A milestone birthday

September 25, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

My mum turns 90 on Wednesday. She is the only 90-year old I know, up close and personal. None of my immediate family members got this far. My dad and my maternal grandmother left at 62. My paternal grandfather exited at 72 while my father-in-law passed on at 82, a distant contender. Kudos to my […]

Old is not gold

August 28, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

This August is two years since my mum fell ill. I’ve written a lot about her. Her recipes. Her life. Her stories. More recently, it has been about her ailments. Only because of how much it has changed my mum’s life. My dear mum’s Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), heart failure and kidney disease have deteriorated. […]

Making a call

March 27, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

My mum had a scheduled home visit with her palliative doctor on Tuesday. It’s always only Dr Rose. This time there was Dr Carmen, who recently joined Beacon Hospital. And, nurse Ruth. She was present to do my mum’s blood test. A once every three-month arrangement. Dr Rose’s home visit routine starts with questions about […]

Storytelling

March 13, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

My mum is a depository of stories. Sometimes a little unclear but mostly interesting. Her stories have given me precious glimpses into the various phases of her life. That said, there is one peculiar but still interesting story about two young girls, who visited her and played hide and seek in her condominium. She saw […]

Writing because…

February 27, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

I was in a bit of a quandary most of last week. I didn’t know what to write and post today. A few ideas/topics were jostling for space in my head. Most of them seemed oddly familiar. Very déjà vu’ish. No surprise there. I only write about stuff I think I know, and know I […]

Finding a caregiver

January 9, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

It was on 7 November, 2021 that I started emailing nursing and care homes. I remember the date. My husband and I were in Zenith Putrajaya for a 2-day holiday. Sister number 3 was home for Deepavali from England. She was caring for my mum. Fast forward to now. Or should I say after a […]

Half-siblings

November 14, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

My mum has been chattier of late. Sharing stories with sister number 3 and me. Some people, some events I was already familiar with. Some not. I knew my mum is the first born in the family of three girls. Her parents, my grandparents, were Tulasi and Sandrakasan. I also knew that my grandmother was […]

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 […]

Ordering food

October 3, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

I use food delivery platforms. Mainly to order vegetarian meals for my mum. Convenient, yes. But, not always straightforward. Like most things, I guess. My mum is the end user. I place the orders. She knows nothing about ordering online via a mobile phone or computer. She doesn’t want to know. She’s never been one […]

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? […]