Day 159: (Red)eemed

The choir was presenting a song item on Sunday so we were all decked out in red. I wore my red batik dress from Surabaya and red Aigner suede shoes :)

I loved seeing everyone dressed in the same vibrant red, singing with one voice to The Lord. But more importantly, it is heartening to know that we sing because we have each been redeemed by the grace of God. And we sing in the same spirit of faith.

The song we sang was A Mighty Fortress. I was listening to the song during the week to try and memorize the lyrics and it brought me great encouragement. Knowing that our God is a righteous judge that rules over all with love, justice, freedom and mercy, we need not be overwhelmed by all the injustice, trials and bad stuff that we see and experience.

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at 9:32 AM

Day 157: Cross Country

I had successfully avoided running in all the cross country runs all the days of my school life. Yet on Friday, I voluntarily headed to Macritchie Reservoir for a run with my colleagues. Sometimes I surprise myself. 

So the days's outfit comprised of a really old tank top and FBT shorts. 

It felt good to fill my lungs with fresh air and feel my heart beating again.

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at 7:55 AM

Ordinary Days

There are days when life seems just ordinary. We wake up, do our best to get through the day, go home, sleep and the cycle starts again. These were some of those days.

Clockwise from top left: Winter scarf. pink tank top, leather belt and home-sewn polkadot skirt; red tank top and black pants; hand-me-down pale green dress which made me look like a nurse; home-sewn green dress with knitted vest

Clockwise from top left: hand-me-down pink top and black skirt with my english class workbook; embroidered spag top, denim shorts and leather satchel; purple dress with pink cardi; dress from my mom and home-sewn apron

But if we stop every once in awhile, we may just notice that even the ordinary days are filled with so many blessings. Like my colleagues showering me with warm winter clothes as I prepare for the Polish winter next week. Or the kids that seem to be improving in my English class. Or the friends that still meet up with me over dinner even though they have to wake up at 5 am the next day. Or just the love shown to me in simple ways. For all these I am thankful. Thank God for ordinary days :)

With Mr Kwek :)

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at 12:24 PM

Day 151: Christmas Comes Early

In preparation for the Christmas decorations at church, we headed down to a festive decorations wholesaler. 

It was like stepping into a Wonderland

Every nook and corner was filled with various bright and shinny objects that overflowed with festive cheer. 

I'm so excited to be part of the decorations team this year. Such a privilege. Unfortunately, I won't be around for most of November so I'm trying to be of some value now. Praying for wisdom and creativity. 

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at 9:43 PM

Day 146: Grace of Longest Knowing Friends

Meet Lynn, (the one on the right) she declared that Ms Yang and I were her "longest knowing friends". Such an honour. Though I've never heard of that term before lol

Both of them revealed that I had bullied them when we were in school. I had zero recollection of any of that. And im only finding this out now. Oops. The follies of my youth. I'm grateful for their forgiveness, and sorry for behavior. 

The revelation also made me reflect more about how I treat people. I really do need to be more conscious about loving others. 

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6 NIV)

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at 11:33 PM

Day 147: Reno Diaries

The public holiday was the perfect time to catch up on all the things we had to do for our Kwek Kampong renovation. 

First stop was to check on the state of the renovations. It still looks a mess to me, but the contractor says it the tiling will be done by this week. 

Then it was off to the contractor's showroom to talk about my cabinets, and doors. 

We took a journey to the west in search of Kong Thai Hardware Store which was reported to sell the cheapest home appliances in singapore. The reports were true! We got our heaters at $50 cheaper each than the cheapest store we had found so far. We our ceiling fans and stove there too! The savings was well worth the journey. N they were doing a thriving business as the shop was constantly crowded with people.

Last stop was getting our Johnson Suisse toilet fittings. Comparing the prices from my contractor's supplier and our own sources (renotalk recommendations), I think my contractor was getting a huge cut. Grrrr... Note to all: do your homework! The contractor may not b getting you the best deal. 

Our home is taking shape. We are soooo excited! I'm already planning housewarming parties in my head! 

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at 8:06 PM

Day 144: Vintage Shopping

Over the weekend, Mr Kwek and I went vintage shopping for our new home at Wee's Collection. Based in his home along Changi Road (very close to the famous Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup), David (who is a fellow SMU alumni) has a amazing collection of vintage items. Entering his house felt like stepping into a different era.

Mr Kwek and I in a room overflowing with vintage charm

 He had everything from old peranakan tiles, to old signboards and home appliances.

  

Items from before my time.

 

 

 

And there were these icons of life growing up in Singapore in the 80s.

The provision store cash register

I had always wanted this Mickey Mouse phone as a kid and there's even a photo of 4 year old me standing with my cousin's Mickey Mouse phone

Everyone had Vicks rubbed on them when they were ill right?

 I fell in love with the mosaic tiles on his floor.

Mr Kwek and I are still thinking about how to incorporate some of the items into our new place. But if you are looking for anything old school or vintage, Wee's Collection is the place. And David is incredibly friendly and passionate about what he does, which makes for a great vintage shopping experience. I heard he does rentals too (for those of you who work with events).

Filling our new home with goodness is so exciting. If any of you have vintage stuff to give away, Mr Kwek and I are accepting donations :)

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at 10:53 AM