Happy New Year!

last year we welcomed the new year with the young adults at Paterson Tower which was demolished few months ago.... tonight we had a full house! Hannah's turkey turned out beautifully and everyone had a great time!

Christmas gathering

a great way to celebrate Christmas was having a meal with some old friends - there were eight families gathered at the Gohs' new home with plenty of food, fun and fellowship.

Merry Christmas

On Christmas Day last year we found ourselves wandering the streets. Everything seemed foreign to us despite the beautiful light up along the main road in the heart of the city.

The boys lamented, “No snow.” “Not Cold.” “Don’t feel like Christmas at all.”

We felt a sense of “loss”, as would anyone in the midst of transition. Whatever we used to do on Christmas Day is all in the past, and the people we’ve come to know and love were all so far away. One thing we know for sure is that we need to start a new family tradition on Christmas Day!

But the true meaning of Christmas will not change despite how displaced we felt that day. The Good News of “A Savior is born” in Luke 2:10 – 12 still brings hope to many who are in despair of life.

We were greatly encouraged by the joint effort of many churches here retelling the Christmas story to the crowd that flocked to see the light up; amongst them were the foreign workers in Singapore.

Are you aware that for every four people living in Singapore today one is a foreigner?

Ginger

this cat showed up on our doorstep when we first moved in to our new apartment.
she was gone during the renovation of the place.
we often spotted her at the foot of the nearby blocks and obviously someone must be feeding her.
i'm a cat person but my better half is allergic to cats - so i was delighted that Ginger make herself at home on the broken chair outside our apartment these days.

gone fishing

my better half booked a chalet near the beach just to get away and fish with the boys. it was great to look out of the window in the morning and be greeted by the lush green trees! i'm a beach person too so it worked out well that the boys like fishing!

game night

it's Friday night, the young adult group gathered at our place for food and fun.
my eighteen year old came back from camp earlier than usual, and he brought his army buddy along.
we had spaghetti and salad for dinner and my thirteen year old bake a batch of chocolate chips cookies for dessert - it was yummy!

summary of the month - October

the highlight of the month was my nephew's wedding -
i used to babysit him when he was little, how time flies!
i was not around for the past three weddings in the family so it was nice to be home.
i just love being with my sisters, and this time round all seven of them were present - and the last time i saw my Sixth sister was 18 years ago!

sweet "chocolaty" sixteen

we went to Changi Village for a very local birthday lunch - the birthday boy ordered his all time favorites chicken rice and bandung and the rest of us have our usual too : carrot cake and wanton mee with extra fried wantons. i baked the deep dark chocolate cake again as it seems like a foolproof recipe and it turned out perfectly!

in memory of george w bushytail

three no and a yes

my eighteen year old completed his Army Corporal course and is now attending a 3 month course to be certified as an Army Fitness Specialist. His desire is to be a Physical Training Instructor (PTI). He was inspired by his PTI during his first nine weeks in the boot camp. It was very encouraging to hear him shared how the Lord made the way for him to get into this course.

First, he found out that his name was not on the list.
Then he found out that there was a swimming proficiency test for those who are interested in the course. He needed permission from his Platoon Commander and it was a "No." But the training ended early that day and he made it in time for the test! He had an interview after that but was told he has little chance to get into the course.

(He came home rather dejected, and told me it will take a miracle to get in.)

Guess WHO was on his side?! Yes, and he was the only one from his platoon to get into the course. He was one of only four from his company of 200 attending this course.

but by the grace of God!

carefree children

i wonder how it is like growing up on an island?

back from Tioman

and here's a few of my favorite pictures!

birthday & reunion

we filled up two tables for the occasion - it was the first time we had two people sharing the same birth date - a reunion with a group of friends from the early '90s.

there were a lot of laughter from the other table as our children, now teenagers interacted with each other.

we have certainly come a long way since our kids were toddlers in the playgroup!
i suppose this is part of the legacy that we want to pass on to the next generation, keeping the ties that bind us together as family and old friends.

to top it off, we had D24 durians for dinner with the Gohs, friends who are closer than brothers.

national day parade 07

happy birthday Singapore! watching NDP is like a family tradition - here are some of my favorite pictures.

another get away

we took the boys out of school and spent almost a week in northern Thailand - we stayed at a somewhat remote but tranquil resort.
the boys had a wonderful time with other kids just like themselves, finding common ground beyond boarders and nationalities.

summary of the month - July 2007

a special month because Mom, and my nephews & niece from London were here for couple of weeks...beside computer games, they were very much into rubik's cube too - the teenage bonding tool in today's world i guess.

food fusion

for racial harmony week, the school had a food fusion competition and we were there to taste/judge the yummy dishes created by these future chefs!