short story
I have attended more funerals than weddings. One day, the coffin will not belong to someone else. It will be mine. Death is the one appointment none of us can cancel. No rescheduling. No exemptions. No exceptions for the young, the loved, the needed. Some welcome it after a long
Satire
You know you’re Singaporean when this irritates you. We are calm people. Until someone does one of these. Below are behaviours that can raise blood pressure faster than peak-hour ERP. Like the comment that annoys you most. Defend your choice in the comments. Tag the friend who is guilty.
Satire
Nobody announced these rules. There was no Town Hall. No WhatsApp poll. But somehow… we all follow them. 1. The Chope Covenant: If a table has a pack of tissue, it is legally occupied. Even if the owner is still queuing three streets away. 2. The MRT Gauntlet: If the
When I was younger, I was most rich after receiving ang pow during Chinese New Year. As an adult, the real joy comes from giving. Chinese New Year is not just about the oranges, the steamboat, or the noise of reunion dinners. It is about that simple moment when you
I studied the Indonesian language a few years ago. I have forgotten most of it. But I never forgot how it made me feel. It is a beautiful language. Refined. Gentle. Almost poetic. It paints instead of naming. Breast becomes buah dada, fruit of the chest. The sun becomes matahari,
short story
Food for Thought One meal during Chinese New Year can easily cost twenty times more than what we spend on a normal day. A table filled with abalone, prawns, fish, roast meats, and bottles of drinks. Laughter. Photos. Prosperity tossed high in the air. It is celebration. It is tradition.
Satire
I am the strictest boss I have ever worked for. When I failed to hit my own KPIs, I called myself into a meeting. No appeal. No warning letter. Immediate termination. Now I am unemployed, and still reporting to the same boss tomorrow.
short story
I don’t quite understand this. It’s dinner time. The café is packed. People are walking around with trays, scanning for seats like it’s a competitive sport. Seats are limited. Every table matters. And yet, a laptop is open on a table. One drink. One person. The dining
short story
Boom. That’s the question. It arrives before the bak kwa plate finishes one round. Before the pineapple tarts settle in your stomach. Before you even sit down properly. “So… where are you working now?” And just like that, you become the reunion dinner entertainment. The spotlight switches on in
micro memoir
Reunion dinner used to be rowdy at Lei Hwa Restaurant. Three tables, every year. Today, it is only a memory. They have left.
Satire
There is one benefit scheme nobody announces. No portal. No application form. No income ceiling. The traditional principle is simple: Married people give. Unmarried people receive. In many Chinese families, if you are unmarried, you are still considered “eligible” for ang pow, whether you are 5, 25, or 65. Age
short story
Confession. Chinese New Year is the only time of the year where you can gain three kilos, lose one month’s salary, and question your entire life direction within 48 hours. In the 1960s, we lived in kampong. We wore the same clothes every day. Chicken and bottled drinks were
