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) 

Time of the night @ Rihan Heighs, Abu Dhabi

SIMPLE THINGS

It's been a good and productive day, with me waking up at 630am for a skype call.

It's getting a little colder, but all is well. :) 

Today, simple things make me happy - like walking Kenji... I just love Kenji so much that it was hard for us to leave him at the pet boarding facility today. He was so panicky, so scared. I wondered what went on in his brain. We would never leave him nor discard him because we love him so much.
And, see his smug face here. He knows he is NOT allowed on the sofa, but yet, he would secretly get on it when we are not paying attention or when we are not home. The evidence is always the warmth, the fur, and sometimes, the saliva he leaves on the sofa. 

Today, I went for my first night swim too. I am so glad I decided to "just do it". The water was slightly warm, it was quiet in the water and I had the whole pool to myself. The pool was just beautiful, and as I swam away, again, I thank God for the past few weeks and His love in my life. I also made certain decisions in my heart; come God, continue to lead me and help me, I prayed.

And I like the girlish things. I went for my first gell manicure too... and am liking it! Rihan Heights has everything I need, for me at least, and so these pretty nails will be with me through Serbia. :-D

Finally, tonight, I thank God for the people He has placed in my life.

Thank God for great friends and colleagues, and the various ones who have made a difference in my life, especially those in these last 2 - 3 months who have journeyed with me through particular moments. 

Thank God for family and my mum.

Thank God for Steveywonder. 
And I thank God for strength, for His provision, for His grace. 

The Unspoken Language

The language of thankfulness

The language of love

Is many times unspoken

I have grown over the last few years to realize and understand

That the most important things are felt, are unseen materially

Trips back to Singapore, I always feel so blessed

Indeed people are the most important

I was asked - what makes you feel fulfilled

I answered - people 

I came with a decision to make

I left; a decision yet unmade

I know; that God is really doing a work in my heart

I am conflicted in many ways

In love, relationships, career

Pride, fear, sin - they ensnare

But God, you always reveal

You always protect

Each day, while a struggle, is a step-by-step

So I can conclude today

That it has been a worthwhile day

Worthwhile living, discovering, understanding, trusting

Today, I choose to say

Thank you Jesus

Thank you my Lord 

"It was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time... There is only that moment, and the incredible uncertainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love... Without such love, one's dreams would have no meaning." - Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Beautiful Sisterly Love

Thank you Dearies. 
I realized... we have a little blue in each one of us...
ZH, yours is Dark Blue. :D

Thank you for the laughter, the memories, the fellowship! 

My Sanctuary @ Pasir Ris Beach

One of the first things I wanted
Is retrace this familiar path
515 I started
One end to the other
My feet - on fire

I've spent many dusks here
My sanctuary, my quietness
As I sit at the breakwater
The running and the tiredness
The adrenaline and the calmness

As the sun sets slowly
Orange rims, gentle breeze
As the day draws to an end
My energy returns
And I stand again.



夕阳无限好，只是近黄昏

Plane Rides

[Written Last Night In the Sky]

“The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah”

Psalms 24:1-6 NKJV

********

Tonight, I take the night flight back to Singapore. As I look at the vast land and the lights, the Lord’s creation of beauty in the night, I’m reminded of how BIG our God is. That He alone is the creator of the heavens and earth, His majesty and beauty – how can we ever comprehend and behold?

I like plane rides. To be specific, I do not enjoy the long distance rides in cramped small spaces, but I like the solitude, the fact that I am cut off from everyone else, that no one can call me, that I am in my own space. It is a luxury seldom afforded in our busy world. So I will take time to think about the weeks passed as well as what would unfold ahead.

I try to buy and read a book each time I travel, usually from the bookstores at the airports. That’s how I first started reading Murakami Haruki, how I first read about North Korea (and eventually deciding to do a trip there), how I fell in love with Chinese dynasties, their kings and the concubines – the stories of politicking, winning the fancy of the King, etc. One time, I recall someone asked me why I like the Chinese Gong Ting stories so much. It’s because it’s so reflective of everyday life; we are all creatures made to desire, to love, to win, and in the midst, the backbiting, the scheming. But most of all, I like how good always triumphs evil in the end. I like to see how “the weak” becomes “strong”, the “last” becoming “first”, the “kind” trumps the “schemer”. Story writers are so amazing. Their uncanny ability to bring the plot to life, to draw us into another world – such gift.

Tonight, I fly with some mixed feelings.
Of course I am anxious about work-related matters and the next steps for me.

But I stand upon the promise of Psalm 90:12-17 (MSG), that God alone establishes and affirms the work that we do, and that the loveliness of God will rest on us. I like a post that was mentioned by TCJ in 2013; it resonates with me.

I look back at the past 8 months. It’s been a thrilling ride. If I had not decided to be bold, let go and step out, I wouldn’t have experienced a new life, richer and more meaningful friendships, taken driving and now navigating left-hand drive in a foreign land (it is still exciting to me), made myself cook, experienced “when faith and fear collide”, tried to assimilate into a new culture, took on an Arabic conversational course, brought Kenji over to a foreign land etc. Perhaps, I had to dig into the core of what I consider really most important to me to make decisions, and that, I will continue to do. 

The Lord is indeed far bigger than I can ever think of or imagine. 

Snippets of life in Abu Dhabi - 简单就是幸福

This trip back here feels like it's been the longest though it's been only slightly more than a month. Many times, different ones would ask me how I spend my days here. I feel - 简单就是幸福 (simplicity is happiness). 

I am glad that we have a nice apartment to live in. It's a one-bedder unit but it has everything we need, including simple furnishings. And given that I enjoy swimming and running, with the gym and Zayed Sports City just here,  I am pretty much settled into this place happily. We are able to do all we need - cook, host (a few) guests, sleep well, watch Liverpool... and being small, cleaning is also much easier.









The weather here is starting to get cooler. In July, it was HOT and several days, morning walks were drenched in sweat, and night humidity would cause Kenji to sneeze. Haha. He really would sneeze. But now, it's really enjoyable and many times, with a slight breeze. As usual, I enjoy my walks with Kenji very very much. He is NAUGHTY! Loves to pick tennis balls, growl at other dogs... but I just love his curiosity and zest for walks. While it is the same area we walk, he is still so sure he would discover something new every walk. During the walks with him, I reflect, pray, thank God that He has given us this new chapter. While much goes through my mind, I wonder what Kenji always thinks about.



And I like how he contemplatively looks out of the window daily.... What does he think of the world and us human earthlings?



It's also been good just to get back into tennis action. It's really been a while! I might look like I'm drenched in sweat... but it was really because it was just too humid. :) I look forward to tennis with Kenneth when I go back to SG. 
Also love the dusk and how the whole tennis arena looks simply beautiful. 



So, my daily life consists of cooking too. I never really enjoyed cooking and till now, I would say I'd rather wash up than cook. However, here, I have to, cos I really crave the Asian taste. And hence, I try. Today, I added a new dish to my culinary repertoire. Everyday, it's really the same dish(es). :0 But that's me. If I like one thing, I stick to it.... for a loooooong time. So it's been salmon and salmon and more salmon. But today, I did pomfret! And Steve says it's nice! Ha ha ha ha. He has to put up with salmon daily and I really appreciate that. :)))




Life wouldn't be complete too without meaningful friendships. :) Thankful for the Singaporean friends here and I'm glad that I've started to get to know a few more people better.  It's just warmer when you know you can share life, and drinks, with friends. :)) The SG national day celebration just a few days back was a very good reminder of SG being home, and made me think of my family and loved ones. Of course, any time I miss home, I can just skype or even book an air ticket back. This feeling is really very different from 10 years ago, when I remember I was so homesick in Japan. The wonders of technology bridges distance.

And Steve and me would explore new places, take walks, go about the usual grocery supermarket shopping, love Keni :) It seems same same, but I'm just glad that through the years, simple things bind us together more, and that we could still communicate and understand each other. Today, I read something which is so beautidul - this author wrote about how it takes time to seek to listen and sometimes, just asking the person how his / her day has been, and taking a genuine interest, can be one of life's best gifts. This is priceless to me. 





Tonight, as the day draws to a close, I give God thanks for all that He's doing in my life, and how He's daily helping me in my weaknesses and struggles.
In Him, I become stronger. :)

2 Cor 12:9-11 (NKJV)
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.