003: G'day, G'Day
Nadia and I just returned from somewhat chilly Perth, Western Australia, where we visited my sister and extended family, and enjoyed some much needed downtime. But first...
Support my work
Work-Life Balance – the multi-award-winning prose/comics hybrid co-created with Benjamin Chee
You can also get the Work-Life Balance bundle, which comes with the book, a mug, washi tape and more
Worlds Apart: A Conversation About Mental Health – a comic co-created with Nurjannah Suhaimi
HANTU – Spotify channel for the award-winning narrative series, Ghost Maps, and the talk show, Dead Air, both of which were co-created with Kyle Ong
Where women glow and men plunder
I was hoping to edit my novel while I was on holiday. I managed to work on the prelude a little, but a mild foot injury that kept waking me up at night cut those plans short—thankfully.
I knew I wanted to rest; I just didn't realise how much I needed to. I don't think I've really had the chance to properly catch my breath this year. There've been days of respite, sure, and even a couple of weeks where I could slow down. This level of fatigue, however, called for something drastic—like a week away from everything, and time to reconnect with my wife and family.
Between my sister's warm and welcoming home, and an intentionally relaxed pace, I'm glad to say we returned to Singapore feeling emotionally recharged in a way that we haven't felt in ages.
No prizes for guessing what was a high point for Nadia during this holiday though...
Mystery novels
We also did a fair bit of shopping. Clothes and such, sure, but while at Freemantle, I popped into Elizabeth's Bookshop, a place I visited the last time I was in Perth ages ago. It was there that I picked up a copy of Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest from their Blind Date with a Book selection.
This time round, I bought two Blind Date books.
I've opened them up already, so I know which books they are, but for any of you who fancy yourself particularly well-read, you're welcome to guess what titles I've picked up.
(I totally spaced out while snapping this photo and didn't realise that the bookmark was covering the description of the second book. I remember that the last hint was "Nazi hunter".)
A feast of fests
I'll be part of the panel, Wellness for All: Ensuring Access to Mental Health Resources, at the Migrant Literature Festival this Sunday. The festival will be held at Sing Lit Station and I'll be taking the proverbial stage at 2:10pm.
If you're swinging by and haven't already picked up Worlds Apart, there'll be copies available, which I'll happily deface for you.
I'm also scheduled to appear at the Singapore Writers Festival in November. I'll be on the panel, Unexpected Guests – Stories of What Comes After, together with Kyle, and writer, podcaster and producer, Dani Van de Velde. The panel's moderated and organised by Meihan Boey (whose new book, The Enigmatic Madam Ingram, is out now, by the way).
Also in November, I'll be appearing at my first ever in-person international festival! I'm incredibly excited, obviously, and hopefully, I'll have more information for you soon.
Don't tell Luca
I know, I know—a decent chunk of you signed up to receive a photo of my cat every first and third Friday of the month, but I thought it'd be nice to wind down this edition with a photo of (gasp!) a dog instead. This is Nadia with my sister's good girl, Abby.
Links and things
Mark Waid's keynote address at the Ringo Awards is a good reminder of why I love writing comics—and a great reminder of why I love love love Mike Wieringo's work
Actor, singer and friend, Cassandra Spykerman, stars in Operandi Gahana (Phantom Squad), now streaming on Netflix—which makes this the perfect time for me to re-share my interview with her on my now-defunct blog
Signing off
And that's it for this edition. Don't forget to support my work:
See you in two weeks!