Mothers Day: The remarkable life lessons his mum taught him

A photo of Sylvia and Chrishen from the familiy album. Sylvia, he says, had a calming effect and could always turn a bad day around for him. Photos: Chrishen R, Gomez

Among the most valuable advice that Chrishen R. Gomez ever got from his mother, Sylvia Duraisingam, were to “make your bed every morning”, “keep things in the same place” and “sleep on time”.

“She is a pragmatic woman and these micro habits that she passed down to me have had a remarkable effect on my daily welfare,” says Chrishen, 28, a wildlife biologist who is currently pursuing his doctoral studies in wildlife biology at Oxford University in Britain.