A woman stuck on Earth

Looking back on my twelve years on the Chinese internet, I faced brutal cyberviolence on a daily basis simply because I was trying to bridge the misunderstandings between Chinese and Indians, as well as bringing a little light about freedom and democracy inside the Great Firewall. One phrase I used as a mantra and shared over and over again was: Every individual has their own path to walk. On your own path, you face your own karma—the circle of cause and effect. Your path and my path will not intertwine; you will face your own circle of doings and consequences. Everything comes back. I am always amazed by how some people waste so much energy prying into others' paths, even going out of their way to try and harm others. Do they truly not know that whatever they do only comes back to themselves? I have remained completely untouchable all these years, despite how many wanted to hurt me so badly. Why? Because on my own path, every single small action I took was done with such care and ...

While setting mousetraps in the attic, my daughter cried for twenty minutes nonstop, feeling devastated about killing the mice. Her heart was completely broken. I have always known that both of my kids have the softest hearts, but now I know just the sheer degree of my daughter's gentleness. What a blessing—I just know she is going to bring so much good into this world. "So, you'll just have to learn to communicate with the animals telepathically then," I told her. "I'm so sorry that Mommy hasn't learned how yet, or else I could have asked them to leave voluntarily instead of having to kill them." (More crying) "And you'll learn to protect all animals when you grow up, too. Our seas are filled with trash, sea animals are trapped in fishing nets, so many species are on the brink of extinction, and there is so much animal cruelty everywhere because humans have lost their connection to animals. You can learn to bridge that gap then." (A fl...

1. My 10-year-old daughter now wears the same shoe size as I do. She loves picking fancy pairs from my collection for her various performances. Whenever she hijacks my brand-new shoes the moment they arrive, I just laugh and think to myself, "I'll get those sparkling heels back when she outgrows them." 2. While I do take my puppy to training classes, I also intentionally spoil her. It is so stress-relieving to know I don't have to be strict with her. Instead, I get to be the doting mom I always dreamt of being but couldn't—one who doesn't have to worry about whether her child will fit into society, or if she must learn to be polite, kind, helpful, hardworking, and unselfish just to be accepted and loved. My puppy gets to stay with her mommy for her whole life. She never has to learn the "proper way to be a woman" just to have a good life; she will never get pregnant, have pups, or be slaved into marriage. Her ultimate marriage is with her human momm...

Ever since my month-long trip to China and India this past July, I’ve been reflecting. Why did it feel so good? A long vacation, sure. But I realized the constant dopamine rush came from the impact we were making—the waves we created wherever we went.  Simply being the version of myself I chose to be, living a life I purposefully designed regardless of societal expectations, and existing in pure satisfaction and contentment was enough to stir something deep in the hearts of those around me. One of my relatives in China put it best: "You guys are so happy, all of you. That happiness is pure, deep, and unapologetic—it's rare to see. I'm so grateful to witness it and deeply moved by it. Please come back every year." Yes, we’ve lived in the land of individualism for almost as long as we lived away from it. Here, most people around us reside on their own private planets. Over the years, we’ve learned to expand our universe to fill an entire planet of our own—all while keep...

​"How many times have you been at this turn?" the officer asked. ​"It's my first, actually. My son just started at this school. My husband usually sends him to school in the mornings, but today it's me because it's the 9 a.m. 'late start' day. And my self-driving was taking me to turn left. I waited for a while, then thought I was blocking traffic in the roundabout, so I manually took over." ​"There are three signs showing 'No Left Turn'." ​"Oops, I'm so sorry, officer..." ​"Haven't I told you not to let self-driving take you from door to door? You're going to get into trouble because of it!" said my husband. ​"Well, on a positive note, we're going to be here for the next 5 years. It's good to know there's no left turn right outside the school. I bet traffic police wait there every new school year to catch 20–30% of the new parents—just like bears waiting on the rocks of a st...

Our lead guitarist (and vocalist) was expecting a shipment for an expensive new guitar today. The moment it arrived, he insisted everyone in group chat guess how he got such a fancy instrument. "You won the lottery!"  "You must've gotten a ton of tips recently!"  "Nope. Momo, your turn!!" "Your sweet girlfriend gave it to you as a gift!"  "I knew Momo would guess it right!!" Yep, call me the Queen of Romance! Maybe I should write romantic novels like Bridgerton or Wuthering Heights when I’m a grandma. lol

During a 10-day trip through China—from Hong Kong to Beijing to Fujian—my Indian sister-in-law was turned upside down. She couldn't stop marveling at how advanced the country was: spotless, organized cities, giant skyscrapers, sprawling highways, women safely navigating life and running businesses, high-tech on every corner, and a complex high-speed rail network. You name it. ​To her, comparing India and China is no longer valid: "India is way too backward on all fronts, and China is as good as America, if not better." ​I spent a lot of time explaining the reality behind what she was seeing. While no one should dismiss China’s achievements, I had to remind her: ​"You have no idea how hardworking the Chinese people are—any system would look good with a population like ours. But there are two Chinas. One is the government's China, where every inch of land and every human life belongs to them. We are merely resources to be used, so naturally, they can make the citie...