"How did you meet them?"

I dropped J and her husband back and the hotel yesterday, and continued the cab ride home. The cab uncle asked "how did you meet these friends?"

Whenever I was going to visit a friend overseas, or have friends visiting Singapore overseas, people asked me the same question.

Not sure why, but most people are intrigued that these friends from afar were neither schoolmates or colleagues. They are friends that somehow walked into my life at different seasons of my life - through other friends, or are relatives/friends of friends and somehow stayed in my life, despite the distances between us.

And when we crossed oceans and caught up in person, it's as if we were never apart.

I am so thankful, for all my friends, from here, there and everywhere. =)

Blessings... seen again!

I am very blessed.

Love from family and friends among the other numerous blessings that God has given me.

Interestingly or should I say, ironically, I have a BAD habit of forgetting how I have been blessed in many ways. It's in times when I am struggling and suffering that, somehow by contrast, that I can see the blessings I have.

Perhaps my pride has cast a shadow so huge, I no longer can see the blessings. I forget to be grateful. And I start to count on my own limited abilities and vision.

In the past few weeks, my face can only be described as "black and black-er". I am thankful for friends who came forth to help me in a variety of ways. Offering comfort, assistance to solve current problems as well as seek future alternatives, encouragement and advice, and in some cases, stern-yet-compassionate rebukes when I start to go into "why me?" modes.

Thank you, friends. Thank God for sending me friends like you. Not only are you loving and wise, you're very brave too... I know how volatile I can be, in times of great distress =)

Just A Phone Call Away...

I can't say enough thank-yous to the friends who I haven't talked very often with, but yet, they are really just a phone call again. To ask for a favour, to ask for advice, to pour my heart out, to get internship placements for my kids, to bounce off ideas... I feel extremely grateful, and very guilty and embarrassed at how I don't spent enough time with these friends. Thank you... I am not sure I deserve the nice treatment but I really appreciate that! I need to make time for the more important things in life!

My Gentle Giant

My brother is a tall and chunky fella.
My gentle giant.
I came home after teaching night class.
Upset because my o2 Zinc died AGAIN - 3rd time this year.
So I grumbled and grumbled.
I needed to be contactable!!!

"You can use mine.
I'll use my old phone in my office.
I'll switch the SIM cards now."
And he acted on it before I could respond.

"But what if anybody's looking for you from now till tomorrow?"
I asked as he passed his Sony Ericsson to me.

"The important people know how to get me at home."

I am thankful for this gentle giant.

Oh... did I mention this is my YOUNGER brother? =)

Don't forget to PLAY!!!

I sat next to an "aunty" in her late 50s on the bus today. She was playing tetris on her handphone!!! She held out the phone as far as her arms could, while she played. I bet the long-sightedness explained many of the "tsks" as she dropped the tetris tiles on the wrong lanes.

Somehow it made me smile, reminding me that we must always remember to play, regardless of how old we are.

I have been feeling like an old cow of late. And I know it's because I have been working too hard, neglecting to play, neglecting myself.

Aunty...Thank you for reminding me that I need to play =)

It meant a lot to me... Thank you.

A colleague offered to help me mark the MCQ Section of my paper. Although it didn't take more than an hour, I am very GRATEFUL.

especially when the size of the gesture is magnified manyfolds at a time when I am tired, and sick and trying so very hard to find reasons to stay motivated.

One day at a time.

I will remember today

I cannot remember which book did I read this from. Something along the lines of "every lecturer will remember with pride the first time he/she delivered a lecture without referring to the notes or the words on the slides at all.

I thought that the rostum created more than a physical distance between me and the students. And I always hated the "ice-cream cone" mike that I had to drag around, made me feel like a dog on a leash. So I ditched the mike, and started to walk in front of the rostrum and started the lecture.

And I didn't refer to the notes at all.

Yes, I will remember today with pride.

I did not use the mike, only the laser pointer, which allowed me to walk around the lecture theatre. I did not read from the slides for once and I was able to provide examples I didn't think about earlier, on the spot - I have no idea how I did that, especially when I slept only 3.5 hours and this was a 9am lecture.

Thank you. God.