"At this point, I feel like a popcorn eater with the best seat in the theatre. (Sidenote: Quite possibly in this case no tech is able to predict what it's like to be me, except when this is published then ok it's free for all). It's like watching that movie that changed a lot of our lives Everything Everywhere All At Once, except in this case, I don't think it will be the idea of love that will save the day."

"Ironically, in no time at all, no human will be able to rise above that. No human will be able to have access to this amount of information AND make the right calls OR make the right mistakes (ok mayyyybe I'm jumping ahead). This new technology will be able to churn out what exactly EVERYTHING EVERYONE needs. As indie or as warped or as psychotic as you can get, there's probably a unique content that could be created just for you. You are not special you are already predictable and also unfortunately malleable."

"When I see all the immigration policies that are happening and the way this country [United States] is treating refugees, for me to say, ‘I’m an expat, not an immigrant, and therefore I can turn a blind eye,’ that’s not a moral and ethical way to live."

"My favorite part of my job is never having to doubt that I’m doing something of value. And I don’t mean this in the global sense; there are more practical ways to help people. But I do think that--and this may be selfish--I am working at something that’s making me a better human."

"I’m Singaporean and I’m Chinese, so, yes, food is a big part of my life and of my writing. Because I write mainly Asian characters and settings for a predominantly American audience, food is just one more way to explore my characters’ cultures and customs in a manner that (I hope) never feels forced."

"Essay writing is very difficult for me. Part of it may be that I grew up in a very private family. You know how in Asian families you don't air your dirty laundry? Additionally, I think I've always been drawn to writing because I love to imagine, so fiction seems the natural fit. I love imagining settings and characters and situations, and I guess essay writing doesn't fulfill me in the same way."

"I really love that slogan “Empowerment through Entertainment”. Literature is really the only art form that lets readers access the deepest thoughts and emotions of a character. It's so powerful to be able to understand and empathize with a character who on the surface may seem completely different from you."

"I tried as much as possible not to view my characters through a modern lens. Obviously it’s very difficult to put aside my personal biases and experiences, but I tried not to psychoanalyze my characters from the vantage point of 2018. I tried not to impose my own beliefs onto them, and I tried not to let whatever was happening around me color the way that I was telling the story."

"My experience of Singapore has always been the duality of it. On the surface, it’s so Westernized and cosmopolitan… but underneath it, there are all these layers of deep-rooted conservatism that highly influence life in Singapore. I wanted to show that [duality]."

"It's not that we don't have single mothers here. We are also caught in the same social problems of change when we educate our women and they become independent financially and no longer need to put up with unhappy marriages. But there is grave disquiet when we break away from tested norms, and the tested norm is the family unit. It is the building brick of society. Governments will come, governments will go, but this endures."