You see, I've started following a few local IG accounts for the last month. And boy do the mamas put up perfect photos and videos of their little ones...to a point I couldn't help but wonder what they do for a living if they're not SAHMs (because they seem to be posting photos anytime of the day), or if they have husbands who earn neat 5-figure sums every month (because they live in big houses and their kids dress really well...expensive) or if their kids were a dream (you know, beautiful, obedient, well dressed...well, perfect kids everybody dream of).
Sunday, 17 July 2016
Thought of the Day
Note to self: "Life is not about having IG-perfect moments but having precious moments that make perfect IGs."
Saturday, 28 March 2015
Word
"Singapore [was] very lucky to have Mr Lee as [its] first Prime Minister -
I think his contributions [...] tremendously outweigh criticism of him."
Mr Chiam See Tong
Source: Loh, C.K. (2015, March 28). No let-up in surge to pay respects. Today, pp. 2.
I think his contributions [...] tremendously outweigh criticism of him."
Mr Chiam See Tong
Source: Loh, C.K. (2015, March 28). No let-up in surge to pay respects. Today, pp. 2.
#RememberingLeeKuanYew
#NoYewNoUs
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
#NoYewNoUs
And so, at 3.18am on 23 March, Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away after being hospitalised for 45 days.
While many of us quietly, and perhaps too, secretly, revere the man, there are others who are indignant about the volume of media coverage and ground sentiments about the passing of the first Prime Minister of the country. Some took to social media to quibble about why they would not be that sad about Lee Kuan Yew's death, or that those who have suffered from f***ed up policies should be given the right to condemn the man.
And I was thinking, it's always easy to be critical of what someone does (or does not do). Evidently, how objective can one man's view of the world be? Do I agree with controversial policies including the graduate mother's scheme or media censorship? Do I think that the people in the like of Francis Seow and Chia Thye Poh whom were relentlessly eliminated deserved such treatment? No, and no.
I am not a LKY supporter. But what I do know is that without Mr Lee Kuan Yew's vision, courage and perseverance, we most probably would not have transcended from third world to first in [less than] 50 years. As Stefanie Sun puts it in her tribute on the local broadsheet, "...I do not see myself as a direct result of Mr Lee's exceptional accomplishments. I do, however, look to the people whom I love the most as living testimonials of his legacy." And I believe she speaks for many of us, well, at least for me. My parents are not really educated. Having only completed primary school education, life was hard for my family of five with my father as the sole breadwinner of the family. And had it not been for meritocracy, fair education policies, and equality between gender and among races, I reckon I would probably be a dishwasher or a cashier. Today, I am decently employed as a polytechnic lecturer. Sure, I grouse about the cost of our HDB flats today (and for me, it's more than half a million dollars for a measly 93 square metres) among many other things, but I am thankful that home ownership was an acuity that took shape back in the 1960s.
Could someone else have done the same, or even better? Perhaps, but I'm not sure because there is really no way of finding that out now, is there?
While many of us quietly, and perhaps too, secretly, revere the man, there are others who are indignant about the volume of media coverage and ground sentiments about the passing of the first Prime Minister of the country. Some took to social media to quibble about why they would not be that sad about Lee Kuan Yew's death, or that those who have suffered from f***ed up policies should be given the right to condemn the man.
And I was thinking, it's always easy to be critical of what someone does (or does not do). Evidently, how objective can one man's view of the world be? Do I agree with controversial policies including the graduate mother's scheme or media censorship? Do I think that the people in the like of Francis Seow and Chia Thye Poh whom were relentlessly eliminated deserved such treatment? No, and no.
I am not a LKY supporter. But what I do know is that without Mr Lee Kuan Yew's vision, courage and perseverance, we most probably would not have transcended from third world to first in [less than] 50 years. As Stefanie Sun puts it in her tribute on the local broadsheet, "...I do not see myself as a direct result of Mr Lee's exceptional accomplishments. I do, however, look to the people whom I love the most as living testimonials of his legacy." And I believe she speaks for many of us, well, at least for me. My parents are not really educated. Having only completed primary school education, life was hard for my family of five with my father as the sole breadwinner of the family. And had it not been for meritocracy, fair education policies, and equality between gender and among races, I reckon I would probably be a dishwasher or a cashier. Today, I am decently employed as a polytechnic lecturer. Sure, I grouse about the cost of our HDB flats today (and for me, it's more than half a million dollars for a measly 93 square metres) among many other things, but I am thankful that home ownership was an acuity that took shape back in the 1960s.
Could someone else have done the same, or even better? Perhaps, but I'm not sure because there is really no way of finding that out now, is there?
#RememberingLeeKuanYew #ThankYouMrLee
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Blessed Birthday
I will be your God throughout your lifetime...
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and serve you.
Isaiah 46:4, NLT
Sunday, 15 June 2014
A week and a day
And it's totally weird but I did enjoy attending my wedding. Hardly a fan, I reckon I can explain it now.
The thing about being Chinese, and planning a wedding is this: There are many Chinese wedding customs and practices that nobody is quite sure why they are there, or why they are carried out in a certain way, or why they are (even) necessary, but the elders in the family will insist that they are carried out anyway. And sometimes, these people who may insist that such practices be carried out aren't even the parents, or even an older person! It's like, suddenly, this is everybody's "big day" (Oh, and don't get me started on the offense I took with the terminology - big day). And the same people are mad with you (I mean me) and at you (me again) because you (I) didn't plan your (my) wedding to their convenience ("Sentosa? Why so far?" Enough said.).
According to Collins English Dictionary, a wedding is the act of marrying or the celebration of a marriage. What I find most difficult to comprehend is the practice of inviting the whole kampong to a wedding reception, many of whom, I secretly suspect, may not even care to share the joy, just because it seems the right thing to do. Annoyingly, the hospitality industry fully understand the concept of mian zi (面子) and capitalised on this wedding business opportunity (Does the phrase "a minimum of 25 to 30 tables" sound familiar to you?).
Believe me when I tell you the many baffled looks (and some others classified as looks of disbelief, seriously) I've gotten because there will not be any gate-crash games, or that I opted for one wedding dress (and not the usual two or three), or that all we really want is a small and intimate wedding celebration that we can remember, and heavens forbid the multiple march ins, yum sengs and photo montage!
Sure, I relented to some things to keep the parents, particularly my mum, happy. At the end of the day, I'm glad we stuck to our guns too. Bridezilla? Maybe, but I'm not a clueless 18-year-old who wishes for nothing less than a magical wedding.
Of course, whatever could go wrong did go wrong, somewhat. Our schedule went into overrun in the morning; I looked like Superman's twin with the out-of-place-fringe under the veil (and nobody told me!); our wedding cake almost never came; M had a boo boo moment during the profession of vows; I completely forgot my thank you speech during the lunch reception and I broke out in hives before lunch was over!
But we are so blessed with friends who readily offered their help, friends and family who flew in specially to attend our wedding celebration, and the heartfelt wishes and gifts (including air mailed gifts) from everyone. We feel so loved.
Thank you Lord, for blessing us with a beautiful wedding, and countless memorable moments as we embark on our journey with You at the centre of our lives.
Saturday, 7 June 2014
With this ring, I thee wed...
"I dreamed of a wedding of elaborate elegance,
A church filled with family and friends.
I asked him what kind of a wedding he wished for,
He said one that would make me his wife."
Wednesday, 4 June 2014
#celebratoryflowersfromroomie
The card that came with these lovely flowers read:
Dear Jo,
Enjoy your last 3 days of singlehood.
Here's to more days of Happiness!
Luv, Leela :)
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