The rain drifted down instead of pouring as it always did here in Singapore. It did indeed felt like snow. Maybe it had to do with the mood. My mood was rather light-hearted. I was determined to enjoy the day. I had not had the chance to relax for quite some time. It was one of the busiest holidays I ever had and it just went passed so quickly.

The wait did not take too long. Honestly. I was entertaining myself sufficiently observing the droplets of rain floating without a care and landing on my windscreen. She had some matters from work to settle and was delayed. It did not matter really. The rain was refreshing. Although the damage to certain areas in the region due to flooding was upsetting, I was sure all will be fine in due time as I offered a short prayer for those affected by chanting daimoku in my heart for a little while.

The floods reminded me of the importance of an effective drainage system. It is not only for torrent rain, but also for human emotions. Having the burden of emotional baggage is as destructive as the flood. Viewed in light of the eternity of life, the ability to refresh ourselves is the only way to advance. Recalling the lessons learnt from Sensei’s NHR on the chapter of “Moving Forward”, even the obstacle of death cannot stop the flow of spiritual and emotional growth. That is the beauty of human revolution. She arrived shortly after I completed my musing.

The evening began with a light snack at the Starbucks. She had her lunch, so I was surprised when she returned from the order counter with a raspberry cake and a cheesecake. The cheesecake was delicious but the raspberry was a little tough. But somehow we finished both cakes. The stomachs were filled. That was a good way to start a day any day.

Gossiping over coffee and cakes was fun. As least it was fun enough to miss the first ten minutes of the movie “The Curse of the Golden Flower”. The show was interesting. The first observation was the setting. Everything was so bright and the colors were so strong that there was a fantastical feel to the movie. I believed that was the director’s intention and it worked. There was tension throughout the show as the plot rolled out. The acting by veteran actors Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li was also outstanding. I was entertained.

We tried to get something to eat after that. It was not easy. The crowd had started to arrive and Orchard Road was soon packed. We decided to just randomly move from building to building hoping to chance upon something decent to eat. Navigating through crowds of partygoers was an art. It was like a dance, waltzing through groups after groups of strangers. I could usually follow my nose to the next meal but the smell of human filled the district. We needed food.

She sent me a SMS to wish me a merry Christmas while eating her dinner right in front of me. Interesting, I was rather amused. We ended the night with beancurd at Selegie and shook hands when the clock struck twelve before I took her home.

We talked about her work quite a bit. She was having some difficulties in her work with a bank. Her workload was becoming enormously huge that all she could do was to collapse into bed after work. As a result, she slept whenever she had a chance. So much so, that a headache developed.

Remembering the spirit of Mahayana Buddhism, the way out of her problems both at work and in the Gakkai may very well be to develop her confidence in her faith. The only way is the tried and tested pillars of Faith, Practice and Study. She had promised to start reading a little more. That was very courageous of her to admit that to me. I believed I have a pretty good memory for this kind of promises and might nag her to death about it. *looking smug*