Socks, Socks

This post is the result of 2 sock incidents this morning.

The children's socks are put on their chairs every morning, so that they can put it on after breakfast, and then leave for school.

The youngest came this morning to her seat, put her socks on the table, and started on her breakfast.

"Socks should NEVER be on the dining table," I told her.

She removed it from the table and continued with her breakfast.

After finishing her breakfast, she went: "Where are my socks?" and proceed to look for them under the table, and all around.

They were on her feet!!

Looks like you dont have to be old to be absentminded.

My son then came to the table, and whist eating his breakfast started stretching his socks. Stretch left, Stretch right, Stretch, Stretch, Stretch. Something which he does everyday before putting on his socks.

You see his school socks are super tight, as in they stick to his feet and ankles. I think it is because of the material used by the school. And despite all that washing, its elasticity has not been lost in any way unlike the other socks that I buy.

I then told him: why dont you go to the school co-op to get a bigger size.

"No way! It will be really weird if me the small guy goes and buys the large socks!!" Not sure if the sizing of the socks are wrong, but his socks are really tight, and he wears a medium, and yes! he is still quite small in size.

June 2012

A bitter sweet month, with no posts until this one.

My Mum was diagnosed with Breast cancer and had to do a mastectomy. A little hard for a lady to accept, but if its the best course of action, what can we do or say? Timing was bad, as the diagnosis was just before I left for my vacation. So the vacation was had with a heavy cloud hanging over my head.

A day before my mum was due to go in for her op, the dad of a good friend had a massive heart attack. Until now, he is still not out of the woods. Just heard that he caught pneumonia, and could pass on as a result of it :(

A friend's child (little Brave Heart) went in for her 3rd (and hopefully final) heart op. Still in ICU as of today.

I have friends visiting from New York, they come every year. But this year, they come too with a heavy heart. Because, I just heard that their Mum (she's in her 80s ) is also battling cancer, stage 3.

Prayer warriors out there - you have to work twice as hard. I know I did, and still am.

Looking on the bright side: I am now less stressed, what has to be done has now been done.

We had quite an enjoyable break in Japan! The weather was beautiful, food was good, and Tokyo was considerably less crowded compared to my previous trips there.

My husband was told he would be promoted, come 1 July. Looks like all that hard work and long hours have paid off.

We managed to catch Voyage De La Vie , a theatrical rock circus, before it closes in a few weeks time, and the best part - the tickets were complimentary!!

And yesterday, I finally baked. I have not baked for more than a month. Not with all the going on in and around the home, I just couldnt get myself to do something so indulgent. But, looks like I am back!! Hehheh!

Similarly my personal exercise regime of taichi and walks has been on the backburner for the same period of time. And this morning I got around to doing my taichi again. Hopefully next week I will get back to walking too!

I think I have had enough of bad news for the year. And with this post, I hope I have sunny days ahead. And may you too!!

Angels

When I first started blogging, my husband was so totally against it. Why are you writing things for all to read? He felt that I could have been exposing too much. I know he must have been thinking: what if people know who you are? where you live? know who your kids are? and as a result takes advantage of the information to put the family at risk.

But I continued blogging coz I felt I needed an outlet. Much to his chagrin.

But you know,I have made some of my current very good friends from here. Tho they may be miles away, they are always around to cheer me up, comfort me, encourage me, distract me, celebrate with me.

These people are real angels. Sent by God because he knows we relate better to other people, then to him sometimes. Coz when we ask and pray and do not get what we want, we wonder why? We do not realise that God does things in his time, and our timeline may be completely different from his. And he just leaves us to wait. Some times we wonder if he hadnt listen or if he is ignoring us.

But these good friends, they will respond almost immediately. May not be what we want to hear, but we still get an immediate response.

So I think he planted them in my life to keep me company, comfort and distract me whilst I await his response and action.

Thanks ladies, you know who you are, and I really appreciate it. *HUGS* Thanks for being here for me.

The Crabby Crab

I was born under the zodiac sign of Cancer. So that makes me a crab, tough on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside.

This crab has been feeling really crabby, and wants to crawl into its very own crab hole and shut the rest of the world out.

This crab doesnt know what to do, what questions to ask, what course of action to recommend, how to evaluate the best course of action to take, not what to say.

This crab would like to be able to pinch with its pincer and chase the enemy away. But it cant and doesnt know how!

But it still has to be strong, and put up a brave front. It's a role reversal now.

This crab is feeling this way because of that dreaded C.
(no, I do not have that dreaded C)

Secret Party

I believe she had been planning it for a while behind my back.

She only informed me the day her exams ended. In fact immediately after school, she couldnt wait to tell me that her friends "forced" her to host a party for them.

I was like: hmmm ... tell me more.

That she couldnt wait to do!

Her group of friends were going to come over to play this Sunday. And for those whose parents couldnt send them, I was to go pick them. And that's 2 of them. One at Upper Bulit Timah, and the other, I was to call her friend's mum for instructions on how to get to their place.

And why cant their parents send them. Because they live too far!!

And then she passed me a note from her friend with her address and phone number, including instructions on how to get to her home, and a map to boot!!

How could that have been planned in school after their last exam paper?

And then I had parents messaging me to ask if the "play date" was confirmed?

I was like: NO way!! I had to apologise to the parents that we were not able to host this weekend.

I really cant. We have had a long week, with Grandma's passing and funeral.

In addition, D herself has a performance this saturday evening, my two other children have open houses at their schools this saturday which they would be busy helping out, a dental appointment for teeth molds to be made for my son (he needs braces!!), on saturday too, and we are doing registration for cathecism next year at church this weekend for which I am helping out (since I couldnt help out last week due to Grandma's death),... and we all would like some do nothing except bump around time!!

AND, she also added that there was a friend who couldnt make it on Sunday, and so was coming the next day!!

Well, this morning when I dropped her off at school, I told her to tell all her friends that there was no party today, nor this weekend. We would let them know when we are organising one, and I would be the one that decides the day and time! No planning behind my back and without my knowledge.

Looks like this little one is going to be a handful when she grows older.

Living to a ripe old age

Both my grandmothers lived to a ripe old age ... beyond 90, and I was lucky to have had time with them. My grandfathers on the other hand both passed on before I was even born.


Just this past week, my husband lost his maternal grandmother. She had no major health issues except for her partial blindness cause by glaucoma, and weak knees. She led a healthy life, with simple food and prayer, not having seen a doctor for any health problems for more than 10 years (apart from the eye doctor). She was unfortunate to have caught the flu bug from her helper, which we believe may have caused her demise.


When we tried getting a doctor to come see her, as she was nursing a fever, most said they did not make house calls. Others said they only did house calls for their regular patients. Fortunately I remembered that an old school friend of mine had a husband who is a doctor. So I tried my luck. He came by to see her, only because of friendship sake. Looks like something really needs to be done to our healthcare system, especially with our aging population. It proves that if you have always been healthy, and have no need for a regular doctor, it will be very difficult to get one when you finally need one.


Due to her age, nothing much could be done, apart from treating her fever, which seemed reluctant to go away despite the medication. After 2 days, our uncles and aunties felt it was best to send her to the hospital. Surprisingly, she did not resist. She left for the hospital at around 5pm and that very night, at just past 11, she moved on to join her late husband.


A life of 97 years, with children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren!! No major illness, and passed on peacefully in her sleep. What more can anyone ask for? Much as we are sad to have her leave us, I believe we should be celebrating the wonderful life that she lived!


When its my turn to meet my maker, I would truly like to do it her way!


Rest in peace, Grandma! Eternal Rest grant unto her O Lord!

Dont fight!

That is something we frequently tell our kids.

Coz it breaks a Mum's heart when she sees her kids fighting!!

Just this morning, I reminded my little one to put on her watch before going to school. Her answer to me was: Why must I?

Had me scratching my head, coz everytime she forgets to put on her watch, she will moan and grumble about forgetting it. On top of that she has an exam today. SO I told her that it would help her tell the time and she would be able to pace herself for her exam.

She retorted: The classroom has a clock!

I have a feeling she got out on the wrong side of bed and was spoiling for a fight with me!! Dont you think?

Many recent cases of teens and young adults fighting over here in the little red dot. When they are unhappy with anything, they fight. Deaths have resulted. Young lives lost. More than one, coz one gets killed, and those that did it lose their life too (death sentence). So, fighting does no one any good.

So what I would recommend is: Go punch a sack, go run a mile (or two or even ten), go listen to some music, go shut yourself up in the room (clamp up), go eat some dessert,go scrub the toilet, mop the floor, iron some clothes, just go do something else. Just dont fight!! These are all better alternatives to fighting!!

And I also remind my son you dont have to fight to be a man. Real men are sensitive, compassionate, kind and thoughtful!