Amidst the hustle and bustle of preparations, I managed to get a little time alone with John last Thursday. We went to Novena Church together to go for confession and had lunch and dessert at Novena Square. It was the first time in a very long time that we got to spend brother-sister bonding time and it was lovely. The day before the wedding (Friday), I changed my cell phone’s wallpaper to this photo of 4-year old John holding a bowl of […]
Children are deprived not because we do not give them things, but because we do not sufficiently value what they give us. We need to be alert to welcome what children have to offer. You remember how Kahlil Gibran wrote about children, You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even […]
Of late, I haven’t been sleeping well through the night. In probably the third time in the last week or so, I woke up pre-dawn and can’t go back to sleep. This morning, I woke up at 4:30a.m. and as much as I tried to keep conscious thoughts at bay, they crept in to the accompaniment of the raging thunderstorm outside. I thought about John & Cathy’s wedding rehearsal later today and a few things I wanted to check with them… I […]
There was a time in my teens when Elizabeth Gaskell’s Victorian novel “North & South” was my favourite book. Indeed, after Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, I don’t recall ever liking another novel quite so much. The novel was masterfully written, the themes were (social and economic divide, religious dissent, romance) compelling and the characters, while not nearly as colourful as Austen’s Lizzy Bennett and Mr Darcy, were sympathetic. In fact overall, I would choose North & South as a better read. It […]
I vividly remember bringing Zibin to his first ballet, Swan Lake, back sometime in 2000 (i think). He barely managed to stay awake. I think he would have had more to comment about if he had watched Matthew Bourne’s male version of Swan Lake instead. Although I usually dislike modern re-interpretations of gold classics, Bourne’s Swan Lake could be an exception. It helps, of course, that Adam Cooper makes a beguiling lead Swan. *heh* But the choreography is pretty cool too! Do […]
Over the past few days, hubby and I have been watching and re-watching this 1970s video of The Osmond Brothers performing ‘Love Me For A Reason’. As corny as it may seem, we like it. We think the brothers’ synchronized steps and gestures are cute! It’s also pretty cool to check out a teen Donny Osmond at the height of his popularity (though he’s just a back-up singer in this song… he’s the one in purple). They’ll be performing in Singapore tomorrow! […]
These days, you’ve been leaving for work before I wake up. Dimly through the fog of sleep, I feel you tuck the comforter around me and kiss me on my forehead before you go. And right then, even before I’m fully awake, I start missing you. In that simple action of tucking me in, you make me feel so safe… warm… and loved.
Jesus said, ‘Take up your cross.’ (Mark 8:34-35) It is not something you go looking for in faraway places. Sooner or later the Lord hands us a cross, and our job is to recognise it. For each of us there are events that made a difference. Our sorrowful mysteries will be different for each reader. Maybe it was a meeting with a friend, a lover or an enemy. Maybe it was a sickness, or a triumph. We try to see our life […]
