Dear Mr. Xavier Yap First and foremost, may I call you Xavier? I know it's presumptuous of me to ask since you don't know me. And, up until January 22, 2022, when news about you first broke nationwide, the rest of Singapore and I didn't know you either. This week, however, we found out more … Continue reading Letter To A Special Needs Dad — On Faith. Hope. And Love.
Four months ago today, as I was leaving one of the many public libraries in my country, I chanced upon a makeshift bookshelf near the exit that displayed a series of books about dementia and health issues facing the elderly. At first, I didn't think much of it. These are probably monthly-rotated showcases. The next … Continue reading Living in my 50s #4 – Is this the time of my life?
Three nights ago, I did something for the second time in two years. I performed a reading aloud online with not one, not two, but four poems I wrote to an audience of fellow writers. 'Performing' is nothing new for me. I've been a lecturer and tutor for over 20 years. But that night's spoken … Continue reading My past prepared me for my online spoken reading
A classic song from Sir Elton John starts with this line: It's a little bit funny; this feeling inside. I think it aptly describes my funny feeling now as I type this post, after announcing last week I've knocked out 500 posts since starting my blog four years ago. Despite what I claimed the past … Continue reading Life after 500 posts — feeling stuck or in a sweet spot?!
Today I realize I'm just a week away from clocking my 500th blog post! When I started this blog back in April 2019, I never imagined I'll have the stamina to come this far. Nor did I think I would have enough content to deliver a blog post every single week. Yet here I am, … Continue reading Reflections as I approach my 500th blog post!
Two weeks ago, I posted about a group of dads I met. The group meets every month to talk about parenting stuff. Many of us are stay-at-home dads (referred to as SAHDs, pun fully and unfortunately intended). That status offers us unique perspectives of fathering many career-minded fathers who spend little time at home can't … Continue reading SAHDs Are NOT Secondary Caregivers!
This has to be my most obnoxious book review ever. Why? Because I'm about to "review" a 300+ page memoir about friends that I've only read some 100 pages of. In other words, I'm going to talk about a book I've only read one-third way through. As far as book reviewers go, I must surely … Continue reading Book Review — “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends”
Hey! You might remember exactly a month ago today, I posted about attending my first synchronous online memoir writing course, lasting eight weekly sessions. No? Well, please do check out that post. Then, what I'm sharing below will be more meaningful, when you return here to read it. You see, for this course that I'm … Continue reading “Clouds in my heart” — another memoir chapter excerpt
Do I really have permission to indulge daily in "a memory of comfort" in order to "grow my emotional tank"? This question has dogged me since my latest counseling session on Tuesday. Even though it's been two years now since I started visiting a counselor monthly to work through unresolved matters in my life, I … Continue reading Indulging daily in “a memory of comfort” to “grow my emotional tank”
I know Mother's Day is tomorrow, and I know it's the time for every mom to receive flowers, treats, and presents. But unfortunately, this isn't that kind of celebratory post. So, if you're looking for something to warm your hearts and inspire you to celebrate this annual day of recognizing your great mom, stop reading … Continue reading A sobering Mother’s Day reminder from my mom
