micro memoir

The Commute Never Ends

Near Simei MRT, I noticed a young woman, perhaps twenty-five years old, walking briskly towards the station.

She held a laptop in one hand while the other hand kept typing, determined not to waste a single minute.

Around her, dozens of commuters hurried past, each absorbed in their own race against time. Nobody looked at her. Nobody seemed to notice.

As I watched her disappear into the crowd, I wondered if this was what progress had become. Technology was meant to save us time, yet somehow it filled every spare moment with more work.

When life becomes a rush from one task to the next, what quiet moments are we leaving behind?

Perhaps the greatest luxury today is no longer speed, but having enough time to simply stop, look around, and truly live.

Learning by Ear

When I was younger, I wished someone had taught me to play music by ear. I learned the Electone by reading musical notes. That helped me play songs that were written on paper, but it did not teach me how to play from my heart. I could not hear a

The Question

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" The classroom buzzed with excited answers. One girl whispered, "Whatever makes my parents happy." Nobody asked what would make her happy.

The Pet Finder

In 2008, I quit my corporate job. I had no clear plan and did not know what I would do next. So I prayed and looked for opportunities. While reading the classified advertisements in the newspaper, I noticed a problem. Advertisers were paying $45 a day for three lines of

The Marble Table

As told by Li PL As the sun began to set, I made my way to my favourite marble table beneath a large tree on the university campus. The evening breeze stirred the leaves as students hurried past with backpacks slung over their shoulders, each chasing a future they hoped

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Learning by Ear

The Question

The Pet Finder

The Marble Table