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.
It was the last school recital night of the year; students, teachers and parents filed into the dark auditorium, eager to watch the show. Unbeknownst to them, it would probably be the worst one yet. As the lights dimmed around them, the curtains pulled back to reveal a magician and his assistant, the pair caught in a loud argument over a lost bearded dragon. It took them minutes to realise everyone had been waiting for them to perform. Quite literally, they were two deers caught in the headlights.
Lurking within the manifold layers of society is a kindling animosity that once ignited, may give rise to a destructive hate. This animosity goes by the name Islamophobia and has become a widely used term in political and social climates. In many countries, followers of Islam are often perceived as a collective “other”; a group of people who don’t quite belong or fit into society. Because of these ‘othering’ tendencies, Muslims are often subjected to intersectional microaggressions and hate crimes which may bring about many psychological impacts.
It’s time to celebrate the first cardinal sign of the zodiac because it’s Aries season! Aries season (March 21-April 19) marks not only the beginning of the zodiac wheel, but also the beginning of incoming Spring.
For centuries, the basic concepts of time have been determined by numbers – as we all know it, we live and breathe through 365 days in a year. This can be broken down into a universal calendar of 12 months, 52 weeks, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes and 31,536,000 seconds. While the Earth rotates on its axis, the days and nights take turns with their shifts.
“The Evergreen Tea House” is a Hong Kong novel written by David T.K. Wong. It feels like a recollection of memories through a tumultuous period between the 1950s and the 1980s, with a multiple-perspective narration and intriguing characters. The book is namely set in Hong Kong, but the chapters also find themselves located in other countries like Taiwan and Peking (also known as Beijing as of present day). Though the book’s cover doesn’t seem like much, it actually highlights deep-rooted themes of politics, capitalism, traditions and culture.
It’s Scorpio season! Do you know what that means? ‘Tis the season for the most overzealous, jealous and possessive bunch-
