Author Archives: Topher Ong

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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The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) reviewed

Posted on February 12, 2022 by Topher Ong

I am due for a movie review. Oscar darling, Nomadland (2021), was probably my last film analysis. Of course, I’ve gone through a lot of flicks. I’ve sighted Ron Howard’s Rush. I borrowed DVDs from the library. They ranged from … Continue reading →

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Archive 81 (2022) reviewed

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Topher Ong

A while has passed since my last series review. The date was October 23 when I dissected Alice in Borderland. Fourteen posts later, I will delve into one of Netflix’s shining stars. I finished streaming Archive 81 last week. The … Continue reading →

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Anti-consensus

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Topher Ong

When Warriors quarterback, Steph Curry, won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player plum in 2016, he became the first player to do so unanimously. In seventy-four completed NBA seasons, no other man has pulled off the feat. Shaq O’Neal came terribly … Continue reading →

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Kick-off reads

Posted on January 15, 2022 by Topher Ong

This year, I get the ball rolling with a treat from the king of crime writing. Michael Connelly’s The Dark Hours tacks another chapter to the Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch tandem. The book sees the duo solving murders while … Continue reading →

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Notes from el desierto

Posted on January 9, 2022 by Topher Ong

It’s the middle of summer and the weather is heating up. The battle against COVID has continued, with thousands of cases and swamped testing centres. The New Year has coincided with a noticeable surge in temperatures. Days have hovered in … Continue reading →

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