the world is not kind to those who are tacky
Late night thought: āDonāt be tacky (unless you know why youāre doing it)ā is a surprisingly powerful heuristic for me
our metaphors for god adapt to keep up with our technology
Most of us inherit an idea of God as a “world craftsman”. If you think about it, this idea could not predate craft
minorities have to be extra-sensitive
(these were thoughts in response to Sarah Jeong being called out for being racist towards white men) I think one of the rules
women’s perspectives are criminally underrepresented
As I get older and hear more about women’s experiences, it gets clearer and clearer to me that movies and TV are dominat
“I only like Chinese girls”
There is some nuance in the space between having a preference and articulating it. Lots of dudes are utterly incapable of walk
cultural cosplay: a broader framework for thinking about cultural appropriation
I’ve never quite been satisfied with the overuse of the phrase “cultural appropriation” in all sorts of cont
Attempting A Reading Into Indian History
What is India? What is Indian? I like to start with words. The name India is derived from Indus, from the Old Persion word Hin
Hypothesis: people with uncommon names are likelier to develop uncommon identities
Here’s a nominative determinism flavored hypothesis: I believe that people with uncommon names are likelier to develop u
a set of notes about storytelling
Storytelling Heft? (2022/2023) fiction should slap you in the face and kick you in the gut and spit in your mouth otherwise wh
The utility of art (includes escape from myopic utilitarianism)
It’s often difficult to have a conversation about art because we’re almost always talking past each other. I once
Is Ya Kun Kaya Toast “Authentic”? [2013]
Originally posted on Poached Mag in 2013. I was having kopi with some friends at Ya Kun Kaya Toast. A friendly auntie spoke to
cultural appropriation is very context-dependent
In response toĀ http://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/02/17/japanese-twitter-seems-to-have-no-problems-with-karlie-kloss-geisha-phot
Retake the narrative
Wrote a response to someone asking, “Why should Muslims have to answer for what some madmen do halfway across the world?
people seem fundamentally unserious about their information diets
TL;DR: “Every new piece of news is seriously important” => fundamentally unserious about the nature of importan
An Analysis of Power And Social Dynamics In ‘MeanĀ Girls’
Theory: The movie has such enduring power and is quoted so much because it sheds some incredible light on real sociological ph
What does it mean to be Indian in the modern world?
WIP āTo be an Indian writer in this society is to face, every day, problems of definition. What does it mean to be āIndian
Fashion is omnipresent and inescapable; we are all making fashion statements whether we realize it or not
Why does this post exist? I think fashion is interesting and important. I’d like to develop a better sense of my perspec
Sanjay’s Super Team
I’m thinking about Sanjay’s Super Team, and Ratatouille, and overcoming ‘villains’. Overcoming cynicis
What’s up with yoga?
I think there’s something interesting about how yoga went from being a spiritual way of being to becoming a commodified
history is an underrated source of insight
I think history is interesting. It’s likeĀ binge-watching old seasons of current affairs ā we get to go through a lot
What makes something “authentic”? It’s about passing for others
The goal here is to explore what we mean when we say something is ‘authentic’, ask who gets to decide, and how we