Opinion
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Uncharted Territories
Most of us enjoy a sense of comfort and familiarity in our life. It’s reassuring to have consistency and stability, knowing where our next meal will be, seeing the same people when we go home, having our favourite colleagues to talk to at work. However too much of the same thing can make us complacent or unable to adjust to the changing environment around. No matter how well established and routine someone’s life generally is setbacks and pitfalls will invariably happen. This is why it can be useful to intentionally prioritise placing ourselves in different environments, for instance traveling often. It doesn’t mean we have to go deep into the…
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Ethics of Street Photography
“To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having intimate knowledge of them that they can never have; it turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed.” Susan Sontag My camera lens has always been my window into other worlds–often those of other individuals. It makes me a witness to the mundane lives we all live. Yet, I pause and I find myself wanting to capture these ordinary moments. I become an onlooker, hiding behind my carbon fibre and glass box. I capture people unnoticed in their candid states. Are they my muse? As a photographer, I must consider my positioning,…
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Seated on a High Chair
A few years ago in the summer, I was a nanny to two adorable children. And looking back, I learned more from these tiny adults disguised as toddlers, than I ever did as a train-wreck in my teens. I will tell you why. Children know a try-hard faker from miles away–it’s their sixth sense. We can act proud, provide great wisdom, even think we are sounding profound, but they call out our bullsh*t sooner than we realise it is coming out of our arses. Which is why, whatever you do, it’s best to avoid any sanctimonious lessons. It will haunt you… On a late afternoon, the kids I was nannying…
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My London Life
It surprised me, how quickly I found that London was the perfect place for me to live. It wasn’t the location that made it right, it was the people I came to know along the way. Even when the work got hard, even when I was traveling in Europe, I looked forward to the familiar faces I had become accustomed to seeing. In the canteen, I would search the crowds for my friends. I wanted to hear about their day, share stories, enjoy the laugh of good company. Many gatherings consisted of outings in the park, just reading or talking with one another as we basked in the sun (or…
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A Walk to Remember
The sound of rushing water always bring a sense of nostalgia. I listen to it as I calm my ever-racing mind. I am both present and absent from the world. I glide my feet as it takes me from the congested streets down the quiet rose filled Regent’s Park. I’ve brought a small snack of cheese and fruit to nibble on, while I read a book on a nearby bench. The wind is quite strong but I simply hug myself closer. What could be more peaceful? Soon the darkness sets in and I can no longer read the words on the page. I continue my journey home through new alleyways…
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‘Americanisms’ the English didn’t know existed…
Where do I begin? Do you know how you’re doing a task and after some time you realise there would have been an easier way to do it, but because you are too stubborn and nearly done you continue to spend extra time struggling, doing something the harder way? Yeah, well that’s basically what it’s like to be an American in a nutshell. Seriously, why do we still think it’s better to measure in cups rather than in grams? Do we know there is a better way, or do we just delight in being different? I’m presuming the latter is true. Anyway it was to my surprise that in coming…
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Another Year Gone
This year reminded me to appreciate the good in things when I felt at my lowest. In the waves of clouds that emerged, I had to search for the horizons bursting through, or otherwise I would have stayed disheartened. I know the growth of character comes from what we have yet to learn about, which is why in just a few days, I will be embarking on one of the biggest changes I have made thus far. Over these past months, I found myself taking on new experiences, challenges, and exploring different relationships than I had before. It was difficult and even heartbreaking occasionally. One friend of mine wondered why…
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The Remains of My Home
Imagine a lone sailor out on the Pacific Ocean, with North America on one side and the Asian continent on the other. This sailor is stuck between two ‘islands’, two worlds that are not quite home. I am this traveler who glances in the water to see my reflection. Only then do I see the lines and scars that are proof of my history. Our bodies become the place where our past leaves its mark. As a Chinese adoptee, the history of my birth culture is embedded in the strands of my DNA and left on the tastebuds that make me crave Chinese cuisine. My parents and their Euro-American history…
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Into the Mist
If I was to simplify adolescence into a phrase, I would say it was, “constantly arriving at a crossroad.” Where time and time again, we must weigh the options of our life choices. Whether to study in college, what degree, what kind of job, what sort of lifestyle, who do we want to be? These questions are like mantras keeping us in an endless loop of doubt. We can suffocate in fear of doing wrong; which leads to inaction. Some people follow after what their parents have done either from obligation or convenience. Some have only one concern, of whether there will be food on the table. These life choices,…
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Authentically Ourselves (Pt. 2)
I know it’s easier said than done. But for me accepting myself (which I still work on), comes down to this: If I let others decide who and what I should be, who benefits? When I answer, truth be told, it’s no one. No one at the end of the day is going to benefit from me trying to be something I’m not. At least, I will not reap the reward or become better because of it. Even if society wants people to feel inadequate, they do not benefit from having someone actually change; they only gain something from our unquenchable thirst of wanting to change and selling the idea…