THE AMBULANCE RIDE

I have always felt a lump in my throat whenever I hear the wailing of the siren from an ambulance.

It reminds me of the last time I see my father when I have to accompany him in the ambulance when we have to transfer him to another hospital due to insufficient medical equipments from the previous hospital.

When we arrived at the other hospital, he was immediately wheeled into the Intensive Care Unit Room and visitors were not allowed.

It was a long night and upon the doctor's advise, we headed home for a short rest.

As soon as my head touched the pillow, the telephone rang.

It was a call from my brother and I know it was bad news especially receiving a call in the middle of the night.

I drove like mad all the way home and mom gave me a long hug, sobbing & mumbling over and over that he is gone.

I was numb and cannot believe that I wouldn't  be seeing him again.

Although my father is  a very strict man, he has always been the pillar of our family and without this pillar, life is definitely not the same again.

It has been 20 years since he passed on but the memories of that sad day still remains fresh inside me and till today, my emotion still crumbles whenever I hear the siren of the ambulance. +Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance +Intensive Care Network ICN

A Long Lost Friend

The world is never too big....how true.

Just not long ago, I attended a friend's wedding dinner held at a prestigious hotel in town.

It was one of those boring Chinese dinner where one have to wait for hours for the food to be served.

I was trying my up most best to put on my hypocrites smile and making small talks with the people sitting at the same table with us.

But somehow, my attention keeps going back to the Master of Ceremony of the night.

Is it her hair that is too bleach or her makeup that is too heavy?

I really could not figure out what is it about her that caught my attention and of course I am not in favour of same sex attraction either.

Soon dinner was served and my focus went back to the faceless people around me.

Suddenly, as if bolted by lightning, my memories started flooding back.

The voice is distinguishably hers.

To kill my curiosity, I took the courage to ask if it was her and she gave me a long hard stare.

Like a scene from an overly dramatic drama, no words were needed.  We hug each other for a long time.

Yes, it was her, my partner in crime during my heyday.

JC, my bff which I have not seen for 20 years.

We did the most craziest things together and throwing cautious to the wind was our norm.

We share so many laughter and tears together.

Soon we started to drift apart as each of us have different commitments.

Losing each other in the rat race is no surprise at all in this world and that was 20 years ago.

Now, we have discard our party girl's image and has become wife's and mother's.

We introduce our daughters to each other and her girl is 1 years younger than mine but of course we wouldn't tell them mommy has been naughty last time.

WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE

The gaming bug has got the better of me.

No thanks to so many options on the Internet, I am now submerging myself deeper into the world of web not with a good cause.

I used to nag my daughter on her gaming habit.  Ha...guess who deserved to be nagged now.

I am not the only guilty one here.

Rich uncle and his wife has also been beaten by the bug.

He has make better use of his Ipad other than skyping now.

He has been diligently keeping up with his solitaire everyday, be it during dinner time or bedtime.

He would not leave the Ipad out of his sight and his wife has no way of laying a teeny-weeny finger on the gadget.

So Ipad 3 came into the picture.

Now husband and wife are happily gaming away.

It is a blessing in disguise as they are so caught-up with the game there is no time to quarrel.

Now that my daughter has weaned herself from playing Internet games not because of my effective nagging but she has other interest now and mommy is taking over the rein.

I was somehow relief when I saw an article in the newspaper reporting that actually certain Internet games can delay the onset on dementia in older people (but of course I am not in that category yet).

On that faithful day, I happily started playing my favorite game for unkempt hours until I could see stars dancing before me and I can feel my head weighing more than a ton of cement.

It may be true that playing intelligent game may be good for the brain, but they forgot to warn you that after playing for a long time, you will need a pair of new glasses and also extra stock of paracetamol in the medicine box.

I used to be very judgemental about kids spending long hours playing games on the Internet but I have to keep my critics to myself or it is equally like the pot calling the kettle black.

And my long absence from writing on this blog is also due to my game addiction but today I know I must not let the machine eat up my poor soul.

I practically have to tear myself away from the mean machine and I am glad that I am in full control of myself again....hopefully for as long as my craving does not accept defeat.

To all you gamers out there...good luck!

HELLO & GOODBYE MY DEAR FRIEND....

I have known Val for 30 years. We were both sweet 18 when we first became colleague and were wide eyed innocent and giggling girlish.

Val took me on my first scooter ride around the city in her bike. It was really scary for me but to Val, it was fun.

I was always the timid one while Val is loud and outspoken and I have always admire her courage.

Time moves on, we went our separate ways.

She has found her Prince Charming and together they have 2 lovely children but life was not easy for her.

Recession wreak their family apart and ill health befell  her.

She was diagnosis with a weak heart condition which require her to go for a heart transplant but brave Val refuse to let her live be compromised further because if she goes through the surgery, she will only have a 50 percent survival rate and she would not let her children lost their mother.

Val shouldered on with a weak heart and a job retrenchment without the support of her spouse.

I thought luck was on her side when her application for migration to America was approved.

We bid each other goodbye and I wish her luck but lady luck has never been on Val side.

This time she was diagnosed with breast cancer and coupled with a weak heart, I pray hard for her to fight on and being a survival, I know she would.

She came back to Malaysia after her surgery to settle some of her personal issues and I was happy she accepted my offer to let me take care of her.

Once again like yesteryear, we were like the bubbly girls 30 years ago, sharing our life story and reminiscing our time together when we were young and carefree.

On the morning of 17th February 2012, Val went back to America.

My heart aches when we bid farewell again for the second time and my thoughts is of sadness to see a good friend suffers so much pain. +National Breast Cancer Foundation

Goodbye my dear friend and take good care of yourself. @valerieaylim@hotmail.com

A LEAP..ING BIRTHDAY PARTY

Sugar, spice and everything nice...sounds so right for cakes & little girls..

My daughter decided to celebrate her belated birthday with her classmate during this first term school holiday in the house.

KarMun with her cousin...the party organiser

Sunday was chosen as the auspicious day and Baskin & Robbins ice cream cake is a must on the birthday list, not to mentioned the new HP laptop that was given to her on 29th February.

She has also gone through the food menu with me which is of course her all time favorite, KFC, chicken nuggets, french fries, garlic bread and lots and lots of carbonated drinks.

Sounds like an unhealthy menu but honestly, what is a kids party without all these food?

Her friends started streaming in at about 2.00pm and by 3.00pm, almost everybody has arrived.

I was somehow intimated  by them although there are only 10 of them. Could be due to the fact that we are a one child policy family.

But then again, I have my reason to prove myself right because when the party started, the innocent looking ones has turn into the guiltiest bandits of the wild west and the gentle of all gentlest becomes the wildest stallion I have ever seen.

Playing a game of pin the tail on the donkey...

Disorder and chaos is true definition for kids party, so true!

The magnitude of havoc of that day was unimaginative. I was into deep freeze looking at the human tornado whirling around me.

And mummy and daddy are expected to act like angels of the day. We are like the most loving parents on earth that commit murder with a smiles on our face.

Of course, we have almost everything under control by roping in one of the meanest cousin's to hold the rein for the day.

The moment has arrived....

The long awaited 7.00pm closing time has finally arrived with one silly boy having a cut on his arm trying to look pretty sitting on the basin not knowing that he is heavier than the poor little thing.

With the last of the kids bidding goodbye, it is time for cleaning up all the grimes and traces of food deposited on the surface on this side of earth by dirty little hands and feet.

Tomorrow the plumber will be having a good time fixing the basin and filling up his pocket.

All's well said and done, it is also a birthday celebrated with fun and merriment and I am sure the next leap year will not be the same.

Happy leaper leap birthday Kar Mun...

29th February...A Nostalgic Day In My Life

Twelve years ago on this very same day, I was awaken at 7.00am in the morning because I was soaking wet in my pants. Thinking that I have wee in my pants, I got up from bed unbelievable and still in dreamland only to realize that my water bag has burst and the baby is coming any time which is unexpected as the due date given by the doctor is 15th March 2000!

Panicky and inexperience, my husband call the doctor and was told to calm down but we have to be in the hospital as soon as we can.

Trying to be as calmed as a cat, I took a quick bath and pack whatever is needed.

We arrived at the hospital at about 9.00am and I was immediately wheeled into the labor room with my husband by my side.

Scared and at the same time feeling excited, I try to follow the instruction given by the doctor in order to have a safe and easy delivery although it is not as simple as it seems.

My first contraction came at 11.00am. It was the most excruciating pain I have ever felt in my life and with an interval of two hours, the pain comes on again.

As the morning stretched into noon, the interval of the pain becomes shorter and I was beginning to feel exhausted. 

By this time, the doctor told me that if the baby does not come by 5.00pm, he will have to do a cesarean on me.

More panic feelings sets in.

There is no way I am going to go through that as I have always wanted to have a natural birth and I am determine to do it.

Taking in another deep breath, I apply the breathing techniques of pushing again, push.....heave...ho..arrrrg... for another 2 agonizing hours without realizing that I was grasping my husband fingers so tightly until he does not feel his own hands anymore. I have to give credit to him for going through the pain with me.

Finally the baby arrived at 7.35pm and my husband was with me to witness the birth of our baby.  It was the most emotional moments of my life when I feel her coming out of me.

Her first whimpers, her first cries will always be imprinted in my brain.

Those tiny fingers curling around my own makes my heart cries out in joy.

We name our little precious gift Kar Mun and she is born on this special leap day of  29th February 2000.

Today she is 12 years old and she has filled our lives with so many happy days with her countless little ways.

No words can describe the warm memories, the pride and the gratitude that comes from having a daughter.

Happy Birthday .. my princess...

February 2012 is ending soon.

It is only just like yesterday that we have celebrated Chinese New Year.

I still have cookies and mandarin orange in the house to remind me of Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year has always been an exciting festival for me although we celebrate it with the same people every year.

It is an occasion for bonding with loved ones. I have always enjoyed visiting relatives and tasting all the different cookies and attending open house.

On the eve of Chinese New Year, our reunion dinner has always been shared with my sister-in-law and their families. Each of us will cook one or two of our signature dish and we will take turn to held the dinner in different house every year.

On day one of Chinese New Year, it is like marathon visiting all my sister-in-law again even though we have just bid goodnight a couple of hours ago after reunion dinner. And the day is never complete without our favorite CNY black jack gambling.

On day two is a busy day for me. It is my turn to have open house for everybody and it has been a yearly tradition. Despite all the preparation and madness of cooking, I have always enjoyed the festive atmosphere in our quiet house.

I will normally have the entire third day of Chinese New Year to myself. This is the only available day that I get to spend with my siblings and mom. It is also one of the days where we will be keeping ourselves undated about everyone and everything. Plainly speaking, gossiping...

Although I have been celebrating Chinese New Year for 50 years, it still excites and thrill me each time. The nostalgic memories of childhood, new clothes, angpows and all the goodies that we are blessed with.

I will treasure this happy occasion that I get to share with all this wonderful people and look forward to many more happy years to come.