Q&A with Lauren Ho, Author of Last Tang Standing

Photo from Lauren Ho's IG

The Internet can be a magical place sometimes. Case in point? Shortly after I posted this book review round-up featuring Last Tang Standing, the author herself, Lauren Ho, reached out to me via DM! I loved LTS so much that I bought my own copy after borrowing the ebook from the library. I also gifted it to one of my BFFs and recommended it for my workplace's book club, so you can imagine what a treat it was to connect with her. Despite the time difference between Vancouver and Singapore, working on her upcoming manuscripts, and taking care of a two-month-old baby, she kindly agreed to answer a few questions for our book club—answers which I'm happy to share with you all today. Enjoy!

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Product Review: Fresh Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Face Mask

Pandemic living hasn't been kind to my skin, what with all the mask-wearing, over-working, and up-and-down stress and hormone levels. No wonder I've been dealing with more breakouts than usual! Fortunately, using my topical skin prescription twice daily as prescribed helped a lot, as did streamlining my skincare and minimizing potential irritants. The happy result is that the frequency and severity of new breakouts have decreased dramatically in the last few months, so much so that I'm now focusing my full attention on fading the hyperpigmentation and scarring left behind by old blemishes. I've been applying SPF and niacinamide serum daily, and twice weekly I exfoliate and apply the Fresh Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Face Mask ($35 to $83 for various sizes, purchased by me).

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Solo Lisa Reads: May 2021 (Part 2)

As promised in my last book review post, here's part 2!

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Lazy Girl Approved: Garnier Serum Cream SPF 30

Lazy Girl Approved highlights long-lasting, goof-proof, fuss-free products that can fit into the most minimalist of regimens. If you consider yourself a low-maintenance beauty lover, these product reviews are for you!

Pre-pandemic, one of my favourite evening activities was lining up my entire nighttime skincare routine on the coffee table and doing it bit by bit while watching Netflix. It felt like such a treat to have this moment of stillness and homebody coziness between work, barre, and chores. But now that we're over a year into staying home so much, what was once a pleasurable routine has become kind of a drag. I've been looking for ways to streamline my morning and evening skincare routines wherever possible, embracing skinimalism and multi-purpose products like Garnier Green Labs Brightening Serum Cream SPF 30 - Pinea-C ($22.99, available at London Drugs, purchased by me).

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Solo Lisa Reads: May 2021 (Part 1)

Before I launch into my latest book review round-up, I want to say a huge thank you to anyone who read, commented on, or shared my post about my own experiences with anti-Asian hate. That was an intensely personal and difficult piece to write and publish and the entire process left me feeling more emotional and vulnerable than I anticipated. As I noted on Instagram, I've taken actions when and where I could, but in the last while I've also found that I needed breaks, both for my own mental health and to free up bandwidth so I could focus on a big deadline at work.

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#StopAsianHate

Illustration by mailinhstudio

Last Tuesday, a white gunman in Atlanta, Georgia targeted Asian-owned businesses and killed 8 victims, 6 of whom were Asian women. The sadness of this tragedy has been sitting heavy in my body throughout the week, especially after months of reporting (mostly in Asian-centred media and resources, rarely in mainstream media) about anti-Asian racism during the pandemic. I've been retweeting and sharing information in between bouts of crying on the couch since the shooting. At the same time, I've been reluctant to speak about my own experiences until now. The instinct to always be the model minority, to brush things off and keep my head down and quietly succeed, runs strong.

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Solo Lisa Reads: February 2021

My reading habits took a post-New-Year nosedive. Work dominated for 3 weeks, and after the anxiety and adrenaline of meeting my big January deadline wore off, I found to my dismay that I had the attention span of a goldfish. Some of the books on this list date back to Christmas break, but I stand by all the recommendations here wholeheartedly. Do you see anything here you want to add to your reading list?

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2020 Reflections and 2021 Goals

A very belated Happy New Year to you all, dear readers! I did not anticipate publishing my annual reflections/goals post so late into 2021. We had a very safe and cozy COVID Christmas where we had a prime rib dinner, watched a lot of TV and movies, slept, and went for long walks when the weather permitted. But as soon as Christmas vacation ended, it was back to work; I spent the next three weeks consumed with a huge deadline. Now that the deadline has passed though, I'm glad to have a chance to sit down and write this post.

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