AUGUST 3 — I spent 20 minutes trying to read one paragraph of a news report in a Chinese daily, as my Chinese teacher patiently taught me what the characters meant.

JULY 27 — My neighbour is the sweetest old makcik. She buys her vegetables from a Chinese man who drives to the neighbourhood in his truck. We greet each other all the time, in our coming in and going out.…

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JULY 20 — When Donald Trump shook Queen Elizabeth’s hand instead of bowing to her, the United States president was accused of breaching royal protocol during his first official visit to Britain.…

Read more: Who should we respect?

May 13 – I was annoyed after watching the second season of 13 Reasons Why, a Netflix drama on a teenager committing suicide and leaving behind 13 tapes to explain why she killed herself.…

Read more: Should fiction be politically correct?