Tuesday and Wednesday

I'm typing this while Ji is sound asleep behind me. Zzzz....

Tuesday in Singapore was simple... Didn't do much in the morning and afternoon, except read. Ji and I were supposed to visit the Bird Park. Unfortunately, she got held back at work till about 3pm even though she was supposed to have a half-day shift yesterday. As the Bird Park closes at 6pm, we amiably decided that we were not going to have enough time to  spend in there. So we thought - hey, why not postpone our Bird Park trip to another day? We wound up (amidst the crowds) at the Esplanade instead. Haha, bad choice on our part! The National Day celebrations brought a multitude of people to that place that we almost suffocated. In the end, we detoured to Vivo Mall to escape the people. It was strange that the mall was that empty on a public holiday! Had coffee... and then we met up with the Wongs (Laura, Ewan and baby Hannah-Grace) for dinner. We had good, hearty beef burgers... although I was too distracted by the adorable baby to remember the name of the restaurant.

Slept in on Wednesday morning - after some intensive reading (of one of John Piper's books) the previous night. Did some emailing in the morning... and then I took a train to Orchard to meet Aunty May Ling. We had lunch in a Chinese Restaurant at ION Orchard (Paradise Dynasty) which serves really interesting xiao long paos (steamed pork dumplings). Their signature xiao long paos are colorful and their specialty is expressed in 8 different kinds of cool fillings - original, garlic, ginseng, foie gras, black truffle, cheese, crab roe and Sichuan. Besides the xiao long paos, Aunty ML also ordered la mien in a rich and flavorful pork bone soup and drunken chicken as accompaniments... as well as the highly recommended souffle egg-white balls with red bean and banana filling for dessert. I liked the food because it was not too salty - and the dessert was light and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness in it. We also had coffee at Coffee Bean after lunch. Of course, more than the food, I really savored her company and was thankful for the luxury of being able to fellowship with a truly inspiring woman. Truly, I was encouraged about many things... and learned many good lessons - particularly on perseverance, patience and courage. God be praised for such amazing people He sends to bless and encourage me!

The rest of Wednesday was spent walking, window-shopping, eating and talking to Ji (after she returned from work). My day ended with a short time of devotion and a short chat to my beloved hubby over G-Chat.