Category Archives: Identity

7 Reasons To Not Celebrate Your Birthday

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Our birthday comes around once a year. Our birthday, that one day usually reminding us of another year gone by. Not all of us are keen on celebrating this so-called ‘special day‘.

I’m one of these people. Never have been keen on celebrating my birthday, which is coming up next week. Every year I try to keep this day as quiet as possible, going about the day as per normal and sort of forgetting that it’s my birthday.

Birthdays and cake. Time for reflection.

Birthdays and cake. Time for reflection | Weekly Photo Challenge: Unlikely.

It’s not that I have anything against celebrating birthdays. Last year I wrote a post on 7 Unforgettable Ways To Celebrate Your Birthday. I’m all up for celebrating other’s birthdays. Just not mine.

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Asian Women And Gender Discrimination Experiences

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Gender discrimination is something many Asian women constantly face.

Passive, docile and submissive are just some of the common stereotypes ascribed to Asian women.

As I wrote in Why Males Are the Favoured Sex In Asian Cultures, in Asian cultures women are seen as less capable than males. The mentality ‘boys over girls’ or ‘men are better than woman’ is often championed at home and at work.

It's time we recognise each other for who we are.

It’s time we recognise each other for who we are | Weekly Photo Challenge: I’d Rather Be…

Growing up in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia, this sentiment surrounded me in subtle and non-subtle ways. As a kid brought up in a traditional Chinese family, I never agreed with this train of thought. These days I still don’t.

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What Does Home Mean And Feel Like For A Third Culture Kid?

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Home. It sounds like a simple word to define. But it’s a word that has layers and layers of meanings.

For many migrants, third culture kids, parachute families, expats, travellers, interracial couples, refugees, asylum seekers, Asian Australians, Asian Americans, African communities, Indian diaporas and really anyone who has moved around or hangs around different cultural groups, home can be hard to define. Home can be more than one place.

Home is a place and all that space around us.

Home is a place and all that space around us.

There’s always a personal connection to home and each of us understands home differently. What is ‘home’ to someone may not be ‘home’ to someone else.

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5 Valuable Lessons I Learned From 5 Years Of Blogging

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It’s been five years since I started this blog. Five years of blogging about multiculturalism and cultural habits.

This blog started out as a place to put up articles I’ve written, articles knocked back by dozens of publications I pitched to. Today this blog is a space helping many around the world understand cultural differences.

The path of art and passion isn't always the easiest. | Weekly Photo Challenge: Scale.

The path of art and passion isn’t always the easiest. | Weekly Photo Challenge: Scale.

Through blogging I also improved my writing and am now a freelance writer selling my services.

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Why Are Some Asians So Quiet All The Time?

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There’s the common racial stereotype that Asians are quiet, and also shy and silent all the time.

Sometimes this is true and there are reasons behind that.

Many of these reasons are due to cultural upbringing stemming from school and class. Cultural upbringing and values also play a part in why some Asians are quieter than others.

Introverts love quiet and their own space | Weekly Photo Challenge: Layered personalities of different colours.

Introverts love quiet and their own space | Weekly Photo Challenge: Layered personalities of different colours.

I am a quiet person, preferring to lay low as opposed to shouting out every opinion. I was the Chinese Australian, Asian student in class who almost always never talked in class. In all honesty, I don’t mind being the quietest among a group of people.

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What Is The Difference Between Race And Ethnicity?

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Race and ethnicity are terms used to group and categorise people.

While these two terms are often used interchangeably and have similar overlapping ideals, they have distinct meanings.

At some point in our lives, we might get asked, ‘Where are you from?’. Or ‘What is your ethnic background? What is your race?’

Endless faces of race and ethnicity | Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental.

Endless faces of race and ethnicity | Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental.

That’s when we might realise each word can be hard to define and understand.

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