SAM Frida

We weren’t just taught to be good—we were conditioned to disconnect. From childhood, we were trained to override our inner knowing for the comfort of others. “Don’t talk back.” “Be nice.” “Good girls don’t act like that.” These cultural scripts run deep, and they...

People love to say, “You’re so strong,” or “I could never survive that.” But truth is, you don’t know your strength until life forces it out of you. I used to think I wasn’t strong either. And then everything crumbled. What came next was pain I wouldn’t wish on...

A hush between horizon and flame, where silence stitches salt into skin. A curve of breath the moon forgot, where no footsteps ask for return. Eyes not mine have blinked at her swell— some called her sand, some sea, but I knew her before she was named. Before I was....

I often notice when parents express giving their children the best means filling their world with toys, gadgets, clothes, or comfort. Especially in many Asian households, love is sometimes mistaken for sacrifice that shows up as provision — school fees, new shoes,...

Some families are built on silence. Not because they don’t love—but because they’ve been taught that love means protecting the image, not addressing the harm. Generations are raised this way: where loyalty is measured by how well you avoid the truth. Where speaking up...

I’ve reached a point in my healing where I no longer confuse what I want with what I need. And what I need, in my personal life — where I let people into my inner circle — is authenticity. I don’t need agreement. I don’t need politeness. I need honesty. Tell me you...

To all my friends and acquaintances who are still out there performing—meeting expectations, playing roles, keeping up appearances—I see you. I really do. You know who you are. And before anything else, I want you to know: I understand. I used to join you in that...

We say the law is just, but justice has no meaning without the human behind it. In the chaos of immigration crackdowns and quiet deportations, I see more legal jargon than empathy, more political ambition than truth. The law was meant to be a framework—not a fortress....

Imagine a world where we don’t just react to each other—but negotiate how we interact, based on an understanding of our wounds. What if we paused before responding, not to suppress emotion, but to respect the other’s history? What if we delivered truth gently, not to...