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𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮 𝓬𝓾𝓹𝓬𝓪𝓴𝓮 • 梅颖珊

@ericatheboey

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🇲🇾 • UNC’24 🐏 • 📸 @boeytography
To a lifetime that’s unapologetically vulnerable & authentically me

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Every Merdeka brings upon reflections of what it means to not only be Malaysian, but what it means to love the soil that unearthed me.

Growing up, I’d spend so much of my time yearning to leave Malaysia. As an aspiring creative who also happened to love politics, leaving home seemed to be the only way a girl like me could pursue her dreams back then.

But when it finally happened, I was let down. Home was the only place that welcomed me with open arms. Yet for years, I resented it.

I felt stuck and suffocated in the one place I sought to escape. It wasn’t until recently where I had a change in perspective.

The late night mamaks with childhood friends as a Teh o Ais Limau kurang manis enters my bloodstream; a humble plate of chicken rice for lunch that never disappoints; the most beautiful sunsets against the monstrosity of KL traffic; the collective disdain for Singapore; the abundance of public holidays fit for all races; the temples next to the mosques; the only place in the world where you’ll hear people speak 3 languages in the same sentence, yet we understand each other all the same.

We are rudely kind. Brashly endearing. Oxymorons of people, of a nation.

Despite its immense flaws, I think there was always love there. After all, this was the place that laid the soil of my foundation, that planted the seeds of my aspirations, and has continued nourishing the person I am and who I will become.

A pit stop for now, perhaps, but it’ll always have my heart, it’ll always be home.

Happy Merdeka my yam and dog shaped motherland, love you lah. Saya anak Malaysia 🇲🇾

@malaysia @kualalumpurcity #merdeka #malaysia #kualalumpur taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by @ericatheboey

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a month ago

Why Do We Need People?

Our favorite web-slinger spends 4 years of in isolation while navigating his new world without everyone and everything he has ever loved. A conscious choice Peter makes to protect the ones he loves, to keep them safe, at the cost of his sanity.

People say that it’s an essential life skill, to learn how to sit with the silence that comes with solitude, that it’s important to know how to do life by yourself.

While there’s a fine line between codependency and mutual dependence, I’d say there’s an even finer line between independence and isolation.

When we deny ourselves from seeking help in hopes to shelter our loved ones from our demons, more often than not, we prevent them from giving us the love we deserve to heal, to grow, and to live.

Once Peter realizes that, his journey to recovery begins not only for him, but for those around him.

For what is humanity without relying on others. From learning how to walk as a baby to building civilizations, all of which would not be possible if we didn’t have people. So if you’re seeing this, this is your sign to find them.

That’s a wrap for @spidermanmovie and see yall at @doomsdaynyc

@letterboxd @spiderman @marvelstudios @marvel taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by @ericatheboey

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a month ago

Does Every Second Count?

For our troubled overachiever, it’s a looming weight that turns Carmy’s passion into a soul-consuming pressure. His relentless strive for perfection has haunted him for years and stripped away the love that he initially had for food.

The persistent pursuit of greatness, a better life, an unfinished dream, is supposed to be a purpose that would lead to a more fulfilling future, instead, it can also meet you with misery.

The series wraps up with him learning how to breathe again by stepping away from the one thing he loves.

Some seasons are meant for healing, like Carmy, this is mine. For the first time in a long time, I gave myself permission to have no goals or expectations. To take each day as it is. And strangely, the world feels lighter.

So yes, in the pursuit of what’s best for you, every second does count. God I’m really gonna miss my comfort show, grateful for a glorious five seasons @thebearfx @hulu

As always, let it rip!

Scenepack @fruityzari.ga

#thebear #thebearseason5 #chicago taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by @ericatheboey

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2 months ago

⚠️TW: mentions of gender based violence

Not my usual content but this has to be said. Do better @cornelluniversity

Their names:
Matthew Ingalls
Johnathan Newell
Winston Lee
Gillio Lopes
Diego Sarabia
Scott Norris
Scott Kretzschmar

#campus #genderbasedviolenceawareness #janedoe taken in Cornell University by @ericatheboey

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14 hours ago

The things so many of us would do to make memories with our loved ones again.

Human, we spend a lifetime pondering the things we want to say or do with the loved ones who bring meaning to our lives. And more often than not, when we are so focused on the hesitation, it’ll be too late.

Family trips have always been complicated affair for me. Partly because they come with so much compromise and tolerance. We do show our true colors to the people closest to us. Familiarity breeds contempt they say. But there can’t be a little contempt if we never gave a damn about one another to begin with, and that’s the beauty of it.

This trip was different than any other trip I’ve been on before. My brother is grown enough to no longer be afraid of nature. I see the age creep up on my parents. The first trip with my ah gong since I was a kid, one that he might not even remember.

We are all becoming different versions of ourselves, yet we laughed and bickered, just like we have all those years. I know I’ll look back at this, thankful, that I soaked it all in.

Thank you to @thefarm.my our family would always hold space for your quiet retreat in Kampung Bongsu.

#thefarm #malaysia #getaway #family #memories taken in The Farm by @ericatheboey

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5 days ago

Do we need to be more like Ted Lasso?

In real life, someone like Ted Lasso might have us scratching our heads, most of us will probably find him annoying. But the more we get to learn about Ted’s story, the more we see him for who he is: a solid human being and one of the best role models modern television has to offer.

The beauty in Ted’s character lies in how he encourages us to take a chance on people by letting them show us their true colors before we decide their worth.

His kindness and genuine intentions with uplifting and actually seeing others for who they are makes even the most bitter of characters better human beings.

In a world where it’s so much easier to hate, judge, and make assumptions about what we haven’t taken the time to understand, Ted Lasso urges us to fight with curiosity, to fight with kindness.

Just like how Season 4 introduces us an entirely new cast, wouldn’t writing it off this early defeat the purpose of the lessons the show spends three seasons teaching us?

I’m excited to see where @appletv is going with this season and my weekly therapy session, as always, be curiously curious!

Scenepack: @tedlassoscps

@letterboxd #tedlasso #believe #apple taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by @ericatheboey

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12 days ago

It’s Su*cide Prevention Month

A time of the year that hits too close to home to those who’ve been there. This month, I think of @chesterbe and all those who left too soon.

I grew up listening to @linkinpark, their music is one of my reasons for being and living for my entire life. As a kid, it was always my dream to see him perform live. That can only and forever be a dream now.

I remember hearing about his death at 13 on the radio while I was going to school. An instant wave of sadness that I would never forget. I remember being numb while everyone continued their day, like it was just another day.

I didn’t even know him, but his music saved my life, and so many others. I’ll never forget the way he sang about pain, and about coming out from it. Who would’ve thought that the voice behind our comfort would become our one more light.

Today I think about the Chester’s, the Robin Williams’, the @avicii ‘s, the Jong Hyun’s, the Virginia Woolf’s, and Anthony Bourdain’s of the world. All who dedicated their life to bringing light and comfort to others through their stories.

They are a reminder to take the extra effort to notice, to stay a little longer for those who might need someone, and to be kind. Because as cliche as it sounds, you never know what someone is truly going through.

So, this one is for them, for all those who found a reason to keep shining for themselves and others, and those who are now our one more light.

I miss you every day Chester, I hope it’s peaceful up there.

#suicidepreventionmonth #suicidepreventionawareness taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by @ericatheboey

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19 days ago

Someone once told me: “In this world, there are two kinds of people, astronomers, who can live life seeing the stars from afar, and astronauts, those that yearn to explore the solar system and beyond”.

For many international students or people who decided to take a leap of faith in pursuit of life away from all they have ever known, we are astronauts. Explorers pulled by a force, a calling, into the great out there.

While the international experience seems like a dream, nobody ever talks about the cost behind such a life.

Besides the guilt that tugs you when you’re reminded of your loved ones back home, the never-ending worry that comes with fitting into a place that will never fully accept you, and the helplessness that comes with navigating a uniquely singular experience that’s different from those around you. You’re here nor there, yet you’re everywhere, but nowhere is truly home, home.

This is a reminder that you don’t have to decide between one world over another. You can have all of them.

You’re a product of all the worlds you’ve encountered, you’re the reason they can coexist, and the medium behind the persistence of their beauty that comes with it.

That’s something we should celebrate, because what a privilege it is to live such a life, a life that leaves its mark on you as you leave yours on it.

Not my favorite @a24 film, but one that I relate to immensely. Thank you @helloellephanta for bringing your story to life. Made me miss New York @pastlivesmovie 🗽

@letterboxd #immigrantstory #newyork #asian taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by @ericatheboey

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23 days ago

Amidst the absolute chaos of the White Dolphin typhoon, I was fortunate enough to find a semblance of tranquility in the outskirts of Suzhou (苏州).

Located in Jiang Su Province (江苏省) the birthplace of traditional Chinese Silk embroidery (苏绣, pronounced sū xiù), Lu MeiHong Embroidery Gallery (卢梅红刺绣艺术馆) has been around for more than 10 years, with Master Lu （卢师傅) carrying her family’s legacy across three generations.

In rural Jiang Su, a historically agricultural province, men tended to the fields while women supported their livelihoods through the art of silk embroidery. Master Lu’s fate was no different.

Picking up her craft at the ripe age of seven after her mother, the needle has been her way of life. When listening to Master Lu tell her story, what truly moved me was her unwavering love for her craft.

With her mother’s blessing, she had the brief opportunity to take a different path as an accountant after high school. But weaving was a calling she simply could not ignore. So, she answered.

Since then, Master Lu has spent a life nurturing the roots to her branches. Today, her gallery hosts more than 20 workers who weave as a means for survival.

As tourism in the Jiang Su Province reduces, so does the ability to not only keep this art form alive, but also their livelihoods. In a world that’s moving towards mass AI “art”, it’s a trying time for traditional craftsmanship.

Storytellers who stitch years of culture, history, and stories into permanence would cease to exist because of what, a soulless pursuit of efficiency above all else?

It’s stories like Master Lu’s that remind us of art’s significance to cultural preservation and even human survival. For the people in Jiang Su, this bread and butter is not only their means to live, but it holds the memories of the countless befores’ and hopefully more afters’.

My family managed to purchase a goldfish piece that was stitched by Master Lu herself. If you’re ever taking a trip down to China, do pay Jiang Su a visit and stop by Master Lu’s gallery, there are also other galleries in the same row. If it’s within your means, do support their art.

#suzhou #china #travel #postcards #embroidery taken in Suzhou, China by @ericatheboey

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a month ago

How do you decide what parts of nature are good or bad?

I know Bruce is talking about genetic mutation, but I think there’s more layers than that.

Change is a huge theme in the @spidermanmovie and what I’ve come to take away from what is the most relatable @tomholland2013 Spider-Man is that there is so little in life that we can actually control.

Sometimes, well, most of the time, you can’t change life’s conclusions no matter how you try to control or manipulate the variables.

There’s no sugarcoating the grapples from the unprecedented changes and unforeseen circumstances that life has decided to bestow upon us. It’s hard and we’ll never understand it. But there’s also pockets of good, so much good, that comes out of redirection, we just have to learn how to look for them in the right places.

Truth is, there’s no good or bad in nature, change will always persist in the grey scale. But it moves us forward and takes us where we need to be, one way or another.

Who would’ve thought I’d learn so much from an MCU film, then again, there’s always much to learn from our friendly neighborhood @spiderman

@mcu_universe__ @marvel @marvelstudios @sony @letterboxd taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by @ericatheboey

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2 months ago

How Do You Live With Yourself?

Nolan’s latest adaptation of the 3000 year old poem has us confronting the parts of us we’d rather keep tucked away. Odysseus is resents the versions of himself that he can barely live with. Yet the more he tries to outrun it, the more it consumes him and leads him astray.

We see Odysseus drift further away home, and more importantly, himself. It’s only until Act 3 where he finally sits with all that has transpired because of him, where the waves bring him back to Ithaca.

For so many of us, guilt can too be a delicious itch that becomes unbearable. Introspection and reflection are an essential part of the human experience that just cannot be ignored. Because one can never fully be at peace with themselves without acknowledging all the parts of yourself, even those that haunt you.

Nolan’s Odyssey makes us truly look at ourselves in the mirror for what we are — flawed sinful creatures. What it means to live with yourself is to stop running away from the most human parts of you, that even a little accountability goes a long way, not just for world around you, but even yourself.

Highly recommend @theodysseymovie in IMAX for the optimum experience. Thank you @tgvcinemas Sunway Velocity for making the Cyclops scene that much more Terri. And to the rest of yall, try not to go back to your disguises ⛵️

@letterboxd @universalpictures

#theodyssey #christophernolan #film taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by @ericatheboey

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2 months ago