Books I read in 2024
What can I say about my reading this year? I read a few bestsellers, a couple of classics,…
Christmas magic for Christmas cynics
To Santa or not to Santa? Christmas is not a big deal in our family. I never got…
All about me: the key to online writing
Apparently self-obsession is the secret sauce to succeeding as a writer these days I subscribe to some creator…
Six white men you should read
I know it’s not cool, but I like white men. I used to think I would marry one.…
On sexual assault, feeling triggered and being jaded about men
Reacting to Lessons in Chemistry Bonnie Garmus’s bestselling novel Lessons in Chemistry is a unique story, sharply written…
Living up to my name
I have a Chinese first name that sounds like an English name and means comfort. Ten years ago,…
Korean mums in fact and fiction
The last thing I expected was to confuse a real life person in the memoir Tell Me The…
What I found curious about Japan
In my uni days, I took a course called Japanese Law & Society, of which I remember only…
Books I read in 2023
I got back into audiobooks in a big way in 2023, after a total break from them last…
Green martyrs and holistic faith
A little English church in Madrid When I lived in Madrid as a university exchange student, I attended…
Asian pride, or lack thereof
If I’m honest, I’m probably more proud of my parents’ law degrees than they are of mine. I’m…
Babel, or how not to write yourself into your novel
In many ways, R.F. Kuang’s Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History seemed a novel written…
Books I read in 2022
The best of what I read in 2022, in the order in which I read them. Gilead –…
Three transformative perspectives on hospitality
I’ve always admired people who can host a good dinner party. I’m in awe of their ability to…
Rediscovering Ethan Hawke
I had a dream recently that I was hanging out with Ethan Hawke. We were sitting on either…
Teenage girls and their bad boys
Common to many a YA novel is a male love interest who's dark and mysterious and in a position of power. At its most extreme, he's dark, mysterious and cruel. At its most tame, he's dark, mysterious and a bit of a loner. Somewhere in the middle, he's dark, mysterious and troubled. Getting the vibe?
Does he love you for who you are?
One of the biggest lies (or delusions) of romance in pop culture is that your soul mate will…
The books that changed my life
I’ve always been a bit of a bookworm. More than a way to pass the time or learn…
Reading revolution: 5 ways I’ve upgraded my reading
I like new things but when it comes to reading, I am old school and conservative. I don’t…
Whatever happened to Alternative Ann?
Compliant me, defiant me I have a friend who used to call me “Alternative Ann” back when we…
Things I read in 2020
I know I sound snooty when I say I read more than I watch Netflix, but it’s true.…
Is political correctness impoverishing or enriching our language?
“That’s so gay” Back in my school days, everything was gay. Science class was gay, bumbags were gay,…
Under (or over) the influence
The difference between a celebrity and an influencer I’m not sure when we stopped using the word celebrity…
The H is silent
My first name begins with a silent letter so alliteration exercises in primary school weren’t fun. “Happy Hsu-Ann”…
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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…
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.
Lost in leadership: why we need to talk about following well
Leadership I’ve written previously about the first time I was told that I had demonstrated leadership. It was…
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.
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 ...
Angry enough to be free, safe enough to thrive
Safe enough to thrive I read Greta Thunberg’s UN address today and I’m glad I was looking at…
Turning on TED
It was only 18 months ago that I publicly wrote that one of my deepest dreams was to…
Marketing is broken. Can we fix it?
Why marketing feels icky To be honest, I would never have guessed that I’d end up with the…
Internet trolls vs an unfair God
The internet troll is a fearsome creature. It is not unlike a werewolf in that it will go…
Cambodia: Cycle. Sweat. End slavery.
This month Cambodia marked the fortieth anniversary of the fall of the Khmer Rouge. It’s prompted me to…
Going for glocal
The other day my dad kindly informed me that if I ever stood for politics I’d need to…
A Big Deal? Melbourne Cup memories, millennials and Michelle Payne
I first discovered that the Melbourne Cup was a Big Deal when my kindergarten class ran our own…
The seed to lead: reflections of a beta girl
I've always thought of myself as a beta kinda gal. Even as a child, it was mostly my younger sister who spearheaded our games and playing.
I was 26 the first time anybody told me I had demonstrated leadership.
Paradise
Paradise, he declares while I proceed to speak of chains. I am Con-Tiki in reverse, a raft that’s…
Converse and convert
I stumbled upon an interesting website this week. In the wake of the failed plebiscite and planned postal…
Australia: Not the place I thought you were
The other day after work, I was flowing with the peak hour crowd down Anzac Parade, when I witnessed something awful.
An Aboriginal man was heckling and shoving an East Asian man. The Indigenous guy was yelling obscenities and things like "Go back to where you came from!" to the suited up Asian guy, who was trying, literally, to shake him off. That was Awkward thing Number 1.
People just watched. And did nothing. That was Awkward thing Number 2.
By people, I mean mainly Asian people. The University of New South Wales appears to be predominantly Asian, even the law faculty - a contrast with the College of Law at my own alma mater. That was Awkward thing Number 3.
And I did nothing because, frankly, I'm both Asian and female. I actually thought I might get hit. That was Awkward thing Number 4.
It made me think about how Australia is not the place I thought it was when I was little.
We the Internauts
I love the word internauta. The English translation is “internet user” – an accurate but boring term. The…
Freeing the Beast
If I could use my eyebrows the way Emma Watson does, everyone would know where they stand with me. Lumiere and even Cogsworth watched those eyebrows. The Beast dared to hope because of those eyebrows. Only good ol’ Gaston didn’t get that Emma was using those arches to give him the finger.
But where Lion for me was all about Dev Patel’s hair, the latest live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast got me thinking not so much about Emma Watson’s eyebrows, but about the nature of freedom and slavery.
Anti-celebrity me
It's been pop culture season on my blog lately! First it was Married At First Sight, then it was Dev Patel, followed by Jeff Daniels.
This week, I'm talking celebrities - the red carpet sort, and also the everyday sort ... And I'm looking at why I get so shy and unfriendly around them.
The problem with American
Last week, on my flight from New York back to Sydney, I binge watched Season 1 of The Newsroom. It’s a series created by Aaron Sorkin, the guy behind The West Wing, with Jeff Daniels playing Will McAvoy, an anchorman on cable news.
In the opening scene of the series pilot, Will is on a panel with a Democrat and a Republican at a university, when a student asks the panel: “What makes America the greatest country in the world?”
The question triggers an epic and rousing outburst from Will, who dresses down both major political parties and rails about why America is no longer the greatest country on earth.
“But it could be”, he then says in softer tones.
That first season of The Newsroom aired in 2012, before Donald Trump ever campaigned for president, promising to “make America great again”.
Coincidence? I doubt it.
On Dev Patel’s hair
My Oscars tie-in post is essentially an exclamation mark about Dev Patel's hair, not-so-cleverly disguised as a film review. This post contains zero references to La La Land and/or Moonlight.
Election reflections: Ecuador and Bolivia
A politician who keeps his word? Who would’ve thought! But after a whole decade as Ecuador’s head of…
My love-hate relationship with reality TV and the concept of marriage
Commercial TV is an evil genius. I don’t watch much of it these days, but somehow I got suckered into Married At First Sight. It’s just, y’know, I’m making dinner and my housemate likes to unwind in front of the box. So there I am, innocently frying my fish when she begins hooting with laughter. So I get drawn away from the stove (I am a walking fire hazard) and find it’s that show the boys were talking about the other day. The one I made fun of them about.
When they refer to the battle for the watercooler, this is exactly what they’re on about. Commercial TV has perfected the art of balancing the ridiculous and the relatable, the beautiful and the ugly, attraction and revulsion, to create programs like this. Shows you love to hate on and hate yourself for loving. Shows you can’t help but talk about.
Like I’m doing right now, on the night of Valentine’s Day, incidentally.
Any sport will do: absurd but awesome
I love sport both on an emotional and a philosophical level.
Here’s why.
I love the contradictions in sport. I love how it is rational yet irrational, meaningless yet so imbued with significance, universal yet elite, aggressive and divisive yet a unifying force.
2016: A return to reading
This year, I made a few resolutions, a couple of which revolved around writing. I committed to writing weekly for the novel I’ve wanted to write since I was 13, and for this blog.
I also realised that it had been years since I’d been much of a reader - how I used to love it! - and that my writing was struggling to flow as a result. So I committed to reading a book a month in 2016. I’ve read 30 and will probably get a couple more in before the year is out.
Setting this reading goal has helped me enjoy reading again, as well as pushing me to reflect on the kind of writer I would like to be.
So for you readers out there, here are the books that impacted me this year:
From Advent to Adventure
It’s the second week of Advent and I’m not really feeling it.
Generally speaking, people slide easily into one of three distinct categories: (1) those who absolutely love Christmas; (2) those who find Christmas super stressful; and, (3) those who are indifferent to Christmas.
I love Jesus but I am planted firmly in the third camp.
So I scour the season, I scour Scripture, both for magic and for logic.
How libre is your Cuba?
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of a good cuba libre. Or two. Or three. But despite it being my drink of choice, I never really thought much about the name of this basic cocktail until Fidel Castro died.
There was something about the festivities on the streets of Miami that felt wrong. Tasted sour. It’s a cuba libre, dammit - let’s reserve the sourness for pisco, whiskey and amaretto.
The cynical optimist
I’ve always been a cynic. From the time I was in primary school hearing about French nuclear testing in the Pacific, Aung San Suu Kyi being put under house arrest and the Monica Lewinsky scandal, I didn’t have much faith in people.
Strangely enough, this dark view of the world eventually led me to Jesus, my hope. So now I am this walking paradox, being both a cynic and an optimist.
Two weeks ago, I blogged about democracy and the need for greater participation. On Monday, a bunch of us put that into practice by meeting with over a hundred senators and members of parliament in one day.
No Canto?
To avoid confusion, I generally insist that English is my native language. I received all of my education in English, it’s what we spoke in my family growing up and it’s what we speak now.
But technically, it’s not my first language.
What would happen if I were to relearn my first language? What might that unlock?
Do you still like democracy?
It's funny, democracy. We have a voice and yet we whinge way more than anyone in the not-so-free world.
Misunderstood: artists, do-gooders and missionaries
The wrong question? As soon as the question escaped my lips I knew that I had become That…
Crazy Baptist Girl
Apparently among some of my classmates, I had a reputation as the Crazy Baptist Girl at school. After…
My biography, as told by my booze
A personal atlas of alcohol.
Before you get the wrong impression, this post is not about booze-filled nights from my backpacking days. It's an anthology of anecdotes and memories, linked by a common theme: alcoholic beverages.
My discovery of different drinks parallels some important memories. These are what I'd like to share with you.
So let me take you from my childhood, all around the world and back home again. In this brief autobiography, I'll let the alcohol do the talking.
Law, Music and other big nouns
Article 72 of the Third Geneva Convention (on the rights of Prisoners of War) specifies that POWs must be…
Six Spanish words that changed my faith
It's hard to explain how learning Spanish has amplified and enriched my understanding of God and the Bible.
But I'll try.
In this post I'll teach you six Spanish words to show you what you're missing by only reading the Bible in English.
I Heart Spanish
Stumbled upon this short video and thought I would share it as an appetiser to a post I'm currently working on, about the Spanish language.
It's just famous people saying their favourite Spanish word but it made me disproportionately happy :)
Sorry, what do you mean?
I’ve been considering whether National Sorry Day would be more or less controversial if we spoke Spanish. There…
The Eurovision you know and love
The Eurovision you know and love.
The song was perfect. The dress was perfect. The hype was perfect.
Okay, so in hindsight we were never going to win the thing. But for a long moment there they really made us believe it was possible.
And the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 is … a Korean-born Australian? One who would have celebrated not with champagne but with a glass of lemonade?
It was too good to be true. For all the logic that Eurovision famously doesn’t follow, this perhaps would not have been in the spirit of Europe - not the Europe of the twenty-first century ...
80% Australian
Approaching this Australia Day, I’ve been thinking a lot about my Australianness. Or lack thereof. It’s not that…
How South America messed me up good
People always ask me about my time in South America. Some are genuinely interested, while for others it's the polite and logical thing to ask. In either case, the truth is that these conversations have started to get a bit repetitive and I'm often left wishing I could say more than: that Latinos are warmer; that Andean dishes contain too many carbs; that working with survivors of child sexual abuse was hard as you'd imagine but so rewarding; that I'm not sure how to answer your question about how good my Spanish is.
The worst thing is that I can't seem to do Bolivia and Ecuador justice - not in a brief conversation that could turn to a different topic at any given moment.
So below are a few noteworthy things I don't generally get to share about the impact that my time in South America has had on me as a person and who I am now.
Why finding a house is like finding a husband
It was my cousin’s wife who said it: Finding a house is like finding a partner. You see a…
Hillsong: Behind the hype
Lights. Camera(s). Action. Coloured light sweeps the stage, the drum kicks into gear, the first guitar lick penetrates the…
It’s not your fault, Australia
The highest point in all of Australia sits at about the same altitude as the average for the whole…
How to kickstart your acting career
Step 1: Be Asian. Step 2: Move to La Paz. That’s it, folks. In two simple steps you…
The hidden reason for poverty
Check out IJM President and Founder Gary Haugen’s TED talk on the hidden reason for poverty the world…
Easter in the Amazon
As we emerge sleepy-eyed from our mosquito net tents, Lauren murmurs to me, “Happy Easter …” For a few…
Is that MY voice?
So there is this hilarious line from The Emperor’s New Groove we always quote. The villainous Yzma turns into a…
Carnaval Act II: Oruro-Tarija-La Paz
After Oruro, the roadtrip. Oruro to Potosí (Saturday) Making it from Oruro to Tarija in the one evening…
Carnaval Act I: Oruro
4.30am. Get up after 5 hours of sleep. For some reason, it’s easier than dragging myself out of…
Disposability: Friends ForEVER or For NOW?
Well, the world is changing and so too the nature of friendship with it. Often we say social…
All About Evo
To commemorate the official start of Evo Morales’ third term as president, I thought I’d share a few images…
IJM Interns/Fellows: Top Ten Moments From 2014
Reproduced from the IJM Newsroom/Blog: http://news.ijm.org/ijm-internsfellows-top-ten-moments-from-2014 WASHINGTON, DC, December 31, 2014 IJM teams around the world are celebrating the end of…
About my body
One of the differences I’ve noticed between Bolivia and Ecuador is that people don’t stare at me here.…
“Effectivisation”: A post about the law (and reforming it)
Bolivia is currently reforming its justice system. On October 31, the Bolivian Parliament passed a new piece of legislation, called the Law for the Decongestion and Effectivisation of the Criminal Procedure System. In case you were wondering, it's Ley de Decongestionamiento y Efectivización del Sistema Procesal Penal in Spanish - and "efectivización" isn't a real word in Spanish either, hence the weird translation.
Process is at the heart of justice - as important as a just result is a just procedure to arrive at that result. I'll confess I've forgotten a lot of what they taught me at law school, but this particular principal of justice has stuck with me. Working at IJM Bolivia, I am struck anew by how much of a paradox this often is.
Meeting La Paz
Apparently I’m now living in one of the 14 finalists for the Seven New Wonder Cities of the…
Two words for Washington
If I could choose two words to describe Washington, D.C., they would be EMPIRE and EXTRAVAGANCE. Perhaps they…
Bryan Adams v Joe Hockey
What can I say, I’ve always had impeccable music taste. But no, seriously – I haven’t posted this…
What’s in a name?
In certain cultures, names are pretty important. In ancient Hebrew culture, names carried a lot of weight –…
Gaming for a greater good
I crossed paths with the topic of computer games a surprising number of times in this week just…
Between distraction and devotion
Spiritually and emotionally, this last week for me has been marked by distraction and devotion. I think that’s…
Okay, you’ve put me in a box
Since I was a teenager, I’ve wrestled with the complicated truth that when you try to be different…
The “novelty” of a Christmas and NYE at home
So it’s 2014. I’ve only just realised that spending Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Canberra, my hometown,…
Self-censored
I’ve always valued my education, and I know a significant part of my identity and beliefs are shaped…
boring Christian music
This afternoon, for the first time in a long time, I listened to Christian radio. And tried to…
Election 2013. Sigh and splutter.
Another election to remind me how disappointed and frustrated I am with the state of Australian politics. There…
Clash or conform?
Culture clash? Thankfully, I haven’t really experienced culture clash as such. I think having travelled before has helped…
Yo soy mujer (I am woman*)
In preparation for this Saturday’s pijamada (slumber party), I’ve just started reading Mentiras que las jóvenes creen (Lies…