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 […]

Longevity

December 12, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

Longevity. Life expectancy. I have been thinking of mine and my loved ones. Since my mum became unwell last year. And, since my siblings’ increasingly worrying illnesses. My mum’s double whammy COPD and heart failure combo have resulted in chronic problems with her kidney. She has arthritic fingers and needs support to walk steadily. Topped […]

Life

December 5, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

My heart is heavy. My head is busy. I am sad and teary. I don’t want to be but I can’t help it. I want to be strong. I am and I’m not. I’ve been in a tailspin of worry and fear. This, on top of my preoccupation with my mum’s health. 4th stage cancer […]

Young old

November 21, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’m not despondent. I’m not negative. But… growing old generally sucks. Yes, I know there are upsides. I am aware of the many wonderful things old or elderly people say about growing old. I am one. I also espouse some similar views. They are not untrue. They are also not wholly correct. Not for all […]

In the air

November 7, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

The 15th General Election or GE15 is in the air. Literally on air on BFM every day. And, in all the other mainstream and social media. On streets, bridges, buildings, vehicles, and trees – banners, buntings and billboards of various political parties abound. The more the resources, the higher the visibility. In cities, towns and […]

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 […]

Flying again

June 20, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

Last week I wrote that I hadn’t flown anywhere outside Malaysia since Dec 2019. I didn’t know then that I would be getting my new yet-to-be stamped passport stamped this soon. Yay. Hmm. My husband and I will be leaving for England tonight. It was all very last minute. We have a more or less […]

Alternative meds

May 23, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

There are three potted aloe vera plants sitting on my mum’s balcony. They look quite healthy despite being neglected. I can’t remember to water them. Still, they continue to survive rather well. I also don’t remember to use the slimy aloe vera gel to soothe a burn or a cut. It does work but it’s […]

Meticulous

April 18, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

Sister number 4 left for home after 5 weeks of caring for our mum. It was both sad and hard saying goodbye. It always is. She returned home to Brisbane to her family. They were eagerly awaiting to see her as she was to see them. Particularly her adorably, huggable not yet 1 year-old grandson. […]

The brain

January 31, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

I binged watched a Netflix ‘explained’ production about the brain recently. Sat through 4 of the 5 episodes presented. There were some noteworthy nuggets on topics such as focusing, personality, creativity and brainwashing. The one on ‘brainwashing’ piqued my interest the most. It made me think about how the brain can be brainwashed – controlled, […]