Random photos in Feb

It was valentines' Day, so I bought a rose at Joo Chiat for $9 for my mom.

Thank you Ming Ming and John for the angbao!

A selfie with my boss cat. 

Visited the Vintage market after church. 

Thank you Joyce for the bracelet! It says Daphne ♥ Human ♥ Cylon to commemorate our USS adventure together!

Had to return to work on a Saturday morning for an event with a 30-minute lion and dragon dance. I think it's truly a combined art and sport to execute the choreography perfectly. I never truly appreciated it until I saw their efforts and coordination up-close. 

Did facial for the 2nd time, and I am so happy with the clinic's service. The extraction process was thorough and not painful too! I did Rejuran HB injections for the first time too, and it was absolutely painless and over in less than 10 minutes. 

Still eating Xiang Xiang Hunan regularly.

My boss cat whom I can only pat at his own convenience, or else he will walk away instantly. 

Been watching free movies at Changi Airport, like Monsters Inc, Monsters University and Beauty and The Beast. It's kinda a me-time vibe here. 

I don't have much to update about my quiet introverted life since I'm mostly working and I don't remember to snap photos all the time. 

Visited East Coast Podiatry

I had 4 surgeries on my right foot late last year. 3 of them were soft tissue excision to cut off pus-filled lumps, 1 was a skin graft using skin from my right thigh. For about 3 months, I couldn't walk flat on my right foot. I tip toed most of the time and the pain at the back of my right heel deepened gradually. 

 Finally, I decided to visit East Coast Podiatry (Kembangan) for the first time. I walked in on Saturday morning. Luckily, the friendly receptionist said there was an immediate available slot. I was told that the first consultation fee cost $150, assessment tests cost $300, on top of the actual treatment. 

The receptionist brought me to Dr G's room in another outlet, which was very spacious and clean. She greeted me with a wide smile and friendly disposition. I told her about my medical history, to which she showed a lot of empathy. She examined my right foot for a while before concluding that my bunion contributed to my achilles tendonitis. 

In light of my surgeries, she opted for a more conservative treatment plan instead of rushing shockwave therapy. She recommended wearing specific medical shoes brands like Oofos, customising foot orthotics, and light exercises every night. It was more about correcting my foot posture, then the achilles will most likely go away on its own. I was initially skeptical because my mind was fixated on the shockwave therapy that I read in reviews, but Dr G said she wasn't keen to try it because it delivers heat deep into the tissue, which may not be good after recent surgery. 

 She also pointed out that I had fungal infection on all my toes?!?! I was shocked. 1 toe therapy cost $95, so all 5 toes cost $495. I told her forget it, my priority was curing the achilles tendon first. 

 Then we did a very thorough foot assessment. Starting off with a foot ultrasound scan, I had to lie on my stomach on the bed for her to scan the back of my foot. Then she explained the sonogram images. There was a spur (a permanent bony protrusion) and black empty space all around it, signifying fluid and inflammation. We also did some mobility tests. She asked me to push my feet against her hands, to which she said I had a lot of strength lol. Then balance and tip toe on one foot, which I couldn't do so with my right foot. Clearly, I had some mobility limitation. We took a few more photos and documentation of my foot for the foot orthotics in another room. 

I like how she answered all my questions very professionally and in great detail. Apparently it takes 6 months to fully recover. In just a short 30-minute consultation, I learnt so much like it was a crash-course on my foot. It was a lot more expensive than I had anticipated. It amounted to 1.7k, because the foot orthotics cost $900 per pair. My foot really costs so much to maintain. But I trust in Dr G's expertise. Let's just hope that by my birthday 26 June, my pain will go away completely.

Life in January

 Here are other random photos I took in January on my camera roll. 

I always take selfies in train stations to check my hair or outfit, lol.

My neighbour's cat would rather linger outside my house than return home because my parents love to feed it.


The Sunday we met up at Harbourfront at 8am to hike together. We stopped at Alexandra Food Village 1.5 hour later where drank sugar cane and called it a day, lol. But we had pretty good chats! 

I've always remained low-key in office, so it's awkward being forced to mingle with all my colleagues in this tiny meeting room. I was later pushed to present my team's problems, which I won't do so ever again. Some colleagues drilled in on my every word and pressed for decisive and irrefutable answers. 🫠 We're not even on the same cognitive wavelength and c'mon, I'm not that serious outside of office!

I've been eating Xiang Xiang Hunan recently because of this signature stir fry pork! It's so good!

Chagee Singapore just released this new camelia oolong tea! This was the first tea I drank in JB 2 years ago, which got me hooked ever since! A little pricey though, $7.60.

Watched a random lion dance performance after exiting USS. There was a long queue to take photos with them but I had sharp pain in my lower back so forget it.
Met up with my Well-Being Circles participants for lunch at 3 Meals A Day. Thank you girls for listening to my stories. I'm almost certain they were INFPs and there was so much empathy in the room.
I returned to work right after being discharged from the hospital. My company had an exhibition launch event on 6 Feb, so my boss activated everyone in our team to take on random roles. Mine was popping confetti and taking paparazzi photos. Lol.

I did my first facial for the first time in 8 years!!! The 1-hour session at Nexus was surprisingly soothing even with the thorough blackhead squeezing. My aesthetician explained that modern facials use medical grade tools, like hydradermabrasion and serum infusion devices, so they tend to be more effective than traditional spa facials. I bought their 10-session package for $880, so it's $88 per session. I guess it's alright? 

I first came here on 17 Jan because my skin became super dry, flaky and itchy after trying out the Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum. Since it contained retinol, it ruined my sensitive skin completely and I kept scratching till there was blood!!! Out of desperation, I googled skinboosters and came across this aesthetic clinic. The doctor said my skin was too damaged for injections, so she prescribed me an antibiotic cream that healed my skin barrier within 3 days. Thank God!


My life right now mostly revolves around my full-time job. My boss and manager have been loading me with a ton of work lately, even non-design related ones. They often come straight to my desk to verbally dump info, sometimes demand I open emails in front of them and complete the designs for instant review. And since there are no written emails, they can easily change goalposts after I've done the work. I still get their messages during my leave and lunch, like there's no clear line between work and friendships. I feel like I'm punished with more work for being TOO responsible and efficient as they're creeping into my schedule, workspace, even personal time. I only have myself to blame though for not setting firm boundaries from the start.

The demands got so excessive that I hit a nervous system overload and burnout 2 days ago. It was just non-stop calling my name in office and demanding I solve their problems on the spot. My body became tensed up and my mind became uncontrollably anxious even outside of work. I tried to calm down at Fun Toast during lunch, not my usual hangout spot but somehow I felt led there. Then God brought a saleswoman into my view, the back of her shirt said "HEALTH ABOVE ALL". It was so apt and clearly God understands what I needed at that moment - a reminder to let me know my health matters, to take care of my body like a temple.

I'm also glad that the executive who has been micromanaging me is leaving by end of the month. She's too young to realise colleagues are not friends. Instead of respecting colleagues' work, expertise and autonomy like the older ones would, she assumes control over all my work and creative decisions, even laughing while instructing me to change my designs. Feels pretty demeaning. Since my first week at work, she made sure I abide by her rigid systematic workflow (to safeguard her own authority and comfort) so much as to email me 6 examples of how I should get her approval for all my work. One time, she made redo a poster as much as 10 times to appease her first before she was willing to send it to the bosses. Ethics and professionalism has long exited the chat.

I hope when she grows older, she learns that professionalism means respecting your fellow colleagues’ craft and job. Teamwork can only happen when everyone values what each colleague brings to the table, and not try to steer every detail to one's own understanding only, even using others' work as means to please management. Grow a backbone and earn merits by your own work, or learn some empathy and realise everything you are nitpicking on is someone else's thought, hard work, effort.

I found my soul again

Today's meeting with my spiritual sisters from China felt ordained by God. 

Just last night, I prayed earnestly to God to help me find myself again. I didn't know who I was anymore because I have been constantly shaping myself into different personas for survival. Depending on the situation, I turn into a sociable butterfly, a logical problem-solver, a feminine shy girl, a resilient fighter, a truth-seeking conservative, a liberal creative, a patient confidant, an adventure seeker and more. Yet beneath all these ever-changing roles, I had never understood what my core was. 

This morning, I asked Mingming to have lunch together. She already made plans for lunch with the two China missionaries whom we met 2 years ago at her house, and invited me to join them, so I did.

One of the missionary is Jochebed. She is a mother of one and has a great testimony, including being healed completely from barrenness as well as 7 organ removal surgeries. Though she is 51 years old, she looks so young and healthy like in her 40s!!! The other missionary is currently memorising bible verses in 7 different languages, insane!!! Both of them have dedicated their lives to serving God and administering to fellow Christians in different nations for years, and they happen to be here today in Singapore.

I really think God is using them as a mouthpiece to speak into the lives of fellow believers who need it, because they can see right through a person and speak words that pierce deep. They were very humble and patient in listening, yet firm in God's word when speaking. 

She shared 4 insights with me that deeply stirred my heart: 

1) "God will give you the same lessons until you learn"
She said that the reason God may allow people like me to repeatedly fall sick is because I haven't learned the lesson that God wants to teach me. In my case, she viewed my many hospitalisations as invitations to draw near to God to again in my brokenness, and a lesson to carry a posture of dependence into my everyday life after discharge. Suffering is a reminder to rely not on our own strength, but on His power.

2) "Call upon your spiritual family"
John likely shared my backstory with the missionaries prior to lunch. Jochebed reassured me that I'll always have a spiritual family supporting me through tough times. She encouraged me not to carry all the burdens by myself, but perhaps look to John for guidance since he is a spiritual leader. Since we're a family, it is important I don't continue my individualistic ways or remain a spiritual baby, but to mature and also look out to the interests of others too. We're a team! 

She also suggested that my family upbringing may have shaped me into someone who is highly self-reliant and accustomed to bearing struggles quietly. I agreed and shared that growing up, my parents pushed us to be independent since young. We rarely share our problems and emotions at home. 

3) "Find a partner and get married."
She believed  that is God's will for all woman to settle down and marry. She was surprised that I had no boyfriend or husband, or the fact that I have never even thought about marriage. She encouraged me to pray to God to ask for a man who fits my criteria, because He will surely bless me with one. Somehow, she also intuitively knew the underlying reasons why I haven't been searching for a partner, and reassured me that a partner who is focused on God's will not even care about how I look or how many health problems I have. Spiritual alignment triumphs physicality.

4) "Allow God to use you."
She asked if I would be willing to fully surrender my life to God and allow Him to use what I have suffered to minister to other believers, in a way similar to what she is doing herself. Even people in our cell group need someone to share a testimony to lift their spirits time-to-time, and she felt I was in the position to do so seeing how much hardship I had overcome. God uses our personal hardship to help others who are facing similar struggles, as a reminder that they are not alone. 

Not gonna lie. I haven't felt so cared for and seen in a friendship in a long time. Her words really healed my heart and brought back my soul. Maybe I hadn't realised all I wanted was someone to look me in the eyes and genuinely care about my life. I have always looked into other's souls while mine is neglected.

I don't know why the moment I got home, I began crying. But it was a good cry, the kind that signified the end of a painful season in my life. Or it could also be because my narcissistic mum nitpicked on the external stuff again the moment I got home, asking me if anyone complimented my dress then laughing when I said no one did. This has been a long-time problem at home, that she has never once asked about my emotional state and inner world. Physical materialism is the end-all-be-all for her, people are just tools to advance her own gains. But hey, even Jochebed said that we shouldn't hold ourselves responsible for other people's broken relationships with God, we just need to make sure we are close to God ourselves. 

At least I've got spiritual sisters to care for me on a deep level. I thank God for them, and I pray that God blesses them with strength and ample resources. Love heals.

Chingay Parade 2026: Wish

I was given 2 complimentary Chingay Parade tickets because I won top 3 for the Chingay mural competition! Our seats were soooo good, right in the middle of the F1 Pit Building where all the action happened! Thank you PA!

There were 3000+ performers in total. I totally love the cultural costumes, songs, vibe, and the theme song: Make A Wish! Emcee was super engaging and funny too. I might consider performing for Chingay when I'm a lot older, lol.