Yes, that's a lump of metal in my purse.

[Tiarticle]

You read that correctly. I carry a bar of titanium in my handbag. I don't live in a dodgy neighborhood (anymore) but certainly the place I work in is a little, ahem, industrial, and therefore, anything that can be used as a weapon (strictly for self-defense!!) is helpful, especially when walking to and from the car alone.

I'm sad to report that I don't have mad kung-fu skills unlike my cousin @Lauren Yeung, but I have watched my fair share of UFC fights so I think I could take on any would-be assassins with a vicious arm-bar. Most fights usually end up on the ground, so some grappling skills would probably help.

I should explain where the piece of titanium in the picture above came from. When I obtained my US citizenship, I was given a plastic flagholder with a Union Jack, to remind me of where I came from. However I had also been handed a teeny star spangled banner so I asked my technician to punch a hole into the plastic so I could hold both flags simultaneously. He came back an hour later with a turned and polished Ti-6Al-4V bar end, with two holes drilled to hold my flags. I've treasured this lump of metal as a symbol of friendship between my two countries but also admired its beauty and simplicity. Of course we know that titanium is half the density of steel with the same strength so what that means is if I swing my purse at a would-be attacker, the metal in my bag will still make a BIG DENT in their face! In other words, it becomes easy for me to swing my bag like a lethal weapon but they are going to FEEL REAL PAIN! Titanium really is the best metal ever!

Writing: Eliana Fu