I read Message From An Unknown Chinese Mother by Xinran quite a long while back and the stories of loss and love have stuck in my mind. Some very traditional Chinese believe that, as Xinran puts it, “you do not count as a human being unless you have a son” to carry on the family line. This was severely intensified ...

When you are in a restaurant, take a look around you. You will see that the majority of people are bent forward towards the glow of their smartphones. Whatever is streaming on their phones is so engrossing that they seem to be in some sort of hypnotic trance, ignoring the people around them. Conversations at dinner table are limited to ...

When my sons were still kids, they loved Pokemon. Pokemon ‘Pocket Monsters’ took the world by storm in 1995, spawning a generation of kids who were hooked by the game on GameBoys and Nintendo game consoles. Fast forward to Pokémon Go just released this month in many regions around the world but it is not available in Malaysia yet. It ...

Malaysian time is very elastic, A laid-back attitude makes life less hectic, Tardiness is not seen as a moral crime, Punctuality does not mean you have to arrive in time.   Tardiness is an accepted practice, Even in the corporate office, Time is perceived as a gentle stream, Flowing leisurely like in a dream.   Malaysians are generally not lazy, ...

I have just finished reading Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians and despite my initial misgivings, I found myself dazzled by the novel steeped in love and dripping with money. Think Dynasty on steroids and much more decadent. You will laugh at the idiosyncrasies of the crazy rich. It is like Jane Austen going to Singapore and writing about her experience ...

Mr Goosebumps is a funny unpredictable fellow, He can appear when you are feeling mellow, And when you’re frightened or feeling cold, He may also make his call.   His real name is Cutis Anserina, But he is neither cute nor a ballerina, He answers to a lot of funny names, Goose flesh, goose pimples, chill bumps and  funky spots ...

Like a smudge in the distant sky, A cloud of starlings fly, As the cloud comes into close sights, Watching it becomes a spellbinding delight.   The birds form a rising crescendo, One minute like a raging tornado, The next a colossal wisp of smoke, The next a haze that seems to choke.   The birds swirl about with incredible ...

Hell on the outside, Heaven on the inside, Love it or hate it, You’ll know when you eat.   The hulking thorny beast, What a lovely feast, The divine custardy flesh, Best when taken fresh.   Hailed as the king of fruits, Aggressive it may look, Seductive is its smell, Though some say it smells like hell.   Incomparable is ...

Malaysia reputedly has the worst toilets in the world, With stench emanating well beyond the toilet walls, Disgusting, stinky, dirty and hideous, The mere thought of them makes many nauseous.   Toilet floors are often so wet, Wet feet is what you get, When you think about the nature of the water, Getting out is all that matters.   When ...

Crocodiles appear to weep, Feasting on their victims they rip, Ironic this may seem, But crocodiles are real mean.   Crocodile tears, a hypocritical grief display, On your emotion they play, A fake show of sorrow, Sympathy from you they hope to sow.   So beware of the crocodile tears ploy, Watch out for this decoy, Fall not for the ...