And allowed my true self to be born. — When I met Linda at the shophouse I was already drunk. I was only twenty years old then, twenty and terrified of women. I had just got out of two terrible relationships and had no desire to get into another, so when Linda invited me to spend the night with…

“She’s mad but she’s magic; there’s no lie in her fire.” — Dear Mama, I love you. Throughout our 27 years together on this Earth, I’ve never once told you this one, simple fact — but here it is, out in the open, out in the air. Where do I begin? I’ve never once said the big L word to you, partially because I’m Asian — and…

And discover why you fell in love with the craft in the first place. — I look back on the first piece I ever wrote and I cringe. I force myself to read it, however. I force myself to read it not because I enjoy self-induced pain — I’ve had enough of pain to last a lifetime, thank you very much — but because I…

I would’ve hated myself if I did it. — I decided to do Ecstasy with Linda after our amazing LSD trip. Yes, my experience with LSD was amazing — on it, I saw the face of God, understood more about the nature of the Universe, and generally had a pretty good time. My trip would’ve been perfect in every…

Sex is more of a mental thing than a physical fling. — I had the hottest sex I ever had in my life in an expensive hotel room. I was turning 25 and was looking to celebrate. …

And I was there to watch it. — Life was tough when I was ten. My parents were going through a terrible divorce. My Mum had developed bipolar disorder, and my father’s business had failed. Almost overnight, we went from living in a large, spacious apartment to a small, cramped one. I hated that apartment. It was full of shadows. …

An inmate broke her fingers and the jailors only laughed. — My sister was in a drug rehabilitation center for six months. She was there because she got caught doing meth. The place she was in wasn’t a swanky, five-star resort for the rich to halfheartedly kick their addictions, either. It’s basically prison. …

She saw a demonic girl on the ceiling. — I haven’t told anybody this story, because it isn’t one to be proud of, but for a period of time, my sister was hooked on meth. I don’t know what prompted my sister to do meth. She had always been a good kid. She wasn’t a straight-A student by any means — I wasn’t, either — but she had always…

Prostitutes are people, too. — “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining on the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why is this waste?”…