life
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Losing Friends as a New Parent – Is It Really Inevitable?
Becoming a parent is a big life transition, one I’d been dreading for quite a while because of what I’ve heard from other people. You’ll never see your friends again. People drop off the map. I did have a friend (let’s call her Cang) who dropped her end of the rope after becoming a parent. Continue reading
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Reflections Before Giving Birth to My First Child
My husband and I have been sick this week. First he was sick, and then two days later, I woke up with a swollen, irritated throat that evolved into a runny nose and then ongoing congestion and a lingering wet cough. The worst of it is over as of today. I’m glad I won’t have Continue reading
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When We Weren’t Afraid
When my brother and I were kids, we used to bring snacks to a homeless man on the bike path. Years later, we saw someone who might’ve been him—laughing, lost, and unrecognizable. Now I think about how easy it once was to trust strangers, before the world taught me caution. Continue reading
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Pandan in Autumn: a short story
Jenny sets out for the perfect fall picnic—wicker basket, apple butter sandwiches, autumn leaves. Instead, she finds a gray park, cold bread, and chaos. On her way to visit her grandmother, she realizes real comfort isn’t in picture-perfect seasons, but in croquettes, pandan cake, and family warmth. Continue reading
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We Were Bold, We Were Six
At school we played boldly, unaware how soon innocence would splinter beneath heavier cracks. Continue reading
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Cool Asian Americans: on double eyelids, belonging, and learning not to measure worth by beauty
While my body fights off this uncomfortable cold, I will share a little something with you that I scribbled down recently after reviewing Kaila Yu’s memoir, Fetishized. This is a vulnerable reflection about my own personal relationship with feeling beautiful as an Asian American. *** Cool Asian Americans. Import cars, pinup models, house parties, clubbing, Continue reading
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Life Is for the Living: healing from grief & the fear of forgetting
A personal journal entry in which I grapple with guilt over the healing process from grieving my sister’s death, and my fear that moving on means forgetting. Continue reading
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You Beautiful Dumbass: A Frank Letter from a Grieving Sister
Hey Victoria, you beautiful dumbass. Continue reading
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The Perfect Daughter: a short story
A mother gloats about how she successfully molded her daughter into the perfect traditional daughter, only to be surprised. Continue reading
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We Would Be Sand Dollar Rich: a memoir
Work was far from my thoughts as I wandered along the sand on a Wednesday morning, a week after my sister had killed herself. Waves curled and flattened against the shore as I ambled forth, my eyes cast downward in search of calcium-rich remains of mollusks. This morning, the beach—not the city named after the Continue reading
Eden Onpeng 