I made the realization a few months ago that I am absolutely disappointed at the level of my Chinese. There aren't many things missing in my life, but this seems to be one of them. After so many years of classes and tutelage, why is it I can't read simple common words anymore? Sure, like many CBAs (Canadian Born Asians), we've been assimilated into a Western culture and traded up our Chinese heritage. Realistically, it's because I haven't put in the time in the last 8 years to retain what I've crammed in the 15 years before that. It's hard not to be disgusted with myself when I try to write a simple note in Chinese. 幹, 媽的.