Ode to My Family

It's 5:47am. Been coughing so much that my right side hurts. Drakon assures me it isn't appendicitis. That coming from a man who doesn't have any left. For friends far away, don;t worry, he's healing fine. Just don't expect him in a bikini ever.

I've been nursing a viral infection since my last post. I woke up one Saturday morning and my voice suddenly turned hoarse. It became a full blown throat infection by Sunday. Bad enough that I asked the doc for antibiotics. Being sick also meant I couldn't go visit my uncle HT. I could really see how brotherly love works in his relationship with daddy. Dad's passing did not just affect me but his siblings. Uncle, who was in his early 80s, had been getting weaker. When the call came Wednesday AM, just as I was about to leave for work, I lost no time to be with my cousin, who had been with me through the NUH days. Sad I was to see one of my favourite uncles go but happy because he could be with his loved ones, safe in the Lord's arms.I shall miss his happy chuckle which I remember since my childhood days and all the love and support he gave me during the difficult days of 2002.

That leaves my third aunt. She's a spritely one and a kind person. Used to be terrified of her booming voice when I was little. As I grow older and became closer to her in the past 2-3 years or so, I realise that she's my favourite aunt. How difficult it must be to lose 2 brothers in a space of 6 months. I should take time to spend more time with her if she is willing to 'chill' with me. My family may have its fair share of ups and downs, which family doesn't? But it's my family and I am thankful that they accepted me into the fold. As Martha Stewart would say,"Now that's a good thing."

Life and such

Had a late night phone call from my cousin in Indonesia. One of my distant cousins, whom Dad was extremely close to, passed away yesterday afternoon. They had been neighbours when Mom and Dad were living at Thomson Ridge, before I was born. In fact, they lived in Thomson Ridge all the way through the 70s. I remember enjoying visiting them as they had a yard for me to run around in. A little later, the elder of the two brothers came and worked for my Dad in Bun Bee until Dad retired.

I 'skipped' school today - going to attend the funeral. My cousin TB had come to NUH everyday to visit Dad. They had gotten very close since Mom passed away. I could always count on 'Ah Hia' to turn to when Dad's R problems got to me. I knew he was upset when Dad died as they met up every other day or at least chatted daily. Their friendship made me realise that men can be as 'pak kuat' as women! Funny how we drove past Sheng Siong at Tekka Mall on Tuesday and I was just thinking if Dad were still around, he would be asking us to drop him there so he could hang out and chill with the SMC - the Siantan's Men Club.

It'll also be the first time I am headed to Mandai Columbarium since Dad's funeral. Mixed emotions. I dreamt of mom and dad this morning in fact, asking me to remember not to be late for the funeral. In my dream, I had taken them to Vivo City and Sentosa. Been dreaming a lot of them lately. Well, time to get ready to go.

Drama Mama or?

You Are a Drama Princess (or Prince)

You're not over the top dramatic, but you have your moments. You know how to steal the spotlight... And how to act out to get your way. People around you know that you're good for a laugh. But at times, your drama gets a bit too much for everyone. Tone it down a tad, and you'll still be the center of attention.

Are You a Drama Queen (or King)?

New Toy, New Recipes

I am recovering from a particularly bad bout of IBS. I spent 4 days away from work last week. People must think I am 'eating snake' but you must have had IBS to know how bad it is. I refused to go see Dr Lim, my gastro specialist; he'll just tell me to learn to manage my stress. I took the TCM route and went to Eu Yan Sang, after a visit to the GP didn't yield much results. I have been a little ill disciplined and not eating the TCM meds as regularly as I should. It is REALLY bitter and I so want to puke after drinking it.

I am at a crossroads and in limbo. I am desperately trying to get out of it and have been hearing so many voices telling me. But a distraction from all that gloomy details.

I have a new toy! It's the OLYMPUS E-410, one of the 2 regular DSLRs to be released by Olympus this year. The other one is a pro-body to replace the E-1. I am no technical whiz but this small DSLR should get me started. I stopped using a point and shoot when we acquired our first DSLR, the E-300. Think we must have been one of the first few in Singapore to grab the E-410; it was only released on 26 April. However, I'd played with the prototype at Olympus HQ Singapore the week before. One of the privileged few. Here's what it looks like:



On Sunday, I attended the second of the cupcake workshops by Joycelyn Shu of 'Kuidaore' fame. By a stroke of luck, someone dropped out of the class and I was next on the wait list. She's a fantastic teacher, patient and generous. However, I had a not so pleasant encounter with somebody else during the session which left a bad taste in my mouth. I mean, come on, I ain't no Cordon Bleu cook, just a mere mortal! No pix though this time as the mini cupcakes are almost gone. A little more work than Level 1's recipes but something to enjoy in years to come.

Michael Buble's new album is out...sweet! Ended up buying Josh Groban (me, buy Groban? definitely a mid-life crisis) too... some special deal buy 3 CDs for $49.90. You know us Singaporeans - suckers for deals.