Thirty hours and 3 flights later, one of which was delayed for 2 hours at the Chicago O'hare International Airport (apparently, it was the norm as Savannah was so out of town and the airlines needed to make sure there were enough passengers to justify the trip!!), Don and Poh touched down at Savannah International Airport. It was almost 11pm, and still 31 May 06. A good twelve hours had been lost in the air as they crossed the international dateline. SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) was supposed to have a representative at the airport to pick them up. Poh prayed that whoever it was had not left them in the lurch since there had been a delay in their flights.
There were no customs to clear in Savannah. Turned out that the airport was so small and unfrequented that there was absolutely no one seen working at all. Don and Poh simply followed the other passengers to a small baggage travelator where they hauled their suitcases off as they came by. But where was Tibby? The couple looked around the arrival hall. Good grief, where was everyone? Don't they have at least, one customs officer?
Their trunk was too many to lug aroung, so Poh offered to run upstairs to take a look whilst Don stood guard. Gosh, the airport was really like a ghost hall. Shops were closed, their signs not lit, and there was strange silence in the air. No one upstairs except a uniformed man behind a counter for Northwest Airlines. Poh prayed he would be helpful. He was not. And Poh did not blame him -- it was almost midnight, and he was waiting to serve the last of a few stragglers from his airlines with a spaced-out look. Poh looked at the adjacent counter for United Airlines. There was no one behind the dark, and obviously non-operative, counter. This was sad.
Poh raced downstairs quickly. Oh, the man from SCAD had waited for them after all! Don stood with the African-American man, amidst a mountain of suitcases and bags.
"I'm so sorry, but we have a cat, and I have to find her. Please wait for a while longer," Poh pleaded. Without waiting for his answer, she took off as fast as she could, frantically searching for relevant signs or personnel. Her hunt somehow brought her back to the baggage area (which was no surprise as it was such a small airport...) and just as she scanned the room doors surrounding the conveyor belt, a lady stepped out from one of the rooms and holding in her right hand, was Tibby in her cage! What a relief! Poh took the cat from the lady, thanked her, and practically ran back to the waiting porter and Don with a triumphant grin on her face! Yes! They have managed to arrive in Savannah altogether, cat and all!
Now that the first hurdle was out of the way, Poh prayed that the inn that they made reservations was a real one and that their money wired across beforehand would prove worthy. With so many internet scams, you just never know. The man she spoke to from Singapore asking her for half a month's deposit might have been totally bogus and the carriage house they were to check in might not exist. If they had been bilked on their reservations, they would have no place to stay for the night.
"This is it," the driver said after travelling for about half an hour. Poh got out and told them to wait whilst she followed the inn keeper's email instructions on how to reach the carriage house. Past a small trail on the left of the innkeeper's house, to the back and up a flight of stairs. Voila! The carriage house had French doors and their blinds had been opened to reveal a most comfortable and cosy interior. The sight of the lights, fan and air-conditioning being left on made Poh sigh with content. It showed that the innkeepers had been thoughtful enough on that. The key to the unit was also hanging behind the door as they said it would.
Poh went back to the front to confirm that they were in the right place. The driver helped them get their bags off the van, but told them he had to leave almost immediately as it was really late. Don and Poh gratefully tried to tip him, but he declined as he said that was not allowed for SCAD employees. After he left, the couple looked at each other, tired but somewhat excited at the thought that they had really made it. Though they had so much to carry up the stairs to the place they would call home for the next month, the thought of their promising lives ahead after that first step of leaving Singapore left them unfazed by their present, and only temporary, physical burdens.
There was so much to thank God for that first night. The trip spanning 3 flights had been without a glitch. Tibby had proved to be a trump card in front of all customs officers, not just the Singaporean ones. Even at Chicago airport, where everyone had their bags opened and searched thoroughly on the green lane supposedly for people with nothing to declare, Don and Poh had taken Tibby to the red lane to confess their import of their pet. As a result, the customs officer took one look at Tibby and softened his approach immediately. He ended up chatting with the couple about Singapore, the cat's antics, her usual foods and everything as trivial as the weather. And not once, did he ask to see their bags. The couple ended up going through customs faster than anyone else on the green lane. Before leaving the checking area, they last saw a whole string of people being stripped of their items as uniformed personnel combed their baggage. They looked like they would be stuck for a good hour or two.
Praise the Lord, indeed! God was with them all the way!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Monday, October 09, 2006
Chapter Three: At The Airport
Finally, the long-awaited departure date came. On 31 May 06, after 10 years of working in Singapore, Don and Poh packed their lives up into four over-sized luggage and two hand carries, and struggled to get Tibby, their cat prepared for the journey. She was too big to fit into a cat cage, and the original one Poh bought had to be returned and exchanged for a dog cage that would house her. Even the pet shop owner shook her head in disbelief. Don and Poh long knew that Tibby was overweight, confirmed with every veterinarian visit. So, the months leading up to the departure had seen Poh trying to get Tibby to lose weight in the hope that her air-ticket might cost less. Apparently, some airlines went by the weight of the pet and every kilogramme meant an extra $100!
Tibby wailed daily in protest at the reduced food portions. That was, until Poh decided to purchase their tickets from United Airlines which did not charge according to the weight of the animal. She would simply fly as a piece of excess baggage -- which was a flat rate of US$100. Poh had wanted to keep her on the flight with them, but again, her size was not small enough to fit under the seat, which was the regulations from United Airlines. In any case, Don and Poh were only glad that she would not be too costly to fly with them.
It was 4a.m. by the time the family of three arrived at the check-in counter of Changi Airport. In the distant background, the couple's family members and close friends, Edmund and Stephanie, stood with hopeful eyes, praying that they would clear the customs uneventfully.
The couple and cat stood with palpitating hearts before the customs officer. The former were afraid that their luggage, oversized and overweight, would be charged with exorbitant amounts of excess baggage; the latter was undoubtedly terrified of the unfamiliar surroundings. In all other circumstances, Don and Poh believed they would have been fined for pushing their luck with their suitcases. The dour-faced customs officer was already announcing to them the irrefutable fact that their luggage was overweight. Then as if by some magical fairy dust in the air, the tensed atmosphere cleared when the customs officer heard that they had a cat in tow. Her dour face softened and her ramrod neck and back replaced with a softened, relaxed pose. She stepped out of the counter to look at Tibby in the cage and broke into an amused smile. Just a while ago, she was scrutinising the couple with disapproval, but Tibby seemed to have found great favour before her eyes. She called for the porter, almost laughing on the line, whilst she issued Tibby her very own air ticket. The apprehensive couple did not know quite what had happened, only that within minutes, their trunk had all been hauled down the conveyor belt and they had not been asked to pay a fine. Tibby had also been escorted away to the cargo area by a porter, amidst excited chatters amongst adjacent customs officers.
The couple heaved a sigh of relief, and praised the Lord under their breaths. So far, so good. It was a divine decision then, to bring the cat along despite being frowned upon by their parents. Both of their family members had just had the opportunity to witness the customs clearance and realised, to their chagrin, that some things were just not as bad as they thought they would be.
Tibby wailed daily in protest at the reduced food portions. That was, until Poh decided to purchase their tickets from United Airlines which did not charge according to the weight of the animal. She would simply fly as a piece of excess baggage -- which was a flat rate of US$100. Poh had wanted to keep her on the flight with them, but again, her size was not small enough to fit under the seat, which was the regulations from United Airlines. In any case, Don and Poh were only glad that she would not be too costly to fly with them.
It was 4a.m. by the time the family of three arrived at the check-in counter of Changi Airport. In the distant background, the couple's family members and close friends, Edmund and Stephanie, stood with hopeful eyes, praying that they would clear the customs uneventfully.
The couple and cat stood with palpitating hearts before the customs officer. The former were afraid that their luggage, oversized and overweight, would be charged with exorbitant amounts of excess baggage; the latter was undoubtedly terrified of the unfamiliar surroundings. In all other circumstances, Don and Poh believed they would have been fined for pushing their luck with their suitcases. The dour-faced customs officer was already announcing to them the irrefutable fact that their luggage was overweight. Then as if by some magical fairy dust in the air, the tensed atmosphere cleared when the customs officer heard that they had a cat in tow. Her dour face softened and her ramrod neck and back replaced with a softened, relaxed pose. She stepped out of the counter to look at Tibby in the cage and broke into an amused smile. Just a while ago, she was scrutinising the couple with disapproval, but Tibby seemed to have found great favour before her eyes. She called for the porter, almost laughing on the line, whilst she issued Tibby her very own air ticket. The apprehensive couple did not know quite what had happened, only that within minutes, their trunk had all been hauled down the conveyor belt and they had not been asked to pay a fine. Tibby had also been escorted away to the cargo area by a porter, amidst excited chatters amongst adjacent customs officers.
The couple heaved a sigh of relief, and praised the Lord under their breaths. So far, so good. It was a divine decision then, to bring the cat along despite being frowned upon by their parents. Both of their family members had just had the opportunity to witness the customs clearance and realised, to their chagrin, that some things were just not as bad as they thought they would be.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Chapter Two: More Money From Heaven
True enough, over the next few months, Don and Poh saw money stream in like never before. After Don ended his three-year stint working for the church in April 2006, he steadied himself to take on free-lance projects whole-heartedly. Initially, he thought he might have to hunt for the projects to get a regular load. Instead, he found himself inundated with work that pursued him non-stop. It was as though the world had turned upside down and favour was upon him in every way possibly imagined!
Firstly, the turnover of projects went so unexpectedly fast that Don had to work furiously through the days and nights. Where in the past he would have to hunt for projects, he had no problems in that short two months. Secondly, payments were prompt and needed no reminders----which was a rather incredible phenomenon for free-lancers. Not only that, one project that offered to pay Don $1,500 for a small, A5, drawing of a set of teeth ended up paying him twice the agreed amount. Apparently, the advertising company was so pleased with his illustration that they felt a need to pay him twice the agreed payment. The world had indeed gone crazy! Don had to read the letter several times to comprehend what the company was trying to do. The cheque was also blinked at and fingered many times to corroborate his sense of reality. The Lord was indeed doing great and marvellous deeds in the short span of time. Praise the Lord!
Then there was also all the money that came in from friends and family. Nearing the date of departure, Don and Poh had decided to throw a farewell party for all they knew from the ex-Chinese Ministry Worship Team, even though they did not have much money really, not even after all the money that came in through the free-lance projects and Poh's monthly pay. They somewhat believed that there was no point in saving that few hundred dollars which would not do much for them on their trip to come. They agreed that it would be much more useful to bless all the people they loved before they left. After all, it would be so long before they could meet again.
So the gathering was arranged for three Sundays before their departure. The chosen Sunday, 14 May, happened to be the day before their senior pastor's birthday, and the church had decided to gather all 14,000 members together in one service for a celebration at the Kallang Indoor Stadium. That would also mean their invited friends would have plenty of time to get from the late morning service to the party by mid-afternoon. It was to be a barbeque party at the civil service chalets. The marinated food was catered for aplenty and the friends that planned to come were many. It seemed everything was set for a glorious afternoon and evening of fun and laughter. That was, until Don and Poh realised they forgot two very important people who would not be at the party on time, or at least, be around for the most part of it----it was them! They had forgot that was the very afternoon that Don had to submit his final sculpture piece for marking to pass his basic sculpture course and Poh had her third term singing test!
The couple could have kicked themselves for their folly. After all, they were the ones who had booked the chalet, ordered the food and sent all the invitations in advance. How could they forget their own availability?! And all this reality to be awakened only on the night before the party! They concluded in the end, that they probably had too much on their minds. What could they do but hope for the best?
In the end, the party did kick off, in spite of some initial hitches. Like the few families with toddlers in tow who arrived at the chalet on time and found no host in sight. The children, of course, found the pool their source of amusement and was, otherwise, unfazed by their circumstances; whilst their parents might have had some bout of harmless waiting. Later on, there were various unsuspecting and rather confused friends who appeared and wondered if they were at the right party when the hosts could not be determined. Some other friends were also called in haphazardly and randomly to play host for the afternoon, and whilst their hearts were willing, nobody was quite sure what they were supposed to do since there was no time for the couple to brief anyone.
Don did manage to arrive at about half past four, having submitted his final work. He was whizzed in by Poh who almost immediately, had to zip back to town for her singing test. So from half past four onwards, the party did look more on its way of being realised.
Don said a quick greeting to his family, organised friends to start the fire and set to manage the crowd as best as he could. Apparently, he had to get the party crowd to stand in queue for their food at one point as all were ravenous by the time the fire was roaring and the food sizzling with its tantalising aroma wafting through the chalets and poolsides. Thank God for willing hands who worked hard at the fire and the grill so the food could be dished out in a steady stream. By the time Poh arrived at the chalet at about 8pm, the crowd's once famished stomachs had been satisfied and no one was looking to eat anymore. So Poh had an easy time getting to the food, which in fact, at that stage, was being continuously brought to her.
Conversations and laughter went on asunder from various couples and groups in different corners of the chalet and poolside. Poh was satisfied to see that everyone was enjoying themselves already even though she had not been around. When she thought no one was looking, she also managed to slip an appreciative kiss and hug to Don for being the hero to save the day without her around. Eventually, everyone seemed forgiving enough at the couple's astonishing, vanishing act in the afternoon. Perhaps they had had their fill of their stomachs, Don and Poh mused afterward.
Not only were they forgiving, they even gave generously to the couple, in a bid to bless them financially for the next two years. Don and Poh were truly astounded to receive the 'Ang Pows'. It was not like they were getting married, yet their friends had so willingly given money to them and wished them well. Later on, they learnt that their good buddies, Steph and Edmund, had advised all who asked them to bring monies instead of gifts knowing that other stuff would not be brought with them and used anyway for the next two years.
Finally, even Poh's colleagues had given her an 'Ang Pow'. All in all, the monies received came close to a staggering three thousand! That night, the couple could not stop praising the Lord for His favour and blessings on their journey that was about to begin.
Firstly, the turnover of projects went so unexpectedly fast that Don had to work furiously through the days and nights. Where in the past he would have to hunt for projects, he had no problems in that short two months. Secondly, payments were prompt and needed no reminders----which was a rather incredible phenomenon for free-lancers. Not only that, one project that offered to pay Don $1,500 for a small, A5, drawing of a set of teeth ended up paying him twice the agreed amount. Apparently, the advertising company was so pleased with his illustration that they felt a need to pay him twice the agreed payment. The world had indeed gone crazy! Don had to read the letter several times to comprehend what the company was trying to do. The cheque was also blinked at and fingered many times to corroborate his sense of reality. The Lord was indeed doing great and marvellous deeds in the short span of time. Praise the Lord!
Then there was also all the money that came in from friends and family. Nearing the date of departure, Don and Poh had decided to throw a farewell party for all they knew from the ex-Chinese Ministry Worship Team, even though they did not have much money really, not even after all the money that came in through the free-lance projects and Poh's monthly pay. They somewhat believed that there was no point in saving that few hundred dollars which would not do much for them on their trip to come. They agreed that it would be much more useful to bless all the people they loved before they left. After all, it would be so long before they could meet again.
So the gathering was arranged for three Sundays before their departure. The chosen Sunday, 14 May, happened to be the day before their senior pastor's birthday, and the church had decided to gather all 14,000 members together in one service for a celebration at the Kallang Indoor Stadium. That would also mean their invited friends would have plenty of time to get from the late morning service to the party by mid-afternoon. It was to be a barbeque party at the civil service chalets. The marinated food was catered for aplenty and the friends that planned to come were many. It seemed everything was set for a glorious afternoon and evening of fun and laughter. That was, until Don and Poh realised they forgot two very important people who would not be at the party on time, or at least, be around for the most part of it----it was them! They had forgot that was the very afternoon that Don had to submit his final sculpture piece for marking to pass his basic sculpture course and Poh had her third term singing test!
The couple could have kicked themselves for their folly. After all, they were the ones who had booked the chalet, ordered the food and sent all the invitations in advance. How could they forget their own availability?! And all this reality to be awakened only on the night before the party! They concluded in the end, that they probably had too much on their minds. What could they do but hope for the best?
In the end, the party did kick off, in spite of some initial hitches. Like the few families with toddlers in tow who arrived at the chalet on time and found no host in sight. The children, of course, found the pool their source of amusement and was, otherwise, unfazed by their circumstances; whilst their parents might have had some bout of harmless waiting. Later on, there were various unsuspecting and rather confused friends who appeared and wondered if they were at the right party when the hosts could not be determined. Some other friends were also called in haphazardly and randomly to play host for the afternoon, and whilst their hearts were willing, nobody was quite sure what they were supposed to do since there was no time for the couple to brief anyone.
Don did manage to arrive at about half past four, having submitted his final work. He was whizzed in by Poh who almost immediately, had to zip back to town for her singing test. So from half past four onwards, the party did look more on its way of being realised.
Don said a quick greeting to his family, organised friends to start the fire and set to manage the crowd as best as he could. Apparently, he had to get the party crowd to stand in queue for their food at one point as all were ravenous by the time the fire was roaring and the food sizzling with its tantalising aroma wafting through the chalets and poolsides. Thank God for willing hands who worked hard at the fire and the grill so the food could be dished out in a steady stream. By the time Poh arrived at the chalet at about 8pm, the crowd's once famished stomachs had been satisfied and no one was looking to eat anymore. So Poh had an easy time getting to the food, which in fact, at that stage, was being continuously brought to her.
Conversations and laughter went on asunder from various couples and groups in different corners of the chalet and poolside. Poh was satisfied to see that everyone was enjoying themselves already even though she had not been around. When she thought no one was looking, she also managed to slip an appreciative kiss and hug to Don for being the hero to save the day without her around. Eventually, everyone seemed forgiving enough at the couple's astonishing, vanishing act in the afternoon. Perhaps they had had their fill of their stomachs, Don and Poh mused afterward.
Not only were they forgiving, they even gave generously to the couple, in a bid to bless them financially for the next two years. Don and Poh were truly astounded to receive the 'Ang Pows'. It was not like they were getting married, yet their friends had so willingly given money to them and wished them well. Later on, they learnt that their good buddies, Steph and Edmund, had advised all who asked them to bring monies instead of gifts knowing that other stuff would not be brought with them and used anyway for the next two years.
Finally, even Poh's colleagues had given her an 'Ang Pow'. All in all, the monies received came close to a staggering three thousand! That night, the couple could not stop praising the Lord for His favour and blessings on their journey that was about to begin.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Chapter One: Money From Heaven
The next day came and it was as if nothing had happened. No more talk of the scholarship. No more questions about their financial situation. The humdrum of everyday's mundaneness plagued the couple as always in their work places and life carried on as ordinarily as it could offer.
December came. With it, the monsoon spells to cast the hot, sunny island into a cool, gray terrain. Even the trees look different under the contantly darkened skies. Seemingly less lush than the rest of the year.
But rain was good, always a sign of blessing. And blessings were in tow for the young couple. Don got to know someone called Andrew from church in that month. Andrew was an established freelance illustrator in Singapore. He was also later to be a great source of financial help in the months to come.
Meanwhile, things were also rather happening for Poh. She had gone to work one day and was tasked to write a proposal for three government officials to go for a study trip in the UK. Now everything with the civil service was about writing papers, proposals, reports and then, some more writing. She set to work immedately, wasting no moment. She knew what to do. Everything had to be written clear, accurate, concise and presented in a logical and readable way. Perhaps most importantly, they had to be written fast. The slower you wrote, the later you got home.
Habitually, she timed herself. It was done in less than an hour. Good. She would be home on time. Then she met her boss on the stairways an hour later, where he'd chirped, "I want you to put down your name in that proposal, mine and Jonathon. You're both coming with me to London. Meanwhile, can you work with the London agencies to arrange our meetings for sometime in Feb? Plan it around the conference. You can make all the decisions. I trust you."
Before Poh could object, he was down the stairs and out of the building. Sometimes, she could hardly comprehend the energy that man had. She had never known him to have a day of rest. Even his annual leave days were taken so he could either work on unfinished business from the office or complete an external, personal development course. In the evenings, he would rush home to spend time with his family, but he would be back to work at 10pm, logging into the government server from home. By morning, Poh would open up her lotus notes server to find that the night had meant nothing to her boss. He had exchanged emails all night with his boss and senior management, even till 2am, exchanging ideas, making and receiving rejected proposals. The speed that her boss and boss's boss worked was daunting, and it was all Poh could do to keep up.
She amended the proposal as instructed, all the while wondering how she could get out of it. Ten days in England. She had done the projections herself. The airflight alone cost almost $2,000. There was no way Don could come with her. Her heart sank as she remembered how she was "rewarded" in her last job with a trip to Auckland, New Zealand. She had submitted a poster presentation that did better than expected and was accepted for both oral and poster presentation at the 3rd Asia Pacific Quality Forum. Obediently, she had followed her previous boss to Auckland for ten days.
Now it was like history repeating itself. Her proposal was well-written and her boss wanted to reward her. But it was no reward to Poh to have to part with Don for ten days. She had had to harden her heart when she left for New Zealand. And now, England?
Still, England was different. She loved England. The cooling weather, the leisure pace of life, the respect that everyone offered and the kindly manners of the elderly toward her. There were no rushing, no hurt feelings of being put down. The British held opinions of all in esteem as an act of respect to individualism. It was there that Poh learnt the true meaning of respect. That one could agree to disagree out of respect for another individual's opinions and point of view.
Perhaps being a welfare state, lending a helping hand to others in order to raise the status of the unfortunate had become second nature to most. Unlike capitalistic countries like Singapore and America, where people only cared for themselves and put themselves above others.
So maybe, going to England would be different from Auckland. Her closest friend, Amy, was there. And there were her favourite pork pies and scotch eggs. Hmmm, yes, the food would more than make up for it, she smiled to herself. She would have to tell Don that night and see what he says.
Don's reaction was all she expected. "Go ahead."
Poh had never known him to stop her from doing anything she wanted. Always encouraging, always standing with her in her endeavours, whether they were sound or not! On occasions, he might try to influence her otherwise if he saw that the thing she set out to do was overtly wild and dangerous, but he would never control her decision. The choice was always clearly, hers.
Still, Poh let her heart mull over it for a few days. She felt peace from God about it. There was nothing offensive in the trip and her boss had so wanted her to go. Perhaps he wanted to keep her as a recorder of the trip, she thought. In any case, she felt it would be nice to go overseas for a short while, all expenses paid. And of course, it would be wonderful to see Amy again, apart from the pork pies and scotch eggs.
Once decided, she emailed Amy to tell her of her coming trip and Amy was more than glad to have Poh stay with her in London. That meant she need not spend a single penny on accomodations! God bless her heart, Poh smiled as she looked at Amy's email reply.
February went by and Poh's trip to England was over before she even knew it. It was a good relaxing trip, and her boss had not expected her to record anything extraordinarily difficult. There were no pressures, and it was great to touch base with the British culture. Most importantly, she made a whopping $6,000 in that short ten days just on her subsistence allowance alone! The trip was so timely when they needed the money badly.
Then more exciting news awaited Poh when she got back. Don had similarly made $6,000 on taking up free-lance illustrations during the same period! He had not wanted to spend his time moping without Poh at home and wondered what he could possibly do to fill his time. As it turned out, Andrew had a few projects he needed help with and passed them on to Don. It was simply God-sent!
All this money, $12,000 in total, straight from heaven! More money than they could ever make in months from both their jobs. And the number: 120 hundred spelled love from God. It was a biblical number! Just as when the queen of Sheba had bestowed upon King Solomon 120 talents of gold, the moment had been recorded in the bible (2 Chronicles 9:9) as a moment the Lord had smiled upon in history. Though it was far from covering their expenses, money was not their concern anymore. They knew God had sent them the money to show that He was with them on their coming trip. His hand was upon it, and therefore, all would be well. He would take care of them. Don and Poh's hearts were finally at rest!
December came. With it, the monsoon spells to cast the hot, sunny island into a cool, gray terrain. Even the trees look different under the contantly darkened skies. Seemingly less lush than the rest of the year.
But rain was good, always a sign of blessing. And blessings were in tow for the young couple. Don got to know someone called Andrew from church in that month. Andrew was an established freelance illustrator in Singapore. He was also later to be a great source of financial help in the months to come.
Meanwhile, things were also rather happening for Poh. She had gone to work one day and was tasked to write a proposal for three government officials to go for a study trip in the UK. Now everything with the civil service was about writing papers, proposals, reports and then, some more writing. She set to work immedately, wasting no moment. She knew what to do. Everything had to be written clear, accurate, concise and presented in a logical and readable way. Perhaps most importantly, they had to be written fast. The slower you wrote, the later you got home.
Habitually, she timed herself. It was done in less than an hour. Good. She would be home on time. Then she met her boss on the stairways an hour later, where he'd chirped, "I want you to put down your name in that proposal, mine and Jonathon. You're both coming with me to London. Meanwhile, can you work with the London agencies to arrange our meetings for sometime in Feb? Plan it around the conference. You can make all the decisions. I trust you."
Before Poh could object, he was down the stairs and out of the building. Sometimes, she could hardly comprehend the energy that man had. She had never known him to have a day of rest. Even his annual leave days were taken so he could either work on unfinished business from the office or complete an external, personal development course. In the evenings, he would rush home to spend time with his family, but he would be back to work at 10pm, logging into the government server from home. By morning, Poh would open up her lotus notes server to find that the night had meant nothing to her boss. He had exchanged emails all night with his boss and senior management, even till 2am, exchanging ideas, making and receiving rejected proposals. The speed that her boss and boss's boss worked was daunting, and it was all Poh could do to keep up.
She amended the proposal as instructed, all the while wondering how she could get out of it. Ten days in England. She had done the projections herself. The airflight alone cost almost $2,000. There was no way Don could come with her. Her heart sank as she remembered how she was "rewarded" in her last job with a trip to Auckland, New Zealand. She had submitted a poster presentation that did better than expected and was accepted for both oral and poster presentation at the 3rd Asia Pacific Quality Forum. Obediently, she had followed her previous boss to Auckland for ten days.
Now it was like history repeating itself. Her proposal was well-written and her boss wanted to reward her. But it was no reward to Poh to have to part with Don for ten days. She had had to harden her heart when she left for New Zealand. And now, England?
Still, England was different. She loved England. The cooling weather, the leisure pace of life, the respect that everyone offered and the kindly manners of the elderly toward her. There were no rushing, no hurt feelings of being put down. The British held opinions of all in esteem as an act of respect to individualism. It was there that Poh learnt the true meaning of respect. That one could agree to disagree out of respect for another individual's opinions and point of view.
Perhaps being a welfare state, lending a helping hand to others in order to raise the status of the unfortunate had become second nature to most. Unlike capitalistic countries like Singapore and America, where people only cared for themselves and put themselves above others.
So maybe, going to England would be different from Auckland. Her closest friend, Amy, was there. And there were her favourite pork pies and scotch eggs. Hmmm, yes, the food would more than make up for it, she smiled to herself. She would have to tell Don that night and see what he says.
Don's reaction was all she expected. "Go ahead."
Poh had never known him to stop her from doing anything she wanted. Always encouraging, always standing with her in her endeavours, whether they were sound or not! On occasions, he might try to influence her otherwise if he saw that the thing she set out to do was overtly wild and dangerous, but he would never control her decision. The choice was always clearly, hers.
Still, Poh let her heart mull over it for a few days. She felt peace from God about it. There was nothing offensive in the trip and her boss had so wanted her to go. Perhaps he wanted to keep her as a recorder of the trip, she thought. In any case, she felt it would be nice to go overseas for a short while, all expenses paid. And of course, it would be wonderful to see Amy again, apart from the pork pies and scotch eggs.
Once decided, she emailed Amy to tell her of her coming trip and Amy was more than glad to have Poh stay with her in London. That meant she need not spend a single penny on accomodations! God bless her heart, Poh smiled as she looked at Amy's email reply.
February went by and Poh's trip to England was over before she even knew it. It was a good relaxing trip, and her boss had not expected her to record anything extraordinarily difficult. There were no pressures, and it was great to touch base with the British culture. Most importantly, she made a whopping $6,000 in that short ten days just on her subsistence allowance alone! The trip was so timely when they needed the money badly.
Then more exciting news awaited Poh when she got back. Don had similarly made $6,000 on taking up free-lance illustrations during the same period! He had not wanted to spend his time moping without Poh at home and wondered what he could possibly do to fill his time. As it turned out, Andrew had a few projects he needed help with and passed them on to Don. It was simply God-sent!
All this money, $12,000 in total, straight from heaven! More money than they could ever make in months from both their jobs. And the number: 120 hundred spelled love from God. It was a biblical number! Just as when the queen of Sheba had bestowed upon King Solomon 120 talents of gold, the moment had been recorded in the bible (2 Chronicles 9:9) as a moment the Lord had smiled upon in history. Though it was far from covering their expenses, money was not their concern anymore. They knew God had sent them the money to show that He was with them on their coming trip. His hand was upon it, and therefore, all would be well. He would take care of them. Don and Poh's hearts were finally at rest!
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Prologue: How it all started
Don was 36 when he landed with the scholarship from MDA (Media Development Authority). This in itself was quite a miracle as Don had simply applied for the scholarship without too much thought. In fact, he never even told his wife, Poh, about it. Which was nothing surprising. Don, like the average man on the road, would not think about telling his wife (or anyone else for that matter) anything in general, unless he had it all under control, especially if there was a problem. If Don was facing any circumstances, talking about them was the last thing he would do. By the time anyone were to hear of the difficulties being faced, it would be when the problem had been dealt with and the man had come out tops. The hero of the day as usual. All problems were to be presented complete with solutions and success stories to be shared in the next book of church testimonies.
So when he first received an email from MDA confirming his award of the Media Education Scheme, he felt that the time was right to tell Poh. It would actually have been a proud moment for both, had Poh been told beforehand. But it became more like a moment of truth for Poh.
He chose to tell her when they were going home from work together one day. They were in the lift going back to their home on the twenty-forth floor at Telok Blangah Heights when he broke the news.
"You got a scholarship. From MDA." Poh reiterated in a patient and calm voice. She had learned over the last 7 years of marriage that men cannot be pushed to answer questions when they are not ready. So despite her hair rising on its end and a small little knot tying itself up in her stomach, she made sure to regulate her breathing and maintain composure.
"Where are you going to pursue your masters then?" Poh asked in a non-chalant tone.
"I'm thinking of SCAD. You know, the Savannah College of Art and Design I mentioned to you sometime back?" Don replied cautiously. Poh's approval meant a lot to him.
Poh took out her keys from her bag to open the flat gates. She had a brief flash of memory of seeing some correspondence from SCAD about a year ago, and Don did tell her then that he was looking at their curriculum when he saw her quizzical look. Poh shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. She had thought that it was only a moment in passing that he had asked SCAD for more information on their curriculum. She hadn't thought it was a serious pursue on his part.
"MDA's scholarship will cover only tuition fees but the application to SCAD would automatically refer me for a scholarship too. Am waiting for their results to see whether they would give me one and whether we can make ends meet." Don added, hoping he sounded positive.
"And if you don't get the scholarship from SCAD?"
"I don't know." There was a mix of desperation and want in his eyes. Somehow, it had meant a great deal to get the MDA scholarship, but at this moment of "triumph", there seemed to be an irony of not having enough money for living expenses. He wished he could tell Poh he had everything sorted. That the money was there, the scholarship was there. Everything was fine. But he couldn't. He didn't know. There was no money to spare. Sure they had bought insurance savings plans, but these money could not be touched. They were not liquidable cash.
He waited for Poh to announce her verdict. He needed her to understand what he was planning to do. He needed her to be happy about it. Even more, he wanted her to come with him to SCAD. To put a halt to her civil service career and come away with him for at least 9 months.
"Well, since you've got the scholarship from MDA, we must go. We cannot be facing such a blessing of money, then turn away from it all because we don't have the money for living expenses. At worst, we could borrow money from the bank. Take out a personal loan or educational loan. We can check out the loan promotions from the bank."
Don heaved a sigh of relief. "So you will come with me then?"
"Of course! We made a decision years ago that neither of us would ever be apart no matter whether for studies or work. I mean our marriage vow says, "'Till death do us part, right?", not "'Till studies do us part, or 'Till work do us part?" Poh smiled warmly at Don. She knew him long enough to know that he needed reassurance from her.
Don smiled warmly back. He knew he could trust Poh to stand by him. He really appreciated that. Now, they only had to wait for news from SCAD.
**************************************************************
Three months later in Nov 05, Don received news from SCAD via email. He saw the email subject line in his g-mailbox and froze. All his senses went numb for a while and he fought to gain composure of himself, preparing himself for the worst in case his application to SCAD was not successful. He wasn't putting his faith in getting a scholarship, but what were he to do if he wasn't even accepted into the school?
He took a deep breath and clicked on the email. The email read:
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into SCAD and we would also be granting you an Artistic Honours Fellowship worth $10,000 per annum. Your acceptance into the college and the grant would valid for 2 years from now.
He let out a loud cry of joy and called out to Poh to join him in the living room and read the email.
Poh came out of the bedroom groggily, half asleep. It was already past midnight, but it wasn't unusual for Don to call Poh to view his latest works or finished art pieces in the night, especially if he was really pleased with them. So Poh wondered what it would be this time. In all honesty, she never quite understood art, nor appreciate it. Over the years, she had also quite run out of encouraging words to say.
"Good!" was the usual comment, or, "Nice!", or maybe,"That's interesting!" Thankfully, Don usually did not pursue her asking,"So what's nice about it?". He might have done once or twice before, and Poh had cracked her brains trying to compliment the art, but he was usually satisfied with the mono-syllables.
Secretly, Poh believed one thing. Don knew she didn't know next to nothing about art and whatever he was doing most nights. But he knew her compliments were the best she could manage to express her approval of him. It didn't matter whether what she said was truly what she felt or thought, but what mattered was that she would always stand by him in her expression towards him in whatever he does. Whether he does it really well or not is not the point. The world can think nought of his works, but she will never put him down. How their relationship ever got to this point of faith and trust in each other amazes them sometimes. And it is what keeps them alive and filled with life.
Poh read the email with her meticulous eyes, trained from being in the administrative civil service for years. There was something slightly amiss, but hey, let's celebrate first! She grabbed Don by the hands and both started to prance around the room with cries of "yippee!". They swung each other as if they were doing barn dancing and laughed for a full minute.
"This is it! We're going to America!" Laughing, Poh sat down to read the email again and find the niggling line that had caught her eye. The SCAD scholarship was for $10,000 per year. Administratively, it would not read per year, unless the course was for more than a year. But Don had told her it was only for 9 months.
"Dear, why does it say $10,000 per year? Is your course not for 9 months only?"
Don sobered up and looked at the email. He pursed his lips and entered the course schedule online. It did appear like as though it was only for 3 terms, or 9 months only.
"You better write to SCAD and ask them properly. " Poh's voice turned sharp. It was an occupational hazard to talk curtly when serious. She never meant it to sound caustic, but Don never liked that kind of tone from her.
"I know what I'm doing." Don replied coolly. The joyous atmosphere a minute ago was gone. "I'll write to SCAD tomorrow.". Poh could hardly contain her impatience. She could never understand why he would not just write the email now. Was there a reason to wait for tomorrow? Still, she closed her lips tightly and kept mum. It would not be helpful to talk about it now. She could see he was not ready to talk or do anything else for the night.
Poh got up quietly and went to bed. She lay still for while, and waited to see if Don would follow. He did. They both lay silently facing up, trying to unwind from the tension in the air.
Finally, Poh broke the silence. "If it's 2 years, do we have enough money to go together?" She had said her thoughts aloud. Bad move she knew, but she had to ask.
"Okay, I tell you what. Let's just forget about the MDA scholarship! Forget about SCAD scholarship! Let's just not go. Let's just stay here and continue working as we have been. Then we won't have to worry about not having enough money!" Don rapped cruelly.
Poh could not stop the hot tears that flowed from her eyes. She could never keep up in quarrels. She could only swallow hard and cry silently. Words would only make the situation worse. She knew Don was blaming her for doubting his ability to manage the situation. It was not what she meant, but this was the usual way he would take it. It was a long time since he'd spoken to her harshly. And she was really hurt this time. To think that after so many years, he still did not trust her heart for him. Condemnation kills. And the blaming words stabbed her soul to the core.
Her thoughts turned to God immediately even as she cried. What is this, God? How could something so wonderful become so evil all of a sudden? God, help us.
The Holy Spirit began to show her a verse in Proverbs. "With the Lord's blessings come no sorrow." If this was a blessing from God, you will not have any sorrow with it.
Words began to tumble out of her mouth to Don between sobs. "I didn't mean that we shouldn't go to America. I mean, this is a blessing. When the Lord blesses, He adds no sorrow to it. So we shouldn't worry about it. The money will come if this blessing is from the Lord. If not, then the doors will shut and we won't be able to go."
Don repented almost immediately upon hearing the verse from Proverbs. He turned around to hug Poh in bed.
"You're right. What on earth just happened to us just now?" Don reeled in his thoughts. He could not comprehend what possessed him to become so cruel a minute ago. Here lies his beloved wife! What was he thinking? What happened? It was absurd.
"The devil's playing with us." Don's mind was clearing as the Holy Spirit took over the atmosphere.
Poh could barely nod through her heavy sobbing, smothered in Don's chest.
They held each other for a long while before falling asleep late in the night.
So when he first received an email from MDA confirming his award of the Media Education Scheme, he felt that the time was right to tell Poh. It would actually have been a proud moment for both, had Poh been told beforehand. But it became more like a moment of truth for Poh.
He chose to tell her when they were going home from work together one day. They were in the lift going back to their home on the twenty-forth floor at Telok Blangah Heights when he broke the news.
"You got a scholarship. From MDA." Poh reiterated in a patient and calm voice. She had learned over the last 7 years of marriage that men cannot be pushed to answer questions when they are not ready. So despite her hair rising on its end and a small little knot tying itself up in her stomach, she made sure to regulate her breathing and maintain composure.
"Where are you going to pursue your masters then?" Poh asked in a non-chalant tone.
"I'm thinking of SCAD. You know, the Savannah College of Art and Design I mentioned to you sometime back?" Don replied cautiously. Poh's approval meant a lot to him.
Poh took out her keys from her bag to open the flat gates. She had a brief flash of memory of seeing some correspondence from SCAD about a year ago, and Don did tell her then that he was looking at their curriculum when he saw her quizzical look. Poh shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. She had thought that it was only a moment in passing that he had asked SCAD for more information on their curriculum. She hadn't thought it was a serious pursue on his part.
"MDA's scholarship will cover only tuition fees but the application to SCAD would automatically refer me for a scholarship too. Am waiting for their results to see whether they would give me one and whether we can make ends meet." Don added, hoping he sounded positive.
"And if you don't get the scholarship from SCAD?"
"I don't know." There was a mix of desperation and want in his eyes. Somehow, it had meant a great deal to get the MDA scholarship, but at this moment of "triumph", there seemed to be an irony of not having enough money for living expenses. He wished he could tell Poh he had everything sorted. That the money was there, the scholarship was there. Everything was fine. But he couldn't. He didn't know. There was no money to spare. Sure they had bought insurance savings plans, but these money could not be touched. They were not liquidable cash.
He waited for Poh to announce her verdict. He needed her to understand what he was planning to do. He needed her to be happy about it. Even more, he wanted her to come with him to SCAD. To put a halt to her civil service career and come away with him for at least 9 months.
"Well, since you've got the scholarship from MDA, we must go. We cannot be facing such a blessing of money, then turn away from it all because we don't have the money for living expenses. At worst, we could borrow money from the bank. Take out a personal loan or educational loan. We can check out the loan promotions from the bank."
Don heaved a sigh of relief. "So you will come with me then?"
"Of course! We made a decision years ago that neither of us would ever be apart no matter whether for studies or work. I mean our marriage vow says, "'Till death do us part, right?", not "'Till studies do us part, or 'Till work do us part?" Poh smiled warmly at Don. She knew him long enough to know that he needed reassurance from her.
Don smiled warmly back. He knew he could trust Poh to stand by him. He really appreciated that. Now, they only had to wait for news from SCAD.
**************************************************************
Three months later in Nov 05, Don received news from SCAD via email. He saw the email subject line in his g-mailbox and froze. All his senses went numb for a while and he fought to gain composure of himself, preparing himself for the worst in case his application to SCAD was not successful. He wasn't putting his faith in getting a scholarship, but what were he to do if he wasn't even accepted into the school?
He took a deep breath and clicked on the email. The email read:
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into SCAD and we would also be granting you an Artistic Honours Fellowship worth $10,000 per annum. Your acceptance into the college and the grant would valid for 2 years from now.
He let out a loud cry of joy and called out to Poh to join him in the living room and read the email.
Poh came out of the bedroom groggily, half asleep. It was already past midnight, but it wasn't unusual for Don to call Poh to view his latest works or finished art pieces in the night, especially if he was really pleased with them. So Poh wondered what it would be this time. In all honesty, she never quite understood art, nor appreciate it. Over the years, she had also quite run out of encouraging words to say.
"Good!" was the usual comment, or, "Nice!", or maybe,"That's interesting!" Thankfully, Don usually did not pursue her asking,"So what's nice about it?". He might have done once or twice before, and Poh had cracked her brains trying to compliment the art, but he was usually satisfied with the mono-syllables.
Secretly, Poh believed one thing. Don knew she didn't know next to nothing about art and whatever he was doing most nights. But he knew her compliments were the best she could manage to express her approval of him. It didn't matter whether what she said was truly what she felt or thought, but what mattered was that she would always stand by him in her expression towards him in whatever he does. Whether he does it really well or not is not the point. The world can think nought of his works, but she will never put him down. How their relationship ever got to this point of faith and trust in each other amazes them sometimes. And it is what keeps them alive and filled with life.
Poh read the email with her meticulous eyes, trained from being in the administrative civil service for years. There was something slightly amiss, but hey, let's celebrate first! She grabbed Don by the hands and both started to prance around the room with cries of "yippee!". They swung each other as if they were doing barn dancing and laughed for a full minute.
"This is it! We're going to America!" Laughing, Poh sat down to read the email again and find the niggling line that had caught her eye. The SCAD scholarship was for $10,000 per year. Administratively, it would not read per year, unless the course was for more than a year. But Don had told her it was only for 9 months.
"Dear, why does it say $10,000 per year? Is your course not for 9 months only?"
Don sobered up and looked at the email. He pursed his lips and entered the course schedule online. It did appear like as though it was only for 3 terms, or 9 months only.
"You better write to SCAD and ask them properly. " Poh's voice turned sharp. It was an occupational hazard to talk curtly when serious. She never meant it to sound caustic, but Don never liked that kind of tone from her.
"I know what I'm doing." Don replied coolly. The joyous atmosphere a minute ago was gone. "I'll write to SCAD tomorrow.". Poh could hardly contain her impatience. She could never understand why he would not just write the email now. Was there a reason to wait for tomorrow? Still, she closed her lips tightly and kept mum. It would not be helpful to talk about it now. She could see he was not ready to talk or do anything else for the night.
Poh got up quietly and went to bed. She lay still for while, and waited to see if Don would follow. He did. They both lay silently facing up, trying to unwind from the tension in the air.
Finally, Poh broke the silence. "If it's 2 years, do we have enough money to go together?" She had said her thoughts aloud. Bad move she knew, but she had to ask.
"Okay, I tell you what. Let's just forget about the MDA scholarship! Forget about SCAD scholarship! Let's just not go. Let's just stay here and continue working as we have been. Then we won't have to worry about not having enough money!" Don rapped cruelly.
Poh could not stop the hot tears that flowed from her eyes. She could never keep up in quarrels. She could only swallow hard and cry silently. Words would only make the situation worse. She knew Don was blaming her for doubting his ability to manage the situation. It was not what she meant, but this was the usual way he would take it. It was a long time since he'd spoken to her harshly. And she was really hurt this time. To think that after so many years, he still did not trust her heart for him. Condemnation kills. And the blaming words stabbed her soul to the core.
Her thoughts turned to God immediately even as she cried. What is this, God? How could something so wonderful become so evil all of a sudden? God, help us.
The Holy Spirit began to show her a verse in Proverbs. "With the Lord's blessings come no sorrow." If this was a blessing from God, you will not have any sorrow with it.
Words began to tumble out of her mouth to Don between sobs. "I didn't mean that we shouldn't go to America. I mean, this is a blessing. When the Lord blesses, He adds no sorrow to it. So we shouldn't worry about it. The money will come if this blessing is from the Lord. If not, then the doors will shut and we won't be able to go."
Don repented almost immediately upon hearing the verse from Proverbs. He turned around to hug Poh in bed.
"You're right. What on earth just happened to us just now?" Don reeled in his thoughts. He could not comprehend what possessed him to become so cruel a minute ago. Here lies his beloved wife! What was he thinking? What happened? It was absurd.
"The devil's playing with us." Don's mind was clearing as the Holy Spirit took over the atmosphere.
Poh could barely nod through her heavy sobbing, smothered in Don's chest.
They held each other for a long while before falling asleep late in the night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
