“But Daddy, I don’t even like children!”
The Texan drawl carried long and far against the backdrop of a smorgasbord of languages. Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, French, German, Turkish — and yet, it was the American who stood out. Typical.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
What does it mean to be ‘Chinese’?
And what does it mean not to be? A friend of a friend recently posted in a mutual social media group, asking Chinese people to join in a discussion and share their stories of what it means to be Chinese in our city that’s often (rather unfairly) touted as the racist capital of New Zealand.Continue reading “What does it mean to be ‘Chinese’?”
All Asian casts in Hollywood movies – and why I’m ‘meh’ about it.
I grew up watching Jet Li movies (Once Upon a Time in China, Fong Sai Yuk, Tai Chi Master etc.) and, when I got older, I became obsessed with Chinese period dramas like Yongzheng’s Dynasty, Kangxi’s Empire, The Qin Empire, Heroes of the Sui and Tang, and so on and so forth. It would neverContinue reading “All Asian casts in Hollywood movies – and why I’m ‘meh’ about it.”
Lazy Pulled Pork
After moving out of my parent’s house, I’ve had a lot of opportunity to try new recipes. Usually, I’m too lazy. I hate doing the dishes and I can never actually tell when meat is done. Slow-cooked stuff is great because I know for sure that it will be cooked. You can probably do thisContinue reading “Lazy Pulled Pork”
Learning to be happy
Long time no blog. I don’t know if anyone still reads this. However, looking over my previous posts, I find myself wondering, “Do I really whinge that much?” I’ve never been what I would call a ‘happy’ person and this is both due to external and internal forces. Externally, enjoyment and happiness weren’t a bigContinue reading “Learning to be happy”
Call it by its name
Learning the term ’emotional abuse’ has been a revelation. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to understand why I am the way I am. I’m anxious around people, I put on an act in public, I have a hard time letting people get close to me, and I’m always so angry. Anger isContinue reading “Call it by its name”
Not finishing my Goodreads challenge
I’m not going to finish my Goodreads challenge this year and I’m not sure how I’m coping with it. Actually, I don’t really think I’m coping since I’m angsting about it. In 2017, I thought I could do 60. It’s only a few more than 52, right? In previous years, I’d gone for one book aContinue reading “Not finishing my Goodreads challenge”
Celebrating Jolabokaflod on Summer Solstice
I hate Christmas. I’m not just bah-humbug about it. I really hate it; the sentiment of it, the disgustingly cheerful music that goes down like lukewarm fake blood made of cherry and cola syrup, and the panic and rush to get everything done before then. Above all, Christmas reminds me of how a certain religiousContinue reading “Celebrating Jolabokaflod on Summer Solstice”
What failing the Classics Club challenge has taught me.
I failed the Classics Club. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, the Classics Club is a challenge to read 50 classic titles in five years. It’s up to the participant to determine what a classic is. Here is my list of books. My process for picking them was prettyContinue reading “What failing the Classics Club challenge has taught me.”
An Open Letter to Someone Who Knows Who She is
J, I have pondered whether I should write this. Is there any point? But since you are reading my blog, which I had not updated since the first half of 2016 until you reminded me that it existed, I thought it worthwhile getting this off my chest. A bit of background to those of youContinue reading “An Open Letter to Someone Who Knows Who She is”
On Leadership Values in Chinese culture
The different concepts of leadership have been milling around in my mind for a little while. Not that I am a great leader of any kind, but it surfaced in a discussion around Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and what she said when she took up the position. She said something along the linesContinue reading “On Leadership Values in Chinese culture”
Banana and Proud
Recently I’ve been reading up accounts of people’s interpretations and experiences of being a ‘banana’. AKA, ‘yellow on the outside; white on the inside’. My sojourn in Hong Kong in 2014 has taught me how different I am to the rest of my family and people who, in general, look like me, and I canContinue reading “Banana and Proud”
A struggling, recovering tiger cub – winning the war against overbearing and controlling overseas Chinese parents
You’ll probably have heard of the phrase “Tiger Mother”. And, based on anecdotal evidence, I feel that the phenomenon is most common amongst overseas Chinese/Asians. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen within Asian countries but the diaspora seems to take it to a new level. Then again, maybe my parents were always just intenseContinue reading “A struggling, recovering tiger cub – winning the war against overbearing and controlling overseas Chinese parents”
Frances Leigh: A life in surreality 