Seven days in this body — 2 Jan Today, I re-read Minor Feelings: An Asian Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong. In it, she points out that Asian people can be both victims and perpetrators. The last part stings me. I am so full of people’s intolerance to me that I am entirely defensive about my people, whether that…

Saying an excited hello and an early goodbye — Tomorrow is my last Lunar New Year as a resident of Hong Kong. It feels quietly important, subtly monumental, like reaching the end of Gilmore Girls or turning 29. Some people do a lot of reflecting on the precipice of a new year. I’m sorry to say that I am…

Surnames matter when you’re an ethnic minority — The hallmark of my thirteenth year on earth was Sisqo’s Thong Song. Not for its lowbrow lyricism or its objectification of women — it was much more complex than that: the word thong rhymes with Kwong, which is my surname. …

How a medieval maid, a royal teen, and an Italian bartender changed my present — It was a Monday in September and her name was Gloria. She was a maid in a dusty feudal village, disgruntled about always being told what to do; namely washing pots and pans in a cellar to make a wage. Gloria tried to make decisions to improve her life, but…

Hong Kong homes are notoriously cramped, but other spaces give us what we need — Recently, I witnessed a couple arguing quietly and gesticulating wildly across a table in a busy food court. My first thought was: ‘they need this space’. Physical space in Hong Kong is a coveted prize that can never be won. It’s no secret that it’s one of the most densely…

For those with a dual heritage, languages are about more than words — As a mixed-race person, I can just about find myself on Google. I see myself in articles and the odd documentary episode (still not enough, but that’s a bigger conversation). …

Walking in Hong Kong is more than just commuting — Anyone who has put foot to pavement in any of Hong Kong’s busiest areas knows that it is entirely its own experience. A bevy of collisions awaits you and, to conquer the pavement, you must navigate them all, from the umbrella-duck to the squeeze-by. You must exercise your patience behind…

For most mixed-race people, the pressure to adapt is real — At the end of last year, I went to see author Sreedhevi Iyer speak about her short story collection at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival. A member of the audience asked Iyer, an Indian-Malaysian-Australian writer, if she felt she behaved differently according to the different countries or cultures she…

In Hong Kong, my name is everywhere — and it makes me feel guilty. — In the winter of 2014, my sister and I took a photo of my dad posing under a street sign. We were visiting Hong Kong and after alighting the ferry on Hong Kong Island, we found ourselves stepping onto Man Kwong Street. It was one of the most brilliant things…