Life is like steps. Some are going up & some are going down. Some are just sitting, waiting & wishing for miracles. 😮‍💨 Today, Malaysia’s new Covid-19 cases spike up to the highest of all time at 21,668. Seen a viral video showing people flocking at a PPV, queuing up so closely that at some point, they looked like they were hugging one another. That just made me feel so disappointed & indeed sparked an outcry to the government & authorities. Kalau macam ni, how la to reduce the case & back to normal life? 😫

地球曰快乐! 🌍 Happy Earth Day! I’ve been struggling with lockdown restlessness lately. Feeling stuck has triggered a bout of existential crisis that I hit the “snooze button” on everyday. In these moments, it is the weekend visits to the forests, and even the nurseries that revives me. Such is the magic of nature, to make us feel alive and okay again. I see more people turning to camping, hiking, gardening to cope with lockdown too. We appreciate nature, but why do we allow ourselves, our politicians and big corporations to plunder and destroy? Environmental journalism was my way of answering that question and fighting for environmental justice. It’s a disheartening news beat to cover, if I’m honest, not because the extent of destruction is heartbreaking but because the general public often don’t give two shits about important environmental stories. But care and awareness is rising, sluggishly but surely. I know we care, but i hope we care enough to read and support the good work of environmental defenders - journos, activists, researchers. In educating ourselves, we learn to demand our lawmakers and businesses do better. How? I’d say the lazy man’s way is by kicking up a fuss on social media, reading, sharing, commenting and even signing petitions - because public outcry is important. It can help motivate political action and urgency to protect and restore our earth.

This entire time, I’ve been rejecting Asian American history as I felt that it wasn’t mine to claim. My family immigrated to America and had no immediate ties to the decades of Asian American history that came before them and so my entire life, I've felt more connected to immigrant culture than anything else.⁣ ⁣ One thing that I’ve gained clarity on these past few months however, is that I, as an Asian American, actually DO get to claim this history. I am someone who is part of this collective group and I am someone who gets to take part in writing this history.⁣ ⁣ With the recent attacks on the elderly Asian population in America, there’s been an outcry for the acknowledgment of the Asian American experience. As someone who is hoping to do the work of unpacking the internalized racism and prejudices that I hold against my own self and against my own community, I’m starting with educating myself on this shared (and also nuanced) experience. ⁣ ⁣ Here are 8 books by Asian Americans, for Asian Americans (link in bio).