a grandmother's outpouring of happiness

大家好！

恭喜政杰与欣仪的婚礼办得非常11成功，充满着温馨，快乐，开心的气氛

还有美味的菜肴及美酒。让大家留下美好的回忆！赞赞赞❤️❤️❤️😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰

Hello everyone!

Congratulations to J and N on their incredibly successful wedding, filled with warmth, joy, and happiness.

Delicious food and fine wine were also included. It left everyone with wonderful memories! Thumbs up!

回到家了！

勾起我很多的回忆，

政杰欣仪的婚礼

孩子们，孙子们

相聚在一起，

开心，快乐，温馨

笑声 此起彼落，

真的真的令我太开心了，我已经吃晚餐了，但是我仍坐在这里发呆，思念，我好想念一幕又一幕，我又笑又流泪，但这一切都是回想在一起的开心，我必须离开餐桌了，我告诉自己

天下没有不散的筵席，我会还有同样开心的相聚，我写着写着我的泪水不是慢慢流下而是哭.

Back home!

It brings back so many memories.

Zhengjie and Xinyi's wedding.

The children, the grandchildren.

All together.

Happy, joyful, warm.

Laughter echoes.

I'm truly, truly happy. I've already had dinner, but I'm still sitting here in a daze, yearning. I miss every moment, scene after scene. I laugh and cry, but all of this is just the joy of recalling our time together. I must leave the table. I tell myself, "All good things must come to an end. I'll have another equally joyful reunion." As I write, my tears aren't just flowing, they're crying.

你们都是他的宝贝，他逐渐老了，我仍然很爱他， 虽然我们常常吵，吵不代表不爱，也许是越吵越长寿吧！但愿如此。

请你们不要为我俩的吵而操 心，と 我继续写着但人流泪到哭到抽泣。好了，不多写了，你们的成就，梦想，读书，考试都要付出努力，但是要注意健康，健康确是排在第一。

My children, grandchildren, and grandchildren, I truly love you and Dad, Tata/Kong Kong.

You are all his treasures. He's getting older, but I still love him dearly. Even though we often argue, it doesn't mean we don't love each other anymore. Perhaps the more we argue, the longer we live! I hope so.

Please don't worry about our arguments. I continue writing, but I'm crying and sobbing. Okay, enough. You all need to work hard for your achievements, dreams, studies, and exams, but pay attention to your health. Health truly comes first.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

我不太会用手机

又不会检查生字

就发出了.

我对时代的技能

太差了,请大家原谅,希望你看得明白.谢谢大家！

I'm not very good at using my phone, and I don't know how to check new words, so I just posted this.

My understanding of the times is quite poor, so please forgive me. I hope you understand. Thank you!

爸爸和我为你们骄傲,继续努力,加油, 加油！💪💪💪😢😢😢😂😂😂

Dad and I are proud of you. Keep working hard. Come on, come on! 💪💪💪😢😢😢😂😂😂

a gift to welcome a new family member

Dearest N!

It's finally here! The day we've all been eagerly awaiting, the day which J & you have been preparing months, if not years for!

We're so glad to welcome you customarily today into our fold, for you're already very much a part of our small family:)

Here's a little bracelet-bangle we picked out together - Dad, Megs, Julian & I - we liked that there's an intertwine of gold and white gold: for us symbolising the embrace of the old and the new, that there is strength in the weave - symbolising strong bonds, and it reminded us of the friendship anklet J and you wore, symbolising our love & friendship.

We hope you'll enjoy this little gift, and we're looking forward to cheering you and J onto your next new chapter together!

a mother's loving prayer

Heavenly Father, we commit J & N's wedding to you this Saturday afternoon. Grant them good weather, that all is well & smooth going in your favors. Be it in the church, bless all the friends & relatives unity , peace & joy, as we come together in this joyous occasion to be with the couple. 

May your holy presence be among us. Bless the lovely flower girls (E & K), good stamina, joy, laughter tmr in the church, so they will enjoy it. 

 Even, in the evening, all will be well, during the wedding dinner, in Jesus mighty name, amen🙏🥰❤️

All of D's prayers came true. 

God truly did bless us with clear skies, 

and many happy smiles; 

psalm verses that touch the heart, 

friends and family who played their part.

The Monk Who Drove A Ferrari ...

... and the Malaccan Who Drives A Ferrari

I think the whole notion of mid life crisis was invented by men to convince their wives that they needed to buy/do something crazy, even non sensible. The word crisis is frightening and probably scared the listener to acquiesce; and I must doff my hat to those who coined it.

The logic goes something like this: most of us "heroic" men have "lofty" goals... and most of these were formed when we were barely out of our boyhoods and venturing boldly into manhoods. The capitalistic ones would be wishing to make a million by the thirty or forty (depending on how unrealistic one is). The idealistic ones would pledge to change the world. The more pragmatic ones would have simplet goals: have a good career, a loving wife, wonderful kids. 

So by mid life (round about 40, I would say), we take stock and check our bank accounts, the state of the world, the relationship with the wife and the conditions of our children. Suffice to say, some or maybe many, would not have made it. So, crisis. 

And then the toys for boys. One way to mark the attainment of childhood dreams is to reward oneself with one's hard earned cash with a very nice toy. In a world of crime and punishment or its more positive cousin, prize and achievement, it does make sense to go out there and get our well earned reward. 

There is the shrewd elegance of the midlife crisis concept. For those in crisis, who have nor achieved their life goals by mid life, it would also dawn on them that these may not materialise. 

The corporate ladder is no longer there for climbing. That million dollars perhaps too out of reach. The wicked problems of the world remains wicked. So, what is one to do? Well, we can comfortably ourselves with a nice toy (that is just that little bit beyond our attainment level).

In my case, I am fortunate that I could drive nice cars, including sporty and super ones. It's less about a midlife crisis but because I am blessed with a good life. The first people I gave rides to are my parents. They deserve it. They gave me the raw materials. They nurtured me. 

So, yes, a Malaccan now drives a Ferrari. I dont know how long I will keep driving it.  Maybe until I can't crawl in and out of the driver's seat. But until then, I thank God. 

Even at this age, i do think it is not too late to have aspirations. If a teenage me could dream all that and made them come true with my dear wife, how about taking time this next lap to enjoy my parents, my kids and their families. And of course do all I can with the love of my life.

The Best Weapon

About 35 years ago, as us trainee managers got our postings to various SQ stations, we would visit each other. I recall one such visit to Egypt and we would then see places suggested by the new 'local'. On one of our drives out of Cairo towards the south, we stopped by a village and I saw a class in session just like this. Back in those days, we were using film cameras, and to my disappointment, I lost this particular roll of film (it must have dropped out of the bag while I was reloading the camera). With the help of AI (Gemini in this case), I got it to recreate the image still vivid in my mind's eye.

It was a serene, uplifting scene. 

Today, it is anything but. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world", said Mandela. Back then, for this class of students, they were getting armed right. Right now, students in war torn lands around the world and especially the middle east are abandoning classes in order to avoid bombs and bullets. These weapons are not ensuring peace but sowing hatred in a new generation. 

Despite (maybe because of) all our technological advancements, we are facing a simultaneity of crises from climate change and social inequalities, and of course military conflicts. While it is amazing AI can create a serene image from the past, what good would that be if humans today are wreaking havoc on the relative peace and prosperity the world has known in the past 7 decades. Where are the better angels of our nature?

Sweet Spot Wisdom

My mom, knowing that I love to collect things, decided to give me some owls, which she had procured from various vacation souvenir shops. I have since added to this starter pack and now have a parliament of owls lining the ceiling in my study.

I see them whenever I work from home and that happens a fair bit nowadays. I don't think it's because their big googly eyes stare back at me but from a young age I have been quite the owl. I would sleep late - often well past midnight. It's a habit that suits D. She is an early bird and would go to bed early but is easily spooked when sleeping lightly. I have been on the receiving end of her annoyance whenever I climb into bed thumpingly or declare my "love only love". So, going to bed when she has fallen into deep sleep means I can settle in, listen to some boring YouTube podcast and fall asleep myself. 

Last night, as I stayed up to watch the final episode of Clarkson's Farm 4, I was joined by the third woman i love dearly: my daughter, together with her fiancee. We joked about visiting Jeremy Clarkson's pub, The Farmer's Dog, the next time we are in England together; perhaps (wink wink) when they are having an Oxford college wedding. I love it that I can talk so openly with M & J.

Mother, wife, daughter : a trinity of love that will make anyone a happy man. Add father, son and children in-law, the love is more than complete. Seven-fold, the magic number indicating perfect fullness.

My train has arrived at a happy station... though I think it still has some more stops to make. There is indeed a destination. There is this chart I saw (as meaningful as ikigai) which depicted a Venn diagram of health, wealth and time. Few people can reach this point which HBS referred to as the sweet spot wisdom.

I think of my cousin in law, P, who passed last week. A good man who has accomplished much in life. Rising from humble means to manage one of the country's top law firm. And accomplished and awarded lawyer himself, he also served the country and social causes. However, at 61, a year before his retirement, he fell ill. He never got to that point, though he clearly got to his ikigai (what we are good at, what the world needs, our job and our purpose).

I discussed with D that I would like to enjoy our third act together. Over the next three to four years, there are some milestones ahead to enjoy. First J&N's wedding, then M&J's, the completion of the scholarship bonds. I think I should also use the foundation if ikigai and move into the next stage of life together with D: spending more time with the seven-fold love and hopefully growing family.