Bomb Scare at my girl's school - my reflections

Dear All

Today, my elder daughter's exams were interrupted as there was a bomb threat. All students in both primary and secondary schools were immediately evacuated. There were lots of commotion in the background when my daughter called me, and her voice was high pitched with excitement and confusion. "There's police in my school. There's also some police cars! Don't know what's happening but we were told to go home".

I called the school to find out about the rescheduling of her orals and asked why there were police in school this morning. I was told the school received a call that a bomb was planted in the secondary school so the children were all evacuated as a precaution.

It was so scary to hear that! Terrorism is so real and near, in fact in my girl's school.

I realised so deeply tonight as I prayed with Tiffy before she slept that I love her so very much. I cried as I thanked the Lord for protecting my little girl today and everyday. I really do not know what life would be like without her. Just last night, Bert and I had to impose a new rule of no handphone and ipod in the house. Tiffy was of course not so pleased about this as they are her main source of entertainment. That was precisely the problem. We wanted her to interact more with us rather than her gadgets! I can't imagine how guilty I would feel if this tension between us is still there and she's gone....I would not have the chance to reassure her that what we do is out of love and concern for her well-being and her studies, and that we do still love her, that it was not a punishment. Tiffy asked if I was crying during our prayer and when I told her I was, she asked me why. I told her that that's because I love her so, and would be devastated if she was gone just like that. I prayed fervently tonight for the Lord to continue to "keep us safe from harm in body and soul always".

It sometimes take shocks like this to wake up in us how much we truly care for and love our loved ones. We mustn't forget to tell the ones we love how much we love them, to give them a kiss or a hug.

Love Theresa

Happy Mother's Day - A celebration of Love

Dear All

Today is Mother's Day (9 May 10). Mum's table fan is spoilt for at least a month. She asked me to help her buy one, a slightly more expensive one, so that it was last long. We bought one quite expensive (for a table type) and decided to give it to her as a surprise present for Mother's Day. On the way to her home, we also bought a cake for we both mothers to cut and share. We were so lucky that there's one perfect cake left and it was on offer. The girls immediately said "That's the one!" It's heart shaped, in pink, had 3 roses, 2 daisies, 2 tiny dark pink hearts and a masipan edible banner saying "I love you" as decos on top of the 1kg cake. I guess you can say it was love at first sight!

No one else came to visit her tonight. Only my bro called today. We cut the cake after dinner and took lots of pictures. Mum playfully placed her head next to mine and said "we are like siamese twins!"

As I wished her good night and gave her a hug, her eyes appeared a bit teary. She was so very happy tonight. She loved our present and the huge cake. She was happy she had given me a present in return...her brandnew kua-li which she had bought ages ago but never got to use it. Bert said mum said since our new home now has a storeroom, she can pass down all of her unused brandnew non-stick pots and pans, since she's too old to cook now.

As I stood next to her, I noticed that she has shrink even more short. I can't help feel a tinge of sadness. She and dad won't be with us long, and yet why do my siblings not even visit them even on Mother's Day? Last time they say the children are so busy and so are they in fetching them around. Now their youngest is already Sec 4, the 2 elders overseas studying I really don't know what had happened. Anyway, it's good that my bro called her.

Mum said dad's memory is fading. He had asked the maid what is his wife's name and he sees her everyday! I told mum not to feel sad as he's going to be 94 next week...it's just old age.

As I hugged my dad to say good bye, he can hardly hear me. Even though he is old, he still trys to sit up on his bed to see us as all 4 of us troop into his room to say good night to him. He seldom smiles nowadays, so we try to joke with him to make him laugh. Sometimes we succeed, and when we do, we feel so elated as when he smiles, my mum smiles too.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mums! May the Good Lord and His Blessed Mother watch over you and your loved one always!

Love Theresa

Thank you Lord, no enough

Dear Lord,

This is a thank you note to you which I feel that I did not thank you enough so far...here is the list of reasons why I need to thank you:

I thank you for the peace and stability in Singapore; and please help Thailand to restore peace back into their society and help the poor of Thailand too in their daily lives.

I thank you for all that you have given me, though some of the things I did not pray to you to ask for it - however, you have given them to me and appoint me as the steward. I am so grateful.

I thank you for the little house that we are now staying.

I thank you for the family that we now enjoy, cracking all the jokes each night at the dinner table,

I thank you for the work and career you have given me.

I thank you for the good health you have given me to continue do your will.

I thank you for the wonderful colleagues you have given me at my work place. On this, I pray for the soul of my wonderful colleague, James and also Lillian who is still in ICU coming to 8 months. May you help her in her recovery.

I thank you for the spouse - my pillar of strength, that you have given me.

I thank you for the church at Tampines.

I thank you for little events in my life that thru them I got know you - better.

I, THANK YOU, LORD.

AMEN

AlbertY

A Lesson learnt - April Fool's Joke

Dear All

Yesterday was 1 Apr 10...April Fool's Day.

It started out from a friend's SMS to a group of praying parents. The principal of the school has invited us to dinner on a particular day. My friend said she was going with her sis-in-law, and if anyone is coming, to sms her for the principal's address.

At first, I thought, why was the principal inviting us for dinner? I left it as it is. Later on, it dawned on me that it could be an April Fool's joke. The clues were there. It's for praying parents, and my friend's sis-in-law isn't one. Next was why no reason was given for the dinner gathering, and why no address given. Lastly, why such an important invitation was done by sms through a parent and not a teacher. It turned out I was right.

There were still 2 more parents who had not responded, so I helped my friend along with her joke by trying to evoke an sms respond to the invitation from them. When the last one came in, she lamented that her hubby had met the nun from our school and told her about the invitation! It seemed the April Fool's Joke had been thought to be true, and passed on to 2 other people outside the group! Damage controls all came in. Luckily in this case, not much energy nor time was spent to contact the nun & the hubby to tell them it was only a joke. The negative point was, some parents were a little disappointed as they looked forward to having a casual chat with the principal in a more relaxing atmosphere.

A lesson learnt by the prankster, the disappointed parent and me from this "experience" was how easily, fast and wide news can spread. Some went back to the source to verify info, some didn't and took it for truth and told someone else who then told another person. Doesn't that apply to us in our daily lives? Rumours and white lies can easily spread the same way.

Recently, when Bert & I took out the wash from the washing machine, almost each piece of clothing was covered with tiny torn white tissue paper. I was aghast! I thought the children forgot to empty their pockets of tissue paper. Luckily, instead of opening my mouth to accuse, I paused for a while and asked everyone. Everyone said "not me". I thought, someone is either telling a lie or had forgotten. Then as I retraced my own steps the day before, I realised I was the culprit! I had taken the extra Macdonald's paper napkins after the children had eaten at my mum's place and put the extra 2 napkins into my shorts pocket. I had mentally noted to recycle them for my cooking when I got home. However, I forgot about it and now am faced with the tissue problem.

Bert tried taking it off whilst the clothes were still damp, however it was difficult. So we decided to let it dry first. Next day, even when I flinged the clothes, the tissue paper stubbornly stayed on. I had no choice but scrape off each piece of tissue and threw them into the dustbin. Needless to say, I got so tired, some pieces of tissue missed the dustbin and soon, my floor was littered with tiny pieces of tissue paper! I was exhausted (it was late at night when the kids were already asleep). Bert said, tomorrow then mop the floor. I just couldn't stand it! What if the wind blows and the paper flies into my hall!! It's better to clear it now then suffer a worse consequence. So there I was, mopping the backyard, kitchen and utility room!

Imagine - just 2 tissue paper can cause so much trouble. I remarked to Bert - can you imagine if the 2 tissue paper were a rumour - it's like the tiny pieces of paper told to tens of people. To collect everyone of the repeated rumour back is so difficult. I need to scrape off each individual piece of dried paper which was stubbornly stuck to the clothes (or telling people who still believed the rumour rather than the truth). Some fell on the ground which I have to pick up or else the wind will blow it further (like rumours spreading like wildfire!).

Another lesson learned for me, who tend to be critical in my speech and negative and complaining was, to learned a humbling lesson - when I try to see the splinter in my brother's eye, I did not realise I had a log in mine. I tend to quickly accuse and think that others were at fault and not realising that the person whom I am blaming is actually MYSELF!!! I was at fault for the troubles that I was in!!

If you are still wondering if anyone else fell for the practical joke, the answer is, yes - everyone else fell it it except your friend here who was the only "survivor" who didn't fall for the trick! Yahoo-yee! That doesn't mean I'm that sharp or smart - (I actually believed it in the beginning) it's just that I had time to reflect on it, mulling it over my mind. I think sometimes we have to think things over before reacting. It doesn't mean I'm smart or anything...I guess it comes with age!!! Haha!

Love Theresa

LC Sharing Session @ Pat & Ant - 13 Mar 2010

Dear All

Tonight's LC question(s):

Question for Sharing:

1) How does our family celebrate Holy Week?

2) What aspects of Holy Week can we relate to our marriage?

Bert & I just had a quick reflection on the above questions. Although we couldn't make it tonight, we'll try our best to share on the LC question.

1) Our family usually celebrate Holy Week by visiting our Holy Trinity Church after dinner on Maundy Thursday. If we can make it, we'll attend the washing of the feet. If not, we try to make it for at least one of the vigil prayer session...usually there's one at 8pm which is about a nice timeslot for us.

As Felicia is singing at the Lenten vigil, we'll be attending the service that she'll be singing at. On Good Friday, we'll say the stations of the cross at home & abstain from meat. We tried attending the Saturday night Mass cum baptism 2 years ago and almost fainted as we didn't expect it to last so long, like from 7pm till 10+pm and it didn't end yet. We were not forewarned and hadn't had dinner yet, so the girls (then 11 and 7 years old) were fidgety and extremely hungry, so we left and attended the Mass the next day instead....so no more Sat night baptism Mass for us!

On Easter Sunday, when the girls were younger and when the cousins visited my parents every Sunday then, I would hide chocolate easter eggs in my mum's house for the children to find. I would provide them little baskets to keep their eggs in. My mum would give them individual rabbit or egg shaped colourfully wrapped chocolates and we adults get to share those enormous hollow chocolate easter eggs. It was very fun for all, especially the chit chats and laughter then. These few years though, we don't have these. 2 years ago, I still hide the easter eggs for my 2 girls at my mum's place but no one else came. But I recently stopped it as it wasn't so fun anymore as the cousins have grown up and my girls didn't feel like it anymore. But I still get those nice eggs from Cold Storage or sometime NTUC (if the nice ones come in) for the children and my parents to share.

One year at MP, Felicia was invited by a christian friend for Easter. The girl's mum shared with the 2 girls the story of Christ's death and resurrection. She came home with a hardboiled egg that she had painted herself and a colouring sheet on the resurrected Lord. I think it was sweet of the mother to do these for the 2 friends.

2) On question 2, what aspects do we relate Holy Week to our marriage? We think it's the reflection part of Holy Week. It's a time to slow down things (it's a long weekend, right) and reflect on how much God loves us to send his only son to die for us, sinners. It's a time for Bert and I to reflect on how much God loves us and has bless our marriage, to reflect on how much we have journeyed together and grown deeper in love, mainly through the difficult patches in life, especially last year. It's also a time to be more forgiving and tolerant of each other's shortcomings. It's like starting anew...cleaning our slate white again and putting the past behind us. Just like Jesus resurrection from the dead, we see hope that God will enable us to forgive each other and in turn humble ourselves to accept the other's forgiveness.

Love Theresa & Bert

My reflections on Jack's scandals

Dear All

When I read the recent news of the well-known Jack N, and now of his string of scandals, I had a discussion with Bert yesterday.

I think guy's would usually say "It takes 2 hands to clap". That's what Bert said or something to that extend. I beg to differ...I suppose some of the girls may be doing it for fame or for whatever reasons, but I suspect some were just being plain harrassed. It is a sexual AND psychological harassment.

When I see such sexual predators like Jack, a painful and traumatic past experience comes to mind. When I was a fresh grad from NUS and was only 21, working my first job in the government, my sister told about an Indonesian businessman who was in town to open a brand new super bowling complex. She told me it's an opportunity to get the job to run the place. Why not, I thought. It would be challenging and a great opportunity to learn how to run a business. So I called the businessman for an interview. He was all praise and awe that such a young thing like me at an early age of 21 is armed with a degree. I thought...hey, most of my classmates, at least the ladies, are around 21 or 22, so I was puzzled. With such praise, I thought he'll give me the job.

One week later, my sister called me to tell me he's meeting a group of venture capitalists to discuss the bowling alley business and told me where they are meeting. So I quickly popped in after work. I was puzzled again as to why he asked me to stay outside of the meeting room to have the buffet whilst the men talked inside. I insisted that if he wants me for the job, shouldn't I be included in the discussions?

What happened next was scary! It was night already, so since he stayed in the East, he'll give me a lift home. I felt then that I didn't get the job and was wondering why he just didn't say so, so that I can move on. It was in his mercedez that he suddenly grabbed my hand whilst driving on the highway, and proposed we go to his condo for a drink. Alarm bells rang! I felt vunerable and at his mercy! I decided to play broken recorder and a kid....kept saying "I wanna go home". When we reached my mum's place, I purposely invited him to come in for a cup of milo. He asked "Is anyone in?", I say, "Of course, my parents". He instantly said he had to go home. As I quickly slammed his car door and ran in, he called me. My heart thumped with fear. He just wanted to hand me my briefcase which I had forgotten was in his car boot. Luckily he gave it back to me, otherwise I had to call him again to get it back from him. (Mind you, he's already in his 40s or 50s with 3 kids, OK, so he's obviously a predator!).

Needless to say, I never called him again. However, a week or so later, when I was lunching with my colleague (who so happened to also be my NUS schoolmate), and was strolling back to office, a mercedez stopped by us and wound down it's window. The passenger sitting behind the chauffer called me. I didn't hear, but my friend alerted me to it. I couldn't recognise the face at first as the man was wearing sunglasses. When he took it off, I was terrified...it was the same businessman. He offered to give me a ride back to office. Of course I declined it! It was so scary and unsafe to walk on the streets (this was Shenton Way), that I decided to call in packed lunch everyday. I finally decided it best to change to a job at a different location, so that there's no chance of meeting that creep again!

Now, you tell me, do you think those girls had an easy time when the predator is their boss, who holds the axe as to whether they get promoted or fired? Do you think they like it that they have no choice but to meet sexual harassment EVERYDAY?

I was lucky. I really thank God for wisdom to handle the situation in the car and no harm came to me. I was scared as this was the first time such thing has happened to me. I used to think before then, that the world is an ideal place. There's good in everyone. After that incident, I cried and asked my mum why is the world so ugly? I think she told me and there's some people you can trust, but not everyone can be trusted. So I learned that not necessary everyone has good in them for others, but perhaps the good in them is a selfish one, which is for their own children.

Bert and I have discussed that in our lives, there are full of temptations. However, we must always pray to God. We must have a good kind of fear of God in order to keep us faithful to our spouse and to our God. I feel for those girls who spurned Jack's advances and paid for it. However, they are still the winner, as they value and love themselves more than the power or money or whatever they were seeking for in this material world.

The world isn't fair to girls. It is scary that there are predators out there, and I do fear for my girls. We can only protect them so much, but it's the values we implant into their hearts that will help keep them on the straight path.

Love Theresa

Who am I?

Dear All

A few Sundays back, Fr Ignatius Huan, a visiting priest from Malaysia, who is the spiritual director to novices, gave a sermon on knowing who we are.

If you remember the Jackie Chan movie titled "Who am I?", Fr Huan's topic made me bemused as I thought about the movie's title.

This question of who we are is so important. Without knowing our true identity, we are just lost souls trying to find our direction. It's like going to a directory board which tells you "You are here", a red dot, but without any reference point...it's useless inform as you won't know your orientation at all.

Fr was talking about Jesus temptation in the desert. The devil tempted Jesus 3x. The temptation of turning stone into bread was tempting Jesus to show the world who he is by performing a miracle. Jesus already knows who He is and does not need to prove himself to others.

The second temptation to worship the devil and all earthly possession would be given to Jesus. This is the temptation of worldly pleasures. The danger for us, mere mortals, is when we have a taste of success or become rich, we must remember our humble beginning. That is why those rags to riches tycoons are still so humble and eat at hawker centres is because they never forgot their humble beginnings and what it's like to be poor and hungry. It is very difficult for the next generation after the tycoon to be humble like their forefathers.

The 3rd temptation is taunting Jesus to show the world who He really is...The Son of God...by doing something sensational in front of thousands of people, so that many would believe in Him and in God! Wow, doesn't that sound wonderful? Do a mass miracle and so convert many souls? Jesus does not fall for that trick, to use His favoured position to "show-off". He remains true to who He is...HUMBLE, MEEK and GENTLE, and most importantly, following the will of God, His and our father.

So we are challenged to remember who we are....catholics who are humble and remain faithful to our faith, no matter how poor or rich, a failure or successful, we become.

Love Theresa