Author: Sally

why I won’t be liking so much stuff on Facebook anymore

 

rawpixel-unsplash-phone.pngImage via Unsplash

A few weeks ago, I was sitting behind a young woman on the bus. My seat was positioned higher than the seat where she sat, giving me a perfect view of her phone as she scrolled through Instagram. I don’t actively try to read other people’s screens, but the way this lady was interacting with the photo app caught my attention. She was scrolling through her feed with a speed and fervor I’d never personally witnessed. Each photo was glanced at for a mere second (at most), before being liked. And she was liking every single photo in her feed. Pets, food, fashion… The actual content of the image didn’t seem to matter. Everything was getting a double-click. It was mesmerizing. (more…)

5 non-fiction books to feed your ghoulish curiousity
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Image via Unsplash

Even though I mostly avoid scary movies and TV shows, I love true crime and have a fascination with death culture. These obsessions naturally found their way onto my reading list in the form of non-fiction. Real life situations and science appeal to me much more than fiction, mostly because truth is often far stranger than fiction. (more…)

a note on International Women’s Day
mike-wilson-113304Image via Unsplash

On Sunday, I was lucky enough to see actor Geena Davis speak at this year’s All About Women event here in Sydney. Davis spoke about her experience in Hollywood and the underrepresentation of women in film and television. Her address was funny, informative, and eye-opening. But it wasn’t statistics about the lack of gender parity on screen that struck me the most. (more…)

9 books I’d give my 12-year-old self

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Yesterday I came across an article on Bookriot, in which the author talks about the 12 books he’d give his 12-year-old self (assuming he had a time machine, of course). This got me thinking about myself at that age. I, like the article’s author, was a voracious reader. Most of my friends would beg their parents for video games or CDs or clothes, but I almost always asked for books. (more…)

2016 – I’m out


Of all the celebrities we lost this year, three hit me the hardest: David Bowie, Prince, and Carrie Fisher. Each were a part of my childhood and adolescence, introducing me to musical and visual worlds that continue to capture my imagination, fuel my creativity, and get me through some of my worst moments.

Their passing in 2016 feels especially poignant. Bowie and Prince showed the world that there’s no right way to be a man. They both embraced femininity and were unafraid to surround themselves with strong, talented women. Fisher was an unapologetic feminist. She was outspoken and fearless in her criticisms of Hollywood and sharing her own struggles with mental illness. In a year that’s come to be dominated by toxic masculinity and bullies, it’s a shame to lose three voices well poised to fight these forces.

But maybe this just means that it’s time for others to find their voices and fill the void.

7 things I learned at the All About Women festival

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After discovering the Sydney Writers’ Festival and Graphic last year, I’ve been on the lookout for similar events. All About Women, with its feminist bent, sounded right up my alley. Instead of dabbling with a single talk like I did during SWF and Graphic, I opted to jump right in and attend three AAW talks to get a real feel for the event. (more…)

the unbearable unfairness of Lolita

 

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

[Spoiler alert on this post. If you haven’t read Lolita, please do so. It’s a classic for a reason. ]

I read Lolita for the first time in June as part of a classics book club I’ve attended regularly since the beginning of the year. It is definitely a book I wouldn’t have picked up on my own. As much as I love stories of sordid crime, the twisted tale of Humbert Humbert and his child lover always felt too unseemly. (more…)