Category Archives: Books

‘What’s in a name?’

Posted on April 21, 2024 by Topher

Where did your name come from? My first name is Christopher. My parents picked it since we have a short surname. They thought that Christopher would complement Ong, my surname. After all, a full name like my school friend’s, ‘Don … Continue reading →

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March ‘24 reads

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Topher

My last reading list was on 3 March. That represented my first compilation in many months. In the past four weeks, I’ve managed to finish three reads. I’m currently tackling a short one: Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea … Continue reading →

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‘The Topher Bibliotheca’

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Topher

If you could have something named after you, what would it be? Of course, this is purely hypothetical. If the chance came, I’d like my high school library to be renamed ‘The Topher Bibliotecha’. A New York-based alumnus funded and … Continue reading →

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Natural-born dreamer

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Topher

What is one word that describes you? Pondering this question isn’t that onerous. The second thing that entered my mind was ‘dreamer’. I’m big on aspirations. Someone once said, ‘Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among … Continue reading →

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Summer (2024) reads

Posted on March 3, 2024 by Topher

2023 had seen me reading less. Altogether, I’ve averaged three books per season. Ergo, one catalogue every quarter. Altogether, this trio are all period pieces. Two are set in WW2 while the sports book transpires in the eighties. Mitch Albom’s … Continue reading →

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The (Dual) Patriot

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Topher

Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you? Am I patriotic? Somewhat, I might say. I am a dual national: Filipino-Aussie. Being nationalistic doesn’t mean gobbling only kangaroo meat or knowing the Panatang Makabayan (Patriotic Oath) by heart. … Continue reading →

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‘Fun under the Sun’

Posted on February 4, 2024 by Topher

List five things you do for fun. We all have our hobbies and interests. I recall the first Shohoku practice in the Slam Dunk anime series. Akagi, the incumbent captain ball, asked Rukawa of his hobbies. He mentioned eating and … Continue reading →

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Spring (2023) Reads

Posted on December 3, 2023 by Topher

For this season’s catalogue, I’ll consider three variegated reads. I begin with The Narrows. Though twenty years old, Michael Connelly, my favourite author, penned this. Secondly, I waded through Walter Isaacson’s Elon Musk. An instant NY Times Best Seller, the … Continue reading →

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Three Magic Wishes

Posted on November 12, 2023 by Topher

You have three magic genie wishes, what are you asking for? Gotcha, the classic three wishes. To be honest, a trio of surefire requests is rather generous. It’s not quite the seven wishes that the devil grants Brendan Fraser in … Continue reading →

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My Stories and their Hallmarks

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Topher

For the most part, my favourite authors stick to their expertise. For instance, John Grisham writes the finest legal thrillers. He released a nonfiction book (The Innocent Man), but it bombed. Michael Connelly is the king of crime fiction. He’s … Continue reading →

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