Sweet, Sweet Birthday

What an eventful day! First it was a surprise bouquet of flowers which appeared in front of me when I opened my eyes in the morning! What made it so special was that it was most unexpected. I love surprises! :)

Also, it's the first time since the birth of our baby girl that Ken and I went out on a date together. We went for a nice and relaxing spa massage in the afternoon which really felt so rejuvinating as the therapist slowly knead away all the tension in my body.

Following this was a trip to shop for my birthday present. I am now the proud owner of a red patent LV wallet, a gift I very much like indeed!

Dinner was at P.S cafe at Palai Reinaissance,which I never knew existed until today! Trust Ken to discover great dining places like this! On special occasions, he has always kept the dining venues secret to me until the last minute. This restaurant is very tastefully done up and the waiters and waitresses made us feel very welcomed. We were seated at the outdoor section which faces the Thai Embassy. The lush greenery in the compound shielded the restaurant from the hustle and bustle of the Orchard Road crowd and traffic,creating an urban enclave with a tranquil ambience. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and drinks and the special time we spent together.

The next surprise came when we reached my mum's place to pick Mikayla up. There was a birthday cake waiting for me! For many years that I've celebrated my birthday with Ken, this is the first time I'm cutting the birthday cake together with my family.

Darling, thanks for being so thoughtful and for being the sweetest husband of all! :) You've once again made my birthday a memorable one. You've also made my transition into motherhood smooth sailing, by being my never-ending source of support. I thank God for you.

Thank God for Aunty Amy and my dear mum too, for taking such good care of Mikayla while we were out and for getting her bathed by the time we got back! :)

What a great day. I now retire with a relaxed body and mind, and a smile on my face :)

My Partner, Now & Forever

As he sleeps soundly (perhaps having sweet dreams about us both?), I cannot help but gaze lovingly at the man I so love. I'm the most blessed women in the world to have such a companion by my side. Where do I find someone who could love me so unconditionally in spite of all my weaknesses and faults?

Without any grudges whatsoever, he would readily send me to work and fetch me without being asked to all these years. It's like there's no where else he'd rather be or anything else he'd rather do! In everything I do, I always get his full support. Listening to him, I learn how to do things better and be a better person in the process. I've learnt not to take him for granted, for I want to grow old with him, hand in hand...

Thanks darling, for being the wonderful you, and for bringing out the best in me. Who I am today is partly because of you. Your patience is finally going to be rewarded! From now, I'm going to be at home every single day and night, right by your side :)

Good night, my dearest...

Moving On

It's officially one week since my last day with SQ. I did my clearance today with an ex-team girl who has now become a rather good friend to me. Actually, she's more like a sister I never had! It was great to have her company.

As I look back to the five years I've spent in SQ, I'm thankful to God for all the angels He sent into my life! One may think that with our hectic flying schedules, it is difficult to forge friendships that last in the airline. On the contrary, I have made many friends, friends I just know that in time to come, will still sit over a cup of coffee comfortably with me, no awkward silences despite not meeting for years! There's just something that binds us, the nature of the job builds camaraderie. When you get a group of us together, we can go on sharing endlessly even after an 18 hour flight!

To all my dear angels, I just want to say, thanks for walking with me at some point in time during my flying journey, you're one of the best and most precious gift I've ever received! :)

Ask me if I would change my mind about flying if given the choice, I would still choose to live my life the way I did the last five years with no regrets! I've been blessed with the opportunity to see the world (which is, by the way, my childhood dream!) and gained a wealth of experience which money cannot buy. And now I'm going to make use of what I've learnt to move on to the next chapter of my life.

A sweet chapter full of happy memories has closed, and I look forward to the new chapter with excitement, eager to find out what God has in store for me. I'm going to put my best foot forward in my new career, with a whole load of supporters behind me!

Tomorrow is going to be a great day!

My Love for Running...

Training for the Army Half Marathon started sometime in May07 when I decided to sign up for it! As the result of the regular runs in the morning at East Coast Park, I rediscovered my love for running. Running is a great way to reflect and spend time with myself, I feel refreshed and ready to start the day with a run early in the morning. I actually feel more energetic than if i were to sleep in late!

New York's Central Park and London's Hyde Park are my favourites places to run. The sights and people I see along the way are just so vivid in my mind, for every trip to these great cities were not complete without a visit to these two parks. Now that I've stopped flying, East Coast Park is the next best alternative!

So, I managed to complete today's 21k race at a comfortable timing of 1hr 57min, sub-2hrs which was my target! Kudos to my darling Ken, Raymond, CJ, Aaron and Alex who also completed the race, looking forward to the BIG event at the end of the year!

We all deserve a good massage for all the legwork! :)

I DID IT!

It was a great day indeed! I completed the Great Eastern Women 10KM challenge today. As I neared the finishing line, I could see crowds of supporters cheering loudly. With my last ounce of strength, I sprinted towards the end point. Sweet, I completed the run with a better timing then what I've expected--a total of 57 1/2minutes!

I've learnt something new about myself today, that I'm pretty competitive when it comes to running. You see, to distract themselves from the grueling run, some people try to concentrate on the scenery or tune in to their favourite music stations. As for me, I was busy trying not to let the distance between myself and the runner ahead of me open wider then 10m. When it got too crowded I told myslef I had to get ahead of them. And then when I hear someone's footsteps and loud pants behind me, I gear up speed again. It was a mental game I played with myslef along the way. Not a bad one I thought, as the intense concentration took my mind off the distance I had to run--so much so that I missed seeing my dear darling walking towards me in the opposite direction!!

"Siang Ling, JIA YOU!!" Just as I was feeling pretty exhausted and starting to slow down, I heard my friend Huimin call out to me at the 8km mark where she was officiating. It was a small morale booster, and reminded me that I was almost there already! So thanks dear, for being there! Really had no idea that you were stationed there :)

Congrats to Shuping, Jasmine, Tracy & Kristy -- all of you had a great run today too! Way to go gals!!! Thanks for the Ya Kun breakfast, Kris! Next meal is on me k? You're a great running companion :)

Time for a good rest...and some sweet dreams...

Take Time To Smell The Flowers

Pictures Taken From My Sony Ericsson k800i Phone!
PARIS JUNE 2006













SINGAPORE JULY 2006































LOS ANGELES AUGUST 2006

A Mother's Love

Location: Suntec Gelare (enjoying a Caramel Latte!)

I am always filled with so much respect and admiration for mothers. They tend to their newborn so selflessly without murmuring a single word of complaint from the discomfort (from the carrying before the babies start to walk), hunger (feed the baby first!), tiredness (from all the chasing around to ensure that Bao Bei doesn't crash into anyhing dangerous while learning to walk-run and balance) on top of all the times they have to wake up in the middle of the night to ensure that the little one is fed. The list goes on but I suppose the joy of raising a little bundle of blessing far overrides any inconveniences.

You see, I was at this wedding banquet the night before. And next to me sat a friend who is suffering from Lupus. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system, for unknown reasons, becomes hyperactive and attacks normal tissue. Symptoms include swollen joints, heart and kidney problems. She had been in and out of hospital at a tender age in her adolesence where she fought the disease with courage. Instead of feeling frustrated, angry and self-absorbed with her physical sickness, she was dertermined to lead a normal life without any self pity. Today, despite her circumstance, she is the proud mother of a healthy little baby girl. You should see the way she beams with pride (like every mother would!) whenever her little princess breaks out in a newfound expression when coaxed.

Her quiet strength in rising above adversity is truly an inspiration to me. I hope this story encourages you too.

So to this dear friend of mine, thanks for showing and sharing with me your bit of a mother's love! I wish you sunshine every second, minute and hour everyday :)

My Very First Posting

Finally decided to start my very own blog! Took some time to decide on my blog name and title and settled on 'blessings' because life is just so full of them. I am thankful for my suportive family and loving friends who have never failed to touch my life in every possible way. The things they do and the extra miles they take for me are simply amazing. To them (you know who you are!) I dedicate this blog! I shall share life's simple pleasures and little blessings that come my way. Thank God for family and friends :)