闷在心里好几个月，独自苦恼、独自烦。
现在，得到了启示，想通了。。。。
别再自转牛角尖，自己辛苦，没人管。
心结解开了，仿佛重生了一样。
快乐与否、烦恼与否，不是自己看着办？
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
WF is 6!
One of the most significant events, if not the most significant event, in August every year is WF's birthday.
Party at CH School
WF celebrated his 6th birthday in CH School on the eve of his birthday this year. It so happened that M also had her appointment at the ENT Clinic at SGH that morning, so I took the morning off to accompany her there. After that, I went in to office before going off soon again after lunch with my colleague.
R went to work in the morning but took the afternoon off to join in the celebration. WY was there, too, after he had returned to CH School after taking his CA2 CL Oral exam in KHS that morning. M declined to come because she would have no patience with the waiting etc.
As was done last year, we made WF's celebration in CH School a very exciting time for everyone in the school. It isn't so much as we want to 'show off' or 'make it a habit' for WF to enjoy 'grand bd celebrations' all the time, but more importantly, we want WF's final birthday celebration in CH School to be as memorable as possible - afterall, he will be bidding his teachers and friends goodbye at the end of this year because the K2's are all graduating this year and will be going on to their respective primary schools next year! :)
Also, we made the celebration a multi-purpose affair.
You see, the enrolment in the CH School this year is something like 150% of last year's crowd and so, we figured that a 2kg cake (which was what we bought last year) would not be enough for everyone. Going by what we know of the children's (especially WF and his K2 classmates') appetite for the fresh, soft and delicious chocolate sponge with blueberry filling cake from CreativeBake, we also guessed that even a 3kg (maximum size for non-customised orders) was unlikely to be sufficient.
So, eventually, I decided to get 2 cakes instead! One was a 3kg Transformer-design one and the other a 1.5kg 'boat-ful of animals' design one. And to kill 2 birds with one stone, I arranged for the message on the smaller cake to read 'Happy Teachers' Day!'.
Hence, 'multi-purpose'. :)
The gifts for WF's classmates in the K2 class comprised a packet of milo premix and some Oreo biscuits wrapped prettily in an Ikea plastic mug. The younger children in other classes got some Munchy biscuits and 2 candies, with no mug.
The Teachers' Day gift was a simple Ikea vase, which we decorated with some pebbles, also from Ikea.
When we arrived at CH School, the children were just getting up from their afternoon nap. The teachers organised the children at the assembly area. Everyone sang our birthday boy the birthday song (in English, then Chinese and then Malay). WF cut his cake shyly, followed by the teachers cutting theirs.
Whilst the Chinese teacher (this is usually a privilege reserved for the form teacher but since the former teacher had been away on medical leave, the job was given to the Chinese teacher instead) helped to cut the cake for distribution to the children in their respective classes (WY and his BASC friends helped), I got the K2's to pose for some photos. These small little ones were all so easy in front of the camera. See for yourself!
After the cakes have been distributed by WY and his BASC friends, the children tucked into their share and enjoyed themselves. Many asked for 2nd helpings, some even tried to 'chope' theirs before they finished their first serving!
After the cake, WY and WF handed out the vases to the teachers and staff. They all thanked us and those not in the classes with their charges, came over to say 'bye' when we left for home at about 4:30pm.
Party at CH School
WF celebrated his 6th birthday in CH School on the eve of his birthday this year. It so happened that M also had her appointment at the ENT Clinic at SGH that morning, so I took the morning off to accompany her there. After that, I went in to office before going off soon again after lunch with my colleague.
R went to work in the morning but took the afternoon off to join in the celebration. WY was there, too, after he had returned to CH School after taking his CA2 CL Oral exam in KHS that morning. M declined to come because she would have no patience with the waiting etc.
As was done last year, we made WF's celebration in CH School a very exciting time for everyone in the school. It isn't so much as we want to 'show off' or 'make it a habit' for WF to enjoy 'grand bd celebrations' all the time, but more importantly, we want WF's final birthday celebration in CH School to be as memorable as possible - afterall, he will be bidding his teachers and friends goodbye at the end of this year because the K2's are all graduating this year and will be going on to their respective primary schools next year! :)
Also, we made the celebration a multi-purpose affair.
You see, the enrolment in the CH School this year is something like 150% of last year's crowd and so, we figured that a 2kg cake (which was what we bought last year) would not be enough for everyone. Going by what we know of the children's (especially WF and his K2 classmates') appetite for the fresh, soft and delicious chocolate sponge with blueberry filling cake from CreativeBake, we also guessed that even a 3kg (maximum size for non-customised orders) was unlikely to be sufficient.
So, eventually, I decided to get 2 cakes instead! One was a 3kg Transformer-design one and the other a 1.5kg 'boat-ful of animals' design one. And to kill 2 birds with one stone, I arranged for the message on the smaller cake to read 'Happy Teachers' Day!'.
Hence, 'multi-purpose'. :)
The gifts for WF's classmates in the K2 class comprised a packet of milo premix and some Oreo biscuits wrapped prettily in an Ikea plastic mug. The younger children in other classes got some Munchy biscuits and 2 candies, with no mug.
The Teachers' Day gift was a simple Ikea vase, which we decorated with some pebbles, also from Ikea.
When we arrived at CH School, the children were just getting up from their afternoon nap. The teachers organised the children at the assembly area. Everyone sang our birthday boy the birthday song (in English, then Chinese and then Malay). WF cut his cake shyly, followed by the teachers cutting theirs.
Whilst the Chinese teacher (this is usually a privilege reserved for the form teacher but since the former teacher had been away on medical leave, the job was given to the Chinese teacher instead) helped to cut the cake for distribution to the children in their respective classes (WY and his BASC friends helped), I got the K2's to pose for some photos. These small little ones were all so easy in front of the camera. See for yourself!
After the cakes have been distributed by WY and his BASC friends, the children tucked into their share and enjoyed themselves. Many asked for 2nd helpings, some even tried to 'chope' theirs before they finished their first serving!
After the cake, WY and WF handed out the vases to the teachers and staff. They all thanked us and those not in the classes with their charges, came over to say 'bye' when we left for home at about 4:30pm.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
I Just Wonder
If I have no mortgage loan to service, but I do not work, in today's terms, how much money will 'I' need to survive 'decently'?
Let's see:
Utility bills = about $80 (with a generous buffer, in case on some days I cannot stand the heat and need to cool myself using the aircon overnight)
+
Breakfast = about $50 (maybe some days I need to take a break from the plain white bread that I have to contend with almost all the time, so I treat myself to a packet of fried carrot cakes or some kueh-kueh)
+
Lunch = $150 (maybe some days I feel the urge to order a fish dish - which can cost $2-$3 by itself - because I get sick of the white rice plus vegetable plus tofu combination)
+
Dinner = $150 (catered, so it's more convenient for me because I don't have to hide from the scorching afternoon sun everyday or brave the heavy rain which comes on every other week)
+
Subscription to newspapers = $25 (in case some days I feel like buying a special edition or a magazine, I will have about $3 to play with)
+
Some small indulgences = $50 (maybe I need to service my spectacles, or maybe I need to replace my worn-out socks or t-shirt etc, or maybe I need to take a taxi because it is raining or because I am really so tired walking when I go to see the doctor)
+
Medical bills = ?? (this can be anything ranging from $25 for a GP consultation because I have a cold/cough/fever to $? for follow-up visits to the group of different specialists who look after different aspects of my health)
Are you surprised at the aggregate? Sigh.
Let's see:
Utility bills = about $80 (with a generous buffer, in case on some days I cannot stand the heat and need to cool myself using the aircon overnight)
+
Breakfast = about $50 (maybe some days I need to take a break from the plain white bread that I have to contend with almost all the time, so I treat myself to a packet of fried carrot cakes or some kueh-kueh)
+
Lunch = $150 (maybe some days I feel the urge to order a fish dish - which can cost $2-$3 by itself - because I get sick of the white rice plus vegetable plus tofu combination)
+
Dinner = $150 (catered, so it's more convenient for me because I don't have to hide from the scorching afternoon sun everyday or brave the heavy rain which comes on every other week)
+
Subscription to newspapers = $25 (in case some days I feel like buying a special edition or a magazine, I will have about $3 to play with)
+
Some small indulgences = $50 (maybe I need to service my spectacles, or maybe I need to replace my worn-out socks or t-shirt etc, or maybe I need to take a taxi because it is raining or because I am really so tired walking when I go to see the doctor)
+
Medical bills = ?? (this can be anything ranging from $25 for a GP consultation because I have a cold/cough/fever to $? for follow-up visits to the group of different specialists who look after different aspects of my health)
Are you surprised at the aggregate? Sigh.
The 'E' in ENT - Part 2
During the Deepavali holiday, CP and WY were poring over the past year exam papers to prepare for WY's year-end exams when M started to feel giddy as she got up from the floor. She had been watching tv.
All that we could do was to help make sure she didn't fall etc. M moved to her bedroom and rested. The giddiness eased off only much later in the evening.
The following day, CP took leave to run some errands in the morning. In the afternoon, she accompanied M to People's Park to visit a different Chinese physician whom M's friend had 'strongly recommended'. This physician holds some 'doctorate' TCM qualifications and is supposedly very experienced.
The physician said that M's blood circulation needs to be improved, and it is because the blood flow is weak and cannot reach her head that she experiences the giddiness and nausea. So his suggested treatment was to build up the body strength. He gave M 3 packs of herbal stuff to boil and drink to '补血'. M did so with the 1st pack.
The next morning, however, M woke up and complaint that her right ear was 'blocked'. I imagine this was something like what we would usually feel if water has gone into our ear during a swim etc.
She was rather uncomfortable, but proceeded with her morning exercise and marketing trip nevertheless. But alas, when she returned at 7+ am, she told us that she had begun to feel unwell and fortunately, a friend was with her. Her friend, on seeing her 'condition', had walked her to our block before returning home when they were done with their exercises.
It turned out that that friend of M's does not believe in TCM and Chinese physicians. So she urged M to consult a western medicine doctor instead and offered to accompany her there.
M thought about it a while and decided to pay the ENT specialist at Parklane Mall another visit. So after M had a quick shower as we got WF ready for school, we all set off together. First, we picked up M's friend and then sent WF to school. After that, we proceeded to Selegie and dropped off the 2 elderly ladies at Parklane Mall. M insisted that she did not need either R or me to go along.
About an hour later, M called me in office and updated that the doctor had observed that the '胫' (hokkien: "goon") in her right ear seemed enlarged. M did not 'dare' to tell the doctor that she had taken the herbal concoction earlier. The doctor gave M some medicines. M felt the ear 'un-blocked' after that and there was no more giddiness. She felt much better after that.
Yesterday, M went on her follow-up appointment with the ENT Clinic at SGH. This time, she was seen by a relatively inexperienced Registrar (just graduated kind of young doctor). Senior Consultant directed M, a subsidized patient, to the young doctor at the end of our 1st consultation at the ENT Clinic - can understand why, lor. 什么医者父母心，骗人的！我说，他们是看有钱、没钱之心！！)
The Registrar conducted some hearing tests with some kind of tuning fork and found that M couldn't pick up the sound when the fork was placed behind her right ear! The hearing on the front and on all sides of the left year was fine.
So the Registrar ordered an MRI scan for M. This is scheduled to be on 12 Nov. A fortnight later, the Registrar would review the results with M.
R and I have arranged - R will accompany M to the scan whilst I will go with M to review the results. We hope everything's all right.
All that we could do was to help make sure she didn't fall etc. M moved to her bedroom and rested. The giddiness eased off only much later in the evening.
The following day, CP took leave to run some errands in the morning. In the afternoon, she accompanied M to People's Park to visit a different Chinese physician whom M's friend had 'strongly recommended'. This physician holds some 'doctorate' TCM qualifications and is supposedly very experienced.
The physician said that M's blood circulation needs to be improved, and it is because the blood flow is weak and cannot reach her head that she experiences the giddiness and nausea. So his suggested treatment was to build up the body strength. He gave M 3 packs of herbal stuff to boil and drink to '补血'. M did so with the 1st pack.
The next morning, however, M woke up and complaint that her right ear was 'blocked'. I imagine this was something like what we would usually feel if water has gone into our ear during a swim etc.
She was rather uncomfortable, but proceeded with her morning exercise and marketing trip nevertheless. But alas, when she returned at 7+ am, she told us that she had begun to feel unwell and fortunately, a friend was with her. Her friend, on seeing her 'condition', had walked her to our block before returning home when they were done with their exercises.
It turned out that that friend of M's does not believe in TCM and Chinese physicians. So she urged M to consult a western medicine doctor instead and offered to accompany her there.
M thought about it a while and decided to pay the ENT specialist at Parklane Mall another visit. So after M had a quick shower as we got WF ready for school, we all set off together. First, we picked up M's friend and then sent WF to school. After that, we proceeded to Selegie and dropped off the 2 elderly ladies at Parklane Mall. M insisted that she did not need either R or me to go along.
About an hour later, M called me in office and updated that the doctor had observed that the '胫' (hokkien: "goon") in her right ear seemed enlarged. M did not 'dare' to tell the doctor that she had taken the herbal concoction earlier. The doctor gave M some medicines. M felt the ear 'un-blocked' after that and there was no more giddiness. She felt much better after that.
Yesterday, M went on her follow-up appointment with the ENT Clinic at SGH. This time, she was seen by a relatively inexperienced Registrar (just graduated kind of young doctor). Senior Consultant directed M, a subsidized patient, to the young doctor at the end of our 1st consultation at the ENT Clinic - can understand why, lor. 什么医者父母心，骗人的！我说，他们是看有钱、没钱之心！！)
The Registrar conducted some hearing tests with some kind of tuning fork and found that M couldn't pick up the sound when the fork was placed behind her right ear! The hearing on the front and on all sides of the left year was fine.
So the Registrar ordered an MRI scan for M. This is scheduled to be on 12 Nov. A fortnight later, the Registrar would review the results with M.
R and I have arranged - R will accompany M to the scan whilst I will go with M to review the results. We hope everything's all right.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The 'E' in ENT - Part 1
In the past 2-3 months, M has started to have dizzy spells every now and then. And these giddy attacks have had such impact on everything, it's really quite worrying.
Amongst the earliest of these attacks in these recent months were:
1) several mornings when I would wake up at 5:30am to find her sitting upright on the sofa, sometimes awake and other times snoozing away;
2) several mornings when she would return from her morning exercise/marketing trips in a 'dazed' and uncomfortable state, almost always heading to the toilet for a quick shower before slumbing onto the sofa or onto her bed, not daring to open her eyes because the room would be 'spinning';
3) several times (including one morning, barely 10 minutes after I reached my office) when I had to rush home from work because M was feeling so terribly unwell that she called and asked in her most feeble voice, “LP 啊！我不知道为什么，头又晕起来了。我看你不可以去做工了！很要紧啊！”;
4) twice when she asked for housecall by that B51 Quack - once 'successfully' (B51 Quack 'happy' only!) and once not, because on that latter occasion, I managed to persuade M to go with R to the A&E instead for a more thorough check (the A&E doctors found nothing wrong after keeping her for observation for the entire afternoon that day, then sending her home with a referral to the ENT Specialist Clinic a week later);
5) at the ENT Clinic at SGH, M underwent some hearing tests and was given the all-green. The Senior Consultant examined M's ears and found nothing abnormal. He explained that our sense of balance ususally deteriorates with age and unless the giddiness persists continuously for 6 months or so, there is not need to go for further investigations or detailed scans. M was given biloba, which she took;
6) one day when M suddenly remembered that there is one 'very good' ENT specialist at Parklane Mall who had resolved her post-nsal drip problem, so R accompanied her there for a consultation. The doctor said that there was nothing wrong;
7) several times when she visited a Chinese physician at a community clinic run by the Buddhist Lodge - the Chinese physician concluded that M had a weak digestive system and that is why the 'gas' from the system would give rise to some 'pressure' which then travels upwards to the sensory organs in her ears and thereby causing her to feel giddy and nauseous - the recommended treatment is to strengthen the digestive system (with some medicine prescribed by that Chinese physician) and once this is achieved, the giddiness will 'automatically' go away or be reduced.
For several weeks, M religiously took the medicines to strengthen her stomach. Things went ok and all seemed well and good, until Deepavali.
That day, M was sitting on the floor to watch her tv programme in the living room while CP and WY were poring over some past-year exam papers. Then, as M stood up, she suddenly felt an acute sense of imbalance. And then, the 'spinning room' syndrome returned. With vengence.
Amongst the earliest of these attacks in these recent months were:
1) several mornings when I would wake up at 5:30am to find her sitting upright on the sofa, sometimes awake and other times snoozing away;
2) several mornings when she would return from her morning exercise/marketing trips in a 'dazed' and uncomfortable state, almost always heading to the toilet for a quick shower before slumbing onto the sofa or onto her bed, not daring to open her eyes because the room would be 'spinning';
3) several times (including one morning, barely 10 minutes after I reached my office) when I had to rush home from work because M was feeling so terribly unwell that she called and asked in her most feeble voice, “LP 啊！我不知道为什么，头又晕起来了。我看你不可以去做工了！很要紧啊！”;
4) twice when she asked for housecall by that B51 Quack - once 'successfully' (B51 Quack 'happy' only!) and once not, because on that latter occasion, I managed to persuade M to go with R to the A&E instead for a more thorough check (the A&E doctors found nothing wrong after keeping her for observation for the entire afternoon that day, then sending her home with a referral to the ENT Specialist Clinic a week later);
5) at the ENT Clinic at SGH, M underwent some hearing tests and was given the all-green. The Senior Consultant examined M's ears and found nothing abnormal. He explained that our sense of balance ususally deteriorates with age and unless the giddiness persists continuously for 6 months or so, there is not need to go for further investigations or detailed scans. M was given biloba, which she took;
6) one day when M suddenly remembered that there is one 'very good' ENT specialist at Parklane Mall who had resolved her post-nsal drip problem, so R accompanied her there for a consultation. The doctor said that there was nothing wrong;
7) several times when she visited a Chinese physician at a community clinic run by the Buddhist Lodge - the Chinese physician concluded that M had a weak digestive system and that is why the 'gas' from the system would give rise to some 'pressure' which then travels upwards to the sensory organs in her ears and thereby causing her to feel giddy and nauseous - the recommended treatment is to strengthen the digestive system (with some medicine prescribed by that Chinese physician) and once this is achieved, the giddiness will 'automatically' go away or be reduced.
For several weeks, M religiously took the medicines to strengthen her stomach. Things went ok and all seemed well and good, until Deepavali.
That day, M was sitting on the floor to watch her tv programme in the living room while CP and WY were poring over some past-year exam papers. Then, as M stood up, she suddenly felt an acute sense of imbalance. And then, the 'spinning room' syndrome returned. With vengence.
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