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The Business of Christmas
It’s the most-monies-spent time of the year, when discounts are free-flow and the street is aglow with a light-up on show… I’ve always considered the Orchard Road light-up to be a signature yearly Singaporean event, never mind the Singapore shopping belt has been having trouble keeping brick-and-mortar retail going since Amazon kicked off the e-Commerce revolution. For about two months, the iconic stretch of malls was a visual celebration of the things we never had as an island-state: snow, pine trees, reindeer, sleighs, and a judgy man in a red suit and white beard that makes children sit on his lap and promise them things for suspicious reasons no one…
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Finding Freedom from Fatherhood
So liberating, when your family takes a vacation without you. Every once or twice a year, the in-laws plan overseas trips for the family, parents, siblings, children et al. Sometimes I join in, sometimes my work schedule doesn’t allow it. But the wife and I agree that the kids should see the world every chance we can afford, every opportunity they can get. I get a lot done when the wife and kids aren’t around. I managed to watch Bohemian Rhapsody in a theatre, finish binging on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., do some laundry, pack the house some, start writing again. You can do a lot of things you want…
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The Silence of the Dads
We’re actually quite a quiet bunch, fathers. You’d think we have lots to say, like how the mums’ WhatsApp chat groups will drop 453 messages just during lunchtime alone. We experience as many parenting issues as mums do, albeit often from quite different perspectives. And that’s what I thought when we started Daddy Matters back in 2013. “Let’s start a group,” I said. “We can all share experiences with each other,” I said. “There’ll be so many dads that want to join,” I said. 5 years and a little over 600 members later, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the fathers I’ve gotten to know through our group, the…
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[Review] Marsiling’s Automated Tray Return System
First published on The Blogfather’s Facebook Page here. Marsiling: this seemingly innocuous estate has seen a bit of drama over the last year, firstly when it quite inexplicably lost its representative Member of Parliament to an unfortunate incident many of us now refer to under our breath with a disgruntled, forceful spray of spittle as the Reserved Presidential Election. It looks like some of the people managing Marsiling want to keep the momentum going, this time with an absolutely brilliant idea that will surely thrust the constituency into the forefront of Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative, complete with green and pink robots sprouting multiple arms out the sides of their bodies.…
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Dear Madam President
If someone living in Yishun Ave 4 could just help me show this to the lady with the jumbo flat and 3 reserved parking lots, if you manage to bump into her despite her small army of police escorts and bodyguards: Dear Madam President, Despite what people say, I do believe, especially right now, the Singapore Presidency truly should be the highest office in the land, but hor… It isn’t for safeguarding the national reserves, that’s pretty much out of your hands. It’s not for the President’s Challenge, you just have to show up. And it’s not for being the Chief Scout of the Singapore Scouts Association, although my son…
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One of Those Days
Ever have one of those days when you know just like every new day that the next day is going to start, but you really don't feel like being around when it does?
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Coffee, Tea or MOE (or Oops, I Overdid It Again)
I may have gone a little overboard on what I thought about one of our Education Ministers.
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That’s Not How You Make a Better World, Kid
This went viral on 9GAG back in February last year—exactly one year ago, in fact. And I'm going to say straight out, I really didn't agree with this back then, and I really don't agree with it now.
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The Big PSLE Freakout
This is beginning to be as sensitive as talking about religion. And it’s getting worse and worse every year. Then there are all these positive initiatives getting people to share stories and PSLE T-scores in the name of telling Nintendo DS-denying parents grades don’t matter (she’s since learned an important lesson: be careful what you say in front of a journalist). First: I love that this is happening, I think it’s important that it’s happening, but I’m sorry this is happening. Second: please, please stop for a minute. We’re making things worse. All these hundred stories from a hundred voices about defining and achieving success a hundred ways, all these I-did-well-despite-my-studies-so-can-your-child-now-let’s-group-hug hullabaloo, all this is as useful to our PSLE-worshipping parents as…
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Ten Years of Us: A Love Letter
The Blogfather and the Mother of Xander and Yvie celebrate 10 years together—13 if you count the dating years, but that'd be a different anniversary date altogether.
