Raining Gratitude

20-2-26 (CNY Day 3 & Ramadan Day 1)

Meeting Ani Thubten Chodren of Thecken Choling Temple is always a delight.

Yesterday, despite a downcast sky & heavy rain later, I had the good fortune of being taken to the temple to light a butter lamp, to have a vegetarian meal at Fortune Centre & to a medical appointment.

At the temple I got to meet my first retired police dog. The sweet girl had served with her life – detecting explosives & ensuring all spaces are safe before any human stepped in. 🙏 Think about that. If there were any danger, she would be the first to get hurt.

Fly, the 4 legged girl played a guarded our country with her life. Now she’s retired & lives happily with her mom, Joy.

As we sat under the loving gaze of Buddha, my heart filled with gratitude to this little 4-legged girl’s role in our country’s peace & stability.

The encounter got me thinking of my favourite chinese aspiration: “风调雨顺国泰民安”. (It roughly means may clement wind & rain bring stability to a country & peace to its people.)

It was raining when I got to the clinic. The jaunty young nurse attending to me was observing her first day of Ramadan.

Before I left, I thanked her & offered her a hong bao (red packet) to wish her a blessed Ramadan. Her face lit up still further at the unexpected acknowledgement of her dedication.

Essential & frontline staff and service animals keep our whole country running in rain or shine so that we can get on with our lives. ♥️🙏🪔

Wishing all sentient beings light, kindness & wisdom in the Year of the Horse.

Nian Gao(Chinese New Year Cake)

13 Feb 2026

I was in my 40s when I learnt the chinese new year cake which I’m so fond of eating is just made of glutinous rice flour & gula melaka or brown sugar.

“Cake” in my limited understanding then should be fancier and more glamorous, not just some brown gooey concoction wrapped in banana leaves.

Despite its non-descript appearance, the Nian Gao plays an important role in taoist chinese households. It is traditionally offered to the Kitchen God to sweeten his speech when he gives the Jade Emperor his appraisal of human affairs for the year.

The Kitchen God presiding over the stove & watching over the goings on in the household. (Image from Realasia.travel)

I’m not versed in traditional or religious practices, but I know when it comes to irresistible sweets, Nian Gao wins hands down.

Cut into thin slices, coated with flour & pan fried, this 2500 year old dessert is a prime example of self-sustaining sweetness.

The Dessert that orginated 2500 years ago.

As the Year of the Fire Horse approaches in 3 days’ time, may we aspire to be sincerely sweet in our speech and be a blessing to all that we meet.

And in the spirit of sweet speech, here’s wishing everyone abundance & progress in every step of the way (年年有余步步高升马年大吉) 🙏😊

Living in Grace

7 Feb 2026

There can never be too many flowers in my life, too much sweetness in my desserts and too many precautions to take.

Flowers & trees bloom without restraint despite their limited mobility. Being completely at the mercy of the elements & humans, they teach me acceptance & trust.

Meeting a Tree that had witnessed & survived World War 2 is a humbling experience. (Botanic Gardens Jan 2026)

They don’t need promises of glory, loyalty or permanence to show up for us. They show me grace.

Today as I was celebrating the relative ease with which I could move from car to curb, a female cyclist riding on the pavement narrowly missed me.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” sings John Lennon.

And life is as fragile as that of the bouquet I’m hugging. Sometimes safety is not guaranteed no matter how careful one is.

I must therefore remember to fill the mind with gratitude & prayers, so that whatever happens to the body, may the spirit be in a state of bliss. 🙏

Protection & Wisdom of the Divine Mother.

The Way of the Chiku Tree

29 January 2025

The Chiku Tree is all decked up with red banner & pineapple hangings on Chinese New Year of the Snake. (29-1-25)

The wind rose and sent the tree branches dancing as I approached the temple on the morning of Chinese New Year.

I stood on the steps to savour the rustling of leaves & greeted the Chiku Tree. Planted by my dad when we were kids, this tree being has been tended to by kinsmen, kinswomen & friends with rudimentary plant knowledge.

Over the years my brother has picked up our dad’s interest in cultivating Desert Roses. When a plant needs healing, he hangs it on the Chiku Tree to let it rest.

Each season the Chiku Tree brings forth sweet & succulent fruits that feed birds and are given freely to whoever asks.

I arrived just in time to see my Mom picking up a Pineapple decoration which the Wind had sent her from the Chiku Tree. Pineapples are symbols of abundance among ethnic Chinese.

Quietly, she bears witness to all temple festivities, performances & feasts. Banquet cooks & street opera singers catch their breaths under her loving auspices. Our late temple cats filed their nails on her trunks.

With each passing year, my admiration for the Chiku Tree grows. She brings sweetness, provides refuge & inspires trust with minimum fuss.

How auspicious it will be, if we could age The Way of the Chiku Tree! 😄🙏

With my Mom under the Chiku Tree on the first day of Chinese New Year.

Siblings

29-2-24

My younger brothers & paternal grandma in our Prince Charles Square home. (1976/77)

For various reasons, meet ups with siblings, who are our first childhood companions, seem to occur less regularly than a leap year.

Nearly 50 years on… ( Year of the Dragon celebration 2024)

For some in our growing up years, judgements & ignorance separated us. Thankfully, as we get older, wisdom gained from accepting setbacks & realising life’s fragility can help to mend the drift.

Time spent with siblings also allows us to recall our shared history, relive our favourite moments & seek clarity on episodes that hurt us, so that we don’t have to keep carrying them around.

Lunar New Year outing to Albert Street. (2024)

I’ve known sibling bonds that have cushioned the impact of parental conflicts in childhood and lent support in education & career disappointments during formative years. Sibling bonds can even help weather marital storms & health challenges.

Just this week I saw a pair of elderly brothers making their way to the doctor’s consultation room. The patient showed signs of mental deterioration and an uncertain gait. And his accompanying brother held him by the shoulder to guide him on his path.

My childhood disability was not just a financial & emotional drain on the family. It was also a burden on my younger brothers who silently bore the taunts that were directed at their sister.

Brothers on a lunar new year outing to Chinese Gardens.

In our advancing years while we can still make time to create happy moments with our siblings to balance the less savoury ones, let’s not wait.

Brothers chatting about cars during Year of the Dragon celebration.

Full Moon Ease

25 Feb 24

Mandala of Sweets for the Full Moon. May we remember all the pockets of sweetness in life that have been bestowed upon us. May we be forgiving to ourselves & others. May we be receptive to teachings to improve all lives.

Yesterday’s full moon was not only a time for reunion meals for those celebrating lunar new year but also Lailat al Bara-ah for Muslims (day of forgiveness) & Sangha Day (day of teaching) for Buddhists.

Prayers on Lailat al Bara-ah yesterday evening.

In that context, cab fares island wide were understandably higher than usual. Passengers for rides increased even as drivers may have slowed down to fulfill their familial & spiritual obligations.

Instead of lamenting & stressing over the price hikes, I stopped to have a salad. While refreshing myself with the greens I recalled the times where my cab fares were low & journeys were eased by the goodwill of many others.

Messengers of Ease: Oasis Holistics founder, Erika Khoo and media lecturer, Jailani Abu Bakar.

Yesterday was also my yoga teacher’s birthday. She was born in the Year of the Dragon, and is looking stronger each year we meet. In the quiet of the salad shop, I sent her a birthday greeting.

The cab fare had dropped by the time I finished my meal. When I reached home, I was greeted by the sight of the golden yellow moon. ❤️😊

This morning I offered a belated mandala of sweets to the first Full Moon of the Dragon Year.

Mandala of Sweets for the first full moon of the Dragon Year.

May the brightness of her light illuminate our mind & the simplicity of her shape calm our heart so that we may call on the sweetness of life to see us through trying times. ❤️🙏

We are known by the goodwill we send out. These decorations were put up in the common area by a resident whom I have not met.

Magnificient Monday: Renewal

19-2-24 (Day 10 of Lunar New Year)

First Picture with the temple door guardian on the first Day of the Year of the Dragon. (10 Feb 2024)

Each lunar new year, I feel the calling of the temple door guardians and the chiku tree in the backyard of my childhood.

The old chiku tree in the backyard is all dressed up and poised for a new beginning. 🙏❤️

The pair’s paintwork continues to shine through decades of incense smoke & fire. They remind me of my late maternal grandfather who quietly braved the storms of life and remained kind.

Posing with the other temple door guardian, who was a comforting presence in my childhood and later on a colossal influence over my interest in religious iconography in my adult life.

The chiku tree continues to thrive and provide for birds, insects and many lives, long after my dad who planted it is gone.

3 generations of women gathering under the shade of the Giving Chiku Tree.

And despite not being the centre of attention, this old tree is dressed in auspicious reds & symbols of prosperity & abundance to receive a new beginning.

Receiving Spring & wishing good ❤️health upon all sentient beings.

May our spirit of renewal continue, and even be enhanced, by time & circumstances. 🙏

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.

Always Loved

26-1-23

The Sun is Up!

And Bella has gone home to God.
Even though we’re sad to lose him, we’ll not let fear or hate win.

Given the threats of animal predators and manmade errors that community cats face daily, Bella’s 16 years on earth is a miracle.

When he was a kitten with gender still unknown, the Canadian swim team named him Bella.

The student athletes whispered their secrets to him.

Bella always listens without judgement. (Photo credit: Koh Aik Beng)

Local & international coaches & staff fed him or asked about him.

Bella is grateful for kibbles & canned food.

Visitors and parents took pictures of him, and sometimes with him (far away in the background).

Overseas athletes saved up their allowance to buy him treats.

Adults helped out with his veterinary needs.

Bella chilling out with his brother, Topaz by the window of the laundry room.

Despite having a low tolerance for touch, and a high need for distance, Bella has succeeded in bringing many people & nationalities together. He has taught us to be generous with our heart, our money, and our time. And love doesn’t mean ownership.

Bella enjoying scritches from Coach Shahrin in a recent picture. The silent company of cats invites us to pause & breathe.

Rest well, Bella Boy. Even though your entry into & exit from this world were not ideal, in between you were loved by many, and now multi-faith prayers from Singapore to Cambodia, and beyond Asia to the West are being dedicated to you. 🙏❤️

Till we meet again, you live in our hearts.

Spring’s here!

22-1-23 (First Day of Lunar New Year)

Lunar New Year begins not at a countdown concert, but a trip to the temple of my childhood for me.

The pouring rain this year did not dampen our spirit one bit. We just learn to adjust expectations and accommodate one another’s transport challenges.

Starting the Year of the Rabbit with aromatic smoke offerings that carry our aspirations and the fragrance from this beautiful tree.

Year after year I return to this place to start my year. The temple door guardians are ever so welcoming, and figurines of deities feel like old friends. Being aware that one day all these may not be accessible to me for various reasons makes the yearly meet ups all the more precious.

The incense aroma strengthens my spirit even as my body ages. And the sight of fire and lighted lanterns energises my mind even as my hair loses its colour.

My lovely cousin, Michelle, faithfully records our gatherings year after year. She is also an admirer of batik.

Towards evening when the rain clouds lifted, a little green shoot on the trunk of the Chiku Tree greeted me. 😊

Spring indeed is the beginning of all things and the starting from zero. When we don’t hanker after what we don’t have or what used to be ours, Spring happens in us. 🙏