句点。新年。For a most special friend

The full-stop is an amazing creation.

The language before; the language after.

It speaks of a whole experience prior,

And it speaks of the end of that.

What happens after could be related.

Or it could be of closure and newness.

And hence, there is an end to the past.

Before the start of another.

“Let Go and Let God” comes to mind.

It is easy to utter this, sometimes too casually.

The actual process is tougher; the living it through can be excruciating.

That’s when the humble full-stop comes to mind;

句点and its 含义comes alive.  

And that’s when I say that Chinese New Year is so good too.

Because both speak of a new beginning.

The Chinese New Year gives us a second chance.

No matter how much we foul up Jan 1,

The Chinese New Year comes again,

Like the passover, with the blood of the Lamb.

To remind us that the year ahead can still be good.

To remind us of new hopes, new dreams, new beginnings.

It is like the humble full stop.

The old has passed away; behold all things,

Have once again become new.

So I will take heart, and I know you will too.

MacRitchie Adventure

I thought I might have just fallen in love again… with trail running. 😊 

Did Macritchie reservoir 3 times the last 2 weeks, and I was just happy to run and explore. The first 2 times, I went alone, and it was mostly along the boardwalk, but last Saturday, I went with Perry, and it was my first attempt at running through the trails. I have always enjoyed hiking and have done different hikes in Japan and Nepal, but with running through it, and keeping myself focused whether uphill or downslope, it is both a challenge and strangely therapeutic.

As I run upslope, I will breathe harder, and it is tiring. I try to focus by counting in my mind to reach, say 20. My muscles will protest and I will just tell myself that I am almost reaching the end of the slope. But I think running down slope is more difficult, especially when the terrain was slippery due to a rain before the run. At some points in time, I thought I might slip. But mostly, it is the thought, or the fear that causes me to stop as I consider if I would actually fall. Perry simply looked back and said, hey, you can do it. And I realized that if I stopped and tried to walk thinking that it was slippery, it was actually tougher than if I were to just step out, concentrate, continue, and trust my body movement and instinct.

When we ended, I felt I could run some more. :-D

And then along the way, I saw the army weapon storehouse (camouflaged in green), a very very old creaky wooden bridge, some fast flowing waters, signs of wildlife (since I did not actually see any except for monkeys), old structures, ran by a golf course, and went up the treetop walk. My first time here at the Treetop walk, and I thought – wow, it is very beautiful, but what a short treetop walk.

This Sat run must be one highlight of this trip back to Singapore. Perhaps it is coupled with the morning fresh air, plus a total change in environment – where nature enshrouds me and all I can think about is running, my footsteps, the terrain. It is so so different from the Mondays – Fridays of hectic SG life.

And because Lips and Daph’s place is so near to MacRitchie, I will definitely be back the next trip.

Perry says MacRitchie is linked to Bukit Timah Hill too – about 10km away. Let’s do this the next run!

Faithful Kenji

I think Kenji misses me. He keeps looking out of the balcony, looking forlorn or eagerly expecting. And my husband says he has been sitting out there the whole day, in different positions. He must be pining for me, waiting for me to appear.
Just like faithful Hachiko.

I told my wonderful husband that must be it.
Then he said - Kenji is like you, likes outdoors. Kenji is waiting to be brought out for his walk, and hence eagerly looking out. 😐


My beautiful Kenji. 💗💗💗💗

CNY 2018

CNY came. CNY is passing.
These few days were remarkably good perhaps because I have been productive.
A mixture of meeting up with family and loved ones, as well as quality lone time. 

To be honest, I do think Singapore is tiring. Perhaps because the time back is always limited. Hence, meeting up family and friends feature as high priority, amidst work. Steve forgot that his trip back to Singapore was a holiday, whereas for me, it is work-as-usual. :-D

In any case, even while the flesh is tired, I am always so happy and glad to meet up with different ones. To me, relationships are most important. People are most important.

In our busyness, how then do we strike a balance between the demands of family life, friends, church ministry, work, and all others? That requires some prioritization and planning, and also wisdom. So perhaps, these 3 weeks past, while it has been tiring, I must say it was so good too.

I also made some decisions (yet again). And this time, I will endeavour to live well. 
Today's church sermon reinforced that. While we always find ourselves surrounded by difficult moments, hope carries us forward. There is always a new beginning.

Yesterday was beautiful. I explored Macritchie Reservoir by myself. I was pretty tired after meeting 3 different groups, so Macritchie was god-sent. My antidote to tiredness and confusion is to run and sweat, to let it out. I didn't know Macritchie was just so close to Braddell Hill. The sunset was awesome. I ran through some man-made boardwalks, and also took the trail, and found myself just exploring the place, hearing my own heart-beat and breathing, occasionally stopping to take pictures of flora and fauna, and met some monkeys. I was a little worried that I will get caught in the dark but all was good. The waters were calm and green... saw lovers hand-in-hand. Ran up some inclines and enjoyed the down-slops. All in all, it was just exactly what I needed. A rest even while running. :)) I love the feeling of sore muscles and intense sweat. Love the tiredness yet the happiness. Love the calmness of the surroundings and yet the adrenalin of the run. I shall go again later.




And Chinese New Year really is a time of family reunion and celebration. I had a very good fellowship with mummy, then with parents-in-law. SUPER. Many times, it is taking a walk down memory lane as I go back home. I felt all the memories surge back, flood back. The humble 3-room HDB flat, the at-home feeling, where you can sit and sleep anywhere you want. It is after all, the place called home. May my mummy always be in good health, always know that God loves her.


Seeing Tiffany and Trevor were awesome too. :) A family makan together - all 3 of us sisters with my mum. It is really 难得。 I think mummy looks the best in her striking red blouse.


And whailin giving birth to her darling on CNY Day 2. Very very very happy for her. Super happy to see her well. :) 


And.... fellowship with Zeal - thankful that God strengthens, God restores, God heals. A walk always does wonders, especially if it is at Pasir Ris. :-D


Superb CNY Church Service - the group of friends I can always count on.
"The Lord bless you and keep you; 
The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, 
And give you peace." (Num, 6:24-26)




And I can go on and on remembering all these special moments of 2018.
But to sum it up, it is really in the quietness and trust in God that I regain strength. :) Therefore, Macritchie, here I come. :))

Beautiful Sunday morning in SG

Went for a run at East Coast Park early morning today and did my QT there. Inspired and thankful.
Daphieee and Lips really went out of the way to get their house ready for me. I can't describe how glad I am this morning, to be able to have a nice room, to look out and see the trees.
East Coast Park was just so nice. The sea, the breeze, the run, the early risers.

I am listening to Extravagant by Bethel as I enjoy my Sunday. It is the song of the season for me now. The weeks have passed by in a whirl again. With Steve here and gone in the blink of an eye, I have 2 more weeks here in SG, to spend CNY here with family and friends.

Zhihui and I shared and encouraged each other in the Lord last night. I had an episode recently that left me very saddened. Relationships and friendships are fragile. It left me so sad. But sometimes, things happen and then we move on. Still, there is hope always; He is always in control and He is love.

Singapore is just beautiful. Sundays are lovely. :)

The lovely Braddell Hill that I will call home for these 2 weeks. Love the old-estate feeling. 💗




Beautiful Sunday morning jog at ECP