InTheAir

It's hard to stay calm and not be unduly worried when there's constant bombardment of the latest figures, developments and severity on the media. It's in the air, travel 1st class in the lungs, it'll arrive here eventually. MexicanSwineFlu

Sugar&Spice

Of late, my new interest is getting more interesting/fattening. Found this unusual buttermilk spice cake recipe while browsing. Made a quick check and to my delight, I had all the ingredients. Curiosity had me started on the recipe immediately. Had to 1st check on how to make the buttermilk though. The batter wafted fragrant spices of nutmeg, cinnamon......

After an hour, a soft and light cake wtih a whiff of middle eastern aroma, to go with a cup of coffee.

とんとろねぎ

When having dinner at a Japanese Restaurant, it has to be sashimi or anything raw. It's a place I feel comfortable eating seafood raw. Something I don't prepare. Enjoyed a meal of Don toronegi, minced fatty fresh tuna belly on a bed of rice top generously with spring Onions@TanPoPo.

ColourTemptation

When Greedy Green invades, it leaves a trail of tainted linens. The habit white and definately not the saffron robe nor the golden foundation can withstand such powerful alluring Green.

OrangeBerry Loaf

With 30g butter, One large egg, 1/4 cup oats, 3/4 cup orange juice and a cup full of cranberries & blueberries. This is definately a healthier breakfast loaf for Youngest as she noshed a slice while reading a story book this morning.

Hot day Cold soba

IMG_1602
In my opinion, soba is best eaten cold. A satisfying lunch@Shimbashi Paragon of cold soba with vegetable and tempura mushroom on a very hot sweltering Mon afternoon.

SwimmingLadies

Learnt swimming at 19, with brother at the CSC from a Mr Lim Boon Lee. The tallest of the cohort. Overcame my awkardness(being the oldest) by reassuring myself that I knew no one and no one knew me at the pool. That was how I had the courage to learn.

Last evening, I saw two ladies in the 60s having lessons in the pool. I'm impressed.

TeaCake

Just like how mum made it. Banana cake for tea. My thanks to SAHM for sharing this recipe with me.

A Grand's Joy

Beaming with delight he announced. Another grandchild on the way. Three grand daugthers just as he hoped for.

A boy would complete the picture perfect family but he begs to differ.

To grandpa, granddaughters are charming & cheerful with quiet disposition. Simply enjoyable to read and spent time in the park or just splashing in the pool

To grandma, they are just adorable and genial. A pleasure to play and teach them. From observation and personal experience, it's usually the daughters that read mum's mind like an open book. She is closer to the parents and are normally sought after for advise on family matters. So much easier to confide in.

To mum, daughters bring immeasureable joy. Joy of dressing her in frilly frocks. Tying her tresses in pink ribbons. So much girl things to do together.

To dad, it's her sweet smile and innocence eyes that melt his heart. Though quietly he would like to have a son, Just like him. To show him the joy of growing up.

After all he too was just as charming, cute, innocent cheerful, lovable and most of all an obedient and filial son.

YasminAhmad

Was too startled to catch what she said. Flash on the screen, a funeral eulogy in progress. The bereaved wife talking about her late husband's sleeping habits. Then on reading the papers, I understood. The director behind this advertisment and the other on the doting father, is a malaysian lady Yasmin Ahmad. She was approached by MCYS on the recommendation of PM Lee Hsien Loong, who had seen her series of family and racial harmony commercials done for Msian oil company Petronas. Had a quick browse on Youtube. Her advertisments done with the asian touch that only we understands. Heart warming messages. Her films deal mainly around the inter-racial/faith relationships. A sensitive subject to be broach with caution.

Changing

DrT has been attending to all our sniffs and colds since before the children came along. His medications, colourful syrups in plastic opaque bottles. Black for coughs, yellow, green or orange for running nose or fever. Tummy upset, then it's kaolin. A very old-fashion traditional medicineMan. There was a time when his prescription gave me itchy eye(adversed reaction to the eye drop) eldest's eyeball rolling(adversed reaction to the vomit medication) misdiagnosed my cough/fever(on my mycoplasma pneumonia), a hepatitis jab for my mum that left her with a blueblack mark for weeks, and with the latest, oversight, of an acute appendicitis. To err is human, to forgive divine. DrT is in his 60s, a jovial optimistic man. However with the latest episode, we are changing our family doctor.

WalkingPneumonia

The pages of 'MindYourBody' last week, wrote about mycoplasma pneumonia.
One evening as we were about to enter the cinema to watch the much anticipated BatMan 'Begins' I suddenly felt cold. Muffled a few coughs & feeling really uncomfortable that evening. . Little did I know, I was having a fever, when hours before, I had felt fine. Next morning, fearing the worst, Dengue fever, I visited the GP and had a blood test done. Returned home with flu medication. Result came back negative but the fever raged on with dry hacking coughs for the next 4 days & 2 visits to the GP. The lungs sounded clear but, doctor friend seriously insisted & arranged for an X-ray. Shock to discover white patches in the lungs. Immediately an appointment was made with a chest specialist. He was so sure of his suspicion that I was immediately put on two antibiotic for mycoplasma. Later, the sputum test comfirmed. Do not take any coughs with fever lightly as this bacteria attacked silently. A walking Pneumonia

LostFriend

Secretly I envy women who, after eon years still meet up and stay in touch with their childhood/primary through JC girlfriends. They hold no barriers and hide no secrets. I drifted through primary, secondary then 6th forms without making any lasting friendships. Communication channels were limited then. Mostly by snail mail. Phones were not a fixed fixture in every household. Best friends were normally those staying around the neighbourhood. Mine was Patricia H/well. Knew her since 9. We spent our school holidays cycling, once from AyerItam to GurneyDrive, outing or just chatting at each others' home. At 14, her parents' divorced, she left with her dad to Kapit, Sarawak. Slowly our friendship waned. Every new learning instituition/workplace brings into my life new acquaintance. We met up after an absence of 10 years at my brother's wedding. The wedding ironically also made us distantly related. Though we talked incessantly, the comfort feeling was not there anymore. We never saw each other again.

OliveOliver

Read in the papers. Latest arrival, Petal Blossom Rainbow together with Poppy Honey and Daisy Boo make JamieOliver a proud father of three darling daughters with the cutest name around. The teacher will have a hard time keeping a stern look calling out those names. Unusual but better choice than picking names from the periodic Table.

SuturesYarn

Eldest had her stitches removed last friday. Puzzled, I asked.
The doctor was not truthful or was he? When questioned, on why the sutures were not dissolvable, he explained. The appendicitomy is a 'dirty operation' as such, stitches has to be done individually. (Dirty? In case it has to be undone to clean up the mess? Then the surgeon is incompetent!) Dissolvable sutures is done in continuous stitch. (But it was not a perforated appendictis). I question no further but on pondering, his explanation left me more confused. Was he spinning yarn?

CarrotCarotene

1st attempt on making a CarrotCake with the recipe compliments from Yochana's great baking site. A must try for beginners. Stir in without much fuss. Next on the list, my favourite, banana cake/bread. First I need to find a reliable recipe.

TheGreatUnknown

Of late more is being written on dying. And very timely too. Most spent a lifetime on how to live well but not many really know how to die well. A taboo subject to most, especially the older generation. Don't want to know or don't care to know. In the saturday's Special Report, it's on facing reality, planning and dying well. Watched on YouTube with admiration, how positively Randy Pausch view his condition and then prepared his last lecture, a final legacy for his children. Closer to home, ShinNa blogged about her final journey. How she prepared her children, aged 3 and 6 of her eventual departure.

According to poll done by NgeeAnnPoly, the top three fears about dying is being a burden to family and friends. The other, medical cost and pain.

As Dr Ong Kian Chung puts it, in many cases, most next of kins would want to do the utmost to salvage a hopeless situation resulting in unnecessary prolong suffering. A classic case of "paliating the relatives, rather than the patients"

Advice given from LeePohWahCeo of LienFoundation

*Don't maintain a conspiracy of silence.

Avoidance and denial of death may lead to lifelong regret, unresolved guilt and prolonged grief

for those who live on.

*Don't busy yourself fighting death, instead of living. Quality rather than quantity.

*Seek help from hospice palliative care services.

It takes alot of courage and preparation to go on a solo one way ticket adventure to the great unknown without a stitch.