Tag Archives: family

My First Cousins

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When I was diagnosed with cancer

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Grateful for My Cousins

When I see my nieces with their cousins, it makes my heart swell. I want them to be close all their lives, like they are right now, and have beautiful memories like I do. My childhood was not easy due … Continue reading

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Thinking of My Uncle A Today & Wishing him All the Joy in the World

He looks way younger than his years and I have always admired how he works hard at being active. He has always been adventurous in his youth so perhaps it’s no surprise that he still has the stamina. He has … Continue reading

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Thoughts of My Youngest Cousin

What cousin G related to me: I feel totally Singaporean. Sri Lanka has no impact or significance to me. I feel nothing much. More curious about Jaffna, because of my roots and as part of history. (About my eldest cousin … Continue reading

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Revelations by my Youngest Uncle

Uncle S related that it’s very hard for him to recollect a lot of the past as he has memory lapses due to the seizures he suffers from. But I appreciate that he did try very hard to share his … Continue reading

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My Childhood: Garden Stories & Jaffna Cousins

I miss our small tropical garden. Of course, as these things go, I didn’t appreciate it till it was reduced to just a tiny patch devoid of any fruit trees. I miss the Japanese roses my mum tended to in … Continue reading

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Fried Mutton with Potatoes

My mum learnt how to cook various ceylonese dishes, observing my grandma. Back then she mostly did the menial work like cutting up and grinding stuff. You could say, she was sous chef to the chef (grandma) and she started … Continue reading

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My Eldest Cousin M

Been thinking a lot about my cousin M lately. To be accurate, he’s never left my mind. After he passed away in his sleep in 1995 (he was only 37 years old and it was attributed to an epileptic fit) … Continue reading

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Typical Childhood in the 1950’s (Uncle A’s perspective), with a Preamble About Recording Stories

I’m noting down family details and it’s all these little stories and varying perspectives that may come in useful for a story about a typical Singaporean family that have their ancestral roots in Sri Lanka, specifically Jaffna. Of course no … Continue reading

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Typical Day in the Life of My Mum in the early 1960’s

She couldn’t recall exactly what time she woke up, but it was to the crowing of the neighbourhood roosters and not an alarm clock. They were extremely loud she said. She ironed her uniform the day before. Once adorned, she … Continue reading

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Family Ties: Aunts, Uncles & Cousins

I recently asked my uncle how he felt when his son was just born. “Were you nervous being a father now? Nervous about having to carry a baby.” He said not really, and then I realised my baby cousin (I … Continue reading

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What I Admired Most About My Father (My Darling Papa)

I decided to pose the same question to myself and found myself floored. The word admiration seemed so distant and didn’t quite cover it. A primary school composition answer would be “He was the most handsome and intelligent person to … Continue reading

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When Was Your First Plane Ride?

I posed this question to my family members. For me it was at age 10 (my sister was 9) on board a very rickety Garuda Airline to Medan, Indonesia and we saw the beautiful Lake Toba. For my mum it … Continue reading

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One on One is Best for Me

Since the pandemic I realise more and more that I’m more comfortable having one on one conversations. No small talk for me. Life is too short for that. It’s why I find making new friends hard. I also don’t have … Continue reading

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Asking My 79 Year Old Uncle about his Childhood

My uncle used to swim in the Kallang River and rushed back home by 5.30pm when his father (the grandfather I never met, as he died a decade before I was born) would be home. My uncle (second eldest son … Continue reading

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#5. Simple Joys: Encouraging texts about my writing from mum, partner, uncle and aunties

This is a huge one and I appreciate every word so much. I often keep screenshots to look at so that I can feel happy when I’m down. It’s almost like a letter from the past. I have kept all … Continue reading

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Fascinated by Salman Rushdie revealing the best period of his life

If I could go back and relive any time in my life, I’d start in 1979. I was just finishing Midnight’s Children and my first son was about to be born. In fact, I remember telling his mother to just … Continue reading

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One of My Mum’s proudest moments as a kid back in 1957

My mum always told me the story of how she failed primary 3 and had to repeat it. Every time, she sounded so sad and dejected. She only failed by 1.5 marks too and she was a sickly child. We … Continue reading

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What are the three best decisions you’ve ever made?

I keep dwelling on decisions I regret so I am keen to do this more positive exercise instead. In real time. That is, whatever I type right now will be published unedited. 1. Immediately I think of travel. There is … Continue reading

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Feel So Happy Meeting with Two of My Cousins After Almost 4 Years

I have social anxiety, but I don’t feel it with people I’m comfortable with like my cousins. I practically saw them grow up, being the much older cousin. They were the cutest toddlers. It’s true what they say about cousins … Continue reading

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Conversations About The Second World War

We mentioned to my almost 86 year old uncle that we recently visited the National Museum. There was an exhibit about the Second World War and Japanese Occupation of Singapore. It made him recollect: “When we heard the sirens we … Continue reading

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