Mdm Goh's Guide to Mental Health - By Leong Xing Han

Written By: Leong Xing Han

Category: Short Story

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

In the vibrant realm of the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, Leong Xing Han presents "Mdm Goh's Guide to Mental Health," a captivating short story. This narrative unfolds the unexpected journey of Mdm Goh, a dedicated mother and English teacher, who finds her escape in the thrilling world of online gaming. With a touch of humor and a keen eye for detail, the story delves into themes of stress, resilience, and the pursuit of mental health in the face of life's daily challenges.

About the Work

Leong Xing Han's work is a witty exploration of the intersection between daily stress and unconventional relief. The story's lighthearted tone juxtaposes the pressures of Mdm Goh's life with the vibrant escape offered by gaming. Through vivid imagery and sharp dialogue, the narrative captures the transformative power of hobbies, reflecting on how they can provide a much-needed reprieve from the demands of adulthood. The unexpected twist of a teacher finding solace in gaming is both humorous and thought-provoking.

Mdm Goh's Guide to Mental Health

Original Submission by Leong Xing Han

Leong Xing Han

Hashtag Kalakar Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition

Mdm Goh’s Guide to Mental Health

For the next three hours, I was going to forget all about being Mdm Goh Siew Tin, a mother of three and an English teacher at Tanglin High School. I had the freedom to become SakuraTiger880, an Immortal Rank player in Mayhem Arena.

As a fifty-two-year-old working adult, stress is definitely inevitable for me. I wake up before sunrise to plan lessons, force a smile while conducting my classes, and refrain from tearing up papers while grading them in the staffroom. Even when I return home in the evening, there is still no time for me to rest; I cook, clean, file our taxes, and yell at my husband to turn the television down.

So you may ask: how do I avoid burnout and sustain my lifestyle as an emotionally healthy woman despite such a mentally exhausting daily routine? Well, my dear, the secret lies in finding a hobby. It definitely takes some time to discover one that suits you, of course. Personally, it took me a while to realise that yoga or meditation simply could not take stress away as efficiently as hitting twenty-six consecutive headshots in Mayhem Arena and “rage-baiting noobs” in the voice chat.

“Three hours. My usual spot.”

The staff behind the counter nodded and assigned me a gaming desktop at the far corner of the internet café. Naturally, my presence at the Biohazard Gaming Studio would draw the attention of many. In the underground space of bright, flashing colours, rapid clicking of keyboards, and a horde of screaming teenagers, one would least expect a middle-aged lady like myself.

I ignored curious looks at my floral-print handbag, permed hair, and gold wire-framed bifocals as I made a beeline to my favourite gaming spot. My morning schedule had cleared up, and I was going to make the most of my free time before returning to school to conduct my afternoon remedial class. Putting on the gaming headset, I took a deep breath and got ready to play.

A burst of vivid colours filled my desktop screen, accompanied by a bass-boosted music track and a sultry female voice. “Welcome to MAYHEM ARENA!”

I snapped into full concentration as soon as my character loaded into a game of Ranked Deathmatch. My fingers flung into immediate action, equipping the weapon of my expertise: the M2010 sniper rifle.

Holding onto the ‘W’ key, my player moved forward, trudging through the map designed to simulate a war-torn Singaporean HDB estate. While hunting for unfortunate players through the rubble of desolate void decks and abandoned mamak shops, my mind flashed to the memory of grading the most recent class test.

The assignment was to write an 800-word continuous writing essay titled ‘How should one display adaptability in the VUCA world?’

Lee Joo Siang from 3F instead sketched a hyper-realistic M-16 assault rifle on his foolscap paper and wrote a grand total of three words, “I don’t know.”

The more I thought about it, the harder I gripped my mouse. Deafening gunshots surrounded me as I hastily crouched behind a durian stall. The enemy player was shooting with an M-16 of thirty rounds and a firing rate of six rounds per second. Which meant five seconds before he needed to reload… Four… Three… Two… One. Right when I heard the clicking sound of his empty weapon, I swung out of cover and aimed my crosshair exactly at where his head was. Bang.

—SakuraTiger880 killed DeathmaulDog—

His head blasted off cleanly and his remaining body collapsed to his knees. A black skull symbol flashed on my screen, accompanied by a satisfying “HEADSHOT!”

Outstanding! Pumps of endorphins shot through my brain and I felt my smile widening. Still, that was not enough to satisfy my bloodlust. Despite having nagged about VUCA until my throat went dry, Yusof Azlan (another student from 3F) had the audacity to think that VUCA was a brand of soft drink and spend two whole pages writing about feeling refreshed after a soccer game. Mohanesh Gopal, his table partner and other half of the infamous comedy duo, happily wrote the exact same essay word for word.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Enemies flopped to the ground one after another while I continued firing from my position on the rooftop of an HDB flat. Just then, loud whistling came from my right before I could react to the incoming projectile. An enemy from the building opposite had shot a rocket launcher in my direction. BOOM! The ground shook from its impact and momentarily threw off my focus. Unfortunately for him, I recollected myself before he could escape my aim.

Try harder next time.

Blood splattered on the wall behind him as his body flipped over the railing and plummeted from the balcony. Headshot number twenty-nine. While ejecting my empty shell and reloading for my next kill, I sensed soft footsteps creeping up to me from behind. Jamming onto the ‘Tab’ key, I immediately equipped my melee weapon and did a skilful 180 spin. That sneaky enemy player was closer to me than I had expected. But before he could kill me, I drove a combat knife clean through his neck. “RAMPAGE KILL!”

—SakuraTiger880 killed DeathmaulDog—

My eyebrows rose when I noticed the alert flash on screen. Oh, him again?

“Oi chao cheebai[1]! Sakura Tiger!” A voice rang through the voice chat and I immediately knew that it was the player whom I had just killed. “How did you fucking know that I was there? Stop bloody hacking or I’ll fucking report you!”

Usually, if a student were to say something like that, I, as Mdm Goh, would remain composed and remind that particular gentleman to use proper language when expressing his viewpoints. But unfortunately for him, I had fully transformed into Sakura Tiger—my old nickname as gang leader of the Queenstown territory back in the ‘90s.

“Report what lanjiao[2]?!” I hollered back into the headset microphone, channelling my inner delinquent spirit. “Oi, your ego so big that you don’t know how to play the game and want to blame other people, ah?”

“Fuck you! I dare you to say that again!” He grew increasingly agitated, much to my sick satisfaction.

“Uninstall the game if you don’t know how to play lah, sohai[3]!” I could feel my smile widening. “Delete the game and go back to Pornhub where you can jerk your one-inch cock to some xiao mei mei’s[4] backside!”

DeathmaulDog grew louder and angrier as the other players began spamming laughing emojis in the text chat. “Kanina[5], you want to fight, is it? You don’t come and test me, you know!”

“Test what test? I stuff my testes in your aunty’s mouth, then you know lah!” I shot back despite having no form of male genitalia whatsoever. And to my absolute elation, the next thing I knew…

—DeathmaulDog has disconnected—

For a moment, I felt as though the world had stopped asking anything of me. The persistent tightness in my chest as a result of constant frustration and anxiety had loosened itself and allowed me to breathe again. Rather than taking years of therapy, it took me less than an hour in Biohazard Gaming Studio to achieve such mental relief.

While lost in my world of gaming euphoria, I almost did not notice three curious pairs of eyes staring at me. I turned around in my chair and found myself facing the shocked expressions of Joo Siang, Yusof, and Mohanesh from my English class.

“Mdm Goh…?” Joo Siang asked incredulously. “Was that you in game with us just now? Are you… Sakura Tiger?”

My mouth went dry, realising how they had distinctly heard their usually strict and poised English teacher loudly calling an online stranger a “sohai”. I then realised that the three boys were wearing hoodies to hide their school crests at the internet café.

“Why are you boys not in school?” I asked.

Yusof exchanged guilty looks with his classmates. “Umm…”

Trying my best to regain my composure, I told them, “Listen, I will pretend that I did not just catch the three of you committing truancy as long as you pretend that I was never here and heard nothing of what I had said.”

“Actually, Mdm Goh,” asked Mohanesh, “what’s your rank in Mayhem Arena?”

I hesitated before replying curtly, “Immortal.”

For the first time since I started teaching them, I finally saw the faces of the three boys light up, in contrast to their usual expressions of disinterest in my class.

“Wow…” Mohanesh looked at his two friends and then back at me. “Well, Mdm Goh, we actually wanted to ask if you would join us for a match. We all saw how you destroyed DeathmaulDog just now and we were, well… impressed.”

I glared at the boys for a long second.

“On one condition—” I raised a finger, “—you boys jolly well better not skip school again.”

They nodded quickly to that. “Okay, we promise.”

“Fine, add me into your lobby.”

And the rest was history.

________________

[1] Chao cheebai: A Hokkien expletive that translates to “smelly vagina.”

[2] Lanjiao: A Hokkien expletive that translates to “penis.”

[3] Sohai: A Cantonese expletive, more commonly used in Singapore and Malaysia, that translates to “stupid cunt.”

[4] Xiao mei mei: A Mandarin term for “little sister” but used in this context to refer to underage girls.

[5] Kanina: A Hokkien expletive that translates to “fuck your mother.”

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar is a prestigious event celebrating diverse voices in literature. This competition invites participants from around the world to showcase their talent in poetry, short stories, and creative writing. It offers a platform for writers to share their unique perspectives and stories, fostering a global community of creative minds.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Leong Xing Han for sharing "Mdm Goh's Guide to Mental Health" with us in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. This delightful short story offers a refreshing take on finding balance in life's chaos, and we appreciate the insight and humor brought forth in this engaging narrative. We look forward to more compelling stories from Leong in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.