All My Thanks

Choh Laahngbaandang: to have a cold reception (lit. to sit on a cool bench)

Many emperors in different dynasties honored Confucius. His house was converted into a grand mansion, and his eldest descendants were installed as high officials. During the Ming dynasty, one of the female descendants married the emperor and became queen. At that time, the prime minister Yihm Sung committed a crime. He went to the Confucius mansion hoping to bribe the queen and have her speak well of him. Instead, he got the cold shoulder and was left sitting on a wooden bench for hours.

Bench designed by Antoni Gaudí

I’m currently working on the acknowledgements page for my forthcoming book, and I don’t want to be sitting on a cool bench. It’s easy to name the sources I used for research and to give thanks to my immediate family. The hard part comes from making sure everyone who has ever influenced me in my career gets the proper recognition. I’ve been scrolling through old emails and attempting to resurrect old bookmarked pages on my computer (too bad I switched laptops in the middle of writing my manuscript). I hope I get the list of names straight! 

As I’ve scoured other authors’ books, I’ve noticed the format of the acknowledgements page split into two camps. Some writers will use a paragraph format, while others will employ a list to give thanks to people. I’m choosing to go with the latter because I think it makes reading the names easier.

If you had to recognize the prominent people who have contributed to your life, who would be the top individual(s)?

Foodie Friday: Mochi
Foodie Friday: Asian Cake


  1. My mother, husband, daughter and grandmother would have have a place on the top of that list for sure.

    Good luck writing yours :)

  2. Love how you thank multiple generations!

  3. Probably my mother, siblings, children, and my writing group (who I’ve been with for four years).

  4. Thanks for dropping by, Monica! Kudos to you for having a solid writing group that’s been together for four years.

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