A hattrick for March 2019

Image from WWW

Goal 1 ~ First time that I had lived in a hotel for two weeks; fourteen days of almost doing nothing!  Bliss!

Goal 2 ~ First time I touched sixty years of age.  Yes!  Six decades on this planet earth.  It was nice to have celebrated my birthday in beautiful Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Goal 3 ~ First time becoming a grandmother and welcoming the arrival of our grand-daughter, Cayla Gail Cheow.  Stephen and I are overwhelmed by everything about her.

I told Jared and Gwen that this is the best gift ever: a gift that will keep growing and growing.  

Image from WWW

We had breakfast with this view nearly every day.  Except for the morning of the day that Cayla Gail was born.  She is more important than food!!!

I do miss it.  I also miss the buffet spread even if I'm not a breakfast person.  I did enjoy the wide selection of local and western delights and being spoilt for choice with fruits and breads galore.  

And after breakfast, we usually return to the room and I always choose to sit by the window to enjoy the view and just feel thankful for all the blessings in my life.  I would usually read a bit while Stephen would wander off to the sauna or gym.  

I took this picture. 

For my birthday dinner, Stephen took me to the Club Lounge.  Just us, because I'm not a party person and I like things quiet and simple.

We chose to sit by the window looking at the setting sun.  This was a moment of bliss for me.  As I took in all the ups and downs in my life, I could see that it has led me to this particular place in time.  I am feeling contented with all who are around me and with me.

There weren't many people, at any one time but it made the ambience quiet and romantic!  I would like to go back again with the children.  The setting is so elegant and the food was absolutely delicious.

While not a drinker by any stretch of the imagination, I did indulge in this Singapore Sling.  I had never ever tried it even after living in Singapore for over 7 years now.  I decided that I like it very much and had two!  Heck!  I'm sixty only once!

And then, stepping out on the balcony, we had this magnificent and glorious sunset for an unforgettable and fitting close to my celebration of 60 years of living.   

I took this picture.  God's masterpiece.

At the end of any day or year or milestone, we need to reflect on all that is good in our lives.  We also need to be thankful to the people who love us, unconditionally.  

Thank you to God for an absobloominglutely unforgettable celebration of love and life.  I am so blessed.  I am so very blessed.

Guess what?  We're going back to KK again, soon!!

2016 IS HERE!

Out with the old and in with the new!

Take every chance that comes your way.

(All images from Pinterest)

In the beginning...

In the beginning, there was STEEST.

Today is the anniversary of when STEEST was born on 18 September 2008.  I started the blog on impulse and then found it to be a great platform in which I could share my memories and also release some of the pent-up emotions I kept inside.

It was always a dream to write and even when I had no audience, I enjoyed it.  My teen years were spent huddled over my desk and writing poems.  I still have some of them.  Compositions in schools were my favourite and I thank my teachers for the guidelines although I do break some of the rules now and again. 

Due to a technical glitch (meaning my itchy fingers), I lost all the images on STEEST.  It was just a stroke of blessing that I decided to create a new blogpost here on SFGEMS.

I call it a blessing because it's a timeline, a more detailed one, of what's going on in my life since I retired.  Years from now I will be able to go through the posts and see if I can remember what made me happy, sad, laugh, frown etc.  

I call it a blessing because I've made many new friends while blogging and found kindred spirits.

I call it a blessing because my blog keeps me active and grounded. It pushes me to think about everything.

Yennyways, (curi-ed this word from my friend, Pat) I will celebrate today because, well, just because....

Cheers! 

Starting Over

Stephen went back to work today and as I sat at home, after doing my chores, I thought about 2015 and what's in store for me.

It was a good quiet afternoon that ended with a nap.  When I woke up, I decided to go for a walk. Stephen started his exercise regime yesterday and told me to begin only when I feel ready.  

I am glad I went for that brisk walk.  The weather was nice and cool and I returned feeling refreshed.  I like the new route and will stick to it.  Usually I listen to the radio or youtube while I walk but today I decided to click on the Joel Osteen link that Stephen sent to me.  It was a nice change.  It was uplifting and the message was appropriate for starting over!

Stephen shares many links which he feels I will like but this is the first one in 2015 that he's asked me to listen to.  

It's amazing how a message can touch one's heart so deeply.  If you're interested to hear it, you can click this link.

All things new and beautiful.

Pic from FB

Everything is looking new around me.  Our building was repainted just before Christmas 2013.  The corridors have  been repaved.  The sheltered walkway is now in the midst of getting a new coat of paint.  Everything is looking spick and span.

While I do love some old stuff, there's something to be said about new things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In January 2013, an FB friend of mine from Oklahoma told me that I was so blessed to be living in the same city as Pastor Joseph Prince.  He suggested that I should go check it out and tell him all about it. 

I first heard of Joseph Prince from a young girl with whom I had many hours of sharing.  Both of us often talked about our faith and she had given me a glimpse of what she felt in her heart about God. Though very much younger, she was matured in her thinking and she impressed me with her philosophy about her life.

So curiousity got the better of me and on this day last year, I took the MRT to Marina Bay Sands to attend the New Creation Church service.

I was totally unprepared for the message that I heard that day.   It was like listening to an age old story but with a twist.  Somehow it made sense to me and I could relate to it.  I admit I was uncomfortable at first but I didn't feel out of place.  I didn't know anyone and nobody knew me so it was just being in the moment with God.

As I made my way home, it struck me that I was filled with a longing to know more.  It's a feeling that I had lost a long time ago and never even realised. 

When I was home, I shared my two-hour church experience with Stephen and he saw just how uplifting it had been for me.  However, that little doubtful gene in me wondered if Pastor Joseph Prince would be able to repeat his anointed preaching.  Maybe it was a one-off thing, I thought!  So I went again and once more I was so taken up by what he preached. 

Stephen was amazed at how excited I was about the church and as soon as he was able, he went to see what it was all about.  Since that day, we've not looked back at all.



Pic from FB

We are now regularly attending the Sunday service together and life has never been the same since.  Everything is new and beautiful.

Taking a leap of faith

Pic from FB

If you had asked me a year ago whether I would be interested in volunteering my services to the church, I might have said "maybe". I always had the intention to do volunteer work way before I retired.  I just hadn't found anything that piqued my interest enough.

 

And talking about interest, I was leaning towards the National Library because I love books.  

So it was between the library and the church for me but somehow nothing materialised. 

 

In the middle of last year, with Stephen's nudging, I decided to sign up as a volunteer in my church.  I didn't know what it would entail.  Anyway, they called me for an interview to get some background information so that they would know where best to deploy me.

 

To cut a long story short, I have found myself in the Champions Group which will consist of babies between 1 - 24 months.

 

It has been a long time since I  looked after babies!  Even having had experience with two, I still felt a bit of concern but after a briefing session, I realise that I won't be alone.  There will be others and I believe that I will be able to manage. Once a mom always a mom!  The instincts will kick in. 

I start today.  This blog post is scheduled to be published just at the time that I will meet with the Supervisor.

 

Somehow I feel that God has a sense of humour because I've said it before and I'll say it again, "I get on better with old people". 

 

This is a leap of faith and a calling to serve and I know that it will take me to greater heights in my spiritual journey.

 

Pic from FB

Time

Picked this image from FB

It's true.  The image says it all.

I thought that retirement would be when I had all the time in the world to do everything.  As it turns out, there still isn't enough time to do all that I want.  

Maybe the fun is not in finishing what we set out to do.  Maybe the fun is having something to do tomorrow or completing what we started today. There are days when I do absolutely nothing. Nothing here means nothing meaningful in the eyes of society!!!  But nothing for me is sometimes what is good for my soul.

What matters at the end of the day is that I'm done with doing everything or doing nothing.  I go to bed happy and sleep.  

Later this month, I shall be starting something meaningful.  I believe that I am ready for it.  I'll be out of my comfort zone. well, not totally out of my comfort zone but I will be doing something that I hadn't done in a long time.  I'm looking forward to it.  

Stay tuned...

2014 Resolution

Pic from FB

My only resolution for 2014 is to pray more.

Brand new!

Many times, as a teenager, I wished that I could have a brand new start when hormones were raging and everything seemed dark and dreary.  Nobody understood me and neither did I understand anyone.  

There were even times when I wished I was in another country. I remember feeling so depressed after watching S.W.A.L.K.  I used to lay awake at nights just hoping that I could meet Mark Lester and wanting so desperately to live in the U.K.  Too much TV/movies made me believe that life elsewhere would be better. When I was more matured, I realised that life is good wherever you make it to be.  

At the end of my teen life, I saw this particular quote and it had a profound effect on me.   This gave me a fresh look about my life and that I could make a brand new ending.  As it turned out, circumstances threw me chances to shape and re-shape my life along the way.  

Many things were life-changing but the ones that stand out would be my parents getting a divorce, moving out from home, getting married, having children, being widowed, re-marrying, retiring and finally relocating.  Each time it propelled me to something better and each beginning is an ending to something and each ending is also a beginning.

I think that we would do well to remind teenagers and also adults that there is always the possibility to stop at anytime and start again.  This only needs to happen in our heads.  It's what makes life interesting and ever-changing.

Going Green

Pic from FB

Okay, the title is misleading.  This is nothing about being environmentally friendly.  

It's about people who weren't happy and went looking for it elsewhere.  When I saw this picture, I wondered about myself.  

Am I now on the other side because I was unhappy?  I don't remember being unhappy.  I think this doesn't apply to me because 'the other side' for me was where my heart belonged.

It was not easy to make a decision to move.  The grass was green where I was but I think it had to do with me.  Now that I am here, the grass is also green and it also has to do with me.

There lies the secret to where the grass is greener.  It's where YOU give it your love and attention.  

Some left their homeland for the children's education and I think I understand that.  

Some left for political reason and unwillingly, I would imagine.

Some really just wanted a change.  It's not a totally bad thing either.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of reasons why people move away.  Yet, the longing for home remains unabated.  No matter how much they rant and rave about their new location, the ties can't be cut completely.

Rarely do we see or hear of anyone who moves on and never looks back.  Everybody looks back, even if it's once in a while.  The only time that they don't do this, is when it was all bad.  But life is never really all bad.  The good times in our memory usually override the bad ones.  At least, this is true in my case.

Everyone tells me I have a good memory.  I think I do.  Of late, I realise that I am consciously keeping only good memories.  Letting go and forgetting about the sad or bad ones is an ongoing challenge.

Some people say they left for greener pastures.  Really?  Why didn't they go for the greenest pasture?  Green, greener and greenest are all relative, in this case.

Besides, I have a feeling that some people who moved on to greener pastures are green with envy at those who stayed.

And before you clobber me, you shouldn't feel anything if you left your homeland, not for greener pastures but for the right reason.

That's what I did.

Wander and wonder...

Pic from FB

Since I arrived to Singapore almost a year ago, I have found myself in the unique position of feeling at home but in unfamiliar territory.  Other than the area where I live in, all other places have made me feel like a tourist.  Too often, I couldn't find my bearing and didn't know which way to go.  I wandered around but didn't get lost.  I enjoyed it.  Getting lost, I mean.  

However, I am slowly beginning to recognise more landmarks and roads.  Even now, it's still like being in a foreign land.  Well, I am in a foreign land.  Having lived all of my life in Kuala Lumpur where I know most of the roads and lanes, it has been a strange feeling to not know where I am and whether I should go left or right.  While it was disconcerting at the beginning, I have learnt to embrace this uncertainty. 

There is something to be said about being anonymous in a crowd.  I know many like to be known and enjoy being famous but going around incognito gives one a feeling of being 'free'.  I don't really know how to explain this and maybe there isn't any need to. 

Anyway, the one thing that I've appreciated about Singapore is the excellent transport service.  With a little map, one can move around without any difficulty.  

I live almost in the middle of all the MRT lines, between the Braddell (Red Line) and Caldecott (Yellow Line) Stations.  So I have the option to pick whichever will afford me the shortest route.  

Pic from here

Stephen has taught me that getting from one destination to another (via one MRT line) is not necessarily the fastest route.  Now I know  that it may be faster to go from point A to point B and then to point C.   Travel time can be cut in half.  Well, he's a seasoned traveller both here and overseas.  Me?  I've lived almost all my life in one city and I had a car for the last 30 years!  I am learning, though.

The advantage of living in the heart of Singapore is the convenience of getting anywhere so easily. Technically, I live in Toa Payoh but physically, I am nearer to the Braddell station.  This only means that  I am just four stations (8 minutes) away from the hustle and bustle of the famous Orchard Road.  If I ever miss the noise and crowd, I can get my fix easily.  Actually I don't even have to travel so far because just one station (2 minutes) away and I can get everything I want or need at Toa Payoh.

Pic from Wikipedia (Red area shows Toa Payoh)

I didn't realise that I have enjoyed wandering around.  When I first arrived to Singapore, I put it on my bucket list that I would visit each station, at least once, and go do a walkabout.  I believe that there are over a hundred stations (MRT and LRT).  I haven't yet been to all of them.  There is just too much to do and see.  It's still on my list of things to finish in 2013.  

Pic from Wikipedia

Meanwhile, I wander and I wonder.  

A Milestone in my Family

Pic from www.verybestquotes.com

There are four us: three sisters and one brother that make up our family.  I acknowledge that I also have two half brothers, but that's another story. 

For most of my childhood, my father was away working in Singapore, Australia and Vietnam.  Hence, it was my mom who took care of us till we were teens.  By that time, we had all already found our own paths.  For this reason, we were rarely together.  

Our early twenties saw us spread all over.  One in Hong Kong, the other in Penang, leaving the two younger ones in different parts of Kuala Lumpur. All of us were married before the twenties were over.

Our thirties were tumultuous.  All of us went through life-changing moments.  If I remember correctly, two were in Penang and two were in Kuala Lumpur.  Despite not meeting often, we stayed close to each other.  We weren't physically in touch but we remained very much involved in each other's lives.

The forties were the years of settling down.  My sisters were up north in Penang and my brother was mostly down south in Johore.  Yet we still stayed connected, thanks to modern technology.  All of us began finding our niches and digging our feet in for the long haul.  Our children were growing up and we watch them interacting with each other as we had done before.  

The fifties!  My sisters are in Penang, my brother is back in Kuala Lumpur and I am in Singapore. It's a milestone because the baby of our family has finally crossed this line on 10 February (the first day of the Lunar New Year) and he now joins his three sisters in the 50s club.  It had always been his joke to call us the "oldies" and claiming he was still in his forties.  Now he's one of us.  *smug look on my face*.

I wonder what it is like for my mom, who will be seventy-eight this year; to see all her children reach this half a century age.  What does she feel? I must ask her.  

I did a quick calculation to see how old I would be when my son turns fifty.  Heh heh heh! It seems to be in the distant future.  However, time flies and just as these last years have gone by so quickly, I know that soon that day will be here.  I must remember to make each day count. 

It is a nice feeling to know that all four of us have reached the mark of half a centenarian.  It makes me happy but a little sad when I think of all those who have lost a sibling.

I spoke to my brother this morning and I plan to call my sisters later.  I am sure it will be a nice surprise.  I just want to let them know that it is a blessing to be in each other's lives. 

I know this post is a little late but with Chinese New Year and all the other stuff going on, I didn't get to finish it.  

Unknowingly, we ushered in the Lunar New year, with a milestone, for this family who are ALL over 50!  Now that we know, it'll make 2013 special for all of us.

For my sisters (Esmeralda and Lourdez) and my brother (Antonio), I send them loving wishes for a year to be filled to abundance with all that their heart desires.

Debt-Free World

When I started working some 30 years ago, there used to be a weekly free talk during the lunch break.  I attended most of them but only remember two: Time Management and Money Management.

The one on Money Management was good because it gave me a mantra to recite whenever I was tempted to splurge.  The picture above shows what I used to say in my head. I didn't always follow it (life has to be lived on the edge, sometimes) but, basically, it has helped me to stay out of financial woes.

On the last day of 2012, Stephen went out to pay all the utility bills.  When he came home, I had a feeling of euphoria because this meant that we would start 2013 completely debt-free!  Stephen does it more out of habit than anything else.  He hates owing money and pays for everything with cash.  The only time he will use his credit card is, if he has to book a flight.  Then, he will settle it as soon as he can via an online transfer.

So we start 2013 owing nothing to anybody!

As you start this year, this is a good one to memorise and to practise.  

A whole new start!

So it's a brand new slate: for you and for me.  Everybody likes a fresh beginning.  It's good to be able to look back with satisfaction at all the things one has completed.  

Two highlights of 2012 for me:

1.  SFGEMS:  I created this new blog when I lost all the images in the old one.  Learnt from that mistake. However, I seem to be doing well with this one.  My stats are not impressive by any standard but in my world, it's still something to be proud of.  Especially since it's less than a year old.  Thankfully, blogspot keeps a record of everything and if I have nothing to do, I can have a look and feel a sense of satisfaction that there are people who visit.

Needless to say, even if there was no visitor to my blog, I'd still write.  It's what I like to do.  Besides, often when I look back at the old entries, I am amazed that I had forgotten about what I wrote.  

2.  PROJECT 366:  I challenged myself to take a photo a day and there were days when I drove Stephen crazy because I wanted to stop and take pictures.  Now when we look back at the 366 photos of 2012, it seems like only yesterday when I started with the first one.  If you are interested, I can send you a link!  We just browsed through them all and feel glad that some memories had been recorded and remembered.

Pic from FB

And so a new chapter for 2013 starts.  I plan to continue with SFGEMS and hope that Stephen will contribute since he is 50% of the blog name. 

I also intend to start Project 52.  I will take a picture or a collage for the next 52 weeks.  It's not so challenging as a picture a day and it will serve as a nice virtual and nostalgic trip at the end of the year.

Once more, I'd like to wish you, my dear visitor, a wonderful year ahead.

Love, Peace and Joy

Love

to make your memories brighter...

Peace

to make your heart at rest...

Joy

to make your celebration wonderful

and really blessed.

A New Year for Everybody!

This picture was taken in July when we were at Marina Bay. The lights and fountain seem to depict a bird in flight.  I like that very much.

As we take off on another year, I'm hoping that it will be a better one for all those whom I know and love.

Life doesn't always give us the things we want, but it always teaches us something.  For this, we should be grateful.

As I continue my journey with Stephen in Singapore, I am very thankful that he has taken care of all my needs.  I don't want to ever take this for granted.  In return, he tells me he has forgotten how to wash or iron his clothes.  He doesn't even worry that he can't find anything.  He only has to ask me.  I think he's great and he thinks I'm great.  Now there's a recipe for a happy union.

We begin 2013 with hope in our hearts that our family will grow in love and strength.  Our son's December engagement is a turning point for all of us.  We have something to look forward to in the near future.  This is the cycle of life.

So goodbye 2012, you've been great.  There have been countless  memories to cherish and we feel quite blessed.

Hello 2013, we look forward to another 365 days of love and laughter.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Since I came to Singapore, I've cut my hair about 9 times.  From the long hairstyle that I had sported for the least 30 years, I shortened it to just around my shoulder, in March.

In April, I went another half-inch shorter.  In May, another half-inch and in June, another.  Well, you get the picture. 

Finally, I decided to go really, really short or as I told an old friend, I have the "Jane Lee" style (something she would understand).

Until yesterday, friends were still asking me "Why?".

I don't really know why but my answer is usually, "Why not?".

Many think that something happened but really it was just a matter of practicality.

I started walking (exercising) and washing my long hair became a chore.  Cutting it shorter made it easier to manage.  Now it's fuss-free except for a trim every six weeks.

Do I miss my long hair?  Sometimes.  If I want, I can let it grow again.  I doubt that I will.

It was Stephen who encouraged me to do it.  I think he was tired of my lamenting each time I washed my hair.  However, at my age, it's no longer what anybody wants for me, it's more of what I want for myself.

Most people say I look better now.  Younger even!  Of all the adjectives I've heard, I think I like "sassy" best of all.  The dictionary defines that as "boldly smart" or "distinctively smart and stylish".  I like it. 

No regrets.  I like how I look now.

In honour of my two girls

I live in a Housing Development Board (HDB) apartment here in Singapore.  So I choose to believe that I have a garden in front and out back that is taken care of by invisible people.  The grass is always cut and the place is always looking nice.  Flowers bloom all over and the trees look lush and green.  Walking out and about every time, gives me a sense of satisfaction that there is a place for everything and everything is in its place.

Then last week, my two girls came to visit and when they left, I noticed two new plants.  The earth around it was still fresh.  Who came to put them there?  I wondered about it.  Was I so busy that I hadn't noticed?  Yes, I was out almost every day that the girls were here so I missed this.

Now that the girls have gone back, I have christened these two new plants 'Sha' and 'Vay'.  When I mentioned this to Stephen, he  immediately went to check them out.

Then he did the most unexpected thing!  He made me write their names so he could take these pictures.

Now when we are out, we can see these new plants. I am sure they will grow into beautiful trees.  

This morning when we passed by, he wanted to take a picture so that we could compare the height of the trees and see their progress. 

I'm guessing we'll be taking lots of other pictures as they mature into strong, tall and shady trees.  Already they are taller than he is!!!  

By the way, I just want to mention that these girls already have parks named after them.  :D

Who's counting?

When I first began blogging on 18 September 2008 in STEEST, I found that there were a multitude of sites to check on visits and views.  I didn't know which would suit me and as I discovered them, I kept adding. Some had interesting information that gave me details of the visitors.  Some just gave me a view of what people were looking for when they stumbled upon my blog.

When I started SFGEMS, I was no longer interested.  I just wanted to write.  What I did not know is that Blogspot keeps a record of the actual pageviews!

It's a nice surprise to see that STEEST has surpassed 100,000 pageviews.

My new blog, which began on 18 July 2012, being only 3 months old, has already garnered over 6000 pageviews.

Who's counting?  Not me.  Not anymore.  

More importantly, who's reading?  I only know a handful of them!

Looking back on everything, I just want to take this moment to say

to the people who encouraged me to write

Pic from the web

Of Starting Over

Pic from FB

Any time is a good time to start over. I have embraced so many changes this year. 

Some were planned and some just happened which forced me to decide on the next course of action.

What I found most interesting was that I had changed. I didn't need anyone to tell me this. I knew it.

I really am starting over in so many areas of my life.

 So today, SFGEMS is born and I will continue to write because I like it.