Mile After Mile

Tell us more about what you were doing for work before retirement.
I played the piano and taught music for a short while. Then I got married, had children, and moved to Sabah.

My husband passed away 10 years ago, so I’ve been back in Singapore since; it’s where I belong.

Now that you’re retired, how do you spend your time?
I play a lot of mahjong to pass time. I also exercise daily with a group of ladies around my age. We go for walks everyday, except when it rains.

Do you see your children often?
Although my son lives in New York and my daughter lives in Dubai, I see them practically every year.

Because of COVID-19, however, I didn’t see them for three years. Recently, I was so happy to have finally met them in Cyprus. The reunion was so important to us—I spent two and a half months there, and we had a great time!

What about your siblings, are you close to them?
I live with my sister, so we keep an eye on each other (laughs). My other siblings are in Singapore too, so we do hang out a lot. We’re still fit, so we like to spend time together by attending concerts, going for walks, and eating good food.

I believe it’s most important to exercise well and keep ourselves healthy. It’s also nice to sit around and admire the beautiful sights.

What were you up to today?
I was out the whole day (laughs).

I went down to my telephone service provider to settle a wrongful charge on my bill, then I had lunch and watched a local movie called Deleted—a story of the child trafficking world in Singapore and Malaysia. There was a lot of action, and I quite enjoyed it. After this, I have a dinner date with my niece.

What is your favourite food?
Oh, I just love to eat! I eat most foods, but I’m very careful with my diet. I do intermittent fasting—I have my last meal at 7pm, and don’t take anything until 12 noon the next day—which is good for clearing the system. It really works for me; I feel so energised, even without breakfast.