life

Lessons Learned From That Time I Joined A Cage Fight

/ Stuart Danker / 36 Comments
Girl putting her fist in the camera

Photo: Timothy Eberly

I had many unorthodox interests growing up—I wanted to be a magician, an X-Games rollerblader, a breakdancer, a pro gamer, an MMA fighter—and thanks to the invention of the internet, I was able to truly learn just how lacking my country was when it came to these new interests.

For instance, instead of mixed martial arts (MMA), I would train kickboxing, only because it was one of the few martial arts gyms in Malaysian that didn’t involve Silat, Karate, or Taekwondo.

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Today’s Bad Days Will Be Tomorrow’s Nostalgia

/ Stuart Danker / 39 Comments
Nostalgia Photos - Sarandy Westfall

Photo: Sarandy Westfall

I’m going to join in on the pandemic whine-fest and say that it’s been a dull few months. My government can’t decide on its lockdown regulations, freelance opportunities are dwindling, and I just tore my abdominal wall.

So it’s a no-brainer that I choose to see how much my present days sucks and to reminisce on how much better everything used to be. If one thing’s for certain, it’s that I’ve been taking one too many strolls down Memory Lane.

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Why You Should Be Grateful For Pain And See It As A Blessing

/ Stuart Danker / 38 Comments
Pain Figure - Hailey Kean

Photo: Hailey Kean

There’s this saying that life only gives you what you can handle, and I’m compelled to think that that’s the case. After all, haven’t we all moved on from what we thought was the worst pain in our lives?

Now, I’m particularly lucky that my experiences of pain have been somewhat mild, comparatively speaking. After all, I didn’t have to live through wars or famine.

Heed this advice though: if you’re going through tough times in life, never compare yourself with others to decide if you should or should not suffer. If you’re feeling pain—both physically or mentally—then there’s probably a reason why.

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Maybe We Should Stop Over-Romanticising Writing

/ Stuart Danker / 50 Comments
Woman with semi-colon tattooed on arm

Photo: Timothy L Brock

I have no idea why people coo at the mention of me being a writer. It happens every time the conversation steers into the land of ‘What do you do’.

The replies I’ve gotten for answering truthfully could very well fill up a Twitter account, and that might just be the very thing I’ll do next. What’s that? You want a sample?

All right, how bout this gem from a guy: “You’ve just become ten percent more attractive in my eyes now that I know you’re an author.” No such luck with the ladies though, unfortunately.

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