Taekwondo

This is the younger kids' second Taekwondo class. They finally started last Saturday after more than a year of negotiations.  It took quite a bit of persuasion. My son is often apprehensive of classes and the idea of fighting with someone other than his sister. My daughter was quite keen to follow in her eldest brother's footstep. She performs her own TKD-like moves and this has been on the increase recently as she has been watching Power Rangers videos on Youtube.  Her only condition for attending TKD classes was if her Koh Koh goes with her. 

One morning as I was walking my second son to school, I told him about his sister's interest in TKD and her condition for attending classes. I explained to him that it was important for both of them to learn self-defence. He remained quite adamant. So I threw in the offer of an extra hour of ipad in the weekends, which left him defenceless. The deal was sealed and we agrees to start after Chinese New Year.

Not quite sure what got into my daughter but she also decided to start swimming classes as well. So last Saturday was an exciting weekend of firsts for her. She enjoyed her swimming lesson and made new friends. She was looking forward to a similarly enjoyable time at the TKD class in the evening. My son on the other hand was looking rather worried about the prospect of sparring with someone. Whilst his sister was running around and hopping on the exercise mats laid on the TKD hall, he stood there quietly. When the class started, the instructor came to introduce herself to the kids. Just at that point, my daugther became anxious and started to cry. You can never be certain with kids and I wasn't sure what to do. My quiet son came to the rescue. Holding her hands he said "Come on Mei, lets go". And that made all the difference. She followed him and everything else went smoothly. And they both enjoyed themselves.

Siblings have a way of influencing each other that sometimes parents can't. My eldest son's 10 year journey with TKD have rubbed off on his sister. Her enthusiasm got us to class, and his second brother gave her the confidence to stick to her decision.

Weekday Routines

On weekdays, I wake up by 6.20am. 10 minutes for me to brush my teeth and get the 2 younger kids' water bottles and school snacks ready. At 6.30am, I will wake my second son up, which usually takes quite a bit of persuasion. I often end up having to nudge his leg off the side of the bed and get him to sit up whilst his eyes are still closed. With my support we would stand up and walk towards the living room. He is far too heavy to be carried, certainly not with my weak back.

I used to change him into his school uniform whilst he is still half asleep but starting this year he changes himself. I would turn on the TV to keep him awake. I give him his cup of fresh milk, his first of 5 in a day. His eyes would be glued to the TV until I get him to brush his teeth at 6.50am. After than we will set off to school. It is a 15 minutes walk there and another 10 minutes back. When I get home, I have a quick bite, take a shower and prepare for work whilst my wife gets my daughter ready for kindie. She too goes through the same routine but it take longer. She also needs to brush her hair. I drop her off at the kindie on my way to work. 

Parenthood comes with a lot of routines, often executed in quick succession. When we plan, we consider what we need to do for the kids and how we can workaround the things we need to do for ourselves. When we have it all figured out, we work backwards to determine how early we have to wake up or how late we have to stay up. And then there are routines that aren't routines at all - reminding the kids to chew during meal times, staying focused when they are doing homework or clearing the toys after play time. There is nothing predictable when it comes to these tasks, so I leave them to my wife.

Hidden in these daily routines are gems - small but priceless, requiring effort, but well worth it. The way they lean on me when they are half-asleep, the conversations on the way to school, the hugs and kisses when we say our goodbyes at school. When I get lost in the routine, I have to remember that routines can't be that routine if I get to be with them. Routines aren't routines because they don't last forever either. So let's continue with the routines just until you are old enough to do things on your own.

The Final Scan Results

After many months of uncertainties, medical procedures, chemo, rashes and many other inconveniences, the day finally came for my PET/CT scan results. I got to the onco clinic slightly early but the appointment before mine was overrunning. I decided to look through the Facebook posts of my recent holiday to the UK to distract myself. Always good to be reminded of the good times in moments like this. And thankfully I had posted quite a few photos of the holiday to last me through the waiting time. 

The earlier appointment finally ended and I could hear the doctor speaking to the patient as they were walking towards the reception. I said to myself "oh here we go", bracing myself. If I were on a plane I ought to be adopting the brace position. Turns out the young couple waiting at the reception were next. So I went back to the Facebook posts and then later to my Instagram account to hashtag some of my posts. If I didn't have a good use for social media apps before, I had it now. Hashtag away...

Finally my turn came. The doctor looked through the blood test results and mentioned that my white blood count was still relatively low despite having completed the last cycle of chemo 2 months ago. I will have to be mindful to stay away from the raw fish now that we are in the Chinese New Year Yee Sang season. Then he realised that he needed my scans so he left me in his office for about 5 minutes as he searched for them. I went back to my Instagram account. When he returned, he said that the scans show that I need to visit the dentist as I have an infected tooth. Part of the gums at the back of my mouth were swollen when I was in the UK recently and I am still recovering from it. Other than that, all the hot spots have disappeared and I am in full remission. Thanks God for the good outcome.

We did a farmstay in Devon 2 weeks ago when we were in the UK. On the last day we visited the beautiful beaches in Woolacombe and Croyde. After a wonderful lunch at The Thatch in Croyde, recommended by 2 friends, we went back to Woolacombe because the 2 younger kids wanted to play at the beach a little more. They had a lot of fun trying to get as close as possible to the water without getting their shoes wet. They would run back screaming in excitement when there was a big wave. By 4pm, the sun was setting and it was getting colder. I called out to them "Come on kids, it's time to go". And as I did that, I suddenly felt a bit emotional; after a wonderful day, it is time to go. 

I thank God, that there is still time for me to enjoy all that He has given me. The sun is still up and my Father is happy to see me play. There comes a time when God calls us back to be by His side. Until then, we give thanks for this most wonderful and mysterious gift of life.

I also would like to thank everyone who has been journeying with me. I truly appreciate your thoughts, prayers and friendship. Do continue to uphold me in prayers.

In almost everything that touches our everyday life on earth, God is pleased when we’re pleased. He wills that we be as free as birds to soar and sing our maker’s praise without anxiety. ~ A.W. Tozer

Hunger Pangs

I am feeling really hungry. 6 months ago, breakfast would be the furthest thing from my mind. There are so many articles out there about the importance of breakfast and many people would tell me the same thing. Just 2 days ago I saw an article that debunks this view so I guess the debate is still out there. But breakfast wasn't something that came naturally to me. I remember when I was in primary school, I had to gulp Milo with each bite of the bread to wash it down. But I did enjoy the half-boiled eggs with soya sauce and white pepper - I never remembered this bit until now.

When I started chemo last year, I made myself eat breakfast because an empty stomach made me dizzy and exacerbated the nausea. Since then, breakfast has become a routine for me and something that I look forward to. I get hungry if I don't have it. I won't be able to manage a hearty Full English Breakfast or the full-on high carb Asian breakfast. It is often something light for a quick munch. I remember many years ago when I stayed in a staff dormitory during a training trip in Tokyo and they served rice with several dishes for breakfast.  Japanese generosity wasted on me. 

I am hungry, and now very cold, because I have to fast for this morning's PET/CT scan. As part of the procedure, they just gave me some medication that induces peeing. Hungry, cold and feel like peeing - my combi today. I only needed to fast for 6 hours but I slept quite early yesterday night after a full day at work fighting jet lag. The preparation for the scan and the scan itself will take a few hours. By the time I am done here I can probably eat 2 portions of lunch.

The upside is that the hunger and thinking about what to eat for lunch later take the mind off the scan results. I thought about the scan occasionally during the holidays and a bit more since I got home. Yesterday I ask myself why I thought about today since the scan results are only going to be out tomorrow. Actually it is quite pointless thinking about it all; it doesn't change the outcome a single bit. Fear can be irrational.

Thinking about what I am going to eat after a test or a procedure, on the other hand, is something that changes what the day is going to be like.

Rogue One

We were probably the last few remaining fans who have yet to watch Rogue One. So we decided to do it yesterday. The 5.45pm show at Clementi 123. It gave us a good reason to wake up from our jet lag induced afternoon nap, which was long and heavy. If I hadn't made an advanced booking, we would have slept until 7pm, especially because it was raining. Going for the movie may just help the kids get over the jet lag in time for the start of the school term this week.  It is now 4.45am. Whilst I am wide awake, everyone else is still sleeping and I suspect will sleep through until 7am. (Spoke too soon, they woke up at 5.30am)

So Rogue One is Star Wars 3.5.  The Dark side recaptured a man whom it thought was crucial to the completion of the Death Star, a weapon that destroys entire planets. If you didn't think global warming was happening quick enough, the Death Star was for you. This man figured that the best way out was to play along and complete the Death Star but to build in a vulnerability at its core. The rest of the movie was about how he secretly transmits a hologram message to his long lost daughter to tell her where the Death Star blueprint is stored. She then leads a group of rebels to retrieve this blueprint. 

My daughter was still drifting in and out of sleep before the movie started. She is somewhat interested in Star Wars but not a hardcore fan. So I was surprised that she kept awake throughout the movie. She had lots of questions "Are those Stormtroppers?"  "Where is Darth Vader?" When he finally appeared she asked "How did he choke the man in white?" I didn't know how to explain it to her but minutes later she concluded that "he used the force". We would have had popcorn thrown at us or be subjected of Star Wars fans' hissing if not for the fact that the movie hall was almost empty. 

I enjoyed the movie but I found myself clinging on to the old Star Wars characters. I too wondered when Darth Vader was going to appear. I was like a little kid when C3PO and R2D2 made their cameo appearances. There was that bitter sweet moment at the end when Princess Leia appeared. It is ironic, but that was a great way to remember the late Carrie Fisher. The light saber was distinctly missing, I think. Donnie Yen's character was enigmatic but he is clearly not coming back, unless they do a prequel to this prequel, maybe to explain how he became blind and why he is always chanting.

What I thought the movie did best was to create public awareness about information security. The importance of preventing data leakages, system vulnerabilities, the importance of firewalls if you don't have force fields, how real hacking is. The argument that sufficient physical security mitigates the risk of not encrypting data-at-rest is now up for challenge. Sure worked on me - although I am not a technologist, I have a whole new level of appreciation for Information Security. Now I have a screen-life example of galactic proportions to draw on. Apologies if this is a spoiler for those who intent to watch the movie but haven't got round to it yet. I may have just double-spoilt it for you now.

Back home for the New Year

After being away for 20 days, we finally got home yesterday. The 13+ hours flight didn't seem that long as I had learnt how to arrange the way the younger kids should sleep when we were flying to the UK. That meant that they slept well and I was in less discomfort. Nevertheless, everyone was a bit dazed when we landed. A big holiday is over, how do you deal with it? 

When we were in the maxi-cab, my wife played pretend with the younger kids that we were on our way to our next holiday accommodation. A place with a swimming pool to enjoy the warm sunny weather in Singapore. We were greeted with lots of Christmas presents on the dining table from my sister-in-law, who has been coming over to care for my son's aquarium. She also got us some emergency food - banana, milk for my younger kids who can't sleep without it, peanut butter and bread. This holiday apartment is looking very promising. My wife ordered room service via Deliveroo but reality sunk in when the in-house laundry service was, well really in-house. No escaping. 

I managed to get the kids to bed my 12am and caught some sleep myself. But at 2.30am we found ourselves wide awake. My eldest son who avoided sleeping on the flight with the intention of minimising jet lag discovered that it isn't as simple as that. No point fighting it, so I got the kids something to eat and they played with the Lego sets they got for Christmas. I organised the holiday photos so that it would be easier to  work on the photobook later. We all went back to bed at about 6am. We have been operating perfectly the rest of the day, on London time.

The extent to which we have to re-adapt to our daily lives is a pretty good measure of how awesome the holiday was. I have so much to be thankful for in 2016 but I would like to remember how we finished the year, being together as a family trying out new things. This year had its ups and, wow it sure had its downs, but we ended the year on a jubilant note.  The last thing we did before we caught our flight out of London was watching The Railway Children at the King's Cross Theatre. It was phenomenal West-end style story telling. A story told by 3 children who had to move from London to the countryside with their mother as their father was imprisoned for something that he was wrongly accused of. In their ups and downs, the children had some of the fondest childhood memories. 

My wish for everyone is that you that make the year ahead a wonderful one. God bless you and your family. Happy 2017!

Blessed Christmas

It's great to be in London after 12 days in the countryside. The city-dweller in me was starting to resurface. There was yearning for a shower with strong water pressure and reliable wifi signals. And the Singaporean in us needed to satisfy the craving for dim sum, fried rice and noodle soup. So first things first, we had dinner at Bo Fa Garden in County Hall. It was my first meal of fish without beer batter and chips. They gave us white rice in a mini-barrel, and we finished it. So we finished a whole barrel of rice literally speaking.

London is noticeably preparing for the arrival of Christmas. Last minute shoppers, many people with hand luggages at the train stations, notices at various retail stores reminding customers of shorter operating hours and closure during the public holidays. Many of the museums were closed today. Bracing ourselves for a shut down in London over the next two days, we stocked up on bottled drinking water and fresh milk for the younger kids. I am thankful to the helpful staff at the Marriott for reassuring us that we will be well taken care of.  Being away from home for Christmas is clearly making me melodramatic. 

Tonight is Christmas Eve and I am reminded of Mary and Josephs journey from their hometown to Bethlehem. Arriving there after a long trip, there was no more room, never mind bottled drinking water or milk. And the baby, when he arrived, was placed in a manger. Almost all Nativity scenes depict a place filled with fluffy dry odourless hay surrounding the manger. Our recently farmstay in Devon suggests that that is probably the furthest from the truth. I am reminded of how God was so determined to dwell amongst us that He would settle for a manger.

This evening, I attended the Christmas Eve evening service at St Margaret's Church at Westminster Abbey. The pastor delivering the sermon spoke about the different forms of darkness that we encounter in our lives - whether it is the terrorism or humanitarian disasters around the world, or dealing with illness or facing broken relationships. And she reminded the congregation of the great light that has come into the world. This light, which is the glory of God, overcomes all darkness no matter how the circumstances appears to us. I thank you Jesus for coming to dwell amongst us, despite all the inconveniences and much more. "Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth. Born to give them second birth"

A blessed Christmas to you and your family. May God's presence dwell with you.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

~ John 1:9-14

Instagram

I read an article several weeks back about Instagramers who delete posts that do not receive enough likes. Apparently this is how some users manage their popularity, or at least the perception if their popularity. The tell tale sign is an account with very few posts that received many likes. And then, just like any other users, I see the statistics of my account followers fluctuate. This is where some menacing users follow you with the hope that you would reciprocate. And whether you do or not, they would unfollow you a couple of days later. It is somewhat troubling to think how shallow people can get on Instagram.

I, on the other hand, have a much deeper appreciation of Instagram. When I first started using it, I was unsure what I would use it for. I mean how would it be different from the way I use Facebook? I am someone who needs to set ground rules and principles before I start on something. Confusion confuses me. I eventually decided that my Instagram account would be for photos where people are not the subject. They would be photos that I would not want to bomb my Facebook account with. For instance, photo of a coffee cup would go onto Instagram. Facebook photos are for keeping in touch with our extended family and friends and coffee cups don't build relationships, or do they?

Serious users tend to have a specific theme for each of their accounts. I like everything in one place and was too lazy to set up different accounts. Besides it gets a bit dull to have an account just about one thing. So the theme of my account is "A closer look at my surrounding". Can't get any more specific than that can you? 

Being on holiday gets me in an Instagram frenzy as there are many things in my surrounding that requires a closer look. Everywhere I look are things that I need to feed "my precious". That watering can, that duck, that windmill, that cake... It came to a point this week where I hit some built-in limit or trigger on the app and my account was suspended for 24 hours, twice over. Other users can see what I uploaded but it would not be saved on my homepage. I couldn't believe my eyes so I looked it up on goggle. Apparently it is a mechanism to prevent malicious virus or codes from spamming the system. Me? Spamming on Instagram? Never. I visited Cirencester and there were lots of stuff in my surrounding which required a closer look.

So if you have been following my Instagram account, you would have noticed a siesta. And I am loading photos from a few days back and at a much slower rate. It's my 3rd day in Devon and I am just now loading the photos of Bath. Duh!!!

Unplanned Visit

The Cotswolds was picture perfect. Although its quintessential English gardens are in deep hibernation during this time of the year, its Christmas charm is in full bloom. Christmas trees and decorations, lights up on the high-streets by 4pm, warm and cosy restaurants and pubs inviting passersby to get out of the wintry cold. Low season for tourists means less crowds and more parking spaces available, which are big pluses for a family with young children. 

I had planned a drivearound of the upper Cotswolds on our first day. We visited The Slaughters, Stow-on-the-Wold and had brunch in Moreton-in-Marsh. The plan was that we would continue on to Chipping Norton, Chipping Campden and beyond. But during our drive we saw roadsigns displaying the distance to Coventry and Warwick. My wife suggested that we visit University of Warwick, where we both studied more than 20 years ago.  I was surprised that the kids were keen on the idea. I didn't have any trouble pulling out the University's postcode from my sub-conscience to key into the GPS. CV4 7AL.

It was surreal to be back at the University with our 3 kids. A number of new buildings have come up on campus since our graduation but many things look just the same. We visited the Social Studies building, which can be a confusing maze for the uninitiated. We showed the kids the lounge where we had cucumber or tomato and cheese sandwiches in between lectures. I pointed out the area where there used to be pigeonholes, the system of communication before emails came along. 

I took them for a quick tour of the Arts Centre, Tocil Lake to feed the ducks and the two halls of residences which we were housed in our Year 1. I was in International House, which had a good mix of international students. My wife was in Jack Martins, the only en-suite accommodating on campus at that time. After the campus tour, we drove to nearby Canley to look at my wife's hardship accommodation in Year 2.

20+ years flew by, just like that, in a blink of an eye. Through life's ups and downs, there is so much to thank God for.  The visit reminds us of how far we have come. This unplanned trip was a highlight during our visit to The Cotswolds.

Wyck Rissington

We spent the whole of yesterday on the road again. 3 hours of driving in the dark from Glencoe back to Inverness. We took the 12.30pm flight to London and headed out to The Cotswolds. M40 was slightly congested but nothing compared to when we got onto the stretch of A40 from Oxford to Cheltenham. Why would there be a traffic standstill at 4pm on a Thursday in The Cotswolds? Is there some Christmas antique auction happening somewhere that we were not aware of? Well, there is a simpler explanation to this - Roundabouts. The A40 is generously planted with roundabouts. Talk about disruptive technology!

And so we arrived at the little village of Wyck Rissington. Yes my Singaporean phonics based English pronunciation fails me in this quaint part of England. In the dark, I sensed that there is only one road traversing this village. We must have made up the entire winter traffic passing through this village as we drove up and down, and up and down, in the rain to find the cottage we booked. It doesn't help that some houses have names instead of numbers. And where there were numbers they didn't seem to run in sequence.  Why did I not learn from the experience in Scotland? Just call the owner.

Even in the dark, you could tell that this is going to be a warm homely cottage. In the garden, we were greeted by an apple tree. My wife joked about making apple pies. Climbers growing on the exterior walls. On the inside is what you would want when you come in from a long day of driving in the dark cold raining English winter. If you are Instagram crazy, you would go Instagram crazy. Probably the only thing missing is a dog and a cat, in that order of priority, and maybe sheep on the lawn. I will be giving some feedback to the owner. 

I am tearing my hair out trying to plan what we do the next couple of days. So many villages but so little time. Completely defeats the purpose of wanting to be here in the first place, to chill. When I asked someone whether it was worth visiting The Cotswolds in the winter, the person wanted to manage my expectation. The gardens would not be blooming at this time of the year, so the person said that people take long lunches during winter. Well, to warm up over a wood fire over a long lunch is a pretty good way to chill, even if it is a bit ironic. But from what we saw when we passed through one of the villages yesterday night, I suspect The Cotswolds would be out in its Christmas best. 

Glen Etive

We set out for Glen Etive at 8am yesterday morning when it was bright enough to drive. Glen is the Gaelic word for valley. The stretch of A82 that connects Glencoe to Glen Etive and beyond in simply stunning.  The mountains on both sides of the valley road were lifting their praises to the Ancient One and I could feel my heart singing along. It is like the feeling I get when I enter a cathedral.

We spotted the Lagangarbh Hut and made our first stop.  The iconic white hut sits like a toy Monopoly house at the base of the imposing Buachaille Etive Mor. It is owned by the the National Trust for Scotland and maintained by the Scottish Mountaineering Club. We followed the path down to the footbridge over River Coupall, an easy 10 minutes walk. This is about as much "trekking" we will be doing in the UK. We stood there to take in the sights, sounds, the cold and the wind. 

Further down the A82, we turned right toward Glen Etive. Although there were 2 signs along the main road, I missed the turn. Fortunately my eldest son who was the navigator alerted me and we did a U-turn. The single track road runs along one side of River Etive. We made photo stops at some of the waterfalls and river pools. Although I was driving a 7-seater Hyundai, which hardly resembles an Astin Martin, it wasn't difficult to imagine that we were part of the Highlands scene in Skyfall. This is where M steps out of the car and ask James Bond "Is this where you grew up?" You would think that as the head of MI5 she would have known the answer. Or did Judy Dench forget her lines?

As we drove on, I told the kids that they should look out for deers, but I wasn't entirely sure we would. What we did see were a pair of white ponies that looked like they came straight out of My Little Pony. They had long manes that covered one side of their faces. They looked like unicorns missing their horns. We played a word game where the kids come up with words to describe what they saw. They come up with "white", "long hair", "beautiful" and "cute" for the ponies. As we drove on we were busy chatting, when suddenly Mei Mei exclaimed "deer".  I didn't really hear what she said but it created such noisy excitement in the car. I stopped the car and there it was a deer. My wife described it as "majestic". 

The drive ends at Loch Etive, somewhat abruptly. Although the lake, flanked by mountain, was a dramatic view, it leaves you with the feeling that you want more. However, the trek from the parking area would not have met our 20-minutes loop requirement.

Getting There

I can't remember ever being so exhausted. Full day of work on Friday, got home to get ready for the  flight to London, the 14 hours on the plane with poor sleep, 3 hours of transit time in Heathrow, 1.5 hours flight to Invesness, 3 hours drive to Glencoe and then finally getting the family settled in the holiday cottage. This is the first time I haven't suffered from jetlag after a flight into the UK. I woke up every 2-3 hours but managed to fall back to sleep almost immediately. 

We had difficulty finding the Airbnb cottage when we got to Glencoe. A combination of not having an offline copy of the instructions from the host, poor signals on the phone that was about to run out of battery, the GPS that was only able to bring us to the town centre. My poor logistics basically. I was getting worried because it was 4pm and nightfall was 1/2 an hour away. Some of you know this - I have this childhood phobia of not getting home before night fall. I resorted to calling the host, something which I should have done earlier. 

At 5pm it was all dark outside the cottage. You could hear the river at the back but it was pitch black. Not all phobias are irrational. Dinner was already soughted out. We had to get some groceries at Morrisons when we were passing through Fort Williams. The kids were hungry because it was way pass their Singapore dinner time. My wife rejoiced when she say McDonald's, so we did the Drive Thru. Our first family meal in Scotland was Scottish, namesake at least. 

I hadn't really planned out the itinerary for our stay in Glencoe. Well, aside from planning the 4 towns or city we were going to be based during the course of our stay in the UK, I have left everything flexible. There are frequent questions from my wife and kids about where we are going the next day or how long the trip will take. My response is always honest - I don't know and it will probably take 2-3 hours, as is the case when you don't know where you are going. When I got up early this morning, I looked at the phamplets available in the cottage and decided that we should head out to Glen Etive. It should take 2-3 hours is my guess.

Praise the Lord we got here!

Let ev'rything that, ev'rything that

Ev'rything that has breath praise the Lord

Let ev'rything that, ev'rything that

Ev'rything that has breath praise the Lord

Praise You in the morning, praise You in the evening

Praise You when I'm young and when I'm old

Praise You when I'm laughing, praise You with I'm grieving

Praise You ev'ry season of the soul

If we could see how much You're worth

Your power, Your might, Your endless love

Then surely we would never cease to praise

Praise You in the heavens, joining with the angels

Praising You forever and a day

Praise You on the earth now, joining with creation

Calling all the nations to Your praise

~ Everything that has Breath, Matt Redman

UK Vacation

We are off on our long awaited UK holiday. 8 hours on the flight have passed and 6 more to go. I am seated in the center seat with the 2 younger kids on each side. It took us some time to figure out the most comfortable sleeping position - both pairs of feet on my lap whilst their heads rest on the armrests cushioned by pillows. I sleep with my arms and head over the tray table. The comfort of flying economy.

We decided to fly British Airways because it would be easier to organise the connecting flights to Inverness - yes we are going to the Scottish Highlands in the middle of winter. It has been awhile since I’ve flown BA. My first time was when I left for the UK for undergraduate studies. And now we are flying as a family of 5. Made me think about the time elapsed. At first the kids were sceptical, “What? We are not flying Singapore Airlines?” Their minds were put at rest when they saw the personal entertainment unit on the A380. There is a sense of familiarity on the flight - ‘highlife”, the inflight magazine has the smell of British magazines that come with the weekend newspapers. 

We were on holiday in the UK 6.5 years ago. At that time we only had 2 kids and that was meant to be our last long holiday for the next 2-3 years as we were planning to have Baby 3. We were talking about that trip a few days back and the idea that Mei Mei hadn’t yet existed was confusing for her. She said she was in mommy’s body, which I guess is partially correct. To some extent, this holiday closes the gap in the kids' shared experiences. In less than 2 years, my eldest son would be starting his National Service. Beyond that, I am not sure if he will still be interested to travel with the rest of the family. Long holidays as a family may be rare.

Tracing a little further back, my wife and I met in the UK when we were studying in the University of Warwick. We were talking about university life with the kids yesterday night. She told the kids how miserable she felt when it dawn on her that Coventry was not quite like London. After that the kids were quite set on studying in a local university. I told the kids how her 2nd year off-campus accommodation was full of boxes, like someone either just moved in or someone was looking to move out soon. The kids saw the humour in that. Time flies; we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary recently. You could say that the 3 kids were in mommy all those years back in university.

The UK holds many fond memories for us, and I am looking forward to more on this trip with the entire family.

Public Spaces?

Taking my two younger kids out for breakfast a week ago changed my notion of public spaces. We went to McDonald’s at the Metropolis, situated in North Buona Vista. With the MRT station right at its doorstep, it is accessible. There are a number of eateries and cafes. It is clean and has wonderful sculptures including Ju Ming’s Pushing Hands and Fernando Botero’s Horse. I can understand why this Grade A office complex was awarded the BCA Green Mark Platinum. 

I took the kids to look around the open spaces after their breakfast. I snapped photos of some of the sculptures and the kids voluntarily mimicked the subjects. Art appreciation 101. I thought about how fortunate we were to have shared spaces where the general public could have access to wonderful pieces of art. But I thought too soon. After 10 minutes, I was approached by a security officer who told me that photos were not permitted at the complex. I was quite surprised and thought that it may have been because I took photos of a sculpture in one of the buildings. Perhaps I should not have gone into that building.  It may have also been because I got my daughter to stand on the plinth of the Horse. So I asked the friendly security officer whether photos of the outdoor sculptures were also disallowed. He confirmed that that photos were not allowed in that whole complex including the outdoor areas. But he kindly informed me that I could take photos of the large Christmas tree that was recently put up.

Who would have thought! I may have missed it, but I didn’t see signs on the property that disallowed photography. I wonder how this works. This wonderful complex that houses some of the largest multinationals such as Proctor & Gamble and Shell, and local listed companies like SGX and NOL, does seem to have pretty rigid house-rules. If guests or visitors to these companies decide to take a photo with these wonderful sculptures for keepsake will they too be directed to the giant Christmas tree? What happens during the rest of the year. Will there be a giant peach put up for Chinese New Year?

You can roam around, you can see and you can touch (I think), but no photographs please.

Allegria

Yesterday we attended my second son's first primary school choir performance. I have really been looking forward to it the whole month. But this almost didn't happen. You may recall back last year, in Father and Son I talked about how he refused to participate in a programme the school selected him for. This was it - the choir.  

So it was apt that they started the evening with "It is Good to Give Thanks to the Lord". As I sat there with my family, I really do have a lot to thank God for. Thankful that he was enjoying himself on stage, thankful that his elder brother prioritised the concert over a class gathering, and thankful that I made it through the last couple of months. The choir followed on with "Take These Wings". I cant pronounce Steve Kupferschmid and have never heard of Don Besig, but what a uplifting song about the wonderful gift of life, whether you are at the beginning of it or at the end.

Songs from diverse genre followed including "Sing" by the Carpenters, Rodgers and Hammerstein's "My Favourite Things", Panis Angelicus which means Bread of Angels in Latin, and "Count on Me" by Bruno Mars. Somewhere in the middle, a little girl, I think from Primary 2, called Faith gave a solo performance of "Blessing" by Laura Story". Through the song, the girl reminded the audience that maybe the "trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise". The gift of child-like innocent faith in truly a blessing.

It was such an enjoyable evening. I am amazed how kids so young can put on such a great show. And there is something about watching your kid from afar giving his best and loving the moment, especially when he is in his smart white shirt and bow tie. Maybe it is seeing him take the wings and learning to fly.

I found a sparrow lying on the ground
Her life, I knew, would soon be at an end
I knelt before her as she made a sound
And listened as she said, 'My friend...

Chorus:
Take these wings and learn to fly
To the highest mountain in the sky
Take these eyes and learn to see
All the things so dear to me.

Take this song and learn to sing
Fill your hearts with all the joy of spring
Take this heart and set it free
Let it fly beyond the sea.'

I found another sparrow on the sand
A tiny bird whose life had just begun
I picked him up and held him in my hand
I smiled at him and said, 'My son...

~ Take These Wings, Steve Kupferschmid & Don Besig

Monopoly Deal

My second son introduced us to Monopoly Deal today. For the uninitiated, this is the card version of the popular board game. My son played it with his school friends earlier this week and asked me to get it for him when we were at Toys R Us today. The box says "Play in 15 minutes". I thought about the time I could potentially save compared to playing the board game, not to mention the effort required to set up the board and to pack it up when we are done playing. No-brainer, I agreed to buy it.

Turns out that it is quite different from the board game and far more vicious. Based on cards that you pick from the draw pile, the first player that acquires 3 full set of properties wins the game. However, there are various Action Cards - the Sly Deal card allows you to steal a property from someone else, the Force Deal card allows you to swap properties with another player and the Deal Breaker allows you to take a full set of property from any player! If you possess a Just Say No card, which my daughter refers to as Say Just No, you can cancel the effect of the Action Cards. Wouldn't it be handy to have some Say Just No cards in life. 

Then there are these cards that allow you to extort money from other players. The Happy Birthday card requires each player to give you a $2M gift; the cost of having expensive friends. The Rent cards which require either one or all players to pay you exorbitant rent, based on a property bubble presumably. These have to be used with care to avoid unnecessary tears during the game. So if I have to use them, I would get my son to pay up the rent. However, there was one game where I asked my son twice in a row, and he asked me to direct the Rent card to my daughter instead. The 5 year old was okay to foot out the $3M rent. Right after that was my son's turn, and he served up a Debt Collector card to my daughter which meant that she had to dish out another $5M. The financial distress was too much for her to handle and she burst out in tears. Without my prompting, my son held her arm and told her that she did not have to pay him. My son wouldn't make a very good debt collector; he could have considered offering a loan restructuring instead. The sweet gesture pacified her and the game could continue.

I forgot that with card games, they usually make me play at least 3 rounds with them. 15 minutes x 3 would have been 15 minutes longer than the 30-minute rule than I impose on the board game version of Monopoly. I clearly got outsmarted.

The ups and downs of games time with the kids.

Hope

To celebrate the completion of the chemo treatment, I asked a friend whether she would paint something for me. I wanted something to remind me of the hope that we have in Jesus in life's circumstances. I gave her Bible passages from Genesis 2-3, Isaiah 53 and John 19-20 as a synopsis of the Good News and asked her to paint Jesus crucified. Today I took delivery of the lovely painting and hung it up. As we approach the season of Advent, this is also a reminder of the reason for the season. 

I hadn't noticed earlier, but I just realised that now, side by side, are 2 paintings that depict the start and end of Jesus' earthly life. The other painting is a Chinese water colour of the Magi travelling from the east to witness the new born Messiah. My second son who was inspecting the painting was also pleasantly surprised when he noticed this. He said one painting was of Jesus "borning" and the other about his death. Not expecting his younger sister to be able to figure out what the new painting was about, he was amused when she said "Jesus dying to save the whole world". The simplicity of Christmas story. 

This morning, at church, the visiting pastor told us a little bit about his past. He told us he was a school drop out, and later became a drug-addict which eventually landed him in jail. It was during the time in jail that he personally accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour, even though he was born into a Catholic family. His life was so transformed that he became a witness for God. God's arms were pinned open onto the cross to offer grace to anyone and everyone who seeks it. The tranformational power of the cross.

The cross has been a constant reminder to me over the last couple of months that we have a God who understands our circumstances. He faced accusations, suffering, betrayal and humiliation, and ultimately death, but he faced it all humbly.  And in His death and resurrection, He revealed to us that there is eternal life. The eternal hope we have in Christ.


Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice
You became nothing, poured out to death
Many times I've wondered at Your gift of life
And I'm in that place once again
I'm in that place once again

And once again I look upon the cross where You died
I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life

~ Once Again, Matt Redman

In Control

It is taking me slightly longer to get back into routine in this last cycle of chemo. A bit of insomnia at the beginning followed by binge sleeping over the next couple of days. In between, is the lethargy. I resorted to Netflix to provide my brain with the much needed stimulation. I paced myself, 2 to 3 episodes of The Crown over the last few days. I am not entirely sure how much of the script is factual but there was enough history weaved into the story for me to feel I was watching something important. And if you forget everything else, you will still be left with an overwhelming sense of duty over self. Claire Foy was masterful in her portrayal of the young Queen trying to find her footing as the sovereign in the fast changing post-war Britain society. She sought the find the balance between being herself and being the Queen.

I particularly enjoyed John Lithgow's rendition of Churchill. One of the series' sub-plots was how Churchill dealt with his waning popularity even though the Conservative Party had regained power in the 1951 General Elections. The man who had led Britain to victory against Nazi Hitler was portrayed as a man who had lost his spark and lacked the focus to deal with the domestic economic issues facing Britain. 

In one episode, Lithgow's Churchill came face to face with his own mortality as he confronted Graham Sutherland, who had painted a full-length portrait of him. It was commission by the two Houses to commemorate Churchill's 80th birthday. Churchill hated the portrait and later summoned Sutherland to his home in Chartwell for a dress down. He poured out his contempt onto the artist for portraying him as "a broken, sagging, pitiful creature" and that it was "cruel". To which Sutherland responded "Age is cruel! If you see decay, it's because there's decay. If you see frailty, it's because there's frailty. I can't be blamed for what is. And I refuse to hide and disguise what I see. If you're engaged in a fight with something, then it's not with me. It is with your own blindness."

Yesterday morning, I nudged myself to go for a morning walk after dropping my daughter off at the kindergarten. I decided to visit St George's Church in Tanglin. We often drive by this wonderful Anglican church on the way to Dempsey Hill and I've always wanted to visit. I was the only one there at that time of the morning. I sat down to say a quiet prayer and thank God for getting me through the last few months. I read from Isaiah 45 and was reminded that everything is in God's sovereign hands even when it is incomprehensible to the human mind. And as if to answer the question of how I should view each day going forward, I saw the words taken from John 16:33 on the stained glass window "Be of Good Cheer, I Have Overcome the World".

My apologies if this blogpost is all over the place - Netflix, The Crown, Lithgow's Churchill and my visit to a church. It may well be a form of madness to see patterns where they don't exist! How I would sum it up is this - we spend a lot of energy and effort to make our lives work. Whether it is a call of duty or whether mixed in there somewhere is our difficulty in letting go. Sometimes it is just a matter of survival, fighting an illness or waning popularity or both. Or pushing back the thoughts of ageing and the frailty that comes with it. After so much of your life has been expended, and you don't feel like there is much more you can afford to give, what happens? Can you afford to let go and will it turn cruel?

I think we need to see life for what it is, and God for who He is, and rest upon the assurance of the work He has already done on the cross for us.


When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most, 
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

~ When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Isaac Watts