Entering The Next Decade Of Life

I turn 30 today. My birthday was supposed to be a simple day like any other Saturday. The morning was set aside for catching up on household stuff. The first order of business was doing laundry, followed by tidying up the house, which mysteriously gets strewn with stuff over the work week. While I was putting away stuff in the living room, I heard a pop and a crash in quick succession from my kitchen. I thought a small animal had flown in through the window and was knocking over stuff, so I ran to the kitchen. To my shock, my kitchen sink had become a a fountain gushing water into the air and my tap languishing in the sink. People pay big money for a water feature in their home. I got mine for free!
I tried in vain, putting the tap back on and covering the water fountain with my hands... In the mean time, my kitchen was quickly flooding as the water swiftly flowed across my kitchen counter and onto the floor. It finally dawned upon me to turn off the water supply. When I finally found it, I was thankful that an episode of How I Met Your Mother taught me the saying, "righty tighty, lefty loosey". But try as I might, the main tap wouldn't budge and I watched the water meter roll along super quickly. I ran down the corridor hoping to get the help of one of my stronger neighbours, but alas, everyone was not at home. Thank God that after some immense efforts, the tap moved and I was able to turn it off. So I was left with a partially flooded kitchen, wet cabinets and appliances, and a broken kitchen sink/tap. 

I wasn't sure where to begin and Mr Kwek had not returned from his cycling, so I called the other man who I knew would always come to my rescue- my daddy. And after looking at the photos I sent over, my daddy went home to get his tools and swiftly swooped down to my home to save the day. 

Through the whole episode, there was so much to be thankful for. From the fact that I was at home (imagine if this happened on a work day. Horrors), to having a daddy who is a great handyman, to the water somehow avoiding the electrical points of my kitchen appliances (I could very well have been electrocuted eeks!). And I realised that even in such mini crises, God is in control. 

What a way to start my birthday. But as I enter into a new decade of life, I guess this is a sign of things to come. The increase of responsibilities, the learning of new skills I never knew I needed before, and the renewed appreciation for our parents. Above all, whatever the decade ahead throws at me, I know I have a sovereign God who is in control of everything. And with Him as the anchor for my soul, I have nothing to fear.

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at 11:18 PM

Counting My Blessings

Today I thanked God for being able to read.

In the morning I wake up and am able to read the Bible. What a privilege to be able to read and understand the word of God.

On the bus, I whip out my Foreign Policy, Harvard Business Review and New Scientist magazines and read about the ins and outs of our world at large- of scientific breakthroughs, diplomatic scandals and start-up successes.  The horizons on my world have expanded far beyond my physical sight.

At work, I analyse countless pages of text, in order to ensure that my country's interests are preserved. It is a joy to have a decent job which serves a greater purpose.

In the circles that I move in today, the skill of reading is something that almost everyone has. Because of that, it is a skill we often overlook, but it enriches our lives immensely.

So as I give up my Tuesday evenings to teach a bunch of little ones how to read, I am reminded that I am not just trying to teach them a bunch of new words. I am imparting a skill which would enrich their lives, expand their horizons and hopefully open their eyes to the Maker of heaven and earth.



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at 10:26 AM

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep

Today, I attended a wedding, a baby's first birthday and two wakes. 

To be honest, having been ill and not sleeping well the past two weeks, my body was begging, "just let me sleep through this scorching day with the aircon turned on at full blast."

But with the husband's encouragement, I pulled my protesting body out the door, and with that I learned lessons of life and faith while sitting on the back of a bike and travelling across the island.

Today I witnessed love. Between a newly married couple, between family members who gather to rejoice, between friends who become family, and between brothers and sisters in Christ. I have much to learn from these examples. 

Today I learned what it means to practice love in action. If my almighty God would love me enough to send His own Son to die for my sins so that I can be reconciled to Him, how can I not have love for others. And the bible tells us that one way in which we can show this love is to "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." (Romans 12:15 NKJV) And so, we do so, even if our mortal bodies protest. 

Today I learned the brevity of life.  As I gathered with my friends for life's major milestones, I also see the limits that each of us have in time. And I am reminded and rebuked by the passage in the bible which states, "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:14, 17 NKJV) I know how often I know to do good and choose not to because it was so much easier to just do the acceptable. 

So today my prayer is that I in my life, I seek to do the will of God which is so much greater than me. That I will not choose the easy, but the good, the right, the excellent. That I will walk so much closer to the One who first loved me, as He is the beginning and the end of all things and there would be no better way to walk. 

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at 10:40 PM

I Know Who Goes Before Me

I like what I do, though leaving is never easy. But as I leave for my next sojourn into climate change land, I am certain of who goes before me- the Lord of angel armies. Go watch the video. https://youtu.be/qOkImV2cJDg 0 comments

at 1:07 PM

Sew Happy- Long Weekends

Public holidays means I get a little breather from my usual commitments to do what I like doing. So during the recent Easter weekend, I eked out a little time to make new bags for Mr kwek and myself.

Mr Kwek got a faux leather messenger bag lined with a black and white spotty cotton and dark blue satin binding around the edges. I found sewing such a thick and stiff material really difficult especially when I got to the corners. Probably didn't help that the pattern was just dreamed up by yours truly who has zero experience sewing with such materials. It turned out decent, though kinda rough around the edges. I'm so gonna try sewing with real leather next. But maybe with a more manageable project. *excited* For myself, I made myself a little stripey cross-body sling bag by modifying a 5-minute-sew idea I saw on Pinterest. I'm clearly a terrible sewer as it took me a whole hour to complete. But I'm still mighty pleased. It is made to fit my Bible, a notebook, my wallet and phone. All the essentials I need. :) I love long weekends. Raise your hands if you do too!

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at 6:58 PM

Making Pants from a Dress- Upcycling!

I have never made pants before. Mainly because I hardly wear pants so I have never had the inclination to learn, and also because my sewing teacher a long time ago said pants were difficult to sew and that totally turned me off.

On my way home from teaching little kids to read the other night, I chanced upon a you-tube tutorial on making pants the easy way and as you may have noticed, I love sewing shortcuts, so I was inspired to try the technique.

But being a bag of lazy bones, I made a sewing shortcut even shorter! I dug out a dress that I haven't worn for awhile (because many people asked if I was pregnant when I wore it...) And upcycled it!

That saved me from having to hem up the pants and doing a waistband or any closures. So here's my very first sewing tutorial: upcycling a dress into a pair of pants :) *beams*

Step 1: Pick out a dress. It should have a skirt portion at least the length that you want your pants to be. Maxi dresses work well for long pants. My dress was an empire-cut, just below the knee length which was just right. It was a cotton halter with elastic smocking at the back, but any jersey material should work as well.
Step 2: Lay the dress on your workspace as shown in the pic below.
Step 3: Fold it in half length-wise. Like the picture below.
Step 4: Take a pair of pants that currently fits you and align the waistband to where you would like the new waistband to be on your dress. The crotch of your pants should be aligned with the open side of your dress and the legs aligned with the folded edge.
Step 5: Cut the dress based on how wide you want your pants legs to be, leaving about a 1.5cm seam allowance. I wanted loose pants so I cut roughly along the line shown below.
Step 6: Open up the dress. It should look something like the pic below. Then with your dress inside-out, pin the edges together starting from the crotch.
Step 7: Sew the edges together!
Step 8: Try on the pants and see if it fits. Then fold down the top part of the dress which is no longer needed.

Step 9: Cut off the extra portion and sew it down so the top of your pants looks neat. If you are using jersey material, use a zig-zaged stitch.
Step 10: Admire your new pair of pants! Hope you liked my first tutorial and my first pair of pants. Let me know if you try it out. 0 comments

at 7:08 PM

Channels of Joy this Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year is one of the biggest festivals for all ethnic Chinese around the world. At the top of the agenda is returning home for the reunion dinner and feasting with family and loved ones. 

However we know that not everyone gets to enjoy that privillege. Our office cleaners are two ladies from China who will not be celebrating this festive season with their friends and family back home. Instead, they will be working through the holidays to keep our environment clean. 

Knowing this, my colleagues and I wanted to bring them some festive cheer so we pooled together contributions and gave both our cleaners a little red packet each. 

Last week, when I was in Geneva, I received an email from my colleague saying that the cleaners had bought us some new year goodies! That brought a special sense of warmth to my heart despite the freezing temperatures and yet humbled me at the same time. 

The simple act of our cleaners taught me that no matter our situation in life, we can always give and bring joy to others. It also caused me to reflect on how much I have been blessed with and how my response must be to give praise to God for whom all blessing flow and how I should seek to be a blessing to others as well.

So happy lunar new year everyone. May we all experience love and joy this festive season no matter where we are, and may we also seek to be a channel of love and joy to others :)

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at 10:44 PM

An Accident

Rushing to a meeting at 8.30 this morning, I jumped into a taxi and as it turned out of my office building driveway, it slammed directly into another car. While no one was hurt, emotions ran high.

Like many of those around whose commute was disrupted, I was pretty bummed.

But taking  different lenses, in my almost 30 years of life, this was my first ever traffic accident. I shall choose to thank God for His protection instead. 

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at 2:52 PM

Sew Happy

About a year ago, I tried making a Mad Men inspired dress. But since I was working from my own imagination, estimation, and way too many shortcuts, I ended up with the top part of the dress being too loose, while the waist too tight, and the zip struggling its way up. I ended up only wearing it once and it languished in my wardrobe for a year. 

 Last week, I finally beat procrastination and unpicked the many hasty seams. This time I diligently sewed up my skirt without the shortcuts. The final result: the perfect knee-length pleated skirt in summery golden kiwi. Coupled with my black knit top and olive green pumps, I achieved my Mad Men inspired outfit! 

 I am sew happy with the result :)

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at 6:54 PM

Flunky's Taxi Ride in the Ghanaian Twilight

I still remember that taxi ride in Ghana clearly. It was around 8-9pm at night. We had dismissed our driver for the day when my boss got a call from a business contact to meet for drinks at a hip new club across town. So we hopped into a local taxi that looked like it had seen better days in the last century. 

It was my first time stepping out of the safe confines of my hotel at night, and I was amazed at how the taxi navigated around the multiple potholes (some bigger than the length of the car) of the quiet unlit roads. 

I noticed our taxi slow down and through the darkness, I could make out a small shack among the tress by the side of the road. And a man with a large gun strapped across his body walked out towards our taxi as we came to a stop. 

I had watched enough movies and TV shows to have my blood turn cold with fear in that instant. Keenly aware that as a small young Chinese girl, I would be the weakest, easiest prey if anything went awry. 

Saying a prayer, I looked anxiously over at my boss, who was seated calmly as if we were just going through a car wash. 

The taxi driver wound his window down and exchanged some quick words which I did not understand with the man with the gun. The man with the gun then proceeded to peer through the rear windows at my boss and I. I wasn't sure where to look- keep looking ahead, or turn to him and smile? How could I hide my fear and not look suspicious? I was pretty sure he could hear my pounding heart.

After too many seconds of his eyes piercing through my soul, he stood up and waved my driver off. 

I heaved a sigh of relief as my heart rate began to stabilize. And my boss turned to me to say something about this being a police roadblock which was routine in this part of the world. 

I was glad that was the first and last such "routine" roadblock I had to experience. My little flunky heart wouldn't have been able to bear it. 

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at 10:43 PM

Flunky Ponders Contrasts

After a bewildering few days in Angola which you can read about here and here, I sat at the airport lounge in exhaustion, thinking about my Angolan adventure. 

My little flunky brain could not comprehend how the 2nd largest oil producer in the continent, had multiple power cuts in their capital city everyday; how public roads with massive potholes led to sprawling mansions; how 40% of the population could live below the poverty line when it was consistently one of the top 10 diamond producers in the world; how public infrastructure in the city floundered while Chinese construction companies could be undertaking massive projects in the outskirts; how people still washed their clothes in the brown river, while a little way down the river, expats and top businessmen crowded into expensive waterfront modern restaurants. 

Expensive waterfront dining

Doing laundry in the brown river water

Beautiful buildings in the city

Homes of the locals just outside the capital

Traditional markets

Floundering public infrastructure

My thoughts didn't venture far before I noticed that the buses that were bringing people to board the plane were turning back and we were told to stay in the lounge. 

In uncertain Africa, a range of scenarios ran through my mind- terrorists, fire, riot, coup.

Thankfully, it was none of the above. Someone had pulled open the emergency door latch during boarding and the emergency slide had inflated. 

Over an hour later, we were on the plane, all hoping that the clown who opened the emergency door was offloaded. So we ventured onward to South Africa for our next adventure. 

  




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at 10:51 AM

Kwek Kampong Pop Up Dinner

Remember my first pop up dinner? Well, we blinked and almost 2 years have passed. So it's time we stop procrastinating. The next pop up dinner will be on 31 Jan 2014. I'll be making Taiwanese lu rou fan (braised pork with rice). A simple dinner in our humble abode. You are invited! Just let me know if you would like to bring a friend and/or a dish. 0 comments

at 11:36 PM

Flunky and the Fishbone

After my grueling first full day in Angola with missing luggage, fly swamped lunch and a broken down vehicle, I thought the next few days would be uneventful with boring meetings in safe office buildings. This flunky clearly had no gift of foresight.

At one of the business lunches, we were seated at a massive table and multiple plates of appetizers were laid before us. I looked at the menu for the day and the sheer excess of the meal amazed me. While the appetisers alone could have fed a village for a day, there were still 2 starters, 2 main courses (1 steak and 1 seafood dish), 1 pasta and a whole array of desserts, that were still in store for everyone. Just as I was happily chomping on a potato croquette which came by the basket full, I felt something in my throat. 

A fishbone was stuck. 

After trying in vain to wash down the bone with water and more croquettes, as well as having my boss peer down my throat, we finally had to interrupt the meeting and inform everyone that this flunky had a fishbone stuck in her throat. An Angolan flunky was immediately ordered to send me to the doctor. I was terrified. The car soon pulled up at a little bungalow. And I was thrust into a narrow corridor which served as a waiting room. Surrounded by sickly Angolan children spewing all manner of bodily fluids, I was convinced I would catch a exotic African virus for every minute that I sat there. So I tried my best not to breathe or touch anything. When it came to my turn, the doctor found my throat scratched, but there was no fishbone. So I was sent away with some some pills which were supposed to be some sort of antisceptic. And USD$100 was collected from me.

When we got back to the restaurant, the lunch was over, but the Angolan flunky was left with the task of settling the bill. As he counted out his stack of US dollar notes, I caught a glimpse of the bill. It cost a whopping USD$300 per person. My eyes widened in shock. And they had charged for the meals of Angolan flunky and I which we didn't consume beyond the booby-trap fishbone filled croquets. I could not believe they didn't even pack our lunch for us.

Thankfully kiasu Singaporean flunky had brought along muesli bars so Angolan flunky and I gobbled them down sullenly on the silent car ride to join the rest of the delegation at the next meeting.

Till today, I have not figured out why a fishbone was in a potato croquette. But this episode secured me a special mention in the retirement speech of the leader of the delegation. And I lived to tell the tale of my African Adventures. 

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at 11:58 PM

2015

During the down memory lane service on the last day of 2014, Pastor spoke from Psalms 17:15 

"As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness." 

I was reminded of the words of this song:

You faithfully supply my needs 

According to your plans 

So help me Lord to seek your face 

Before I seek your hand 

And trust you know what's best for me 

When I don't understand 

Then follow in obedience 

In every circumstance

Truly, as I look back at 2014, I recognize that the Lord has supplied all my needs according to His plan. As I step into 2015, may my focus be fixed on seeking the face of my Lord and glorifying Him in every circumstance, by His grace.

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at 12:52 AM

Tan Lines

Loving my wedding band tan line cos it reminds me of where I've been and who I come home to. Counting my blessings on the last day of 2014. 0 comments

at 2:15 PM

The Parallel Universe

A few days ago, I returned from my journey to a parallel universe- the universe of international negotiations. I will not talk about substance here. You can read all about that in the news. I'll tell you about what life is like in this parallel universe.

Several times a year, people from all countries in the world gather there. We leave our homes and family and set up this alternate reality. For some, it is a chore, part of the pain of their job, and they grasp desperately at the threads that link them to life back home. For others, it is an escape from the pressures, obligations and other social straight jackets they are bound to back home. And there are those for which this is the highlight of their year.

In this world, everyone is consumed by one topic only. Which makes it easy to forget everything else that is happening outside. Everyone is conversant in the same language, which makes it easy to socialize. Everyone is taken out of their comfort zones, which removes the usual inhibitions. We all greet each other with hugs and kisses when we meet, whether it is in our regular culture to do so or not. Our delegations become our family, and those with similar interests become our neighbors. For 2 weeks, this becomes our village, our reality.  

In this universe, the resilience of a human body is shown. Starting work at 8am and ending at 10pm is considered humane, while all-nighters are considered normal. We work despite the physical environment- we have been baked, frozen, steamed, starved and suffocated, but we plod on. Weekends are fairy tales, and public holidays only exist in our imagination. 

There are the usually characters you see in every story book or movie- the villains who block all rays of hope, the extras milling about in the background, the supporting characters who breathe life, comedy and drama into the scenes, some bumbling fools, and a host of people jostling for the role of the hero.

At each gathering in this parallel universe, the plot is generally the same- each character says their pre-scripted lines, tensions builds, long agonising waits, and then suddenly, the clouds part, and an agreement is reached, and we all go home feeling a little pain and a little pleasure, patting ourselves on the back, for a job well done. Till the next time the intergalactic portal opens again to take us back to this parallel universe, where we do all that is necessary to protect all that we have in the real world. 

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at 2:37 PM

The Inca Adventure

With another awe-inspiring flight over the Andes mountain, the first part of my Inca Adventure drew to a close.

It had been a most amazing week. Scaling a mountain, seeing many ruins, hearing stories of the past, getting acquainted with llamas and alpacas, meeting really cool people, and just taking in the wonder of creation. But standing in the majestic Machu Picchu was definitely the highlight and a dream come true.

It had also been a week of roughing it out as I stayed in small inns, hostels, and lodges. I had to live out of my duffle bag, with less than 5kg of stuff. It is amazing how little one can live with (although my skin is really paying for it now as I had classified my moisturiser as a non-essential).

Today I woke up among 7 plush pillows, swaddled in luscious white bed linen. I had been reunited with the rest of my 20+kg of stuff. My clothes filled the hotel wardrobe, my comfort food was in my mini pantry, and my bathroom stocked with all my familiar products.

While my Inca adventure had been beyond incredible, it still feels good to be back in the embrace of 5 star comforts. 

My adventure continues as I enter the arena of the negotiations today. While I may not be standing in awe of nature for the next 2 weeks, I will probably wonder at the endurance of the human body.  0 comments

at 12:08 AM

The Longest Day

I left Singapore at 0040hrs on 22 Nov 2014. 

3 planes, 3 continents and more than 30 hours later, we finally arrived at our hotel in Lima, Peru around 2340hrs on 22 Nov 2014. 

So begins my Peruvian adventure. 

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at 6:01 PM

The Picture of Romance

Once in awhile, I see this elderly couple taking their morning walk along the tiny walking track in my neighborhood.

The aunty shuffles along with the aid of a walking stick, seemingly in her own world. The uncle, ever beside her, holding her hand tightly, attentively guiding her along. He beams with each step that they take together. He makes being able to walk next to his wife appear to be like the greatest privilege in the world. As they amble along, I can almost imagine them on their wedding day- for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live on earth.

This is the picture of romance.


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at 10:28 AM

Acts Of Kindness On A Rainy Day

An old lady was crossing the road in the rain without an umbrella and a domestic helper offered to shelter her across. Upon reaching the other side, they headed in different directions. But I saw another domestic helper immediately speed up and walked beside the old lady to shelter her. The old lady did not even notice this action. Not a word was spoken between the two and she continued on her way once the old lady reached the covered walk-way safe and dry. Kindness to strangers still exisits. On this cold, wet morning, my heart was warmed. 0 comments

at 9:17 AM