To be Happy

                                                      Photograph of Me carrying Isaac

I named him Isaac because God gave a new life to me and the name "Isaac" means laughter, happy. Just like God had given Isaac to Abraham and his wife at old age, God had given me another new life at my older age too.  As I had not learned much about my faith, now that he is attending catechism class, sometimes I am learning from him also -- I had always been learning from my children.  

Received a message from the catechist and I thought it was so good to share over here:

A homily from our pope that's worth a read: 

 *You can have flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust. 

Many appreciate you, admire you and love you. 

Remember that to be happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, relationships without disappointments. 

To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness. It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures. It is not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity. Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. 

To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny's author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life. Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It's to be able to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a "no". It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified. It is to kiss your children, pamper your parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us. 

To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple. It is to have maturity to be able to say: "I made mistakes". It is to have the courage to say "I am sorry". It is to have the sensitivity to say, "I need you". It is to have the ability to say "I love you". 

May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness... That in spring may it be a lover of joy. In winter a lover of wisdom. And when you make a mistake, start all over again. For only then will you be in love with life. 

You will find that to be happy is not to have a perfect life. But use the tears to irrigate tolerance. Use your losses to train patience. Use your mistakes to sculptor serenity. Use pain to plaster pleasure. Use obstacles to open windows of intelligence. 

Never give up.... Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, for life is an incredible show.* 

(Pope Francis).

I was just writing about me -- mentioning about "...the purpose of life is to be happy...", and I received this message... what a coincidence...

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Happy Mothers' Day

 

D sent me this Happy Mothers' Day message on Saturday.  She still remembered me, so touched.  She is such a sincere friend.  This mother's day, I never buy anything for mum, but when I went to her house, I gave her a packet of boiled scallops and sotong youtiao.  I gave her a red packet, but she returned me, saying that I am also a mother.  

During my childhood days, my mother always said, "听话就好" during mother's day if we gave her presents.  The words mean be obedient.  I also hoped that my children will be obedient too.  

Photograph showing the bracelet that Clara gave me

Last night, Clara came to my room and gave me a small pouch containing the bracelet.  She had made another bracelet to give me some months ago.  The bracelet was elastic ones, and I told her that I was scared that the elastic string will break like my previous ones which I had bought.  So this time she made a non elastic ones.  Thank you so much Clara for always being so thoughtful.  

For dinner we ate Laksa.  I bought Laksa from PGFN.  We want to order from Tian Tian Chi Mian, but it was closed already.  I bought two bowls of Laksa.  I prefer Laksa from Tian Tian Chi Mian, but PGFN got more tao pok, which I like.  When I finished my Laksa, Clara came to show me hers.  Her Laksa was contaminated with a worm-like rusty wire.  She was disgusted.  

Photograph of the rusty worm-like wire from PGFN Laksa

I sent in a feedback message to Grab.  Later on they called me to verified the matter.  They said they will look into it before they can proceed with refund.  Later on, I received an email saying that I was refunded $4.60.   

I think NEA should look into matters like this.  This is not the only case in Singapore news.  Some other people had experienced similar issues in other food at other stalls.  

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