It has been said that the best antiques to collect are old friends. The trap of busyness causes us to move with such mindless speed that we’re like the proverbial chicken running around with his head cut off. And as we get caught up in our busyness, we often slowly lose contact with old friends. Time endears but cannot fade ...

While in Singapore over the Gawai holidays, I dropped in to Kinokuniya at Ngee Ann City, spending an hour or so browsing inside the huge bookstore. I did not find any books that really piqued my interest and was about to leave the store when I chanced upon “The Devotion of Suspect X” by Keigo Higashino (translated by Alexander O. ...

I just got back to Miri this afternoon after spending the last two days in Kuching, savouring Kuching’s good food and meeting up with a few old friends whom I have not seen for decades. My eldest brother Tian and I flew to Kuching on Friday afternoon by Air Asia and we put up at the house of my second ...

Facebook is a great tool for social networking and I’ve enjoyed catching up with old friends. Many people who have had near-death experiences say that they saw their lives flash right before their eyes. Well, this is a bit like how I’ve felt when it comes to my Facebook encounters. Thanks to this site, I’ve reconnected with people whom I ...

The Year of the Dragon will begin on January 23, about 74 hours from now. The Dragon is the fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 Animal signs.  The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend and is the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness. Chinese New Year is the longest and the most important ...

I was saddened beyond words when Marissa Cuba, my ex-colleague in Brunei, sent me a SMS informing me that my ex-colleague Sophia Tan’s condition seems to have taken a turn for the worse. I thought she was recovering well as she has so much strength and faith. Her cancer has gone into remissions a few times only to relapse after ...

I remember there is a Christmas song by Agnes Chan that goes something like this: All I want for my Christmas is my two front teeth. Oh yeah, I want my front teeth too. I have lost so many of my upper teeth that it reminds me of some of Sarawak’s forests…barren with only a few trees standing. Barren forest ...

Childhood is a wonderful time. It is often one of the happiest periods in the life of any person. As I look back at my childhood in Binatang (now known as Bintangor), I am overwhelmed by nostalgia and fond reminiscence of those almost care-free days. And I feel myself being transported back in time to the 1960s and early 1970s. ...

“You Are the Apple of My Eye” has taken the Hong Kong and Taiwanese market by storm recently and looks set to take Southeast Asian audiences by storm as well. If you have loved and lost, attended secondary school, or had puppy love experience, you would feel a pang of nostalgia while watching “You Are The Apple Of My Eye.” ...

Last week, Rolling Stone asked readers to vote for the worst songs of the 1990s. And now the results are out!  1. Aqua – Barbie Girl Topping the list is Aqua’s “Barbie Girl.” The song, written by the Danish dance-pop group Aqua, is an incredibly polarizing song. Hordes of people find the song very offensive for its portrayal of a ...