What do you remember when you were 4? For me, not much but among the few early memories I can recall is a flight. Probably my first. I remembered my mum excitedly asking me to look down at the lights below. Yes, it was a night flight and we were returning from my very first trip to Singapore. What do you remember when you were in Primary School? For me, apart from the wonderful memories of friends, teachers, family moments and my first school, were our regular visits to … [Read more...]
‘Get off B****! ‘ : Close encounter of the offending kind
I had an extreme encounter recently at a local 5* family resort, all within a span of 10 minutes. The first encounter began with me standing in line for my Egg Benedict, freshly made by a friendly elderly lady who was manning the egg station. In her soft, grammatically-correct English, she asked, “Did you study there?” pointing at the T-shirt I was wearing. I looked down and it was a ‘Harvard Dad’ souvenir tee bought during our visit to Harvard, Boston last June. I was quite taken aback … [Read more...]
Colours, Cultures, Celebration! Chingay 2015, SG50 Edition
“This is it, this is Chingay!” I thought to myself as I stood there, mere metres away a young Primary School girl, in her flamboyant costume dancing to Latin music, cheers, loud narrations and fire cracker sounds. Normally, I would have just cupped my ears and walked away from the cacophony but no, tonight it’s different. To me, Chingay 2015 , SG50 Edition encapsulates the 5 Shared National Values* that knit the very fabric of our tiny, multiracial society together for the past 50 … [Read more...]
Oh, to be a child…to be a child again
I wrote this just as we returned from the funeral of Angie's Grandma. It's particularly depressing as her departure coincided with Chinese New Year...On our way back from the crematorium, we could see droves of families packing their cars in the driveway, ready for the annual reunions or road-trips home. I think we can all agree that Grandparents have a special place in our hearts. For me, I know that no matter how old I am, I will always be a child in my Grandparents' eyes. This is also the … [Read more...]
‘How to help your kids love Chinese’ – Reflections from a ‘Banana’ Dad
*Banana – a colloquial term to describe a Chinese who only appreciates Western customs thereby making him Yellow on the outside, white on the inside. “You don’t know Chinese? Why don’t you know Chinese? Aren’t you Chinese?” Ever have one of those statements haunt you for a long time? Well, mine is the question above which was hurled at my friends and I more than two decades ago when I was an undergraduate in Australia. You see, we were walking along one of the many beautifully tree-lined … [Read more...]
The strengths in our stars – helping your children discover themselves
"Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.” Isaiah 40:26 (NIV) Photo Credit “ Daddy, what’s special about me? Do I have talents?” the daughter asked. Now that the daughter has started Primary 1 proper, the entire family has made significant lifestyle changes to go to bed rather early. So imagine my surprise when I was asked the above question by the inquisitive daughter at bedtime … [Read more...]
Homely Feasting at Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家)
In our Chinese culture, nephews or nieces address their eldest aunt from the paternal side 'Gu Ma' - 姑妈. So when we received the food tasting invite from this restaurant endearingly named 'Gu Ma Jia' 姑妈家 (loosely translated as 'Eldest Aunt’s House'), we knew we were in for a treat. 'Gu Ma Jia' 姑妈家 is located in the famous Sennett Estate which is dotted with many popular eateries. The founder of the restaurant is a spiritedly housewife (affectionately known as 'Gu Ma' 姑妈) who grew up on Pulau … [Read more...]
A Fitting Farewell and a Rousing Welcome – Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2015
It’s 1:15am, 1 January 2015 and I’m standing opposite the Floating Platform at One Fullerton. We are well into 2015 - the countdown and spectacular 8-minute fireworks had concluded an hour ago but still, the 25,000 strong crowd was still clapping and cheering from the ongoing performances. It is evident that while there were smoke in the air during the fireworks display, the air was abuzz with heightened energy running all through the night, into the early morning of 2015…and it doesn’t seem to … [Read more...]
2 Funerals and a Darn Good Movie – Reflections and Hope of a Regular Dad
In many ways, this is not the kind of December I’m used to – my wife and I just returned from a funeral, our second in this ‘festive’ month. To make matters worse, it was a child’s funeral – 14 month-old baby girl, who died suddenly in her sleep, leaving behind two very distraught parents. The first funeral which we attended was quite the contrast – one of an ailing but well-loved senior, beloved Dad to a friend we know. Whatever the circumstances, death has a way to stop us in our tracks. … [Read more...]
Dim Sum Dollies, The History of Singapore (Part 2): A roll-on-the-floor-laughing, coming-of-age tale of our Little Red Dot.
“ Those who don’t know history, are doomed to repeat it” - Edmund Burke, 18th Century Anglo-Irish Philosopher and Statesman. My wife and I nearly died last night…from laughing. This is not our first outing to catch the Dim Sum Dollies but I must add that it’s our best to date. In fact, at a cursory glance the entire theatre would concur with us as the dynamic trio of Selena Tan, Pam Oei and Denise Tan returns to the stage and, within minutes, had the entire Esplanade Theatre laughing and … [Read more...]
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