10 Years of Blogging: Is Blogging Still Relevant?

Posted on 8 December 2022 by Mabel Kwong

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These days people tend to gravitate towards social media and online video platforms, and it seems the concept of blogging is outdated.

It begs the questions: is blogging still relevant today? Is blogging dead? Do people still read blogs?

The short answer: no blogging is not dead. It is still relevant depending on how you look at it.

I started this blog exactly ten years ago. Along the journey of ten years of blogging, there has been lots of learning about consistently keeping up a blog. Over time, blogging has come to mean different things to me.

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Ways I Disappoint My Asian Parents Again and Again

Posted on 14 July 2022 by Mabel Kwong

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When you come from an Asian family, there are usually strict cultural norms to live up to. On the occasions you don’t, chances are you probably disappoint your Asian parents.

Different Asian parents, and parents in general, have different expectations of their children. But the benchmark tends to be high in Asian households.

Growing up Asian in Australia, my migrant Chinese parents were strict with a traditional Chinese mindset. They wanted me to be top of the class, work a high paying job and be a smiling demure Chinese girl well-liked for her polite mannerisms. For most part I never lived up to these expectations, much to their disappointment.

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11 Ways To Respond To ‘Why Are You So Quiet?’

Posted on 21 April 2022 by Mabel Kwong

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If you’re an introvert or usually not much of a talker, you’ve probably been asked, ‘Why are you so quiet?’. You’ve also probably wondered how to respond to this question.

You might feel this question is annoying, rude or not polite, feel that you’re being judged for being quiet or silent. Or judged for simply not being in the mood to talk in a world that favours extroverts and sees quietness as weird and not normal.

Some ask the question because they are concerned you are too quiet. Or they want to have a conversation with you to get to know you. Whatever the reason, it can be challenging to come up with a response.

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7 Ways To Stop Talking To Someone Without Being Rude

Posted on 7 October 2021 by Mabel Kwong

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There are times when you’ll encounter people who are up for a chat and will talk away. But you don’t want to talk and want to avoid them.

You might wonder: how do you stop talking to someone without being rude? How do you end a conversation politely, especially if the other person won’t stop talking?

Sometimes you’re in the middle of something and talking isn’t ideal. Perhaps you’re avoiding the person talking to you altogether. Or you’re not in the mood for talking and it’s just bad timing.

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5 Communication Differences Between Eastern And Western Cultures

Posted on 4 February 2021 by Mabel Kwong

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It is common for Eastern and Western cultures to communicate differently in everyday settings.

Between these two cultures, there are different patterns in speech, languages used, articulation techniques and emotional cues expressed.

At times stereotypical Eastern societies and Western societies express themselves in conflicting ways. Sometimes this can make doing business or socialising together challenging.

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6 Reasons Why You Feel Like You Don’t Belong Anywhere

Posted on 11 July 2019 by Mabel Kwong

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‘Why don’t I belong?’ Sometimes we go through moments in our lives where we don’t fit in with a certain group or place.

For some of us, we might feel like we don’t belong anywhere most of the time.

AURORA AKSNES (1) | The Forum, Melbourne, Australia 2019

Either way when we don’t belong often that means we feel different. The feeling of not fitting in comes in different forms. For instance, we don’t get along with family and never seem to say much around our parents or siblings. Can’t identify with ‘where you are from’ or our heritage. Don’t get the latest trends or TV series everyone is so into.

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