11 October 2024 (Friday) was 九王爷's birthday. Lunar date was 9th of the 9th lunar month.
And it was my lunar birthay!
I initially wanted to celebrate it a little....but...forgot cos we were busy with looking after a sick Alyssa...and getting Nadya prepped for her enrichment class.
Oh well...happy belated lunar birthday to me!
And so my firstborn turned 11 on 9 October 2024 (Wednesday).
Time flies and she can wear some of my old tops now. She's inherited at least 2 or 3 of my old Adidas sports singlets lol.
She's into a little bit of kpop now, influenced by her girlfriends from class. Glad that she's found a good bunch to be with at school. They are good kids and strong in various aspects. I hope they bring good & positive influence to her.
She's still "tantrummy" even at this age. I roll my eyes at times when she gets a certain way. She tests my patience alot as well though I have to say it's been better in the latter half of this year compared to earlier this year and even last year.
I don't know if she's hit puberty yet as there seems to be no physical changes save for some pimples at her temples. And she still stubbornly refuses to use facial wash. I can only sigh.
She's still passionate about her ballet, and reading her books. She's picked up crocheting after I taught her the basics and now she's experimenting with making her own things. Wish I had better skills to teach her more complex designs and patterns but oh well...this mama is a little of a jack of all trades but master of none.
I hope though that she keeps up with these positive pursuits and learns more about other things as well. There's a lot the world has to offer!
Happy birthday Nadya! Dada, Mama & Meimei love you!
Was swabbed at Healthway clinic this afternoon. Confirmed that laoniang has Influenza A as well.
And so dear Alyssa passed it to me. Was given Tamiflu and a bunch of meds to deal with the fever, runny nose, cough and sore throat.
Doc said fever for Influenza A is usually at levels of 39 or 40C...and that my immunity seems strong enough that my highest temperature for today was at 38.6C. K said Alyssa's high fever only kicked in on Day 2 or 3. I hope mine stays at manageable levels. 38+ C was already giving me bad aches...I cannot imagine crossing 39C.
3 days MC.
No urgent work matters. I shall nuah.
It's been a strange October so far.
1st week
Quarreled with Nadya one evening and I got so frustrated with her that I teared up in front of her & Alyssa. Alyssa got pissed at Nadya over the situation as well and stormed out of the room. Cried quite badly another night due to some stress and anxiety felt over another personal issue.
On yet another day, found out that the junior officers in my team had skipped doing a piece of work for at least 5 months'. Nobody told me anything till we finally managed to have a F2F team meeting on 1 Oct. Trust has seriously been broken. And I also seriously question myself and my abilities to lead the team. Alot of self-doubt and reflection.
Alyssa accidentally caught her little finger between a wall and the car door and effectively pinched off a chunk of skin from the tip of the finger. She bled quite abit and was teary but still handled the situation like a trooper.
2nd week
Spent most of my time focused on Alyssa who fell sick with influenza A. Whole of Wednesday night and Thursday was spent sponging her, sometimes while trying to clear work. I hope she didn't pass anything to me. I've a slightly runny nose and sore throat now...
We split both of them up, with K sleeping with Alyssa, and Nadya bunking in with me in our bedroom. Nadya sleeps like a starfish that rolls around. Sigh. I'll admit that I had to physically push her away from me many a time these last few nights. I hope Alyssa gets well soon so that Nadya can go back to their bedroom.
Ended the week by stubbing my smallest right toe against a magnetic door catch on the floor. And broke off part of my toenail. I felt pain but didn't know I was bleeding till Nadya told me there were drops of blood on the floor. $#@%$#!^$%^
I hope the latter half of October brings better things for us.
Sometimes, I wonder if I am just a doormat who goes along with anything and everything. Unless it’s something illegal or goes against my conscience or morals.
这是太随和还是没主见还是累了?
Alyssa turned 9 on 24 September 2024! It was a Tuesday.
The littlest of our family is now almost a decade old. Time flies.
She is still as cheery, compassionate, emphathetic and affectionate as before.
Though she had more breakdowns this year and tantrums as schoolwork gets more difficult. She gets upset when she can't solve a Math sum and then gets stuck in a whirlwind of frustration & unhappy thoughts , and can't get out of it.
She is helpful and willing to handle her chores or help out where needed. Unless I disrupt her reading of an interesting book lol.
She asked for a simple meal at Astons on Sunday evening. And a trip to Decathlon so that she & her sister could run amok there and try on skates, play with balls, check out other stuff, etc.
Stay healthy and happy little one. I'm glad you made more friends this year, both within your class and in your gymnastics class too.
Stay focused and keep going! Dada, Mama & Jiejie love you!
When you fixate on something, it becomes your reality.
Take that first step. Just do it. Get started. Just keep swimming.
Don't let whatever was clinically diagnosed hold you back, box you in or constrain your thoughts, behaviours and actions.
Try try try. And then try somemore.
2 cremation services in as many weeks...
September 2024 has been a strange month.
人生不如意事十有八九....笑着带过吧...this too shall pass
Received news of Ah Dioh's situation on 18 Sept. He was gravely ill and warded at CGH. I visited him and spent more than an hour there that same evening. I wasn't sure if his mind could register anything as he was already in a somewhat unresponsive state. But I still greeted him and said my hellos. Much of that hour was spent supporting & comforting my aunt (his wife), and chatting with my cousin (his daughter).
I'm glad I rushed over that day and managed to see him.
He passed away early on 20 Sept.
I attended the wake on 20 Sept evening, and was also present at his cremation service on 22 Sept Sunday evening.
And just like that....in a jiffy...he went from hospital bed to coffin and then the incinerator in less than a week...Things end quite swiftly sometimes.
He battled bladder cancer for 3 years and had several operations over this period of time. He was quite resilient and still had a good appetite. His mind was good and was very lucid when we visited him during CNY earlier this year.
Rest in peace Ah Dioh. I hope you're happily reunited with all your siblings in heaven..
Haven’t really had the chance to organise my thoughts or pen things down. Myriad emotions since MIL’s passing exactly 3 weeks ago.
On one hand, I am glad she is no longer suffering. Being unable to eat, or taste much took a toll on her mind and body, given the foodie that she was.
The other part of me, the selfish part of me I guess, feels the loss of a steady presence (& glue) on that side of the family. One who was always there and looking after the family in her own ways. One who was the more practical & level-headed half, watching out for FIL, whether he knew it or not. One who was doting on the grandkids, yet also tried to impart key values and life habits to them, and emphasised the value of education and female independence.
Thank you Mum....
Rest in peace...
I joined the organisation on 17 September 2007.
Voila. It's been 17 years.
I'm more or less still holding the same role, with a highly expanded scope, and my own team now.
I guess I've grown with this place. It's witnessed many milestones in my adult life.
In these 17 years.....I went through a hurtful breakup and had to give up a flat I balloted for. I got to travel alot and sometimes to "exotic" places. I met K and we eventually got married. The girls came along. Granny passed away 6 months after N was born. A never got to see her. K & I got our own place. We also got our first car & second cars. I hired my first helper ever. I got clinically diagnosed with anxiety. I got promoted 3 times......amongst other things.
I am thankful for the good bosses I've had, and good teammates. Thankful too for some friendships formed over the years with colleagues, and ex-colleagues.
MIL passed away.
While the eventuality was expected given the illness, it still hits hard when it happens.
FIL & SIL called K & I at 230am. My phone was on silent mode and I slept through the calls till K woke me up to inform me he was heading to the hospital. I stayed back as the girls were still sleeping. But I couldn’t get back to sleep and was on standby mode, thoughts running through my tired mind.
K finally texted me at 4:58am to let me know she had passed.
The wake was held over the next 3 days, with the cremation ceremony on 6 Sept evening, and scattering of ashes on 9 Sept morning.
In a way, I am glad that her suffering was not too prolonged.
Rest in peace Mum. I hope you're having a fun reunion with Ah-Gu and your parents.
Unstoppable - Sia
All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this town
How do you broach the topic of mortality with a 9-yr-old?
I am thankful that both girls had had pets (both hamsters & spiders) in the past who all passed on eventually. At least that helped to introduce the concepts of impermanence and mortality to them.
We've both been slowly talking to them in bite-sizes, whether individually or together, about things and the eventuality.
I hope they understand...slowly bit by bit...
Conversation with the 9-yr-old
A: I want 3 birthday cakes this year.
Me: Har? Why?
A: Because this is my last year with
a single digit age number.
Me: Errrr ok…
A: I also need 3 birthday cakes next
year.
Me: And why again?
A: Because next year is my first year with a double digit age number.
Me: .............
Don't buy things on impulse when you're not in a good mood.
Ended up with 2 articles of clothing that do not fit me, and which are somehow non-returnable.
Sigh.
活该
Wonder if I should bring them to be altered? Hmm......
Wondering if I am doing an ok job as a reporting officer.
Wondering if and how I can do more and how else I should handle this one particular staff, who is also bringing some amount of headache for my own boss.
It's my first time dealing with this situation. He has seen more through the course of his work life....while he also finds this situation not ideal, at least it is not anything too egregious.
I had a chat with him a few weeks back. We agreed that while we can show compassion and accord more flexibility to this staff, we need to also ensure work responsibilities get fulfilled, and we need to properly document our chats/counselling sessions/instruction emails with this staff.
I'm still learning....
可以的
Trying to be best friends with my dumbbells. Kinda slow getting to know each other better. May we find each others' frequency soon. Lol....
可以的!!
We’re almost midway through the 7th lunar month already. Mid-autumn is coming soon.
The purchase and delivery of mooncakes is coming up soon.
Time ticks away so fast.
I should be prepping for Xmas soon too. In fact, I think we were already done with a portion of the Xmas gifts by this time last year.
Nvm....
可以的......
