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Ease into the paradoxes of life

It was a late afternoon on a Thursday, and I was patiently waiting for my dog to finish with his acupuncture session. I secretly hope this helps manage his arthritis pain better, but I may never find out. 

And that is okay.

I completed two reads this month — Ten Things My Father Never Taught Me by Cyril Wong, and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Two very disparate genres but both equally eye-opening.

I had started reading these two books sometime last year. I never completed them because I eventually chose to compromise reading, to make way for seemingly more important matters. Alas, I found my way back to the books — and I absolutely love it.

December has been a very magical month so far. I am enjoying this festive season way more than I did last year (and probably the year before too).

6 December 2019
This month began with a long overdue reunion with my badminton girls. It had been two years since I met these ladies!? Honestly, it didn’t even feel like that much time had passed!

We have now known one another for a whopping 13 years! That’s half my life. From being naive adolescents recklessly training on the courts and perservering through countless PT sessions, to now becoming fiercely independent full adults, I couldn’t be more proud of how far we have come.

7 December 2019
The next day, I popped by Drea’s place for an afternoon of mahjong. Also got to meet the co-emcee for her wedding and I am so stoked for 29 February 2020! (It is starting to dawn on me how my peers are getting engaged/married one by one — and very quickly at that!) 

Drea has been an unwavering rock, since we graduated from university. I cannot quite remember how we became such good friends but I am surely sticking around her for the rest of my life.

10 December 2019
A few days later, my colleagues and I had a little get-together to celebrate PY and LY’s birthdays! It was my first time dining at the Malayan Council. The food was meh but they definitely aced the cakes. (And we had four cakes!) 

14 December 2019
This long-awaited lunch with Ms Roslan has been the most exciting one we’ve had so far. So much is going to change in just a few months and I cannot wait to see where all of it takes us! 

16 December 2019
I broke my no-going-out-on-Monday rule to have dinner with my former lunch kakis! In fact, the place we had dinner at is located a stone’s throw from their workplace. 

Sometimes, I think about what I’d give to relive those days we spent together — the last-minute PM offs, the lunch-out Fridays, the mini breaks when work became overwhelming. Then I remember that most of us, who were temp staff, have started anew elsewhere. Despite so, the fact is we are able to remain close-knitted — and that’s all that really matters.

23 December 2019
Just a few days before Christmas really puts everyone in a festive mood! My director treated us to lunch at Fairmont Hotel. 

Although it was her farewell treat, it didn’t feel like she was leaving. It felt more like a regular get-together as a department, which only happens when she sporadically calls for breakfast. I guess it will only feel real when I meet my new director next week!

24 December 2019
The entire office is in the Christmas mood! A colleague delivered mushroom soup and bread to my workstation in the morning and it put me in an absolutely jovial mood. It was really cold that morning and the soup had me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. 

I managed to get some work done but) we were called for some cake and snacks an hour before we ended work! It was definitely a day of eating.

We hosted our Chinese family at dinner. This would be the third Christmas we have spent together. When we first took a trip to Bintan for Christmas 2017, we did not expect Christmas to become one more day for the family to come together, and just soak up one another’s company.

25 December 2019
Merry Chrisrmas! Today has been such a beautiful day.

I did almost nothing, but we hosted our Indian family. This, too, was unintentional. I was half-expecting my uncle to pull out at the last minute but alas, he turned up.

We spent most of today just eating (again) and chitchatting. No lavish presents, no grandiose meals; just a simple day lazing in my pjs and doing what I love.

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