2020 Birthday

2020 has been one kind of a year. 2020 in my childhood dreams would have been the year a grand country-wide celebration was held, there would be flying cars and skyscrapers everywhere. Well, we’re not THAT far off.

But in reality, it’s been a year the whole world had a moment to pause the usual routine. Change things up a ‘little’. Wasn’t a great year for me as there were so many changes, it got to the point where I’m numb to the changes. Bad for my faculty and students as they find it difficult to cope with it.

But what is this in comparison to the sacrifices others have? Our frontliners? Those whose industry literally collapsed?

Having thought of these things, there really isn’t much to say about my birthday but rather perhaps a moment of silence to acknowledge the suffering so many are going through. How apt it is that Christmas is around the corner because once upon a time, some thousand years ago, a nation was also facing its own kind of challenges and hope arrived, in the form of a humble baby, born to be the world’s Saviour and King.

This is what the world needs right now.

To my son

I’m writing this as a memory keepsake to show my son 10 years from now.

We’re walking to the bedroom to go to bed.
E: Mom, I want to hold your hand because you’re my best friend in the whole wide world.

Another 2 years

Wow. 2 years have passed already? It’s moving way too fast, though I must admit that there are times I wished time would pass faster, but there are just some beautiful moments that I wished time would stay still – just for a little while.

Now juggling with a husband whose workload jumped a notch and completing his masters, as well as two bouncing children, with never ending laughter, smiles – and whines and cries. Throw in a climbing and progressing a career mixed in with my own masters to study; 2017 and the years to follow will definitely be no easy feat. Sure, there are days where complaints are overflowing and I wished I didn’t have to do the things I’m doing, but there are times, I’m really thankful I have a husband with a steady job, albeit with challenges and chances to grow, that I have two very healthy and beautiful children, who can walk, talk and interact. I’m also thankful for the opportunities that lie before me at work to climb the ladder and lead an impactful academia life.

The usual request for prayers are always in. Lord, for when I’m weak, You are strong. Your grace is made perfect in my weaknesses and imperfection. When I fall short, please fill my gaps and guide me to what You want me to be. May my life be a reflection of Your glory and goodness. Use me in the challenges and abundance that surround me.

Here’s to another year of growth and a life enveloped with love!

Happy 33rd!

10 years with Apple

The release of the recent iPhone X as its 10th year milestone brings back memories of how long I have been an Apple family member. From my first purchase, which was the 3rd generation iPod Nano, to the iPhone 3GS, then the iPhone 4s and made it last until my latest iPhone 6s. Little by little, Apple has been so integrated into my digital environment, now that I’m also using a MacBook Air and even owning an Apple TV at home.

Sure, many will criticize to say that Apple’s technology is lagging behind the others and that its prices are climbing, but at this point of time, it is difficult to move away from the Apple ecosystem. Question is do I continue my relationship with Apple or is it time to cut ties and find a better partner?

New journey

This is probably the umpteenth time I’ve said this about reviving my poor ol’ dying blog and this will probably be another feeble attempt to do so. I longed to have the luxury of time to be able to sit quietly to write, but unfortunately that commodity is truly precious and rare to come by. Y’know how we were once told that “Time is gold”? I never truly understood it as a high school student when it was just one of those essay titles, but now, it rings so true. However, this is also not to say that my time has been spent on worthless things though. A big chunk of my time is still precious nevertheless because it’s spent with my beloved children and I love it no less.

2017 has been a year of many beginnings and challenges. First off, we started the year juggling between an attention-deprived toddler and a baby growing faster than he should. Next in the mix was Adrian’s MBA classes sandwiched in every other possible weekday and weekends. Stirred in are the other commitments I felt burdened to take up with the worship ministry at church. Now come September, both of us have decided to top it off with more responsibilities. If you were wondering if it’s baby number 3 – it’s thankfully not. Adrian just started a new, more demanding job while I signed up to study the first year of the Masters of Medical Education.

Crazy? Absolutely! We are both probably bordering a manic phase at the moment. However, I am excited with the challenges to come and yes, we admit that these will be very difficult and stress-inducing seasons ahead of us, but hey, what is life without a good ride, eh?

Coveting your prayers.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

Therefore my heart celebrates,

and I give thanks to him with my song.

Psalm 28:7

Things my girl says

C (to me): I’m a princess. You’re a queen. Daddy’s a king and Ezra is a prince.

Me: That’s right.

C: What is grandma?

Me: A queen.

C: A queen AGAIN??

Birth announcement 2

Meet my handsome son, Ezra Seng born on 8 August 2016 at 11:23 pm. Weighing not much less from his sister at 3.44kg.

Things my girl says

“I close my eyes, I can’t see!!”

Underwater themed birthday party

Time really flies.

Every time I hear the New Year’s countdown and watch the fireworks, I feel like I’ve been transported back in time again to that little labour room suite and I can hear the beeping machine sounds going in the background. The beauty of this yearly visual display is that it reminds me to be thankful for the beauty that is asleep on the couch.

Chloe came down with a surprising fever a day before her birthday. That wasn’t a good sign. Adrian and I have been planning her birthday bash for at least a month now. Our decorations were in place, the caterers have been reserved, the door gifts have been assembled and the guests have been invited. There was no way we could pull out now. Our girl will just have to go through the party pumped with paracetamol… and she was. Thankfully she didn’t have any other symptoms like a bad cough or diarrhea because that would have been awful.

We chose an underwater theme for her 2^nd birthday simply because Chloe loves swimming. She enjoys it so much, that the cold pool water wouldn’t deter her and she would not hesitate to jump into an adult pool even before we would. To add to that, she is a good swimmer too albeit with floats. (It’s time for us to send her for swimming classes soon)

We took a lot of effort to try to decorate our condo’s function room to make it look like the sea as possible although it is quite an impossible feat considering the size of the room and our budget. Even our main food display had a lot of elements of the sea, be it fish crackers, octopus sausages, watermelon shark, fish candy, blue jelly and blue coloured drinks.

The children definitely enjoyed it with some swimming in the pool and a big castle inflatable to jump in. There were plenty of balloons to share around as well. I know Chloe definitely enjoyed it and she did not seem ill at all that night – thankfully!

Can’t believe my little baby is now a little girl who can run, jump, dance and talk.

Happy 2^nd Birthday, Chloe!