Haze masks, a Microsoft AI tour, and a ten-minute fix

Stepping out onto the balcony of our apartment in Pandan Valley over the past few days, the world looked completely different. Normally, our floor gives us a sweeping view stretching miles across lush greenery and the city skyline. Right now, that expansive view simply vanished into a thick, grey soup (see the photo below from our balcony). Singapore is dealing with the seasonal haze again: a stubborn blanket of smoke from agricultural and forest fires in neighboring countries that drifts over the island. As soon as you step outside, you smell that familiar, pungent burning scent immediately. Out on the streets, you notice a lot more people wearing face masks again, and I have started wearing one myself too. It feels surreal and brought back instant memories of the pandemic. Fortunately, the air conditioners and filters at home do their job well, so indoors you barely notice it.

Inside our apartment, things were especially cozy this past week anyway. While my housemates and I used to eat at different times or quickly grab takeaway from a food court, lately we have been cooking and eating dinner together much more often (see the photo above of our dinner table). Our two Filipino housemates love cooking and are almost always by the stove. My steady role in the kitchen? Food prep: diligently washing, peeling, and chopping vegetables on the counter. The actual delicate seasoning and culinary magic I gladly leave to them! With generous plates of egg fried rice, roast chicken fresh from the oven, and a colorful vase of flowers on the table, we spend whole evenings catching up and laughing together. It truly feels more and more like home.

Sunday began the week with a wonderful day of rest. I attended Redemption Hill Church in Chinatown again. It remains a unique experience to gather for church in a hotel ballroom, but it was once again a very uplifting and encouraging service. Especially in a fast-paced metropolis where life moves so fast and the pressure to perform is felt everywhere, a service like this offers a welcome moment of peace and reflection to be reminded of God's grace.

Monday was all about the future. I spent the full day at the Microsoft AI Tour at the Singapore EXPO (see the photo below of the main hall). That convention center is truly massive. Singapore is a recognized global frontrunner in adopting new technology and artificial intelligence, making it the very first stop on Microsoft's new worldwide tour. It was exciting to see up close what a tech giant is building, particularly around making daily workflows smarter and more efficient. As an IT person, that is obviously fascinating to explore.

Meanwhile, back at the OMF office, our testing phase for the new browser login was running full steam ahead. Last week I wrote that we are working on making remote access simpler through a web browser, so colleagues no longer have to struggle with a separate, slow program on their laptops. Feedback from our initial test group has been very positive; people find it much easier and friendlier to use. Naturally, we encountered a few minor teething issues with some things, but what helped tremendously was that the test group was very alert and responsive. Whenever we asked a question or someone reported a small hitch, they replied right away, allowing us to fix issues directly at the root.

However: while I was walking around the conference on Monday, a glitch had emerged over the weekend in our central finance system. Because I had been away and none of my other colleagues had started looking into it, things became rather tense on Tuesday morning. At OMF, we always start the workday together with a morning prayer meeting. Right after the prayer, an IT colleague was already standing beside my desk asking if I could look into it immediately, as the finance team was at their wit's end and completely unable to work.

That meant rolling up my sleeves first thing and switching gears in a hurry. Fortunately, after about ten minutes of focused troubleshooting, I pinpointed the exact cause and managed to fix it. You should have seen the relief on my colleagues' faces: they were so incredibly happy that everything was running again, and they could get back to work! It is always rewarding to see how ten minutes of targeted detective work can instantly bring back calm and smiles across the office.

In short: an eventful week packed with contrast. Grateful for the encouraging church service, the warm dinners at home, an inspiring conference, and resolving the morning outage so quickly. Please pray along for heavy rain and fresh winds to clear away the nasty haze so our clear views return, and for wisdom as we polish the final details of the new login environment.