Last month my dog got published. This month it’s the turn of my 14 year old nephew Kaz! His photograph Hong Kong Storm has been chosen by Proverse Publishingand Chinese University Press as the book cover ofMingled Voices 7: the International Proverse Poetry Prize Anthology 2023! The anthology launches at the Proverse Spring Reception at the Helena May April 27! My poems Imagine Nation and Tidal Slave are among the poems that won places and I’ll be reading Tidal Slave at the event. Needless to say, this is causing a lot less excitement in my family.
Fresh from launching A Book of Changesat the 2023 Hong Kong International Literary Festival, the Hong Kong Writers Circle opened submissions for its new quarterly online magazine Apostrophe – on APRIL 1st – no joke! The name is derived from the irony that a bunch of so-called writers omitted the apostrophe when registering the Society. Technically, we should be the Hong Kong Writers’ Circle, but we are not. We are the Hong Kong Writers Circle. This grammatical faux pas has split the Circle into two feuding semicircles: those of us who know what an apostrophe is and how to use one and those of us who do’nt.
I am apparently Art Director because nobody trusts me with an apostrophe. Unlike the writers who are required to be either residents or former residents of Hong Kong to submit, artists can submit from anywhere in the world and are not limited to only submitting one piece. Submissions for the first edition close April 30!
Mojo likes books. He likes the smell, he likes the pictures, he likes the shape of the words, but most of all, he likes to eat them. Mojo eats books. You know that phrase ‘everyone has at least one book in them’? Well, Mojo has at least three. The last book he ate was The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Where’s Wally? He’s lodged inside Mojo’s digestive tract. Mojo treats Bookazine like a buffet. His greatest literary ambition is to finish off War and Peace. He may have bookworms. Books are not the most exotic meal Mojo has ever had. He spent the morning eating magnetic fridge letters. The next poo he does could spell ‘disaster’.
Congratulations to Mojo! The Home Kong Kitchen mascot had his short tail published in the Women in Publishing Society‘s anthology Imprint 21. Despite being male. And a dog. And a poodle. His story is a restaurant review called The Foodie Poo. The anthology launched March 9 at the 2023 Hong Kong International Literary Festival and can be bought from Bookazine, Kidnapped, Vibe, the Lion Rock Press and the Foreign Correspondents Club, which hosted the event. Mojo is now toying with the idea of setting up the Poodles in Publishing Society (PiPS), a literary dining society for poodles who enjoy a good book as much as he does.
Excited to have joined Everybody Media as a podcaster in their Collective! The London-based media company was founded by Naomi Mellor to produce and support podcasts that raise the voices of women and non-binary podcasters. The company partners podcasting giants like Wondery and is home to the annual International Women’s Podcast Awards. Being nominated for ‘Moment of Comedy Gold‘ by the IWPA in 2022 was one of the highlights of my year and I can’t wait to collaborate with them in 2023! Sharp Painshas just been uploaded to their site! You can find it and explore other podcasts here!
My latest humour column forRTHK Radio 3just got tutted up onVYP! It features a funny turn by my partner in crimePhilippe Joly. This one’s the stuff of nightmares and calledDream On…
Sharp Pains will be back with a few new bells and whistles in the Lunar New Year! Kung Hei Fat Choi, amigos!
Catch me on Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriterSkyler Jett‘sMusic for Global Change broadcast later this year! God only knows what thelead vocalist of the legendaryCommodores wants with me (unless it’s Bake Fail tips?) but I’m excited to be a guest on his broadcast! Plus, once he has interviewed me, he has agreed to let me interview him on one of my podcasts. In case you are interested, our conversation went like this: “Hello? Is it me you’re looking for? Or have you made some catastrophic error?”
Sharp Painshas been longlisted forAb FablegendHelen Lederer‘s 2022-2023Comedy Women in Print Prize! I am beyond elated and utterly flabbergasted to have crept onto this list in the company of so many awe-inspiring witty women writers! Helen Lederer’s involvement is the icing on the cakey, giving me an absolutely fabulous excuse to gratuitously tag Absolutely Fabulous on this post! Merry Christmas!
This is how Home Kong wraps Christmas! Thanks to all of Home Kong Kitchen‘s volunteers for spreading much needed festive cheer to the most vulnerable in the form of staple foods, clothing, toys and delectable sweet treats! Special shout out to Deepa Tolani for loaning me her driver yesterday and making our festive run for the migrant women of Bethune House so pleasurable. Merry Christmas, everybody!
Christmas Message from the Migrant Women of Bethune House
It’s a wrap! Finito! Done! Thanks to the magnificentResolve Foundationfor the opportunity to serve as a mentoron this year’s fellowship. It’s been a wild ride and I have loved every minute of it. Most of all, thank you for matching me as a mentor with the dynamo of creativity and enthusiasm that isEny Bawse! The fellowship may have ended, but our collaborations are only just getting started! I could not be prouder of Eny for all she has achieved and all that I know she will go on to achieve with her talent, wit, drive and inspiredSelf-Love Cupidproject.
To support Resolve‘s work empowering community leaders to bring about social change, clickhere!
Thank you to everyone who braved the filthy weather and turned down Thanksgiving to show up at Mind HK‘s poetry event Poetry for Mental Health: The Healing Power of Words in SoHo last night! The event was part of a week-long exhibition More Than A Label: I Was. I Am. I Will Be. I loved sharing and listening to the stories of the two other poets, the incredible Vish and Derek, and chatting about the stigma of mental illness in Hong Kong. There was an overwhelming amount of love in the air at the intimate event at the uber-cute gallery on Lyndhurst Street. I can’t wait for the next one!
Thanks to Mindfor the endless encouragement, opportunity to read Imagine Nation, and for curating such a powerful exhibition of letters and artwork. I loved reading every single one of the letters on display and the psychedelic 3D artwork of Mind HK ambassadors’ brains! Thanks especially to Odile for emceeing and sharing her own insightful observations. If you’ve not already seen it, you’ve still got a chance! Theexhibitionis open until Monday.
I will be reading one of my strange experimental poems at a poetry event organised byMind HKin Central Nov 24!The Healing Power of Wordsis part of an exhibition of art and letters by Mind HK ambassadors to celebrate the first anniversary of the charity’sMore Than A Labelanti-stigma campaign. Please join me and supportMind! I’m not really a poet but I will be pretending to be one by shouting and wearing a hat.
I am away with the fairies that two of my strange experimental poems, Imagine Nation and Tidal Slave, have received places in the 2022Proverse Poetry Prizeand will be published inChinese University PressandProverse Publishing‘s anthologyMingled Voices 7. The anthology will be launched at the Proverse Spring Reception April 27, 2023. The winners and finalists were announced last night at the Proverse Autumn Reception at theHelena May.You can catch me reading one of them at a poetry event organised by Mind HK this coming Thursday! Click here for the lowdown!
My first poem,War of Voices, was awarded aplacein 2020 and published inMingled Voices 5. You can hear me reading it on VYP here. Thank you, Proverse! You have made me very happy.
The Foot In It episode of my RTHK Radio 3 and SCMP humour column, Sharp Pains, has just flown out of my mouth and trodden on VYP! PS. I’ve got nothing to do with the choosing of photos on VYP. My choice would be the one below.
Excited to be taking part in mental health charity Mind HK‘s exhibition of art, poetry and letters de-stigmatising mental health. The exhibition is a celebration of the first anniversary of the charity’sMore Than A Labelcampaign and the theme is ‘I Was. I Am. I Will Be‘. I was, I am and I will be contributing a letter to my younger self, which will be among the many letters and artwork by Mind HK ambassadors on display. Please support! The exhibition is free to attend!
The exhibition will be held at 5, Sun Fung Mansion, 52-60 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong Nov 21-28. Details below!
The Moody Foodie will be making a return to the South China Morning Post as a spoof columnist and digestive supplement. After accidentally being published in the Food and Drink section of the SCMP’s Post Magazine TWICE (!!), I have been cooking up ideas for a tasteless new column. After my first offering was deemed “too outlandish” (I know, I know – shocking), I have concocted a recipe I hope has legs and a strong stomach. I’m not going to reveal the ingredients but consider this a warning that you may soon need a bigger bucket…
The story behind this year’s HKWC anthology, A Book of Changes, has been a lot more dramatic than anything you are likely to read inside! Hats off to the editors who have somehow kept their sanity. My chocolate horror story, Toot, is a bit of a departure from the usual stuff I write and I am excited to see it in print! The anthology doesn’t officially launch until the 2023 Hong Kong International Lit Fest in March 2023 but will be uploaded to Amazon shortly before. Sneak peak of the cover art below!
Also launching in March 2023 is the Women in Publishing Society‘s anthology Imprint 21, which will be held at the Foreign Correspondents Club. A couple of my humorous short stories are buried deep inside, like splinters of smashed Heiniken bottles nestled amongst precious emeralds…
Happy to be taking part in Mind HK‘s anti-stigma campaign More Than A Label‘s first anniversary event; ‘More Than A Label: I Was, I Am, I Will Be‘, an exhibition of art, poetry and letters by Mind HK ambassadors aimed at de-stigmatising mental health, which will be open to the public Nov 21 – Nov 28. The exhibition will be held at 5, Sun Fung Mansion, 52-60 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong Nov 21-28. More details soon!
Another slice of Sharp Pains madness has hit VYP! This one’s a filthy one and aired on RTHK Radio 3 as Tea Bag…
Tea Bag on RTHK Radio 3
I love tea. Some might say I’m something of a tea connoisseur. Milk and two sugars, please! But I love tea. And also making famous people make me tea when I’m bored. Here’s one I brewed earlier…
CongratulationsBethune House Migrant Women’s Refugeon reaching your 36th Anniversary! Thank you for inviting me to celebrate with you and the surprise certificate (which I share with everybody in my small but perfectly formed team at Home Kong Kitchen). The work Bethune House and theMission for Migrant Workersdoes protecting the human rights and dignity of migrants in Hong Kong is humbling. Thank you for the opportunity to serve with loaves of bread. To learn more about and support Bethune House’s awe-inspiring work, click here!
POOF! Blown away in a hurricane to be nominated for ‘Moment of Comedy Gold‘ by the International Women’s Podcast Awards for my cheeky recipe for disaster, Bake Fail! The awards take place at The Conduit in Covent Garden, London Sept 29. Sadly, I won’t be able to attend in person but I look forward to setting my alarm for 4am (no, really!) to watch on Zoom! Thank you soooooooooo much to the IWPA judges, Amazon Music and Wondery, and the brilliant Everybody Media!
HUGE thanks to the fantabulous South China Morning Post for publishing my latest humour column on gastro bores in theFood & Drinksection of theSCMP’sPost Magazineon Sunday!I last appeared in the Foodie section of Post Mag in June (last month’s offering was aRant!) withA Piece of Cake. More Moody Foodie humour soon!!!
Ever wondered what to do with food from the rotting tray besides waiting for it to slowly decompose before eventually throwing it away? Home Spahas the answer! It has just gone live on VYP! And by “just”, I mean 3-4 weeks ago. (Sorry.)
I am bouncing off satellites to have been ‘matched’ as a mentor with dynamo of positive energy Eny Bawse by the Resolve Foundation! I met Eny for the first time this week and will be mentoring her on her journey with Resolve’s 2022 fellowship program and her incredible Self Love Cupid project. When that’s over, I am really hoping Eny will mentor me.
My humour column Sharp Painswasshortlistedby the2022New York Festivals Radio Awardsin the Best Regularly Scheduled Comedy Program category… on April Fool’s Day… and being a fool (in any month) I totally missed it!!! It didn’t win (obvs) but being a humble 10 min monthly slot, I wasn’t even sure it qualified. The best I’d hoped for was that it might be shortlisted if the judges were feeling particularly generous/ concussed/ drunk – and luckily for me they were all of these things! TheBake Failepisode was also anOfficial Selectof the2022On Air Fest in New York. I ❤️ NY!
Thanks to the South China Morning Post for publishing my ‘Rant‘ in last Sunday’s Post Magazine! I press buttons and rant the case for a new psychiatric term for ‘bipolar’. Your suggestions are welcome! Topping my shortlist is ‘Swingers’. It also has a double meaning, but at least it’s sexier than the spectre of nuclear attack…
Excited to be an ambassador for mental health charityMind HK! Thanks to Odile, Vicki and the rest of the team for the encouragement and opportunity to train and swap stories with so many inspiring people!
Transference has exceeded the mental milestone of 10M Views on YouTube! If you’ve not seen it, you can watch the full bipolar love story movie for free below!
There’s nothing I enjoy more in life than having a good rant! So thanks to editor Chris Wood for giving me an opportunity to have a cheeky ‘Bipolar Word’ in the ‘RANT’ section of theSouth China Morning Post‘sPost MagazineMay 1st! This is the first opportunity the SCMP have given me to be anything other than a clown. I’m not suggesting ranting is bonafide journalism but it’s almost certainly the closest I’ll get to it.
Aiya! My editor just emailed to say my rant’s been bumped from Sunday’s mag for something that’s “time sensitive” (it better not be another u-turn on lifting Covid restrictions by Carrie Lam!!) He’s promised me faithfully my rant will be published “very soon”, so hopefully the following Sunday, the Sunday after that, or definitely by the end of 2027. Sorry!!
Bipolar Express
In the meantime, here are a couple of my old bipolar rants in SCMP articles I did not write myself…
Today’sBunny Runfor Home Kong Kitchen was EPIC!!! Thanks to everyone who baked and donated melt-in-the-mouth hot crossed buns, melt-in-the-car cup cakes, melt-down-your-shirt choc chip muffins and melt-on-your-mask chocolate eggs, plus cookies, cuddly toys, painted eggs, mounds of bread and other thoughtful treats for our heart-melting homeless, migrant and refugee friends!
Honorable mentions go to Alana, Jean, the Neetu’s (1-10), Asha, Deepa, Amy, Roselle, Mags, Jess and Tina! I love you all! 💜 Happy Easter, Homies!🐣
As Hong Kong looks forward to catching up with the rest of the world and living with the virus by allowing groups of up to 4 people to dine out until 10pm (beaches remain closed though and you still have to wear a mask to hike by yourself on a mountain just in case), here’s one to try! Our inspirational friends @ImpactHK have just launched The Kind Kitchen, which employs the formerly homeless and provides them with on-the-job training and free housing. Please support the homeless by planning your next big night out until 10pm here! You won’t regret it! 🤩 🇭🇰
Usually, I steer away from committees, assuming I will be a liability, but last month I decided to commit to a minor role as Critique Group Coordinator on the Hong Kong Writers Circle‘s committee. This is my first experience of being on a committee and my second experience of being committed. In case you’re wondering ‘how is that possible?’ I was committed to a psychiatric hospital for a month in 2011. I’m hoping my experience on a psych ward will stand me in good stead for this demanding role. Question 1 to anyone interested in joining a critique group: ‘Do you know why you’re here?’ Nope? Good! Me neither.
Thanks to the South China Morning Postfor publishing my recipe for disasterA Piece of Cakein last Sunday’s Post Magazine!Online version will be uploaded soon. You can hear my deranged radio version of this one on RTHKhere!
Crazy scenes across Hong Kong for the past few months as the panic buying craze spread faster than the virus. Supermarkets and pharmacies stripped bare. Even things like toothpaste (?) Like brushing your teeth was going to put Omicron off! “Sorry, mate, your breath stinks like stale dog biscuits. I’m going to infect the woman behind you instead. Unlike you, she flosses, too,” Omicron didn’t say.
Last month, Home Kong Kitchen volunteer Mojo Hobo Kaye launched his campaign to ‘Make Hong Kong Barely Tolerable Again‘ by urging Hongkongers to ‘Stop the Woofing Panic Buying!’ He then stole and fraudulently used my credit card to purchase himself a new baseball cap emblazoned with his slogan. Yesterday, Carrie Lam announced that she would not be running for a second term as Chief Executive. Government sources refused to confirm or deny whether Mojo had influenced her decision. However, Junius Ho warned that Mojo’s hat might have contravened the National Security Law. Police are still investigating whether the poodle colluded with foreign forces when he purchased the cap on Amazon.
The empty shelves, soaring food prices and tough restrictions have been making things trickier atHome Kong Kitchen. But thanks to the dogged determination of HKK‘s incredible volunteers, we have somehow managed to keep operating and delivering home baked breakfasts, dry foods, canned foods and medical supplies to the homeless, migrants and refugees. Thanks to everyone who has generously contributed! Every humble delivery of just a few necessities has felt like a mini-miracle. We are now collecting gifts of food, clothing, books, toys and festive treats for our Easter Bun Run and would LOVE to have your support! Emailhello@homekongkitchen.comto find out how you can help!
My smoke alarm hasn’t stopped ringing this week! Thanks to the On Air Festival making it one of their Official Selects and support from the Women with WiPS, Bake Fail is the episode of my saucy humor column for RTHK Radio 3 that refuses to burn out. My culinary cautionary tale will be published in the ‘Foodie’ section of the South China Morning Post‘s Post Magazine April 3rd! Please check it out as I doubt I will have another opportunity to mention myself in the same sentence as ‘Foodie’.
Sharp Pains is taking a short sabbatical because my legendary partner in crime Noreen Mir is having a baby!!! You’d think she’d be put off extending her family by my columns but no, she told me she found them an aphrodisiac. The columns are now being repurposed as traditional Chinese medicine to beat Covid and boost population growth. But don’t worry – Sharp Pains will be back on the air before you’ve had time to notice it’s missing!
Thanks to everybody who has viewed, liked and shared Transferenceon YouTube, where it has just topped a whopping 8.5M Views!!! 8 is considered the luckiest number of all in Chinese culture, associated with wealth. As a gesture of goodwill and to pay the way for future film collaborations, I am marking this moment by writing director Raffaello Degruttola a cheque, immediately, for the sum of HK$8 (US$1.02), doubling his net worth! 😆
If you haven’t already seen it, you can view the feature-length film I was lucky enough to co-produce below!
Thank you to the lovely people who run the Webby Awards for encouraging me (quite persistently, as the first couple of times they contacted me I just assumed it was a joke) to enter Bake Fail for their 2023 awards and offering me a scholarship to do so! I am sure I have no chance but imagining them listening to one of my obscure little podcasts was reward enough!
RTHK's Miss Adventure 香港電台冒險小姐 