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The blessed of Bundeena

I had a really lovely church experience at Bundeena recently. Bundeena isn’t even 20 minutes’ drive out of…
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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…
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Nomad no more

Australians boast the inglorious irony of being the best off people in this pandemic and yet we’re potentially…
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Half-time: the benefits of alcohol

I'm halfway through my commitment to match my charitable giving with my alcohol spending. See how much I've paid for booze so far. And see which charities are going to be better off for it!
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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.
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Taking 5 in Taswegia

I went to Tasmania and it was awesome. Here are just 5 special moments and accompanying pictures for you to gawk at.
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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.
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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.
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Seeya, Sydney

You cried the day I left. Well, I like to think grey skies and rain spattered across the…
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No chocolate fix at Sweet Addiction

Question: What does a $14 million state-of-the-art glasshouse and a $15 entry ticket to the new Sweet Addiction chocolate…
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Sorry, what do you mean?

I’ve been considering whether National Sorry Day would be more or less controversial if we spoke Spanish. There…
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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 ...
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Reflections from the Reef

Dreaming Embedded somewhere in my subconscious is the ultimate Tourism Australia campaign. Sure I also learned how to…
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80% Australian

Approaching this Australia Day, I’ve been thinking a lot about my Australianness. Or lack thereof. It’s not that…
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Next stop: Sydney

Tomorrow will be my first day in Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, paid employment in Sydney. There is…

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…

Bryan Adams v Joe Hockey

What can I say, I’ve always had impeccable music taste. But no, seriously – I haven’t posted this…