Today I was blessed by a devotion on Our Daily Bread which spoke about how God can lift our sorrows and sustain us through our present burdens. I especially loved the passage from the Bible from Psalm 55 which appeared to be divinely appointed, as if God is speaking directly to me in my presence circumstances.

I believe that things happen for a reason. Whatever our circumstances or trials, Lord our God is our Jehovah Jireh and our provider. His divine providence is sufficient for us, and we should trust that He will make a way, where there seems to be no way. Nothing is too big for Him, and in Him we trust.

Do spend some time reading the Psalm below, courtesy of the Bible Gateway.

_______________________

¹ Listen to my prayer, O God,

   do not ignore my plea;
 ² hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
 ³ because of what my enemy is saying,
   because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me
   and assail me in their anger.

 ⁴ My heart is in anguish within me;
   the terrors of death have fallen on me.
⁵ Fear and trembling have beset me;
   horror has overwhelmed me.
⁶ I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
   I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷ I would flee far away
   and stay in the desert;
⁸ I would hurry to my place of shelter,
   far from the tempest and storm.”

 ⁹ Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
   for I see violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰ Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
   malice and abuse are within it.
¹¹ Destructive forces are at work in the city;
   threats and lies never leave its streets.

 ¹² If an enemy were insulting me,
   I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
   I could hide.
¹³ But it is you, a man like myself,
   my companion, my close friend,
¹⁴ with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
   at the house of God,
as we walked about
   among the worshipers.

 ¹⁵ Let death take my enemies by surprise;
   let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,
   for evil finds lodging among them.

 ¹⁶ As for me, I call to God,
   and the LORD saves me.
¹⁷ Evening, morning and noon
   I cry out in distress,
   and he hears my voice.
¹⁸ He rescues me unharmed
   from the battle waged against me,
   even though many oppose me.
¹⁹ God, who is enthroned from of old,
   who does not change—
he will hear them and humble them,
   because they have no fear of God.

 ²⁰ My companion attacks his friends;
   he violates his covenant.
²¹ His talk is smooth as butter,
   yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
   yet they are drawn swords.

 ²² Cast your cares on the LORD
   and he will sustain you;
he will never let
   the righteous be shaken.

Psalm 55 (New International Version)

Yesterday, I attended the launch of Good Morning Yesterday, a publication by long-time heritage and nostalgia blogger Lam Chun See who has a well known blog by the same name.  A labour of love supported by the National Heritage Board’s Hi2P Programme, the book documents Chun See’s reflections of what life was like in the 1950s and 1960s during his growing up years as a young boy in both rural and urban Singapore.  It was heartening to see some 20 to 25 Friends of Yesterday.sg (FOYers) and their friends attending the cosy function, showing their support to Chun See’s maiden effort (yes, he does have a second title in mind).

As I caught up with both old and new friends at the book launch, my mind raced back to the year 2005 when the idea of launching a heritage, museum and nostalgia blog first hatched itself in my mind.  Back in those days, blogging was perceived as a fearsome force, espousing radical ideas and spouting anti-authoritarian values that were viewed with some trepidation.  However, I could also see back then that social media will only grow in influence and that ignoring it will be at our peril. 

Capitalising on the opportunity for social media then, to “democratise” heritage while encouraging ordinary Singaporeans to share their stories with us, we launched Yesterday.sg – Singapore’s first heritage and museum blog.  This was followed by various platforms like a Facebook page, Twitter account, Youtube channel and more. 

To me, the best part of this national narrative is the growth in our passion for heritage in Singapore. Chun See’s latest literary achievement is symptomatic of how much we cherish and care for our way of life, our memories, our culture and our home. Collectively, society’s love for old things have seen a new peak, no doubt powered by the collective reach of the social web.

We now have multiple blogs, Facebook pages, and mailing lists capturing various facets of heritage, nostalgia and culture in Singapore. Some of these efforts have culminated in books, publications, exhibitions and even galleries proudly presented by Singaporeans of all ages. The latest endeavour is the ambitious Singapore Memory Project spearheaded by the National Library Board. 

While I am no longer directly involved in Yesterday.sg, I am very happy to see that what we started as a tentative experiment has blossomed into a growing and sustained movement. Several FOYers like Wee Kiat and Victor Koo have been especially prolific, publishing books marrying the love of philately with history and nature. I am especially glad to note how the friendships forged have withstood the test of time and grown stronger with multiple meet-ups and gatherings over the years. 

Congratulations once again Chun See! May you continue to bring many warm happy feelings to Singaporeans and friends of Singapore with your stories of Singapore past, immortalised on print and the web for all future generations to enjoy! 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Nominated for 5 Golden Globe Awards, The Descendants directed by Alexander Payne is a heartwarming yet humourous portrayal of how a man and his family come to terms with death, betrayal and change. Filmed in the balmy island paradises of Hawaii, it covers the gamut of emotions and feelings from love, humour, bitterness, reconciliation to starck sorrow.

Playing the lead role Matt King with much sensitivity and screen presence is acclaimed actor George Clooney. In the movie, the overworked lawyer has to come to grips with his party and booze loving wife’s coma following a boating incident while taking over the caring of their two spunky and rather defiant daughters – 17 year old Alex and 10 year old Scottie.

Things would have been sorrowfully straightforward for Matt King if not for the painful revelation by his pot headed daughter Alex that his wife cheated on him. A trail of investigations led him to Brian Speer, a realtor, whose wife julie and family he meets. This led to a series of confrontations which led to a major switch in his decision on the handling of a huge family legacy that impacted the whole state.

Peppered occasionally with coarse language, The Descendants is a magical alchemy of gritty and grimy reality mixed with dashes of humour and awkwarkness as a family comes to terms with what’s happening around them.

Clooney’s masterful portrayal can be seen in his wonderfully subtle yet telling facial expressions.  One can feel his pain as a man torn by his emotions.  This is complicated by the need to now balance the role of household caretaker over and above that of a successful career lawyer.

A common theme in the movie is that of dilemmas – that age old question of “should I or should I not?” As the supposed victim, Matt had a right to vengeance yet his love for his unfaithful wife leads him to  many difficult scenarios.  His daughters

Sensitively portraying Matt’s two daughters, Shailene Woodley (Alexandra King) and Amara Miller (Scottie King) provide great screen chemistry to Clooney’s brooding paternal role, playing their roles with much aplomb. Shailene in particular steals the show with her candour and verve, a mixed bag of goodness and badness rolled into a foul mouthed adolescent package.

Other than the leads, sidekicks like Sid (Nick Krause), a rather warm hearted but douche baggy teenaged guy, sweet and homely Julie Speer (Speer’s wife played by Judy Greer), Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard) and Matt’s feisty father in law Scott Thorson (Robert Forster) help to add colour to the drama. I particularly liked a scene at night between Matt and Sid which illustrated how guy talk can sometimes be a good thing when candidly done.

Overall, The Descendants is a great family drama definitely worth watching. Check out its movie trailer below and go catch it soon!

Special thanks to Omy.sg for the preview tickets! 

Thanks to an invitation from the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), I had the chance to enjoy a doublebill feature of “Chimera” (the collectors show) at SAM itself and “future proof” (the singapore show) at 8Q SAM.

Images from Chimera

See the full gallery on Posterous

The former feature selected works from private collectors with big Asian artists like Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusuma, Lee Yong Baek, and more, while the latter shines the spotlight on upcoming young artists in Singapore such as Dawn Ng, Donna Ong, :phunk studio and Keiichi Tanaami, and Chun Kaifeng.

Images from future proof

See the full gallery on Posterous

If you’ve got the time, go catch these visual treats and challenge yourself to think differently while expanding your imagination.  Embark on a flight of fancy and see beyond the oridinary today!

I am overjoyed to hear that NTUC Fairprice and Carrefour has pledged to stop selling shark’s fin. This followed the fine example of Cold Storage in reducing the consumption of this cruel delicacy. It’s a great start and My wish is for other players to follow the fine examples of these market leaders.

Reading this article in the Straits Times today, I also learnt that there are other endangered piscine and prawn species which we should avoid eating. These include the wild caught blue fin tuna, polka dot grouper and tiger prawns fished from Thailand and Indonesia.

As we approach the festive feasting season this Chinese New Year, I am also making a conscious decision to eat less meat and have as many vegetarian meals as I can help it. This would not only reduce the pain and suffering of other sentient beings on Earth, but will also reduce greenhouse gases and improve my health and well being.

Let us mark the Year of the Dragon with respect and dignity for wildlife and ultimately, all life on Earth – including our own.

As we celebrate the yuletide season

Let us cast aside all negativity

Christ’s birthday is the real reason

His conception – that scene at Nativity

Traffic jams, social media scams, e-errands galore

The toils of work – an inbox never ceasing

Once you resolve these seemingly endless chores

Waves of worry still come washing ashore

Sure the trains have broken down

And the streets have seen floods

Faces crumpled in frowns

With yells calling for blood

For just one day, this occasion to remember

Let us focus our hearts on the ultimate gift

Rejoice and be glad in the month of December

Our cup overflowing with joy that always lifts

Christmas tree at My Humble Home, Singapore

If you haven’t done so, do check out the 140 paintings, photographs and drawings from the pristine collection of Musee D’Orsay at the National Museum of Singapore. They include works by Impressionist, Realist, and Salon style masters like van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degar, Gauguin, Cabanel, and more.

Guaranteed to be breathtaking, inspiring and monumental!

If you haven’t done so, do check out the 140 paintings, photographs and drawings from the pristine collection of Musee D’Orsay at the National Museum of Singapore. They include works by Impressionist, Realist, and Salon style masters like van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degar, Gauguin, Cabanel, and more.

Guaranteed to be breathtaking, inspiring and monumental!

As part of our efforts to live a greener and healthier life (while following my Chinese TCM’s orders), my family and I had lunch at LivinGreens Cafe along Beach Road.  Serving vegan cuisine that are free from all animal byproducts including eggs and milk, fairly nondescript cafe had posters telling us why eating plant foods and going green is so critical in these carbon crisis filled days.

While my son Ethan didn’t quite relish the tomato spaghetti which we ordered for him, my wife and I enjoyed the brown rice and lasagne sets – especially the latter.  We topped it off with some wonderful yet sin-free desserts: an eggless, wheatless, and milkless sesame cake (which tasted fabulous nonetheless), a soy yogurt, and a steaming hot bowl of walnut cream.

I strongly recommend this place for those folks who want to reduce their impact on the planet while craving for something beyond the usual vegetarian rice at Chinese hawker stalls.  The best thing about LivinGreens are that mains are priced pretty affordably at between $7 to $8.50 each, while desserts cost between $3 to $7 (the cakes are slightly pricier).  

One thing for sure though.  We’ll definitely be back again! 

Here are more photos of LivinGreens and our lunch there for your viewing pleasure:

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649

LivinGreens

325 Beach Road, Singapore 199559 (opposite The Concourse)

+65 6396 5523

11:00 am to 20:30 pm (Mon – Sat) (Closed on Sundays)