Since I used up the extra hour I would have spent writing this blog watching the third hour of Cloud Atlas, I am now reduced to presenting my thoughts on the film in bullet point form. • Tom Hanks as the ancient master storyteller, weaving the threads of the various narratives together into one intricate … Continue reading
Author Archives: Grace
City Life
Whirr and rumble underneath the window buzzing neon lights, their throbbing arteries empty, essentially. **** A breath, catching once or twice Their heads buried down against the thought of nothing up ahead. **** In the midst of life is life: A girl walking with her father, sharing snacks that only can be bought out on … Continue reading
Oh Mr. Moon Moon Bright and Shiny…
I’m not much of an environmentalist, but recently a few news stories about ways to solve the energy crisis have caught my eye. For the sake of clarity, and most definitely not to insult the above-average intelligence of our Collective readers, I’ll state the basic problem: We can’t figure out how to produce enough energy without … Continue reading
A Tale from My Childhood
I reckon it’s a hard thing to write about a random number like 20. And my guess is that things like a “best of” list (which I am guilty of writing) and anniversary issues (which I am actively contributing to) should probably be reserved for the likes of The New Yorker, which have a well-established … Continue reading
Snow White and the (Super Hot) Huntsman
[SPOILER ALERT!] The major accomplishment of Kristen Stewart’s latest cinematic offering is how Chris Hemsworth manages to come across as a believable romantic lead despite playing a drunkard who sports a thick layer of medieval grime for nearly the entire duration of the film, and has only the scantest provision of lines to work with. … Continue reading
Three Times a Lady
This photo must show us how Aung San Suu Kyi spent the last twenty years of her life – reading, thinking, planning, waiting. Despite two decades under house arrest or some form of restricted movement, she apparently never lost her poise and patience. Her endurance is remarkable, and a little uncanny. Sometimes I hear faith … Continue reading
A Tale from My Childhood (And a Brief Word of Congratulation)
I reckon it’s a hard thing to write about a random number like 20. And my guess is that things like a “best of” list (which I am guilty of writing) and anniversary issues (which I am actively contributing to) should probably be reserved for the likes of The New Yorker, which have a well-established … Continue reading
Top Ten Best Reads of the Year
There’s no rhyme nor reason to why I’m writing this list now rather than December. Consider it a fiscal year to assess the value of what I’ve read in the last twelve months. Here it goes… 1. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver Indeed the holes in this story are mysterious and intriguing, if the book … Continue reading
Hey good-lookin’
I guess what I’m trying to say about folk music is that it irks me. Not the older stuff of course, the “original” music, but the newer revival of it, the fashionable form. Whether this is folk rock, indie folk, or another permutation, there’s something about it all that seems a bit put on, a … Continue reading
The Sedentarian
I miss television. Every evening there’s a peculiar aching in my soul for that ever-so-comforting routine of settling down on the couch to a good dose of mindless entertainment. I suppose this is just the sort of scenario imagined by Ray Bradbury over 60 years ago in his brilliant but bleak short story, “The Pedestrian.” … Continue reading
Grubby Money
I was out on the streets of Hong Kong the other day, in an area known for its poverty, drug addicts and recently arrived immigrants. I went there on purpose with a few other girls to find people who might need help. As it happened we bumped into a little granny who we’d seen a … Continue reading
Making Reb Tevye Proud
As much as I don’t want to write about Chinese New Year, the cacophonous din of the dragon dancers and their drums outside my window this morning left me no choice but to reflect on the event. People are out and about everywhere today, walking the streets and alleyways to visit their relatives on one … Continue reading
On the house
On the house I came to eat a meal on New Year’s Day (the start of what I’m still not sure) and found the bread and fruit and cheese laid out on every table, water for our thirst. I sat and drank and ate and talked to those who sat beside me, the … Continue reading
Metamorphosis
I fell in love at the age of seventeen. Predictably, not with a real person, but with the idea of love itself, expressed through the music of Coldplay. (It sounds grandiose, I know.) The little-known band released their first studio album, Parachutes, in the summer of 2000, and I was smitten from the first time … Continue reading
Realpolitik
Robert Mugabe went to China last month and was greeted by Vice President Xi Jinping with a warm handshake and the same benevolent smile he must use with every important person he meets. The smile that says, “I’m fine. You’re fine. Let’s all be fine together!” This followed by a beaming look around the room … Continue reading
The Art of Yum Cha
I was out riding bicycles last week on a beautiful autumn morning when the sun was shining and finally, for once, it wasn’t too hot. A group of girls that I live with and take care of on occasion were with me, so we were all enjoying the sunshine and a little time out of … Continue reading
The Pleasures of Lowbrow Culture: Or, Why I Entered the Contest to Meet Clive Cussler
There’s a café near my house where you can take a book off the shelf for free on the assumption that you eventually bring it back or replace it with another one. I’ve popped in and out of this place frequently over the last year or so, occasionally buying a coffee and other times just … Continue reading
What’s NeXT?
Steve Jobs died, and the world mourned. The odd thing about it was, people spoke as if they knew him personally, as if his death affected them in a deep way, as though they had lost a close friend whom they had known for many years. They even cried. In a way, I suppose it’s … Continue reading
I will complete you.
Tonight on the way home, as I was pondering what to write for this issue, my eye was caught by the watch on my neighbor’s wrist. In Hong Kong it’s not unusual to notice unusual things about one’s fellow passengers, as we are often packed like sardines in a can into the cars during rush … Continue reading
Like father, like son: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
Much ink has been spilled of late over the recent overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi’s government in Libya, the most recent in a wave of revolutions that have swept through the Middle East. I’m going to spill just a little more. One bit of the coverage that especially caught my eye regards Gaddafi’s second son, Saif … Continue reading
The Rise and Fall of Chinese Basketball (if you’ll pardon the rhyme)
The summer has seen the retirement of Chinese NBA star Yao Ming, and the anticipated rise of Li Na to dominance in women’s tennis. While the television, footwear, sportswear and soft drink industries—not to mention the NBA—winced at the prospect the revenues lost through Yao’s retirement, others eagerly hovered over Li Na as she rocketed … Continue reading
Crazy Heart
It’s been a long time since a film has gripped me, but Crazy Heart really got me. The poignant, often gut-wrenching story follows the story of Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges)—a washed-up country singer who drowns his troubles in a bottle and staggers haltingly from show to seedy show. He is so broke he can’t even … Continue reading
Checkerboard Collective 