Illness

I strived to become a world-class pianist my whole life, but tragedy struck overnight

I was 17 when I woke up one day with pain in my wrist and elbow. Writing suddenly became difficult, and all of a sudden, I could no longer control my fingers anymore when playing the piano. I went to...

Mental Health

Can I ever be set free from pornography and masturbation?

Last month, Indigo&Co and Lakeside Family Services co-organised a symposium titled “Pornography: The New Drug?” that examined the problem of pornography addiction among young people....

Mental Health

I was 10 when I first thought about ending my life

TW: This article contains mention of self-harm and suicide ideation. I grew up in a family that was constantly fighting. Discipline, harsh criticism and bruises filled my childhood, leading me to...

Worldview

Holiday Blues: Why do I feel so sian as the year winds down?

The end of the year is an exciting time. That’s when we start to see all the Christmas lights along the streets. Many will also be starting to organise Christmas parties and gift exchanges,...

Mental Health

Yes, God cares when you cry

“Why are you crying again? When is this crying going to stop?” Having had words like that spoken to me before, I thought that I was at fault every time I cried. As a result, I disliked...

Post-secondary

My self-worth was tied to my grades, but God set me free

I was the studious one in my family. I was the one that my parents would boast about due to my good results, the one that my cousins were constantly compared to, the one who enjoyed studying and...

Family

I am adopted and unashamed: How I traded my fear of separation for peace and identity

“I felt unloved, unwanted and unimportant.” That’s how Ashley Tan summed up the internal struggle she faced growing up as an adopted person. Now 20, Ashley was adopted as an infant in...

Illness

Surviving childhood cancer thrice, I never understood why God let me live

My name is Gabriel. I am 20 years old and throughout my life, I have had cancer three times. I had my first encounter with cancer in 2009. I was only five years old then. It started with just...

Mental Health

What should I do if I am being bullied?

My heart breaks whenever I read news of bullying cases, it is something that seems to be increasingly reported these days. As someone who’s been on the receiving end of being bullied and...