Foggy Morning

We've crossed the one-year mark, and this morning greeted us - foggily. 

Kenji was quiet all throughout the morning, because the fog blurred his vision. He is an early riser and would get upset with the buzzing life of vehicles and other pooches (seen through his doggy lens from our 1st-floor apartment) window. But today... he was all quiet. :-D

Weather is definitely now cooler, between 15 deg - 26 deg. 

One of the things that irks me is the pool... aiyoh... not heated. Recently, I went for a swim, and it was... 22 deg. I came out freezing and had to quickly blow myself with... the hairdryer? To get instant heat. I thought maybe I should swim faster and more ferociously. Still, it didn't help. 

So I have been kinda hibernating in the gym if I want to run. I prefer the outdoors though and I finally managed to run 2 evenings ago outside. It would be probably my last run here this year, and this year, I rekindled the joy of running, thanks to Kenneth. Started running more seriously maybe Sep this year, clocking about 8 - 10km per run, twice a week, then a hiatus in Nov, and I ran again 2 evenings ago here. It was good to feel the wind in my face, and I saw this super-fit young girl training with her coach. I did several rounds round the stadium track here, and man, when she ran passed me, I could see her finesse as well as her muscular thighs and calves. The body of an athlete is beautiful to me, and speaks of the dedication, committment, perseverance and hard work. 

I saw this very inspirational running quote on Pinterest. Love it. :) 

So since I am writing about sports, well, I got to know this non-ATC Singaporean friend here through tennis. I thought Ernest has a very very good countenance. Cheerful, generous, funny, got "seng-mok"... and oh, very fit. He cracks us up with his way of saying thank you - thanks to Allah and Sheik Zayed. We play tennis together with a few others. So last night, we tennised, and then makaned together. 

Well, wages here are generally a few times higher than in Singapore, and Ernest has been here for the past 6 years, leading and conducting training at the Civil Defence Academy. Singapore lends her expertise in this area and helped to establish the Civil Defence Acacdemy here. Recently DPM came to visit this training facility and one day, I want to visit too.

So anyway, Ernest's accommodation is also paid for, and he has been living in a hotel for... 6 years. At first, I couldn't imagine how this is even possible. We stayed at Aloft for 3 months, and while it was do-able, it didn't feel like home. And then, I saw his room and.... and understood why he could stay for 6 years. This is not a serviced apartment but a hotel room, but it was tastefully and beautifully done up, and he was able to "customise"  and "decorate" it according to his preference. Here, employers typically give you a housing allowance (either in cash, or specifically for just housing). For Steve's case, it was cash and we could decide how much we wanted to spend on the accommodation. For Ernest, it has to be only for accommodation, and hence, he utilised it really well. And daily free housekeeping too. The hotel is also very beautiful - Khalidiya Tower - and it is near the Emirates Palace and Corniche. 

Well, so when I get back to SG the next month and Feb, I will contact Coach Mah again and arrange some lessons. :) It certainly feels good to smash some balls. 

And, my boss here. Super love Kenji. Incredible. He gives me the look - "so what if you are looking at me?"

DIY and Recounts

Hard at Work - In preparation for the folks coming, we decided to buy some chairs from Souq.com, and then, realised that they were actually ikea chairs and we had to fix them ourselves. :0 We had bought stuff from souq.com several times already, but... haha, this time, had we known, we would have just gotten them from ikea, and with points too.
But nonetheless, the DIY part in me got down to action. To make it fun, we played a game and see who could complete each chair faster. And... wow, he is 4 times faster than me. 😱
My poor hands are tired now. Kenji also thinks it is a game to him.



We have been meeting different ones these few weeks, and I kinda muse a little about these.
Because in SG, we would never really have gotten together so deliberately just to eat a meal together. Haha, and even to meet my friends' families??
Still, it is a good thing to get together and have a meal, fellowship, talk and laugh.

One of those - we did a day trip into Dubai and ate at the Mall of the Emirates. There's a skiing facility just right in the mall. Skiing in the desert - how creative and oxy-moronic. We were at Cheescake Factory and could see the ski slopes just right by our window.
Talking about Dubai, I thought it felt very much like SG, and the modern facades, super skyscrapers, bright lights and big malls - while very man-made, speaks of how there has been thoughtful planning and how much a country can progress, in just a matter of decades. Reminds me of how 2 years ago, we could have been living in Dubai instead. For now though, I really like Abu Dhabi - it is quieter, more spacious, less harried and more nature. Anyway, we had a great time with XY and her mum. So cool to be travelling with mummy at our age, I thought.

See the ski slopes by our window. It looks... unreal.


And to travel to Dubai, it takes just about 1.5 hours each way. 说近不近说远不远。So, I drove.  And, I still find it pretty exhilarating to drive and really, thank God for this opportunity for re-doing my driving after 15(?) years? I still need to be careful though on the road. Steve snapped this while I was driving and said I looked so tense. Haha... the outside world is a whirl. Of course I must concentrate on driving.


And makan with Kawan, and makan with Safrah and family at one of the Chinese restaurants here. Maybe I go there a bit too often... I have become the 常客。While home-cooked meals are still undoubtedly the best, it is so convenient to have "Noodle Bowl" (as they are called) just right by our apartment.


I met Martin too... new-found respect for those in the business world. While we previously met in church and meetings weekly, again, like I said, we had never sat down together and ate a meal, just the 3 of us. Maybe being away somehow brings people closer? He was here for his car business and for F1.

Yas Mall - 2nd biggest mall in UAE. :)) Beautiful place where Ferrari World is too.
And oh, we deliberately tried to capture into the photo a local feel. I have met several locals and found them to be very open, chill and friendly, even towards Kenji. One of them lives in the same area and has a dog herself too.


And then his friends went back to Dubai without him first, and so, Steve and I did a midnight adventure and sent him back to Dubai. Spur of the moment. How fun. How blessed it is to laugh and just spend time together. Whirlwind night adventure. I miss the leaders group, the weekly spending time together, that injection of faith, that journeying and serving together.



December is a time of consolidation, thanksgiving, catching up, spending time with family and loved ones. I think about my mum and sis, the church and cg, the office folks. In the midst of all the busyness, time slows down a little in December.
Christmas 2017 too shall soon come. May the love of Christ continue to shine in all that I do. :)

慕い求めます

もう長い間に、日本語で書きなかった。けど。。。困った時、日本のこといつも突然思えだします。今の私は神様の恵をお願い致します。言葉も言えないで。

昨日、とても美しい賛美を聞きましたが。。。。歌は”慕い求めます”。

徹夜で寝ることをできなかった。。。いつも賛美を聞きながら感動して涙も出ました。なぜ？もう自分の弱さをよく知っているから。。。力がないとき、神様がずっと私のそばにいるから。

イエス愛します　愛します心注ぎ

ただあなただけ　慕い求めます

イエス愛します　愛します心注ぎ

ただあなただけ　慕い求めます

溢れる　溢れる　あなたを慕う思い

御そばに引き寄せて主よ　慕い求めます

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH_F0yAVcH4&list=PL-1nd41aIWEtujQLmZr2zWWhjjb_Tb9Kt

Reflective Saturday Morning

I woke up to these lyrics in my mind....

我不是沉默的羔羊
我有话要讲
给我一点酒 让我有勇气
向你吐露我的悲伤

These lyrics were in my latent memory. I remember following every episode of then-epic drama starring Li Nanxing and Zoe Tay. I thought - how strange... how could I even remember these lyrics. And then, these lyrics are so reflective of life. I feel old. But as Steve and I pondered the song, l realised that this is so reflective of life. The being-misunderstood, the many layers of hurt, harsh life experiences - many times they make us who we are today, and even if we want to pour our emotions out, say it to someone, sometimes, we just don't have that courage to. And, a good drink does help. :D

After lunch, I googled the song, and found this on youtube. To be honest, I don't recall the full lyrics or the whole song, but as I listened and understood the lyrics at this point in my life, I think it is a beautiful song. It ended with hope. It ended with how we could still shine and make a difference. Even the video captures darkness-turn-into-light. :))


我不是沉默的羔羊

Then, Daphieee asked me something... that once again sparked off some serious reflection and thinking.



Wow... I agree with the pastor. Being accountable to a mentor / leader is a good thing, but no matter how accountable, whether you are entirely truthful, really want to change, it will ultimately be up to the individual. And... that's why we need God in our lives. It has to be between me and Him ultimately. If struggles and issues can be solved by man, then we don't need Him in our lives anymore. There is no need for that sacrifice, that communion anymore. Just my reflections and pondering... I feel that deep down, we all know that we need some form of outlet. For me, of course there will always be people around me who can hear me out. But my most innermost thoughts, my struggles.... these things are so so very private. While I journal and share my life, some things, are not so easily shared. So I do need a certain outlet, to find that place of solace, to pour out my heart to the One who will understand, who can identify and share my pain. That is my secret place... between God and me.
Hence, I am really thankful for God in my life... when I can't anymore, He can and He is always there to help me. :))

So, yes today started out reflective.
I think about work and about the new journey ahead. I shall write about that one day too.

Today, I did housework, and I am going to listen to service now.
Later, I will do some readings, then play tennis. :))
Thankful for the weekend; thankful for my friends.


Candlelight Service @ CHC

Whirlwind week

Such a great and fulfilling week for me. :) 
As I prepare myself for 2018 work, am feeling excited and I wonder how I can even more effectively contribute, especially on remote work. This year, and next year - are years of change and new things, and I will, continue to stay hopeful and trust God every step of the way.

So yesterday, I had the privilege to join the CEO of Capitala and his team to host a group of NUS students on a Middle East Study Visit. It was really a good time of engagement and sharing, and I thought the kids were very very bright and curious. One of them chose to do an internship in Israel, in a tech company. If only we had such chances when we were in university. :) These kids made me think of myself when I was much younger.
I felt like I was SSG's spokesperson as I shared about SkillsFuture, remote work, future of work and learning. :-D
I felt... that I was sowing seeds into the younger generation, into future, and was greatly blessed myself.


And I also had my first FIFA game experience yesterday. Watched the Semi-Finals with Steve and Ernest, and wow, while it was a pretty one-sided match, the game brought the people together and I could only imagine how electrifying it would be to watch a Liverpool game. Real Madrid won, and we saw Christiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale score against Al Jazira's one goal. :)) It was a great experience in itself just soaking in the atmosphere. When I was young, I was fascinated with stadiums and their spotlights, and would marvel at the architecture of stadiums and imagine how it was like to feel the cheers and roars. Beautiful night.

And Alibaba Cloud is FIFA's key partner. Relating to my work, and how the future would be powered by AI, cloud technologies, etc, Alibaba Cloud hopes to combine soccer and technology to bolster the sport's impact on the public, to show how technology can bring new aspects of fun and enjoyment to sports fans, including those who might have barriers to access or participate - inclusive technology.
I also witnessed how FIFA uses Video Assistant Referees (VAR) last night, and that effectively ruled out 3 goals "scored".


See... and feel the roar.

And the highlight of the week was having Sabrina around, and for a chance to meet DPM in person. :)) it was so good!! We brought Sabrina along to the Amb's residence, and I thought DPM's sharing resonated well with us. How we make friends with different countries; we are a small nation, and we prepare ourselves for our future.


Thankful that Sabrina came. Just fellowshipping, eating, touring Abu Dhabi. These things were all great fun. As friends, we encourage each other, support each other and pray for each other. Enough already. :-D

I never visited the mosque in the night / evening before, and it was really truly beautiful.



Marina Mall Area and UAE Heritage Village that showcases UAE's heritage. It is my 2nd trip to Heritage Village, the first being to bring the WorldSkills Group there. :)) The hand-woven carpets are beautiful!



And chilling, eating dinner at our place, and going grocery shopping together! Thank you Sabie for always being such a great friend, that listening ear, and in walking this faith journey together.


Greedy Kenji. 😍


Thank you Sabie. :))


Yay, and Starwars night soon, and Kel and gang coming!

UAE National Day

2 Dec, Sat, is the UAE National Day, and it is a whole lead-up to the National Day celebrations here. It's the 46th year here, and celebrations, and great sales, abound. :)

So today, while just being thankful that it's been a year (almost) here, we had a simple dinner and then Viven came over for a drink. The boys are still talking and chatting animatedly and so, I decided I will do a random post. 

Learning - The ATCs do amazing things. I look at their manual, and tried to understand what they need to know. I was speechless. How could anyone learn this? And...  more than that... I wondered who designed this? But, I am sure God wires all of us differently, and there are brains in this world that enjoy such jobs and excel in them. 

UAE Colours - I have grown over time to appreciate this place. :) And in this UAE celebratory season, I found the colours resonating with me - the green, red, white and black. 

White for peace and honesty, red for hardiness, bravery, strength and courage, green for hope, joy, love and optimism and black for the defeat of enemies or strength of mind. 

See the beautiful colours created and performed by the Al Forsan Aerobatic Flight Team during F1 last week. 

And even the chocolates and cookies are packaged in UAE flag colours.

Friendship - precious indeed. :) Finally met up with Viven after more than a month due to all the travels and absence. He... is the same as before, and tonight, the conversations are likely to continue till late. I am just listening in as they talk about work, the complexities of managing AUH, about SG controllers, etc. 

And, I love my new work desk. :)

It's no longer straining on my eyes as now, the desk is bigger and has a longer width. :) 

I am so looking forward to meeting Sabie, and Kel and gang. 

December is gonna be fun and cosy. 

Just-In-Time Learning

I am feeling so proud of myself.
I wanted to open the bottle of red wine from Serbia, but I couldn't get the cork out with our "weird" corkscrew. Steve is working night shift, and Viven doesn't seem to be around...

So, I googled and found some brilliant solutions.
Basically, use a book.

See: https://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/10-absolutely-ingenious-ways-open-wine-without-corkscrew-0163021/

The lady did it in less than 20 knocks.
I decided to try it. 
First round - 78 knocks...
Then 90 knocks...
Then 60 knocks...?!?!?!



Give up? My arms felt sore and tired. Give up?
NOOOOOOO.
I had to keep at it since it looked like it was beginning to inch out.
Steve said it looked bogus...

Finally...
4th round - At the 28th knock this round... IT POPPED!!



Haha, this is JIT learning. 
I learnt something new tonight. 

お疲れ様でした to myself. :D

The most beautiful season of the year

Christmas is coming. 💗
With it, somehow, the season becomes that bit more filled with love, hope, joy and peace.

I tumbled and fell

It happened just too quickly that I could only remember that should I hit the bottom of the escalator, I need to be quick enough to push myself and roll over that gap so that I, or my hair, would not get stuck in that elevator gap.

We were leaving Abu Dhabi airport and were going up the escalator when this happened. Steve was in front of me with his suitcase and before he went up the escalator, he asked me if I would be okay lugging my suitcase up the escalator too. I cheerfully responded, "Yes, no problem."

And the next thing I knew, I was tumbling down the escalator, the suitcase first, and then I followed. He said I tumbled and rolled over a few times. 

And I knew I had to get myself to safety. As much as I tried, I wasn't able to force myself up because of the escalator momentum  and I just kept tumbling down the steps as the escalator moved upwards. So my mind was swirling. I only knew that I must not hit the bottom step. 

And I did not; I was one step from the bottom. Because suddenly, a pair of strong arms lifted me up. And the escalator stopped moving. 

I never felt such emotions before, such kindness (it is not even the word that is apt here) before. For this first time, I really cannot express how I felt, except that when I saw that he was an Indian man, I just felt that it was the first time I had clearly looked at humanity, mankind, and there was such love - to save, to help, to care. He was likely a foreign worker here, doing his best to make ends' meet for his family at home. It was mayhem to me, but this man ran up the escalator, and with him was the other Indian man who rushed to hit the emergency stop button, and other Etihad and airport staff running over. There was a huge amount of assurance, relief... and safety, as I was lifted up. 

In SG and in Abu Dhabi, there are many Indians living amongst us, and all along, I had known diversity and appreciated the differences ... but last night, for the first time, I felt that race is a beautiful thing. We are all unique, but we are all made to feel, care for, love, help, care... and these universal unspoken feelings and emotions make us all the same. 

I really found myself unable to express how I felt. Because honestly, it was the first time I felt like this. 

I got some blue blacks and scratches, but that's about it all. Thankfully, I had changed to jeans instead of slacks though I thought it would have been more comfortable to be in slacks in the plane. I had wanted to put the jeans into the suitcase to further cushion the wine we bought, but it was a good thing I wore jeans as they protected my knees and legs. 

And... Steve kept saying sorry to me. I looked at him as the escalator stopped abruptly, and I just saw him totally in shock too. He kept saying sorry but I really really did not blame him at all. There was no way he could have helped me. Because if he let go of his suitcase, it too would tumble over, hit him and me together too. And I was not the slightest bit angry; he thought I might have been as he couldn't help me at all. 

That moment and the moments thereafter, it was just internal, it was just reflective. I could not blame anyone. I did not know how I had fallen. I had gone up the escalator with my suitcase before. All I felt was a strong reflective and somber realization that I am getting older, weaker, and that my strength would fail. That what I think I can handle and do, I really do not know better. I started to realize even more so, that I am so "fallible". There was really nothing I could do when I just tumbled over. Even when I thought I could have the strength to push myself into a sitting position on the moving escalator, I couldn't.

I was really very touched when Steve just hugged me and said sorry repeatedly. 

It must have been the worst ever feeling - he said he felt totally helpless and there was nothing he could do for me when I just tumbled, even if he wanted to. I tried to imagine how it would have been if he had fallen. I honestly do not know. I would have felt sick to the pits, knowing that there was nothing I could do. 

This episode is yet another reason why 2017 has been such a year. :)

I am truly grateful and thankful, that even in the tumbling, God has shown me His grace and protection. I would continue to feel the physical bruises for a while, but I pray... that God will always help me remember that I am not so strong, so that I can lean on Him daily even more. And in Him, I will find the strength and refuge; that it be not by my own might or strength, but by His Spirit.  

Bye Beograd

This is about a post of the white city Belgrade, capital of Serbia, and its many everyday “adventures” for the past 1.5 weeks. It is a pretty unusual travel journey, because for one of the rare times, we decided to just “feel” and decide, and not be harried by the need to visit many different places or cover all the touristy "must-dos". And at the end of this trip, I must say I look back and thought it was just a very enjoyable holiday.

In a nutshell, Belgrade is called the White City because when it was discovered, apparently there were huge slabs of white stones (limestone) and bel means white and grade means city. It is also not an expensive city, ranked 421 out of 500+ cities in the whole world, and the average monthly salary is just about SGD$650. Serbia had a war-torn history, part of the previous Yugoslavia, and had communist remnants. In the last 29 years, the Serbians saw 4 passport changes, and now, there is the disputable Kosovo conflict as well as their waiting to join EU. Over the course of 1.5 weeks, we visited museums, spoke to different guides… and the above, summed up a quick overview of Serbia and Belgrade.

And so… with the above (which you can easily google), I shall journal some personal reflections and thoughts of this trip.

I personally so enjoyed this holiday because it is really a holiday. We slept enough, had 3 (and more than 3) full meals daily though these meals were mostly just simple stuff. I discovered this really delicious Serbian pastry, and found out it was called Serbian Strudel, and it was made of poppy seeds. Meals with Steve… were great sources of conversations, and I think we went to proper restaurants perhaps only 2 times throughout this entire trip, mainly to experience the Skadarlija bohemian lover street. Most often, we ate at the local Chinese food shop, and dinner time was just spent eating rice with vegetables, mushrooms, chicken / beef. But I love it. This Chinese blood in me… as long as there is the familiar soya and Asian taste, it is enough. If Abu Dhabi has such variety, I would be most happy.

And then, I love our times chilling at cafes and exploring the area by foot… We would do all the touristy things of course, and we walked and walked, and walked and walked. We went to the zoo, visited Nikola Tesla museum and the Military Museum, went to a prisoner torture exhibition, visiting gardens and parks, did day trips out of Belgrade to Budapest and Novi Sad, went to a winery, joined the local walking tours, went on a historical communist tour, did an underground tunnel tour, went to an underground pub, met some new international friends, went to visit their orthodox churches, watched a movie (Thor) and ate popcorn, visited local markets, etc, etc.

Beautiful Serbia

Serbia in the night

He says he has superb photography skills. I think - yeah, not bad. :-D

Haha... but I think my skills also not bad right. And I capture the animals.

Of cats and dogs

New friends found underground

I wanna drive this old Yugo.

Tall Serbian people

Visiting the Military Museum

The external exhibits - day and night shots

Prisoner Torture Exhibition

In Budapest

Beautiful Budapest

Rural and quiet town Novi Sad

While the visits were enriching and enjoyable, the best times during this trip were just spending time together - talking and chilling over coffee and drinks. Because we would talk about all these short visits we have been on - discussing how it was during the war, how it must be a different experience to live in a country where winters are so cold and summers so hot, how we could get so up close with the animals, how if only the place were much more taken care of (you could still see ruins, remains of construction that had stopped, etc), tourism might have boomed, the different government systems, how the wine and rakja (local fruit brandy) were so tasty, how affordable the prices here were, how breakfast daily was so yummy, how Serbian people are so tall and generally the women are very beautiful, how cold and windy it was at times. 
Conversations were never static and it was not just about Serbia. We talked about Liverpool and how they had been winning and maybe we should have been in London, only for them to draw 3-3 when they were up 3-0 last night… talked about SG MRT woes, shared our dreams and aspirations, reflected about 2017, talked about family, about Kenji, about 2018, about my work and his, about how different both of us are, and he always likes to ask me this – so did your friends text you? And time just passed like this.

Both Steve and I are really quite different. We did the pymetric test in this trip, and it was so funny that what was assessed was true to a really huge extent. So this is the part – apparently I am a high risk-taker and he is so so so not… we had a super huge laugh. 

Well, this is the story. Because we had only booked our accommodation for the first 3 nights (based on this trip philosophy that we would have a different adventure, to feel and decide where we wanted to go as the trip unfolded, and then decide where to stay for the remaining segments of the trip), we found out that we were really really very different. For me, I would think – aiyoh, why did he need to think so long to make a decision on where to stay? Just read the reviews, feel it, sense it, if need be, just drop in and visit (and we did... we visited 4 accommodation choices) and then, just book. He would however, spend a lot of time thinking through the various shortlisted hotels, read them a thousand times, think and then re-think, and then re-think again, and then asked me which accommodation I prefer, and when I suggested “A”, he would go… how about “B”, “C” or “D”? And then the whole process repeats itself. 

Of course, I am drawing a parallel of our experiences to the risk-appetite results, but it was just pretty hilarious. In the end, to me, we human beings are super adaptable… so whichever place we stayed, we enjoyed it. And if you want to know, we stayed at a few different places, from the luxurious Marriott at one end of the spectrum, to a 2.5 star kinda backpackers accommodation.

We are so different. I think the person who took this pic for us has the best photography skills. :-D

Happy Cafe Times

And of course, you can see all the beautiful pictures taken of the trip, and beautiful they are. J 

But regardless, these would too become just a beautiful memory. Like the many trips we had done. And one day, these too would become a topic… Ey, u remember the lady you gave an electric shock to at the breakfast café? I somehow zapped her with my finger and she screamed a little and her colleagues, esp that one female colleague, laughed so loudly at her. And.... 

Ey, how did I ever capture such a picture?  What are they staring at, and why do they look so intense?

Beautiful moments cannot be summed up enough in a post like this, or just from looking at the pictures taken. However, these pictures and this journal do sum up the “now”. While I learn from the past and look forward to the future, one key thing 2017 has taught me was how I can live in the present, enjoy the moment and give thanks. So while this chapter in cold Serbia shall also become a beautiful memory and a chapter of our lives in future, for the now, I am thankful and happy that we had a super awesome 12 days.

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“I’m alive,” he said to the boy, as they ate a bunch of dates one night, with no fires and no moon.

“Because I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. You’ll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living right now.”

…

But the boy was quiet. He was at home with the silence of the desert, and he was content just to look at the trees. He still had a long way to go to reach the pyramids, and someday this morning would just be a memory. But this was the present moment – the party the camel driver had mentioned – and he wanted to live it as he did the lessons of his past and his dreams of the future. Although the vision of the date palms would someday be just a memory, right now it signified shade, water, and a refuge from the war. Yesterday, the camel’s groan signaled danger, and now a row of date palms could herald a miracle.

(Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist)