My Perfect Weekend with film-maker Ong Kuo Sin

Who: Local writer-director Ong Kuo Sin’s latest film A Good Child has earned two nominations at the 62nd Golden Horse Awards, with Mediacorp artiste Richie Koh nominated for Best Leading Actor and the film competing in the Best Makeup and Costume Design category. The awards ceremony will take place at the Taipei Music Centre in Taiwan on Nov 22.

Now showing in Singapore cinemas, the drama-comedy revolves around a drag queen (Koh) returning home to care for his mother (Hong Huifang), who has dementia.

Ong, 51, runs production house ByLeft Productions and made his feature film debut in 2013 with Judgement Day, followed by Mr Unbelievable in 2015. His 2020 film Number 1 earned a Golden Horse Best Leading Actor nomination for Mark Lee, and Ong also helmed its 2025 sequel Number 2.

“If I have a clear weekend, I start my morning with what has become something of a ritual. I read extensively online, scanning both local and international news.

This isn’t just casual browsing. I am always looking for interesting local news angles that could be developed into drama or film ideas, while keeping tabs on what is happening globally. It is an exercise I do whenever I have free time.

Around 10 or 11am, I do some people-watching from my 18th-floor study in Holland Village, where I live. My flat overlooks One Holland Village mall, which is pet-friendly and, from up there, I have a wonderful view of the area.

It is more accurate to say I do dog-watching rather than people-watching. Every weekend, so many people take their dogs to the mall and it is incredibly therapeutic to watch them from my window.

Once the crowds thin out, I head to the Holland Village Food Centre for my favourite breakfast – old-school fried beehoon from Holland V Fried Bee Hoon, still cooked with pork lard, which gives it a certain flavour you can’t get elsewhere.

The stall has been there for at least 20 years. I discovered it in 2005 when I had an office in Holland Village and it opens as early as 6am. My usual order is simple: beehoon with a sunny-side-up egg and a piece of luncheon meat or the special ngo hiang which only the stall makes. The whole breakfast costs less than $5.

After breakfast, I feed my girlfriend’s 15-year-old schnauzer, Yoshi. The dog is nearly toothless, so feeding him has become an interesting challenge.

I cook special meals for him: brown rice mixed with finely cut broccoli and minced pork. He has skin allergies, so we cannot give him other meats. I steam everything together in the rice cooker so the flavours infuse the rice.

Lately, I have been trying salmon, which smells so good, I wish I could share his food. After feeding Yoshi, I take him out for a short walk.

In the evening, I visit my parents in Jalan Kayu, behind the prata restaurants. I go to their home every weekend, either on Saturday or Sunday, without fail.

My parents are 78 years old. Both were Chinese teachers – my father taught Chinese history, my mother Chinese language – so I grew up predominantly Chinese-educated.

My father is health-conscious, so dinner at their place means eating rather bland food. My mother gives free Chinese tuition to all my nieces and nephews, which they desperately need.

After dinner, if it is Saturday and Liverpool are playing – I am a Liverpool supporter – I’ll try to catch the match if it is not too late. Liverpool matches usually start around 11.30pm and don’t end till around 1.30am, so it is hard for me to watch them live.

These days, I sleep quite early, so if I cannot watch football, I’ll catch an episode of a series or watch a film. I subscribe to many streaming services – Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and Apple TV.

It is almost a job hazard. I need to know what shows are doing well and why. Sometimes, I watch hyped shows that disappoint, which teaches me how marketing works. Other times, under-the-radar shows surprise me with their quality.

I write consistently throughout the week, including weekends, though I try to keep weekends clear for people who matter in my life. When filming takes up so much of our working lives, spending time with loved ones becomes precious.”