Allow & Accept

16 Dec 2025

November & December are pensive times for me. This is because the big move from one place to another & settling in with my cats & dog happened during these times.

Accepting what’s given in the Bowl of Life with the help of Wisdom.

I had lots of anxieties over my animals’ safety because of high floor living and worries over neighbours’ reactions if they made noise. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded.

My dog passed in 2014. The last of my cats passed in 2023.

It took me a few years to discard my dog’s health supplements because his name was on the label. I had to finally accept that he was never coming back.

Only last month, I decided to let my cats’ pain meds & insulin go. Their names were also on the labels.

Oliver, the last of 12 cats to leave me.

Only last month I decided to allow the tattered sofa which had hosted many human celebrations & animal passings to leave. Its base was disintegrating.

As soon as my mind stopped clinging to what couldn’t be fixed, it became open to new possibilities. A set of furniture with dimensions suited to my needs & with aesthetics far beyond my imagination was gifted to me. 🙏

In the blessed corner where my animals sat, played & passed on is now this beautiful antique chair & red cherries.

And last night, the TV that had refused to work since 2023, was finally replaced.

Ganesha mantra to consecrate the new tv.

I was the last on the delivery man’s route and the rain had caused further delays.

Despite his fatigue, the TV installation worker asked me to relax, while he checked if the old bracket could hold the new TV. It turned out everything had to be new.

He helped me get started on google tv, and assured me that I could follow the prompts.

After taking a sip of the drinking water I offered him, the deliverer of television added, “Don’t worry. Just Allow and Accept.”

Looking back, had I allowed & accepted my limp & its ensuing struggles earlier in my youth, I might have been more articulate about them and be less anxious in my adult life.

So by the power of my unnecessary suffering, may I wish all sentient beings the discernment & trust to allow & accept when needed, so that we don’t have to live in fear & sadness. 🙏🪷😊

Swinging with Time

1 Dec 2025

Swinging gently under a beautiful tree on Penang Lane. (20 Nov 2025)

Being somewhat ritualistic about the passage of Time, I try to do something different to mark the start or beginning of a month, and other significant days.

In my working days, I used to mark the beginning of each school holiday by visiting the Kwan Imm Temple in Middle Rd with my mom, followed by shopping.

My Mom making water offering to Lord Ganesha in one of our outings.

On each payday, the first item I bought would be meatballs for my dog, Shoya.

My dog, Shoya in our old place. I used to be able to take him for long walks. He passed on in 2014 at age 15. He loved meatballs & dimsum.

For a number of Decembers past, I would ride Bus 143 with my mom from Jurong East all the way to Toa Payoh & back, just to see the Christmas Lights! 😄

Over the years I find myself becoming less critical of the designs of our festive lightings.

When I stopped benchmarking our Christmas lightings against that of other countries’ I started to notice the smiling locals, migrant workers & tourists posing under them.

Wefie below Christmas Lights along 313 Somerset Rd this year.

Towards the eves of New Year & Christmas, I would catch up with feeders of street animals I had befriended. It was my way of thanking them for doing on a daily basis what I couldn’t.

As I age & our city gets more crowded, some of the activities mentioned above require more effort & planning.

And because I no longer have the stamina to walk under the Christmas Lights from Tanglin Mall to Plaza Singapura, any corner that shines now gives me immense joy. 🙏🙂

Any corner that shines gives me immense joy.

As we welcome the final month of 2025, may we swing along with Time & accept what cannot be changed, to make way for the guidance ahead. ♥️

Christmas Eve Question

24-12-24

Presenting Christmas log cake to Asher, the shelter cat at Metta Cats & Dogs Sanctuary. (22-12-24)

About 20 Christmas Eves ago, I passed by 4 dogs sheltering under a vacated apartment block. There had been an on off drizzle much like today.

Grateful that I didn’t hesitate to help animals & share my interest with students when I was able to move without a walking aid. (Nanyang Girls’ High School, 2004)

I went home, put down my stuff & went out again to the supermarket to get dog food and aluminium trays in preparation to feed them.

My old flat at Blk 3 Teban Gardens Road (1999-2012)

By the time I got to the abandoned block, I couldn’t find the dogs.

A sense of disappointment mixed with deepening unease crept up on me as I surveyed the deserted neighbourhood in the failing light.

At that moment of uncertainty, a voice called out to me,”Miss Ong, what are you doing here?”

I turned around. Two boys had seemed to materialise from nowhere. They introduced themselves as students from one of the schools I had worked in.

The boys who helped me complete my dog feeding mission told me they came from St Joseph’s Institution.

When I told them about my failed feeding attempt, they took over the trays of dog food and completed my mission.

8 years after that Christmas Eve encounter, I would be relocated to a new flat that sits on the land where I fed the homeless dogs.

View from my current flat. (Sunrise on 10-12-24)

And each Christmas Eve especially on a cool evening like this, I will hear the Angels loud & clear: “Miss Ong, what are you doing here?” 🙏

Since that Christmas Eve encounter, and aided by friends, my animal helping work has extended beyond Singapore. (Rocky & Lakshmi, Nepal 2024)

“Miss Ong, what are you doing here?” Asked the Angels loud & clear. (Boudha Stupa 2024)

Fathers’ Presence

16-6-24 (Father’s Day)

Around my 60th birthday I dreamt of my dad. In the dream he was working in a garden when I approached him. I showed him a dog I was cradling in my arms. He smiled approvingly.

Dad and me in my 30s at Westlake Restaurant in Farrer Rd.

In my childhood my dad taught me to pick up chicks, ducklings and rabbits gently so as not to hurt them. My maternal grandfather taught me to hold my fountain pen steadily & with just enough pressure when I’m writing to protect the nib.

With Shoya in early 2000s at our old home.

As I get older, these childhood experiences guide me to handle what I love, be it an object or a living being, with a light touch, so that I don’t spoil them & they don’t possess me.

In the dream it started to drizzle and the sky was darkening. I got into my dad’s truck so he could send me home. The dog in my arm started to whimper when the truck rumbled.

We decided it was best that I walked. As I started walking, dogs from all corners starting appearing & wagging their tails at me.

I turned around excitedly to look back at my dad to check if he had seen them too.

He nodded to show he did. Then he waved me onwards like he used to whenever I visited & it was time to leave. Only this time he wasn’t waving me towards the elevator, but onto a brightly lighted gravel path.

I think our fathers are always with us. 😊

The Reunion Within

9 Feb 2024 (Lunar New Year Eve)

Shelter cat, Tenzin, meditates on the condiments before we use them.

Yesterday I had the honour of helping to prepare a lunar new year dish at the Mettacats & Dogs Sanctuary to welcome the Year of the Wood Dragon.

White for new beginning, red for life affirming & green for renewal.

After the animals’ living spaces & human meeting area were cleaned & tidied up, it was time to make auspicious aspirations for the shelter residents and all sentient creatures.

Marcus makes sure the animals’ living space is spick & span.

Each sprinkling of condiments and drizzling of sauces over the carrots, radishes & cucumbers were accompanied by verbal recitations of wishes for health, harmony, abundance & prosperity.

Terry & Marcus unwrapped the condiments & sauces to form a circle of good wishes around the carrots, radish & cucumbers.

The cats looked on with quiet wonderment at the strange human ritual. How can people get so excited about vegetables?

Kenji wonders why can’t he join in the tossing of the salad. It’s not as if he’s gonna eat the vegetables.

As we tossed the artlessly julienned red, white & green pieces to mix well with the consciously crafted blessings embedded in the seasonings, I felt the reunion of thought, speech & action from within. 😊🙏

May the change of seasons that brings about energy shifts enhance the mindful recalibrations of our life’s purpose & positive intentions towards others.

Tam Tam, the cat who lives on the edge makes an appearance as we wish for ease & safely for all sentient beings.

Becoming a Lotus

28-12-23

“Let nothing dim our light.” Pema reminds me.

“Please give Pema a hug for me!” My friend, Sharonne, texted when my trip to Nepal was finalised. Pema is the name of her sponsored shelter dog.

Pema means Lotus Flower in Tibetan. Although rooted in mud, the Lotus rises from its murky surroundings without carrying a trace of dirt.

Hence, the Lotus in eastern spirituality has become a symbol of rising above challenges while remaining free from defilements.

At our recent shelter visit to Street Dog Care, we were greeted by dogs that embodied the spirit of the Lotus.

Despite having suffered from human abuse and neglect, they came prancing towards us like we were their best friends.

To avoid getting knocked over by wave after wave of canine affection, I had to quickly sit on a little mound of soil upon entering the shelter.

Dancing at our feet in anticipation, each dog was vying for the chance to pull us into their earthy embrace.

Laughing humans, smiling dogs and swirling dust … what an absolute chaos but oh so delightful!

Earthy hugs that lifted my sadness of losing my cats Emmanuel and Oliver this September and November respectively.

Rocky had an acid wound that was deep & red, but he offered his face and looked at me with the kindest eyes as I spoke to him. Could this dog be anymore aggressive as his abuser claimed?

Rocky’s was wounded but his kindness remains.

Rocky snuggling with vet, Dr Bikesh. Can this dog get any more aggressive as claimed by the person who poured acid on him?

Then there was one who pedalled frantically on two front legs to welcome us. He was probably a survivor of motor traffic or birth defect. Marcus quickly went over to receive his greetings to show the beige angel that he was not overlooked.

Marcus makes sure the paraplegic dog knows he is loved.

We couldn’t finish walking the length of the shelter without getting greeted, kissed or hugged by dogs.

Rough sleeping on the streets and not having ready access to cleaning did not defile the purity of these canine beings one bit.

On our ride back from the shelter in our little taxi, I was beaming from ear to ear. Mud splattered and in my down jacket punctured by canine attempts to hug me, I felt cleansed of all sadness by the Lotuses in the dog shelter.

Pema is my friend, Sharonne’s sponsored shelter dog.

The Birth of Kindness

26-12-23 (Boxing Day)

Handmade shelter for a community cat in one of the neighbourhoods in Singapore. (Source: FB post Dec 2023)

One Christmas Eve many years ago, I passed by 3 or 4 dogs seeking shelter from the on off day long rain under the void deck of abandoned flats.

By the time I bought dog food and aluminium trays from the supermarket to go to their aid, the dogs had disappeared.

A slight panic descended as darkness deepened in the deserted premise where I stood. Held down by trays of opened canned food, there was not much I could do. The drizzle was also gathering force.

“Miss Ong, what are you doing here?”

I looked up to see two smiling boys. They introduced themselves as SJI boys.

More than 20 years after the Christmas Eve Dog Feeding Encounter, I would be travelling to Nepal in Dec 2023 with Marcus Tan. Besides letting me hold onto his arm for balance when I walk on uneven grounds, this SJI boy also stops for animals. (Dec 2023)

Despite having no memory of seeing them in school, I told them what I was trying to do.

Without hesitation, they took the food offerings from me, and headed to the bus stop where they said they saw the dogs.

After they returned from their act of kindness where the dogs gobbled up everything in a flash, the boys and I held hands in the rain and gave thanks.

Those were the days of pre-social media. I had scant knowledge of helping homeless animals.

And had I let my physical condition, the inclement weather, and the darkness convince me to ignore the dogs’ hunger, I wouldn’t have met these two boys whom I believe to be angels in disguise. 😊❤️

And as the years pile on, the seemingly mundane, “Miss Ong, what are you doing Here?” has become a question of transcendental importance to me.

So in the spirit of Boxing Day as we put away present wrappers, and tidy up our surroundings, here’s wishing everyone increasing clarity to what we’re doing with our life & gifts. 🙏

Rocky, the survivor of acid attack came to welcome me. (Street Dog Care, Nepal, 11 Dec 2023)

December

19-12-23

Poinsettias in full bloom in Park Village, Budanilkanta, Nepal.
(7Dec 2023)

In my youth December meant holiday jobs to make some money for personal outings & school supplies.

There was always some anxieties whether my limp would be an issue with the employer or labour laws.

December in my late teens & early twenties meant carolling rehearsals and admiring well dressed people who had invited us to sing in their beautiful homes on Christmas Eve.

Only in my 30s, December became a time of looking inward at who I really am. Living with 12 cats & 1 dog assures me that I am home. There’s no need to go outside to seek amusement or approval.

I adopted my first and only dog, Shoya, when I was 35 years old.

After my dog passed on in December 2014, and my cats slowly left me one by one, December becomes a time to rest & remininsce.

And whenever I get the chance to visit Boudha Stupa, I bring my animals with me. In my walks, I thank them for taking on animal forms to teach me what it means to be human.

Showing Shoya the Boudha Stupa at every chance I could since 2016)

This December as I stood still by windows & on terraces, I witnessed wedding celebrations in Budanilkantha, an engagement party in Nagarkot, cultural performances and devotional practices in Boudha.

On the balcony of Hotel Country Villa in Nagarkot Hills, Nepal. (10Dec 2023)

In the midst of music, singing & chanting my spirit lifted as my animals & I received the auspicious vibes generated by these celebrations.

Butter lamp circumabulation at Boudha Stupa.

December is truly an ending & also a beginning. 🙏😊

October 4

4-10-23

Oct 4 is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi and World Animal Day.

The stories & prayers of St Francis where he mediated on behalf of a wolf and addressed all natural elements as brothers & sisters resonated deeply with me.

Through him I learnt that for good to manifest, every intention needs to come from a place of peace & humility, not judgement.

One of the privileges of being born human is the ability to comfort another being. On our way to Metta Cat & Dog Sanctuary, we always stop by to greet the cats of Mdm Wong’s Shelter.

Since 2007, I’ve been trying to observe 4 Oct by doing something special related to him & animals.

Marcus being greeted by Wednesday on World Animal Day morning. (Metta Cat & Dog Sanctuary)

Today I feel blessed to spend time at an animal shelter and to light butter lamps at a tibetan buddhist temple.

As the day draws to a close and with Krishna Das’ chants filling up my living space, may I return this favour that has been so generously bestowed on me, by wishing everyone the Peace of St Francis of Assisi and Kindness to Self & All Animal Beings. ❤️🙏😊

May these lamps illuminate all sentient beings so that they may transcend suffering & death, and find peace.

Positioned for Good

22-6-23 (June Solstices)

Panda, the shelter dog’s affection is boundless. (June 2023)

On the full moon that just passed, a former student made a trip to Nepal. She offered to help me deliver non-prescriptive medicated animal supplies to friends who are taking care of street & shelter animals there.

The soft spoken child in her impossibly white school uniform writing compo in my class some 20 years back is now venturing to rugged Nepal & wants to help me bring stuff?!

When we took this picture, I didn’t know one of these young girls would one day help me deliver animal relief supplies to street and shelter animals in Nepal.

Wound washes & medicated shampoos to relieve animal suffering, improve their physical conditions and increase their chances of getting fed. For animals, beauty is never skin deep because it makes a difference between getting fed or getting kicked. 🙏

I didn’t jump at her offer at first. But I was touched that someone with little exposure to street animals & shelter work would want to take on this extra weight on her personal trip.

I was also unsure if I could assemble the needful items in time for her trip. There was a medical emergency in my family at that time.

Looking back I’m so glad she persisted in wanting to perform this courier duty.

As it turned out, she not only fulfilled all she needed to do in Nepal, but also took time off to climb the “epic” hill (cos her taxi couldn’t climb) and reached the village where the dog shelter was located. (I did this only once in 2018 with help).

My former student is all grown up now and wears many hats, among which is that of peacemaker to keep dogs from squabbling.

“I’ve never been so dirty and happy,” she texted me, referring to the muddy paw prints on her attire and person, as the dogs inundated her with cuddles.

Receiving the Baptism of Mud from shelter dog, Dorjie, to remind us to remain grounded no matter what our positions are.

Her enthusiasm in helping & subsequent initiative to seek out the shelter to hang out with the dogs & relief workers are compassion & wisdom at work. In return she felt honoured and blessed.

Art of Giving: Simple food lovingly cooked and respectfully given.

Today people living in the Southern Hemisphere observe the Winter Solstice. Yesterday those in the Northern Hempishere marked the Summer Solstice. It depends on our geographical positions.

But there’s a position which we all can claim regardless of who we are and where we’re born. And it is the position of power to render help. This power begins in the heart and radiates from the mind.

I believe it is this power that keeps people with limited resources going, and in turn inspire others to get involved.

Street Dog Care e.v. treats street dogs and shelters the ones that need a safe place to recover before returning to the community. It is supported by donation and run mostly by local staff & volunteers.

So I like to take this Solstice celebration to wish all of us the power to bring relief regardless of our positions, so that collectively we become a source of delight to all sentient beings.

Happy Solstice to you, and all sentient beings in the North, South, East & West. 🙏

Namaste. Tashi Delek.