Looking Forward to 2011 .......

 

How winsome and adorable!

 

The lucky people who work with pandas!

 

These pandas are so huggable!

Ever since the announcement of the gifts of two pandas by the Chinese Government, I have been looking forward to the time when the two furry ambassadors will finally touch the shores of Singapore!

Tomorrow I will be celebrating my 56th birthday! Wow! I can't believe I would have lived on earth for 19,936 days! By God's grace, my heart has been beating steadily for 478,464 hours, or 28,707,840 minutes, or in terms of seconds, about seventeen and a quarter billion seconds! Wow! Indeed, I feel like a billionaire! It is overwhelming, especially when we realise that the line between life and death is only a very, very thin line! This is why I live like as if each day were my last on earth!

Frankly, I am the type who does not bother about celebrating birthdays! I feel that when one is hopelessly optimistic and contented, everyday is a celebration! My dear friend, Geok Cheng, recently took me out for a sumptuous lunch at Lerk Thai at the Verge as a birthday treat! It was just wonderful, eating and talking about everything under the sun!

Somehow this time, I have managed to get my eldest brother Kee Yong and eldest sister Lee Lee interested in giving names to the pandas that will be arriving soon. Of course, I will not yet reveal to my readers the names we have chosen. After the pandas have been named, I will share with readers the names we have selected. For those who have yet to participate, quickly send in your choice of names. The more, the merrier, and let us confound the judges with our creativity. Hopefully, no one has chosen the names of Pinnochio or Rumplestiltskin! The names would become distorted due to different pronunciation, and may end up sounding like "piano kio" (piano and eggplant) or "Lubber tick skin."!! Choose names that are meaningful and easy to pronounce and remember!

I once read an article advocating that we should try and participate in contests as much as time permits. It helps us to look forward to the future. I enjoy contests for it helps me to get a little more excited and it gets my adrenalin pumping! It is like internally massaging our organs. Whether it is a lucky draw, toastmaster's speech contest, short-story writing, marathons, etc. contests keep us on our toes.! Yet I am also one of those happy and contented losers! As long as I have tried my best, and even if I do not win, I will rejoice with those who deserve to win! Remember, in life, there are always people lesser or better than us! It is vital for us to be comfortable in our own skin!

It is my prayer that by God's grace, when I reach 60, I will still have the strength
to be a volunteer at the panda reserves in Chengdu! There, I will be able to carry the panda cubs and hug them like soft toys!

Frankly, if you take a moment to analyse a panda, you will realise that it looks quite odd and perhaps does not even look good. The eyes look like they have been boxed and turned blue black! Or it looks like as if the pandas have not slept well, and hence have black rings around the eyes! The white and black fur are too defined, and the pandas look like as if they were wearing black jackets! Yet, overall, the pandas look so ooooo ooooooo cute, charming and cuddly! It would be just as wonderful if we could all try to look at people in this manner. We could see the inner beauty and charm of everyone when we look at the whole sum of the person!
It is the overall personality that we remember at the end of the day! Isn't it true.? If I were to ask you to describe someone, will you really remember exactly how his nose looks like or whether his ears are too protruding? No, right? Hence, everyone of us has been uniquely created, and there is no necessity for us to look like another model or celebrity!

Thank you Lord for all your awesome and magnificent manifestation of life! Help us to always find joy and beauty in everything.

Let us live life to the fullest for your glory!

Gan Chau