Journal
Iki Island and Other Stories
Damn, I’ve missed this game. Still one of the most cinematic, visually beautiful games I’ve ever played – Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island expansion came out in August. Finished it over the weekend. It was, sadly (or not?) pretty much a five hour exploration of (even more) of Sakai Jin’s deep-seated daddy issues. Dad Sakai …
The Swordsman and Other Stories
As I write this, Melbourne has emerged from a 2 week snap lockdown: we’re thankfully back to 2 daily cases a day or so. Shows that decisive responses work, despite the snafu during the lockdown from the anti-vaxxer protests and the continued terrible national vaccination rollout. Hopefully that’ll ramp up soon. Melbourne was back to …
Mr Queen and Other Stories
Lockdown has eased up in Melbourne, and I’m likely going to get vaccinated next week if all goes well. May everyone who’s able to get vaccinated be able to get around to it soon, and as to everyone else, I hope things work out in your favour soon. In Australia, Pfizer is still only available …
The Ion Curtain and Other Stories
Thrilled to reveal that my upcoming SFF space opera, The Ion Curtain, has been acquired by Rebellion Publishing, slated for release in 2022! Huge thanks to my agent, Jennie Goloboy, who got the deal through so quickly. Seriously thought it’d take far longer, given I only signed on with an agent in January. Enemies to …
Word of Honor and Other Stories
I am asking you to watch Word of Honor | 山河令 . Even if (especially if!) you’ve never watched wuxia before. Even if you don’t like the danmei (Chinese BL) genre. For all its troubled production, tiny budget, and occasional plot hole from adapting a book with characters so Unrepentantly Murder that they’d never pass …
Demonslayer and Other Stories
So I finally got around to Demonslayer, when the anime series popped up on Netflix. Only the first season is up so far, so I watched half of ep 1, stopped, binged the entire manga in a day, then went back and binged the anime in 2 days. Then I watched Mugen Train on the …
Year of the Ox and Other Stories
Whew! Is it already February? January felt like a wild ride. I can’t believe we went from US insurrection to a second impeachment to that glorious Amanda Gorman live poem read (oh, and an inauguration), then that whole business about Gamestop. I’ve been following the Gamestop thing avidly for weeks, because the partner of someone …
Happy New Year?
Season’s greetings and all that from Melbourne. This is the first year where I’ve had to spend the holiday season in Australia rather than back in Singapore, and it’s been a surreal feeling. The cats were pleased that I didn’t abandon them to a catsitter, presumably, though less so about the cheapie Kmart costumes they …
Genshin Impact and Other Stories
I think part of the reason why I find games like Ghost of Tsushima and Genshin Impact so compelling is that their non-Western settings are a form of personally familiar fantasy. The aesthetic is familiar and yet unfamiliar, and so the games just feel more immersive to me, even in their surrealist beauty. The difference …
2020 Eligibility Post
I’ve never done one of these posts before. Each year when it’s award season I’d kinda just turtle up out of embarrassment. Maybe quietly submit my work on my own steam to places like Aurealis that allow self-submission. Asking for other people to consider my stuff though? That always just felt so weird. Impostor syndrome, …