I met 5 people in Tampines since last night.

Joyce was a mother i met in the playground (playground again? yeah, one of my favourite hangout nowadays). She's an American Chinese married to a Malaysian and been living in Singapore for the past 10 years.

Siew Hee was Joyce's Malaysian husband. He works for a company in Tuas in Finance. Quite incidently they lead the children's ministry in Central Christian Church.

Justin and Kelvin were their wonderful kids age 5 and 2. As boys as they were, they challenged me to a game about colours that I could never get right.

We hit it off and they end up coming back to our place to use the toilet. Well Kelvin their 2 year old wanted to PooPoo urgently, their car was in the shops and they were too far away to reach home before it could get messy. They called the friend closest to them who has a toilet but he was not at home. We connect to one another, our kids connected with theirs and they ask if they can invite us over for dinner one day.

This morning I met the fifth person. After my quiet time at the coffee shop, he came over to sit at my table. He was a retired man living in Jurong but was having breakfast in Tampines. I asked "So far?" He said "Not far at all as I have more buddies in far away places like Malaysia than in I have here in Singapore where i've been staying for all my life". Physical proximity may not necessarily mean better connection with others.

He shared about his sons, daughters and in-laws who are either doctors, PHD degree holders or IT managers etc. He made some conclusions about his children who are such high flyers. He said that what is the point being so learned and established when none of them can even talk to a guy like him.

My quiet time that morning was incidentally about being salt and light. I reflected and wrote in my journal about the late Rich Mullin someone whom i admire close to idolatry at one time, how he has been an arrow pointing to heaven. A reluctant celebrity, a lonely poet and God devoted guy, he never put a label of greatness upon himself. He was torn and broken just like you and me and he admitted to it such a way that has made him accessible to everybody who knew him.

We can be a salt and light only if we have access to others. I can remember Jesus as a reluctant star as well, a lonely poet and a God devoted guy who came to live a life as an everyday man so that He can have access to all.

(By the way, speaking of the 5 people that I met, have you read "The 5 person I met in Heaven" by Mitch Alboim http://www.albomfivepeople.com/? I can recommend it to you or you can simply borrow my copy ... if you ask nicely )