#wrapup2017

Man 2017 was a fun year here’s a quick photo collage of all the comics I’ve work with. #2017 #wrapup2017 #2017wrapped #standupcomedy #comedians #standupkermit #comedy #comedylife #instagramer #instagood #instapics

Even if life, work or school is not as smooth-sailing as we wish, what is important is that at the end of the day, we return to a happy family. I am blessed with a supportive wife and three kids who do not give me much to worry about. Hai Yen has been helping to take good care of the family and household and make up for my absence. I am glad that she has also been persevering in her passion in theatre and writing. I am immensely proud of her being awarded the NUS Distinguished Alumni Service Award this year. My kids are all teenagers now, independent and diligent in their school work. We seldom have to nag at them to do their homework since young. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses. I am glad that they all have the opportunity to serve as student councillors and will be receiving an Edusave award for their work in 2017. Their good behaviour is in a great part due to the values that my mother-in-law imparted to them when she was taking care of them. This year, I brought my parents on a short cruise to Malacca. I hope to bring them for another holiday in 2018. They are already getting on in age and we need to treasure every moment. Wishing you happy times with your family and loved ones in 2018! #wrapup2017

We held an appreciation dinner to thank all our donors and volunteers for supporting our activities this year: 1) Meet People Session 2) Monthly Free Haircut Service 3) Festive Celebrations for needy families 4) Free Movie Screenings for KIFAS students and their families 5) MPS food rations for needy residents 6) Rice distribution to all rental households 7) Amazing Cycling Race 8) Overseas trips with residents We are continuing with the above and starting a new initiative Homework Help next year. Looking forward to your continuous support. PS. Check out our dress code of white, red and blue. 🌩❤️💧 #paptampinesnorth #wrapup2017 #grateful

2017 has not been a good year for me health-wise. In Feb, I sprained my ankle, and then my left shoulder. I sought treatment first with a Western doctor, and then several TCM physicians. Did acupuncture, tui-na and cupping. The pain lessened but did not go away completely. In Nov, I strained my right shoulder blade at an event. This time, I started a series of osteopathy sessions, and just saw an orthopedist. The final assessment is that it is nothing very serious but it just needs time to recover completely. I will be starting physiotherapy next week. Perhaps it is a sign of ageing that I need to give my body more time and rest. In the meantime, I am still keeping myself fit with regular runs, whenever I can and when my ankle is fine. I am happy to continue #runwithBYK and meet fellow running enthusiasts. With Tampines North IPPT Kakis launched in Aug, I hope to return and train with them whenever I have the time. I also started weekly sessions with a personal trainer this year. He has been helpful in recommending me suitable exercises, motivating me and getting me fitter. I am glad to complete the Ekiden Run with my Tampines North activists earlier this month. My aspiration is to do a full marathon one day. 😊 Our health and fitness is something no one can give us or take it away. It is our own responsibility. Here’s wishing all good health in the new year. #keepingfit #wrapup2017

This is a special year to me as I published my own book! 😀 《一言既出》From the Horse’s Mouth is a compilation of articles I wrote for My Paper and Lianhe Wanbao over four years. I shared observations and thoughts based on my experiences growing up in Singapore and serving the community as a MP, as well as my take on arts, culture, language, the Singapore way of life and other topical issues. To make this book more meaningful, I managed to find a sponsor to help with the production costs, so that all sale proceeds can be used to serve the community. We will use the funds raised to set up a new bursary to help needy students of Tampines North. More details will be announced early next year. I am grateful to many people for being part of this journey: inspiration for my articles, publication and publicity of the book, buying and reading it. Thank you so much! #一言既出 #FromtheHorsesMouth #BYKbook #charity #wrapup2017

Ventures End-Year Potluck 2017 😘😘😘 #love #family #wrapup2017 #opening2018 #employeeengagement (at Bandar Baru Bangi)

Soon after I became a MP in 2006, I realise I don’t have a regular platform to discuss with my residents issues of their concern. Community activities are not conducive as we are typically occupied with the programme. While I do see residents at my weekly Meet People Sessions and house visits, we do not have the luxury of time and the interaction is mainly one-to-one. I believe there is much we can all learn from a collective discussion when different views can be shared. I also prefer an open agenda format where participants can raise anything on their mind. I may not have all the answers on the spot but I will follow up subsequently. Hence, I started Let’s Chat once every two months at Queenstown Library. When I moved to Tampines North in 2011, we started the monthly series of KopiTalk at Blk 478 Koufu. We ordered refreshments from Koufu for the participants. However, Koufu offered in the following month to sponsor the coffee, tea and snacks, and I am grateful they have continued their support till today. We held our 71st KopiTalk last month. In 2011, I also initiated a monthly Facebook Chat as another platform to reach out on social media. I used to type written responses to the questions posted but when FB Live became available, I was able to respond verbally on a live feed. Early this year, I extended the live chat on Instagram with its new Live feature. I thank all who have joined me at KopiTalk and Live Chat. Through your sharing, I learnt so much about Tampines estate matters as well as national issues. I hope I have been able to make the necessary improvements based on your feedback, requests and suggestions. Besides these regular discussion sessions, I try to find time walking around in Tampines (by myself) when I get to see and learn many things. Almost every Wed morning, I have breakfast at a coffeeshop in N4 Neighbourhood Centre, and chat with residents there. Thanks to the many residents who would give me a friendly smile or a little wave. It makes me feel like part of a big family. See you next Wed! 🙂 #TampinesNorth #connectingwithpeople #wrapup2017

When there are any differences or disagreement, it is usually easier to sort things out between friends than between strangers. Therefore, with my grassroots leaders, branch activists and volunteers, I have been looking at more and different ways to bring residents of Tampines together. This year, we continued with popular programmes and tried new ones to attract people with different interests, eg football (Free Kick Saturdays), keeping fit (IPPT Kakis – new in 2017), movies (Movies Under the North Stars), Amazing Cycling Race, overseas trips with residents. The regular RC and CC activities have also introduced new ideas to give residents a new experience. I am also glad that many more coffeeshops and stalls in Tampines have joined Project 215 this year. Just a simple 50 cent-kopi can do a lot to bring our seniors together. We will continue to do our part to build a closer and stronger community in the new year. Do let me know if you have any ideas for us? Better still, if you have something you would like to try out and need some support, give me a shoutout! #TampinesNorth #bringingpeopletogether #wrapup2017