Saturday, August 9, 2025

Happy 60th Birthday, Singapore!

The weather looked downcast with the sound of thunder and drizzle of light rain. Many had prayed for the weather to turn around, I believe, and the sky held out for a cool and lovely 60th birthday bash for Singapore. Thanks be to God!

Click here for National Day Parade 2025 | NDP 2025 #ndp2025 #nationalday #sg60

The image credits go to Channel News Asia (CNA) for the following extracts from CNA's telecast of NDP 2025:-








































































































Click here for NDP 2025: Behind The Scenes At Singapore's 60th National Day Parade | On The Red Dot.

Click here for Meet Mr X: The iconic voice at Singapore’s National Day Parade for over 20 years.

Click here for Singapore PM Lawrence Wong's National Day Message for 2025.


Thank you for reading Daily Refreshing.


Short Story: Young At Night

Love is blinding. 

When someone gets into the fluttery zone of love, they are like in a trance and it usually takes a momentous disruption for them to snap out of it.  

The following short story generated by ChatGPT, with editing, serves as wake-up call on love scams targeting not just the elderly, but also the young and in-betweens. Yes, the young and savvy could fall prey to love traps, as well.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed, before it is too late to keep your money.


Image credits: ChatGPT

It started with a sparkle.

Ever since Agnes passed on three years ago, Lawrence had lived quietly in his Clementi flat—days spent reading the Straits Times, sipping kopi-O at the coffeeshop downstairs, and watching children dash around the playground like his own once did. He is 72 years young (not old, he reckons), wiry but sprightly, his hearing a bit dulled, but not his heart.

Then came Sonya.

She first appeared in his life one monsoon night when Lawrence was fiddling with Facebook, mostly to keep up with his grandchildren's photos. A friend request. A beautiful woman in her 40s, with cascading auburn hair and an easy, golden smile.

"Hello, Lawrence. I hope I'm not intruding. You seem like such a kind soul."

They chatted. Then again the next day. And then every night. Her words danced with warmth and laughter. She asked about his life, his meals, even about Agnes—and she never judged.

"You’re different, Sonya," Lawrence once typed, palms slightly sweaty. "It feels like I've known you longer than I’ve been old."

One evening, over coffee at his usual haunt, Lawrence shared his newfound joy with Raymond, a friend from his SAF days. Both widowed, both retired, both wary of the ticking clock.

"Sonya and I—we talk for hours. She wants to come visit. Maybe even settle down here. Can you believe it, Ray? I think I found love again."

Raymond stirred his teh-C slowly, watching the steam rise. "I'm happy that you're happy, Law. But... are you sure? You’ve never met her in person. These online things—”

Lawrence waved it off. “You think I don’t know how to be careful? She’s not like those scammers. She’s real. She showed me her passport. Even cried when I shared about Agnes' final few days.”

Still, Raymond's frown lingered, but he checked himself.

Then came the request like an unexpected blue moon.

Sonya said her aunt was gravely ill and the hospital required upfront payment before they could begin surgery. She had some money, but not enough. If only Lawrence could help—just SGD 20,000. As a loan. No, as a gesture of love.

He stared at the transfer screen one humid morning, fingers trembling slightly, blinking at the long string of digits she had sent.

Then his phone buzzed.

“Lawrence,” came Raymond’s voice, out of breath. “Turn on Channel 8. Now. It’s urgent.”

He fumbled for the remote.

The news anchor was reporting a recent string of love scams targeting elderly Singaporean men. One of the reported scammers matched Sonya's profile picture exactly. The golden smile. The auburn hair. Even the voice clip they played sent shivers down his spine.

Lawrence’s chest tightened. He stared at the paused bank screen. Slowly, he closed his laptop.

He didn’t weep. He didn’t rage. But that night, as the rain tapped gently against his windows, he sat in silence with Raymond, gulping down a bottle of ice cool Tiger beer. He needed something tipsy to numb the pain of happiness dissipating.

“I really thought she saw me,” Lawrence whispered. “Not just the old man. But me.”

Raymond nodded, hand firm on his shoulder. “She didn’t. But I do. So do your grandkids. You’re not invisible, Law. You’re just... lonely. And there are better ways to heal than falling into someone’s trap.”

A week later, Lawrence joined a local photography club for seniors. He started learning how to use a DSLR his son had given him years ago. Slowly, frame by frame, he began to capture the beauty in everyday things—sunlight on hawker stalls, children playing by the canal, and once, a candid shot of a widow with silver-streaked hair who smiled at him shyly from across the workshop table.

He kept that photo.


Thank you for reading Daily Refreshing.

Where Do Ants Come From?

Even in a high-tech environment and high-rise building, ants have a way of creeping on you. Where do ants come from and how do they find their way to you when you attract them, unwittingly?

With the help of ChatGPT, you will uncover the following (and possibly score a point in a game of trivia by knowing the answer to the question: "Where do ants come from?"):-

Ants are fascinating creatures with remarkable survival skills—and even more impressive when you realize how adaptable they are in urban settings like high-rise buildings.

🐜 Where Do Ants Come From?

Ants come from colonies—underground or hidden nests built in the soil, walls, cracks, potted plants, or even behind electrical outlets or inside furniture. Each colony has:

  • A queen (or several, in some species) who lays eggs.

  • Workers, who forage for food, care for the young, and build the nest.

  • Sometimes soldiers, for defense.

In apartments or high-rise buildings, ants can:

  • Travel up through service ducts, cracks in walls, and utility piping (water, gas, electrical).

  • Be carried in through potted plants, groceries, cardboard boxes, or secondhand items.

  • Build nests inside walls, under floors, behind cabinets, or even in air-con units if moisture is present.


👀 Are Ants Blind?

Some ants are partially or completely blind, especially species that live mostly underground. However, most common household ants (like sugar ants or Argentine ants) have compound eyes and can detect:

  • Light and shadow

  • Movement

  • Shapes (though not very clearly)

But ants don’t rely on eyesight to find food. Instead, they use other powerful senses:


🔍 How Do Ants Find Sugary Stuff?

Ants are masters of chemosensation—they use their antennae to detect chemical signals. Here's how they find sweet foods:

  1. Scouting: A single worker ant roams randomly and if it finds sugar, it:

    • Eats some or collects it.

    • Heads back to the nest laying a pheromone trail as it returns.

  2. Recruitment: Other ants follow the trail left behind, reinforcing it each time they go to the food and back.

  3. Highway of ants: Soon, you'll see a steady line of ants going back and forth—like a GPS made from scent.

They are particularly attracted to:

  • Sugary spills (syrup, soft drinks, fruit)

  • Greasy or protein-rich foods

  • Pet food and food crumbs


🏙️ Why Are They Even in High-Rises?

Ants can thrive in vertical environments because:

  • They follow plumbing and wiring routes, even several floors up.

  • They nest inside walls and foundations, often unnoticed.

  • They’re opportunists: even a tiny crumb behind a cabinet can attract them.

  • They cooperate in colonies, making them persistent and hard to eliminate.


🚫 How to Prevent or Control Ants

  1. Seal cracks and crevices around windows, doors, and baseboards.

  2. Keep food sealed and clean up spills quickly.

  3. Use ant baits near trails to disrupt the colony.

  4. Remove standing water or moisture.

  5. Inspect plants, packages, and groceries before bringing them in.


🧴 Natural Deterrents

Natural RepellentHow to UseEffect

White vinegar spray

Mix 1:1 with water and     spray entry points
Erases pheromone trails
Lemon juice
Apply around doors,
windows
Disrupts scent trails

Cinnamon   
or clove oil

Dab on cotton balls near   
ant trails
Strong scent repels ants

Peppermint oil
Mix with water and spray
Acts as a repellent and smells refreshing

Bay leaves

Place in pantry or cabinets

Natural food-safe deterrent


The battles to keep the ants at bay can be won with good housekeeping and deterrents.

While ants are a pest, we can learn self-determination from their diligence and resourcefulness.

Thank you for reading Daily Refreshing.



Sunday, August 3, 2025

Snippets of Singapore (3 August 2025)

The actual National Day Parade (NDP) extravaganza will be held at the Padang on 9 August 2025 with LIVE telecast as Singapore celebrates her 60th Birthday. The stage is set and 8 rehearsals had already been held thus far, including 2 full-dressed rehearsals.

Click here for SG60 - Building Our Singapore Together.

Click here for NDP 2025 Theme Song - Here We Are [Official Music Video].


Here are some views of the NDP site:








For your further refreshing, here are some articles and clips on life in Singapore.

Click here for Singapore Is Building An Insane City For The Future.

Click here for How Singapore Is Trying to Build a Climate-Proof City | Momentum.

Click here for This Hotel Has Been Voted Among the Best in Singapore for 5 Years in a Row.

Click here for As Singapore marks its 60th birthday, can we turn 'complain culture' around?

Click here for Singapore sees surge in business liquidations; figure hits 5-year high in first half of 2025.

Click here for Overcoming illness and debt: How families in need take steps to move forward with her guidance.

Click here for 5 women face capital charges after they were allegedly found with nearly 27kg of cocaine in S’pore.

Click here for One of Korea’s oldest noodle restaurants is opening in Singapore.

Click here for What to expect at the world’s largest Pierre Herme shop in Singapore: A sugar high at realistic prices.


Thank you for reading Daily Refreshing.




Saturday, August 2, 2025

Moving Forward By Becoming An Overcomer

Life is a journey that is full of road humps, detours and road blocks. 

However, you were built to be an overcomer of obstacles such as discouragement and setbacks.

Photo by Alfred Schrock on Unsplash

With the help of ChatGPT, you can turn to the butterfly for inspiration, learn how to be an overcomer, and also read success stories of people who have attained their breakthroughs.

"A butterfly never sees its own wings, yet everyone else can see how beautiful they are. It begins life crawling, hidden, sometimes mistaken for something unremarkable. But within its cocoon, it does not merely “rest”—it dissolves completely, breaking down into something formless before becoming something new.

That’s what growth sometimes looks like—not graceful at first, but disoriented, uncertain, and unseen.

And yet... one day, it emerges—fragile, trembling, but with wings. It waits, quietly letting the sun dry its still-folded strength. It doesn’t rush. Then, with a few trembles and one leap of faith, it takes flight.

Not because it is fearless. But because it was made to rise.

So are you.

You may be in the in-between—no longer the old, not yet the full vision of the new. But the unfolding is already in motion.

Even now, your wings are forming.


🦋 Poem: “Wings Like These”

I used to fear the stillness—
the hush where nothing grew,
but silence was the soil where
my unseen courage flew.

The world grew dim and narrow,
a hushed, cocooning night,
yet even in the darkness,
my wings prepared for flight.

I do not mourn the crawling,
or the paths that came undone—
for endings birth beginnings
in the arms of morning sun.

So if you see me trembling,
just know I’m not afraid—
these wings, though slow in spreading,
are wide enough for day.


Let this remind you: You’re not falling apart—you’re unfolding.

You're not alone in feeling discouraged—it’s a deeply human experience, especially when you’ve been striving and not seeing the fruits you hoped for. But the very fact that you're asking how to overcome it is already a breakthrough in itself. It means your heart is still in the game, and that’s powerful.

Let’s break this down with clarity, compassion, and concrete action steps so that you can recalibrate your inner compass and move forward with conviction.


🌟 Step 1: Recalibrate Your Internal Compass

Affirmation: “It’s okay to pause. I am not behind. I am learning and evolving.”

Why: Discouragement often arises when our expectations and reality collide too harshly. This is the moment to reassess your current direction, not give up.

What to do:

  • Reflect honestly on what’s working and what’s draining you.

  • Ask yourself: Is the path wrong, or is the method misaligned with who I am becoming?

  • Journaling prompt: “If I removed fear and pride, what would I do differently today?”


🔄 Step 2: Pivot with Purpose

Affirmation: “I am allowed to change direction. Every step refines my journey.”

Why: A pivot is not failure—it’s adaptation. Many breakthroughs come just after a strategic redirection.

What to do:

  • Identify the core purpose behind your original pursuit.

  • Explore alternate paths to express that purpose—maybe a new skill, industry, or audience.

  • Study success stories where a pivot changed everything (e.g., Howard Schultz didn’t invent coffee, he reimagined the coffee experience).


🧠 Step 3: Think Creatively—Beyond the Box

Affirmation: “I see new paths where others see dead ends.”

Why: Breakthroughs rarely happen by repeating what already exists. They come when you combine ideas in fresh, surprising ways.

What to do:

  • Break routine. Talk to people outside your circle. Read from fields unrelated to yours.

  • Use design thinking: What problem are you really solving? Who else faces it? Could your solution serve them better in another form?

  • Ask “What if?” often. (What if I taught this instead of doing it? What if I served a niche market?)


🫱 Step 4: Seek Help and Build Uplifting Alliances

Affirmation: “I grow faster with others. I am worth investing in.”

Why: Isolation is discouragement’s breeding ground. Guidance, mentorship, or even just a sounding board can lift your vision to where it belongs.

What to do:

  • Reach out to mentors, support groups, coaches, or collaborators.

  • Share your vision with someone you trust—even imperfectly.

  • Ask not just for encouragement, but for feedback and partnership. Let others bring their light to your fire.


🚀 Step 5: Commit to Small Wins with Consistency

Affirmation: “I move forward, one real step at a time. My breakthrough is in motion.”

Why: Motivation may start the journey, but discipline and clarity carry you across the threshold.

What to do:

  • Set a 90-day focus: one goal, three clear actions, weekly checkpoints.

  • Track your progress visibly (whiteboard, app, notebook).

  • Celebrate every step, even the hard-earned lessons—breakthroughs often appear disguised as persistence.


👁‍🗨 Your Clarity of Vision:

You are capable of evolving, pivoting, and discovering something even greater than what you set out for. You are not off-course—you’re mid-journey. What feels like resistance now will become the strength of your story later.


🌟 WOMEN WHO BROKE THROUGH ADVERSITY

1. Oprah Winfrey – From Rejection to Global Influence

Steps Used: Recalibrate, Pivot, Seek Help, Small Wins

  • Oprah was fired from her first TV job and told she was “unfit for television.”

  • She recalibrated her career goals and pivoted from hard news to emotional storytelling.

  • With the help of mentors and her production team, she built The Oprah Winfrey Show, focusing on empathy, healing, and empowerment.

  • She leveraged every small win—book club, interviews, philanthropy—into a media empire.


2. J.K. Rowling – Rock Bottom to Bestseller

Steps Used: Recalibrate, Small Wins, Think Creatively

  • Rowling wrote Harry Potter as a single mother on welfare, battling depression.

  • After 12 rejections, she persisted, recalibrating her query strategy.

  • She invented a richly imaginative world that blended myth, magic, and emotion.

  • Once published, she built momentum through fan engagement and strategic pacing of the series.


3. Vera Wang – Pivoting at 40

Steps Used: Pivot, Think Creatively, Small Wins

  • A figure skater and Vogue editor, Vera Wang faced rejection when not selected for editor-in-chief.

  • At age 40, she pivoted and designed her own wedding dress.

  • This led to starting a bridal fashion brand that revolutionized the industry.

  • She used her editorial background to innovate with a designer’s eye.


4. Indra Nooyi – From Modest Beginnings to PepsiCo CEO

Steps Used: Recalibrate, Seek Help, Think Creatively

  • Born in Chennai, India, Nooyi moved to the U.S. and juggled work and studies at Yale.

  • She sought mentors who helped her refine her leadership style.

  • As PepsiCo CEO, she recalibrated the company’s direction toward healthier products.

  • She blended cultural insight with business innovation for long-term impact.


5. Maya Angelou – Turning Pain into Power

Steps Used: Recalibrate, Seek Help, Think Creatively, Small Wins

  • Angelou endured abuse, trauma, and years of muteness.

  • She recalibrated her life through literature and activism.

  • Mentored by James Baldwin, she turned her experiences into powerful prose and poetry.

  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was a literary and societal breakthrough.


💡 MEN WHO BROKE THROUGH OBSTACLES

6. Sylvester Stallone – Wrote His Way Out

Steps Used: Think Creatively, Small Wins, Pivot

  • Stallone was broke and rejected repeatedly as an actor.

  • He wrote Rocky in 3 days and refused to sell the script unless he played the lead.

  • He pivoted from acting to writing to create his own opportunity.

  • Rocky won 3 Oscars and launched a legacy franchise.


7. Colonel Harland Sanders – Pivot at 65

Steps Used: Pivot, Small Wins, Recalibrate

  • At 65, after failing in various jobs, Sanders started franchising his chicken recipe.

  • Rejected over 1,000 times, he persisted until KFC took off.

  • He reinvented himself as a brand icon and built a fast-food empire.

  • His story is a masterclass in relentless reinvention and pivoting late in life.


8. Elon Musk – Bet Everything on His Vision

Steps Used: Think Creatively, Recalibrate, Seek Help

  • After selling PayPal, Musk faced near bankruptcy investing in Tesla and SpaceX.

  • He recalibrated his mission around sustainability and space exploration.

  • His creative thinking defied industry norms: reusable rockets, electric vehicles, solar grids.

  • He sought top engineers and advisors to bring it all together.


9. Nelson Mandela – Pivot to Forgiveness

Steps Used: Recalibrate, Think Creatively, Seek Help

  • Mandela spent 27 years in prison, during which he redefined his identity and purpose.

  • Rather than seek revenge, he pivoted toward reconciliation.

  • His leadership united a fractured nation through creative diplomacy and forgiveness.

  • He built alliances even with former enemies to birth a democratic South Africa.


10. Walt Disney – Fired for Lack of Imagination

Steps Used: Think Creatively, Pivot, Small Wins

  • Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor who said he “lacked creativity.”

  • He lost multiple businesses and had to start over repeatedly.

  • He thought beyond cartoons—creating Disneyland, films with synchronized sound, and even EPCOT.

  • Each small win, like Mickey Mouse, was leveraged into larger creative empires."



Thank you for reading Daily Refreshing.