Bringing back the bumbag
When I wear my bumbag, people always make fun of me. I don’t care because it’s so useful. This is the best $5 I’ve ever spent.
I picked it up from a charity shop in Auckland, two years ago and it’s with me wherever I go. The colours and the patterns drew me in and, once I put it on, I knew we were suited. My friends don’t think so, but I don’t care.
I don’t consider myself a fashionista. I think fashion is an expression of oneself, it’s a way to show who you are. I think it’s important but I don’t think I’m fashion conscious – hence the bumbag.
I like the outdoors and going on hikes and things like that and the bumbag is perfect for this. I keep my phone in there but most importantly, it holds all my snacks.
In August I spent six weeks travelling around Europe and Thailand, and the bumbag came in handy. I travelled mostly by myself and people could tell I was a tourist because I got lost most of the time.
I like travelling alone. I feel like I’m way more extroverted when I’m on my own. You have to be otherwise you’re lonely the whole time.
When you’re travelling with people you end up hanging with your own little circle and you make less of an effort to make friends. But when you’re on your own, you meet and talk to locals and get a real sense of the culture and the people. That’s the main reason for travelling.
When I was in Thailand, people thought I was Thai because I nailed some of the greetings and they would start speaking Thai to me. But, in fact, I grew up in New Zealand. I’m originally from China. My family came here when I was 4 and I grew up in Auckland’s Half Moon Bay.
When I wore my bumbag overseas, lots of people noticed it. It’s one of those things that when you notice somebody staring at it, you don’t know if they think it’s awful or not.
Then you think they’re being polite when they go ‘‘oh, I like your bumbag’’. But I wonder what they’re really thinking and if they think it’s odd to see an adult with a bumbag.
I love the summer and I get out as much as I can. I love Northland. My favourite place in the world is Spirits Bay, just south of Cape Reinga. It’s beautiful, to the point where I don’t want to go back because it might ruin my memory of it.
In my previous role at
1 News, I picked up the environmental round, and also science and technology.
The environmental aspect was great, I got to explore different places around the country and I love science because I’m a bit of a nerd. I love my job as a reporter because I like getting out and about.
One of my big passions is writing. When I’ve got all my interviews done, I love getting back into the office and crafting a story. I get a kick when I’m writing a line that I really like.
Although I’m not ashamed to wear my bumbag, I don’t wear it in the office. People do think I’m a loser but I’m trying to bring bumbags back.