The year when I was ten, in early May, my parents and I went to the annual large family gathering held in a coastal city several hours drive to the south from our town. We arrived at the hotel earlier than others, and my father and I decided to go for a walk to the […]
Don’t look at meAnd thinkWhat you see isWho I am Don’t be charmedBy superficial thingsReal stories aren’t thereReal treasure is never there Don’t bring upThose preconceived ideasThat never reveal anythingAbout anybody on this planet If you expect me to be flexibleIf you want me to fold myselfInto that black-and-white pictureIf that’s what you want Don’tDon’t
In this memory, I’m four years old. Every day, around midday, I sit for a snack-and-tea time with my mother. She prepares milk tea and takes out McVitie’s chocolate biscuits, two for each of us. I always look forward to this one-and-only snack time of the day and want it to last as long as
Lips on the Surface Read More »
At my parents’ house, in a corner of my old bedroom, there is a special brown card box I treasure. The content of the box is a handmade sea glass lamp, a gift from my high school best friend given to me more than a decade ago. She and I were both members of the
The Sea Glass Lamp Read More »
In this memory, I’m five years old, just a month before my sixth birthday. I’m participating in the annual showcase of the local YAMAHA music school with my two best friends and classmates. Wearing the same outfit as last year, the only difference this year is that two of my family members are missing: my
When I couldn’t stop laughing Read More »
The day arrivesThe day I’ve looked forward toTold everybody how excited I wasPicked out the clothes a week agoPictured the day many timesCouldn’t have been more ready But then whyWhy this sudden reluctanceJust as I’m ready to go outI find excuses to delayAs if I didn’t want to goAs if I dreaded this very moment
In early May when I was eight, my father’s college friend came to stay with us for several days. What was exciting was that all his four children travelled with him. The eldest was a boy four years older than me, followed by a sister two years older than me and another of my age,
Hiding well in Hide and Seek Read More »
In this memory, I’m five years old. One day in early December, my mother takes out the box of a Christmas tree kit from the storage and bring it to the living room of our tiny half-dilapidated apartment. It’s a small fake Christmas tree that was bought in the winter my family moved into the
Under the Christmas Tree Read More »
It was when I was in Grade 2. That year, we had a gardening project to grow sweet potatoes. Early summer, each of us planted a sapling, and it was our assignment to continue watering the plant throughout the summer vacation. Over July and August, the saplings grew into a sea of dark green leaves,
Look where you’re throwing Read More »
The clock rewoundThat’s what happenedWhen I entered the storeI was thirteen again School lunchtimeIn the tiny broadcast roomWith two friendsAbout to go live for the lunchtime program My senior puts the music CD into the playerThe best of something from the 90sThe familiar melody starts from the speakerAnd I sit in front of the mic
