... so good for Jon (Soccer star in the making?)

Jon may only be 3+; he is showing his passion for soccer and ball games generally. This shot was taken at the Exodus-PPH-Angora sports day which was a great day for Exodus as we came up tops! But it was also a day of good competitive sporting fun. 

...so good to have a mini me

Connie and Jonathan after a 36 hour delivery! Connie and I had a valentine's dinner out and that same evening, Connie told me that her water bag had broken. Mad rush to Alexander Hospital late at night. Nothing happened - no contraction - Jon was just not ready to meet the world. We waited and waited and waited some more. Finally the next day, the doctor decided to induce labour. As it was a government hospital, I was not allowed to be with Connie in the labour room, so the nurse sent me back to work to wait! Only in the evening did they call to say that he was delivered. It is so good to see a healthy boy and mother - both safe! Words cannot describe the feeling of seeing and holding your first born!

...so good to tie the knot

10 July 1982 - Connie's birthday BUT also now our wedding day. It is good to finally tie the knot - the point of no return. Our courtship over the years and over the seas (Connie was in Auckland and I was in Sydney, then she was in Singapore and I was still in Sydney) was not easy. We had lots of tumultuous moments, times we almost call it quit but today is the day; we commit to each other till death do us part. Life is so good and God has been so good to me - giving me a life partner much more than I deserve.

... so goo to return home after 3 years in Australia

I was away for 33 months as I did not have money to return from Australia (air fares were very expensive those days!). I actually had not graduated nor received my final results yet. I was quietly confident of passing but I was running out of cash and the visa could not be extended (even if I had a job) as Lee Kuan Yew had pissed the Aussie government by accusing them of a brain drain from Singapore. Of course, all of us would have preferred to stay .. the life style was much better.


Anyway, it was great to return home after the long time. I missed Sydney but I also missed the family and Connie even more. This was taken when I came back penniless as I had spent my last dollar on souvenirs for the family. Mother was so excited that she cooked up a storm of all my favorite food ... mum is still the best when it comes to treating her children. Dad was quiet as usual but I know he was proud.

... so good to visit a working farm

Visited Connie in Auckland. Flew across from Sydney to spend the mid term break with her. It was also to celebrate her 21st birthday.


We went on a student trip to a farm area and spend a weekend with the family there. It was a working farm and we rode on a tractor - fell backwards and landed in a mud pool! We were covered with mud from head to toe and had to be sprayed down from a hose. Also had a soccer match - students vs farmers. It was great fun!

... so good to visit local tourist sites before leaving for overseas study

Connie and I visited the local tourist sites including Har Par Villa, City Hall, Padang - just to have photos of some of the local tourist attractions with us as we departed for overseas study. Actually, Connie came back after completing her first year of study to be the bridesmaid at Lawrence and Cindy's wedding. I was about to leave for 3 years in Australia.

On the last night before Connie return to Auckland, we spent the night at the Merlion Park. We sat and talked ... finally we kissed! That's when we knew we would be life partners and the journey began of a 3 year long distance relationship and eventually courtship in Singapore, getting married and starting a family.

... so good to be on the first cruise ever (for us!)

The six of us ... (2 sets of best friends plus 2 good friends) went on the Rasa Sayang's 'Cruise to Nowhere'. It was our first experience in cruising and everything was exciting and a novelty. For the 2 night/3 day cruise, we hardly slept but tried to maximize our enjoyment of the facilities - the entertainment. It was just fun to sit not the deck and watched the stars! It was also probably the beginning of a life time of partnership with Connie. We spent the night on the deck watching the stars .... we found out later the ship sank after a fire on another cruise. So sad that a part of the memory is gone forever.