Published in Age of Empathy·Sep 12, 2022Member-onlyWhat Happens When You Don’t Have a Love Song Of Your OwnBreak the spell instead — There is one particular song I wear not just on my heart but also around my neck in the shape of a singular golden triangle. It’s my metaphorical pyramid, the one that begins the song, “See the pyramids along the Nile…” I had desperately purchased that off Etsy during the…Love7 min readLove7 min read
Published in Age of Empathy·Aug 26, 2022Member-onlyHow Naked We Were Before the Gods of IRC, ICQ, MSN…‘Uh-oh…!’ — In the workplace, my focus on writing up a social media caption wavered for a very brief moment when a colleague observed of a much younger one, “I don’t think she even knows what MSN is!” A small part of my brain began doing the math to ascertain how young…Personal Essay6 min readPersonal Essay6 min read
Published in P.S. I Love You·May 10, 2021Member-onlyMom, BecomingThe truth about lies and pretenses. — Sunday morning, no alarm clock to rouse me from sleep, and life feels good. No catechism class to rush to and nowhere to go, well, not for another couple hours, and I’m allowing myself to dare chuckle a little inwardly. Between last night’s Mother’s Day celebration at my inlaws’ and…Letters5 min readLetters5 min read
Published in P.S. I Love You·Apr 20, 2021Member-onlyNote to Self: The Only Job Really is to Love HimA Parent’s Redemption — He yells in frustration across the table and makes a half-attempt to shove aside the breakfast before him. What has set him off is the pain his ulcer is causing him and a careless comment by his father who had muttered in response to his behaviour, “Minus one.” I watch…Love7 min readLove7 min read
Published in Being Known·Mar 2, 2021Member-onlyRemembering WhenOn the need to forget it all — When it finally happened, I forgot to remember you. Because I had allowed myself to be swept away on the currents of what was ebbing and flowing around me then, and quite by accident more than intent, those currents led me away from you the way it would nudge a…Love3 min readLove3 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Oct 30, 2020Member-onlyWhat Dreams May ComeAnd what if they’re all we have? — Unspoken words. Unexpressed apologies. Explanations, regrets, confessions, professions, accountability… so much of what needs to be said that remains conversations in our heads. …Love2 min readLove2 min read
Published in P.S. I Love You·Jul 17, 2020Member-only“Are you happy?”That Truth-or-Dare Question — Do you remember how I used to ask you as we lay side by side, with absolutely no need to do anything except to take up our place beside each other: “Are you happy?” My hand on your stubbled cheek, my gaze on you, and I swear, I felt you…Love6 min readLove6 min read
Published in The Bigger Picture·Jul 15, 2020Member-onlyWhy We Ought to Keep Making InstagramemoriesThey’re so much more than just fabulous filters and #hashtags — My life is pretty, I decide, almost every time I scroll through my Instagram feed. I bet yours is too, if it’s based off social media. That exercise of scrolling through Instagram is probably today’s equivalent of having “our lives flash past before our eyes,” complete with appropriate filters to…Life7 min readLife7 min read
Published in P.S. I Love You·May 23, 2019Member-onlyThe Name of The Tears We CryJoyce Gan | I wish I knew. “Just the other day, I cried.” “What’s wrong?” Asked in alarm, surprise, confusion. I wish I knew. “Well, sometimes, you just have to let it out, you know?” I smiled. That was four days ago and I haven’t stopped searching for the source…Short Story6 min readShort Story6 min read
Published in P.S. I Love You·May 10, 2019Member-onlyThe Things We Do For LoveAnd what we don’t. — “Look. That one, that star,” he said and pointed up. “Which one?” She shifted herself on the playground step to get a better view. “There…” She pulled her head all the way back and traced an invisible line from his finger to where he was pointing and yet she couldn’t…Short Story6 min readShort Story6 min read
