Uncategorized

Ah, Miss Saigon. Auntie has watched it more than once—out of curiosity, out of nostalgia, out of sheer loyalty to theatre itself—and every single time I walk out thinking the same thing: what an incredibly polished American product… and what an incredibly false portrayal of real Vietnamese and Southeast Asian women. Gorgeous staging, soaring voices, and a story built on a fantasy version of us, imagined through Western binoculars fogged with guilt, desire, and a century of Orientalist clichés. Don’t misunderstand Auntie: Kim is performed beautifully. The actresses who play...

Dear Cambodian friends – I have many – sit down and pour yourself a cold Angkor because Auntie needs to speak plainly. Equal pay and equal rights aren’t luxuries to be gifted like a rich uncle’s New Year ang pao. They are the bare minimum for any woman who gets up every day — or every night — to earn her living. And yet, in Cambodia’s entertainment and sex industry, equality is treated like an optional seasoning: sprinkle a little when donors visit, hide it when customers arrive, pretend it...

Auntie is horrified—again. And exhausted—again. How many times must Okinawa scream before anyone listens? Every few months, like a dreadful calendar reminder, another headline surfaces: another girl harassed, another woman assaulted, another community forced to relive a half-century of trauma. And each time, the same script unfolds: shock, diplomatic murmurs, promises of “reviewing procedures,” then silence. Until the next victim. Let’s talk responsibility. Not the vague, convenient kind—the real one. Base commanders, generals, admirals, I’m looking straight at you and your shiny medals. You strut around talking about discipline, honour,...

Let’s get one thing straight—because clearly some folks in Maguindanao del Sur are struggling with the concept. The shame is not on the LGBTQ couples who were dragged from their homes like fugitives of love. The shame is on you, the self-appointed moral police, the barangay bigots with too much power and too little constitutional reading comprehension. Yes, Auntie said it. And I’ll say it again louder for those in the back: the shame is on you. Because in case anyone forgot, the Philippine Constitution—that dusty little document you love...

Oh, darling, don’t get me started on this tired old excuse that inter-faith marriage threatens social harmony. If I had a chili pepper for every time a politician or religious uncle used that line, I’d have enough sambal to feed all of Java. The idea that two consenting adults loving each other is somehow the spark that will set society on fire—please! If anything, Indonesia’s streets are far more endangered by potholes, corruption, and bad air quality than by a Javanese Muslim marrying a Balinese Hindu. Let Auntie spell it...