Christmas Post

Started Christmas morning having breakfast with old pal LP at Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant at Purvis St. We shared a rhubarb pie and some really fluffy wild blueberries pancakes along with a cuppa latte each. We caught up with some highlights of the past year in our lives.

LP had a retina detachment which was a real health scare and challenge that demanded an emergency surgery in early April, after which she took two months to recuperate. I mentioned my travels with my sis to Japan and my dad's health challenges. She had a great trip to the Maldives with her hubby SK. We also conversed on how ISIS impacted the world climate in general.

It's always been great catching up with LP, my JC friend! We talked about how we should do a short holiday trip together! Hopefully, next year, with a few other friends! I'm just not sure how it will actually pan out. We'll see if it actually materialises if I do record it on my blog in 2016.

Next Tuesday, on 29 Dec, I'll looking forward to a historic reunion with a childhood friend. Excited about it! :)

41st Birthday

Today, I am officially a middle-aged woman. I read a quote where it says, 40 is the youth of old age and the old age of youth. I have truly entered my forties. Much as I am pleased when people compliment how youthful I look, I know I am no longer a youth. Perhaps, this will impact how I treat others and myself - for the better, I hope.

4 Huge Thanksgivings on my 41st Birthday
1. Thankful for my living Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who brought me out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.
2. Thankful for my loving parents who have been loving and caring for me the best way they know how for the past 41 years.
3. Thankful for my loving siblings who have grown up with me from my birth, fought with me, laughed with me, cried with me, shared my faith with me and continue to spur me on in life, in love and my faith journey with God.
4. Thankful for my loving friends whom God has bestowed upon me to brighten my journey on earth and help us enrich one another's lives.

First Post in December

Posting on a blog has become quite a challenge for me. I have written less than five posts this year. And when blogging was all a rage, I remember having almost 5 posts in a week, on different blogs.

December is my favourite month. It's my birthday month and it's Christmas. Today, 15 December is my friend's Dr David L's birthday. And I've known David since 1999. That's 16 years. This month, I had a reunion with my NIE buddies, Michell and Tammy, whom I have not reconnected since our graduation in 1995. It's amazing to get in touch after 20 years.

Tonight, I'll be meeting Wen Tin, my old pal from MGS to celebrate our December birthdays. Hers is on the 13th and mine five days after. 15th is always a good day for our combined celebration. :) I have known Wen Tin since 1987. That's a good 28 years to date.

On the actual date of my birthday, I will be spending it having lunch with mum and dinner with sis. They have both known me all my life. And mum has of course been God's instrument in giving me life, together with dad. Sis has grown up with me till I was 10, then left for the US for about five years and returned when I was 15. We've been living in Bishan together for the past ten years, sharing the flat with our chihuahua Happy who passed away two years ago. Only recently, this year, 2015, mum and dad moved back to live with us because of dad's ill health.

This has been a rather tumultuous year because of dad's ill health.

However, there have been happy moments and a new friendship that has developed unexpectedly since April with a young American pilot has brought me much joy. Just hope that this new friendship would not be too short-lived. :)

Movies in Sep & Oct

In September, I caught two films screened by the Design Film Festival - 1. Hand Made with Love in France and 2. The Salt of the Earth. 

I watched "Hand Made with Love in France" as my debut movie in a refurbished Capitol Theatre. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and the venue. 

As for "The Salt of the Earth", it was a movie I caught together with Imel on 27 September. She gave me a lunch treat that day as well because it was her birthday month and she had a special discount at Coffee Club. That was really sweet and generous of her. 

Tonight, 23 October, I caught "The Martian" starring Matt Damon with Doris. It was a movie treat from her as she received movie vouchers from NTUC and kindly offered to share her complimentary movie vouchers with me. I treated her to a MacDonalds Samurai burger in return for dinner. 

I wanted to catch "The Martian" coz Troy has caught it a few weeks back and so has YK. It seemed to have received pretty decent reviews and turned out to be a decent film. However, in view of all the three films I've caught these two months, my favourite is "Hand Made with Love in France". Perhaps it's the theme of fashion, artisans, art, luxury and time honoured tradition that so captivated my attention. Or it could simply be the romantic, iconic backdrop of Paris which made it quite unforgettable. Either way, that's a film which I will remember for quite some time to come. Or so I hope. 

First Post in 2015

It has been over a year since my one and only post in 2014. 2015 is whizzing by and I had almost forgotten that I even have a blog in here. Since my last post, my dad has had a big toe amputation on his left foot. Both him and mum has moved back to Singapore from JB to live with sis and me. We have since hired a Myanmar helper called Mar Mar Oo to help care for dad and relieve mum of household chores. The dynamics at home has changed quite drastically for the past six months. It has been quite a challenging six months with dad's ailing health.

I spent the 2015 NYE with Guat Ping admiring fireworks from her Suntec office view, past midnight. The Gila Gals will soon meet to celebrate Guat Ping's birthday. Her 41st. Both Guat and I are entering into middle age, the youth of old age. I "celebrated" my 25th baptism anniversary this 7 Oct 2015 even though I could not take a day off. I served at EAST that day (It was registration period.)

I met this young pilot called T through M on 12 April this year. He has been my muse for the past six months or so. But I feel that it is a friendship that isn't really sustainable. Though, he has been quite a good support to me while dad was in poor health.