Thanksgiving

Thanking God for the following:

 

- Super Simple, where I grab my healthy lunch almost daily and order the exact same ingredients day in day out. The staff always smile when they see me. "Non-foodie" alert.

 

- Whatsapp and free WiFi that enabled my elder sister on a holiday abroad to send me pictures of what I had asked her to buy for me and call me to double-check on the exact size etc. She sent all those first before she sent me touristy snaps. 

 

- A message on a most politically involved chat group that I shared with someone else and which eventually led to a Christmas gift of a hotly sought after book. Lord, thank you for the angels in my life. How blessed I am.

 

- A stern-faced neighbour who was exiting the lobby of my block while I was about 20 steps away holding the door for me as I noticed him doing that and quickened my steps. He never broke into a smile but I still thanked him for holding the door for me. 

 

- The Public Garden Christmas fair over the weekend where I was supposed to be looking at gifts for others but ended up with quite a few things for myself.

 

- A most memorable and enjoyable night bidding adieu to a man whom I have worked under for 10 years before my transfer to another deparment. Wrote a letter to him to express my appreciation and thanks, even though he had specifically told me not to and that he would be mortified to receive it. A writer is and will always be a lover of words and handwritten notes always hold a special place in a writer's heart. Every moment is a new beginning. Fare thee well, Mr C. 

 

- Kindred spirits, whom I would have never known were fellow book lovers except for unexpected encounters. Was buying my breakfast at the Yakun outlet and left the current book I was reading on the counter. Suddenly, I heard someone saying, "hey, that looks like a very interesting book!". I turned around and it was a colleague from another department. I told him a bit about the book. Subsequently as I went back to the office, I emailed him some books that I had recommended to another colleague and he emailed me with some of his favourite reads and authors, including John Le Carre. He added that he would read Alice in Wonderland and Wind in the Willows to his kids before bedtime. I replied and said that one of the best things that a father can do is to read to his kids because it inculcates a love of reading and increases his bonding with his kids. I felt so happy after the email exchange.

 

Overheard:

 

"I love pork...it has always been pork."

 

Q: How do you wake Lady Gaga up in the morning? A: You poke poke poke poke poke her face.