Culture

I was almost aborted

For many parents-to-be, finding out the gender of their unborn baby is usually an exciting and touching moment. But not for my parents. My father really wanted a son.Ā Imagine his disappointment...

Culture

I had an abortion, and the guilt and shame almost killed me

I stared at the rows of bottles in the room Marina had ushered me into.Ā Iā€™d been awestruck by the sights in New Zealand over the past few weeks, but nothing could prepare me for this. In the jars...

Health

Reflections on sudden deaths and unexpected tragedy: Our time will come

I knew Steven Lim, but I hadn’t heard ofĀ Pradip Subramanian. Not until the news startedĀ to pour in. Subramanian, the president of the World Bodybuilding & Physique Sports Federation...

Culture

I was fit, strong ā€“Ā but I hated my body

I’m a SEA Games Medallist in discus throwing. I’m fit, but when I was a teen, I hated my body so much! I remember being in an all-girls cell group in church when I was 14, and we were...

Culture

I looked down on women

As the younger sister,Ā I compared myself to my brother all my life.Ā PerhapsĀ I had some sort of inferiority complex. Or maybe I was just a kiasu individual. Either way,Ā it just didn’t help...

Culture

Influencer or influenza: What are we spreading online?

Along with the rise of social media platforms ā€“ with Facebook hitting almost 2 billion global monthly active users, more than a quarter of the worldā€™s population ā€“ many have risen to popularity...

Culture

Why was I made a woman?

When I was younger, the only thing I wanted was to be male. I think this impulseĀ beganĀ when I was about 5. I frequently cried in frustration at how differently ā€“ biased, I felt ā€“ my parents...

Faith

Birthday musings of a twenty-something: What is there to celebrate?

ā€œSo, how does it feel on your birthday?ā€ I didn’t know how to respond when someone asked me this last week on my birthday. To be honest, I felt older, that’s all. What are birthdays...

Culture

Thoughts on THAT St Hilda’s video: In an online brawl, are you bully, bystander, or peacemaker?

$%#&@!!! You’ve by now surelyĀ seen the video of theĀ fight that brokeĀ out in a classroom at St Hilda’s Secondary School. It involved threeĀ boys, manyĀ punches,...