Since it’s Father’s Day tomorrow, I thought I would share a bit about my dad and invite you to share about yours.

When people talk about my dad, they will definitely mention his calligraphy. He learnt it from a young age. He was so passionate about it that when he got fired as a Chinese-medium teacher (at a time when Singapore schools progressively switched to English medium), he turned to calligraphy as a means of livelihood.

At the time, tourism was booming in Singapore. He created a niche of translating foreigners’ names into Chinese and writing them beautifully in red paper or fans.

Even now, whenever I need to get a departing colleague a farewell gift, I turn to my dad and get him to write my colleague’s name on a fan. 🪭 Even if you are not into calligraphy, it’s hard to let your heart be closed to a fan bearing your name.

So, calligraphy is his life’s work. I can only wish that writing will become the vessel in which I leave behind my legacy. Chinese New Year couplets written by my dad 👆🏽

How is your father like? What is your relationship with him like? What do you most appreciate about him?