A Letter To Myself - Deep in delinquency, a book he read in juvenile detention changed his life

A Letter To Myself - Deep in delinquency, a book he read in juvenile detention changed his life

Delonix Tan was a textbook bad boy. Struggling in school and falling in with the wrong crowd, he walked the well-worn path towards violence and delinquency. But after his second stint at juvenile detention and being expelled from school, his cousin gave him a book that would change his life’s trajectory towards a life of entrepreneurship. 

A Letter To Myself - How the cello saved Hughes Chong from a lonely childhood and helped his mum recover from stroke

Cellist Hughes Chong remembers the day strangers from the bank entered his house, labelling anything of value because his family declared bankruptcy. During this difficult period, with angry relatives constantly showing up at their doorstep demanding money, Hughes turned to his “buddy” - the cello – for solace.

The composer and founder of the Cellography Orchestra started playing the cello when he was seven, fell in love with it and began pursuing it professionally. 

The instrument would later become a source of strength for a second time when his mother suffered a stroke. Despite a bleak prognosis, Hughes’ mother made a full recovery and learnt to move her fingers again with the help of the cello.  

In this episode, Hughes tells Joel Chua how the strings became instrumental in comforting his younger self and provided hope for his mother to heal.

A Letter To Myself - Father of a child with rare disease - The pain and worry has been ‘all worth it’

When a pin prick to draw blood for their newborn son didn’t stop bleeding for 36 hours, parents Geoffrey Toi and Amelia Teng knew something was very wrong with their child. At six months old, Christopher was diagnosed with Bile Acid Synthesis Disorder – and he is the only patient in Singapore with this rare disease.

A Letter To Myself - Andrew Matthews on acceptance, happiness, and bouncing back

The Australian author of Being Happy tried studying law but didn't find it suitable. So at 25, he decided to write a book and his first attempt was rejected 77 times. Andrew Matthews, 66, tells Joel Chua why failing many times is better than not trying and what he thinks is the secret to being happy.

A Letter To Myself - How letters, love and laughter helped Suhaimi Yusof overcome stroke

For decades, the veteran actor and entertainer has made Singaporeans laugh but when Suhaimi Yusof was struck by a rare form of stroke, he went back to the place that gave him the greatest comfort. He shares how letters he wrote to himself made all the difference in bouncing back.