‘No pain, no gain’

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Topher

What sacrifices have you made in life?

As earth’s apex species, we must distinguish between essentials and caprices. Food? essential. Fast food? caprices. Water? Essential. Pomeranians? Non-essential. Shelter? Staple. Movies? Nah.

Here are some things that I’ve cut back on recently.

Health insurance. I was paying a midlevel premium for extras only. I used it for dental and sunnies. Both were negligible. You claim two pairs of shades each year. Go to the dentist every six months. Considering you’re paying x dollars each fortnight, the cost adds up. Last year, I cancelled my health fund. Instead of shelling out my bucks for something I rarely need, I used them on other, more pressing concerns. This wasn’t easy. I was a client for almost nine years. But all good things come to an end. It was time to move on.

Entrance of a Bupa healthcare office, featuring a blue sign with the Bupa logo and heartbeat imagery, and digital displays on either side.

Movies. I haven’t been to the cinemas in ages. I went at least monthly. Blockbusters haven’t been worth seeing. Everything is a sequel; a copy of a copy of a copy. Yes, it’s become hyperreal. Directors have lost their creativity. Their products have become watered-down versions. My favourite thespians are older. I couldn’t keep up with the new faces. Gone are the days of District 9, The Social Network, Ralph Break the Internet, The Martian, and Star Wars. Marvel has taken the lead as the dominant film franchise. Actors like Timothy Chalamet, Sydney Sweeney, and Emma Stone are in.

The cinemas has been a dying experience, with streaming services offering more bang for your buck. If you can watch Black Phone 2 on Netflix, why bother? Just wait a few months, like the Venom sequels, and there’s your answer. They’ve also been producing high calibre originals. Of course, nothing beats the big screen and dimmed lights. The cinemas aren’t exactly dying. They remain competitive and haven’t shuttered. Yet. The writing is on the wall. It’s only a matter of time before they can’t ignore the paucity of patrons. In the law of averages, something’s gotta give.

Interior of the Ritz theater featuring a stage with a curtain and illuminated 'RITZ' sign, surrounded by red seating and warm orange lighting.
View of a shopping center with various storefronts and signage in an urban setting.

Buying CDs. I’ve talked about this, no need to dwell on it. Before, I was buying CDs from JB, Fishpond, and eBay. Nowadays, I have Apple Music. It’s much more convenient and cost-effective. A huge space saver. Buying one at a time isn’t practical. A CD would contain filler tracks. Whereas paying for a subscription puts you in control. You could save individual tracks or albums to your playlist. Get recommendations and downloads. For a monthly fee, you access a massive digital library with hard to find songs. It’s similar to streaming services. You pay an access fee for a huge catalogue. A movie or simple CD won’t offer this.

I’ve retired from scoring CD’s for a while. No need to fire up the Blu-Ray player and replace discs. I’ve offloaded our player. We used it sparingly. I look forward to discovering new tunes. Music streaming is here to stay. It’s the present and future. I’ve held off for too long and have adapted.

A neatly organized display of music CDs in a transparent rack, featuring various album covers with prominent artist images.
Close-up of an Apple Music interface displaying the channel 'The stories behind the songs' with 63 shows, along with a 'Subscribe to Apple Music to listen to shows' button.

Food delivery. Lots of people don’t order food online. They eat out and create home cooked meals but wouldn’t spend a dollar on DoorDash (DD) or Uber Eats (UE). With good reason. A regular delivery for three people would surpass $40. If you order in twice or thrice a week, the cost adds up. Instead of shelling out big bucks for these services, they drive to the supermarket and stock up for the coming apocalypse. They grab two weeks’ worth of supplies. They haul in all the specials.

Spending $200+ for your weekly top up is better than allotting it for five delivered meals. It gives you variety and flexibility. At that price point, you’ll have more fruit and veggies, wholemeal bread, fish, chicken and eggs. Lately, we’ve been making the switch. These delivery services have become too dear. Our Uber One membership expires in July. I’ve cancelled it. It’s time to save.

A man in a suit and a woman in a red shirt stand at the entrance of the Oval Office, holding takeout bags.
A delivery person smiling and holding a red DoorDash bag while standing at a doorway.
A delivery person handing a red bag to a smiling woman at her front door.

Watching telly. I can’t recall the last time we turned on the TV, but it should be months ago. Before, the TV was our household’s centrepiece. We’d watch every night. The news. Tennis. Reality TV. Sports. Movies. Docos. Many times, after dinner, I’d fall asleep on the couch. Increasingly, we caught less telly and spent more time online. Reading the news on our devices makes the box expendable. Plus, unlike the boob tube, there are less ads. Likewise, the TV is unideal for movie viewing. The ads are the killer. This applies to the silver screen as well. They’d bombard you with commercials for the first half hour. By the time the picture begins, you’re tired. Perhaps more than the cinema, the telly is a dying breed. It’s less a sacrifice than a transition. A sign of the times.

A row of multiple television screens displaying images, arranged on a wall in a retail store.

Buying Apple gift cards (and others too). Before, I’d troop to Woolies to get discounted Apple gcs. You get 10% back in Everyday Rewards points. I’d use it for subscriptions and ebooks. Nowadays, I don’t buy via Apple Books. I hardly purchase eBooks. I pay the subscriptions upfront rather than by Apple gift cards. I do not maintain paid iCloud accounts. I bought Amazon, Uber Eats, and Netflix gift cards via the marketplace. These days, I am not as eager. With Uber and Amazon, you could use Afterpay. This negates marginal savings from the gift cards. They never offer more than 15% anyway. DoorDash has featured Afterpay for far longer. My AP account has not a few DD and UE orders. Now is the time to curtail this habit.

Display of Apple gift cards, priced at $30 and $50, with descriptions indicating they are suitable for various Apple products.
A hand holding an Apple gift card worth $100, featuring the Apple logo and text that reads 'The gift card for everything Apple'.
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SIGNED PUPPIES! SIGNED COPIES!

Posted on May 9, 2026 by Topher

What is your career plan?

‘I look forward to your book signing one of these days. You remind me of Hugh Howey. He started off by self-publishing.’

-Victoria, guidance counsellor

Hugh Howey

…He dreams of a book launch

If realised, all are welcome, even a doppelgänger of Edvard Munch

Bibliophiles, casual readers, the visually impaired, menopausal women

Dog breeders their furry friend with a bone and no suspect abdomen

He’ll post fliers around town

Hope they’ll catch on with convert and clown

His memo far and wide

To the young at heart who fought and cried

May he fare better than Franz Kafka

Realise his dreams while can still cha cha…’

Edvard Munch

For the full poem and more outstanding pieces, ‘Musings’ is available at a reduced price from the link below.

https://topherong.net/product/musings-poems-selected-and-new

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In Houston

Posted on May 6, 2026 by Topher

What’s a job you would like to do for just one day?

I’ve always wanted to be involved in anything space related. My dreams have evolved.

I’ll build a wall in space, cabron…and have Mexico pay for it

I saw Apollo 13. A trio of astronauts bypass their moon mission after something went wrong. They had just succeeded Apollo 11, which became the first successful lunar mission.

‘Houston, we have a problem.’

‘Do you copy?’

This became one of cinema’s most iconic lines. They lose connection for minutes.

The room is full of tension. It’s deadly silent. You could her a pin drop.

‘Houston, we copy.’

Apollo 13

Jubilation and high fives. Cigars are lit. Engineers jump for joy.

In case you’re wondering, NASA’s Houston Command Centre is still operational. Staffed 24/7, it oversees missions to the International Space Station. It’s like Sydney’s Central Station, where ground controllers try to avert mangled bodies during rush hour.

Indiana Jones

I remember our high school valedictorian. This guy who fancied her dreamed of being an archeologist. She joked ‘What is he going to dig up? What hideous skeletons will he recover?’

If I work at headquarters for one day, I would say ‘Elon, we have a problem.’

Stanley Kubrick
2001: A Space Odyssey

I can scarcely imagine a room full of technicians who are seeing nothing but error messages on their screens. Though I’ve never seen the full Kubrick picture, it seems like a scene straight from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Imagine all those think tanks trying to solve a technological issue. That’s something textbooks cannot teach you.

In a sense, this is similar to writing books. The academic and casual essays may have started it. Yet there’s no crash course in self-publishing. Crafting books in various forms is beyond the blackboard or course reader. You work for your own luck.

In the sitcom Big Bang Theory, Howard Walowitz becomes an astronaut. He doesn’t hold a PhD. Howard yearns to have a cool nickname. He plays the song Rocket Man so that his fellow spacemen will call him as such.

Walowitz

He admits that Mass is quite apt, given that E=mc squared. His coworker says that it’s just short for Massimo. While talking on the phone, his mum asks if he wants some Fruit Loops. The name stuck.

Interestingly, Elon, the world’s richest man, had a cameo in the sitcom. He and Howard run into each other in the soup kitchen.

‘For one more day’

Working at the centre, even just for a day, feels like making a big difference in space exploration. You don’t have to be the CEO or even middle management. A spot as a functionary is enough. It’s sufficient to satisfy my cravings of contributing to the stars. There may be cooler job titles. A surfing champion. A race car driver. A world beating mountaineer. An NBA star. An in-demand model/actor.

Kelly Slater

Your job doesn’t have to be flashy. You don’t need to stand out. Or to impress others because you can. The most rewarding jobs are those that recalibrate frontiers. Callings that will advance our understanding for years or decades onward. That’s why we need innovators like Elon and Steph Curry. Tennis greats like Novak Djokovic. Surfers like Kelly Slater.

The Greats

Elon showed the world that rockets can be reused, saving NASA billions of $$$. It wasn’t always rosy for him. At the start, they had teething problems. It seemed like a massive waste of time and effort. The whole crew was ready to throw in the towel. However, Musk persevered and they righted the ship. The rest is history.

Meanwhile, Steph Curry revolutionised the art of the three pointer. Though unimposing, he blitzed defences with his on the move release. His quick trigger and def handles confounded the league. He shot his way to four NBA titles.

Melbourne Park
Nole

Finally, Novak brought a new kind of defence and court coverage to tennis. He is arguably the finest returner the game’s ever seen. His long arms and lean physique made it very hard for any player to win rallies. He reminds me of Rudy Gobert in basketball. His 7-9 wingspan separates him from the pack. He’s earned 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Novak wore his heart of the sleeve. He and Rafa are the sport’s toughest competitors. Like Nadal, he never quits on a play. Scoring a point or taking off a set off him is quite difficult. If you’ve bested him, you earned it.

Nole’s won a record ten Aussie Opens. Melbourne Park is his favourite meet. With 24 grand slams, by acclamation, he’s the greatest tennis player ever.

Gobert

The Mayfly Dynamic

Mayflies only live for a day. This WordPress prompt is basically a mayfly job. What will you do in a day of dreams? ‘Will you capture it or let it slip?’

Ensuing generations will not remember Fruit Loops or Mass. They are but pawns in the cosmos. A true mayfly grasps that their time is limited. ‘Make the most of now.’

Sometimes, you don’t always have to finish something to prove your mettle. Numbers are overrated. One day out of a lifetime is enough to leave your mark.

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Spoiled ballot

Posted on May 3, 2026 by Topher

Do you vote in political elections?

Yep, since being a teenager, I’ve been casting my vote in state and federal elections. I’m not a fan of the mandatory voting here. If you’re an eligible Aussie and missed the polling, you’re slapped with a fine. A true democracy would give their denizens the freedom of choice. Sometimes, not rocking up means you have pure intentions. I’ve always supported one party, but backed no one in the last edition. I’ve done this once before, in a smaller setting.

From my memoir:

Moving on, at the backend of third year, my classmates ran for student council. They were mostly honour students who wanted to bump up their general averages by serving the masses. During ballot tallying in my section, Miss Maleta (our class advisor) announced, ‘From president to governor, wala (nothing)’.

There were gasps among my peers.

‘Grabe’, someone exclaimed: Holy cow.

‘Pungal!’ BJoy exclaimed: Damn.

They were all flabbergasted. How could anyone waste their vote like that? I was surprised that nobody laughed out loud.

They took their cries to our other advisor: Miss Yayo. When Meyers broached the subject, the former said that such things happen during elections. When pressed, Miss Yayo told us that perhaps the candidates didn’t meet the voter’s criteria. This instance is called a ‘spoiled ballot’. Freya, who sat behind me, was disbelieving. She had heard about it for the first time. Days later, my nemesis James asked me if I authored said ballot.

‘No’, I answered too quickly.

Many moons after the fact, I wish to come clean. I was the renegade who refused to exercise his right to suffrage for one election. To this day, I am surprised that my class had no idea on the culprit. I kept my reaction in check. While Yayo was explaining, I couldn’t look straight at her. I feared of my cover being blown. When Malta revealed the ballot, I acted as shocked as everyone else. As per Yayo, their policies didn’t float my boat. Gauging by the room’s shock level, this was their first such encounter. I didn’t understand all the brouhaha. As they say, ‘It’s a free country.’

In Australia, this practice is more widespread, commonly referred to as a ‘donkey vote’. During the 2010 federal election, I witnessed it firsthand as the public weighed mediocre options. While I stood in line, one older guy took a ballot, folded it, and immediately deposited it into the drop box. Meanwhile, the former Labor leader announced that he would do the same and urged others to follow his lead. My friend chuckled at this but acknowledged that he was tempted to do likewise. He ended up voting for Labor. Prior to his decision, he told me that ‘I don’t want to waste my vote’.

Fair enough.

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Quote of the Day

Posted on May 1, 2026 by Topher

Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?

‘Some people have a lot to say about lives they’ve never lived, offering opinions on struggles they’ve never faced, and passing judgment on paths they’ve never walked.’

By no means is this my favourite quote. I’ve been thinking more about it. In my memoir, I mentioned that those who have not written a 300 page nonfiction book don’t have the privilege of attacking a marathon writer. In the NBA, there’s an unwritten rule. You can’t trash talk the dudes on the court if you’re treed to the bench. Lambast a prolific author is easy. Painless to say that an 8.5 Overall in the IELTS is ‘embarrassing’. However, if you can’t walk the talk, best to keep quiet.

Two top trash talkers

Three realised projects

Underestimating a stranger is easy. When you jaunt, your achievements aren’t advertised. They won’t know that you hold two uni degrees. Or your PhD level IELTS results at age 18. That you’ve self-published three books at a relatively young age. They don’t know you so they assume. That’s a decent person’s biggest enemy.

We live in incongruous worlds. Different players and prayers. Our mission remains thus: to ensure that we live free for one more day. As they say ‘An idle mind is the devil’s playground’.

This reminds me of Monsters, Inc. Sully and Mike aimed for the top spot by scaring all those kids. As a result, their personal lives suffer. They realise that it’s better to make em laugh instead of terrifying them each evening.

The empty tunnel

Going back to the quote, if you have a flickering light in a tunnel of darkness nobody will get to you. The struggle is all yours. Making them see your light is impossible. They are swallowed in the shadows. You are grasping in the dark.

My writing has been described as ‘academic’. Too flowery for the commoner. Too complex. Sometimes, this makes me feel like a scorned painter, but I did sell more copies than he ever did. I’m realistic and pragmatic. If I do this for fame and fortune, I would’ve quit a while ago. Say what you want, but almost all writers will not crest Everest. Those boys won’t go to heaven. They remain plebs in the land of the living.

Kafkaesque

I mentioned Franz Kafka in my memoir. He published a few story collections in his lifetime. His writing career wasn’t his bread and butter. He had unfinished works, which he instructed his friend to burn. However, his mate disobeyed his dying wish and published them anyway. It was a gift to the literary world, though unfinished.

I’ve written a few stunted projects: a collection of stories, the first draft of a novel (70000 words), and an essay collection inspired by my blog posts. For the story collection, I’ve utilised the finest pieces in my other books. An essay collection just won’t sell, unless you’re Jon Krakauer or Haruki Murakami. That’s three unpublished projects, level with my three self published works. Perhaps they’ll be appreciated more. When forensic scientists unearth my treasure trove of usb sticks, they will need a paradigm shift to decrypt my inaccessible writing.

Kafka

Challenges and comparisons

The quote above isn’t only about valuing others’ experience. It’s welcoming challenges and gaining insight from observation. You can’t be a polymath like Dexter Holland. Long time vocalist of a popular band. Licensed pilot. Entrepreneur, with a PhD in molecular biology from USC. He came to mind after I heard ‘Why don’t you get a job’ recently. It brought back memories.

However, you can be the best version of yourself. Stop comparing your progress. We are unique. As per Desiderata, there are always bigger, brighter, and smaller fish in the sea. Cherish what works. The grass ain’t always greener on the other side.

Live another day

Appreciate simple things. How you chalked up another day. Your blessings. Your good health and innovative mind. The gift of time and family. The food on your plate. The clothes and kicks you wear. As heartbreaking as it sounds, the destitute can’t imagine having nice clothes or a warm bed. They ration their meagre essentials.

Life isn’t about winning and losing. Holden Caulfield’s teacher once told him, ‘Life is a game boy. A game that one plays according to the rules’.

Game? Yeah right. Holden then divides the crowd into two: the haves and the have-nots. This socialist point of view is constipated and childish. Winners and doormats aren’t defined by wealth, social status, or titles next to your name. We came here with nothing. All our possessions, gains, and ventures are meaningless. We are pawns and foot soldiers in a king’s game. Subsisting through borrowed time. The more evil you perpetuate, the more you’ll be a footnote to history. As a fellow campus writer wrote, ‘Things we have done/All these will be gone’.

Remember

In fifty years, no one will remember your name. Though Alexander the Great built an impressive empire, he didn’t carry his spoils all the way to this decade. The Romans controlled Europe forever. Latin, their Lingua Franca is now a dead language. The aqueducts they constructed are now history textbook photos. No one remembers who was the emperor in AD 500.

Most of us would recognise Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 more than the Romans. Ditto Yoda and Star Wars. People recall and worship Christ because He was a great man who performed miracles. His legacy stands to this day. A billion Christians is no mean feat.

Specks

We are but spectators and specks in the multiverse. Whether your Gott is Allah, Yahweh, Buddha, or Jesus, we’re equal in Their eyes. All we’ve accomplished is because of Him, not others. Just as soon as you’ve amassed your undeserved wealth, you will retch it all out in due time. The Bible says as much.

You should make the most of the hand that you’ve been dealt. After all, we are but passersby in a vicious cosmos.

On my bucket list
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A bowel approach: unpacking irritability in underfed dogs

Posted on April 25, 2026 by Topher

For centuries, canines have been ‘Man’s best friend.’

From the Chihuahua mountains to the Kazakh steppes, human beings have benefited from these loyal, headstrong, and adorable critters. This paper attempts to recalibrate our understanding of pooch behaviour, as seen through forced bowel movements. This discourse holds that chronic mistreatment and systemic prejudice of these proud breeds impact their self-worth and mistrust of future owners. Irritability is not endemic to human males, whether adolescents or war freaks. A case study of two damaged dogs, codenamed ‘Aps’ and ‘Malts’ will underpin this paper’s assertions. The two pooches were analysed through personal observation in an undisclosed location.

Reading a pet’s emotions

According to Veterinary Ireland Journal, avoidance and anxiety are overt symptoms of canine pain, whether physical or psychological. Dogs will play hard to disengage from stressful scenarios. Both aps and malts were visibly frustrated with their owners. In particular, Aps – an Andalusian terrier – would bark once. He was fidgety and anxious. They resented being guinea pigs in a science experiment. Though his barking and loud stomach growls belies his inadequate breakfast.

According to Nature’s Scientific Reports, dogs are extensions of their owners’ frame of mind. A distressed man today would beget an emotional puppy. A hot potato would also spawn an angry, indecisive dog. A vindictive egg would engender a disturbed pooch, and so on.

‘The Tell-tale Heart’

As per an erstwhile PhD candidate, the dog’s hair and appearance are tell-tale signs of this coupling. Man and dog have been in a relationship for over 15 Millenia. If an owner neglects their pets, this is manifested in the canine’s low social skills and various maladies. It could even lead to anxiety and depression. Possibly a trip to a veteran dog psychologist to iron those creases. In the long run, providing astute care and adoration for your furry friends will save you more headaches later on.

Vet Practice magazine holds that dogs may appear to have it easy compared to their forebears. However, with great advances comes great responsibility. They still need tender love and care just as much as their brethren. Whether in a farm or flophouse, dogs have adopted their master’s tendencies. Technological progress, with new devices and manoeuvres, have highlighted this. With so many doodads competing for our attention, the insecure dog has been neglected.

Mirroring

Meanwhile, Vet Practice argues that tone of voice could reframe a dog’s point of view. A recent study showed how angry or happy voices released endorphins in dogs’ hypothalamus. These projections could have significant repercussions in dog land. Livid tones could turn them into rabid critters while happy sentiments could bring a smile to their faces.

In the media

So ingrained are pooches into our consciousness that they’ve been featured in film franchises like 101 Dalmatians and Beethoven. They’ve also appeared in TV series such as Seventh Heaven and Border Security. Border collies are considered some of the brainiest in the animal kingdom. Labradors and greyhounds are fiercely loyal. Once you gain a dog’s trust, they’re yours for life. They’ll be at your side, doing runs, helping at the farm, and accompanying you in the early morning.

Thus, treating them the right way is imperative. Closer scrutiny of APS and Malts betrays their owner’s neglect. Rain or shine, night or day, blustery or searing, they unwittingly accompany their masters. This is canine abuse. These critters have no voice. What’s more, Malts and Aps are forced to crap. Though constipated due to a lack in nutrition, they have to comply. This is a tragedy akin to Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.

‘If you prick us, do we not bleed

If you tickle us, do we not laugh

…and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?’

R-E-S-P -E-C-T

If you can’t take proper care of your pooches, leaving your pets to the animal shelter is the better option. Seeing these highly intelligent and vibrant creatures wilt away due to gross negligence is disheartening. These high value pets deserve a home where they are wanted and get due respect.

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At the Playground

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Topher

Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently?

In year five, I was new to Saint Agnes

From the Chinese school

I usually got lunch off the canteen lots of chattiness

Headed to the playground with my meal…cool

I hung around the boys from year four

Asked this kid, ‘Di sia mi mia? What is your name?

The dude kept nodding nebver knew Fookien wish I could say more

He got riled up my joke turning lame

We ate in peace, the trees provided a cool breeze

Not just fourth graders but other year levels as well

This game had the, mucking around before ‘twas time to freeze

I had yet uncovered the delights of hair gel

Freeze game

Wallace, a hulking Jew with auburn locks, was in third grade

Balancing at the see-saw, three classmates to one

Relishing the challenge, ‘Me and Fita one-on-one’ tired of the ho-hum parade

Fita was small, half his weight, but Wallace promised a one-and-done

For naive kids, this wasn’t a bad idea

Wallace was in position, Fita followed and flew off the ground like a rag doll

‘Oh my God, Fita!’

Eyes wide like saucers, Wallace was disbelieving, ‘R u Ok? Can you crawl?’

Fita was clearly not A-okay

A lanzones-sized lump was on his forehead

Like an escapee from an unhinged science experiment with a blood bouquet

Smashing heads wasn’t playground cred

Harry Kewell

Wallace’s hands were on his cheeks

Someone called the school nurse Fita was wheeled in a gurney

His bandaged forehead needed tweaks

Like a mummy, or Harry Kewell when he injured his gulliver for Melbourne City

Inspecting the ‘Wallacised’ boy, Auntie Mel deemed him lucky to escape intact

Urged the little ones to ‘Stop, look, and listen’

She loathed another brain cramp

May this be their life lesson

Wallace and Fita were gone, the slapstick act the talk of the playground

One rascal did a decent Wallace impersonation

Untucking his polo jacket, hands on cheeks, saying ‘Oh my God’

Dude wasn’t doing stand-up; we were shocked at the spontaneous tourist attraction

After the school year, Wallace left

A wanderer by faith, his talents abroad

Why could I recall the incident as though yesterday? My long-term memory’s def

Hopefully, he’s astute about see-saws, regardless of his mood.

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Stage Fright

Posted on April 22, 2026 by Topher

What makes you nervous?

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Farewell, My Mormons

Posted on April 17, 2026 by Topher

Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.

They donned white polos and ironed black trousers

Caucasian-looking, my curiosity was piqued on the swing we sat

The pair asked for glasses of water the afternoon was searing

I queried their backgrounds being expats not giraffes

‘We’re from Camarines Sur’, piped up one of them

Pronouncing the province with a twang didn’t help that time

‘Sorry?’

He repeated it twice, my cousin reacted yikes

‘I’m from Australia’

Dunno if he believed me though they weren’t lies

Book of Mormon
BYU

I joked about them being TNT

‘What’s that?’

‘Short for Tay-go nang tay-go’, I told them

They didn’t get it so I let it go, mate

I’ve understood more of their faith

I finished Tara Westover’s memoir four years ago she was no oaf

Trended on the best sellers

Struck a chord as I battled in her shoes

Mormons serve two years of mission work

Haven’t seen The Book of Mormon I shun watching plays and the long queue

Besides Tara, they boast world class sportsmen

Large Brigham Young University in Utah perfect for new notables

A presence in Hawaii

With the surf and sun, you’ll hear the whoosh

In the eighties, Danny Ainge anchored their hoops and baseball programs

A rare two-sport pro, the sharpshooter was automatic at the charity stripe

Won chips in Boston as player and executive

Closer to home, rugby league’s Will Hopoate flies their flag he’s not vexed

Calm and composed unlike his firebrand dad

Took up his mandatory mission, played Origin, a model performer no dud

Will Hopoate
Danny Ainge in Portland
Shooting over Jabbar
Two-sport pro

Sometimes, Mormons scurry around Sydney

Converting gentiles, yes

In Brazil, they’re swaying Cariocas

Neither evangelist nor hypocrite, with my Catholic belief I won’t sink.

  • From my debut poetry collection, Musings, pages 27-28
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Five-pointer

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Topher

What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?

A few reasons brighten up my day. Happiness is relative. Other WordPress bloggers have varied answers to today’s daily prompt. Even if cloning was legal and feasible, no two humans are the same. We are created ‘in Gott’s image and likeness.’

We feature dissimilar looks and talents, hopes and dreams. Whether your God is Yahweh or Jesus, Allah or Buddha, carving one’s identity is the human staple. Some attend church while others frequent the synagogue. Some pray five times a day and fast for Ramadan. Others avoid beef, regarding cows as sacred. A late Pinoy rapper once sung, ‘Some have some, and some have most’.

Healthy eating
Waterfront lunch @ the Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Harbour Bridge
  1. Eating right. Lately, we’re eating healthier. Limiting junk and fast food, buying fresh salads and fruit. We need fibre from the latter and get much needed nutrients. Fast food, while tasty, has little or no nutritional value. Increasing your fibre intake keeps constipation away. As a kid and teen, I consumed green and leafy veggies. Growing up, they’ve been constant in our diet. Fast food is overrated. Shun it and you’ll make progress.

For a while, we’ve been having brown rice instead of white jasmine rice. Wholemeal not white bread. Fish and white meat while cutting down on steaks and red meat. Fruit juice are one of few concessions I make. Though high in sugar and stripped of fibre, they’re better than donuts or cheating on nachos. We avoid pizzas, deep fried food, most pastas, hot chips, cookies, croissants, butter, soft drinks, bacon, sausages, meat pies, lasagna, and quiche.

I’ve swapped Up and Go for coffee and tea. Potato and corn chips for crackers and dips. Cakes for yoghurt. Ham, tacos, and liverwurst for burrito bowls, stuffed buns, and seafood. I finished our forty bag supply of peppermint tea. We go for heart smart, fresh, and superfoods. Even with food delivery, you can pick healthier cuisines and eschew junk.

2. Scrolling through Facebook. My feed these days is a mix of friend updates, news, lists, basketball and influencers’ posts. I prefer seeing more friends’ updates. Facebook curates your feed on relevant topics. If a pal’s post was a week old, it could still appear in your slice. Years on, I have a total of 333 posts. My friend count is 159.

I should be on at least four hundred. I deleted my second account ages ago. Looking back, I should’ve saved some photos. However, I do not care for my ‘friends’ there. Now, those memories are gone for good. They cannot tag or see me anymore. They’ve been permanently erased from my life. Good riddance.

I send few invites. Hence, the low friend count. Indeed I have fifty pending requests: former classmates, batchmates, ball hogs, bullies, even total strangers. Some have been in limbo for twelve to fifteen years. They should’ve treated me better. Then I would think twice about ignoring them. For instance, why accept this former classmate, mortally offended each time I grinned? Or other peers who treated me quite poorly? Remember these were my last impressions of the Philippines. I have a long memory, but a bully is a bully. As they say ‘Tigers don’t change their stripes,’ even with families. Take the hint.

High school seniors

3. Saying my prayers. I studied in a Catholic school. Through the years, I’ve detailed my experience. See also: ‘Letter to my sixteen year old self’, ‘Losing Family’, ‘Our JS Prom and the Capulets’, and ‘The Topher Bibliotheca’, to name a few.

The Benedictine institute has been around for 114 years, the oldest in the province. They instilled Ora et Labora, prayer and work. We recited the rosary, attended First Friday Mass on campus. I was an acolyte then. We memorised St. Ben’s prayer and the angelus. We paused for the Divine Mercy at 3pm. Celebrated feast days and did outreach programs with the less fortunate. Annual recollections, a day devoted to prayer, reflection, and friendship.

Years of these engagements fostered a passion for social justice and religion. Every night, I say my prayers. I try to recite the Rosary every day. I say Thanksgiving prayers whenever my intentions are heeded and fulfilled. ‘Small steps make a big difference.’

4. Listening to music. Like high school, I’ve discussed my music predilections. I posted about Spotify and CDs. I favour retro tunes, not the latest. Cover songs are riveting, a fresh take. Music Travel Love is a keeper. Their covers and song selection are splendid. I listen to OPM, though not recent hits. Away from Pinas for decades, that’s expected.

I stream these tunes on my mobile phone. Recently, I sold our BluRay player. I don’t play CDs anymore. Salvaging some value out of it is better than gathering dust. I have a huge CD collection plus DVDs. With music subscriptions, CDs are a dying breed. Nobody buys them. Though I took time to transition, ‘Better late than never.’

Music is soothing. Whether ballads or rock songs, familiarising creates a vivid ambience. Inspired, you’re ready to face the world. Like new words. Once locked in, these songs, singers, and albums are your discovery.

My bursting journal

5. Journalling. My journal gets me organised. I write down thoughts, my weight, reminders, ideas, questions, quotes, research, and everything in between. These notes are snapshots of my life. This has been SOP for four years. I feel better prepared and more confident jotting them down. A man in sync today comes back tomorrow.

I’ve filled three notebooks in four years. It’s better this way; forgotten ideas leads to regrets and rumination. Every concept, reminder, and question is a gem. Like our talents, we mustn’t take them for granted. In time, you’ll realise their value. Who knows, perhaps these precious scribbles will fetch some $$$ in the distant future. Though not penned on moleskin notebooks, we’ll save it for posterity, just like the artists before me.

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