fact or fiction

Is it a fact or is it merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores relationship myths and truths to get your head out of the clouds and back into romantic reality.

When Relatives Belittle Your Child at the Dinner Table, Don’t Fight Back. Do This Instead.
During National Day, the lunch table back home is crowded. Grandma brings out a pot of chicken soup. Oil beads tremble at the edge of the bowl. Uncle tears open disposable cups. The cola bottle sits on the lazy Susan, turns half a circle, and stops. Your child sits beside you, clutching a phone. The screen shows an unfinished game. He just came in and hasn’t greeted anyone yet.
By Jin15 days ago in Humans
Lies
This is a dialogue between me and two cats, Mrs P. and Hoovercat. Hoovercat got its name because it usually hoovers up all the treats after scaring off Mrs P.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 16 days ago in Humans
The Art of Self-Love
When you begin to enjoy being with yourself, the whole world wants to be with you and learn to love with you. You can love yourself in many ways; when you look at it from a higher perspective, everything offers an opportunity to love yourself.
By Emily Chan - Life and love sharing16 days ago in Humans
I Used to Think Love Was Enough. Then I Watched How He Fought.
At 1 a.m., there was a broken bowl on the kitchen floor. She squatted to pick up the pieces. A shard cut her finger. From the living room, he said, “Someone like you deserves to be alone.”
By Jin16 days ago in Humans
I Stopped Chasing Friends Who Only Call When They Need Something
There are eight hundred people in your phone. At midnight, you can call maybe two. You stare at the screen, scroll, lock it, and go to the kitchen for water. The glass is dirty. The water is cold. You drink two sips, think about work, and go to bed.
By Jin17 days ago in Humans
I Stopped Listening to What People Say. These 3 Silent Signs Tell Me Who They Really Are
To read people, don’t only watch them at the conference table. At the table there are lights, topics, and other people’s eyes. Watch them waiting for the elevator. Watch them after they laugh. Watch the half-second before they speak.
By Jin17 days ago in Humans
We Call It Drama, Then a Joke, Then Just Aging
The elevator reached the seventeenth floor and stopped. A man in his early fifties came in, gray jacket, carrying two bags of groceries. Behind him was a man in work clothes, a badge clipped to his chest. The gray jacket said his son was acting up again, saying he was stressed and couldn't sleep. The work-clothes man laughed and said, Don't worry, big brother. Wait till he's my age. It'll be fine. You're almost free anyway. The female colleague next to him added, Kids today aren't like us back then. They're a bit dramatic.
By Jin17 days ago in Humans
The Most Memorable Gifts Are the Least Practical
My friend Lin keeps an empty tea tin on her desk. The label has faded. It once held jasmine tea. She has a cupboard full of tea and does not drink this one. Someone remembered she liked jasmine. In her kitchen there is rice. She does not remember who gave it.
By Jin18 days ago in Humans
The Only Thing That Makes an Ex Look Twice After They’ve Left
She sent thirty-seven messages. The last one went out at 2:09 a.m. It said, “I’ll change. I really will. This time I’ll change.” She stared at the screen for forty minutes. The chat stayed quiet. She slid the phone under her pillow. Three minutes later, she pulled it back out. Nothing. The next morning at seven, she saw that at 3:01 a.m. he had liked a mutual friend’s photo of a cat.
By Jin18 days ago in Humans
Is Work More Important Than Me?
The wind at Houhai blew her hair across her face. She didn’t push it away. She stared at him. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Once, twice, three times. He took it out. On the screen: “Project group @everyone.” He muted it. The screen stayed lit.
By Jin18 days ago in Humans
I Stopped Looking for Grand Romantic Gestures. Then I Noticed the Grapes.
She worked overtime until ten. Her phone was dead. She pushed open the door. The entryway light was on. He was crouched on the floor fixing the faucet. A bag of grapes sat beside the wrench. She changed shoes. He nudged the slippers toward her feet. He did not ask why she had not replied. She washed her hands. When she came out, a bowl of soup was on the table. She took two sips. “I’m tired,” she said. “Take a shower first,” he said. “The water’s hot.”
By Jin18 days ago in Humans
The love story in Blossoms Shanghai is hidden in menus, keys, and teacups
1. Lingzi's Night Tokyo begins with a menu torn apart On the day Lingzi splits from Bao Zong, there is no fight. She changes the menu at Night Tokyo. The old menu served Shanghainese food: braised pork, sweet-and-sour ribs, salted pork and bamboo shoot soup. Bao Zong liked those dishes. The new menu has paofan, pickles, fermented bean curd, and a dish still called "Bao Zong's paofan." Same name. Different recipe. Saltier.
By Jin18 days ago in Humans