Mixed like a Rojak

What is “Rojak”?  Rojak is a dish served in Malaysia and Singapore. It is essentially a local salad. The ingredients in a typical rojak dish include turnips, cucumbers, pineapples, bean sprouts, peanuts, fried tofus, banana flowers, green mangos and a delicious dressing that consists of lime juice and prawn. However, there is really no specific…

School of Thought

Compared with many Asians a generation ahead of me, my generation was the lucky one.  We had a minimum of 9 years of compulsory school education in Hong Kong.  It was ‘compulsory’ because parents could go behind bars if they failed to send their kids to school. I was born in the 1960s. The generation…

First in Three Decades

There has been a saying in Hong Kong relatively recently, which goes like this –  “How many decades does one have?” The answers would be: (1) Not too many, (2) No one knows for sure. It was a few weeks ago over a casual conversation, that my wife, Moon, asked me whether I wanted to…

A Tough Cookie

Nowadays many people take up running as a hobby or habit in Singapore and Hong Kong. Running is a rather low consumption sport, nothing much in terms of facilities is needed for running. It is also a lovely form of exercise as long as it is done at an easy pace. An easy pace is…

Just a Circle – Part 2

…(continued from previous post)… At that December 23, 1992 dinner, my sister, Jennifer, suggested, “Why don’t Moon and you just go ahead and get married? And by the way…” I thought to myself, “…By the way. what??” n Jennifer went on, “In case you get a divorce, no matter where you are, most likely half of…

Just a 1992 Circle – Part 1

For those who read my earlier post, I talked about the fact that Moon and I have been married since the very last day of 1992. Getting married is not a small matter, right? Many of my friends spent years trying to find their soulmate. Some of them are still looking for that special one.…