Friday, December 08, 2006



Our Roots in Jimei, Xiamen
Big fuss welcoming us 'back' to our home village.
Firecrackers galore & welcome brigade in red.
(
Top) Tan family home built 1937. Now occupied by people who won't budge because they claim to be descendants but are not recognized by our bunch of Tans. (Middle) The Tan ancestral temple for the families of Tan Kah Kee, Tan Lark Sye & Tan Boon Khak. It's pretty elaborate inside too. (Bottom) Tan family's own ancestral temple located behind the Tan family home.
I always thought all temples were public. It's pretty cool to have not just one, but two, temples that are family specific. We also went hiking around the cemetery (a stone's throw away) to pay our respects to the great & great-great grandparents.


Thursday, December 07, 2006









Women's 10km. I placed 2304 out of 4692. Took me 1 hr 23mins 42 secs. Average speed 7.2km/hr.
No blisters this time because I slapped on the petroleum jelly to prevent chafing, wore toe socks underneath & running socks on top. Kiasu! So that was kind of fun. Got a nice tee & gym bag. My Finisher's Medal is now an ornament on the family Christmas tree. Next year......work on the timing.

Monday, December 04, 2006



Capitalist Indoctrination?
Just back from Xiamen, China. It was a 'roots' holiday. Took plenty of pics of temples, scenic vistas, people, food etc. but I went out of the way to take these two pictures. It's interesting and worthy of sharing.
The setting of these signs: a primary school playground. Just what every child needs to be brainwashed as to what's important to grasp - money & power.
Find it particularly amusing which word was mis-spelled.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Clutter
Clutter is not just about clearing a physical space. It's an emotional and spiritual act - Lesley Garner
Do you get a sense of lightness after throwing out a bunch of stuff? I do. I find it incredibly therapeutic. Problem is.....I have too much stuff. And so the process doesn't happen often enough and seems endless when I do get round to it. I find it works best when I have a sudden burst of energy and devil-may-care attitude. Like being trigger happy....I get dustbin happy.
Where does the emotional and spiritual aspects come in? If my junk could talk, they'd be going:
Think about all those good times we had together. Don't they count for anything? How can you do this after all I've done for you? Call yourself a friend? Do this and you'll regret it. Life will never be the same again. Come on....just let me hang around a little longer....I won't take up much space. Promise. Infact, if you leave me here in this dark corner, I won't say a word.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

De-Cluttering
I feel the need to spring clean. My motto shall be: If in doubt, throw it out.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006


Warning!!!!!
That's why he's also got this nasty warning to those of us who might be tempted to gobble any cookie up.
It reads:
DO NOT eat a cookie or be prepared for crazy screaming and to bake a batch of cookies too.

Choc Chip Cookies
Son No.2 has always enjoyed baking. We also enjoy it when he bakes. But.....this batch is for his class party.

Monday, November 13, 2006


2nd Link Singapore Johore Bridge Run
If you find yourself scrutinising this pic and wondering where I might be.....well....good luck! Tim & I ran across the bridge to Johore (without need of our passports)...just a few km shy of Sultan Abu Bakar Immigration Complex, made a U-turn & back....together with about 7000 other folks. That was 10km. This time....although I wore better socks, I managed to get a blister started between my third & fourth toes on my right foot. I'm kind of bummed about how long it took for me to complete. I couldn't get into the breathing-music-rhythm pace that I wanted to. I was very distracted by the incline. Never noticed that before. I hate running up inclines. Some highlights were the African runners that hardly broke a sweat, the Ang-Moh with his kid in the pram that overtook me....and the older lady that climbed over the barricade so she cut short the distance. I realize now that I am not prepared for the Standard Charted race coming up 3rd Dec. Oh well....

Friday, November 10, 2006


How do you react when you see signs like this? Well...it just tickles my toes & gets my heart beating excitedly. The game goes a lot quicker because I just don't bother looking for all those stray balls anymore.
Here it is.....my alligator shoe....about 2 holes later, the whole sole came off. It was a lot easier to walk after that. It was only noticeable when I was putting....then I felt a little self-conscious.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Definition of Sabotage
deliberate damaging or destroying of property or equipment by enemy agents or disgruntled workers. an action taken to hinder somebody's efforts.
Origin: Sabotage derives ultimately from a French word meaning "clog". The underlying idea was of clattering along in clogs. Through the implication of clumsiness, this came to mean "do work badly", and then "destroy deliberately."
Ha! Dedicated to my two Saboteurs!

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

9 holes, Alligator Shoe & Chipped Golf Ball
I have some swell pics of the above but can't seem to post them. Bug in PC. Anyway, I totally embarrassed myself yesterday by playing like a beginner. My son played much better than me. I lost 3 balls to the jungle & pond. After the 3rd hole, my right shoe decided to do an alligator on me. Y'know, the sole detaching from the shoe. This same thing happened while golfing with my pal in Bangkok. The only way for me to walk was like Quasimodo. The couple that joined our flight was polite & didn't say anything....but I felt like an idiot. Later we found a chipped ball. Either a really cheapo ball or a very powerful swing. By the way, the inside of a golf ball is pink. That was fun though. I need to go play golf again.....real soon.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Words of Wisdom......
I heard today.

Live simply
Walk humbly
Give freely
Care deeply
Love unconditionally

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Recognize this ad? I think it's very, very original.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006


A Funny Book
There is, by the way, no mention of screaming or microwaves inside. I like the title though. So funny. This book is about life balance. She has tried the usual things like time management, prioritizing, delegating etc. Her conclusion is what she calls:

The Connection Solution
1. What should I do?
2. What do I want to do?
3. What do I need to do?
4. With whom should I connect?

I find these examples she cited as quite funny.

Before I leave on a business trip I have forty-seven things to do. As I prepare, I ask myself four questions. For example:
Q. What should I do before I leave?
A. Go to the charity board of director's meeting.

Q. What do I want to do?
A. Exercise

Q. What do I need to do?
A. Wash the clothes so the family will have some clean underwear when I'm gone.

Q. With whom should I connect?
A. My daughter Emily. The charity's board of directors will forgive me (or get over it), I can exercise on the road, and clean underwear every day is an overrated concept. ( I mean, who is going to ever know?)

I must try that on the boys. Clean underwear is an overrated concept. Nobody will know.

A Thinking Book
First Edition: July 1960.
I didn't know this was so old when I read it....can't tell at all. So this must be what is called quality, timeless stuff. Too lazy to do a book review. It's not just about $$ riches. We are rich in so many other ways too. So I'll just borrow lines & whole paragraphs that I enjoyed reading.

You have absolute control over but one thing, and that is your thoughts.

There's a section titled: The Brain. A broadcasting and receiving station for Thought. This is good stuff.

Sometimes men speak lightly of the intangibles--the things which they cannot perceive through any of their five senses, and when we hear them, it should remind us that all of us are controlled by forces which are unseen and intangible.
The whole of mankind has not the power to cope with, nor to control the intangible force wrapped up in the rolling waves of the oceans. Man has not the capacity to understand the intangible force of gravity, which keeps this little earth suspended in space, and keeps man from falling from it, much less the power to control the force. Man is entirely subservient to the intangible force which comes with a thunder storm, and he is just as helpless in the presence of the intangible force of electricity.
Nor is this by any means the end of man's ignorance in connection with things unseen and intangible. He does not understand the intangible force (and intelligence) wrapped up in the soil of the earth - the force which provides him with every morsel of food he eats, every article of clothing he wears, every dollar he carries in his pockets.

Friday, October 20, 2006


Haze
Can you see it? The psi reading is 95 at the moment. On the brink of unhealthy. This is the narrow road on which I live. Same road where my neighbour's cat was found in the drain (left side of the road on the otherside of our wall) knocked down by a speedy, heartless person probably living on this same road.
How to exercise in this haze? It's even invading the house. All this is making me really, really appreciate clear, blue skies.

Monday, October 02, 2006



Pompei & Vesuvius
Walking about in the archeological ruins of Pompei & Herculaneum was the trip highlight for me. They're so well preserved because of Vesuvius' angry eruption 2000 years ago. It was like being time-warped back. We inspected many houses of the people who lived back then. Some of those 2 millenia old mosaic decorated floors look better than my 10 yr old terracotta tiles. The attractiveness of the courtyard house with the bedrooms looking into the indoor garden & water feature welcoming guests as they enter the house is timeless.

Capri
Yes, it was truly breathtaking. Abandoning the boys & my myriad of committments for a week to play the 'good wife' was lovely. There's a popular antipasti the Italians enjoy which we ate just about everyday. It's a big ball (about the size of a football) of fresh mozarella that is usually served with sliced tomatoes. You cut away what you want to eat. Was beginning to think that with all that mozarella in me, I was beginning to resemble the food itself. You'd have to see it to know I mean.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006


Have you ever had such a BIG blister?
Yes, that's my foot. This is the souvenir I'm nursing from having conquered 9km. Apart from having to run in the rain (it stopped raining when the run was over) , I also had to contend with knowing my sock was somehow moving around & doing something nasty in my shoe. The moral of the story is - wear good socks. It can prevent this eyesore.
It's finally drying up & I am looking forward to the gigantic scab it will become. When the skin heals completely & the scab drops off, I'm going to send the scab to my friend in Hong Kong. After all, how often does one get scabs this big? Treasure should be shared.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Run for Hope 2006
Sentosa. Tanjong Beach to Sentosa Cove and back. 9km. 67 mins.
I'm pleased. What a great way to start the day....esp today.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Haven't read it but I've borrowed a copy of the Personal Workbook. Flipping through, this quote caught my eye and I like it.

Life is not orderly. No matter how hard we try to make life so, right in the middle of it we die, lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce. - Natalie Goldberg

Anyway, in case you haven't read it also, these are the habits:

......for Private Victory.....
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First

......for Public Victory........
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then be Understood
Habit 6: Synergise
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

I have a bad habit of just skimming books for what catches my eye & not reading them cover to cover front to back. Anyway, this thing sticks out. He calls it "The Time Management Matrix" .
We spend time in one of four ways.

I. Important & Urgent
Crises, pressing problems, deadline-driven projects
II. Important & Not Urgent
prevention, pc activities, relationship building, recognizing new opportunites, planning, recreation
III. Not Important & Urgent
interruptions, some calls, some mail, some reports, some meetings, proximate pressing matters, popular activities
IV. Not Important & Not Urgent
trivia, busy work, some mail, some phone calls, time wasters, pleasant activities

Near the end of the book there are some pointers on how to start living the 7 habits. Again, this sticks out for me.

4. Spend more time in Quadrant II. Decide what is really important and work on that. Say no to those things that are not in Quadrant II and work on empowering others to free up more of your own time and energy.


This calls for a little practice.

No, I don't think so.
Sorry but I have to say no.
Hmmm.....I can't. Count me out.
That will be a no for me. N-O.
Nah....no go.
Nope.
No. No. No. Yes....it's a no.
Nada. No comprendez.
Bu ke yi.
Hmm tak.
Beh sai.
Tak boleh.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006


Aerial view
See the two dark blue parallel lines from left to right. That's the coral reef.
On this trip, we saw plenty of stuff. Personal favourites sighted were three turtles, a pair of baby black tip sharks, an adult black tip, flamenco dancer (floats just beneath the surface & related to nudibranch), a school of barracuda, also a lone barracuda lurking at about 10ft looking for prey (!), garfish hovering near our heads, trevally, parrotfish, a giant moray eel, a big puffer fish going in & out of the tabletop coral, a school of squid (it's squid season now) and much, much more.
We saw plenty of staghorn coral, tabletop, sponge, fire (don't touch!), fan coral (about two or three) and all kinds of soft coral. Apart from snorkelling at Renggis a few times, we also went to Tulai, Tomok & Genting.
I don't know all the names of the small coral fish but the variety & numbers seemed countless.
It was an excellent vacation.

Renggis Island off
Pulau Tioman, Malaysia
I was 13 yrs old when I first visited this island. Been going there, on and off, ever since. Renggis is only 100m opposite the Berjaya Tioman Dive Centre. But it is teeming with marine life. Matt is posing in front of the blue boat that belongs to an old family friend & boatman Hamzah.

Discover Scuba
Brings back memories. I was in Sec II when I took up the NAUI dive course. It took 6-8 weeks to learn & my open water was at Pulau Hantu, Singapore. Yucky. Nowadays, you still need to be at least 14 yrs old to qualify for Junior Scuba. But these two lucky fellows got to try it out because one need only be 10 yrs old to do Discover Scuba @ Berjaya.
They sat through a 1 hr crash course watching a DVD & then did a shore dive. Later they were dropped off at Renggis & did another hour at an average depth of 12m. That's Nazri the dive instructor. I trusted him with my children's wellbeing!!!!

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Focus
There was a programme on Animal Planet (my fave channel) where prison inmates turn unwanted & rejected dogs into very obedient companions within a 30 day training schedule. My gut reaction was: of course they can, after all they have nothing else to do. That reminded me of a quote somewhere that some of the deepest books have come out of authors while they were imprisoned. There's something to be said of solitude.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Reckless driver, rude behaviour......
I was early for my next appointment after sending Elliott to school. So I parked in the school lot to sit out the awful traffic & drink my coffee. Cars were whizzing in and out. Noticed a black Lexus SUV that came zooming in maniacally. Thought to myself, " With people driving like that in school, I hope no student gets hit."
I realized later that this car was parked hastily a few lots away from me. This man, in home clothes & looking very irate, shouted at the top of his voice at another man who was standing near his car.
Rude man shouting (RMS) : HEY! WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO MY WIFE? (who was sitting in the passenger seat)
Teacher (T) : I was just asking her about parking here.
RMS: I JUST PARKED HERE FOR A MINUTE. BLAH BLAH BLAH...
T: You don't have to shout. I just noticed that ......
RMS: THERE ARE SO MANY LOTS HERE. WHAT'S WRONG WITH PARKING LIKE THIS? BLAH BLAH BLAH
T shouting now: Why do you have to be so rude? These are reserved lots and I was just asking....
RMS: DO YOU WANT TO GO SEE THE PRINCIPAL? LET'S GO RIGHT NOW!!!!
The long & short of it is that this RMS was completely unreasonable & looking for a fight. After a good 10 minutes of shouting at each other, he drove off in a huff & a puff.....as maniacally as when he drove in. I was so glad I wasn't dragged into it. They were, after all, shouting at each other right in front of my car. I thought it was a bit like watching little kids at war with each other. Except these were grown men....in their 40s.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Reframing my son's perspective
I invested some time talking to one of my sons today. A real conversation. Not the usual stuff like if he had any homework or what he ate for recess etc. I asked him what his perspective of life as a student was. It's very telling. Here it is:
Too many exams. A lot of homework. Teachers do weird things like switch off the fan in class. Not fun & makes everything dull.
It was a painstaking process but I think I was able to reframe his perspective after asking him a whole bunch of questions directed at helping him see things differently. It was like extracting teeth from a new born hamster. Very, very hard work. It helped that I was very motivated.
Now his perspective of life as a student is:
Exams will be over soon - about 7 weeks to go. He does have the knowledge to do the exam questions. After exams, he will have no more tuition, I won't nag him anymore and he can do whatever he wants.
If he finishes his homework fast enough, then he wouldn't have to bother with it anymore.
He does have fun as there are weekends to look forward to.
School is not all boring because there is only one teacher that is weird. Of the other two teachers he has, one is rather fun and makes class enjoyable, and the other one is OK.
The circumstances have not changed but his perspective has.....a little.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Appetitizing Dinner Talk?
The setting. Multi-generational family meal. Some are finishing the main meal and others are starting on fruit & dessert. The conversation is usually light & intermittent.
Kong Kong: Elliott....eat some prunes. They are very sweet.
Elliott: (no reply)
Kong Kong: Matthew.....eat some prunes. They are very sweet.
Matthew (looking curiously at the bowl of prunes but finishing his rice): Hmmmm...
Kong Kong: Luke....eat some prunes. They are very sweet.
There is a wide variety of fruit. There are oranges, apples, a lone banana, several mango....and of course, the bowl of prunes.
Kong Kong: These prunes are very sweet. Matthew, eat some prunes.
Matthew (in complete innocence asks this question): What do you call it when your poo is stuck?
Me (an incredulous look on my face & somewhat speechless): What?
Matthew: What's the word you use when your poo is stuck?
Tim (in a soft berating tone): Matthew!
Luke: I think I've just lost my appetite. Can I leave now?
Elliott (laughing disgustingly loud): HA HA HA HA....
Ma Ma: Constipated. The word is constipated.
Matthew (with glee): Oh yes!
A few minutes later......
Matthew: MUMMY! Remember when you were constipated in Mammoth (a ski resort in California) and you had to eat a lot of prunes?
Me: Yes, Matt. Thank you. I do remember.

Friday, August 11, 2006

Militant Mothering!
Think I've finally found a way to get around disputes with my boys about time spent on Xbox, computer, TV etc. Anybody who enters this play room now has to sign in! They log in & log out their time. This simple act of recording does wonders. After all, we all know how time flies when one is having fun. We don't believe that 2 hrs flew by when it only felt like 30 minutes. But now.....it's in black & white. It's been rather effective & I'm incredibly pleased. Now I wonder what other military procedures I can enforce around the house....

Monday, August 07, 2006


Isn't this hilarious? Things to look forward to. Ha!

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Reflection
Just got off the phone for my teleclass for Foundation Coaching. Jim Clarkson, the coach trainer, shared there was research that showed that most managers are so busy with their work that they have no time to think. No time to stand back and reflect. A sign of the times.
Then I checked my email and read the devotional for the day from Max Lucado. It was titled the " Desires of Our Hearts." The last two sentences just jumped out at me.

See your desires as gifts to heed rather than longings to suppress, and you’ll feel the same joy.
Reflect on your life. What have you always done well and loved to do?


I must make time this week for some personal reflection.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006


This is my current fave snack. It really gives me a boost.
Unfortunately for me, my kids like it too! They unashamedly take from my secret stash in the fridge and I haven't had a chance to replenish it. No good....no good....

Monday, July 24, 2006

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13
(as told to Jeremiah by God between 627 - 586 B.C.)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. - Matthew 5:6
(a quote from Jesus about 32 A.D., recorded by Matthew between 60-65 A.D.)
Three weeks after the wind ceased to blow, the sea lion had a dream. Now, as I told you before, there were other nights in which he had dreamed of the sea. But those were long ago and nearly forgotten. Even still, the ocean that filled his dreams this night was so beautiful and clear, so vast and deep, it was as if he were seeing it for the very first time. The sunlight glittered on its surface, and as he dived, the waters all around him shone like an emerald. If he swam quite deep, it turned to jade, cool and dark and mysterious. But he was never frightened; not at all. For I must tell you that in all his dreams of the sea, he had never before found himself in the company of other sea lions. This night there were many, round around him, diving and turning, spinning and twirling. They were playing.
Oh, how he hated to wake from that wonderful dream. The tears running down his face were the first wet thing he had felt in three weeks. But he did not pause even to wipe them away; he did not pause, in fact, for anything at all. He set his face to the east, and he began to walk as best a sea lion can.
"Where are you going?" asked the tortoise.
"I am going to find the sea."
The End.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Jesus said, "In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33
It was in May that the winds began to blow. The sea lion had grown used to wind, and at first he did not pay much heed at all. Years of desert life had taught him to turn his back in the direction from which the wind came and cover his eyes with his flippers, so that the dust would not get in. Eventually, the winds would always pass.
But not this time. Day and night came, howling across the barren lands. There was nothing to stop its fury, nothing to even slow it down. For forty days and forty nights the wind blew. And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. The sea lion lifted himself to have a look around. He could hardly believe his eyes.
Every single leaf had been stripped from his tree. The branches that remained, with only a twig or two upon them, looked like an old scarecrow. And I do not need to tell you that there was no longer any shade in which to hide. But worse than this, much worse indeed, was what the sea lion saw next. The water hole was completely dry.

Friday, July 21, 2006

"....for he is a liar and the father of lies. " John 8:44
That is a quote from Jesus in reference to the devil.
The sea lion was not entirely alone in those parts. For it was there he met the tortoise. Now this tortoise was an ancient creature, so weathered by his life in the barren lands that at first, the sea lion mistook him for a rock. He told the tortoise of his plight, hoping that this wise one might be able to help him.
"Perhaps," the tortoise mused, "this is the sea. "
His eyes appeared to be shut against the bright sun, but he was watching the sea lion very closely. The sea lion swept his flippers once against his side, gliding to the end of the water hole and back.
" I don't know, " he said. "It isn't very deep."
"Isn't it?"
"Somehow, I thought the sea would be broader, deeper. At least, I hoped so."

"You must learn to be happy here," the tortoise told one day. "For it is unlikely you shall ever find this sea of yours." Deep in his old and shriveled heart, the tortoise envied the sea lion and his sea.
"But I belong to the sea. We are made for each other."
"Perhaps. But you have been gone so long now, the sea has probably forgotten you."
This thought had never occurred to the sea lion. But it was true, he had been gone for a long, long time.
"If this is not my home, how can I ever feel at home here?" the sea lion asked.
"You will, in time." The tortoise appeared to be squinting, his eyes a thin slit.
"I have seen the sea, and it is no better than what you have found here."
"You have seen the sea! "
"Yes. Come closer," whispered the tortoise, "and I will tell you a secret. I am not a tortoise. I am a sea turtle. But I left the sea on my own accord, many years ago, in search of better things. If you stay with me, I will tell you stories of my adventures. "

The stories of the ancient tortoise were enchanting and soon cast their spell upon the sea lion. As weeks passed into months, his memory of the sea faded.
"The desert," whispered the tortoise, "is all that is, or was, or ever will be."
When the sun grew fierce and burned his skin, the sea lion would hide in the shade of the tree, listening to the tales woven by the tortoise. When the dry winds cracked his flippers and filled his eyes with dust, the sea lion would retreat to the water hole. And so the sea lion remained, living his days between water hole and tree. The sea no longer filled his dreams.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Daylight robbery @ Gourmet
I just have to complain that Australian lamb shanks are priced at $2.69/kg at Cold Storage Gourmet (no longer my favourite supermarket). The same brand, same packaging, same everything Australian lamb shanks are priced at $1.39/kg at NTUC Bukit Timah Plaza. I expect a price differential at CS Gourmet...but not THAT much! I was appalled.....refused to buy it there and wasted time, but not money, to drive to NTUC to get it there instead.
The sea lion loved his rock, and he even loved waiting night after night for the sea breezes that might come. Especially he loved the dreams those memories would stir. But as you well know, even the best of dreams cannot go on, and in the morning when the sea lion woke, he was still in the barren lands. Sometimes he would close his eyes and try to fall back to sleep. It never seemed to work, for the sun was always very bright.
Eventually, it became too much for him to bear. He began to visit his rock only on occasion. "I have too much to do," he told himself. "I cannot waste my time just idling about." He really did not have so much to do. The truth of it was, waking so far from home was such a disappointment, he did not want to have those wonderful dreams anymore. The day finally came when he stopped going to his rock altogether, and he no longer lifted his nose to the wind when the sea breezes blew.
Had you journeyed in those days through the barren lands, you might have seen the sea lion for yourself. Quite often in the evening, he would go and sit upon his favourite rock, a very large boulder, which lifted him off the burning sand and allowed him a view of the entire country.
There he would remain for hours into the night, silhouetted against the sky. And on the best nights, when the wind shifted to the east, a faint smell of salt air would come to him on the breeze. Then he would close his eyes and imagine himself once more at the sea. When he lay himself down to sleep, he would dream of a vast, deep ocean. Twisting and turning, diving and twirling, he would swim and swim and swim. When he woke, he thought he heard the sound of breakers.
The sea was calling to him.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

There was a time, many years back, when the sea lion knew he was lost.
In those days, he would stop every traveler he met to see if he might help him find his way back to the sea.
But no one seemed to know the way.
On he searched, but never finding. After years without success, the sea lion took refuge beneath a solitary tree beside a very small water hole. The tree provided refuge from the burning rays of the sun, which was very fierce in that place. And the water hole, though small and muddy, was wet, in its own way. Here he settled down and got on as best he could.

I really enjoyed this story taken from John Eldredge's book Journey of Desire. It goes on for quite a bit so my plan is to post a little section every day for the next few days.
I love this story...
Once upon a time there lived sea lion who had lost the sea.
He lived in a country known as the barren lands. High on a plateau, far from any coast, it was a place so dry and dusty that it could only be called a desert. A kind of coarse grass grew in patches here and there, and a few trees were scattered across the horizon. But mostly, it was dust. And sometimes wind, which together make one very thirsty. Of course, it must seem strange to you that such a beautiful creature should wind up in a desert at all. He was, mind you, a sea lion. But things like this do happen.
How the sea lion came to the barren lands, no one could remember. It all seemed so very long ago. So long, in fact, it appeared as though he had always been there. Not that he belonged in such an arid place. How could that be? He was, after all, a sea lion. But as you know, once you have lived so long in a certain spot, no matter how odd, you come to think of it as home.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006



Fighting Fish babies
Just want to announce the birth of at least 7-8 babies. That's the father. The babies are miniscule and simply adorable. It didn't take very long - a few days. We kept the male & female separated by a clear plastic. The male was busy strutting his stuff & building his nest of bubbles. We discovered the female (much smaller & very plain looking) was able to wander into his side at her discretion. Now the female has been taken out completely because we're afraid she'll eat her babies.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Hiking Bukit Timah Hill.....
The thing about hiking the trails is that it's basically jungle on the left, right, front and back. Most of the time I have to be looking down at my feet so I don't mis-step. But once in a while, we hit a clearing like this and it just takes my breath away. It was a gorgeous rainy day yesterday....complete with thunder and lightning. But oh...it was nice. Very nice.

Sunday, July 09, 2006


Pulau Ubin Scorpion!
Check this little guy out. He was merrily crossing the road. At first, his tail was down and he was oblivious to us. So being the irritating humans that we are, we had to provoke him and.....just look at that! Think he's pretty big for a wild scorpion and he actually is a very pretty dark bluish shade.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps - Proverbs 16:9

Sunday, July 02, 2006

My thoughts the past few days...
Man proposes, but God disposes.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Thought for today
Growth happens most frequently when people pray for, encourage, or challenge other people.
This sentence stuck out for me whilst blog hopping & scanning through.
I pray for many things and many people. I think I make consistent efforts to encourage them too. But I seldom, if ever, challenge anybody. Partly, it's my preference for being non-confrontational. But I think it can be a good thing. Perhaps that's what I need to do....sometimes.
Challenge - to stimulate somebody by making demands on his or her intellect or abilities.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Psalm 23
That version was New Living Translation. Actually I think I prefer the New American Standard Version best.

The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want.


He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
for Thou art with me;

Thy rod and Thy staff, the comfort me.
Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

Thou hast anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23.....the real one.....ahhhh....much better
The Lord is my Shepherd;
I have everything I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows;
He leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,
bringing honour to his name.

Even when I walk through the dark valley of death,
I will not be afraid,

For you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
You welcome me as a guest,
Anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,
And I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23...Antithesis by Martha Hornok
The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.

It leads me to deep depression.
It hounds my soul.

It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity's sake.

Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it done,

For my "ideal" is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.

They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They annoint my head with migraines.

My in-basket overflows.

Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Yesterday I tried in vain to net some fish in a home fountain-cum-pond. It's not big at all but the fish were smart & fast from having 3 cats constantly on the prowl for them. It's actually a sad situation. We are taking over the care of the fish because the owner is basically living out the last days and has made the heart wrenching decision to be hospitalised. Cancer is a bitch. I really didn't know what to say being in the house. I wished I was there on a happy occasion. It's sort of a sad sinking realization. The home, the pond, the person.....not terribly close yet still very familiar. I enjoyed quite a few good meals there. They will no longer be. It's different when one knows the other shares the same faith convictions. The belief that it is not the end. Incredible as it seems. This is merely a speck from the perspective of eternity. Until that realization hits home deep in the heart of every loved one I know and care for......I guess there will always be a dull ache and inwardly, a cry for mercy from the Lord Almighty.

Monday, June 19, 2006


These are my new Asics GT 2110. Listen to all this jargon. It's so impressive I have no choice but to be impressed.

Duosole - Asics proprietary approach to outsole construction offers weight reduction, flexibility, traction and durability.

Asics Gel Cushioning System has the ability to absorb shock by dissipating vertical impact and dispersing it into a horizontal plane.

Speva Midsole Material with "Bounce Back" Propertes - Bounces back quickly in preparation for the next foot strike. Special polymers break down at a slow rate increasing durability.

It also has I.G.S. - Impact Guidance System.....whatever that means.

Last but not least, it has 3M Scotchlite Reflective Material. It enhances safety at night and in low visibility situations by creating a bright image - returning the light back to the light source.

I've decided that I am never running at night. It's really tragic how the jogger was killed in the hit & run right in his own condominium.
Elliott sprang to action yesterday morning to fix his dad a Father's Day breakfast. He had the kopi-si just the way his dad likes it. But the waffles didn't quite pan out. It's the frozen type that you just stick in the toaster oven till brown & crispy. Well, apparently he didn't toast it long enough. So it was still frozen inside. But he enthusiasticallly piled on the maple syrup and presented it to his dad. Somehow 'nuking' the whole thing didn't quite have the desired effect. Ah....but it's the thought that counts right?

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Visited both my uncles' (my mother's brothers) in hospital today. They're in for different things and were even in ICU two beds away from each other for a day or two. ICU is very different now. Unfortunately, I have a very vivid memory of what ICU was like when my mother was there. Sigh...such is life. Of course, one's perspective of life makes such a difference in these matters. Think my younger uncle has it right. He is bravely battling a incurable medical condition that slowly but steadily diminishes his lung capacity. For daily living, he is dependent on pure oxygen through nose tubes. But he is ever grateful for another day that the Lord gives him. He remains joyful.

Sunday, June 04, 2006


Great stuff to chill out to.......
Very listenable. Still distinctly Sergio Mendes' sound. Bossa nova, samba....snippets of addictive melodies. But with a fresh injection of rap,hip hop etc. It's a collaboration with a bunch of people, primarily Will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas fame. I really like the collaborations with John Legend and Stevie Wonder.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

My resting heart rate is 48 beats per minute.
This was taken just after I woke up and still in bed.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Target Exercise Heart Rate
My maximum heart rate is 220 - 41 (my age) = 179.
My target heart rate during exercise should be 70% of maximum = 125 beats per minute.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006


What an enjoyable read!
I completed it in two sittings. Very engaging & easy to digest. Delightful doses of witty English humour here and there. Plenty of references to movies and thought-provoking truths to be gleaned from there. Some snippets that pulled me in very quickly:
One other factor that has led some people to feel that God might exist is the human sense of loneliness, emptiness and restlessness, not to mention our sense of the infinite. That's why the background story of The Matrix is so ingenious: it feels like it might be true. In the film, Morpheus tells Neo:
Let me tell you why you are here. It's because you know something. What you know you can't explain but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life. There is something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind driving you mad. (p3)

I like his explanation of how to define sin.
According to the Bible, sin is ignoring God in the world he has made. But why is ignoring God in this way so serious? Because it cuts us off from God. Because every time I insist on my independence in a world where God sustains everything, I am cutting myself off from the very source of all life. The Bible is clear that to live like that results in death - and not just death here, but eternal death. (p16)

There's self-depracating humour too.
And yet, if I'd listened to my conscience during the month of May, I'd now be - according to Men's Health anyway - a 'leaning tower of power', as opposed to a wobbling vat of fat. Not only that, but listening to my conscience - and by that I mean the God-given sense of what is right and what is wrong - will affect far more than my body. It will affect the destiny of my soul. Why? Because 'we are the choices that we make'. (p94)

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8: 36,37


Monday, May 29, 2006


How I spent last Saturday...........
'Christianity Explored' is a name of a book by Rev Rico Tice and Barry Cooper. They're from All Souls Church, Langham Place, London, UK. It's also the name of a 10-week course aimed at people seeking to explore Christianity. In a nutshell it will answer who Jesus is, why He came and what we are to do about it. These two fellows were in town and they gave a crash course from 9am to 4pm.

Impossible to do justice to all that was covered but these are the key things I came away with.
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. - 2 Corinthians 4:4.
We preach Christ, God opens blind eyes.
God created the world, created light....God can recreate our hearts.
But we have to be honest about God's wrath and the reality of judgement. We are not good people going to heaven, we are bad people not going to hell. God's judgement is proof that He's good.

There is so much wrong in the world because there is something wrong with us.....our hearts. The world is not the way it is supposed to be. We are not the way we are supposed to be. Each of us has a heart problem. Also otherwise known as sin. The heart of sin is ignoring God. We are in dire need of rescue. If we reject Jesus and continue in our sin, He will respect our decision.

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. - Romans 1:18
Personal application. Pray that Jesus would be an unavoidable issue in the non-believer's life. Need to weep more for the lost. Where are the tears?

Off tangent thought. That infamous author Dan Brown has, in my personal opionion, helped to raise the topic of Jesus. It is up to us to take full advantage of it and steer it in the right direction.
We preach Christ, God opens blind eyes.

Thursday, May 25, 2006


Bethany Methodist Nursing Home
Followed the WTWF on their community outreach to the 'Faith' womens ward. Apparently this ward is very pampered because our church has adopted it and there are many such visitations. WTWF engaged the entertainment services of a quintet of what I would describe as 'high quality chinese opera sans costumes karaoke singers'. Yes, those who desired could follow the bouncing dot on the lyrics on the TV. After that, we played 'pass the parcel'. Just about everyone is in a wheelchair so much aid was needed to pass the thingies around. Some got the parcel and didn't want to pass it on, not comprehending the game. I felt awful but had to pry it away to keep the game going. There was one lady that caught my hand and refused to let go after that. Think human touch is highly valued and sadly few and far between for some, perhaps.

Then we played Bingo! It was quite funny. It was semi-orchestrated so the winners were evenly distributed around the room. Next was lunch. About half the residents could feed themselves, but the other half needed to be fed porridge. Whatever the case, just about everyone had a really healthy appetite. That's great, I think. The lady I fed was mildly ravenous and she whacked a to-the-brim bowl of porridge. To be cautious about choking, we were using teaspoons. Can you imagine? Hmmm.

We passed out presents after that and engaged in ad-hoc chatting. Particularly impressed by one 88 yr old who entertained us with a cantonese ditty about Jesus being born in a manger. Despite her appearance and age, she sang with gusto, firm tones and loudly. She ended off by clutching the chain and cross around her neck, lifting it up for us to see and then rendered this valuable advice " lei kei ju". That means ' you must remember' - the cross that is.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Sore Throat Battle Aids
I'm under attack and these are my weapons. No household is complete without a bottle of Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa. There are two items (#8 & #11) on the ingredient list that sound rather dubious but since it's all herbal, I just close two eyes. The most effective but eye-squinting concoction is actually the honey-apple cider vinegar combo. I was told to drink the cider vinegar 'neat' for a really bad sore throat. Cannot imagine. Vinegar, by the way, is also the most effective way to rid 'pee assaulted' floor areas. Takes away all hint of any uric acid smell. I purchased many a bottle of vinegar when Baobei was being toilet trained. Last but not least is the Strepsils Gargle. This is very 'laht' but I believe it kills all the germs in the throat and numbs it so I can get a good night sleep without feeling that awful lump every time I swallow.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

I believe wholeheartedly that..........coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.
The day's catchphrase for me.....
This is taken from the back page of the Straits Times Classified. There's always some sort of self-improvement or motivational article contributed by different life coaches, best sellling authors etc. Today's was written by John C Maxwell, well known author of Leadership books & former pastor.
I like this part when he is quoting someone's advice on life and how it pays to do a little extra planning....

It's important to run not on the fast track, but on your track. Pretend that you have only six months to live, and make three lists: the things you have to do, those you want to do, and those that you neither have to nor want to do. Then, for the rest of your life, forget everything on the third list.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

This is absolutely hilarious. Who says Singaporeans are not creative?

POEM ABOUT PAP MP
>
>Recently, my white MP,
>Knok on my door, and very kek ki..
>Say 'I've worked so hard, so vote for me',
>'Or rubbish won't be cleared, in your vicinity'.
>I said 'Dear MP of my GRC',
>'Dun remember u, so please pardon me'.
>'I only saw you on TV',
>'Dozing off and jiak liao bee'.
>Last GE I voted for thee,
>2% up in GST.
>Cut CPF and up utility,
>Are still very clear in my memory.
>5 years later, then you come to me,
>Fresh from your slumber of ivory.
>Say that only, you can help me,
>Escape from a life of poverty.
>Just take a drive on CTE,
>Count the number, of all the gantries.
>Or squeeze a ride on the MRT,
>That has not been cleared for ye.
>My life since the last GE,
>Has been downhill though I voted PAP.
>If I vote the same for your sleeping spree,
>I can expect the same misery.
>So this time round, I vote for somebody,
>Who will kachiao you, to productivity.
>Forms fill wrong, no big deal to me,
>If there's someone to speak up for ah bee.
>So dear MP of GRC,
>If life no improve, vote u cho simi?

Tuesday, May 16, 2006


I am coveting this little thingie. Yes....my mind is made up. I like it small because I plan to use it while keeping fit. I've done my research and it's a much better product than the ipod.

Monday, May 15, 2006

This is a funny looking lime plant from my garden. It has a local name but I can't remember it now. It's very bumpy but also very fragrant. There is also another bunch but this bunch looks better. I'm always amazed when the garden produces stuff....because I neglect it completely. I never water the plants. I never fertilize it.

Mother's Day
I heard a lot of noise from the kitchen when I woke up. I knew what the boys were up to. Resisted thinking to myself, " Hope it's not too much of a mess they make in their bid to do something sweet for me. " I was served breakfast in bed. I liked the teamwork. One brought the small table. The other brought the tray. In the end, I brought the tray out to the dining table because it's too weird for me to eat breakfast in bed. What if I leave crumbs and then ants will attack me at night?
My son gave me flowers. His school was smart......I didn't ask how much he had to cough out for that. It's the thought that counts, right?
As anticipated, ate too much food at dinner. We went to that new Shanghainese restaurant near Sixth Avenue. Yanqing's Secret. My fave was the Heavenly Old Duck Soup (milky like fish soup but oh so delicate). The selection of cold appetisers were superb.....especially the 18 seasonal vegetables that were crunchy yet asthetically presented....and the deep fried Shanghainese fish. Everything was excellent....the xiao long bao, the venison, the sweet & sour fish, the sesame pancake, the "mochi"- like dessert with fresh cream & mango.
I weighed 50.7kg before dinner and 52kg after. Oink.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

And yet another to cancer.....
Last night I was at a wake at the Christian columbarium in Choa Chu Kang - Garden of Remembrance. Old schoolmate from 25 yrs ago. The breast cancer appeared 4 yrs ago and later became all -over cancer. Could tell as there were the obvious visual side effects of chemotheraphy. There was a sense of peace with the loved ones she left behind....so it was rather pleasant actually. The photo she choose to display was lovely. Glam shot....from her wedding just 7 yrs ago.

Anyway, the photo set me thinking about what it would be like with the new heaven & new earth when Jesus Christ comes back again for us.

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelations 21:3,4)

I was wondering what I would look like. Would I look like at my prime? Just like the glam shot of my friend. Doesn't make sense to look like when we kick the bucket.....whatever took us away....disease, age, accident etc.

He who was seated on the throne said, " I am making everything new! Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. " He said to me: " It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.......(Revelations 21:5,6)

Good that everything will be new....restored....just like we know it, but without all the defects, disease, hurt, broken-ness, whatever.
Then it goes on about those that are

....cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers..........thier place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelations 21:7,8)

I understand the second death refers to spiritual death - the permanent separation from God.

And so.....it's sobering....to process the passing of a person (albeit one I hardly knew). But also good to look forward to everything being made new again. No cancer ever. Yeah.

Monday, May 08, 2006


That's a hornbill!
This pic was taken from the boys' bedroom. There's actually a pair of them. They've been hanging out in our backyard. See our neighbours' roof behind. They traverse left and right on the roof edge and drink water from the gutter there. I understand hornbills mate for life. They're big birds and it's lovely to gaze at them.

Sunday, May 07, 2006


Matt's Meditation on Maths
He looks real comfy doesn't he? Yeah....yeah....just look at the stuff that he does his homework with. There's an empty bowl which had noodles, and the cup that had milo, the scissors to cut the noodles.....and the absolute "must have" - the pillow. Guess the maths homework was so riveting that he had to continue the adventure in dreamland. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I saw him.

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Polling Day
Today's the day. But I'm in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC which is not contested. So I don't have to vote. Think this place has never been contested....and probably never will be. Last time I voted was way back and for the President - either Ong Teng Cheong or Chua Kim Yeow.
My Progress Package was $200. Tsk. Next time election comes around, think I should move. Don't even get to smell any wiff of upgrading carrot (the one with many zeros attached). I have no idea who my MP is now. But I do remember one Sunday afternoon (last year?) when my doorbell rang. I walked up to my gate to see what the fellow wanted. Turned out he was prepping people to shake hands with Mr Gan Kim Yong . Think my quizzical look revealed what was going on in my head.
Huh? Who's that?
I told him I wasn't interested. But before I knew it, Mr Gan was there sticking his hands out through my gate. So I shook his hands. The impression it left on me was probably not one he was hoping for.
Wah biang. This guy is not very tall hor. He's actually about my height leh. Oh no..I hope all my sons grow up to be taller than that.
Have to say though. Must give him some credit for taking a hot Sunday afternoon to go walk around my estate just to shake people's hands.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Irritating Pop-Up
Every 30 seconds or so there's a little green pop-up box that appears on the lower right side of my computer screen. It comes up & down again. There's a picture of a skeleton head and the words 'Incoming Intelligence' next to it. This is accompanied by a tune I would associate with military secrets. When I click on it, it leads to a 'Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon - Advanced Fighter' home page. Offering a myriad of computer games for $$. Evidently the boys (wonder which one) have viewed this and now I can't get rid of it! It's driving me batty. Batty. Batty. Batty.
Boundaries
Borrowed this book from CCMC library. By Dr Henry Cloud & Dr John Townsend. Speed reading it & midway through now. In a nutshell, it explores how we can have better control of our lives by establishing clear boundaries. Key words are ownership & responsibility. Knowing where personal ownership ends & sticking to it.
Chapter 10 is titled 'Boundaries and Children'. Think this is a very good guideline on the overall big picture look at parenting.

By the time they are ready to leave home, our children should have internalized a deep sense of responsibility for their lives. They should hold these convictions:
My success or failure in life largely depends on me.
Though I am to look to God and others for comfort and instruction, I alone am responsible for my choices.
Though I am deeply affected by my significant relationships throughout my life, I can't blame my problems on anyone but myself.
Though I will always fail and need support, I can't depend on some overresponsible individual to constantly bail me out of spiritual, emotional, financial, or relational crises.

The boundary needs of children are:
Self-protection
Taking responsibility for One's needs
Having a sense of control and choice
Delaying gratification of goals
Respecting the limits of Others

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Counting my blessings.....
I'm annoyed at the boys. They're so unmotivated. They seem to take everything for granted. When I think about it...it makes me mad. So there's a blog that I read every now and then to get some perspective. After all, I know academic performance is not really important. There is so much more to life than that. There is so much more to be grateful for. We have tons of fun together as a family. I have the privelege of being a full-time mother. They will have tons of memories of me as a person. I never really had that with my mother because she was busy pursuing a career. And I think that's a key reason why I continue to do what I do.
Anyway, the blog I read is
http://www.evangabriel.blogspot.com/
It's written by the father of a newborn who lost his mother shortly after birth. Fairly recent. Was asked to help pray for this family as they cope. It's quite heart wrenching to read. I can emphathise with the sense of loss. The struggle to move on. And yet...only time can heal these kinds of things. Although I distinctly remember still experiencing moments of deep grief well into my adult years. Infact, I believe I subconsciously loathed turning 40 yrs old because that was the age my mother passed away. For the longest time, I wanted to be like her in that sense. But then God blessed me with children and now I want to live to a ripe old age so I can spank my great-grandchildren. Hah!
So reading Evan's blog makes me count my blessings. It shakes me out of wallowing self-pity. Life is not fair and by all counts, I've got it pretty good.

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Being Ourselves
Here's a funny story I heard today. Don't know if it's true or not. But it made me laugh & think you'll enjoy it.

There was a couple that was excited, anxious & looking forward to marriage & living together. But the guy was fearful he'd be loved a little less & be a real turn-off because he had really stinky feet. So he resolved to always go to bed with his socks on. The gal, it turns out, also had a real chip on her shoulder. She had a seriously bad case of bad breath. So she resolved to always brush her teeth as soon as she woke up...and climb back into bed again smelling good.
This couple got hitched. They got a place of their own. They lived together. This 'keeping up of appearances' went on perfectly well for the first six months. Not a hitch. Everything was swell.
Then...it happened. The guy, for some reason, woke up in the middle of the night. He was absolutely distraught to discover that one of his socks was missing! He started scrambling under the bed covers to look for that missing sock. He was really starting to panic....and the frantic searching stirred his wife awake. She was infuriated at being woken up. She poked her head under the bed covers, looked at her husband in the eye and blurted out, "What in the world are you doing???????"
He replied, in total honesty and dismay, "OH NO!!!! YOU ATE MY SOCK!!!!!!!!"
Toward a Stress Free PSLE
The school organised this talk yesterday. So Luke & I made the trip. The speaker Danny Ng is a psychologist, father of two boys & a friend. Was a 3 part talk. First, to both parents & boys. Second, to parents alone. Third, to the boys. End result. To get the boys to agree to a time table. Where the hours for Rest, Spare, Meals, Subjects are all clearly defined. Where the expectations on either side are spelt out.
Actually Luke has a time-table already. But neither of us have looked at it for the longest time. Breaches on either side have made it obselete. We really need discipline to keep to it. I'm awful at that. Truly awful. Think that's why my boys are equally, if not, more awful. This is the way I rationalise it. I'm an awful parent because I was never supervised when I was growing up. And I loathe breathing down my boys' necks. So every now and then, I get a spurt of energy and try to do that. But it is, at best, haphazard.
From listening to all that jabbering yesterday, I also realized that I hardly ever encourage or praise the boys when they do something right. Have to work on that.
Best take away that I wish to implement:
Reward effort, not results.

Friday, April 28, 2006

Cosmic Human Rebellion
That is what sin is all about.
Think LT made a good point last night when he said that most Christians tend to trivialise sin as personal bad habits....personal problems with ourselves. In his notes, he writes:

It is a cosmic rebellion against God led by the first human pair in desiring to become autonomous.
To have an independent knowledge of good and evil.
As a consequence of this fall, humans are experiencing ruptures at all levels of relationships:
Between themselves and God.
Among themselves.
Between them and nature.
Within nature.
Sin is therefore our missing the moral mark set for us by our Creator because we are all partakers in this rebellion.

Now that's worth chewing on for a while.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Bird sh*t
My friends abused me all Easter weekend about my hair. Figured there may have been some truth to the abuse. So yesterday, I told Carleen (my hairdresser) to give me a new look. Some 3 hrs later....I do look somewhat different I think. My head is considerably lighter & cooler. For the first time in my life, the top part of my head was subject to something called a wave perm - to give it some body. The last time I highlighted my head was 20 yrs ago as a college undergrad....a skunk-like orange tip front and back. This time the colour is all over and red! I'm not so sure about the cut & perm....but surprisingly, I like the colour. And so do the birds. Whilst chatting & walking around Botanics this morning with my friend Lynda.....something dropped on my head. It was bird sh*t. Can you believe that???? It was gross...so gross....

Monday, April 24, 2006


Baobei
This is my babe...my little girl. This is where she hangs out all day long...in my kitchen. If I'm sitting on that chair, she'll be sitting beneath me. This is the counter where she occasionally steals food. Sometimes the boys or I take things out of the fridge and if we don't put it further in, she can reach it. As I suspected, she missed me terribly when I took off to HK for a few days. She refused to eat. Tim had to coax her and feed her piece by piece. She was listless and mopey.
Isn't she the prettiest girl ever? Big brown eyes. Black and tan beauty. Best part is her temperament...super, super 'manja' queen.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

I can't wait....
For exams to be over. Sounds ludicrous I know. But since none of my sons are the least bit anxious (nor even aware of) the impending exams, I feel like I should be. And so I am. It's 14 days to ET's first paper and 17 days to the other two's SA's (Semestral Assessment). That's 25 days countdown to total freedom where we all can put our brains on the shelf again. Yay!
Spent the beginning of the year looking forward to Ophir & HK getaway. Those two trips came and went and lived up to high expectations. Now I guess I'm looking forward to Church Camp in June and at the moment, Taman Negara sidetrip after camp.
I also have to be more intentional about my fitness training. My plan is to celebrate my 41st birthday doing the 8km Terry Fox Run on Sentosa (up -down up- down terrain). But before that in July sometime, my lunatic ultra marathon geriatric doctor friend is coming back from HK. I want to be fit enough to run McRitchie with her.
I also have a sudden craving to play golf. It's been a very, very long time since I whacked a helpless little white ball and chung-kulled the nice fairways. Yes....have to make time for that this week. Who cares about the gezillion other things I need to do?

Saturday, April 22, 2006


The Tan Clan
L to R: Matt Matt, Timmy, Pheng, Lukey, Elliott, Han, Me

Congratulate me. I've figured out how to post pics. Ha! This is a great pic taken by Edward for the CCMC Warmth Booklet. It was tough for him to squeeze all our heads in and he had to change the camera lens a few times. Was taken a few Sundays ago after service. I had to grab the boys and stop them from playing football....and getting all hot & sweaty. Think we all look the same....like ang ku kueh.