I was lucky enough to interview the Santa Claus for SBS. Here’s what he had to say, ** The screen is black, but I hear movement and then someone (presumably Mrs Claus) whispering, “You have to turn the camera on.” Suddenly, he appears, resplendent in a red cable-knit jumper and round tortoiseshell glasses. He’s sitting […]
Here is something I wrote for The Age. *** Recently, my six-year-old came home from school and asked, “Is Santa real?” I wasn’t prepared for this. I gulped. I floundered. Frankly, I would have preferred ‘where do babies come from?’ Apparently, word had got around the playground that Santa doesn’t exist. “But I spoke to […]
An article I wrote for SBS on Mum’s carpet. Mum sent me a link to an article entitled, ‘The science is in: wearing shoes inside your home is just plain gross.’ There you have it, Mum wrote. Vindication. For as long as I can remember, the love of Mum’s life has been her carpet […]
Here’s something I wrote for The Guardian on cooking shows. It’s battle time on Netflix’s cooking competition Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, and celebrity chef Curtis Stone is facing challenger Mason Hereford. Their task? To cook five courses in 60 minutes with the surprise ingredient (lamb). Each dish must be inspired by street […]
Here’s something I wrote for The Guardian on school lunches. Thank you to everyone who told me what they ate. My daughter has just started prep and, in addition to the herculean task of getting her out the door five mornings a week, we have to pack a lunch. It’s a complex business. Nuts are […]
Here’s something I wrote for The Guardian. The lost teddy It was 8.10pm and I was running through the dark streets, desperately searching. Just as I was about to concede defeat, I spotted him. He was near the corner pub, lying lifelessly on the nature strip. I looked upward to thank the heavens, then messaged […]
Here’s something I wrote for The Guardian on working from my parents’ home. “What do you like on your pancakes?” Mum asks. It’s our first day working from Mum’s house and she’s made morning tea. My kids’ preferred condiment is strawberry jam, and Mum’s face drops: “We’ve got none,” she says. In my peripheral vision, […]
Here’s something I wrote for The Age on ‘Covetiquette’. I was raised in a non-physically demonstrative family. Kissing and hugging was not our thing. Passing the soy sauce bottle to each other at dinner was the most touchy-feely we got, and the deeper emotions were expressed in other ways. When, for example, I was upset […]
Ho ho ho. Here’s something I wrote for The Age on the Christmas spirit. May you all have a wonderful festive period! I was going to say that Christmas has crept up on me, but actually this year it feels more like an ambush and I feel a little resentful. Most of my grinchiness is […]
Working with kids during the pandemic has been challenging (I may never actually recover), but the flexibility has been brilliant. Something I wrote for The Age. * The debate about how the world of work can realistically accommodate mothers juggling childcare and careers is not new. But as Victoria reaches its 90 per cent vaccination […]
Kelly Eng 