4 A Merdeka of Sorts

She called me in. Her fragile hand reached for mine. It's day three in the ICU but today, she worked up a smile for my benefit. I caught a glimpse of her old cheerful self. She struggled to speak through the tube in her throat. I listen intently, I was captivated. I couldn't make out the words but that's alright.  This is one Merdeka Day I'll cherish, not for the fireworks display.. A Happy Merdeka Day - the flag goes ...

2 Baked Apple Chicken

An apple a day keeps the Doctor away, so they say. And I've plenty from generous friends who visited my aunt, who has been staying with us for the past two weeks. Red scrumptious apples sure to delight even the fairest of them all, Snow White. Snow White would fall for this - non poisonous! Some were eaten raw and some I baked. It was hard to resist. I thought I could stay away from my oven but it was too convenient to ignore. While I stir-fry a dish of bitter gourd and cook the rice in one corner, the oven takes care of our meaty protein intake. How's that for a balanced diet? I...

0 A beacon of light at Beacon Hospital?

Hospitals, my aunt hates them. She's been to four different ones, all in a span of two weeks.Travelling from East to West and all the way to Singapore. The answer was always the same, almost.  No, not the same. He, of great Singapore, was important and blunt. She, the popular one, seated in the air-conditioned office of a well reputed local hospital,  was rushed and treated us like flies to be swatted away quickly. The one in the East was humble and concerned but he did not have our trust. It was not because he was incapable, we were just stuck on a belief brought...

2 Ginseng Revitalising & Moisturising Bath

Think about "ginseng" and the first word that comes to mind is "revitalising". Perhaps a good distraction would help me pocket some of the feeling of anxiety that has recently engulfed my heart. I took my dearly loved aunt to Desa Parkcity recently for a breath of fresh air and to shop for some groceries. It has been close to two weeks since she was diagnosed with Stage 4, stomach cancer. My ten days have been spent learning much about the disease, but getting nowhere in the end. I was as confused as I was when I began. A breather, does that really help? I found small respite in the...

0 The Long Journey Begins..

Frustration, nothing but a bane to positive chi. It's been 14 days. A cure? So near, yet so far. What stage are we - seek and you shall find. We are still seeking. We pray for a find and hope it will be soon. She weakens by the day from a soft diet. I watch her pale, boney hand reach out to give me a high five, a sign between us that "We can pull through this together". While we scour the hospitals for a miracle, she has dedicated her days towards alternative treatment. A week goes by, the PET scan shows only what was and still is. This is a test, I know it. Mayhaps a bit more time. We place our...

2 Bovril Chicken Liver and Heart with Carrots, Mushrooms and Potatoes

Chicken parts like the liver and heart has never appealed to me, not in any meal, and although I enjoyed this dish, my sentiments have not changed. My partner was quick to rave about it ..a fan of liver, that he is. Bovril is just another brand that's been in the family for years. Everytime I looked into Mom's kitchen cabinet, it was there. Something handy to appease the kids during mealtime. She would boil us some porridge and add a spoonful of Bovril into it. We would finish our bowl quietly. I've always wondered why we've never used it in our cooking. So, I decided to experiment it on...