 3 manuscript due June 1st Book 1 substantive/line edits due sometime in Jan/Feb Book 1 galleys due sometime after that Book 2 macro edits due sometime in Spring? Book 2 substantive/line edits due, I’m guessing in Summer. Book 3 macro edits due sometime in October, I’m guessing Dang, laid out like that, looks like I’ll be busy. Here are my personal writing goals: Long-term goals: --Complete two manuscripts and a novella by December 31st, 2007 (I have to write the two manuscripts, but I’m trying to push myself and write a third project. I chose a novella since it’s easier than a full novel.) Short-term goals: --Write a short story this year (I keep putting it off because I’m such a perfectionist about it! I think I’ve got to get just the right plot, etc. bef...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...