I met D. at a writing workshop more than a year ago - she'd travelled all the way from Kuala Lumpur to attend this course. Whenever she read out her work, I'd suck my breath in, awed by the way she was able to put herself in the life of any person she chose to write about. It was soulful, it was brutal, it was poetic and so absolutely refreshing. It's not surprising then that D's been getting her short stories published in several anthologies with such a lovely writing voice. And when I ask … [Read more...]
Monday
Quote of the Moment #3
April 25th, 2011
I rejoined the freelance world three months ago with a lot less trepidation compared to my previous attempts. Perhaps it's because I'd just gone through one of the most difficult periods of my life - so somehow, going back to an uncertain work situation didn't seem like such a big deal anymore. And because I was a little more heck-care, I became a lot more proactive about asking around for jobs. Some didn't work out, but some led to really interesting opportunities. The biggest challenge for … [Read more...]
Friday
My Work Space
April 22nd, 2011
This week of settling back to work and starting on new projects made my study table an absolute mess. It's usually rather chaotic to begin with, but the piles were beginning to topple, and at some point my feet never made it to the ground with the spillover clutter below. Enough was enough, so I've spent the last two days decluttering and six trash bags later, I am finally able to see what the colour of my table is. I've mapped out this layout as I think it's probably the most intuitive … [Read more...]
Tuesday
Me Writing About Me
April 19th, 2011
I really struggle when I have to write any sort of "official" bio about myself. Even the About Me section on this website took a whole afternoon to painfully squeeze out. There have been so many times when I cringe at other writers' bios for either sounding so boring or smartass, and I really don't get why so many of them need to mention what breed of dog they have. There are so many blind spots when it comes to this thing called self-awareness, so all the more it's likely that you can sound … [Read more...]
Sunday
The Importance of Work
April 17th, 2011
Hello, I'm back from my long trip, and feeling all nice and recharged! While in Vancouver, I met two people who had been out of work for the past few months due to the economic recession - two extremely capable people both great in their respective industries but there was just not enough work going around. The situation really sapped their morale, and there was this sense of helplessness which I've never really seen here in Singapore. It is a structural problem at a societal level, and yet … [Read more...]
Tuesday
Quote of the Moment #2
April 5th, 2011
While it does seem a little strange to display a bunch of adolescent boys on my homepage - after all, I've long past my NKOTB phase - there's just something about this quote and this film which reminds me of a life full of possibilities and authentic expression. There's actually nothing inherently inspirational about this particular line. So I declare all my "barbarities" publicly; then what? There will be people who mock or even condemn. There will be people who will twist them into … [Read more...]
Friday
Little England
April 1st, 2011
The first T+L collaboration with my husband, Darren. The good news is that we did not squabble while on assignment in Cameron Highlands, though a bit of nagging was involved thereafter. You can view the full article here. … [Read more...]