The Promise
Recently an episode of a long running TV series on Netflix pointedly focused on being a father. A successful surgeon went on a countryside trip, sat in a restaurant all day, waiting. He was hoping the elderly owner of the restaurant would recognise him. He …
The Best Is Yet To Be…
My horoscope said I would be inspired today. Early evening, I started my two sets of stair climbing. The day seemed to be coming to an end. What inspiration? After climbing my first twenty-four flights of stairs, I took the lift down, breathing heavily, starting …
At The Chinese Shop
This afternoon, I found myself having almost an hour of free time after lunch in a shopping mall. My next meeting was in the next building. I remembered a shop selling artefacts, almost entirely Chinese, to mostly tourists. It is run by an elderly couple. …
Good Morning
This morning, woke up automatically at the exact time I wanted to. Felt refreshed from a reasonably good sleep. Checked emails and messages. Finally got the replies I was waiting for. My helper was her usual jovial self. Taking the lift down, I heard footsteps …
A Special Day
At lunch, I was seated next to a man and a teenage boy in school uniform. The tables were close and I could hear the boy, who was crestfallen, explaining something he did which was not up to mark or which did not work. The …
The Concept Of Money
A few days ago, our Finance Minister said Singapore property prices may decline further, “but I don’t think we’ll see a crash.” A friend who works in creative promotions, and who recently turned 40, finally bought an apartment of his own. He called me to …
The Money Is Gone
Two years ago, her husband was killed in a freak tragic accident while working at Changi Airport Budget Terminal. When this news broke, donations poured in from the public. Many Singaporeans sympathised with Madam Pusparani, 34, then also working as a cleaning supervisor at the …
Can You Recognise Me?
This was a movie I wanted to watch. A return to the Zhang Yimou movies with Gong Li that captivated and moved audiences around the world. I could see the mood feel, the colour palette, the fine acting, the 1970s China, all coming together to …
Hokkien Mee And A New Life
While I was driving, a food blogger was talking on the radio about an authentic ‘old school’ Hokkien Mee stall. How this man uses two ladles to toss the noodles up in the air till you can smell its aroma. How he uses Sua Lor …
Missing
It is already mid May. Yet for some people, April never left. It was a month most of us were bewildered by missing passengers. Of a plane that disappeared. And a ferry that sank. The plane went missing in early March. The search is still …