Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I was born in Hong Kong and I immigrated to Vancouver, BC, CANADA when I was 15. It plays a BIG role in how I write and what I write. I like to write about culture, sub-culture... different cultures. I love to learn and experience different things. I love to take photos and watch movies in foreign language. I appreciate arts from different cultural background. I love to write about little things that show big impacts.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I love Children's Storybooks because we all learn to read by reading a Children's story somewhere. Perhaps my favorite one is probably one that my mom made it up for me about two cats -- the "black" and the "white". They fight for their food and they end up with no food. Teaching a little morale on "no fighting and be considerate" for the best outcome -- peace and harmony. Most of my childhood stories are based on Chinese cultural value and customs. There are so many of those and I can read them all day long to learn about historic people, places, failures and triumphs. With all these Chinese cultural stories and my Western education, I always think about topics on: "east meets west", "global culture" and "multiculturalism".
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