This magazine is dedicated to Edison Leung, who motivated me to work faster.

The Asian Who Loves American Food

I am an Asian who likes American food.I wonder who invented hamburgers.

I hear the sound of sizzling burgers every time I wake up in the morning.I see the person and In n’ Out make my fries

I want to sprout wings and fly to the nearest In n’ Out.I am and Asian who likes American food.

I pretend that I can transform anything into a hamburger.I feel the need to find the world’s largest hotdog.

I touch the burger’s soft bun.I worry there won’t be enough cows to make beef for hamburgers and hotdogs.

I cry for all the people who don’t have money to buy hamburgers.I am and Asian who likes American food.

I understand the pain of not having American food.I say that all people should have at least one hotdog in their lives.I dream of making an expeditions to find the best American food.

I try to break the world record for hamburger eating.I hope my parents stop gorging me with rice.

I am an Asian who likes American food.

Just Because I Have Braces

Just because I have braces.It doesn’t mean I’m a nerd.

Doesn’t mean I’m not athletic.Doesn’t mean I get good grades.

Don’t judge me by my appearance.

Just because I have bracesIt doesn’t mean I speak funny.

Doesn’t mean I always use a rich vocabulary.Doesn’t mean I enjoy solving math equations.

Instead of looking at the outside, try looking at the inside.

The Basketball Courts

Bounce! Bounce!I’m dribbling the ball.

Thump! Thump!My feet are hitting the pavement.

Yay! Yay!My friends are cheering.

Huff! Huff!I’m breathing heavily.Ba-bump! Ba-bump!

My heartbeat quickens.Woof! Woof!

A nearby dog barks.Munch! Munch!

People are eating their lunches.Oof! Oof!

The defender falls.“Shoot it! Shoot it!”

Everybody yells.Swish!

The ball goes through the hoop.

The Library

“I’m looking for a book.”I tell the librarian.I tell her the title,

the author, the color.She nods to show she understands.

“Follow me.”She gestures.

We walk past hundreds of bookshelvesPast people on the computer.

See my friends playing games.“Shhhh!”

The librarians stops to quiet them.We continue walking

Up the stairsThrough the halls

I stop to go to the restroom.Finally!

We reach our destination.She shows me the book.

It’s about libraries

The Wrong Guy to Kidnap

Uggghhh.Today was one of the worst days of my life. This is how my wonderful day started: I slept through my alarm, missed the bus, 

and had to sprint to school. I arrived at school sweaty and exhausted, only to find the principal waiting for me. He yelled at me for being thirty 

minutes late. Didn’t he realize he was making me even more late? He finally finished lecturing me ten whole minutes later, stomping away and 

muttering about how kids these days were never “punctual.”Then I realized I forgot to bring my lunch, so I was starving for the majority of the 

day. And, if this day couldn’t get any better, I fell asleep during sixth period. The teacher gave me detention, meaning I had to stay after school for

another thirty minutes. Yipee! After the day I had, I was ready to go home and take a nap.

As I am walking home, I get the feeling I’m being followed. I turn around, but no one is there. I continue walking and am almost home 

when I notice a shadow behind me. I turn around once again and ,this time, there’s a huge man towering over me. How did I not notice him? He 

was at least seven feet tall and just as wide. He pulls something out of his pocket. At first I figure it is a chocolate bar, but then realize it’s a taser.

I yell in surprise and take off. I run the fastest I’ve ever ran, but he catches up to me quickly, taking huge strides. He grabs me with one arm and

lifts me in the air as if I weigh nothing. I struggle to break free, but he was too strong, his grip like iron.

“What are you going to do to me?” I ask, scared of what his answer would be.

“Nothing.” The huge man grins. “Except tase and kidnap you.” He thrusts the taser into my chest. I feel a sharp pain and black out. I 

wake up in a dark and dank room, tied up with ropes. I tug at them, but they were expertly tied. I scan the room desperately, looking for a way to

escape. Unfortunately, the room is as empty as a bird’s nest in December. The only thing in the room was a metal door. I scream in frustration. 

I’m never going to escape. The huge man is going to keep me here forever, I think to myself in 

despair. My stomach grumbles. And I’m still hungry from not eating lunch. Something falls out of my pocket. It is a sandwich. My lunch! I strain

against my ropes and manage to grab it. I’m about to take a huge bite out of it when I notice a mouse. It’s scurrying around looking for food. I’m

suddenly struck with an idea. I put the sandwich under my ropes. The mouse sees it and scurries over. It starts to hungrily eat my sandwich and

chews my ropes in the process. I’m free!!! I try the door: It’s locked. I’m about to attempt to kick the door down when I hear someone opening the

door from the other side. The huge man! He’s coming to check on me. I hastily run over to where I was bound and pretend I’m still tied up. The 

huge man enters the room, his silhouette casting a huge shadow over me.

“How are you? Enjoying your stay at my dungeon?” He laughs. I remain silent. Wait for it… Just a little closer…, I think. He takes one 

step closer. Perfect. I swing into action. I quickly get up and kick him in the groin with all my strength. He howls in pain and falls to the floor, the

taser falling out of his pocket. I grab it and tase him. He grunts in pain and loses consciousness. I slowly get up, the adrenaline leaving my body. I

tie the unconscious man up, sprint out of the room, and take the path back home. As I’m running home I reflect on the adventure I had. I smile. 

That man picked the wrong guy to kidnap.

  The Worst Green Tea Ice Cream EverIt was a sunny day, and my family and I had just finished grocery shopping. It was a very grueling 

experience. I had to follow my mom all around the store while she looked for the best sales. By the time we finally got all the items we needed, it was around 5 pm and I was pooped from all that walking.

“What do you guys want to eat for dinner?” my mom asked cheerily. She did not appear even a little tired after 3 hours of shopping.

“I don’t know,” my sister replied, looking tired as well. She looked at me. “What does you want?” “Hmmm…” I pondered.“How about pizza?”“No! You always want pizza. It’s not healthy for you.” My mom chastised.“How about sushi?” my dad suggested..We all liked the idea of eating sushi, so we all piled into my dad’s minivan and drove to a sushi 

place my dad found on Yelp. It was not a very big restaurant, only about the size of our kitchen and living room combined. There were not that many people eating there, so we were able to get a table without having to wait. After perusing the menu for a few minutes, we decided to order a bowl of udon, a bento box, and a plate of assorted sushis. After waiting for about 30 minutes, the waiter brought us our food. It looked delicious! I was about to dive in when I noticed a green substance on a small plate. Green tea ice cream! I grabbed a spoon and took a huge scoop.

“No! Sherman, that’s not green tea ice cream!”Too late. I took a huge bite…And spat it back out. It was the most spicy thing I had ever eaten! I 

grabbed a glass of water and chugged it down. A few moments later, the burning in my tongue subsided.

“Are you okay?” My mother asked, stifling a laugh. “Do you still want food?”“I’m good,” I replied. I had lost my appetite.And that is why, to this day, I have a fear of green tea ice cream.

 

Oops!Act I

Something is going to go wrong. I can feel it. My father is out on a business trip to Hawaii and I’m home alone. Most of you would probably love being home alone, because you can do whatever you want, but not me. I know I’ll do something to make him mad, I always do. He’ll come home to find something wrong, and he’ll go from happy to full blown furious in an instant. I tried to tell him, but he thinks that now that I’m older I can be trusted. Boy, is he wrong. When is he going to learn his lesson? Now, I’m not saying I go out of my way to make him mad, because I don’t. Trouble just seems to follow me wherever I go. No matter how hard I try to be good, somehow I’m going to end up being grounded for breaking the refrigerator, or something like that. Now, you might be thinking, “How do you accidentally break a refrigerator?” It’s actually not that hard. I did it once, but that’s another story. Honestly, I just hope I don’t burn the house down. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Dad.

Oops! Act II

Bobby: Hey, wanna go to my house to play baseball?Steve: SureBobby: Let’s go! I call being batter first.Steve: Fine. I guess I’ll be pitcher.(Bobby and Steve run to Bobby’s house and get out a bat, a baseball, and some gloves.)Steve: You ready?Bobby: I’m always ready.(Steve throws the ball. Bobby hits it with all his strength. The ball sails through the air and through the open window. Bobby and Steve hear a loud crash inside.)Bobby: Oops!Steve: Dang, that was a nice hit!Bobby: Are you kidding? I broke something inside the house! C’mon!(Bob and Steve rush back inside the house to find Bobby’s father’s favorite vase on the floor, pieces scattered all over the floor.Bobby: Oh no! What should we do? My dad will be home any minute!Steve: It’s okay, don’t panic. We can fix it with glue and tape.(Bobby and Steve hastily put the vase back together with glue and tape, but it’s obvious that it won’t be able to hold anything without breaking into a million pieces. Just as Bobby puts the vase back, his dad comes home.)Dad: Hi guys! What’cha doing?Bob and Steve: Ummmm…Dad: I brought flowers from Hawaii! I’m going to put this in my favorite vase.(Bobby’s father puts the flowers into the vase and it immediately breaks.)Dad: Who broke this?!(Bobby points at Steve and Steve points at Bobby)Bob and Steve: He did.Dad: Fine. Then I’ll punish you both! You both have to earn enough money to buy me another vase!(Bobby and Steve groan. Bobby’s dad glares at them.)Bobby and Steve: Fine.

Oops!Act III

See, what did I tell you? I told you something was going to go wrong. Maybe next time Dad will finally listen to me. Well, at least I didn’t burn the house down. And the punishment wasn’t too bad. Steve and I were able to earn enough money to buy Dad a new vase after only a few weeks of walking dogs and mowing lawns. We only got bit five times, which is a new record. Usually we come home with cuts all over our body, so much that we become unrecognizable. So, all in all, it wasn’t the worst punishment I’ve ever had. But then again, it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve did. But that’s a whole ‘nother story