Yesterday a friend of Kiwese sent through this opinion piece: ‘Why focus on other cultures and not our own?’ by NZ Herald columnist Brian Rudman. I eyeballed it somewhat carefully – any article that opens with possessive pronouns around culture and a cartoon dragon engulfing a white, flag-waving, Fred Dagg figure in a wife beater warrants several deep breaths through theContinueContinue reading “Responding to Brian Rudman’s Push for More Nationalism and Less Dragons”
Author Archives: Kristen Ng
Food Cravings: Wellington Edition
Summer in Aotearoa, Winter in China… It’s around this time each year, Kiwese gets homesick for the beach, friends and whanau, and home food… Don’t get me wrong, I love the food in Chengdu. But sometimes, it’s like faaa I’d smash a potato top pie… From what I’ve heard, the food landscape of Wellington has changed a lot over theContinueContinue reading “Food Cravings: Wellington Edition”
Losing My Shit Over Polyswagg
Earth has borne witness to unstoppable forces of nature – earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes and The Royal Family. TW: extreme fangirling Crowns UP! The Royal Family are so fucking badass. I’m hooked. Tautoko these bitches all day – literally. Maybe a little too literally… For the past 48 hours I’ve been on a very real YouTube marathonContinueContinue reading “Losing My Shit Over Polyswagg”
Started from the Bottom Now We’re Here: 14 Years Since the Poll Tax Apology
“Sorry,” “arohamai,” “对不起,” “ma bad.” Kiwis tend to over apologise for everything – sorry for being late, sorry for moving your bag, sorry for ever so slightly scuffing your foot on the bus. But what about when ‘sorry’ really means something? The Poll Tax was a tonnage restriction and tax on all Chinese arrivals to New Zealand from 1881 to 1944. Fourteen years agoContinueContinue reading “Started from the Bottom Now We’re Here: 14 Years Since the Poll Tax Apology”
Chinese New Year (Chunjyeah!)
Ayi Wan Lin phoned on the weekend. Forgot to reply to that text, flicked it away for later consideration while the eternal online shopping hole of Taobao was draining my essence. Chunjie seems to creep in just as you’ve been blobbing into the festive glow of Christmas, New Year’s and a self-administered hangover period. It’s chill. Then you realise that laowai holidays didn’tContinueContinue reading “Chinese New Year (Chunjyeah!)”
Why Being a Home Tutor In China Will Lead to Obesity
Andi has just turned four-years-old. She likes Barbie, Hello Kitty and rabbits. I teach her at her home twice a week for two hours. Dinner is included. I somehow knew January would be the month I’d find a job. January has been a buzzy one, as Januarys tend to be. Bowie died. Rickman died. The dude from The EaglesContinueContinue reading “Why Being a Home Tutor In China Will Lead to Obesity”
VIDEO: Orchestra of Spheres + Lady Lazer Light | ‘Rotate’ Live in Beijing
Behold! Beijing’s bogan paradise – where no one’s body is a temple and nobody ever leaves sober. Coated with a delightful lustre of Jager, coffee shots and projectile vomit, Temple Bar is discreetly tucked away in an upstairs building off Beijing’s Gulou Dong Dajie. Following a packed out show at School Bar the night before, Beijing’s WeChat feeds were wagging about theContinueContinue reading “VIDEO: Orchestra of Spheres + Lady Lazer Light | ‘Rotate’ Live in Beijing”
Favourite Releases 2015
From Wellington stoner country to Beijing glitch hop, 2015 was packed with awesome releases from both New Zealand and China. Here are fifteen Kiwese favourites! Illustration by Ali Pang. With Knees of Honey in Goodbye Canyon by So Laid Back Country China (Wellington, NZ) So Laid Back Country China (or 很放松乡村中国) is a four-piece band fronted by Harriet Ferry andContinueContinue reading “Favourite Releases 2015”
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