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Why It’s Okay To Eat Alone
I don’t mind eating alone. I don’t mind asking for a “table for one”. But what I do mind is getting grief for dining by myself. My Chinese-Malaysian parents are big on eating meals as a family, which is what many Asian families do. Growing up in Malaysia and Singapore, we ate dinner together almost…
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Why We Travel
Travel. It’s about being on the move. When we were young, maybe we were forced to travel, travel for a better life and a better education. Growing up, I moved quite a bit: Melbourne to Malaysia to Singapore and back to Melbourne. My parents wanted to work in Asia, and so little me was dragged…
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What Is Happiness?
Growing up in a Chinese Malaysian family, I’ve been told studying science, landing an office job and getting married in that order is the road to a happy and fulfilling life. Learning maths at university was dull for me.
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Why It’s Odd And Okay To Be Alone
“Why are you going out alone?” That’s what my mum said when I lived at home and headed out by myself for some “me time” on the weekends. No, it’s not because she’s concerned for my safety. Melbourne is a pretty safe city in broad daylight. Rather, my parents – and many of my friends…
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Why I Love Melbourne
Recently I went on my first ever guided tour of Melbourne’s CBD. Along with about sixty others, mostly tourists, it was refreshing wandering through familiar city locations while listening to historical commentary from the Melburnian, blonde, university-aged tour guide. It got me thinking: what’s so good about Melbourne? Why do I like living in one…
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Why We Get Names Wrong
When I was born, my Malaysian parents named me Mabel (may-berl). They also gave me a Chinese name, Li Teng (lee ting, 丽 婷), which is my middle name on my Australian passport. I’ve always went by my English name. Growing up, my parents called me Mabel at home. I introduced myself as Mabel when…
Mabel Kwong 