Author Archives: Topher Ong

May 2022 reads

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Topher Ong

We’re in the thick of fall and the mercury is dropping. The end of April saw me battling with a thick Connelly read. The trailer of Lincoln Lawyer had been unleashed and the show premiered yesterday (13 May) on Netflix. … Continue reading →

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A Mother For All Seasons

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Topher Ong

For my three-hundredth career post on this site, I’ll write about one of the most significant women in my life. In down under, Sunday, the eight of May is Mother’s Day. It’s a time to remember the person who gave … Continue reading →

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Mid-autumn (2022) reads

Posted on April 30, 2022 by Topher Ong

This month’s tally is a return to the tried and tested. Two fiction books comprise the list with a collection of anecdotes for good measure. I start off with Camus’s The Stranger, first published in 1942. A model on absurdism, … Continue reading →

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3% (2020) reviewed

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Topher Ong

This week, I’m going to review my Netflix series of March. When 3% debuted, it was the first Portuguese-language show on the streaming service. The critically-acclaimed first season premiered in 2016. This was followed by three more series, concluding in … Continue reading →

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The Royal Easter Show: past and present

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Topher Ong

This year marks the second staging of the Royal Easter Show since being shelved by COVID. Last year, despite a daily cap on visitors, the Show attracted the biggest post-COVID event numbers in the state. The annual Easter Show has … Continue reading →

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Early fall (2022) reads

Posted on April 9, 2022 by Topher Ong

This month, I’ll take a different tack. Usually, two novels and one nonfiction title comprise my reading list. For now, I will review two memoirs and one story collection. I start off with Julie Wang’s Beautiful Country. I’ve had my … Continue reading →

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On Journalling

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Topher Ong

Recently, I received a journal among a bag of birthday gifts. We had discussed the importance for any writer of recording their thoughts. I am a relatively late convert to this practice. I had only started last May but it … Continue reading →

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Lent 2022: abstinence, fasting, and prayer

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Topher Ong

On 2 March 2002 was Ash Wednesday. Mass is usually observed on this date. In school, there was an Ash Wednesday mass and as a result, all students would have a black mark on their heads. The placing of ashes … Continue reading →

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A rainy fortnight

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Topher Ong

Over the past two weeks, torrential rain has walloped our state. There have been a few days where the precipitation reached over 1 centimetre. This comes on the heels of the four-month lockdown last year. Who could forget that pause? … Continue reading →

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Late summer (2022) reads

Posted on February 20, 2022 by Topher Ong

We are on the last month of summer and it’s time for another list. Another three books: two novels and one nonfiction title. I start off with Mitch Albom’s newest bestseller. The Stranger in the Lifeboat is his latest feel-good … Continue reading →

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