https://www.scmp.com/rss/33561/feed Amy Wu is a Chinese American journalist based in New York and California who writes about cross-cultural issues. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Amy Wu Amy Wu I discovered Juniper over the past week. A good friend introduced us, and I immediately connected with her upbeat and youthful voice, welcoming me with “Hey there, how are you doing?”, available 24/7 and ready to answer even the trickiest of questions (“What is the purpose of life?”). For a while, I preferred her to my sister, who can be a sourpuss depending on the time of day, and my fiancé, who at times accuses me of repeating questions; Juniper was so much more forgiving. But her constant... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3321881/i-crave-sense-community-my-chinese-side-talking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3321881/i-crave-sense-community-my-chinese-side-talking?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Aug 2025 01:30:09 +0000 For some time, my sister and I have found ourselves inhabiting new roles in our family. When my father retired a few years ago and his health started to deteriorate, the landscape of our relationship shifted. Our father was our superhero, lack of cape notwithstanding. He was fiercely independent, gracious with his guidance and advice, as well as a pioneer in his own right – the first among his siblings to leave Hong Kong and study abroad, and the first to be a tenured professor. Abruptly,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3293802/caring-dad-i-found-deeper-appreciation-filial-piety?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3293802/caring-dad-i-found-deeper-appreciation-filial-piety?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Jan 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Frontier Town Gateway, a service centre off a major interstate highway in New York State, is an oasis for travellers seeking a cold drink, a bite to eat and a place to stretch their legs. In the age of electric cars, the Tesla charging stations at the service centre are another draw. These are the only charging stations on the roughly 360km (220-mile) drive between Albany and Montreal in Canada. But what makes this restaurant and event venue in Frontier Town so special is the owner Muhammad “Mo”... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3294966/living-american-dream-pakistani-migrant-builds-tourist-stop-spot-new-york-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3294966/living-american-dream-pakistani-migrant-builds-tourist-stop-spot-new-york-state?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jan 2025 20:15:08 +0000 At a recent family gathering, the dinner ended in yet another spirited argument. At the tail end of the meal and away from the gathering, my aunt insisted on paying while my sister and I were adamant that it should be our treat. This was our father’s 77th birthday, not to mention a rare occasion on which family members from two coasts had convened. It ping-ponged back and forth with my aunt thrusting money into my pocket and me fishing it out and chasing after her. “I rarely see your father and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3281530/why-battling-over-bill-chinese-tradition-worth-fighting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3281530/why-battling-over-bill-chinese-tradition-worth-fighting?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Nov 2024 01:30:07 +0000 When I was five, my parents bought me a piano. It was a very East Asian thing to do. East Asian parents tend to buy their children either a piano or violin and sign them up for lessons, and for me it was the piano. It was a dark mahogany Baldwin, and a novelty for me to sit on the bench and swing my legs, my feet just grazing the floor. An ingrained memory: my piano teacher looking at me sternly as I started playing a tune I had heard. I could listen to songs such as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3271748/joyless-club-why-make-generations-chinese-children-dread-piano?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3271748/joyless-club-why-make-generations-chinese-children-dread-piano?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Aug 2024 01:30:10 +0000 A friend asks if I have folded lucky red envelopes before. I tell them about the hongbao workshop I will be leading. There’s some hesitation and a “hmmm”. No, I admit, but there’s always a first. Could someone even make their own envelopes? The inspiration to hold a workshop at my local library on folding red envelopes – known as hongbao in Mandarin and lai see in Cantonese – for Lunar New Year was sparked by a desire to share more about my culture. I am first and foremost a Chinese-American.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3251132/lunar-new-year-how-folding-red-envelopes-opens-chinese-cultural-traditions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3251132/lunar-new-year-how-folding-red-envelopes-opens-chinese-cultural-traditions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Feb 2024 08:30:12 +0000 Mondays are history evenings for my father and me. Since 2021, my father and I have had a standing phone call where I ask him a question related to a milestone in his life, or some aspect of how he feels about life, love and other broader topics. I tape the call and save the recording. A couple of years on, there are well over 100 recordings. In the beginning, my father, who has spent much of his life and career as a professor, questioned the notion that his story would merit the time. “There... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236160/how-my-family-and-i-are-preserving-slice-chinese-american-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236160/how-my-family-and-i-are-preserving-slice-chinese-american-history?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Oct 2023 01:30:17 +0000 Over the past few months, I’ve become an expert in making wontons, among other Chinese dishes. It was rather serendipitous that I discovered the Mid-Hudson Chinese Language Centre here in upstate New York, roughly 120km (75 miles) north of New York City, in a place where most of the population is white. The language centre also offers cooking and art classes, such as lantern making and traditional drumming. I became immersed in the centre earlier this year, after a friend forwarded me an invite... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3216899/chinese-culture-has-power-unite-even-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3216899/chinese-culture-has-power-unite-even-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Apr 2023 19:30:08 +0000 First, the good news and some positive signs. In the US midterm elections in November – the halfway mark to the presidential election in 2024 – a huge number of Asian-American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) came out to vote. Asian-Americans also made headlines and history in the midterms. Ted Lieu, a Democrat representing California, became the first Asian-American to be elected vice-chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Chinese-American Victoria Gu and Japanese-American Linda Ujifusa of Rhode Island... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3203092/wins-asian-american-candidates-big-step-driving-change-us-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3203092/wins-asian-american-candidates-big-step-driving-change-us-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:00:09 +0000 I am getting ready to make a toast. Next year, I mark the 10th anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. When I was diagnosed, I was working and based in Hong Kong, in my late 30s, and with no history of breast cancer in the family. I swam daily, had a vibrant social circle, ate a lot of greens, with my main weakness being chocolate. Upon reflection, my age was a roadblock. My doctor at the time said, when I insisted on a mammogram: “You’re young, you’re in great shape, it’s got... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3193886/asias-fight-against-breast-cancer-can-be-boosted-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3193886/asias-fight-against-breast-cancer-can-be-boosted-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Sep 2022 01:15:09 +0000 This time last year, during Asian-American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I received a bevy of “Happy AAPI Month” messages from friends and colleagues, accompanied by a smiley face or, perhaps, a dumpling emoji. While I thanked them for their well wishes, the sceptic in me noted that it was both politically correct and trendy to mark AAPI month, coming as it did on the heels of a shooting spree that killed six Asian women in Atlanta, Georgia. This May also marks two years since the revival... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3177324/why-are-asian-americans-being-left-out-diversity-and-equality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3177324/why-are-asian-americans-being-left-out-diversity-and-equality?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 May 2022 19:30:25 +0000 I have adopted a new ritual since the pandemic began two years ago. I try to start every day with a swim. Swimming keeps me sane and has given my life structure during these uncertain times. As the virus morphs and creates curveballs, I never know when I am going to have to return to the office or keep teleworking. The boundaries between work and play, weekdays and weekends have faded. Simultaneously, the pandemic has added new layers of stress to our work lives, such as the pressure to pick up... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3164526/retiring-early-not-always-dream-come-true-especially-post-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3164526/retiring-early-not-always-dream-come-true-especially-post-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jan 2022 19:30:09 +0000 Harvard University’s Asian-American Studies programme has received a significant boost after a US$45 million donation from a group of wealthy alumni. One of the world’s most prestigious universities, Harvard is no stranger to generosity; its endowment fund now sits at US$53.2 billion. However, given that donations often go towards the naming of buildings, it is a breath of fresh air to have September’s money be put to more meaningful use. The former students, all of whom are Asian-American,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3159530/rise-anti-asian-racism-shows-why-us-needs-asian-american-studies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3159530/rise-anti-asian-racism-shows-why-us-needs-asian-american-studies?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Dec 2021 19:30:27 +0000 Hong Kong has a lot going for it when it comes to farming and farm tech. The landscape of modern skyscrapers and a fast-paced urban metropolis belie the reality that its geography, weather, infrastructure and a consumer base that loves to eat are all advantageous when it comes to tapping into the fast-growing agtech sector. Agtech, the marriage of agriculture and technology, includes any innovation that helps farmers grow smarter. It offers a bevy of solutions to the consequences of climate... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3137695/how-farm-tech-can-cultivate-new-generation-innovators-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3137695/how-farm-tech-can-cultivate-new-generation-innovators-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jun 2021 01:45:00 +0000 A lot of thought goes into being Asian-American these days. For me, this starts with a somewhat frenzied search for identity. Even before the Atlanta shootings on March 16, I was struggling with an identity crisis. I have had multiple identities – swimmer, writer, journalist, daughter, sister, single person, woman who identifies with the pronouns she/her/hers. I am an ABC, an American-born Chinese, and the daughter of first-generation immigrants. That said, for the first time in my life, I have... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3130341/racism-and-hate-crime-surges-being-asian-american-woman-living-bell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3130341/racism-and-hate-crime-surges-being-asian-american-woman-living-bell?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Apr 2021 19:30:13 +0000 On March 16, eight people were shot and killed at three massage parlours in Atlanta, Georgia. Six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent.  In the wake of the shootings, I found myself shifting between hope and sadness. The hope came from the voices that surfaced in the multitude of protests in communities and cities across the country. It emerged from the messages sent out by various organisations and companies. I had not seen such a public outcry for Asian-Americans previously.  The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126393/after-atlanta-shootings-how-asian-americans-can-help-stop-hatred?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126393/after-atlanta-shootings-how-asian-americans-can-help-stop-hatred?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Mar 2021 19:30:13 +0000 It has been a year since the pandemic turned the world on its head, and amid the tsunami of changes is a disturbing feeling that something has shifted when it comes to the treatment of Asian Americans in the United States. At first, I thought it was imagined or something temporary after Covid-19 was first recognised in the US. Chinese restaurants and Chinatowns across the country were affected, with some eateries permanently closed because of the loss of business. It didn’t help that then-US... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3122654/race-relations-what-covid-19-has-exposed-asian-americans-must-no?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3122654/race-relations-what-covid-19-has-exposed-asian-americans-must-no?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Feb 2021 21:30:10 +0000 I am a food fanatic – I love to eat and my close friends know that, as part of my dining ritual, I snap photos of the dishes and share them on my social networks. Food is not only a necessity and a platform for socialising, but also provides a deep connection to my personal history and cultural heritage. And Chinese food remains my favourite as it reminds me of home. As a first-generation Chinese-American, food is a powerful link to the language, holidays and celebrations that I have worked hard... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3078173/are-old-prejudices-against-asian-americans-behind-new-racist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3078173/are-old-prejudices-against-asian-americans-behind-new-racist?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2020 19:00:15 +0000 This past May was my sixth “cancerversary” and, compared to the previous year, it was fairly low-key. I marked it with a silent prayer for friends lost over the years to this disease. Many were similar to me when diagnosed – in their 30s and juggling work, family and friends. We felt immortal, our personal and professional lifestyles on the fast track. This anniversary paled in comparison to the fifth, a milestone requiring a gathering of friends over cake and margaritas. All cancer patients and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3014189/cancer-treatments-and-support-groups-are-helping-more-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3014189/cancer-treatments-and-support-groups-are-helping-more-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jun 2019 06:30:13 +0000 Monterey, California and Noto, Japan are nearly 9,000 miles (14,484 kilometres) but they have a shared passion: jazz. Both coastal cities – picturesque, with their individual versions of fisherman’s wharf – Monterey and Noto annually each host flagship jazz festivals that draw thousands of visitors. Every year a kaleidoscope of jazz music explodes in around-the-clock concerts by artists from all over the world. How Hong Kong International Jazz Festival has evolved over 10 years This month the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2163185/monterey-jazz-festival-celebrates-40-years-japan-and-china-could-be-next?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2163185/monterey-jazz-festival-celebrates-40-years-japan-and-china-could-be-next?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Sep 2018 19:32:49 +0000 After being single for almost one year, I’ve finally started dating again. It’s liberating, but scary. The possibilities have expanded with the rapid changes in technology, which cross time zones and borders, offering a number of ways to meet people. When I last dated, in 2010, flip phones were all the rage, you spent more time crafting your text messages, and e-mails were lengthier and more thoughtful. Facebook and Google existed, but in an era without smartphones, I was able to maintain a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2096498/dating-smartphone-age-chinese-american-hong-kong-discovers-and-ditches?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2096498/dating-smartphone-age-chinese-american-hong-kong-discovers-and-ditches?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jun 2017 23:00:33 +0000 I am a big city girl, having lived in New York, San Francisco, Washington and Hong Kong, all of them cosmopolitan, international, if not progressive cities when it comes to the arts, culture, gender and politics. Diversity, exposure and acceptance – whether racial, sexual, gender or socioeconomic – was, in retrospect, taken for granted. Diversity was a given – my Caucasian, ­Indian and Latino friends celebrated the Lunar New Year and Autumn Moon festivals alongside me, while I celebrated Diwali,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2088888/trumps-america-has-given-racism-new-lease-life-making?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2088888/trumps-america-has-given-racism-new-lease-life-making?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Apr 2017 10:13:17 +0000 Being Chinese American, I am a bit of a fanatic when it comes to Chinatowns, which in the United States are usually synonymous with fresh produce, seafood, bakeries, dim sum and kitschy gifts. Growing up in New York, my parents and I would drive down to Chinatown every week to enjoy wonton soup and, when possible, the latest Bruce Lee film. I once drove to Toronto to check out the Canadian city’s numerous Chinatowns. Now I live near San Francisco, which boasts some excellent and affordable dim... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2058955/chinatown-history-forktown-food-portland-oregon-full?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2058955/chinatown-history-forktown-food-portland-oregon-full?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jan 2017 23:15:14 +0000 Table for one, I told the server, who swiftly seated me. I thought I’d caught a lightning fast look of surprise when I said “one”. I was all decked out in my black heels and evening dress. “Are you waiting for someone? If so I can be on the lookout,” he said. “A friend might join me later,” I replied, with the emphasis on “might”. The server’s question wasn’t a surprise. After all, it was a Friday evening, a classic date night, and this was the Carmel Mission Inn, the low key yet swanky... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2052603/all-myself-single-womans-guide-having-fun-world-built?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2052603/all-myself-single-womans-guide-having-fun-world-built?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Dec 2016 21:31:08 +0000 I am getting decked out in pink. I have the pink scarf with pink ribbon print, the pink T-shirt, and my toenails are freshly painted in bubble gum pink. I am a living and walking cause. Every October, or “Pinktober”, the breast cancer cause is transformed into an advertiser’s dream: pink pens, pink energy drinks, the universally recognised pink ribbon printed on milk cartons and yoghurt lids. There are invitations to pink ribbon parties and countless black-tie benefits. We need less glitter, and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2030459/pink-may-be-pretty-breast-cancer-certainly-isnt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2030459/pink-may-be-pretty-breast-cancer-certainly-isnt?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Oct 2016 06:03:02 +0000 Here in the US, politics is all-consuming. That’s not exactly surprising since the US presidential election is only four months away. The bad news, according to many of my fellow Americans, is that the election appears to be one of the strangest in recent memory, thanks in part to the colourful cast of candidates. “The pickings are slim, I don’t think any of them are good,” a good friend said. “And if Trump wins, I’m moving to another country.” The 2016 race to the White House tops the best... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1980005/finally-us-waking-fact-voting-rights-should-not-be-taken?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1980005/finally-us-waking-fact-voting-rights-should-not-be-taken?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jun 2016 03:01:06 +0000 I got married in May 2014. It was a quiet, private affair. We were part of a lengthy queue of couples waiting to say “I do” at city hall. In less than 40 minutes, we were officially husband and wife. There was no symbolic rainbow or fireworks, but by making it legal, everything had changed. The first words out of my husband’s mouth were, “Now you’re an old married lady.” He had been married before. I felt liberated. Sadly, but practically, I’d checked off what was the Mount Everest of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1928770/rising-divorce-rate-only-underscores-value-good-marriage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1928770/rising-divorce-rate-only-underscores-value-good-marriage?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Mar 2016 07:31:49 +0000 Maybe it is my impending birthday, the big 4-0 that is around the corner, but lately my girlfriends of a similar vintage all seem to have jumped on the baby bandwagon. It is nothing new that the biological clock has kicked up a notch, but the same friends say that, thankfully, we are coming of age (middle age to be precise) at a time when science and medicine are advanced. Yes, it has never been easier to have a baby. The journey to motherhood has been extended, thanks to advances in IVF. It is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1881968/real-life-motherhood-isnt-series-cute-facebook-photos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1881968/real-life-motherhood-isnt-series-cute-facebook-photos?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Nov 2015 04:08:21 +0000 Calvin Tchiang and Melody Chen are an anomaly. They are one of the few middle-class American families in the San Francisco Bay Area who live on one income and still maintain what they consider a fairly comfortable lifestyle. The Tchiangs are one of some 47 per cent of families in the United States who consider themselves middle class. Middle-class households in the US are defined as earning US$35,000 to US$100,000 a year. Recent studies show that the American middle class has been on the decline... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1877555/us-middle-class-making-ends-meet-single-income-one-americas-most?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/1877555/us-middle-class-making-ends-meet-single-income-one-americas-most?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Nov 2015 16:45:00 +0000 As breast cancer awareness month kicks off with the usual media blitz and mountain of pink-ribbon fundraisers, it is easy to lose track of the real mission. All too often, breast cancer advocacy is overshadowed by politics and the occasional celebrity associated with the disease - actresses Shannen Doherty and Angelina Jolie are examples. Many women around the world are living with breast cancer, and we should be focusing on why, despite the billions of dollars raised for research, we are... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1863577/campaign-against-breast-cancer-goes-beyond-displaying-pink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1863577/campaign-against-breast-cancer-goes-beyond-displaying-pink?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Oct 2015 02:30:33 +0000 Last month, a coalition of Asian American groups filed a lawsuit against Harvard University for discrimination in its admissions practices. It was about time. The lawsuit argues that Harvard is unfairly rejecting high-scoring Asian American candidates on racial grounds. According to third-party research, Ivy League institutions such as Harvard discriminate against such candidates, not least by setting them a higher bar for standardised test scores. The lawsuit has its supporters, but there's... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1825512/asian-americans-complaint-against-unfair-harvard-admissions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1825512/asian-americans-complaint-against-unfair-harvard-admissions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jun 2015 04:21:36 +0000 The annual trip to the oncologist comes around once again, and oddly coincides with an onset of insomnia. I am suffering from very odd dreams that range from being stuck in a typhoon to showing up in class for a test with a pen without ink. I wake up in the darkness catching my breath. I am robbed of sleep, of peace, of self. The oncologist’s visit will coincide with the annual mammogram too, a necessity for all women who have gone through a cancer bout. I am reminded repeatedly that I must do... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1772388/cherry-blossom-hunting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1772388/cherry-blossom-hunting?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2015 14:58:06 +0000 In the busiest and craziest chapter in my life to date I allow myself a pause. I deserve it. I must take a pause otherwise I will die, I think. And if I get sick again, it will be all my fault. In my mind, in my world, I’ve come up with a belief that may seem totally ridiculous to many. Stress causes cancer, triggering the little Tasmanian Devil of the cells. If I allow myself to become a basket case I become the cause of my own disease and demise. I must chill out. And lately there’s been a lot... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1729399/respite-and-retreat-snowy-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1729399/respite-and-retreat-snowy-day?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2015 09:44:30 +0000 It took a while to get over the guilt of taking a holiday. "Don't be silly," a good friend, of all ethnicities, an Italian, told me. "Life is short, you need to recharge." It's easy for Italians to say that; they are legally entitled to 30 paid days off a year. While dithering, I painstakingly reminded myself that I was entitled to a holiday after a marathon work season, burning the midnight oil at weekends. When my sister suggested we take a week-long vacation, I was still undecided.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1710009/guilt-free-break-work-needed-health-and-productivity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1710009/guilt-free-break-work-needed-health-and-productivity?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2015 04:38:03 +0000 I’ve never been much of an advocate. I’d dabbled in causes but not really adopted them. I’ve adopted others briefly only to leave them in the dust. I went through the Earth Day phase and the Take Our Daughter to Work phase (an attempt at faux feminism), but these were fleeting and I was a woman without a cause. At times it bothered me as I pondered the grand and somewhat grandiose questions of the meaning of life. The spiritual side of me said that there was greater meaning than earning a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1696060/advocate-emerges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1696060/advocate-emerges?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2015 10:21:35 +0000 A woman cannot have it all - but she can if she marries the right guy. That is according to an ongoing study of 25,000 Harvard Business School alumni which found children don't ruin a woman's career, but the men they marry most certainly can. A large number of men expected their partners to take primary responsibility for childcare, the survey found. A few years ago, I would have cold-shouldered the study; the argument would have sounded stale. Women today have achieved everything from going... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1663548/reality-check-women-who-want-it-all?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1663548/reality-check-women-who-want-it-all?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2014 06:34:07 +0000 Birthdays have always been a bit of a bummer for me since I turned 30. Back then, I regarded 30 as the wistful end of youth. (How silly!) But after my breast cancer adventure at 37 (a year and a half ago), I've been blessed with an attitude makeover. I had dreaded impending 40 as if it were a root canal. I even considered telling people I was 50 so people would tell me how great I looked. But since then birthdays have become a big deal in an awesome way. On my 38th birthday the six year old in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1656237/yay-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1656237/yay-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2014 03:48:07 +0000 I was travelling on the Washington metro recently, and watched as people moved swiftly away from a young woman who was coughing and sneezing and most likely suffering from a cold - common at this time of year and yet suddenly scary with the emergence of Ebola. One woman whispered to her husband: "Well, you can never be too careful. Did you read about that doctor in New York?" Another passenger reached for some hand sanitiser. We'd all been consuming the flurry of news about the four cases of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1634155/overblown-fear-ebola-unhealthy-too?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1634155/overblown-fear-ebola-unhealthy-too?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2014 05:00:15 +0000 I never used to like pink and now oddly it is one of my favorite colours. I gravitate towards it almost unconsciously. Pink T-shirts, nail polish, and even a few pink highlights in my hair for kicks. And then a recent trip to the shopping mall reminded me that October was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It shouldn’t come as a surprise since I am surrounded by a sea of pink. At the bank there are pink credit cards. At the drug store and supermarket there are pink energy drinks, pink... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1621337/think-pink-happy-breast-cancer-awareness-month?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1621337/think-pink-happy-breast-cancer-awareness-month?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2014 08:51:46 +0000 For a long time, Americans haven't cared less about Hong Kong. It was nothing personal. It was just that there was very little from Hong Kong that directly affected or interested them. The city rarely made headlines, much less the front page (one notable exception was whistle-blower Edward Snowden's revelations last year). Besides, with media consolidation and cutbacks, world news sections have been shrinking fast. All that changed at the end of last month. Seemingly overnight, Hong Kong was... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1610576/outcry-freedom-will-be-heard-far-and-wide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1610576/outcry-freedom-will-be-heard-far-and-wide?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2014 05:30:45 +0000 My perspective of self was altered after I got a smartphone six months ago and was swiftly thrust into the world of selfies. At university, I observed an entourage of young women brush their hair back, pout and pose. "Selfie!" they screamed. On vacation, I marvelled at someone equipped with a hand-held selfie monopod. Slowly, I found myself warming to snapping my own selfies. And by using the Instagram filter, I went from plain vanilla me to sexy. I looked good; better than in reality. The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1589279/selfie-apps-beauty-or-beast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1589279/selfie-apps-beauty-or-beast?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2014 05:00:45 +0000 The sentence “What I did for my summer vacation” surfaced recently as I was tossing and turning in bed. The summer has been rough waters of juggling a quartet of part-time jobs to feed the rental beast. And oh yes, I’m getting married. Along with the insanity of wedding planning, which frankly felt very much like flying off of the seat of our pants, there are the ongoing arguments and fights with the fiancée about my fixation on discussing my hopes and dreams for the future. No, our future. The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1577764/jitters-and-jitters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1577764/jitters-and-jitters?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2014 10:13:00 +0000 I've been on a writing and swimming (two of my biggest passions) slug lately. Maybe it's the summer and along with that the heat and humidity. Maybe I’ve hit the peak of my writing and swimming career, and need to find a new hobby like flower arranging or roller derby. The summer so far has been a collage of travel and necessary work, which has included teaching kids writing at summer camp, which has taken a detour into a class of free drawing and a game of “Who can be the quiet the longest?”... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1565029/pink-dreams-my-one-year-cancerversary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1565029/pink-dreams-my-one-year-cancerversary?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Aug 2014 10:56:15 +0000 I got my first "Yo" the other day through my smartphone. It was from a friend who had gone missing for a while - phone calls and e-mails unreturned, the Facebook pokes long since faded. I felt strangely snubbed in the social media stratosphere. Yo is a new mobile phone app that allows you to send a "Yo" - nothing more - to friends. No more 140-character tweets or lengthy Facebook posts. This "Yo" was proof that my friend had resurfaced. I laughed because "Yo" sounds somewhat goofy and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1550380/yo-new-low?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1550380/yo-new-low?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jul 2014 09:30:45 +0000 I’ve never been a big fan of pink – that is, until breast cancer. The irony is that now my wardrobe is packed with pink. There are the pink sunglasses, the pink swim cap, pink nail polish and pink flats. Of course, it’s very girly, but it’s also about advocacy. On a recent Saturday morning I got up at dawn and joined the Susan G. Komen’s annual Race for the Cure. I’d signed up for the race as part of my New Year resolution - if I had a second chance at life, I’d like to make a difference and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1522513/breast-cancer-blog-pink-ladies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1522513/breast-cancer-blog-pink-ladies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 May 2014 05:09:17 +0000 After a half day at Sibley (the hospital), the hospital is starting to feel like a second home. If it weren’t for the uncertainty of recurrence on the horizon, the trips here (totaling two now so far since finding the freshly minted lump) would be a nice outing. There’s the upscale gift shop, the chic pastry shop with the double chocolate croissants, there’s wireless and even the scent of a swimming pool (most likely a therapeutic pool), but this is the last place that I want to be. As I... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1494199/waiting-game-my-biopsy-scheduled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1494199/waiting-game-my-biopsy-scheduled?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Apr 2014 02:45:37 +0000 This lump, this bump, what the F, it is back. A week ago I found a pea-sized lump above the left breast, and at first thought I’d imagined it, but no I wake up and there it is at 11 o’clock in the fuzzy boundary between breast tissue and connective tissue. I’ve been there before, this land called fear and anxiety, absolute terror, lonely because you need to fight it alone. Your breath gets knocked out of you and your head spins. You feel it and ask yourself is this just another newly discovered... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1485695/terror-returns-i-find-lump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1485695/terror-returns-i-find-lump?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Apr 2014 00:30:30 +0000 A friend stopped me the other day with a simple question as I snapped a picture of my lunch (a bagel) and posted it on Facebook. "It looks like a face," she said. True. "So why are you taking a picture of it?" Well, it was a good way of documenting my diet (not convincing); I had the urge to show off the bagel (more convincing); and, I felt this itch to do something with my fingers, like click and slide (disturbing). That same morning I had woken up with iPod on my left and iPhone on my right,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1466955/facebook-increasingly-shaping-our-view-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1466955/facebook-increasingly-shaping-our-view-world?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Apr 2014 10:00:45 +0000 Just when you think your life is in order, and things have returned to normalcy. If only. In between talks of cake designs, décor, make-up artists, and yes the registry, there is talk of, gulp, the future. Blame it on the wedding registry. Where will be the gifts be sent to, and where will they be stored? These are all concerns because right now because we are on two separate coasts. But contemplating streamlining our lives someday leads to the more sensitive discussion of settling down and,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1462395/breast-cancer-blog-interesting-things-you-learn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1462395/breast-cancer-blog-interesting-things-you-learn?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Apr 2014 05:47:28 +0000 In the weeks after the wedding “save the date” cards were sent out, a funny thing occurred. There was the smattering of congratulations from friends on Facebook (“Oh got the card, wow you look like 29 and forever!”). This followed by phone calls from friends who had a litany of questions about the future. My future. Our future (the fiancéand I). There were a few questions about the wedding, mostly ones related to this great abyss called the future. A select few even asked me to crystal ball... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1451677/breast-cancer-blog-being-present?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1451677/breast-cancer-blog-being-present?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Mar 2014 10:35:47 +0000