That’s Life

None of us is perfect. We all make mistakes. We all do things we regret. We all say stupid and hurtful words we can never take back. This is what humans do, regardless of how hard we try not to.

Life is not easy. We do the best we can. We are all dealing with our own pains. We live. We struggle. And hopefully... we learn.

In the lives of the saddest of us, there are bright days like this, when we feel as if we could take the great world in our arms and kiss it. Then come the gloomy hours, when the fire will neither burn on our hearths nor in our hearts; and all without and within is dismal, cold, and dark. Believe me, every heart has its secret sorrows, which the world knows not, and oftentimes we call a man cold, when he is only sad. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Today expect something good to happen to you no matter what occurred yesterday. Realize the past no longer holds you captive. It can only continue to hurt you if you hold on to it. Let the past go. A simply abundant world awaits. - Sarah Ban Breathnach

To dream about anything that you want to dream, that is the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do, that is the strength of human will. To trust yourself to test your limits, that is the courage to succeed. - Unknown

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Winter Solstice

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Winter Solstice is the day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight. In the Northern Hemisphere, it occurs on the 21st of December.

The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth’s poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year, and when the Sun is at its lowest daily maximum elevation in the sky. - Wikipedia

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Some cultures celebrate the winter solstice with festival and rites, and some mark it as the beginning of a new year.

For the Chinese, the Dongzhi Festival (Winter Solstice) celebrates the turning point of winter. “It is common for families to gather and enjoy a hearty, warming meal. This is a harmonious balance of yin and yang energy; the dark cold night and the impending sunlight and warmth of delicious food.” - Wikipedia

Tang Yuan (汤圆), or Chinese glutinous rice balls, is a round, stuffed Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice flour and a sweet, semi-runny filling. It's always served warm in a plain or sweetened liquid. It is the signature food eaten during the ‘Dongzhi’ festival. The shape and the pronunciation of ‘tang yuan’ symbolise being together with your beloved one and family reunion. - Google

Image from Facebook Page

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Relationships

Our relationships with other people constitute one of the fundamental aspects of our lives. After all, we human beings are social creatures. Unfortunately, many factors stand in the way of our relationship with people; conflicting self-interest, inhibition, attitude problems, cynicism, scepticism, inability to listen, intolerance towards individual differences... The list goes on. These and many more other human follies keep us from building meaningful relationships.

Relationships are always complicated. Any sort of relationship takes work – a lot of work. Be it between couples, lovers, siblings, friends, parents and children, or simply just two individuals. If people have no idea what a relationship entailed, they will have problems maintaining the relationship.

Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something: they’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take. - Anthony Robbins

Through words we come to know the other person – and to be known. This knowing is at the heart of our deepest longings for intimacy and connection with others. How relationships unfold with the most important people in our lives depends on courage and clarity in finding voice. - Harriet Lerner

A boat is never truly deemed seaworthy unless it has survived the wildest of storms, not by its age or how pretty it looks to you or others on the out. The sturdiest of relationships are never the ones that are the smoothest sailing. - Unknown

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Truisms

The beauty about aphorism is that they never go out of date. They are timeless – as applicable today and hereafter as when they were first uttered, and some of them were spoken centuries ago.

These are thoughts and opinions of sages, philosophers, spiritual leaders, mystics, and people who had given life a great deal of thought. Most of these quotes teach us life-lessons not taught in classrooms. They may answer some of the questions you have on life as well as change your understanding and attitude towards life.

The teacher, however great, can never give his knowledge to the pupils … although … he can kindle the light if the oil is in the lamp. - Hazrat Inayat Khan

It is circumstance and proper timing that give an action its character and make it either good or bad. - Unknown

All men come into this world alone and leave it alone. - Thomas de Quincey

Every time a man puts a new idea across he finds ten men who thought of it before he did – but they only thought of it. - Unknown

The world is not to be put in order; the world is order, incarnate. It is for us to harmonize with this order. - Henry Miller

What really flatters a man is that you think him worth flattering. - George Bernard Shaw

No matter where or what, there are makers, takers, and fakers. - Robert Heinlein

Favourable outcomes conceal our weaknesses. Overcoming unfavourable outcomes reveals our strengths. - Matshona Dhliwayo

We must take care not to admit as true anything, which is only probable. For when one falsity has been let in, infinite others follow. - Baruch Spinoza

The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. - Aristotle

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A Wedding Lunch

Last Sunday, one of my friend’s daughter got married. I was invited to the wedding lunch held at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. Lovely young couple – both of whom are doctors. It was a beautiful wedding.

Lunch was at 12 noon with a pre-lunch cocktail reception.

Guests entering the ballroom to be seated.

Here comes the bride and groom.

The solemnisation ceremony.

Lunch was served after the solemnisation ceremony. It was a six-course plated service lunch.

Mandarin Oriental Combination Platter (Charcoal-roasted Long Island Duck, Ocean Prawn with Wasabi and Free-range Egg Emulsion, Yam stuffed with Hokkaido Scallop)

Braided Lobster Broth with Fish Maw, Crabmeat and Enoki

Honey Glazed Spareribs with Cereal and Cranberry.

Premium South African 6-Head Abalone with Sea Cucumber and Spinach.

Crisp Mini Buns with Chilli Crabmeat Sauce.

Hashima with Nashi Pear, Red Dates and American Ginseng.

The lunch ended at half past three. The food was nice and service impeccable – as to be expected in a five-star establishment. All in all, and as far as I can tell, the wedding lunch went very smoothly. A happy occasion for the two families, but no doubt, a tiring day. I am sure they were all glad when the day was over.

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Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima)

Euphorbia, named after the Greek physician Euphorbus, is a diverse genus of plants renowned for their striking features and toxic, milky sap. Among this genus, Euphorbia pulcherrima, whose name means "the most beautiful", stands out with its vibrant bracts, capturing attention every holiday season. It is particularly well known for is red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays. - Wikipedia

Euphorbia pulcherrima is known by the common name Poinsettias. The colored bracts – which are normally flaming red, with cultivars being orange, pale green, cream, pink, white, or marbled – are often mistaken for flower petals because of their groupings and colors, but are actually leaves. The flowers of the poinsettia are often very small in size. They are grouped within the cyathia (small yellow structures found in the center of each leaf bunch, or false flowers).

Some photos of poinsettias taken from a Christmas display.

Euphorbia Red

Euphorbia 'Ice Punch'

Euphorbia 'Red Glitter'

Euphorbia White

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The First Step

To begin anything, to get the things we want out of life, we need to take the first step. And it is prudent to take a small step first. A little step may be the beginning of a great journey. Sometimes, the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip toe if you must, but take the first step. Small steps in the right direction are better than big ones in the wrong direction.

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. - Lao-tze

The first step to towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are. - John Pierpont Morgan

Some steps need to be taken alone. It’s the only way to really figure out where you need to be. - Mandy Hale

The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult. - Marquise Du Deffand

Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune. - William James

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Orchard Road

A collection of photos of Orchard Road in the early days. Images are courtesy of Facebook Pages ‘The Long and Winding Road’, ‘Heritage SG Memories’ and '十里之外'.

Yes, flooding was a regular occurrence along Orchard Road. This was in the 1920s with the railway bridge in sight. Marked on the photo are the names of the buildings that now stand on the respective sites.

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The Christmas Train Show II

Since it is a Christmas display, besides the sub-theme of trains, there are many Christmas trees and Christmas flowers on display. It is a beautiful display, with lots of information on the plants, flowers, the history of the trains and also on how and when the traditions started.

The display attracted quite a crowd. There were many visitors at the display. People were posing for photos and clicking away. One has to be very patient and fast if you want a good shot – patient to wait for your turn, and fast to avoid people coming into your photos.

Here are more photos from my visit.

The Christmas Train Show is on until the 5th of January 2025.

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