Potentially The Happiest Day Ever.

She decided to leave me on Father's Day weekend. What a champ.

Doubt she remembered the occasion but now we both will, forever.

When she finally realised what day it was, she even tried to make it up by offering to buy a simple dinner for the whole family. That's a first in a couple of years.

But I told her it was ok. "Your sister has offered to cook us all some char siew and stuff, and they're really delicious". And if she would get herself over to the house fast enough, she might even get to taste some.

She got herself over just in time to get some. But the rice ran out. Her sister didn't expect my boys to eat so much rice. Well the char siew were good, as is. Without the rice.

"Happy Father's Day," I said to my wife. "I hope you'll have a great life ahead."

She just smiled. "Oh, and be careful not to choke on the char siew. I'm a little knackered after the swim earlier. You don't want to be calling for a Uber to the hospital on your own, right?"

"Kindness Leads To All Kinds Of Happiness."

I am not from here. I come from a planet far, far away.

It has been difficult to adjust, as you can imagine. 

The air you have has not been kind, but I am thankful for the overall rich experience.

I see the strangeness in the way you live. The most noticeable of them all is the way you wear a long piece of textile around your neck and call it fashion.

Your women seem to have a great sense of balance as they walk on short stilts. Increasing their height just enough, which I'm not sure why. It's almost like they believe that tallness equals beauty. It could be an act of intimidation against you. To be as tall, if not taller. I can't be sure.

Your priorities seem to be all mixed up too. Hate, Greed and Destruction are way on top of the list, while Love, Peace and Happiness are barely hanging on at the tail of things. 

I can't help but come to a conclusion that your life on this planet will most definitely end in tears. 

So, as my time here is almost up, I will not delay my verdict any further. 

My message to you today is, I will serve my final act of kindness. I will eliminate your existence so as not to prolong your sad, unfulfilling lives – with one press of a button. 

I assure you that it will be swift and painless. And you will not even have the time to cry a single tear. 

From the depths of Preta-Loka

Fiery eyes glow from the sockets of its skull.

Cold flames feed on its naked flesh and gnaw into its incombustible veins, tendons and muscles. 

The Pretalokan has risen from the realm of tortured-sprits and assumed the indefinable form of a sunburst – appearing footless, wide-mouthed and swollen bellied.

Blinding rays of crimson red slither into the crevices on the wall along the east wing corridors of the lost tomb. 

The unwavering beams writhe through linen shrouds of century-old mummified remains and reanimate a legion of death-bearing grunts. 

Soon enough the world will encounter a reign of terror, and languish in desolation and despair.

The Social Media Mum

She's got a job. Holds an important position in the company. At home, she has a maid to take care of things. So she can work till late. And when she's not, she'll be sleeping early because she's tired. Locks herself in her room so she won't be disturbed. Come weekend, she'll take the kids out for breakfast at their favourite pancake place. Instagram the event. Post a few of her favourite shots of the morning on Facebook. This will include at least one selfie with at least one kid at their favourite restaurant that's not too far from home. Then she's done for the week. Now she can go about her pedicure, manicure and stuff. Maybe catch a few friends for coffee in between. But there'd be no pictures for these times. The world needn't know about these things. This way, her relatives, colleagues and friends on social media can see her as the hardworking mum who tries hard to maintain a balanced life. Through her busy schedule, she still spends quality time with her family.

Life's tough being the Social Media Mum. 

The Final Battle

It has been a week since they've discovered the new species of jellyfish with hardened long tentacles and a glowing neon-like heads.

The video was posted on Facebook by Tech Insider.

The mutated jellyfish did make me think of something out of an H. G. Wells book.

Today, they walked out from the sea. A whole bunch of them. Tripled up in size.

They shot lasers from the frontal lobes of their bulging eyes. Everything in the way gets obliterated to non-existence.

It started in China, then to Korea and Japan, and all the way across Europe and America. And we have no idea where they will appear next.

Although India was the first country to start work on a serum of sorts to combat the monsters, but it didn't progress well. The latest study in Russia showed signs of a most unlikely weapon against these deadly sea creatures. They seem to fear a certain low-frequency noise broadcasted at a medium-intensity level. It is said that these piercing sounds could affect their ability to reproduce. Exposed in mega doses, these alien marine species will be dealt with ruptures of plasma membranes. Causing them severe damage starting with a balance and spatial disorientation, leading to paralysis and an eventual death.

Now they will have to quickly find a way to deliver substantial exposure to the... wait, I hear some screaming on the streets outside this fortified lab in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I will now publish this first, before I go check on the situation. If I do not return, you will at least have a clue as to the development in our fight against these... whatever they are. Okay, I've got to hurry. The screaming's getting nearer. They're at the door.

Twenty Fourth Of November

You can never prepare enough to be a father.

There isn't a school that you can attend. Or a book you can pick up from the bookstore.

For the entire 9 or so months of pregnancy, your wife's that is, you'd try to find out what to expect when baby finally comes along.

But every other parent will tell you the same thing and that's "You can never prepare enough to be a father."

The questions continue to flow in but you can't be sure who to believe.

You're right there through her cravings for a Coke at midnight. Weekends after weekends of Banana Leaf Rice and an occasional Dim Sum feast. And Lamaze classes is really a breather from her mood swings and unexpected tears.

In the delivery room. You pull yourself together for the sake of your wife whose cervix is opening up for baby to come out. You don't give away even a hint of fear. You look cool through it all. Hold her hand. Take a punch or two if needed. She's having a baby. You're just waiting for it all to end and maybe catch some sleep after. Well that's not entirely true, but it will cross your mind.

Soon enough, the vagina begins to throb. "Push with your mouth closed." the nurse says. Something roundish will try to force its way out of that vertical passage. The doctor makes a tiny snip and helps that alien-looking creature catch a glimpse of light along with the umbilical cord, that 'bag' thing and lots of blood. "Don't look directly at it," they say. "It's something you can't un-see."

Then it happens.

By a simple twist of fate, the baby is placed into my arms first instead of his mum's. That's when everything changes.

Nothing can ever be the same again. That's it. It's changed forever.

I'm holding my flesh and bone. My first born. My son.

There has to be a God. A supreme being that rules over our lives. We can't be doing this on our own. Nothing like this can ever happen by itself.

I'm gonna be the best father for this boy. I will not try. I will do it.

My life has ended. His life is all there is. And there's nothing more that I can tell myself. There it was that burning bush and the voice in the sky.

You can never prepare enough to be a father.

Gate 31

She could be the one for me.

The one for all eternity.

But she'll be flying off from Subang International Airport to Kalamazoo today. Of all the days it had to be on the day when I'll be flying back from a business trip in Penang.

The only thing that's going for me is I'll have about 30 minutes from the time I touchdown to meet her at the departure hall.

"This is some coincidence," I told myself while I was still seated in the airplane that took its time to land clumsily on the runway. "I'll have to make it count, surely."

It took me approximately 15 minutes before I could get off the plane once it came to a standstill.

I ran as fast as I could across the airport floors. Gate 26, 27, 28...

I hesitated a moment.

I looked around to see if she could be spotted among the crowd. It's impossible.

Then I turned around and started running again. Gate 29, 30...

There was an elderly couple who turned to go. They looked a little impatient to leave.

There was a teenager boy with them. He looked a lot like her.

I didn't stop to ask them if they were her family. Somehow I knew.

I have just missed her at the gate.

Then I also knew that this will be the last time I would... never see her again.