The H is silent
My first name begins with a silent letter so alliteration exercises in primary school weren’t fun. “Happy Hsu-Ann” doesn’t alliterate and “super Hsu-Ann” looks like it doesn’t alliterate even though it does. Yet the silent H is a familiar and essential part of who I am. (So is the awkward pause and ensuing mispronunciation every time someone realises they’re going to have to read my … Continue reading The H is silent
Nomad no more
Australians boast the inglorious irony of being the best off people in this pandemic and yet we’re potentially the most resentful about travel restrictions. Gap years are standard before and after uni, many of us look forward to our annual overseas trip and retirement will often consist of cruise ship hopping. But before COVID-19 derailed everyone’s travel plans, I was already wrestling not so much … Continue reading Nomad no more
How to edit your life
It’s one thing to love writing; it’s quite another to love editing. Editing is a passion I only discovered through a university job I picked up after my time in Ecuador and before my year in Bolivia. I always knew that I had decent spelling, punctuation and grammar but as a Research & Editorial Assistant at my alma mater, I found even fixing typos can … Continue reading How to edit your life
Brutality and humanity: a book you won’t want to, but should, read
Early inspiration I suppose that every writer, whether professional or amateur, has work from their past that they’re seriously embarrassed to have brought into the world. One example in particular comes to mind. I wrote stories all through my childhood and adolescence and am generally proud of what I penned, but I did have woeful phase in Year 10 where I mimicked the style and … Continue reading Brutality and humanity: a book you won’t want to, but should, read
The bottled water ad I keep thinking about
Cool Ridge has an ad campaign with the tagline “When you can/When you can’t”. It both offended and intrigued me. And it got me thinking about the ethics of bottled water and why we do (or don’t) good. Continue reading The bottled water ad I keep thinking about
Mediterranean (from Tarifa to you)
I watch the weather where I was
and where I want to be;
too cold for summer, too hot for winter,
too comfortable to be close to anywhere … Continue reading Mediterranean (from Tarifa to you)
Incidentally Asian: why I have mixed feelings about Always Be My Maybe
Crazy Rich Asians and Always Be My Maybe both caused quite a stir. The films have a lot in common, but also some significant differences, primarily around the role of Asian culture in the lives of their Asian protagonists. Continue reading Incidentally Asian: why I have mixed feelings about Always Be My Maybe
Meeting your future friend
When we meet someone for the first time, how often does it occur to us that they may become a significant part of our lives? What would change if we approached first meetings this way? Continue reading Meeting your future friend
NYE lessons from Ecuador
Australian New Year’s Eve traditions mostly involve drinking hard, watching fireworks and calling it a party. This is followed by spending 1 January sleeping it off. Where Christmas Day is family time, NYE Down Under means time with friends. In Ecuador, I was introduced to the tradition of making and breaking monigotes (mon-ee-GO-tez): life-sized replicas of yourself and people you know. These effigies are also known as muñecos … Continue reading NYE lessons from Ecuador
To tweet or not to tweet?
Sometimes I wish I was good at Twitter. It would be proof that I’m not just intelligent but super witty and have something to say about the state of the universe. There may be no “I” in team, but there is definitely “wit” in Twitter.
If I was a tweeter, here’s what I would tweet
Here are a few things that have crossed my mind to tweet but never made it to the Twittersphere … Continue reading To tweet or not to tweet?
