Worry pattern

October 31, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

My worry pattern has changed in recent years. Now, I seem to worry more about people I care for, and situations and events I cannot control or have no influence over. The latter makes little sense but what to do. I am on a constant worry mode with regards to my mum. An unusually high […]

Birthdays are fun

October 17, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s my husband’s birthday today. We are celebrating the special day at Tanjung Jara resort. One of our top five favourite places for special occasions. Sitting on a verandah in a chalet built over a small river with fish and monitor lizards. Not on a balcony on the 30th floor of a condominium block. Looking […]

Mum and baby care

October 10, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

My mum is a library of stories. She has plenty to share. Some long. Some disjointed. Some snippets. Mostly, I am happy to listen to her narrate the stories. And, many a times, I have thought, ‘I didn’t know that.’ Out of the blue (she does it quite often these days), my mum spoke about […]

Turning 89

September 26, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

My mum turns 89 tomorrow. A milestone, and an achievement. Especially considering the tough year the old girl has had. Gratefully, through most of it, she has managed to remain curious, chatty, and alert. Yay. I like birthdays. Cake or cakes, presents, balloons, decorations. Fuss and focus on number 1. What’s there not to like? […]

5-2 week

September 12, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’ve had a 5-2 week for the last seven weeks. 5N/5D at my mum’s and 2N/2D with my husband. Sounds like a holiday or travel package. Not quite. I live with my mum at her condo 5N/5D. My week with her starts on Sunday at 9pm and ends on Friday at 9pm. Brothers number 1 […]

Hand-written diary

September 5, 2022.Reading time 7 minutes.

I stumbled upon my 2020 diary, a 2019 Christmas present from sister number 1. I was pleasantly surprised to find my touch-and-feel interactive diary, in amongst my other notebooks. Yes, notebooks that I used to write in and catalogue holidays. It feels strange even saying it. These days, I might scribble a reminder, a grocery […]

A year on

August 29, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s August 2022. A year on and my mum is coming along as well as can be expected. I am super grateful. This time last year, my mum’s health took a turn. It all began after she had fallen off her queen-sized bed on 10 August. As she sat on the floor at the foot […]

Learning

August 22, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

I Googled the respiratory, pulmonary and circulatory systems. I think I learnt a fair bit from various websites about how the three systems keep me ticking along. Nothing warranted the online search. I did it out of interest. Strangely, that made me think about my school days, and biology. And, other subjects that I studied […]

Driving

July 25, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

I usually drive. My husband navigates. That’s our standard arrangement when we drive anywhere, and when we are on holiday – local and foreign. I prefer driving as it gives me something to do. I get fidgety and bored, otherwise. It was no different during our last holiday. We picked up a rental from the […]

Saudia

July 18, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

My husband and I are safely home. Our bags, all 3, arrived safely with us. Big relief. Four weeks ago, we flew to London, my first trip abroad since 2019. I had written then that there were almost no seats and sky-high ticket prices on the 10 airlines that we had looked up. With no […]