Great sunrise shot : May-15

Good photographs often come when there are good opportunities.  The important thing is to grab this opportunity when it arrives.

While going to work one morning, this scene really captivated me to stop and return back for my camera to take this shot, what a nice sun rise.

Sunrise at Hougang Ave 7

New role in GSK after 14 years in manufacturing : May-15

In the beginning of this year, I had determined to put in more time to chant for a breakthrough in all endeavors.  So since new year day, I had been steadily maintaining and increasing my daimoku.  To be honest, I had never chanted so much in my entire life before.

Then early February this year, I knew by chance that there was an opening for a functional consultant role within the global SAP implementation team.  Although I was excited about the opportunity, this job required me to travel for about 50%, which was exactly quite a change to my routine, family and gakkai activities.  I had a good chat with Shin Yang and she was supportive for me to apply. However both of us agreed to base the outcome through faith and daimoku.  Thus, after obtaining agreement from my directors, I proceed to apply for the job and also chanted fervently for a good outcome.  When I was chanting, I was telling Gohozon that I would like to advance in my career and had applied for this role, if it would be suitable, then please let me get it, otherwise allow other opportunities to arise. After chanting for several weeks, I still did not get any response back and at the end of March, the chance looked rather slim.  All these while, I preserved with my chanting and continued to work hard in my job. Interestingly about the same time during end March, someone in UK nominated me to be developed as the Asia Pacific Risk Assessment Manager.  Then, my ex-boss also came to my site and asked me if I would like to join her team as the Regional Operation Manager.  Suddenly, I was flooded with new opportunities!  It eventually turned out that I got the Regional Operation Manager Role, as well as the Risk Manager Role which required minimum traveling.  Mystically, everything that I had learn in my previous jobs also seemed to be applicable in my new role.  As a result, I finally got a good change in my career after 14 years in the manufacturing plant.  I also got a super nice city view from the new office and best of all, I also save at least an hour of traveling time a day, giving me more time for activities with the family and Gakkai.  Indeed, this was another of my actual proof, nothing is impossible when you practiced seriously and faithfully.

Beautiful View from Office

Another  beautiful View from Office

Second car accident : May-15

Today, I had my 2nd car accident where my car 'kissed' another car while we were reversing into the empty lots from different directions.  Since the other party was a pretty new car, I thought the best solution was to submit a claim over the insurance company.  Interestingly, I did not feel much upset about the accident. The abundant of daimoku since beginning of the year must have had some influence over me, somehow I felt since no one was injured, the trouble of the car repaired wasn't as bad.  However, having said that, I would really need to be more vigilant in future. 

Ukulele with En, My Grandfather's clock : May-15

This was our second take on "My Grandfather's clock" after several months.  Surprisingly, Enen still diligently practiced this melody on the uke and thus, remembered it very well.  Compared to the last round, we managed to take this video much smoother and quicker.  I also used a double strum method this time, and it seemed to fill the piece better.  Hopefully, we would be able to present another song very soon.  Meanwhile, enjoy!

一场有情有义的演唱会 : Apr-15

四月十日，我和炘洋很幸运地能够出席梁文福的"友情细水慢慢流"演唱会。

这场定于星期五晚上的演唱会是文福"感恩加场"还靠炘洋的一番努力——开票前老早登入售票网站，电脑当机还利用手机程式——和不屈不挠、死都得买到九张票的决心，才"抢"到的。虽然一场演出有超过五千张的票，仍然供不应求，几小时内就狂扫一空！可见文福老师的魅力不减当年。

演唱会在傍晚八点准时开锣，《细水长流》打了头阵，接着文福穿着一套帅气的西装显然登场！经过一番热烈的掌声后，文福以他扣人心弦的主持功力与许多他诚心邀请的朋友，掀开了一首又一首听出耳油的歌曲。节目精彩连连，真让人又感动又享受。文福也真够义气了，三十五年来第一次开的大型演唱会，给足了我们四个半小时听觉与视觉上的无比享受！虽如此，现在回想起来，贪心的我还是嫌不够喔。这几天来追忆演唱会，历历在目，感触万分。其中让我最欣赏的是文福那颗感恩的心，令我十分感动。

不忘老师恩。演唱会时，文福有提起自己的学习旅程，从中也不忘感谢恩师的教导。当文福说到老师们也前来观看演出时，镜头即刻转向了坐在前排白发沧桑的建国一代，显然受邀而来。好清楚地展露文福尊师重道的精神与他们在文福心中的地位。相信老师们看到今日的文福必定感到欣慰、骄傲和开心吧。

不忘朋友恩。其中让我印象最深刻的是演唱会所出现的许多嘉宾。他们大多都是曾经和文福写唱新谣、并肩作战的老友。这些朋友们现在都与文福有着各自不同的人生路，却不惜在百忙之中前来助阵、力挺老友的作品演唱会。这份真挚的友谊与情义绝对不是一朝一夕所能建立的。那几十年的感情与尊重，也明显地展露在表演中，仿佛回到了当年青春的新谣时代，观众们也乐在其中。

不忘家人恩。在许多歌曲当中，频频出现文福和家人的合照。文福也大方地和我们分享他们幸福和温暖的时光。当他谈到自己的太太时，他幽默地把她称为"家里的女人"，并唱出了全场唯一一首不是他写、却又是她喜欢听的歌，和当年结婚注册时写给她的《担心》。原来，当时文福写完《历史考试前夕》后，第一位听到的也是他现在的太太，秀梅。

不忘众人恩。当然，文福在演唱会中也不忘感谢观众们的热切支持。因为三十几年来都未开过一场演唱会，当十二月八日开始售出第一场的票时， 也想不到竟然会在六小时内就被抢光。许多文福的朋友也因此深感失望，有些甚至希望能通过他买到"绝种"的几张票。文福本身也好不惊喜与感动，经过多番考虑决定在星期五加多一场并名为"感恩加场"的演出。如没这回事，我们也没这福分出席这么难忘的演唱会啊！

深思之后，我觉得最触动我的应该是文福那份在新谣与朋友的热忱与执着。决定了自己要走的路后，不断地在他的创作人生中付出努力和坚持，既是大学教授又是歌坛被称老师级的创作人，这不就是我们常常学习到的"人间革命"吗？他那份每一刻不停习地为梦想而奋斗的精神，也真是值得我们学习。那短短四个半小时的演唱会，其实也是他这几十年来的努力与肯定。

在此，我终于用了我那半桶水的华文写完这篇文福演唱会的"作文"，也祝文福在接下来的人生路有着像这演唱会同样的精彩。

Qing Ming : Apr-15

Qing Ming is one of our famous Chinese festivals where we will go and pay our respect to the deceased.  While Papa and Mama will visit the Mandai columbarium to pay respect to Ah Gong and Ah Ma every year, our family will normally head off to Senja Centre for a memorial prayer and then pay our respect to Ah Jia and partner, Po Po and partner and of course, mummy.

Papa, QQ and Jiun paying their respect

Crowd at Senja

This festival will usually draw an amazing crowd across the island to the various columbariums and temples resulting in impressive traffic and human jams.  I always find this phenomena quite interesting; does this annual visit to pay respect really meant for the deceased or for the peace of mind for the descendant?  Sometimes I will wonder how many generations it will take before a deceased one will be forgotten and left alone in the columbarium.  Personally, my preference after death is to be cremented with my ash throw into the sea.  Having the ash kept is pretty meaningless in my opinion, what will make a difference is how people remember you, the beliefs, values and memories you left behind in your lifetime.  Most importantly, if my descendants will be sending me daimoku regularly, I am sure i will be pretty happy and well off in the next lifetime, at least that is what the Lotus Sutra says. :)

Xuan cleaning Ah Jia display glass

En's First Ballet Exam : Mar-15

En started her ballet class on 30 August 2014. It's been over half a year now. I recalled she kept bugging me to let her learn ballet. I was not sure how serious was she.. Was it because her babyhood friend has been learning ballet that stimulated her interest? Was it Qi who somehow influenced her? Was En genuinely keen in dancing ballet? I was not sure at all.

The least I could do was to ask Qi to ask her ballet teacher, Ms Boo, if there was a class suitable for En to join. Ms Boon said yes. And the timing of that class happened to be juz before Qi's ballet class!! Hence despite being unable to bring En for her very first ballet lesson, En attended, brought to and fro by Qi and their yeye. Frankly, I was non-committal as I did not expect En's interest to last for long. However, we soon made a deliberate trip to Golden Landmark Hotel to get En's pink leotard and ballet shoes.

Before long, En returned from ballet class one day to announce that Ms Boo found her progress satisfactory and would like her to take the primary grade ballet exam!! With that 'praise', En began to attend ballet lesson twice a week in preparation of the exam, juz like Qi.

Finally, the day was here!!

 

Update as at July 2015 ..

En received a Distinction for her Primary level ballet examination!! At the same time, Qi also received her very first ever Distinction for her ballet exam at Grade 8!! Congrats to them both!!

Update as at September 2015 ..

For a few months now, En had been telling me that she doesn't like ballet anymore. Despite having learnt her dance steps, she still insisted on stopping her ballet class. 

I have little choice if she really has no more interest. Hence we really quit ballet this month, after about one year's lessons and a few leotards and few pairs of shoes. 

Paying our last respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew : Mar-15

Our rather controversial founding father of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, passed away peacefully in SGH at 3:18am, on 23 March 2015, Monday. The nation was in mourning the entire week from Monday till his state funeral service and cremation on Sunday.

From social media to mainstream media, to online and offline talks and discussions with family, friends and colleagues, this event has certainly launched countless Singaporeans, local and abroad, into grieving, mourning, melancholy and even depression! Many felt as though they have lost a loved one, a father even!

I think with a nation's mourning, besides the national flag being flown half-mast at all official institutions, most official entertainment also ceased. Immediately from Monday, all radio and television channels stopped their regular programs but air only programs related to nation-building and our late founding prime minister. I only realized this after En lamented she could not watch her 7pm Korean drama.

Over this mourning period of 7 days, my sentiments towards our founding prime minister also took on a gradual change as I exposed myself to news and stories of him on both social and mainstream media. Being a hougang resident and an opposition supporter, I was used to reading stories about his autocratic and ruthless ways of dealing with dissension. However, after reading and hearing the many tributes from people who personally worked with him or came into close contact with him, my perception of Mr Lee evolved. Initial nonchalance -- everyone dies. Then acknowledgement of his exceptional PR skills for putting Singapore on the world map --

Subsequently, tributes and anecdotes of Mr Lee flooded my entire space -- newspapers, television, Facebook, magazines.. Everyone's talking, sharing about Mr Lee and feeling all sad and gloomy. Profile pictures all turn black and white. And a certain black ribbon was everywhere --

It was national education everywhere. Over the radio were LKY's speeches from decades ago, from merger with Malaya to independence from Malaysia, to excerpts from various rallies; recountal of historical events leading to Singapore's independence, of Singapore's growth in our past 50 years, and so on. Much as I did not want to fall prey to the ongoing indoctrination, a little voice in me told me I was undergoing a significant historical event and if I did not partake in this, I would surely regret; even if i want to remain aloof, I should encourage the children to be engaged. 

Mr Lee's body laid at Sri Temasek, Istana for the first three days for family and invited friends to pay their last respects. On the third day, Wednesday, it would be transported to the Parliament House where it would lie until the state funeral service on Sunday. 18 tribute sites were set up all over the island for the public to pay tribute and respects to the late leader. 

I would say the state frenzy began when Mr Lee's body was moved from the Istana to the Parliament House. The entire process was shown on public television and many members of the public could be seen crowding the sides of the streets outside the Istana, juz so as to catch a glimpse of the cortège, and to pay respects to Mr Lee. 

The lying in state at Parliament House was initially opened until 8pm at night. However the crowd was already so overwhelming on the first day that they soon declared it open 24 hours, with even the MRT running all through Wednesday night!! Soon, came news update that the queue waiting to enter Parliament House to pay their respects had to wait for two hours, then four hours!!

I had decided that my girls would pay their last respects to our founding prime minister. At Parliament House. We shall attempt to go in the wee hours of the night to fit everyone's timing as well as to avoid the long queue. 

An opportune time would be the early hours of Friday morning as En was on school holiday that day. We shall begin Friday a few hours earlier than usual and make our way to Parliament House after which we would resume normal routine of work and school. We woke up before 3am and was at the Esplanade mrt station by 3:45am. By Thursday, Singaporeans had gone mad and were waiting in the queue for up to 8 hours on end, under the scorching hot sun. They said, "After what Mr Lee had done for our nation for the last 50 years, what is a few hours under the hot sun, to pay our last respects to this great man?" Our hours in the queue was not as glorious.. With 2 senior citizens in our midst, 2 students clad in uniform, and at least 1 other in working attire, we switched to the much shorter 'special lane' from the 8-hour normal one. In 2 hours, we were already out of the Parliament House, and could head for the school and home.  Later that day, the wait in the queue went up to 10 hours and the organizing committee even had to suspend the paying of respects at the Parliament House that evening and shooed everyone home.

From the many anecdotes and episodes shared by those who had came into close contact with Mr Lee, a common thread runs -- Mr Lee was constantly, perpetually racking his brains on Singapore's continuous survival and growth. All the way since the chaotic and impoverished 1950s and 1960s, to being the longest-standing prime minister in the world of a budding nation in the 1970s and 1980s, till his step-back from premiership to being senior minister and mentor minister in the late 1990s into the 21st century, even up till just a day before he was hospitalized on Feb 4, Mr Lee was at always at work and thinking about Singapore's survival and growth.. because according to his daughter, as long as Singapore needed him, he would keep himself healthy for her. That was also the reason he exercises daily, rain or shine, even during Chinese New Year, so that he keeps himself healthy for Singapore; Mr Lee believed that if not for his disciplined exercise regime, he would have succumbed to heart ailments long before!  Most remarkable of all, I think, was Mr Lee's vision and unswerving tenacity in actualizing his vision. His dedication, fierce determination to ensure his conception to fruition made what Singapore she is today. His foresight in preempting stumbling blocks to Singapore's survival and growth was truly admirable.

Singapore was indeed extremely fortunate to have such a visionary, unfaltering, selfless, single-minded leader like Mr Lee who has led this nation to grow by leaps and bounds in the past 50 years. Yes, 50 years was such a long time but Singapore had him for this continuous period whilst he brought to life his dream for the country, transforming a third world nation to first world within a single generation, what would typically take at least two or three generations of like-minded leaders to accomplish.  He laid the foundation of our nation's subsequent growth and some check and balance with all the institutions he put in place. Although some of these institutions were perceived to be ruled by the person rather than by the system, but now that the person is gone, hopefully the system would return to their normal function. Especially since we are unlikely to have another such great and selfless leader. 

I have came to terms that Mr Lee was really an amazing leader, more than worthy to be called Singapore's founding father.  Of course he did not accomplish everything himself but with an equally amazingly dedicated team of forefathers. Yet without Mr Lee bringing Singapore onto the global stage, she would not have the space and recognition she enjoyed today. Mr Lee's legacy is simply a progressive and vibrant Singapore. The best way to commemorate him is really to continue his spirit of making our homeland a safe and prosperous one. A Singapore which Mr Lee would continue to feel proud of.

After coming to terms with myself, I can wholeheartedly prepare a card for Mr Lee.. (^^)

Resting whenever possible

Super duper long queue, 8 hours

Queuing at underground pass

Before security scan

Queuing to Parliament House

After paying our respects

My card, our words except Xuan, who wrote hers at the Sengkang tribute site

En's card ..

En placed our cards at the Kovan tribute site

Supporting 实践剧场's 天门决: Mar-15

天門決 or Legend of the Southern Arch was a rather unusual production because it was about the pugilistic world and set in the olden days!! It was like watching a period drama, live.. The fighting scenes were very well coordinated and realistic enough, pretty much like what you see on TV -- impressive! There were even a couple of scenes where the main actor was suspended on wire as he fought and jumped high into the air -- 轻功!!

The backdrop, the props and the costumes and makeup were all very elaborate, very well done. The main cast acted and spoke very well, and there were also some who were very agile and almost acrobatic executing front flips, back flips and somersaults as the actors and actresses ran and fought across the stage!

The audience was shuttled back and forth from the present to the past, many times throughout. Initially we were juz brought back to 3 years ago, then 18 years ago, then 30+ years ago, and eventually even 59 years ago!! Fortunately that was not too confusing.

There was even a rather touching scene whereby the main actor was poisoned and almost died if not for the main actress who gave up her life to suck out the deadly poison from the main actor's arm. In the end, she died but he survived to take revenge for his clan. Seriously, the entire plot was so cliche, so predictable that it was quite unbelievable. There was no unexpected twist, no embedded humor.. but a perfect replica of period gongfu show of the early 80s. Honestly, I was very disappointed with the ending.. why did all but one have to die?

I jio Florence to watch this together as I have known her to enjoy local theatre. Fortunately she pretty much enjoyed this one too! We had dinner together before the show. Overall an evening well spent!! (^^)

Mama's Birthday : Mar-15

My dearest mother birthday is celebrated at the new Punggol Seafood restaurant at Punggol End and our usual birthday cake cutting at home.

Ah Ma with her granddaughters

With Papa and Mama

Our standard birthday photograph

Singing birthday song

Candles blowing

Daimoku 3 times to Gohozon

Mama Birthday gift, bought by Ling

Some fun...