Marsha Maung: I write. I love. I live

Traditionally, women are expected to 'stay at home' or 'be kept in the kitchen'. This discriminatory law falls under an umbrella of feminist movements which includes everything from fights for maternity leave to equal pay. It traditionally saw women trying to mow their way out of the kitchen  and ditch their needles and threads. The movement was started by women from the middle or upper class who got the chance to education but faced discrimination in the working world where men were more welcome and women's skills were snubbed. A Generational Funk And that is why for generations, mothers (and aunts and fathers) kept their little girls out of the kitchen if they had a chance to study or find work. Work in the kitchen was an unceremoniously demoted status of life. And that’s why she didn’t want my sister and me to spend our time in the kitchen. She wanted us to put our energy into learning everything she never had the opportunity to experience - Yeganeh Rez...

You don't have to listen to other people bash you about your weight...or compliment you. Your weight has nothing to do with friends who are body-shaming you behind your back (or in your face, which is preferred, thank you very much). I wonder if they are your friends, to begin with. Measuring Tape Credit : FreeImages.com , Dora Mitsonia As we get older, things happen to our bodies and sometimes, our weight fluctuates. Some people place the blame squarely on 'midlife crisis' and go through drastic transformations to deal with it . There is no shame in that. The same way people suddenly purchase a yacht out of the blue, or quit their jobs, or sign up for a barista course, there's no shame in either gaining or losing weight during the said period of crisis. Actually, there's no shame in gaining or losing weight. Just to be sure that we're on the same page, fighting obesity is a real thing . Malaysians are the most obese people in the region , thanks to N...

Much to the surprise of many, I am a homebody. Despite my party days and tumultuous early adult life, much of which involved partying, alcohol and throngs of people, at the heart of me is a bookworm. Although I watch my fair share of dramas and movies, nothing beats a good book in my hands. With coffee, tea or wine. The Lucky One is a story I've watched before I read the book. Something seemed suspiciously shallow about the movie and despite seeing that it only has about 20% on Rotten Tomatoes with reviews like ... [Hicks] hits the beats - lonely woman, hunky stranger - without bothering to develop even the slightest depth - Elizabeth Weitzman A pretty to look at but emotionally void film that does no favours for its otherwise lovely lead actors - Kristal Cooper ...I decided to get the book when I saw it in BookXpress . I feel in love with the poised romanticism showcased by Sparks in The Notebook (I mean, this is a girl's painful yet satisfyingly romantic fantasy...

I was more than a little grouchy...how is there so much left to do when I have tried my best to do as much as I can? The list continues to grow and, you know those times when you feel like you're sinking despite knowing all the strokes there were to swimming? It was a little bit like that. I ordered dinner from UberEATS because I was absolutely sick of washing up in the kitchen, the laundry pile never goes down, I've just put up the latest round, the kids just popped the buttons on their school pants (one after another) and I am no skilled seamstress, there's work to be done, the carpet is falling apart I need to get a new one, I need to vacuum the floor, mop it and dust the shelves a little....the list goes on. I needed a big, fat drink. As I sat down in my air-conditioned room, FINALLY, with a basket of fresh laundry to be folded, a very cautious Kid 2 opened the door to my room and peeked inside. Probably to sniff out the atmosphere to see if mom is ready to kill a...