Like seeds, which carry whole trees inside them, Rosemary Lim plants the power of her brevity in these pieces. She can condense the main events of a boy's life into a narrative CD that matches the tracks of Sakamoto's DISCORD (Untitled 01; Grief; Anger; Prayer; Salvation).

In "ABC" (Australian Born Chinese), a Triad's moll steals the boss's banknote with a priceless flaw and flees with his bodyguard and her baby boy. It is a thriller that turns into an enthraller as the pair change from horrible to human, then disappear into a lifetime disguise as poor immigrant, Chinese parents making good down under -- their flaws made priceless by the currency of love.

In these headline pieces we greet the debut of a journalist-writer, who covers the core of dangerous frictions and contentment -- East to West -- from Singapore, where she lives, to Drumcree and Northern Ireland, where she was born. Also, read and marvel as Rosemary Lim turns a Jackie-Chan-style tiger into a tabby with the speed of a back flip.

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