Kampung Kreepy

    Bones and All is a gem of a movie that I recently caught on Netflix. I don’t remember any hype around it, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I suppose it can be called a horror movie. It certainly has horror elements.  More importantly for me, it has heart and soul, and great ensemble acting.  The movie, set in the late 1980s, centers around a teenager named Maren. She’s been sheltered all her life by her strict father. He closely monitors her activities and locks her in her bedroom at night.   One evening, Maren sneaks out to a sleepover hosted by one of her high school friends. There, we find out the reason for her dad’s behavior when she gives in to her cannibalistic urges. She runs home and tells him what happened, and the pair flee out of town.  It turns out that Maren has been hungry for human flesh all her life. Her father abandons her in a new town, telling her she has to fend for herself from now on. He leaves a tape explaining ...

Happy Groundhog Day!  Today, Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, predicting that there will be six more weeks of winter. Being an author of urban fantasy based on Asian folklore, I thought it would be fun to explore Chinese proverbs and folk beliefs to see which animals were traditionally relied upon to forecast the weather. Many of such proverbs concern rain, which isn’t surprising given the importance of farming in ancient China. Abundant rainfall was the key to survival.  Would you rely on these old sayings?    When dragonflies fly low, that means rains or high winds are on the way.       When ants move to a new home or snakes cross the road, it’s a sure bet that heavy rain is coming. When spiders repair their webs, that means the rain is ending and the sun will return.         The louder the frogs, the heavier the rain.       When cats wash their faces, the rain is soon to follow.   ...