I was sitting in the living room with my parents when the news of the first lockdown came out. The three of us, clutching onto coffee cups like lifelines, stared up at the screen as history unfolded before us. There’s something chilling about your mind being stuck in a loop of paranoid questions, and ours…
Last night, we heard screaming. Tucked away in our apartment during quarantine, we wondered what people were doing outside clapping and yelling. Upon looking out the window, we could hear our neighbours across the alley – they were sitting on window ledges, hollering and cheering. Shouts from blocks away could be heard echoing through the…
The driver reaches out a hand to steady me as I stand up. I’m on a tiny boat that’s just left the beach of a tiny Malaysian island. We’ve come out into the ocean to meet a group of jet ski riders. We’ve come so a bunch of tourists can step out of our comfort…
“It’s so HEAVYYY!”
Several heads turn my direction and the disapproving stares of strangers cause me to wonder if I said that aloud by accident. Or perhaps I’m just making a scene by dragging my backpack across the airport lobby tiles. Sure, I could always pile my crap onto a trolley and let…
Lingering incense from daily offerings wafted over the villa; the smell of Balinese air and fresh street food filled my nostrils. A breath felt how I would imagine dirt-flavoured candy floss to taste – instantly melting, topped with a spritz of motor oil and a dash of bug spray.
A muffled chorus of squealing pigs…
BEEP, beep, beep
This tunnel is one of my biggest fears. I’m driving my car on the M5, about to go through the airport tunnel. Horns are blaring since no one likes peak hour, yet the pace is consistent.
The lights that line the walls start zooming past, and my mind does a little trick.…
“Olivia's effort and concentration in class have been variable. At times she has participated well, but at other times, has been off-task. In her future studies, I would like to see Olivia ask more questions and seek help if she is unsure. Her absences have unfortunately hindered her progress quite significantly.”
That was my maths…
I stare out the plane window at the twinkling lights in the darkness below. That’s Japan down there. Hitting the ground feels like victory: a life’s dream of coming here fulfilled in the matter of seconds. With a big smile despite my tired eyes, I step out of the arrival gate and drink in the…
Content warning: Suicide and associated themes
I lay cocooned in an old duvet on the hard hospital floor, drifting in and out of consciousness to the haunting lullaby of my best friend's heart monitor. I looked at the clock perched on the stark wall above me -- the only gauge of time I could find…
Long days. Cold nights. Fatigue and loneliness. Standing in the harsh sun, I’m surrounded by walls of tall jungle. Staring ahead at a steep overgrown path that never seems to end, I hyperventilate. Time passes with each step. My breathing softens as we make it to the summit. I wonder whether I’d be better off…
I wish I had taken ballet as a kid.
The pirouettes I force myself into, avoiding seemingly inevitable collisions with scooters and cars, on roads that have no sidewalks to speak of and drains wider than a cat is long, would make my grandmother proud. Add to that the scrapes on my hand and pride…
A harsh light pierces my eyes from a low swinging globe above my face. I am lying on a bed. No. It’s a gurney. It creaks in rhythm with the tight pulling of my arm. A young Thai woman sits on a wooden stool next to me, threading me back together like a seamstress. She…