Elizabeth Tai

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The Firehose Feed

This is a chronological feed of everything I’ve published.

AI asia Being a Writer Being Chinese Birds blog blogging books cat CDrama ChatGPT China Chinese culture Chinese Drama COVID COVID19 culture digitalgardens Fediverse Fiction geopolitics indieweb Internet Language Learning life Malaysia Mandarin mental health movie review Obsidian Penang PKM Politics productivity reading science fiction seedling socialmedia StayAtHome Substack tech Technology television Travel writing

  • The tricky art of learning Chinese characters

    The tricky art of learning Chinese characters

    I thought learning how to read Chinese was impossible for me. Turns out I needed to use the right techniques. 📧 Subscribe to read the post. Subscription is free.

  • Substack round-up: Six newsletters from Asia

    Substack round-up: Six newsletters from Asia

    Unique voices from the East that will give you insights on culture, art and thought. 📧 Subscribe to read the post. Subscription is free.

  • So I’m learning Mandarin

    So I’m learning Mandarin

    Introducing a new newsletter section where I will share how I’m trying to improve my Mandarin as a “heritage” speaker.

  • Weekend Tales #5 My ambition is to have an unextraordinary life

    Weekend Tales #5 My ambition is to have an unextraordinary life

    No fancy corporate titles, giant mansions or flashy paychecks for me. 📧 Subscribe to read the post. Subscription is free.

  • 3 Body Problem is a bit of a problem

    3 Body Problem is a bit of a problem

    The Netflix drama’s depiction of China is, well, problematic. Or is it? Chinese viewers weigh in. (If you’ve not watched the drama, please note that this issue is slightly spoilery.) 📧 Subscribe to read the post. Subscription is free.

  • Comprehensible input and creating my own Mandarin-learning curriculum

    Adventures in learning Mandarin. As a heritage speaker, I have to learn Mandarin differently. It has been a frustrating and fun journey so far. Fortunately, lots of content from language learning experts, and I found one that is the clearest one yet!

  • I think I read a racist thing from Canada this morning

    Rather than demand articles such as these to be stripped off the Internet, perhaps we need to resist the impulse to label groups of people and understand the reason behind the hatred and anger.

  • 3 Body Problem vs Three-Body

    3 Body Problem vs Three-Body

    In which I compare Netflix’s with Tencent’s (China) adaptation. This issue is non-spoilery. Part 1 of 2 because I wrote a freakin’ long essay. 📧 Subscribe to read the post. Subscription is free.

  • Sweeping tombs, eating food and waving at the dead

    Sweeping tombs, eating food and waving at the dead

    It’s Cheng Beng and I, forever the family travel operator, is shepherding the family to Penang island. 📧 Subscribe to read the post. Subscription is free.

  • Why a lot of my content is now gated

    I’m gating a lot of my content on my website these days. The reasons are numerous, which I detail in this post, but namely – I want AI companies, Google & other corporations to “work for it” if they want my content to boost their profits, and also: I want to keep some stuff more…

  • Have you enjoyed some Chinese propaganda lately? I did.

    Have you enjoyed some Chinese propaganda lately? I did.

    I watched a Chinese legal drama called Draw the Line and I’d like to reassure you that I’m still not a member of the Communist Party of China. 📧 Subscribe to read the post. Subscription is free.

  • Creating a Mandarin-learning routine for myself

    Not easy when your brain rebels at the thought of routines and quickly forgets them. But I’m going to focus on one tiny thing at the time and adjust as I go along. This post is part 1 of a series of logs of the process.

  • I speak four languages. That’s just being Malaysian.

    I speak four languages. That’s just being Malaysian.

    And also the result of an accident in geography and school choices. 📧 Subscribe to read the post. Subscription is free.

  • Sad Stories of Asian People

    Sad Stories of Asian People

    On the literary West’s curious fascination with suffering Asians. 📧 Subscribe to read the post. Subscription is free.

  • Hello from a banana

    Hello from a banana

    On being Chinese but not quite Chinese enough. 📧Subscribe to read the post. Subscription is free.

  • My yearly negotiations with Mum about Chinese New Year cooking

    My yearly negotiations with Mum about Chinese New Year cooking

    Every year I tell her it’s not necessary to cook for Chinese New Year. Every year I fail. Yet I keep trying. Points for effort? 📧Subscribe to read the post. Subscription is free.