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What Is The Difference Between Race And Ethnicity?
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?’ That’s when we…
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Colours In Chinese Culture: What Do They Mean And Symbolise
Colours are here and there, everywhere. In Chinese culture, certain colours play a more prominent role than others, some colours more auspicious than others. Growing up, this sentiment was what my Chinese-Malaysian parents taught me – that some colours we should see more of as a Chinese person, and other colours we shouldn’t pay too…
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Why Do Australians Call Each Other ‘Mate’?
If you live in Australia or have travelled around Australia, chances are you’ve heard the word ‘mate’ a lot here. For instance, you might’ve heard, ‘G’day, mate’ or ‘How ya doin’, mate?’ Living in Melbourne, I’ve friends from different backgrounds, different ethnicities and different age groups living different lifestyles. Western, Asian, Indian, hippies, hipsters, corporate…
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7 Unforgettable Ways To Celebrate Your Birthday
Once a year, our birthday comes round. Once a year, we get the chance to celebrate this occasion maybe by doing something wild, or something low-key. Next month is my birthday. I’ve never done much for my birthdays and this year will be no different. Part of me simply doesn’t like a big fuss. A…
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How Do Some Asians Say ‘I Love You’ To Each Other?
‘I love you’. Just three words. But three words some typical Asians like those of Chinese heritage find hard to say out loud when it comes to dating and romantic relationships. There’s this common stereotype: Asians are reserved about expressing romantic sentiments towards each other. In a progressive world where traditional and modern perspectives collide,…
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Why I Don’t Speak My Mother Tongue Fluently
Not all of us can speak our mother tongue. Just because we look a certain way doesn’t mean we speak or write a certain language. The dialect Cantonese runs in my Chinese-Malaysian family. My parents, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts and extended family speak it fluently (and Mandarin too). While I have no trouble listening and understanding…
Mabel Kwong 