I land in Hanoi the second week of February. Not winter, not summer, and not comparable to any other middle season in the rest of the world. Arriving from the coldest months of Europe, I expect some kind of warmish welcoming, but end up surprised at how much of an optimist I can sometimes be.…
Wet necks stretch gracefully; curled tendrils trace cheekbones as heads balance above the steaming water. A wave ripples out as breasts, followed by hips and thighs, emerge and wade to the bath’s edge, swinging over onto the textured tiles. A pair of eyes follow with interest.
A young girl watches the woman pass by, eyes…
"And where are you off to, young man?"
"Santiago," I replied.
My questioner -- a silver-goateed, balding man of about 60 -- sighed.
"Ah, Chile!" he exclaimed, resting his hands atop his belly. "I was there once upon a time..."
And that's how it began: 10 years’ worth of stories to pass the time as we sat…
He was so handsome. Tall with dark chocolate skin and big brown eyes to match. He climbed in the minivan and took the last available seat next to me. Smiling, he revealed his perfect white teeth. I could already imagine kissing his plump lips.
“Hello,” he said.
“Hi,” my voice quivered. “Where are you from?”
“South Africa,”…
I sat in an acai bowl cafe, the kind with swing seats and fake flowers, on a balmy Ubud afternoon, right in the middle of two 30-something white Americans.
This was my first trip to Bali and it felt like a rite of passage as an Aussie -- you have to have been here to…
I wish I had taken ballet as a kid.
The pirouettes I force myself into, avoiding seemingly inevitable collisions with scooters and cars, on roads that have no sidewalks to speak of and drains wider than a cat is long, would make my grandmother proud. Add to that the scrapes on my hand and pride…
I run my fingers across the blue lettering that reads ‘Clear Blue Pregnancy Test’. It's 8:53. I’ll have to wait another whole minute until the pregnancy test reveals the answer. I'm going to bring a baby into this world with a boy who sleeps on a pullout couch and smokes bongs for breakfast.
The psychic’s…
Tracing the intricate calligraphy, an old Japanese man smiles and looks over at his granddaughter. He downs the last of his long neck Asahi Super Dry and lets out a boisterous laugh.
“I can’t believe you’ve taken up a pastime beloved by elderly Japanese men,” he chuckles.
I am sitting with my friend Yayoi in…
“Congee? For your late-night bite? You serious?” said my partner, May. She’d just returned with a bag of barbecued squids from a few stalls away. I was still standing where we’d parted, staring across the crowded street at a gloomy congee stall in front of a seedy coin-op game shop in the night market.
“Of…
Bare breasts are in my face, the stripper’s top hanging loosely from the bar stool next to me.
I feel like I’ve descended into hell.
The room is bathed in a red glow, like fire is enveloping the place, while disco balls spin delicately from above, illuminating men who watch the main stage with fervent…
On a late-night train, there was a girl. I faintly recall a scarf, round cheeks and bangs long enough that they caught on her eyelashes. Her hands fluttered to the cadence of her voice. Her leg was warm against mine.
I don’t remember her name.
One of the senior girls from Osaka University’s karate club…
Midday was drawing near as the air conditioning unit began to choke in the corner of the underground restaurant I’d taken refuge from the heat in. The temperature outside in the city of Shiraz in Iran’s south-east was 45 degrees, and set to get even hotter.
The broken air conditioning was no problem for the…