While I never set out to eliminate alcohol from my life, pregnancies and mothering small children means that I've had my fair share of sobriety. These breaks from alcohol have shown me that going without alcohol doesn't have to be a big deal.  In fact, the longer the gaps between drinks, the more I question why I drink — alcohol is toxic and makes me dizzy, and even a couple of glasses of wine leave me feeling sluggish the next day.  I'm not the only one who has started questioning my drinking habits. The number of Aussies signing up to challenges like Dry July and Feb Fast has been steadily climbing, and sales of non-alcoholic drinks have surged. The mindful drinking trend has well and truly hit Australia, and more of us have shifted to healthier drinking habits. 

Achieving a friendship is not something you do once, it's something that you have to have the skills to do many times. I also found that when it comes to making friends, a lot of it comes down to time and being open to new experiences with each life stage.

I was 18 when I came to Melbourne from China. It was 2006, and I found myself alone in a new country just out of high school without any family or friends. As an international student, I was excited to begin my new chapter in Australia. Back then, I couldn't have predicted I'd meet my husband here — and the stress we would go through to stay.

Kids love dinosaurs. But, an interest that's shown the difference in their language. I also find that young kids can usually talk without an accent, while I cannot remove my accent sometimes. It's so hard to look after an ABC toddler when English is your second language.

Nowadays, many organisations have a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy, it defines concerns and initiatives to improve relationships with all aspects, and it measures economic, social and environmental performance. In this article, I will give you a closer look, and explain how to implement CSR and how exactly CSR helps a business generate honest and reliable social status that its employees, customers and community can be proud of.

Emotional affairs are on the rise. But if sex isn’t involved, does that really matter? So let’s get this straight, is sexting cheating? Plus, you might be guilty of micro-cheating and not even realise it. According to the research, women are having more 'emotional affairs' than ever.

Salary increases are important, but strong leadership will also help employers retain staff. Motivating and engaging staff are key factors in retaining the best talent. However, the foosball tables and colourful murals in hipster workplaces only go so far in creating a workplace where people want to stay. Salary is a major factor, but how important are dollars when it comes to retaining talent?

I am an Australian citizen with a Chinese face. But it doesn't matter now - as a migrant, no matter where we come from, we have become easy targets.

Two parents have revealed why they felt the urge to cheat after having children, but relationship experts aren't exactly on board.

Forgot how to drive due to COVID-19? I now think about lots of factors while driving and picture many consequences in my head. If my kids are in the car, I am worried if their seatbelts are on or if the child lock is on and if my kids make noise or scream in the car. I worry if they are not comfortable with my driving. If other drivers are going too fast on the highway, I feel pressured to accelerate, and I am worried that my mind and body won't let me. The out of control physical symptoms of anxiety make it impossible to trust myself to drive safely again.

Fourth-degree vaginal tears are the most severe. They extend through the anal sphincter and into the mucous membrane that lines the rectum (rectal mucosa). Fourth-degree tears usually require repair with anaesthesia in an operating room, rather than the delivery room, and sometimes need more specialised repair. Of all women who gave birth vaginally in Australia in 2014, three percent had a third or fourth-degree perineal tear.

There are many ways to cook lion's head meatballs in China. A popular version is to have them plain, usually steamed in pork-bone broth. A version that's popular in northern China is braised meatballs. These meatballs are also referred to as being "red-cooked", which means "braised in soy sauce". The braising process is simple. You just need to braise the meatballs in a soy sauce mixture after browning, instead of steaming. However, this method is usually quite salty. You can use either mild soy sauce or dark soy sauce for this cooking, but remember that the darker the sauce is, the darker and saltier the meatball will be.

I didn't like Chinese pickled cabbage or suan cai as a child, but now I can't get enough of its unique flavour. Suan cai, a traditional pickled Chinese cabbage, is a popular dish in my hometown in Northeast China or Dongbei. Lots of popular Chinese dishes include suan cai, which is referred to as Chinese sauerkraut in the west because of the similarities between the two. Suan cai in Dongbei is commonly braised to make a stew, stuff in dumplings or stir fry with vermicelli noodles and pork mince. I like to chop suan cai into my favourite fish dishes to make them nice and salty.

Guo bao rou is the signature dish of Harbin in China's northeast. It's also my favourite food

A steamed baozi can be filled with ingredients that vary from meat to vegetables or a mixture of both. Most of the time, it contains one type of meat. We usually use pork or lamb or chicken at home. It also has one kind of vegetable, most commonly Chinese cabbage or mushrooms.

Food is often something we associate with warm, fuzzy feelings and fond memories that tie us to significant moments in our life. Most importantly, food is also part of who we are as cultural beings. Most of the time, what and how we eat is an indicator of the kind of food experiences we had growing up and the cultures we are initially from.

The ancient emperors used to worship the moon in autumn. Afterwards, people would pay tribute to the bright moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which takes place on the 15th day of the lunar calendar's eighth month – when the moon is thought to be at its brightest. In 2020, the event (also known as the Moon Festival), falls on 1 October, which is also the National Day of China. The festival is celebrated with mooncakes: families and friends gather together to eat the pastries and appreciate the great beauty of the full and bright moon.

The name of the Chinese noodle dish liangpi means "cold skin", indicative of the cool temperature at which these noodles are usually served and their translucent, skin-like appearance. Liangpi's noodles have a very particular texture and are spongey in texture, slightly different from what many may come to expect from a noodle.

Ge da tang: A Chinese dumpling soup that brings warmth to bleaker days. Many people say that the dough knots are like Italian gnocchi pasta. To make them, use a flour mixture to form small knot-like pieces. Once done, add them to the soup. It'll warm you up on a freezing day.

Cold weather warm soup! Do we know the differences between dumplings and wontons? Are wontons considered a type of dumplings? Some people may argue that the dumplings can be empty inside or filled, when dumplings are filled inside with some specific filling, they are sometimes called wonton.

Who hasn't tried pork bones? One of the most notable reasons is health benefits. Eating meat this way provides more collagen, gelatin and glycine. These nutrients promote gut health. Collagen helps maintain a healthy gut lining, and gelatin helps maintain the layer of mucus that keeps gut microbes away from the intestinal barrier. These nutrients also strengthen our immune system and reduce overall inflammation.

Vendors or 'hawkers' selling noodles from carts on the street were once a part of the furniture in Hong Kong. The dish known as cart noodles (车仔面) was a popular dish since the 1950s. It was quick, affordable and easy to come by street-side.

Crabs in Bangladesh are not as expensive as they are in Australia and are a regular at family meals. When you're in the countryside, my sister-in-law once told me, it's easy to grab crabs from different water sources, such as from the sea or riverbank. Even kids collect them. This dish is so great for family reunions, and it reminds me how much fun we had when we visited Bangladesh. It is an honour to share this recipe with all food lovers and a family favourite.

Hot pots are a communal affair so what better time to eat them than during Lunar New Year festivities.

Never a day goes by when I don't crave this Northern Chinese pan-fried pastry filled with fried egg and chives.

Tea eggs, a typical Chinese savoury side dish or snack, take me back to the lunches I used to take to school. My grandma's tea eggs were my favourite. I made sure to learn her techniques so now I can make them just like she did. My grandma used to soft boil them. Then she gently cracked the shells and submerged the entire eggs into a cold spiced broth of star anise, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and black tea for hours.

I love ballet. Like the best kind of writing, ballet is elegant. It’s a canvas for the most delicate emotions — a dance like no other. Growing up, I was a one-time gymnast. I started practicing when I was four, and gave up when I turned eight because I wanted to switch to dancing. But my parents weren’t convinced that my new obsession would take, so I put off my dance career — until now.

What I didn’t expect were the memories of practising that came rushing back. The way I’ve always had trouble placing my fingers on the piano, how my left little finger would keep popping up involuntarily when I tried to practise.

Traditional Lunar New Year celebrations are an opportunity for intercultural exchange and understanding.

My in-laws only speak Bengali, while my parents only speak Mandarin. To make matters more confusing, my husband and I communicate only in English. At times, the realtime translation took its toll.

When I realised that I wasn’t suited to an in-person mother’s group, I found there was another way. Being a new parent is hard, and can be isolating. So when my community nurse suggested that I join a local mother’s group for some extra support, I jumped at the chance. I’d heard friends wax lyrical about how their mother’s groups saved them during a stressful period of parenting. And that many of their cohorts turned into lifelong friends. So I made a point to join one.

In certain cultures, the richer you are, the less likely you are to work outside. So the less colour your skin has, the more you’re not associated with being poor

After years, my mindset has indeed changed. These days, I don’t dwell too much on ‘Asian’ or ‘Western’ parenting style -I am a benefactor of both, without my Chinese parents, I wouldn’t be able to complete my academic studies; without my Australian parents, I wouldn’t have the courage to pursue my dream job.

Angie Cui reflects on the challenges of having a harmonious marriage when you and your partner come from different cultural backgrounds. Making my cross-cultural marriage work is about more than less curry or less soy sauce.

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The Guardian Australia - what to do with kids during holidays? From indoor pools filled with inflatables to the chance to help make habitats for wildlife, we’ve rounded up great free and cheap activities to do with your children in Melbourne this summer

Crystals and gemstones have been used for thousands of years in the belief that they ward off illness and negative energy – and recently, this hypothesis is having a resurgence. Google searches for “crystal healing” have almost doubled in the past few years, fuelled by endorsements from high-profile celebrities including singer Adele, who uses it to help with stage fright, and Victoria Beckham, who has introduced her Instagram followers to her crystal collection.