He Proposed, We're Engaged!

It's official. 

Today he put a ring on it!

And at Bible study nonetheless!

I cannot believe that he managed to keep this all a secret. I thought that he'd propose someday over a quiet dinner or something, but I never expected this!

He started out by announcing his baptism date to the group (I was busy doodling on my iPad). Next thing you know, he says "there's also one more thing that I want to do for the woman that I love". 

I froze and looked up from my iPad, then he drops to his knee and pulls out the ring.

Kim was filming the whole thing but I was so flustered and surprised that I didn't know what to do. My cheeks were hurting from smiling so wide and I just kept hiding my bright red face in my hands.

In case you were wondering, I said "okay". 

We went for dinner together at Din Tai Fung after showing my mom the ring at home. 

As we walked, he held my hand tightly and whispered, "now you're mine".

:)

Weeks Around Christmas

In between studying and sleeping, I haven't really been staying home much. Below are just some photos to show what I've been up to recently. 

Skated to Woodlands Waterfront after a few months hiatus. 

Haven't seen them in a while because of the rainy season!

Went biking with DDR friends.

We skated from Bukit Timah to Woodlands. 

Lepak (lay around) there for a while to rest my sore behind... 

Met Alverina and Chen Xi to watch Amanda's church musical. 

It was really funny and entertaining!

Christmas eve dinner with ham on the plate... Yummy... 

Family at House of Bread for Christmas Eve. 

Tonight marks the last night that Timezone will be in operation in Cineleisure. As of December 26th, they will be permanently shutting down. 

For the past two months or so, Timezone Cineleisure has become my favourite weekend night haunt. I spent so many hours there perspiring on the DDR machine that I can't help but feel miserable that they're closing.

Guess this is it... 

You gave me many fond memories of laughter, fun and new friends. I will always remember you as the place where I first learned to play DDR properly! 

New Things

Busy busy busy... I've been busy, but in a fulfilling and even kind of way.

This has been a weekend of adventures and new discoveries for me. I love that there are still so many hidden treasures in Singapore left to discover! Some people complain that this island is too small, and that's true to some extent. But the beauty of it being small is that you can get from one place to another relatively quickly. 

Friday night, I went skating with a group of skating buddies as usual. Instead of going to Chinese Garden like we originally planned, we went to Clarke Quay & Marina Bay Sands instead. This time, Uncle Chuan brought us upstairs to a spot I'd never been to before. From the roof of The Shoppes at MBS, we were able to see a whole new perspective of the waterfront area and the hotel.

It was really fun looking down at the people strolling by the water and singing stupid songs like "对面的 女孩看过来“ ("The girl over there is looking at us"- it's a popular and stupid song from the mid 90s). 

Sadly, only the ah peks (old men) looked up at us. 

Saturday morning, I made my way all the way to the west side of the island- Jurong West. I went there to help Annie move in her apartment. 

Jurong West is a really ulu (backyard) part of the country. Hardly any people used to live here when I was little. I remember streets void of cars and people. There was no MRT line coming here back then and Jurong Point was half its current size. 

Today, Jurong is still less crowded than other parts of Singapore. However, it has turned into a PRC (People's Republic of China) town. I'd say out of 10 people walking on the street, 6 would be PRCs and 4 would be Singaporeans. It's like being in another country. 

I really love HDB estates that are quiet. 

That Saturday night, I finally did what I've been wanting to do for the longest time: skate from Punggol to East Coast Park. The whole trip of 16 miles (25.6km) took me slightly under 2 hours. I was skating with a lady I had met off of Gumtree.sg. She accompanied me for three-quarters of the journey before heading home near Kallang. 

That was my first time skating at the Punggol Waterway area. 

I really really wish I'd taken pictures or something. The place is gorgeous and I think the government did quite a good job upgrading the paths and canals there. One thing is for sure- that won't be my last time skating there! Next time I'll bring my camera though... 

This Sunday's HOB was the first Sunday without the Hanes around. They've gone back to the US for the summer to visit friends and family. The whole house felt so quiet and empty without them. I never realised how much Kim's laughter usually filled the house until she's gone!

This week we watched a video sermon on the Israelite's forty years sojourn in the desert. We talked about what "being in the wilderness" means to us Christians as a place of testing. 

Three ideas that spoke right to me this Sunday:

"Unshakeable faith is faith that has been shaken."

"Tests are not simply for failing or passing, but rather a mark of where we are and where we need to go from there."

"As long as we learn from each test, whether we fail or pass."

I guess these ideas resound with me right now because I've been feeling like I keep failing the tests God gives me. It's so reassuring to know that God brings us to the wilderness to mould us, not to have us fail. Even if we fall, He will lift us up as long as we keep leaning on Him and Him alone for strength, direction and renewal!

The difficult thing is really going to the feet of Christ each time we fail. That's when I feel the most inadequate. But no matter how inadequate and low I feel, I cannot stop returning to God's throne of grace and mercy. The moment I stop asking for forgiveness, I stop struggling with sin. The moment I stop struggling, I start becoming numb. With time, this numbness turns into hardening of my heart. 

I never want that to happen.

Anyway, moving on... 

After House of Bread, Annie and I went to Jurong Point where she introduced me to one of the best places I've ever eaten at since I've come back to Singapore. 

The above foods are from a food court stall called 西北人家 and you can tell from the long line of PRCs that their authentic flavours are gold. 

The best part? I can't believe I'm only paying $5 for a bowl of noodles that's bigger and way better than the $15 dishes at Crystal Jade. 

I'm already planning to go back there for dinner sometime this week. 

Simply amazing!

Netball & Basketball

Finally! A weekend where I didn't skate at all!

Saturday morning, I went to my ex-secondary school Tanjong Katong Secondary to meet up with some alumni netball players and the current team.  

It was nice to get to meet the current team members, most of whom aren't even sixteen years old yet. 

Man I feel old...

Got to see some faces that I haven't seen since I left TK.

Thankfully, unlike my primary school, TK hasn't changed much over the years. The campus grounds still look the same as when we left it about eight years ago.

It was a surreal experience to be back here again with the same people that I used to see everyday. It was as if we never left.

How I miss those days!

The current teacher in charge of the netball team is Ms. Syikin. She's really sweet and actually organised this entire event for the current team of champions and for us (alumni).

I couldn't believe the amount of work that went into preparing the library for the celebratory lunch.

Someone had painted the lanterns into paper netballs!

We watched a video about the current TK team.

So this year, TK netball made history by winning the C Div championships against long-time giants Nanyang Girls' High, 32-25. Not only that, but they won the finals without losing a single game before that!

I'll just say that the team has come SUCH a loonnggg way and I am very proud to have been included in a small part of the history and tradition. Great job girls!

The principal even came to give away prizes for the girls who won this years championship. 

Back then, we'd never experience this kind of support for the netball team. Apparently this principal had been to several games to support the girls. Years ago, our principal never did that. I was pleasantly surprised at this change. It really means a lot when parents, administrators and teachers show that they care in the welfare of the team. 

 The alumni that showed up.

Current champs.

Met Mr. Anwar who is a familiar face.

Our made-up team of alumnis, "Powderful", won third place out of four teams that morning against the current TK netball girls. Not too bad considering that we're old and crickety eh? Our prize was a small packet of chocolates and snacks. As you can see, Ruth is very excited about it.

We were blessed with beautiful sunny weather all morning and afternoon. 

After the games and lunch, Fat, Nurul, Ain and I went to Bedok Central to chill.

Just like the good ol' days of carefree secondary school...

In the evening, met up with Benedict, his booboo and Kat for dinner at Mana Mana Beach Club.

Talia and I were dog tired.

All day Sunday I was in church and Enkoosh (who is visiting from Jersey) came with me to House of Bread as well. 

After House of Bread, I rushed down to Sakae Sushi in West Mall to hang out with the girls from Davidians (group in church). I was about an hour late and they had started eating sushi before me. Check out the crazy pile of plates they created!

After getting bubble tea at Gong Cha, we walked to the basketball court area next to the community centre to chill.

It's been even longer since I've been in the Bukit Batok area. I consider this neighbourhood as the place where I spent most of my childhood. Since about twelve years ago, things have changed a lot. Even the basketball court looks unrecognisable.

I guess if there was a word to sum up this entire weekend, it'd be "nostalgia".

I revisited lots of old haunts and reconnected with friends that I used to see daily or weekly. In a way, it's nice to see each other again and to talk as if time never passed. But on the other hand, it's bittersweet to know that those times can never return and we are getting further away from them with each second that passes.

I just want to be a kid again...

Weekend In Review

It seems like more and more of my blog posts are just turning into reviews of what I did over the weekend. I suppose that makes sense since I'm working all day during the week anyway. After work, I don't do much besides skating. 

Well last Monday I went with Chen (colleague) to meet up with a prolific user of our app- PG. It was the first time we'd met him offline and I must say, he's not much different from what I thought he'd be like. I could even recognise him off his profile picture! 

We had ramen at a restaurant in Cuppage Plaza that I'd never eaten at before. The restaurant, Gyoza Na Ohsho, is an informal little place on the first floor with a nice selection of ramens cooked by Japanese chefs (served by filippinos). I ordered chili ramen and it cost $12. All the basic ramens cost $12 while the more special ones (I assume they're more special) cost $15. 

Overall I thought this place was pretty good. Cuppage Plaza has a lot of hidden gems I suppose... Gotta explore this area more!

So I've been rollerblading almost every night. Nothing new, I know.

One of my favourite places to skate to when I'm alone is the East Bay Gardens overlooking the Singapore Flyer. It's next to East Coast Park and there is a path that you can take over a bridge towards Marina Barrage.

The reason why I love this place is because it's usually devoid of noisy people. The couples who do come here for "pa tor" are very unassuming in their dark corner benches- leaving me virtually whole peaceful waterfront to myself.  

Tuesday night, the moon was gigantic.

It's so nice to find a place in Singapore that is not crowded (like ECP) yet well-lit enough to feel safe.

Not to mention, the views across the river are quite stunning. 

Can't believe how much the Marina Bay area has transformed in slightly less than a decade.

 All this "wildlife" that's here right now, wasn't here too long ago...

That Tuesday night, my dad and I went on a totally impromptu trip into Johor Bahru, Malaysia for supper. He drove me home from East Bay Gardens to grab my passport before we zoomed over the Woodlands Causeway towards yummy and cheap food.

Went to a street vendor for wanton mee.

Papa decided to try the BBQ grease truck parked on the side.

You get to pick whatever you want before they barbecue it for you. Most of the skewers were seafood skewers.

Even though it was almost midnight, the tables and chairs were mostly filled with Singaporeans. All the cars parked along the side of the road were Singaporean cars as well! 

I don't blame Singaporeans for wanting to eat here though. Look at how much our food costs. And keep in mind that this is in Malaysian ringgit! Divide the amount by 2 for a rough estimate of how much all this costs in Singapore dollars, or divide by 4 for a rough estimate in US dollars.

My dad and I each got a plate of wanton mee.

This bowl of wantons in soup came with it as well.

Our BBQ skewers were amazing.

Everything was dipped in a kind of soy sauce mix which gave it just the right level of saltiness.

Soft shell crabs on a stick. Ate the thing whole.

Love the old school chopsticks.

After getting gas in Malaysia (which is half the price in Singapore), we went back home. I went to sleep about 01:00 that Wednesday morning.

The rest of the week went by like a blur and by the time Saturday arrived, I didn't want to do anything else by relax.

The weather was perfect that afternoon.

The boys had a lot of fun in the pool.

At about 14:30, we started getting ready to go to ECP for their rolerblading lessons. 

I really wanted to skate, but my entire body was aching severely from rollerblading about 40km on Friday night. It was insane! 

Nevertheless, my addiction to skating couldn't keep me from going to ECP where I met this lovely cat.

In the daytime, Xtreme Skate Park is overrun with young kids. And when I say young, I mean anywhere from four to fourteen. Some of the real "pros" in the skate park happen to be plucky seven year olds who don't seem to get the concept of pain or gravity. 

Man, this place makes me feel old...

After some time in the skate park, I wandered off towards the water. Thankfully, the weather was slightly cloudy and breezy. Still, I was sweating like a pig (random thought: do pigs even sweat?).

There was some windsurfing thing going on by Castle Beach.

ECP is always a blast when it's nice out on the weekends!

On Sunday, I cooked borscht for my friends at House of Bread. It's the first time I'd cooked borscht since I came back to Singapore and it turned out quite alright. 

I've never been to Russia, but sometimes I feel like I miss it haha!

After House of Bread, we went to Dave and Sarah's place for a farewell BBQ for them. Dave and Sarah aren't regulars at House of Bread anymore, but I see them at the baptisms and other meetings. They're Americans who are teaching in Singapore, but now they're going back to Virginia. Though I haven't known them for a long time, I've grown to appreciate their presence as shining examples of Christians.

Quite sad to know they're leaving actually... So soon before I've even got to hang out with them more.

Welp, people come and go in this life. But in heaven, we'll be together for all eternity! =)