Palliative care

December 27, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

‘Alert and chatty’ is how the palliative care doctor describes my mum, in her log book, after her weekly and sometimes bi-weekly home visit. Positive and encouraging words. Optimistic adjectives. Happily, also true. My mum is sharp witted and cheeky with her answers and responses to questions and queries posed by her palliative team. She […]

Tis the season

December 6, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

Deepavali 2021 was a non-event for me. It was just another day on the calendar. I didn’t feel like it. I didn’t want to celebrate. I didn’t make any Indian cake or ‘palavaram’ associated with the festival. Even my mum was a little subdued due to her ailing health. Deepavali 2020 was much better. It was […]

One night holiday

November 29, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

My husband and I had a perfectly enjoyable one night holiday recently. Even my mum, who hasn’t left her condominium since the pandemic except for her vaccine appointments, suggested we stay a little longer in order to have a real break. She is right. It usually takes a day to sort of unwind and relax […]

Live-in or stay-out

November 15, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I never thought I’d have to resort to outside help for my mum. I prided myself on being able to care for her – when she needed it and for however long. Actually, that’s what sister number 4 and I had discussed on several occasions. We will take care of our mum, between us. Of […]

Terms and jargon

November 8, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I received this message when I tried to access my blogsite: ‘Login Issues Not Found. The Requested URL was found on this server. Additionally, a 404 Not Found Error was encountered while trying to use an Error Document to handle the request.’ I understood each standalone word but not together in the three statements respectively. […]

One Sunday

November 1, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’m busy every day. Busier than when I was working and getting paid a decent amount of money. I’m constantly chasing my tail. Always something to do. Always exhausted. So, what is it I’m doing? Why am I busy? Why am I bone-tired? Simple. And yet I never thought of doing it until last Sunday. […]

QR codes

October 25, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

My first encounter with a QR code was when I subscribed to Fave, a platform that offers deals at several restaurants. I downloaded the Fave app on my mobile phone. Scanned the image of the QR code displayed at participating restaurants. Voila. Discounts dutifully appeared on my mobile phone screen. Next was QR code menus. […]

Nuts about nuts

October 18, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I don’t think about nuts. Not like desserts. I have dessert wants, desires and dreams. I’m always looking for the latest cakes, chocolates and ice-cream available. Nuts, well… they are snacks that I pop into my mouth when I remember I have them in the pantry and/or when offered. I do like nuts though. My […]

88 today

September 27, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s my mum’s 88th birthday today. It’s a super special birthday on many levels. My mum is super-duper special to me. 88 is a grand old age to get to. 88 is an auspicious number. In Chinese it means fortune and luck. As my mum is a quarter Chinese, she will receive abundant blessings of […]

Not remembering

September 6, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I used to have a photographic memory. I could remember contents of pages and even page numbers where the contents could be found in books I’ve read. Now, I’d be lucky if I remember the title of a book, any book. My fading or loss of memory worries me. It frustrates me more. I was […]