Tag Archives: fiction

The Alchemist (1988) reviewed

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Topher

‘And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.’ Some might be familiar with the phrase, taken from The Alchemist. I should’ve read this book twenty years ago but kept procrastinating. As they say, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Latest reads

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Topher

This will be the year’s first reading list. Finishing books is like placing an order online. Turning the final page carries a feeling of finality. Months ago, I started off the season with another hoops eBook. DeMar Derozan is one … Continue reading →

Posted in basketball, Books, reviews, Sport | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

George Orwell Quote

Posted on March 22, 2025 by Topher

‘Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past’. You might have encountered this reflection in the past. It’s from the novel 1984, which has been adapted into film. I’ve reviewed the 1983 version on … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Literary, reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Hoarder of Chucky Street

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Topher

On the fringes of humanity, beyond the realm of decorum and sensibility As you fixate on typos, malapropisms, and tenses, before guzzling a calzone They’re shown foraging through mountains of trash Upon them a radical regression; yearning only to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary, Past edited work | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

‘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 →

Posted in Books, cooking | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Books, Sport | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in basketball, Books | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Problematising ‘the border’ in Dead Europe

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Topher

There is a line in English rhetoric that leaves open more questions than answers. Such is the case when one talks about the “border” between fiction and non-fiction. It will be noticed here that said “border” is enclosed in quotation … Continue reading →

Posted in Past edited work, reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment