The Place to be (Part II)

ello, I'm back from Penang. My maternal grandmother passed away and I went to attend her funeral. She looked peaceful.. like she was sleeping. She was 80 years old, she died from organ failure. She had diabetes and recently a heart bypass surgery which went relatively well, but the past few months have not been good. She began coughing up and passing out blood, the doctors didn't know the cause, the endoscopy of her intestines turned out cancer-free. Soon, her kidneys had failed, liver was degenerating and her lungs were filled with water. Breathing was impossible without a tube down her throat. Things were not salvagable, and they brought her home to the family hairdressing shop in Sungai Ara to make the cross to 'the other side'.

My family in Penang is big compared to the one in Spore. 5 aunties, 1 uncle, 11 cousins and another dozen relatives whom I'm still not clear on our exact association despite asking my mum a million times. But one thing was for sure, they all loved my grandma. She brought up the kids single-handedly, started her own hairdressing business which she passed on to her 2nd daughter, and always willingly helped out her fellow neighbours without question. Which is why they turned up in droves at the funeral this afternoon. This is what I missed out on not being brought up in Penang. Sure, the roads are congested, the drains are blocked, and the cityscape not as clean and sanitized as Spore, but the people who live together are as close as family. And the family members themselves are inseperable. Cousins look out for one another, siblings stick it out through thick and thin, grandparents are lovingly taken cared of till their very last breath. I'm sure in Spore there are families and maybe even communities like that, but just how many are there? Kampong days are long over. It's hello to living in a box and the 'mind your own business, don't peep into my apartment' days. And forget abt grandparents, let the maid look after them.

Hai, what to do? Just treasure your own family lor. Because in the end, when you're old and helpless, sick and bed-ridden, they're the ones who'll stick around to wash you up, bring you to the toilet and sit by your bed. Not your business associates, nor your drinking buddies, not even your boss, although hopefully they'll be nice enough to send you flowers.

Yawns. Work tomorrow. Hopefully I might take a half-day off. Gotta clean the house, wash the dog, and iron the clothes. Mum's not back till wednesday and she's been through enough already. Beth's so cute, the maid next door has been feeding her and they've made good friends. She was sitting in front of the house when our uncle drove us back, like a proper guard-dog awaiting it's master's arrival. And she went beserk on seeing us. Crazy Beth. I love dogs. Cats are cute too though. There was one in Penang who was chilling on the cushioned seat outside the shop, rolling around in an absolutely carefree fashion and ungratefully digging its claws into the seat.

Kays.. catch up next time. Here's Beth's naughty face.


P.S. Nope I haven't forgotten... HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jo! *throws confetti*

I've been busy okay. And lazy. And I think I'm coming down with something, my throat's feeling a bit sandy. But that's enough excuses for now. It's been almost a month.. what could possibly have happened in a month? Nothing. That's what. My life is a bore. I brought my grandma to the birdpark though, during the CNY break. That's like the highlight of my CNY, apart from meeting adriano's relatives. They were nice though, played 'in-between' and mahjong with the aunties there. Playing mahjong with them damn stress can.. I need more practice. Lucky didn't lose too much money, in fact, I think I walked away with profit in the form of angpow earnings. Anyway, here's some pics of my grandma having fun with da birds...

Also met up with some ex-classmates for the annual ' lao yu-sheng' and ktv-ing and more 'in-between' (I broke even!) at a friend's place. He has his own ktv system and he likes Andy Lau. He's the one in yellow, you can see he's been practicing by the way he poses (compare with guy in orange).

Mmm.. so after CNY it was back to work work work. Boss went away for 2wks for training in UK (why didn't he bring meeee?) and I was left with mounds of work to do. Which left me eating lunch by myself and at 3pm for 2 days consecutively. I even missed lunch entirely once, only because of the incompetency of some supplier. Sent him an email that said his actions resulted in 'serious delays', mainly of which being my missed lunch. It is very serious okay! Sigh! Mum went back to Penang yesterday. Penang grandma's very ill.. and I feel bad for not being able to visit her. I ought to, once my boss comes back. Right now, taking leave would be unforgivable. It's hard being indispensable :P


Anyway, went shopping today!! Spent $210!!! But finally bought skinny jeans.. woot.. but I can't wear them till 2 wks later cos they're being altered. Boo. Bought 3 tops, 1 casual, 1 casual but good for work (actually everything's good for work, that's the great thing about my job), and 1 nice simple black top with a silky ribbon at the back. And did I mention skinny jeans? Yup, they do wonders for the butt and the thighs. But they're also really snugly fit.. which means I have to maintain the current waistline, which means more running for me! And maybe those hiphop classes would also help keep me in shape, was aching all over from the last lesson :\


Adriano thinks I can cope pretty well without him. Hah, cos I keep myself occupied with lotsa stuff. Well I have to don't I so I don't overthink our relationship?! Things are still good tho, he gave me Godiva chocs for Valentine's and a hand-made pencil holder, and what did I get him? 3 pairs of black ankle socks. Yup. I'm romantic like that. hahhhhh. It's a complicated story, I didn't think he would get me anything so I didn't want to overspend to make him feel bad. And now I feel bad.. in other words, I still owe him a post-vday dinner at Sun&Moon. Which probably won't materialize for the next few weeks cos of his design 2 project, poster presentation, mid-term test and HR project. Yup. Busy boy.

I need to sleep now. Why can't weekends last longer?