Category: Diary

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Diary Memorable Events

My Niece Baby Lydia

The ward at the medical center has a similar layout to the one we have visited three years ago, when my niece Bethany was born.  Yesterday – March 30th – my mother, my wife, and I drove to the same center, as we did in 2010.  I was not rushing in, as I did before.  Partly because I had a terrible backache.  Also partly because we knew what to expect.  My sister was admitted to the medical center in a Saturday morning.  Two and a half hours later, Lydia was born.  Lydia did not take as long as Bethany did.  I read somewhere that the second one may come out relatively faster than the first one.  Who knows?  Maybe my sister is getting the hang of childbirth.  Maybe the third one may pop out even faster.

She is Lydia

My first reaction in Chinese when I saw Lydia was: She is made from the same cookie cutter!  Figuratively speaking, this means Lydia looks the same as Bethany as a toddler.  I beat everyone to the usual discussion of which part of the baby resemble to which parent.  Freshly delivered from the womb, Lydia looks the same as Bethany.  Period.  That drew a lot of debates – not unexpectedly so – between Benny the proud father, Lora my beloved sister, my mother, my wife, and soon, the in-law side of the family.  I even took out a picture of Bethany taken when she was very young.  Only time will tell if I am a genius or I am missing the details.

I am not entirely sure how my sister feels to have another girl.  To me, that is extraordinary.  Two daughters in one go.  Sure, while it is less likely I would be drinking beer with my nieces and watching Formula One on TV, I can relate to girls better.  I can’t wait to bring them out for shopping, with their daddy’s credit cards.

Cynthia was especially curious how the three-year-old Bethany would react when she first met Lydia.  I reckon Bethany must have some level of understanding that a baby once inside her mother’s tummy is now sleeping peacefully by her mother’s bed.  Bethany was calm as her parents made the introduction.  When her grandparents tried to ask her questions, Bethany quieted them with a gesture signaling them that her sister was sleeping.  I was touched by the whole scene.  So young, and she has this sense of responsibility.  We whispered to each other, not wanting to upset Bethany, which is better for Lydia I reckon.  All the while, little Bethany sat on her mother’s bed quietly looking at her sister Lydia.  Given any other days, Bethany would have been running around and making laughter.  This level discipline suddenly struck me as an exhibition of growing up.

I noticed that in the ward, everyone was looking at Lydia, smiling at her.  How would little Bethany feel now that she may no longer be the sole center of attention?  I took out my mother’s tablet and signaled Bethany to come to the far end of the room.  Her father gave his blessing and we were playing her favorite pinball game, which I have installed for this very occasion that I have anticipated.

Avid readers may have followed my observation on Bethany and our pinball game.  New to our previous encounters, Bethany now has this awareness of losing.  A ball going down the drain is no good.  Now she gets it.  She would get all tensed up when she lost, holding fists and getting frustrated.  But when she managed to hit the bell at the top of the machine, she would smile and said slowly: This is … FUN!

Normally, I praise Google’s effort in evolving the Android platform.  In the new Nexus design, there is no physical buttons on the front of the device.  Instead, the three buttons – back, menu, and running applications – have become part of the touchscreen at the bottom.  This has given me tons of headache when Bethany now keeps on hitting those virtual buttons by mistake.  The game would suddenly disappear and she would get a shock every time that happened.  I would need to tell her that it is OK and show her how to return to the game.

And that happened every 20 seconds or so.

I am thinking, would Lydia grow up to like playing pinball and racing games like her sister?  Or would she have a whole new different personality?  Just one day before Bethany was born, my sister was playing racing game on my computer.  Now I wish I had instill some video gaming excitement to Lydia days before she was born.

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Diary

Learning Trail With Children At Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park

As a keen supporter of corporate volunteering program, when the learning trail activity with children from low income families was announced, I quickly signed up for it.  Turns out, only 6 of us have put our names down.  Unlike the one we did for the elderly, this activity was intense.  And it involved quite a bit of reading up and preparation as well.

Bishan AMK Park with the Children

By the time our chartered bus has rolled into the neighborhood, immediately, I saw kids and teenagers jumping up and down eager to attend our learning trail event.  Once they entered the bus, one by one they have started screaming!  Really loudly so.  I was slightly intimately by them.  I did a quick headcount.  Around 20 of time.  All screaming at the same time as they dashed into the bus looking for a seat.  Aged between 8 to 18, these kids were active.  Hyperactive.

Soon, we found out that these wonderful kids were from four Malay families.  Beyond Social Services has organized this event and our organization has participated.  Their target groups are low income families.  Families that may have a single parent, or from teenage mothers.  The kids may not have sufficient parental care because their parents need to work, and at times night shift.  Some kids may be delinquencies and Beyond Social Services‘s role would be to facilitate the parental ownership of the issue.  Beyond Social Services also engages volunteers to provide tuition to the kids, as well as regular activities such as soccer for the boys and dancing for the girls.  Our role today was to bring them out for a half day trip and raise the awareness of water conservation.  Play some games that were relevant to the theme.  Hand out gifts to everyone.  Basically, have a fun time.  By the time the event has ended, I was exhausted.  But it was a heartwarming and fulfilling experience.

Click here to view the photo album of today’s event.

As mentioned previously, Bishan-AMK Park has recently been renovated.  The old concrete canal has been converted into a natural river.  It is part of our government’s Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) initiative to transform Singapore’s drains, canals, and reservoirs into beautiful and clean streams, rivers and lakes for recreation and community bonding.

Singapore is a small country.  We have been relying on Malaysia – our neighbor – for water supply under two bilateral agreements.  One expired in 2011 and the second one will expire in 2061.  With the completion of the Marina, Punggol, and Serangoon reservoirs (which brings the number of reservoirs in Singapore to a total of 17), the water catchment area has been increased from half to two-thirds of Singapore’s land surface.  We have plan to boost water catchment area to 90% by 2060.

Then we have NEWater, which is a high-grade reclaimed water produced from treated used water that is further purified using advanced membrane technologies and ultra-violet disinfection.  Our NEWater plants is now meeting 30% of the nation’s water needs.  By 2060, we intend to push this to 50%.

Singapore has one of the Asia’s largest seawater reverse-osmosis plant.  Producing 30 million gallons of desalinated water a day, it is currently meeting 10% of our nation’s water needs.  By 2060, the plan is to ramp up the desalination capacity by 10 times in meeting at least 30% of our water demand.

Today, our per capita domestic consumption is 154 liters a day.  Water conservation programs are important.  We can never have enough water if we do not treasure what we have and use water wisely.  Here are some of the ideas that may help lowering the consumption to 140 liters by 2030.

  • Monitor your water bills.
  • Take shorter showers and turn off the tap while soaping.
  • Use a mug when brushing your teeth.
  • Check and repair leaks promptly.
  • Install water saving devices such as thimbles.
  • Use water-efficient devices.
  • Cut down your shower time to 5 minutes.

It's a beautiful park!

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Diary

Confession!

As the priest placed his hand over my head and said the Prayer of Absolution, I felt an intense sense of warmth from my lower back and up.  A feeling different from the heat and anxiety I have experienced prior and during my Confession.  There was something soothing and peaceful about that warmth originated from my lower back gradually spread across my body, as though I was engulfed in a divine fire.

A photograph taken from the entrance of Church of the Holy Spirit.

I was not born as a Catholic.  It could have been any religion.  I was brought up in a Catholic school, my wife Cynthia is a Catholic, so naturally, that is the path I have taken since the day of our marriage.  Of all the Catholic traditions, I have always tried to run away from Confession.  You may say: Look, Wilfrid, since you are a public blogger, confession should be in your DNA!

Well, it is not the same.

Easter is on its way.  To cater for the sudden surge in demand for confession, once a week from now till Easter, there are mass confession sessions held across the island.  I have not attended a mass confession session before.  Cynthia only gave me two options: this week or next.  I picked this week out of the two.

We have not visited Church of the Holy Spirit for years, although we frequent the mall from opposite the street.  In my mind, thanks to all the Hollywood movies, I thought confession always involves I entering a booth whereby the priest cannot see me.  I can pour my heart out on the sins I have committed in total privacy.  In a mass confession session like today’s, it is nothing like that.

The interior light was dimmed.  There was a quietness inside the Church except for the humming sound of the air conditioners (thank God for that as you will see why later).  Instead of confession booths, four priests were seated at the far corners of the Church.  Two priests were seated near the alter.  And another two inside the two brightly lit rooms.  Confession was to be done in the open!  I was in shock.  We were supposed to queue up and take turn to sit close to the priests and whisper clearly and briefly the sins we have committed against God.  As I was queuing to one of the priests near the alter, I was thinking: Shall I make a generic confession like I should have attended Mass every week but I didn’t?  Or shall I make an honest confession?

At the last minute, I have decided to make an honest confession.

Of course I was in shame, feeling an uncomfortable heat on my face as I was hit by anxiety and remorse.  The priest asked a few questions and offered some pointers, which I am thankful for.  As he rested his hand above my head and granted me the absolution, this divine warmth I have mentioned in the beginning of this post was nothing I have felt before.  Such comfort and peace and a touch of divinity – I am glad that I did not skip the session, like I did many times in the past.

As we were leaving the Church feeling happy and lifted, I could not help but to ponder: Is there a better way to prepare for my next confession?  There are many answers to this question, I am sure.  But this one is mine, and I am happy to give it a try.

Confession to me is a checkpoint to evaluate how far I have deviated from God and the Church’s teaching.  If I am unable to think of something substantial and concrete to confess, that could mean either I am a saint or I have no clear visibility on where my reference path should be.  I am inclined to think that it is the latter rather than the former.

Hence, the key to making a good confession regularly is to be clear on our right path and to constantly evaluate ourselves against that reference point.  There are many ways to get there, such as through prayers and Bible reading.  A more effective way could be to attend Mass regularly.  During the moment of silence after each reading, reflect upon the passage.  Pay attention to the priest’s sermon.  Internalize the teaching and reflect upon what we have failed to do, how we can do better.  Once we are aware of the deviations and our trespasses, that should make our next confession more fruitful and substantial.

Act of Contrition: Oh my God, I am sorry and beg pardon for all my sins, and detest them above all things, because they deserve your dreadful punishments, because they have crucified my loving Savior Jesus Christ, and, most of all, because they offend your infinite goodness; and I firmly resolve, by the help of your grace, never to offend you again, and carefully to avoid the occasions of sin.  Amen.

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Diary

Observing Bethany

It is rather challenging to buy fresh food from the local supermarkets during Chinese New Year Eve.  Hence, I prefer to do my grocery shopping two days before.  The challenge to me this year was that work has been hectic.  We are ‘encouraged’ to put in extra hours at work.  It is hard to explain to my non-Chinese colleagues – which is the majority with I being the only Chinese – the gravity of the situation.  Without fresh food, there is no reunion dinner.  How shall I delicately explain the importance of family members getting together for a reunion dinner?  That I am the eldest and hence, dinner would take place at my home?  That I prefer cooking to dinning out?  On Thursday, I simplified the entire tradition for my non-Chinese colleagues with six words: I need to buy chicken tonight.  Most of them got it, though some might have thought that I was joking.

Chinese New Year Eve was on Saturday.  But my sister and I have decided to celebrate it on Friday so that she could celebrate the actual day with her in-laws.  Fine by me.  Except, I have to yet again explain to my non-Chinese colleagues that burning midnight oil on Friday was not an option.  Because: I need to cook chicken tonight.

This is Bethany!

After our reunion dinner, my niece Bethany all of a sudden took my phone and wanted to take some self-portraits.  I tried to explain that this is a Sony phone.  There is no front camera.  She sort of understood and asked me to take pictures of her instead.  So I did.  Picture frame and special effect are added to the picture thanks to Cynthia’s Samsung Note II LTE and her beloved apps Paper Artist and Cool Frames.  Cynthia still loves her phone dearly, after months of having it.

It was less than a month ago when I hang out with my niece Bethany, when she asked me not to eat her family.  Kids are the most wondrous beings on Earth.  She likes to play with my Indonesian drum (which she dropped, and cried, and did not play that evening).  And she likes to play with my guitar.  The first time she played with my guitar, she yanked the strings really hard.  I was more worried about  Bethany being hit by the snapping of a string more than the hassle of replacing a broken one.  A month ago, she would strum it softly knowing that I disapprove such harsh treatment of my beloved guitar.  Last Friday, she would pluck the string with the right force, which is pretty amazing because she picked it up on her own.

Besides guitar playing, she has made slight progress on my F1 2012 video game on PS3.  Mind you, Bethany is only 3-year-old.  Her hands are way too small to handle a controller.  Compare to a month ago, now she seems to understand how the accelerator works.  She definitely knows how to reverse the car because she does it all the time.  Not sure why.  Perhaps she loves to see my shocked reaction.  She also seems to understand steering, although she still can’t quite grasp the technique of acceleration and steering at the same time.  When she is stuck (like hitting the walls), she would pass the controller back to me and ask me to get the car back on track.  Previously, she did not have such awareness.

What is interesting to observe is that she keeps on thinking that pushing the joystick up is to move forward.  And that she would turn the controller in mid-air like a steering wheel hoping that the car turns the same way she does.  I have not tried Nintendo Wii.  Looking at how Bethany intuitively interacts with the game, I think the simplistic design of the Wii motion sensor controller could well be a winner.  Too bad.  When Wii first came out, it was out of stock for like a year or so.  By the time the stock was available, all interest was lost.  Fortunately, I don’t have to wait that long for my Nexus 4 to arrive.  That’s another story for another day.

Oh, one more observation to share.  Bethany loves to play with my phone.  But my Sony phone does not have many interesting apps or games (thanks to the super low memory).  There is a pinball game that she enjoys playing.  A month ago, she would think that the ball falling off the drain was a good thing.  Now, she understands that it may not be such a good idea.  She still has’t quite got the technique yet.  I am sure she will get it in no time.

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Diary

Moon Tower: A Builder, A Girl, And A Mysterious White Rabbit – A Doodle

Once upon a time, I loved to doodle.  That was two years ago.  Surprisingly, the pen I have bought for this very purpose still works.  It is a surprise because these sort of pens do dry out over time.  On that thought, I shall stock up more of this sort the next time I hit town.

One doodle of mine!

The title of this doodle – Moon Tower: A Builder, A Girl, And A Mysterious White Rabbit – is the same as the story I wrote one entry before this one.  If you have read the story, you should be able to interpret this doodle with little difficulty.

Drawing is therapeutic.  This evening, I needed just that.  So exhausted after a long, long day at work, I did not even have the energy for active entertainment like playing video games or socializing through Google+.  I picked up my pen, some sketch papers, and started doodling.

Like how the story was crafting, I was about to give up on the initial concept after the first attempt.  I started with the tower.  It was too structured.  Too boring.  Perhaps my drawing is a reflection of my life, which in my case, is currently dominated by work.  On my second attempt, I have refocused the drawing around the three main characters.  And then developed the rest from the main theme, with an abstract touch.  This doodle was initially drawn in landscape orientation, on a A3 paper.  As I added more contextual materials onto the painting, I feel that it is best to be viewed in portrait.  Of course, now the northern side of the island appears on the bottom and hence, looks like the south instead.  That is rather unfortunate.  But I suppose that is one way to break the structure eh?

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Diary

Spending Time With Elders At Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park

I have always enjoyed participating in the corporate volunteering programs.  It gives a little extra meaning to what I do for a living.  Year 2011, I have done weeding in one of the islands.  Boy, that was laborious.  Year 2012, I have done art crafting with the children in a hospital.  I hope by now, they have fully recovered and who knows, I might have tickled the kids’ artistic bones a little.  This year, I have signed up for a learning trail excursion with the elders from a senior citizen center.  A walk in the newly renovated Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park

I am pretty surprised how well the mobile app Snapseed works on this picture.

I have been driving pass Bishan AMK Park for years as it is located quite near to my home.  It was not until a 2010 blogger event that brought me to this park.  Soon after, the park was closed for years.  What was used to be a canal has now been transformed into a 2.7 km long meandering river integrated with the park.  The park looks clean and beautiful, sustaining a healthy mixed of flora and fauna.  During my visit, the water level was low.  Besides a few gardeners working along the river, there were large white birds “playing” in the water.

The elderly group has a good mix of different cultural background.  And the eldest was a 104 years old lady.  Initially I was concerned if my lack of Mandarin speaking skill would be a burden.  Fortunately, my Cantonese sufficed.  Some of my colleagues do not speak the local languages.  So they helped out with photograph taking, or carrying of umbrellas.

There is a fast food restaurant in the middle of the park.  Probably not the healthiest choice for the elders.  But it is a convenient location.  There is a patio and I got to serve food, together with my colleagues.  Quite possibly the most relaxing and enjoyable volunteering event I have participated thus far.  The elders appeared to be happy.  I took some pictures in the park with my wireless phone.  The one above has surprised me a little.  Snapseed application has done a great job in making the picture pops.  But what delights me most is how well the perspective holds.  It could only be a tinny miracle.

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Diary

Chasing Insomnia

It is one of the most intense dreams I have ever had, with a PG rating that is.  I was behind a Formula One car.  The roaring of a V8 engine was deafening.  I was charging up a hill.  It could be Eau Rouge in Belgium or “S” Curves of Suzuka.  It could well be the opening sequence of the new Austin.  Fighting off the G-force, I was holding onto the imaginary racing line like a receding lifeline out of a sinking Titanic.

I woke up, feeling the sweat on my forehead.  Outside, the road was quiet.  I dared not look at the clock.  The night could well be young.  I was trying very hard to go back to sleep.  But I couldn’t.  It could be the coffee I drank the day before, in the afternoon.  It could be the new stress at work that is affecting my sleep.  It could be the excitement of my upcoming winter vocation.  It could be the non-drowsy cough mixture I took.  Do they put caffeine into cough mixture?  I had Thai food for lunch.  I did not know how, but I ate a whole pile of dried chili flakes, with the fried noodle.  Some dried chili flakes got stuck at the back of my throat and I could not stop coughing since then.

Or maybe, I was playing F1 the video game till late last night, learning the Korean circuit without the assist features.  Perhaps my brain muscle was strained as I went round in round in circle trying to better myself, which I did, after one hour of racing.

After I woke up from my dream, I was unable to go back to sleep.  Slowly, and not unexpectedly so, the Korean track crept back to my mind.  I could visualize turn 11 and the new trick I have learned the evening before.  Accelerate into the turn, tap the brake to drop two gears down, bite into the apex, accelerate off the apex, and then immediately tap the brake again to again drop two gears down, hold the racing line, accelerate into turn 12, remember to brake at the apex so as not to run wide at the chicane.  I could see a smile on my face.  A perfect execution.  Time to do it again.

I have no idea how it happened.  As I closed my eyes, helplessly and mentally running the circuit like Vettel did every time before the race, I shifted back into my dreamland.  I was again racing behind a Formula One car.  The roaring of a V8 engine was deafening.

After an unknown number of laps – time is not linear in a dream so it is hard to tell – I woke up again.  My bedroom was still in a near pitch black darkness, except for the faint street light that was flooded through the curtains.  The sound of the V8 engine died down and was replaced by the engine noise of an ordinary road vehicle outside the window.  One car went pass our condominium.  The street went quiet for a few good seconds before another one passed by.  The train was not in operation.  The night must still be young.  I tried willing myself to sleep, but I failed.  Frustration started to seep in.  What should I do?  Must I think of racing in order to fall asleep?

I started to trace the Korean track turn by turn.  It seems so easy when you can anticipate each maneuver.  18 turns in total.  DRS here, KERS there.  The second signboard and apply brake.  The first signboard and brake hard.  The last signboard and brake very hard.  Accelerate gently.  Release brake gradually.  Don’t lock the front wheels.  Don’t spin the rear wheels.  Soon I drifted back to my sleep, behind a Formula One car.  I was in a no man’s land.  In my dream, the track was empty.  Where have the rest of the cars gone?  Does it matter?

This cycle went on and on for a few times throughout the night.  By the time the alarm clock rang, I was already wide awake, exhausted by seven good hours of mental racing.

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Diary Photography

Supertrees And Gardens By The Bay, Singapore

For many months, as I drove by the site in construction daily, on an elevated highway overlooking the marina, I have always been wondering: What on earth are these things?  From afar, these work-in-progress chimney-like tall structures looked like factories.  Or perhaps helipads.  I had no idea.  Until one day, I read about this new city gardens in CNN.  These are Supertrees!

Note: To see more photographs of Gardens by the Bay, don’t miss this link to an album of 48 pictures.

I was born in Hong Kong.  As a city boy, I love city gardens.  There is a certain charm visiting a garden with the city center as the backdrop.  Paris has plenty of gardens in the city.  Many famous cities too.  While I was thrill that Singapore has put aside 101 hectares of prime land to build a garden (in comparison, Singapore Botanic Gardens has an area of 74 hectares), I was not too sure what to expect.

Gardens by the Bay appears to have built with tourism in mind.  Contrast that to other city gardens I have visited in other parts of the world, I saw way more tourists in Gardens by the Bay than locals.  Maybe time will tell, if this new garden will win the residents’ hearts.  My wife Cynthia seems to prefer Singapore Botanic Gardens.  As for me, I think my heart still belongs to Sentosa as a family hangout location, if I have a whole day to spend that is.  Otherwise, I concur with Cynthia.

These Supertrees are majestic.  They ranges from 25 to 50 meters and besides being amazing to look at, they are functional too.  The ‘trunks’ of these Supertrees are home to unique and exotic plants, though I must say, I can’t tell one plant to another.  I don’t know where the photovoltaic cells are located.  They could be on the top where I could not see.  These Supertrees are capable to collect solar energy during the day and light themselves up during the night.  They can also collect rainwater and serve as a air cooling system to the two conservatories nearby (don’t ask me how).

To get to the 1 minute treetop walk, you have to pay S$5.  As for the two conservatories, it is S$28 for the foreigners and S$20 for the locals.  Not a good enough discount I must say.  If you are feeling rich and have some money to spend, you could also dine in a treetop restaurant.  I bet you could even book the entire restaurant for you and your loved one, for a romantic evening dinner, especially if you are looking for a place to ‘pop’ the question.  Yes?  Another option – equally expensive I bet – is to book the entire capsule at the Singapore Flyer.

Besides the Supertrees and the conservatories, within this new city garden, there are four mini gardens – to denote the four cultures in Singapore.  There are also six areas, each comes with a unique theme: Secret Life of Trees, World of Palms, Understorey, Fruits and Flowers, Web of Life, and Discovery.  These areas still look to me like work-in-progress.  Or they are made more for kids to enjoy (like small man-made mushrooms and pictures built using painted pixels).  There is also a lake in Gardens by the Bay too.  It is called Dragonfly Lake that overlooks Singapore Flyer as well as one of our two Integrated Resorts Marina Bay Sands (see picture below).

Parking at Gardens by the Bay is as expensive as parking in Sentosa.  It does have more food choices than Botanic Gardens though.  I can’t wait to bring my niece Bethany to this city garden and see what she thinks.

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Diary

Für Elise (And Formula One Racing Game)

When I was sixteen, maybe younger, I managed to convince my mother to buy a piano.  I had no idea if I could play one.  But I enjoy playing the wind instrument.  By my naive extrapolation and rudimentary research, I could see myself playing a piano.  When I was young, there was no such thing as cost benefit analysis, or risk assessment.  The question of whether or not I have the right talent did not come across in my mind either.  I had a desire to play the piano and the stubborn determination to get there.  That was all that it counted for me back then.

I did not engage a piano teacher at first.  I would practice the music scores on my own, deriving ways to articulate the music through this brand new instrument, which smelt divine by the way.  I would sit by the piano for hours practicing the same scale on my right hand, then my left, and finally together.  I would dissect a musical piece into segments, practice the melody, then the harmony, and finally put them together, with the foot petals all in.  It was a long and tedious process without a teacher.  But the joy of working things out all by myself is indescribable.

Of all the piano pieces I have practiced and self-taught, I enjoyed playing Für Elise the most.  It is a beautiful piece written by Beethoven in three parts.  Each part has its challenge.  The crescendo, the diminuendo, the change of tempo, the speed run of notes across multiple octaves, and the solemn harmonic chords that accentuate the mood – all while documented clinically as black and white in the form of a musical score is a sum of a unique interpretation by the pianist.

Für Elise is a rather short piece of music compares to say The Blue Danube that I self-taught later on.  It lasts only a couple of minutes and it can be therapeutic practicing  Für Elise on repeat.  I would try to run some of the faster segments as close to the original intend as possible.  And then I would hit a roadblock due to a lack of consistency.  To improve, I would slow the notes down and examine each closely, string the notes together aiming to keep them consistent while gradually increasing the tempo.  This might take hours, days, weeks, or not ever.

The bottom line is, back then, I believe that through persistence, nothing is impossible.

Recently, I have spent much of my limited gaming hours into a F1 racing game.  My blogging tempo to you may seem to have slowed down.  The truth is, I have been adding new content onto an old post as I journey further into the game.  That entry becomes a micro-blog by itself.

Now, how does a F1 racing game relate to Für Elise?  To me, it does.  Playing the game reminds me of my piano practicing days.

You may notice that quite a few classical pieces have a three-movement structure.  On every F1 track, there are three sectors with a distinct theme too.  To me, tackling a F1 track is like playing the piano.  There is a rhythm to the circuit.  While the circuit design defines the track’s characteristic, no two drivers tackles the track the same way.  Each driver articulates the track in a way that works for him or her, according to one’s interpretation.  To perfect the track, one needs to push the limit to see how far one could go.  It is all about understanding the track and to consolidate the maneuvers so as to bring consistency to the driving.  It feels extremely satisfying when a perfect lap is strung together, just like when Für Elise is played beautifully in one go.

One evening, as I spent hours going through the same F1 track in circle for the umpteenth time, I suddenly thought of Für Elise.  I was overwhelmed by the childhood sweet memory of my piano practicing sessions.

No wonder I find the game so enjoyable to play.

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Diary

You are a Good Person (Because You are Born This Way)

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I took this picture during an evening Mass at our local church Christ the King. Our church has a contemporary design with a huge glass cross and bronze status of Jesus hanging from the ceiling. It is a sight to behold.

Cynthia, her mother from Indonesia, and I have celebrated All Saints’ Day Sunset Mass at Christ the King last Wednesday evening.  During the sermon and to my surprise, the priest quoted Lady Gaga’s Born this Way.  Cynthia and I, together with the younger crowd, laughed as we saw him all energized at the altar.  As though he was going to dance.

We are born as good people.  Being good is the most natural thing we do.  There is nothing extraordinary being a good person.  Being good is not something that we shall expect reward.  Because it is what all of us should do.  It is not a matter if we can be good.  Do we want to be good?

How to be good?  First, start with our families.  Be good to our spouses.  Be good to our parents.  Be good to our children.  Live our life as a good person.  And I would like to encourage you to look into the mirror from time to time and remind yourself, “I am a good person”.

The priest did not drill too deep into Lady Gaga’s song.  But I think he has successfully once again, made his sermon memorable.  When the Mass has ended, before the priest left the altar area, he paused, looked at the ground, and spoke softly, as though he was speaking to himself.  He said, “I am a good person”.

More on this Catholic tradition can be found in here.

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Open canals like this in the city is slowly being covered up making way for more roads here in Singapore.

At a not too far distance in this photograph taken by a phone is a Catholic Church.  A wake awaited.  A dear friend of my Godmother has passed away on Oct 3.  She has devoted all her life in serving the community.  I remember her child like smile and powerful prayers.  She even prayed with and for the doctors and nurses whenever she was hospitalized.  At 80+, the Lord has called her home.  While sad I am, I am delighted for her completing her mission on Earth and into Heaven she would be.  Her inspiration lives on.

Her last word to the doctor was: My work here is done.

Today, Catholics around the world celebrated All Souls’ Day.  It is a day to commemorate all the faithful departed.  And I am saying a little prayer for one of the most devoted Catholic I have met in my life.

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These two entries have been shared in my Google+ social networking site last month.  I wish to add them onto my personal website too.

It is strange, come  to think on it.  Earlier on this year, one high profile Google+ user has made a bold statement saying that very soon,  bloggers would prefer to write in Google+ instead of in their individual sites.  Back then, I disagreed.  Because Google+ is a social networking site, not a blog site.

But is it not?

Now, I think Google+ is more than a social network.  The environment encourages writing quality entries.  It is so much easier to engage with readers over there, rather than here.  I am now writing in Google+ more than I write here.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am not dropping my personal website.  It is still good to ‘own’ a piece of virtual real estate and have direct control over my content.  But I can smell the wind of change, feel the shift.