Everybody, let's blog on....

Ever since I started my blog in November of 2005, I had been writing almost an article everyday, so much so that when I did not post my blog for three days I had concerned friends and readers writing to ask if I was alright! I now have 106 articles! Never realised I am so prolific! Ahem!

Since I started teaching creative writing in River Valley High School and ACS (Independent) I had always believed that everyone can write... given the encouragment and motivation. A classic example would be my beloved second sister. Not one who particularly likes reading or writing, Sister Ean Ean became, oh! so prolific and expressive when my brother-in-law Keat Seng (then her boyfriend) was courting her! Gosh! I remember the number of poems she wrote something to the effect of "You are my coconut tree, healthy and strong and I am your weary traveller, seeking shelter under your protective palms!" As her boyfriend was studying in Singapore, it was a long distance romance and I was amazed by the huge stacks of letters she wrote! Even the compassionate postman was somewhat amused to see this young lady eagerly awaiting to receive her letters. "Awak ingin ada kawan lelaki!" "You must have a boyfriend" he teased my sister.

I had been blessed with a father who liked writing and who encouraged me to write.
As papa had 5 children to support, the extra income earned from writing was my greatest motivation.! I joined the now defunct Sunday Gazette weekly competition and won 8 first prizes and 2 second prizes! There were also the various movie and family magazines that paid for articles published. All these payments made a teenager feel quite rich! It gave me the greatest joy and satisfaction when I was able to buy presents for my wonderful and selfless papa.

This is why I have been encouraging my friends and ex-students to start a blog. Later I will share more of the writing experiences in the creative writing classes with my students which will prove that writing can be a way of life, like eating and drinking. Also writing for mental health, for it can be a therapeutic exercise, as one learns to express one's feelings in writing. The more you write, the better and easier it gets! Try it! Come on, everybody, let's blog on ....

Gan Chau