On the road to recovery...

On the road to recovery…
For most of us, the road to recovery no matter what our experiences be it health, physical or emotional is both painful and long. But time heals everything as they say, for as time passes, the pain eases,the scars be it physical or emotional slowly but surely diminishes.

It’s been almost two weeks, mum is on the road to recovery, albeit with constant nagging pain and obvious post-op depression and mood swings. Who wouldn’t, when you have had your chest open up, and both your legs cut to accommodate operation procedures. Thank God for the surgeons and the operation theatre team who carried out the bypass successfully and the nurses for their care and concern after. Thank God for my sister who has come home from England to care fulltime for my mom for a month. Thank God for my brother the cardiologist, for his expertise and advice. Thank God for my other sister and brothers who constantly appear to do their part. As for me, I try to visit after work and do my part during the weekends. My children, especially my eldest girl try to visit as well.

As a family, it has drawn us closer. For my dad, he is a bit lost, with his own health problems and his own world too. How we wish we can turn back the clock, but we can’t. My daughter, about to embark on a new course of life as a medical student in the National University of Singapore has her own say on the matter. The past two weeks have been an experience for the children and she said to me, “mum, we are so selfish, we want her to live so we can have her there for as long as we can, but do we see her point of view, she is in so much pain and wants to give up, but we refuse to give up on them”. She has always been close to her grandma and it hurts her to see her grandma in so much pain. Yes, we may be selfish I say, but we want to give her a chance, and yes, we want our parents to be with us for a long, long time. A life is a life and all lives should be cherished. We want to hold on to things so dear to us for as normal human beings, we dread the parting and we want to hold on for as long as possible. It seems right, that’s all.

The road to recovery is long, for all of us, in our own capacities and experiences, we want to live better lives, we want to do better than where we are now, we want the best for our children, our family members, we want the best for our selves. Yes, at times we have to be selfish to be generous, we have to be cruel to be kind so they say. As the nation goes through change and crisis, we, too, in our own families have our own experiences with change and crisis. But with time and support from one another, we try to live our lives to the fullest and do our part in this human endeavour we call ‘the journey of life’. Mum, we hope you will be patient and together we can get through this. Of course it’s easier said than done, we are not in your shoes, but mum we will be there for you and help see you over this hiccup in life.

Thank God I am alive today to write this. Before I end, I am reminded of a passage I once read that we should be:
-thankful for the noise you hear for it means you still have your sense of hearing.
-thankful for the sights and scenes you see for it means you still have your sense of sight.
-thankful for the laughter and speech that comes from you for it means you still have a voice to
use.
-thankful for the long walks you have to take some times for it means you still have legs to carry
you.
-thankful for the bitter and sour food you have to eat for it means you still have your sense of
taste.
-thankful for the worn out shoes you have on your feet for it means you are better off than the
beggar with no feet.
-thankful for the small roof above your heads for it means you are sheltered from the sun and
rain.
So folks,
-play like you never played before
-dance like you never danced before
-sing like you never sang before
-love like you never loved at all and
-live like you never lived before to the fullest.
Cheers!

Cameron Highlands here I come...

First look at Cameron Hghlands
Yes folks, my first trip to Cameron Highlands! What? You may laugh out looooud.
But what the heck better late than never! I thank my family for understanding my need to be with my officers for a meeting well planned at the beginning of the year and finally seeing fruit, involving officers from all over the country. I am happy to be here. Cameron Highlands is on my list of “must do” things/places to see before I go….If not for my colleaque who graciously drove us up, I wouldn’t have been able to make it. Thanks Datin.
I am glad to chair the meetings as it was meant to be and make sure that things are really running well. My trip up here has been great, nice cool prefect weather… though the drive up on the dark road last night was scary. Still I managed to get up at 6am this morning and take my first walk around heritage hotel and the beautiful surroundings. I took an hour long walk and it was wonderful. After hearing so many stories from family and friends, plus read all about CH, I am finally able to savour for myself the cool air and environment.
My first visit to the PKG at Cameron Highlands next to a primary school has been interesting and an eye opener. Going to the ground should be the work of the officers at state level. Finding out at first hand what is happening and taking place on the ground and seeing whether plans have been implemented are some things that have to be taken seriously. Everyone must play his/her role, be accountable and responsible for everything that takes place and what should be his/her task. Of course as usual, it’s easier said than done. How I wish things will go on as planned and everyone plays his/her part without being asked and supervised. But that’s probably asking too much.
Cameron Highlands will always be special, cos the group of people attending the meeting have not met in a while. Good friends meeting again is always nice. I will remember the few days there. Work done and also short visits in and around Heritage Hotel was good. I had a couple of wonderful walks, one at 6 am in the morning and the other in the evening before I left.
A quick visit up the tea factory and tea house up Sepalas Hill, part of Boh Plantation was an experience. managed to have tea and pie there, and of course take photos of the vast tea plantations. Also a quick visit to Strawberry Park Resort . Beautiful. I also managed to grab some vegetables, strawberries and also tea of course. All too soon, it was time to leave. As I had a meeting at 9am the nest day, we left at 5.30am and came down. Another exhilarating experience, whoa… winding ourselves down the hill.
Thank you for the experience and for the friendship gained and experiences shared. I will go up again if only for a day…

Of life and love

Of life and love
Two days have passed. Mum has just undergone the biggest challenge of her life. My mum, 78 years old in July has just had a major ‘bypass’ operation at Pantai Hospital. We had already prepared her for the operation, all the dos during the operation and all the dos and don’ts after the op. It helps that my big brother is a cardiologist. He has all the facts and can allay her fears as well as inform us all on what is happening, before, during and after. Well, mum did well, the operation lasted about 6 hours and thanks to the team of surgeons and doctors, she is doing well and recovering. She is still in the ICU and of course has a lot of pain. It will be a long process but we will be there for her. We thank God for his graciousness and blessings and seeing her through the operation. Now the next stage is set for recovery. I am glad for my brothers and sisters who have been together with my father as a family. How often do we sit down to talk and eat together. Gosh we all have our own lives and families, but because of mum’s situation, we are thrown together and it has been really good. It has given us time to reflect on the old days, on mum and dad’s lives and us as a family. I thank God, maybe this is what God has planned for us, to set aside our own plans and our lives and be there for mum and dad.
I hope this has new meaning for us as a family. Thank you to all friends and relatives for your prayers, care and concern.

This has just been posted due to my busy schedule.... but nevertheless its never too late...

Times are changing...

It's been a while... how time flies when you're busy...meetings, going outstation, meeting deadlines, finishing reports, finishing the first thre chapters of my thesis for the QE next month... fecthing the kids around...holiday season's over... visiting mum in hospital, making time for family ... yes its been a busy two weeks for me.

First the govt announces prices of food going up... rice... eat less rice, go potatoes and spaghetti...
Then the bombshell, price of petrol shoots up 78 sen, almost 40%, probably wiping out our 15% rise in salary last year... wow, I have three cars, have to cut down on going out, have to share transport only thing is I work in Damansara and my hubby works in Putrajaya, how to share and save, and my daughter goes to university in Bukit Jalil! Use public transport you say.. how? Buses are irregular if they go our way and taxis are not cheap, commuter train doesnt run our way...so how to keep up with the times, changes in lifestyle, its definite, I told the kids, we have to cut down on eating lunches and dinners outside, shop only when we need to, and stay in and play games that do not need extra expenses!

Times are changing, with what's going on now, we have to save so our kids can have more in the future but as I see it, inflation is increasing, our salary is not, prices are rising, our ability to pay is declining...I am sure all the utility bills will go up, I can imagine the bas sekolah fees going up, the tuition fees, the food bills etc... so how to survive...even on two salaries.
We are supposed to get rebates and more subsidies somewhere but when and for how long? I can just imagine what's going to happen, but what to do, decisions have been made, announcements have been done... the public like me will have to live with it whether we like it or not.
Times are certainly changing and as I see it, the surprises of 2008 are far from over and will continue to influence our lifestyles. You and I ...have to make the best of it.
Plan to live as best we can, I think the worse is yet to come, but as we are all positive thinkers...let us wait and see ....in the meantime, enjoy what's free for as long as we can...green parks, and the air we breathe.

Ta ta...why worry eh... tomorrow is another day...