Category Archives: the Family

The Family

Three Kingdoms

Centuries upon centuries ago, there once were Three Kingdoms ( 三國 ), a time when scholars and soldiers and sovereigns waged war for wealth and power. These days, fresh fights are engaged in new battlegrounds, in new kingdoms… 曹魏 / King Crab In which Western cutlery is abandoned in favour of a pair of chopsticks;

Wanted!

Dear Nisa (a.k.a. The Diva), Where on Earth are you? Well, I actually have the answer to that one. Some city called Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Where you have been whisked off for a month (then a month and a half, now possibly two months tops, and we are beginning to fear the worst for

My Happy Birthday

. Meena We are laughing over the phone. So busy the two of us these days, we hardly get to meet, to chat, to whisper and sulk and set off some mischief. Doesn’t matter much though, does it? When we do, it’s some kind of wonderful. Magic. You tell me I’ve changed so much, so

Everything New Is Old Again

Playing Monopoly can teach you a thing or two. Well, Monopoly, a large packet of Ngan Yin (Cap Tangan!) groundnuts and plenty of Polish vodka. Heh. Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let’s rewind a little, shall we? Came the weekend and the Diva was bored out of her mind. So the first week

Dream Some Dim Sum

“I love you, Kenny. You’re the only person I can rely on to wake up as early as I do on a public holiday.” I hear these words often, said without a hint of irony or sarcasm, courtesy of my beloved Datin (also sometimes known as The Divine Ms. Henny). My reputation for being an

Pretty Good Year

Now is the time for reflections, they say. An entire year’s worth, it seems, is now open to investigation and incisive analysis. Twelve months of folly and foibles, work and worries, play and penance, all coming under the penetrating glare of a single eye, a kind one, I pray. Let’s sit down first, and get

The Family Dinner

T’was the season to make merry and to feast on the best (and the beasts, if you’re a carnivore like me), to spend the warm and soft hours with your loved ones and to be content and at peace. T’was the season for family dinners, joyous reunions not very unlike a Norman Rockwell painting. A