Faithful Friends

Today, the kids and I partied with old friends who go back 13 years when the little ones danced ballet together as 4 year-olds. Although we meet like only a couple of times a year, we have faithfully kept in touch over happy and sad occasions and remembered one another during important events. One family among us in particular has diligently initiated gatherings of sorts to encourage the much appreciated fellowhip over the years. The rest of us made time to meet no matter how busy we are. When you have friends like these, you feel so blessed. The children and adults see how frendship can withstand the test of time and I think that this kind of affirmation anchors one so much in our largely very volatile life.

I had a very Merry Christmas today. Hope that you all had a good time today too. Best wishes for the New Year!

MERRY XMAS GUYS.
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas one and all! Here's wishing you a wonderful holiday season what with Christmas, New Year's Day and Chinese New Year (and Valentine's Day on the same day!) all so close to one another. I also wish you all a meaningful time of being together with loved ones to reflect on life on the year that will soon past and the year that looms ahead. Read in the papers about the Christmas wish that was reportedly made by a less privileged member of our community? All this homemaker wants is a saucepan so that she might cook with it!! So what kind of people are we to look upon with disdain simple presents given to us and haggling for expensive ones?

Do think about the more important things in life and let's prioritise our goals sensibly.

Smitten

Tell you a funny thing: one of my growing up male offspring said that two pretty Korean girls waved to him not once, but twice at their international school when he was there for a basketball match. What do you make of it? I was cruel, I said that they probably had the sun in their eyes and waved to him against their better judgements. Or maybe they were just elated to meet another one of their single-eyelid kind. Hahaaaaa! The things teenagers get so easily smitten with . . .

The Human Factor

My Mum's hospitalised again. So counting the almost back-to-back 2 other medical episodes in the family, I've been spending most of the past 3 weeks in 3 different hospitals in Singapore. As usual, I continue to be amazed by the behaviour of people at hospitals. This time, I observed that some people are just cut out to be doctors and others nurses, physiotherapists etc. They just have that sunshine personality and patience that lift the spirits of even the most pessimistic and difficult of patients. There are of course the glum doctors who are real turn-offs. Bad hair-days only, I hope! My top praises are saved for the nurses, who God bless them, ever so cheerfully fetch and empty bed-pans, change dirty adult diapers, tend to very sick patients and yet find it within them to wear smiles on their faces. So listen up, you nurses of Integrity 2008: your noble vocation is hereby acknowledged and given credit for!! Then I also noticed the dynamics of kith and kin in action at hospital bedsides. You have no idea how touching it is to see 50 to 60 year-old children tending to their sick parents ---- feeding them, massaging them, caressing and hugging them even when their loved ones are clearly in semi-comatose, heavily sedated or very advanced in their ailments. Some children were clearly not on speaking terms with one another, but thankfully these few days, the ones I saw in Mum's wards are still very loving to their sick parents. Finally, of course I have to mention the good-looking medical personnel who feature in my hospital episodes. Today, a hunkidory of a very young and handsome physiotherapist tended to Mum, explaining to her all the light exercises that she ought to embark on upon discharge from the hospital. SIGHHHHH . . . . so many handsome young men. . . . so little of the youth left in me!!!!

Touch wood. Looking forward to Mum's speedy recovery! Will see to the young one's textbooks next week and then it's Merry Christmas! The 2 holiday-working ones have been chosen to foot a buffet treat for all in the family! I am looking forward to pay-back time. Hahahaaaaaaa!

Skin

No, no, not anything related to Roald Dahl's "Skin". Haha! Finally got round to getting our IntegrityUnited blog a new skin! Why the pier? Well . . . firstly, the pic's nice and secondly, the life buoys kinda symbolise what I want each and everyone of you to be --- life-savers in your own special ways! Neat huh?

Now, how about some updates, everyone?

I'll start. Academic year 2009 has been a whole new learning experience for me. Tiring but kept me on my toes mentally (digits and brains?! Get it??) And I've decided to renew my contract for another year at the same school. At the family front, changes are unfolding at rapid pace. I guess I should be thankful that generally life has been relatively kind to me. There was one prom night that had to be seen to on a grand scale, and then a couple of my 6 took vacation jobs this hols while one did well enough to pay her way through school for 2010. There were 2 who had hospital (again!) experiences within 3 weeks of each other. In between all the medical emergencies, chauffering and waiting up past 2 a.m for the part-time holiday workers, and minding the remaining wild and restless younger ones, I managed to catch up on watching movies and reading books. Most amazing of all, I found time to re-visit the gym. I have lost 900 grammes so far. I know, pathetic amount, but hey it's a start!! The old foggies there are still plodding conscientiously at their routines and of course everyone remembers me as the delinquent and absent one! I also found time to take the 6 to the beach to fly kites, jog, work our cameras, and just have fun. School books and academic work can wait!

What about you all? Blog!

Ms Q