I quit my job at the end of July. I moved to Paris ten days ago. I’m pursuing a masters degree centred around the business of fashion. I feel like I’m in an uneasy truce, both with myself and with this city. So far, I like Paris a lot. I wonder if it will like me back.
Back in the Before Times, a great source of enjoyment was travelling to a new city and exploring its streets in pursuit of the delicious. But the thing that I’ve maintained, as a salve to my own restlessness, is that vacationing is a state of mind, baby! Life is a vacation if you avoid all responsibilities and spend money frivolously and don’t worry about other people’s well-being!
I’m always tired. Being a leech on society is hard work. But after those first few sips of coffee hit the bloodstream, I’m revved up and ready to go. At once, it’s like I’m cruising down Rainbow Road, glittery with star power as the greatest soundtrack of all time propels me forward.
What do Setos like anyway? To be honest, not much/nothing. We are a mean bunch and we are especially harsh when it comes to each other which is why we are all Very Well-Adjusted Adults. So what do we do when we're all home for the weekend? Have a showdown, of course, involving the only thing in this rotting world that matters: Vietnamese subs AKA bánh mì.
Hello! We are finally back from our month-long sabbatical older, wiser, taller, and smarter. If you're wondering what I look like now, find an old picture of me and stretch it slightly. Anyway, this past weekend I took a slight break from my busy schedule of staring at a wall to go to PARKSHOW, an art and fashion show featuring up-and-coming Canadian designers that took place in the Chinook Centre parkade.
Going out and being social can be tough, which is why sometimes (most times) I like to come up with excuses to cancel. There are times, however, when going out is unavoidable. And sometimes, the most stress-inducing of times, you have to go to these events alone. I have been in this situation a various amount of times, which is why I feel I am qualified enough to create a helpful guide on how to survive these events.
The year is 2015 and I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the rash finally goes away. The bad news is that Iggy Azalea is nominated for not one but four Grammys. The reason I'm writing to you is because I want to provide some valuable wisdom that would have been really nice to know back in high school. With those braces and that fedora, you really need it.
The very first time I ever ate bun bo hue was two summers ago when I was travelling with a few friends through Vietnam. We had just taken a twelve hour overnight train ride from Hanoi to Hue and despite the fact that we had just eaten a very good lunch, my friend Chris and I asked the waitress where would we be able to get a good bowl of the city's specialty dish. After some aimless wandering we miraculously managed to find it in a dingy, empty restaurant run by some cranky Vietnamese people who didn't speak English. It was delicious. That night, after dining on a rooftop patio, Chris and I went and ate another bowl on the side of the road.
When I was younger, I associated being Chinese with never eating McDonald's, never buying things full price, and never getting to eat with other kids during lunch because my dumplings smelled like a fart. As a result, I struggled with my identity for years. But after eating a feast consisting of lobster, pork belly, chicken, asparagus, noodles, salmon and spending years trying to get over my internalized racism, I can say that being Chinese is pretty awesome.
