The popular misconception of happiness is that once we obtain tangible things or experiences such as achieving a certain grade, the opportunity to work in a prestigious company or a chance to travel the world- we would be happy. Phrases like ‘When I have this amount of money in my bank account, I will be happy’, or ‘when I lose this much weight , I will be happy’. Everyone has this ideal notion of attaining and acquiring certain physical things and opportunities that would result in happiness. However, in reality happiness is achieved from within. No amount of external tangible objects, experiences and people can make you truly happy. Nevertheless, aligning your perspective to be more receptive towards gratitude will do wonders in helping you to achieve inner happiness and the appreciation of the biggest miracle and mystery to ever occur- life.
Princess Diana wearing the ‘Elvis dress’ during a visit to the Culture Centre in Hong Kong
Had Princess Diana still been alive, she would have turned 60 just last month. She was known for several things – among these, she was probably best known for her charity work, impeccable style and untimely death. She championed various causes, and most notably fought against the stigma surrounding AIDS patients. Princess Diana was also known as a style icon, for she single-handedly revived dying fashion trends as the clothes and accessories that she was spotted wearing often flew off the shelves, racking up millions of sales. Sadly, her life was cut short when she died in a tragic car accident at the young age of 36.
Picture this: a strong woman who has all the traits to take on the world with her own prowess and seemingly infinite courage. She is the epitome of what an empowered woman should be: she can shatter the demarcated bounds of achievements, she can nonchalantly seize the attention of a room so that her voice is heard, and she can fight, and she does so effortlessly. Odds are that the first image you conjured up is the carbon copy of the ones we have all seen or read about in the media; the woman who rejects all that is deemed feminine and carries herself with the confidence of a man, whilst discarding all her “feminine-like” characteristics. But why do so many of us look up to and aspire to be women like these?
Trigger warning: The following article contains discussions regarding suicide, which some readers may find disturbing or traumatizing. Viewer discretion is advised.
“My doctrine is this, that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt.” – Anna Sewell, Black Beauty.
Malaysia was once one of the top 20 countries that best managed the Covid-19 pandemic. However, after the Sabah election in September 2020, mass gatherings had triggered a third wave of COVID-19 spike. Furthermore, the highly contagious Delta variant landed in Malaysia recently. According to Dr Noor Hisham, this variant is far more contagious whereby an infected person could spread the virus to 5 to 8 people as compared to the original SARS-CoV2 that only spread to 2 to 4 individuals. As screening continues, more asymptomatic carriers are identified which reached 8000 confirmed cases for the first time and cases even exceeded 10,000 since 13th July. This uprise signalled that the war with the virus would not end soon.
In the past few decades, we have seen how the world has changed with the exponential growth of technology and the ways in which we use it. Social media is one contribution of this growth that has become crucial to the typical “21st century life”. Even if you do not have it, chances are, you are not immune to its impact on the world. One of the most important effects social media has had on the world is its contribution to activism. From MySpace to TikTok and everything in between, the use of social media has unequivocally evolved. From a site meant to stay better connected to friends, social media has since turned into a platform of endless possibilities. Take Instagram for example: what started out as a photo-sharing app has today become a platform for so much more; such as business and social change. However, some would argue that it has created a flurry of problems for users, mainly relating to mental health, but its contribution to forming a well-informed and well connected society remains indisputable.
In celebration of Starbucks’ 25th anniversary in Japan, they have released a limited-edition series of 47 Frappuccinos, each representing a prefecture. Frappuccinos are Starbucks’ trademarked name for sweetened, ice-blended drinks topped with whipped cream. This line-up is titled ‘47 JIMOTO Frappuccino’, jimoto meaning local.
I don’t know what time it is, but it’s late at night. The both of us are perched on the rooftop, sharing a cigarette. I watch my younger self inhale and choke on the smoke. She clearly grimaces and hands it back to me. I inhale deeply, biding my time. The edge of the cigarette crackles as I slowly exhale into the cold, night air.
