micro memoir

One Step from Disaster

When I was studying at Playfair Primary School, I had to cross the road near the junction of Paya Lebar Road and Airport Road.

One day, I stepped off the central divider without paying attention.

A lorry whizzed past my face, inches from my nose.

Had I taken one more step a second earlier, it might have hit and killed me.

To this day, I still wonder whether I was daydreaming at that moment.

The experience taught me a lesson I have never forgotten.

I still remind myself to look left and right before crossing the road, and to keep my phone in my pocket when walking outside.

A moment of carelessness can change a life forever.

The Empty Gate

Every afternoon after school, our mongrel would wait behind the metal gate. The moment he heard my bicycle bell, he would jump up and wag his tail so hard his whole body seemed to bend with it. One rainy week, I came home and the gate was empty. I parked

The Samsui Woman's Advice

When I was 16 and waiting for my O-Level results, I worked for a few months for my brother-in-law, who ran a small construction company. I drilled concrete floors until my whole body shook from the vibration. I used a grinder to smooth the edges of window

Be Someone

The elders always said, "Strive to become someone." Otherwise, you will be a nobody. After sixty years of trying to become someone, I finally became myself.

Lost and Found

My cat loved to meow and rub her head against my leg. She was my constant companion. One day, my mother relocated her to a wet market three bus stops away. I thought I had lost her forever. Then one day, out of nowhere, I heard a familiar meow. It

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The Empty Gate

The Samsui Woman's Advice

Be Someone

Lost and Found