23. One-time Courage

Yesterday night, the whole Benny's family slept at around 10.30pm~! Yes, that's including me. All of us were exhausted with our muscles still aching after two days' hard work at their new house during the last weekend. :)

Following the en-block sale of the current apartment, we will move to another condominium. The apartment is a five-storey building where we will live on the 4th. We have only one neighbour sharing one lift. To me, who routed in Hong Kong, this is truly luxurious! The environment there is very nice and peaceful, with a lovely swimming pool view. No wonder the first remark made by Benny's nierce, who is a 5-year old girl, was, "Oh, it looks like a PICTURE~~!" This simple compliment didn't fail to make her grandma laugh and laugh happily coz she is the one who made a very decisive act in buying this flat. ;)

I must say, the Pang's family (the family name of my boyfriend is Pang...) is very efficient and action oriented. Though there are still a few months ahead before they need to move out and the new house is actually very well maintained without the need of a lot of renovation effort, they have started working on the new house since they got the key. The floor has been polished and they plan to paint the house by themselves.

In this weekend, uncle and benny have started the painting work. We bought the paint, the paint roller, and other equipments that I have not seen before. This reminds me of the days when my father painted the whole house by himself. At that time, as I was small and allergic to the smell of paint, I was evaculated to another place during the renovation period. Given that I was not too sure whether I could stand the smell of the paint at present, on the first day I helped to clean two rooms plus a washroom instead.

To be frank, I HATE dust! Sadly, I can never escape from it... With much courage, I took a cloth and a bucket of water and started the MISSION (Impossible...). Since I am a meticulous person when talking about cleaning, I tackled all the dark corners without compromise. I guess with all the climbing up and squatting down, I have burnt much calories! (haha...) My muscles really cried in pain...

By the end of the first day, I completed my objectives and started to help to... PAINT~! This is the first time in my life to paint on a real wall. I guess there must have been a lot of improvement on the paint's quality. Apart from the special feature of easy-to-wash, the smell is no longer so strong nowadays. That's why I was that bold to join the painting team. :>

With all people in the family working hard on Saturday and Sunday, the living room of the house has been brightened up with new color! To me, of course, the two rooms also look more adorable with my great effort! (hehe...) At one time, I was wondering whether I should continue cleaning the window frame after the tiring 'battle' with the dusty wardrobes. I said to myself, "This kind of courage to me is really one-off. I know myself well. Better do it now!"

In the past, I thought I was persistent. Surprisingly, in most of the personal profiling assessments, I was told that I was the one who liked to start new things instead of follow through. When I give a second thought, I think they may be right. Most of the times, I dare to take a bold step with enthusiasm and courage. Classic examples are the LLB study and my move from Hong Kong to Singapore, which I seemed to shock most of my friends around me. On the surface, I appeared to be so persistent that I finally completed my LLB. However, deep inside, I truly struggled and I just had no option to turn back.

Looking back in my life, most of the key happenings are sparked off by one-time courage. I always believe the power of making a start. Without action, every wonderful plan dies. There is a common phrase in Singapore: Analyse till paralyse. Having said that, acting fast is not equivalent to impulsive. Before any action, there are still a lot of pros and cons to be considered and balanced. Of course, we can never tell whether our decision is perfect. Just hope that I am always walking in God's way and He will guide me through...

"By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people." ~ Exodus 13:21-22

Though my muscle is still aching and it may sound more logical to hire somebody to do the work, the house does look more cozy with all the sweaty memories 'painted' on every inch of the walls embracing us. May God bless the new home. =)


15 Oct 2007