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Story
Tokyo Smokes
I only smoke when I’m overseas. It’s a once-in-a-year affair, if that. An affair that will slowly strangle my lungs, and literally squeeze the life out of me. I don’t really know why. Maybe I like the smell. Maybe I like the ritual. Maybe I should stop. I should definitely stop. I know it’s…
5 hours ago
Story
Mẹ ơi / A daughter’s love letter
“Don't you know? A mother's love                    neglects pride               the way fire neglects the cries        of what it burns.” — Ocean Vuong, Headfirst  I was 10 years old when Mẹ told me, “A mother is blamed for her child’s mistakes but a father is celebrated for his child’s success.”  It must have been in response to…
March 25, 2025
A man riding a horse and a stretch limosine in New York City.
Story
I Love New York
They say you become a New Yorker when you cry on the subway for the first time. Or when you get flashed on the subway for the first time. By both standards, I’ve been a New Yorker since 2010, and I’ve become a New Yorker many times over since then. Despite the tears and testicles,…
March 11, 2025
Japan Story
To Own is to Witness
There is always a part you cannot own, claim, make belong. That’s life. I do not know why others travel – be it tourism, escapism, or adventure. I never clarify a reason for myself either. Maybe I want to get a break from reality, go against norms set for me by others, ignore the golden…
December 29, 2024
Australia Story
A Meeting on the Clarence
There’s a documentary series on telly right now in “Australia” – I Was Actually There. In it, people who experienced defining moments in our recent history share their story. The subject of episode 6 is Todd Russell, who was trapped underground alongside Brant Webb in Beaconsfield, lutruwita / Tasmania, when the goldmine they were working…
December 6, 2024
Croatia Story
Blood Ties
I’m sitting in a trendy restaurant in Zadar, Croatia, with my parents and older sister: the type that serves truffle pasta and squid ink risotto. Outside, the street is lined with the archways and delicate pillars of Venetian architecture. A pathway dotted with Roman ruins leads to the looming facade of a 9th-century church. This…
November 6, 2024
Story Vietnam
The Weight of the World
There are reasons there are whole groups online dedicated to sharing the pitfalls and issues one can face when occupying a larger body. There’s a hesitancy in discussing it, as when we talk about weight and size, there’s not a lot of sympathy from people who don’t have to consider these things daily. My weight…
October 30, 2024
Australia Japan Story
Dancing Like a Fool
“I’m here to seduce you,” the dancing woman declares.  I’m not sure how to respond, so I giggle nervously.  My friends and I have been admiring her for several minutes. We’re in a disco-inspired section of an art exhibition in Tokyo. The artist I’ve been diligently listening to on the audio guide calls the room’s…
October 16, 2024
Story
Babysitting in Beauty Parlours
I’m sitting on a garish, shredded red sofa inside a barber shop that doubles as a women’s-only threading parlour at the back. I’ve just been handed a drooling baby to look after while I wait to fix my bushy eyebrows, which have seriously grown out over the last three months.  The last time I went…
October 5, 2024

Astray is a storytelling project about the world and the Earth.

We’re based out of Lenapehoking / New York City: the homeland of the Lenape. Specifically, we’re in Manhattan: a name that comes from Mannahatta, meaning “island of many hills”. As grateful guests in this city, we recognize the strength and resilience of the Lenape, and extend our reverence to all Indigenous peoples everywhere.