A 2025 to Remember

Had a good final 2 weeks of December to reflect by looking through my planner and gallery of photos. To identify with the church’s 50th anniversary them, am grateful for a year of 安歇，重回 Rest and Return. I rested whenever I can to slow things down and returned to some basic fundamentals to organise my life and direction. Here’s sharing some highlights from 2025.

1. Celebrating 20th anniversary with wifey

I can never imagine how someone can survive my nonsense for 20 years. So congrats to the woman of the house, a true woman of God who puts the needs of others above her own and devotes 200% effort in whatever she finds passion in.

We had a great year of celebration with a couple trip to Paris to fulfill a long forgotten promise and just do tourists on honeymoon stuffs. Our luggage was for once bursting with our stuffs (not the kids!) and we simply just enjoyed being with one another, or seeing each other enjoying the art pieces or a historical monument.

The end of 2025 also marks a new beginning for wifey in her new workplace with new responsibilities. When we started family planning, it was decided that wifey will stay home to look after the kids while I focus on bringing back the dough. We never argued over our roles and I could devote time for my job which involves lots of after-school activities, camps and overseas trips then. Wifey actually put a pause on her career to look after the kids. Now that the kids are not so needy anymore, wifey can devote more time for her career progression of which I AM TOTALLY SUPPORTIVE OF.

Shared with wifey that my slogan for her in 2026 is “Just Go”.

2. Grad trips with the boys

Kept up with the practice of having 1-1 time with the kids after a significant milestone (PSLE, O levels etc). Went to Taipei with eldest in March and Bali with no.2 in November. It was time well spent just having father-son time without much distractions, doing things that each of them want to do. Eldest simply wanna chill while no.2 wants an action packed trip. Eldest is ok to see stuffs while no.2 just have to do stuffs. Each has their own quirks and likes and is happy to spend some time with their old man.

As both of them step into different post-secondary pathways and become more independent, they also start to create their own memories with their own communities. But we will treasure every opportunity to create our own memories with the kids as they step into each life’s milestones. Next up as the boys approach 18yo, have made them promise to have their first alcoholic drink with the old man 😊

3. Picking up pickleball 😂

Keeping up with the promise to try a new physical activity each year with marathon running, Muay Thai, rock climbing, tennis, handstand class, Hyrox, Spartan and in 2025, pickleball! Truly a sport that I get to meet new people from across the all ages and even got the family to play together. Probably an activity that I will continue for a while longer but at the same time looking out for another new sport to try in 2026. 活到老学到老，活着就要动，动了才会活！

Theme for church in 2026 is 巩固预备 Strengthen and Prepare. It will be year to look forward to equipping and training in skills that I find myself lacking in.

In a nutshell, plans for 2026:

• support the wifey in her endeavours

• Create more memories with the kids

• Stay active

• Look for opportunities to equip and prepare myself for future challenges

2025 is great, 2026 will be GREATER!

All thanks to God 🙏