A different kind of difference

Image from Pinterest

There are many people who come and go in our lives. Some leave us better people and others, well, they gave us a taste of what being bitter is all about.

I'm not one to waste too much time analysing or dissecting when any relationship goes awry.  I'll give it my best shot and then if it works, it's great but if it doesn't, I'll just move on.  

I did this for most of my life.  Yes, I've gained and lost along the way but nothing is permanent in this ever-changing world.

I felt a bit nostalgic this weekend because a friend sent me a text for Teacher's Day.  She was my student in the 80s and even when we never saw much of each other, we eventually became quite close and we feel a bond of love for one another.

What struck me and touched my heart was that she still remembered me as a teacher.  It's been over 30 years since I taught her but she still holds those memories.  I'd forgotten that was how we first met!

This greeting from her made me smile all day and little did she know that I've noticed she never misses to wish me whenever Teacher's Day comes along (since we reconnected).

Most teachers never get to see if they made a difference in the lives of their students.  They just do their job and hope that everyone will end up better than when they first came.

My friend, however, has given me a glimmer of the seed planted long ago and shown me that I made a difference in her life just as she continues to do for my life.

There are other students who have kept in touch and who have also shown love and appreciation but the one that stands out is Wendy Voo.

Thank you for the loving and lovely message on Saturday and on every other occasion too.  It made me remember why I love teaching so much. 

It's knowing that I made a difference in the life of just one person that makes it all so wonderful.

Countdown: 37 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

I found this image on Pinterest and decided to share it here so that I'll have it for always.  

Thanksgiving and Giving Thanks

Pic from Pinterest

I believe that giving thanks is one of the nicest ways to remember all the things that we have in our lives.  Oh, I'm not talking about a big house or cars in the garage.  I'm talking about the things that really matter.  Things like love and respect that can't be measured in terms of money.

There's nothing like giving thanks for people in our lives.  

*The ones who take time to write to us or send an sms.

*The ones who cheer us on with their words of love.

*The ones who email us daily.

*The ones who visit us and catch up.

*The ones who hug us in real life and in the virtual world.

*The ones who poke us on Facebook.

*The ones who 'like' what we share on Facebook.
*The ones who just stand by.

*The ones who are always there for us.

*The ones who care for us everyday.

*and most of all, the children who love us.

There is no greater blessing than to have children in our lives.

Pic from FB

Halloween fever in Singapore

How did this start?  I'd guess from pubs and clubs celebrating Halloween.  Now stores are selling all things related to Halloween from tiny pieces to full adult size costumes.  I think the only thing I like about it would be the colours: orange and black do make for a striking combination.

Took this from various shops in Singapore

Well, for everything cute, there is an equal number of ugly stuff.  I know that, in some countries, people go all out to decorate their homes with all the frightful things.  So I went browsing online and there appears to be an unspoken competition to see who can outdo the other.  Some people really spend time and waste money on this.  

I don't know if I would go to the extreme of painting my door (saw a picture of an orange door), fitting lights and fixing ugly creatures on my front porch and garden.  Maybe I could be tempted into putting some silhouettes in the window, in the spirit of Halloween.  I don't know.  Even this one is pretty creepy.

Pic from Pinterest

Perhaps something simple like this one might be more to my liking.  

Pic from Pinterest

Whatever it is, Halloween fever has hit Singapore!  There are theme parties everywhere and then it will be over.

Anyway, here's my early wish because once Halloween is over, it only means that Christmas is just around the corner.

Took this picture at FairPrice, Toa Payoh.

Autumn in Singapore

I love the colours of autumn.  I can be in sunny/rainy Singapore and still enjoy all the beauty and colours of autumn from other parts of the world.

People generously share their pictures on Facebook and Pinterest and it is truly a window to the season of autumn minus the chill in the air.  Googling can also get you to a myriad of jaw-dropping masterpieces that only mother nature can create.

I am always amazed at how easily people share all things that are beautiful.

If I want to have a 2D experience of autumn or any other season.  It is so easy to do.  Get online.  Anytime.  

Pic from here

On a whim, I went to swim....

Okay,this week it's already been three (for me and five for Stephen) consecutive days of going to the pool near our home.  It's only one kilometer away so it's near enough to go anytime we want.  

The bad news is that I like company when I go swimming.  The good news is that Stephen loves going at anytime.  

In fact, he was the one who got me started on this.  He said that walking in the pool is a much better exercise than walking around the block.

Since I have retired, I have been walking around the area.  It has been nice to see things from the street level, at my walking pace, rather than from a moving car or bus.  

The good thing about walking is being able to keep track of the distance via a pedometer.  Well, it's just a habit that I like because it is nice to have a history of the walks taken.  It is also a way to know if you are getting fitter from the times taken for each km walked.

Stephen has been walking to the pool and back but now that he has convinced me to go, we ride the bus there and it costs only S$0.73.  The entrance costs $1.00.  We intend to walk home after our 'fitness' time so the total cost of this date is just S$3.46.  :-D

I'm hoping to carry on doing this because it is fun.  I find that I can accomplish so much more in the pool and, on a hot sunny day, it is just about the best place to be.

Today is Day 4 and my friend says that if I do it for 28 days straight it will become a habit.  Maybe she's right because I see a lot of really old people, I think around the 70s, and they are there everyday.  

(pic swiped from one of the Pinterest Boards)

Just Perfect

My cousin posted this on Facebook and when I saw it, I realised that this fits me.  

It also made me wonder about the couples who choose not to have kids.  They've missed out on having something in their life that is perfectly right.

I know of many who choose not to have children.  Some thought it would spoil their bodies if they carried a baby for nine months.  Others felt it would affect their own personal time.  It's true to some degree.  But once you have a child, you learn to put another person first.  You do it instinctively.  You learn to love someone else other than yourself.

(pics from FB and Pinterest)