Building A Community #2 — Taking The Highs and The Hits

group of people holding arms

Last week, I talked about my experience building a community. It ended with me on the verge of detailing the "hits", after talking about the "highs". So allow me now to pick up from where I left off. Forming A Core Community Of Six "Leaders" Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com I distinctly recalled that … Continue reading Building A Community #2 — Taking The Highs and The Hits

Building A Community #1 — Taking The Highs and The Hits

casual outdoor meeting in a cafe setting

After some three years, I think I've enough experience now to talk about life as a community builder. To be honest, I didn't start off right away knowing I was "building community" from the ground up. Back when it started in 2023, I was just an early recruit into a fledgling community of mostly stay-home … Continue reading Building A Community #1 — Taking The Highs and The Hits

Musings On Teaching Challenges #3: School Will Never Be The Same Again For This Teacher!

a male teacher holding a pointing stick in front of a blackboard

Ever heard of a student returning home and crying about a teacher in school? What if, instead of a student, it was a teacher who returned home crying about a student in school? Well, that's what happened to me two weeks ago! I was asking a class of 18 year olds to imagine they were … Continue reading Musings On Teaching Challenges #3: School Will Never Be The Same Again For This Teacher!

Discovering Beauty #1: “The Voice” Sharpened My Instincts For Beauty

cheerful man in formal wear enjoying music

I've been waiting a long time to write this post. Finally, the moment has arrived, and I can't wait to voice out my joy! After many seasons of watching my all-time favourite singing competition on TV -- The Voice -- I finally encountered a singer whom I knew, the instant he opened his mouth to … Continue reading Discovering Beauty #1: “The Voice” Sharpened My Instincts For Beauty

Musings On Teaching Challenges #2: Fast-Tracking My Post-Teaching Future

man in black and white polo shirt beside writing board

Recently, I wrote about leaving the teaching profession within the next five to seven years. Little did I expect that an email I received three days ago would make me rethink this timeline. It seems I was five to seven years off the mark. I should in fact leave the profession a whole lot sooner! … Continue reading Musings On Teaching Challenges #2: Fast-Tracking My Post-Teaching Future

Guest Post: Parenthood Is Both Gradual And Sudden

child holding hand of another person

Hello and welcome again to my Guest Post mini-series! Today I'm privileged to have stay-home dad, Surajโ€ฏKamath, share his insights on parenting with us. He is a dad to a lovely young daughter, and his insights on the initial year of her birth hold much wisdom that new dads in particular can benefit from. Over … Continue reading Guest Post: Parenthood Is Both Gradual And Sudden

Living in my 50s #5 – Reflections On Turning 55

lighted candles on top of a birthday cake

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a numbers guy. Throughout my years as a student, I barely survived any subjects involving numbers! Yet there's something about turning 55 years old this week that's got me pretty excited! Let me see if by the end of this post I'll have figured out why. Birthdays? … Continue reading Living in my 50s #5 – Reflections On Turning 55

Guest Post: The $3 Mirror That Taught My Kids (and Me) A Big Life Lesson About Not Giving Up

I can't tell you enough how grateful I am to once more return to my guest post series today, after a very long hiatus! (If you are keen to be a guest writer on my blog, please check out my guidelines for guest posts by scrolling to the bottom of my About page and share your ideas with … Continue reading Guest Post: The $3 Mirror That Taught My Kids (and Me) A Big Life Lesson About Not Giving Up

Ingredients For A Thriving Community — A Preamble

silhouette group of people standing on grass field

One man returns from burying his father in their homeland, yet is too busy now with caregiving his wife and three kids (including a five-month-old baby) to grief his recent loss. Another struggles with his decision to resign from work after less than a year, due to mental stress triggered by caregiving his special needs … Continue reading Ingredients For A Thriving Community — A Preamble

A Series of “Unexpected Goodbyes” #2

man with bridge camera waving

Last week I talked about my youngest son's recent school trip to Seoul and how the goodbyes we had with him weren't quite what we expected. Today, I want to turn my attention on goodbyes to my eldest. The journey with him hasn't been the smoothest this year, making 15 (his current age) my least … Continue reading A Series of “Unexpected Goodbyes” #2