Last night, I dreamt I was a tree. I was a tree in a park that faced the White House. Now I'm not American and am totally blasé about politics, so in my dream I was more concerned about the people who sat under me. There were people from my past and I hadn't seen them for years. They were wearing corporate clothes - black jackets, shiny shoes and all. They sat slumped - tired, probably a little jaded as well. They were feeling a little puzzled that day, because they suddenly couldn't … [Read more...]
Sunday
Mdm Goh
May 23rd, 2010
For most of the time, I like doing interviews. It's the only thing besides alcohol or sufficient sleep that can make me snap out of my shyness, and listening to other people's stories is always fascinating. Of course, there will always be interview subjects that one prefers more than others. And lately, I had one of those delightful interviews where I went back home with a goofy smile on my face. This article was for Schoolbag - MOE's education blog for parents, and it was about Mdm Goh, a … [Read more...]
Sunday
Sailing Away
May 16th, 2010
I've decided to take a break from freelance writing (as in writing for money) for a while. Why did I make such a decision after less than a year of trying to become a more serious freelance writer? 1. Restlessness - It's amazing what a few months of clearing the head can do. Once I felt less burnt out, I started craving to learn new stuff again. I feel that beyond writing, there are still so many more things to discover, to dive into, to make mistakes in. I remember someone once telling me, … [Read more...]
Sunday
My Mother and My Writing…
May 9th, 2010
...have a love-hate thing going on. Whatever the case, I have her to thank for my writing abilities. As an English teacher, she was the Nazi grammar-griller and the obsessive library book borrower. I find it interesting that she'd force feed me classics that she'd never read herself. And when I used to paste up typewritten quotes from George Orwell's 1984 in my rebellious youth, she'd rip them down saying they were "nonsense" and I'd yell back, "But it's from one of the greatest classics of … [Read more...]