blog

WHY WOKE CULTURE IS JUST CAPITALISM REBRANDED

What does it mean to be “woke”? Is being “woke” something one “possesses”? Is “woke” something we announce publicly, our sense of ethics displayed? Is “wokeness” saying the correct things, stating our  “correct” political position, hating the “right” things, using the “correct” language, calling out the “right” people, hitting the like button when others share the same views in their posts

Read More »
Hand holding the handle of a tea kettle pouring hot water into a gaiwan

WHAT IS SHAMANISM?

Shamanism is the oldest recorded spiritual practise found in cultures all over the world, including my own (Chinese Taiwanese). Through entering into a non-rational mind space via a number of tools such as altered breath, ecstatic dance, chanting, rattling and drumming, and the consumption of specific plants (in my case, non-entheogenic plants), the practitioner can tap into a reality (and

Read More »
Chic 70s Asian grandmother holding hands with her toddler Asian granddaughter in a pagoda at the park

THE TIGER CURSE

My paternal grandmother (whom I refer as Nai Nai, paternal grandmother in Mandarin) grew up in Keelung, Taiwan. When she was born, her mother (whom I referred to as Ah Zoh, great grandparent in Hokkien) celebrated exuberantly by announcing a feast complete with a slaughtered pig. This was highly unusual, counter-cultural and was seen as extravagant, as Chinese tradition in the

Read More »
Woman holding back a veil with the forest as the backdrop

THE ROAD TO HEALING IS NOT THROUGH A SAVIOUR, BUT THROUGH A DEVIL

We must become reconciled to the shadows within before we can be reconciled to the shadows in the outer world. Only the acknowledgment of our own fears, triggers, narcissism, hate, and every other appalling, rejected, or denied part of ourselves can prevent the same reenactment of pain. Enough of “love and light” spirituality. Stop forcing the light. It’s about giving

Read More »
chair with distressed pink paint artfully photographed

WHAT I’VE LEARNED SO FAR WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING

This functions more like a collection of musings in a diary entry rather than a more structured form of prose… I’m reminded that no amount of physical distance can separate my love for loved ones. That’s it’s possible to make new friends while in shelter in place. Productivity is only productive when it accounts for my mental and emotional wellness,

Read More »
Hand holds match and lights up candle, with succulents in background

THERE ONCE WAS A WOMAN WHO SWALLOWED A FLY

Judging the title, you probably think I’m about to recite a nursery rhyme, but alas, there is nothing fictional about what I’m about to share, as I was the woman who once swallowed a fly— during a meeting when I was pitching to a prospective client while I was still working in the clean tech industry. The night before the

Read More »

WHY WOKE CULTURE IS JUST CAPITALISM REBRANDED

What does it mean to be “woke”? Is being “woke” something one “possesses”? Is “woke” something we announce publicly, our sense of ethics displayed? Is “wokeness” saying the correct things, stating our  “correct” political position, hating the “right” things, using the “correct” language, calling out the “right” people, hitting the like button when others share the same views in their posts

Read More »
Hand holding the handle of a tea kettle pouring hot water into a gaiwan

WHAT IS SHAMANISM?

Shamanism is the oldest recorded spiritual practise found in cultures all over the world, including my own (Chinese Taiwanese). Through entering into a non-rational mind space via a number of tools such as altered breath, ecstatic dance, chanting, rattling and drumming, and the consumption of specific plants (in my case, non-entheogenic plants), the practitioner can tap into a reality (and

Read More »
Chic 70s Asian grandmother holding hands with her toddler Asian granddaughter in a pagoda at the park

THE TIGER CURSE

My paternal grandmother (whom I refer as Nai Nai, paternal grandmother in Mandarin) grew up in Keelung, Taiwan. When she was born, her mother (whom I referred to as Ah Zoh, great grandparent in Hokkien) celebrated exuberantly by announcing a feast complete with a slaughtered pig. This was highly unusual, counter-cultural and was seen as extravagant, as Chinese tradition in the

Read More »
Woman holding back a veil with the forest as the backdrop

THE ROAD TO HEALING IS NOT THROUGH A SAVIOUR, BUT THROUGH A DEVIL

We must become reconciled to the shadows within before we can be reconciled to the shadows in the outer world. Only the acknowledgment of our own fears, triggers, narcissism, hate, and every other appalling, rejected, or denied part of ourselves can prevent the same reenactment of pain. Enough of “love and light” spirituality. Stop forcing the light. It’s about giving

Read More »
chair with distressed pink paint artfully photographed

WHAT I’VE LEARNED SO FAR WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING

This functions more like a collection of musings in a diary entry rather than a more structured form of prose… I’m reminded that no amount of physical distance can separate my love for loved ones. That’s it’s possible to make new friends while in shelter in place. Productivity is only productive when it accounts for my mental and emotional wellness,

Read More »
Hand holds match and lights up candle, with succulents in background

THERE ONCE WAS A WOMAN WHO SWALLOWED A FLY

Judging the title, you probably think I’m about to recite a nursery rhyme, but alas, there is nothing fictional about what I’m about to share, as I was the woman who once swallowed a fly— during a meeting when I was pitching to a prospective client while I was still working in the clean tech industry. The night before the

Read More »