Some of my fondest memories growing up involve instant noodles. I used to go to my dad’s office after Chinese language school and eat a lunch of instant noodles in his office pantry. And when our house got renovated and our kitchen access was limited, we ate instant noodles on the window ledge of my grandmother’s bedroom.

Instant noodles have made frequent appearances in my life as a quick lunch, a hearty breakfast, and as a travelling (read: adventure) food. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to cook all sorts of fancier, healthier stuff, but I still love making and…

Asexuality has gained more visibility over recent years, but it’s still not as talked about as other sexual orientations under the rainbow umbrella. Case in point, I can only think of one openly asexual character in entertainment off the top of my head (Todd Chavez in Bojack Horseman).

This year, as February 14 loomed on the horizon, I was struck by the question one day: what are asexual people doing for Valentine’s Day?

Fortunately, I’m privileged to know several ace humans in my life. (“Ace” as in asexual and “ace” as in awesome.) So, I asked them.

But first, let’s…

Getting a bad grade sucks. You feel incompetent. Dumb. Stupid.

I’ve had my share of bad grades. My worst grade ever was Grade 5 P.E., which probably inspired a lifelong hatred for sports. So, I do know how it feels to receive a bad grade.

But I did do pretty well in school in general. I was an honour student in high school, and with the exception of a few bad classes, I did well in university and graduated with Class 1 standing.

I don’t say these things to boast about how smart I am. In fact, the opposite: I…

Iopened my Netflix homepage and my heart sank instantaneously. There, on the front page, was a trailer about a new reality series following the glamorous yet materialistic lives of Californian Asians: Bling Empire.

On the surface, reality shows about judging rich people seem harmless. After all, rich people are rich — what have they got to lose? And if you’re rich due to less-than-ethical means — many of the Bling Empire cast cite mining, oil, and gas as their money-makers — it seems fair to knock you down a peg.

But my beef isn’t with rich people, rich Asian people…

I hate sports. Absolutely, irrevocably despise physical activity. I’ve always had terrible coordination, I can’t catch a ball to save my life, and I still can’t shoot pool straight. But I understand the importance of exercise. Next to getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and avoiding stress, being physically active is one of the healthiest investments you can make.

Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

I know there are a thousand and one articles on the internet about how to get started with exercising…

In general, I’m not a fan of social media. It’s vain, addictive, prone to disinformation, and a waste of time. Social media is basically a high school popularity contest, only worse. With just a few clicks, anyone can judge anyone by the prettiness of their profile and the number of followers they have.

Yet I’m still pretty active on social media, and I don’t plan on leaving.

By now, everyone knows that social media is bad for our health. According to a comprehensive analysis in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, social media and smartphone use by youth is responsible for…