LASIK DONE

I have a 'small' problem

On Oct 30 I wrote this...I am in BIG trouble!!! Now, six months later today, I have a 'small' problem. I lost some weight *GRIN*. As a result, my pants & blouses are getting looser and looser. Monst pants looks like 'lai si foo' on me now. I am running out of clothes to wear la. I thought of getting some new ones...but what if I re-gain the pounds?

heh heh..in Cantonese ..this is called 'sai meng' :D

Kyrie.. a little lesson for us

Let me re-assure you that the world ain't so cruel all the time. While some of our unfortunate fellow earthlings suffer from never ending war, riots, sudden massacre, poverty - there are still happy moments or rather some form of 'victory' over hardship, depression & sorrows. Although the 'victory' may not permanent, as long as there is life and faith, alot of us have strong hopes for a better & better tomorrow.

Little Kyrie was borned pre-matured more than 12 months ago. When her proud parents released her photos to us, tears flowed and hearts crushed when we saw the poor child so little so fragile and yet struggling to hold on to the new world that she had every right to conquer.

Together with her loved one, little Kyrie conquered the world. She fought sickness. She fought those painful pins & needles. She survived!

It's been more than 12 months now..and..Kyrie claims that she CAN READ!

And...of course she can walk too...

So..what's this thing I've been hearing about not having kids. More and more people have decided against having children. Some I heard recently thinks that there are too much suffering in this world..we do not need to contribute more beings to add to the sufferring.

Some thinks that the world itself is too pupulated. There are orphans everywhere...why produce somemore?

Some says that...we have kids before we asking them? Have we ever wondered if the kid wanted to be brought to this world?
So...

• Do you think if Kyrie ever wanted to come to this world? Doesn't she look happy?
• Are you thankful to your parents fro bringing you here?
• Or..do you hate your parents for bringing you here?
• Have you been enjoying your presence here or do you wish you are never born?

The next time you think about giving up living....think of Kyrie..let Kyrie remind you on how precious LIFE is to her.

Balance

It's all about having good BALANCE.

Balanced diet. Balanced thoughts. Balanced work. Etc etc..

I've been monitoring my blog entries. Out of the 90 odd entries, I have 20 odd each about ME, Jokes and Health. 12 on Complaints. Another 12 simply 'trash talking'. Others are about Doctor, Life, Friends, Family,,,etc etc. These tells me the state of mind I am in most of the time which is also reflective of my life. So LAME.

It would so nice if I have more thoughts on a variety of topics...e.g. books, politics, travelling, food, etc.

Sian..

175.98

I went shopping for the orphanage again. Spent a total of RM175.98 (RM50 contributed by JH). Gosh..money really 'very small' nowadays. So much money but not much in variety:

• huge pack of bihun
• huge bottle of ribena
• huge pack of milk powder
• huge pack of prawn crackers
• 4 packs of ikan bilis
• 10kg rice
• 2 packs instant oats
• 2 tins of cream crackers
• 2 packs of milo
• 6 cans of baked beans
• 2 tubs of ice cream

Yay! Finally, I've successfully paid back my 'debt' to the society. Back in Dec 2006 I already 'paid' 275.63. If you can't understand what I am talking about - read here.

What's next? Donate more..but must find an organisation that gives tax exemption :p Will also make a point to make some contribution to Yvonne...something that I meant to do..but never got around to do it.

The Pink Letter

Last week I received a call for a legal firm. I am being seeked for failing to paying a RM200 medical bill dated 11 Apr 2003. That's like 4 years ago. How on earth! IO is right..I am very 'sui' indeed. The gal who called me could not even speak properly, she's probably some legal clerk. She struggled so hard trying to explain to a surprise and puzzled me. In the first place, the address that she read to me is wrong. Of course I paid! Why would I not pay??

Yesterday, I received this pink letter from the firm. First of all, note the wrong spelling of MEREKA. Hmm...can a legal firm issue a letter with spelling error?

According to the letter, if I don't clear the payment within 21 days of this notice..I will have to face the law! Fortunately, I still have the receipt with me.

NIAMAH!

Cheeky Fellow

Cheeky or not? He is my lovely nephew. He is 'multi-lingual'. Example:

• "Bit bit yai yai" (when he saw a whale on national geographic) = fish fish (in english) big big (in thai)

When he is not in a tantrum mood..he is very sweet. He greets someone with a huge big smile (just like the father).

When he sees me...he will repeated call me .."koo koo ah" koo koo ah" until I answer him. (koo koo=auntie in cantonese). But..when he is in one of his moods (especially when he is sleepy)..he will say .."bu yao koo koo" eventhough I was just sitting next to him doing nothing.

• bu yao = don't want in Mandarin

He will be turning 2 on the 18th this month. How time flies. Since he loves fishes. We have ordered a NEMO cake for him :D My sis and I may buy him a bicycle : ) He is very very rough though...typical BOY. We are a bit worried that the bicycle will add more bruises to his already bruised legs.

More About Child Sponsorship

As at 10 April, 2388 (out of 5000) children are still waiting to be sponsored under the World Vision 10th Anniversary Child Sponsorship Campaign. In conjunction with the 10th anniversary, the organisation's mission for 2007 is to recruit sponsors for 5,000 children (500 for each yr in service). As far as I know, both fafa & IO are sponsors. I've an uncle who sponsors 4 children! My boss has 2. I just found out that my neighbour from my childhood days is also a sponsor. What's holding you back? You only need about minimum RM51 (incl tax) a month! A lot of us spent hundreds on unnecessary meals, fashion apparels, facial, etc....why can't we spare a little for charity?

This is not a scam. Read all about in the website. As a sponsor, I receive regular updates of the development program. The child sends me regular greeting cards and photos.

It's very simple..just click HERE , and state:

• how many children you wish to sponsor
• how much you wish to contribute each month & your frequency of payment
• mode of payment i.e. credit card or others
• and fill in some key details for correspondence purposes

It's that easy. As for me, the amount is deducted automatically from my credit card every month. No hassle.

So..what are you waiting for? CLICK la..

Transverse Myelitis

For those who knew me long enough will know that I had a mysterious medical background. When I visit a new doctor or if I were to get a new insurance policy, I'd always had to go through the trouble explaining what I had - and I could never explain properly. That's because I was never given a proper explanation by the doctors who treated me! Only recently I saw the word - transverse myelitis in the last medical report (done in 2003) from some fresh tests that I insisted on just to get a clearance & confirmation that I am cleared from any sort of serious sickness.

When I got hold of the medical report, I didn't dwell on it too much cos' I was 'busy with work'. The objective then was to get the clearance so that I qualify for a medical policy. I got it, fortunately, and it has been put to good use recently when I needed treament for endometriosis.

Am now in the process of reviewing my insurance coverage and took a second look at the short conclusion that my neurologist wrote in 2003. His conclusion says..."Previous transverse myelitis fully recovered with no no functional deficit."

I suddenly remember the power of internet and did a search on this subject matter. In short ..it (www.myelitis.org) says that:

"It is a neurologic syndrome caused by inflammation of the spinal cord. Conservative estimates of incidence per year vary from 1 to 5 per million population ."....."Recovery may be absent, partial or complete and generally begins within 1 to 3 months. Significant It is generally a monophasic illness (one-time occurrence); however, a small percentage of patients may suffer a recurrence, especially if there is a predisposing underlying illness."

Very informative indeed. All the symptoms described in all the relevant websites matched exactly what I went through and am still going through. Well, at least now, I get some sense of explanation. But I don't understand why the doctors did not explain properly then. It doesn't seem difficult to articulate since it's not a deadly disease whatsoever. May be it was my luck..that my neurologist (a professor in UMMC) was away when I went to review the test results. I got to see a relatively young doctor instead who gave me a half past six explanation. The report / letter to the insurance company only came later.

Speaking of luck...how in the world did I manage to fall under the "1 to 5 per million" category!

Well..with all said and done. I am fine now supposedly. With some minor 'defects'. Am grateful though that I didn't fall under the unlucky category which had musch serious defects.

errr..I made you all confused again. It's alright..just wanna share some findings.

Joke (Source : WWL)

A boss wondered why one of his most valued employees had not phoned in sickone day.
Having an urgent problem with one of the main computers, he dialled the employees home phone number and was greeted with a Child's'whisper.

"Hello""Is your daddy home ?" he asked
"Yes" whispered the small voice
"May I talk with him?"
"No"

Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked,
"Is your Mummy there?"
"Yes"
"May I talk with her?"
Again the small voice whispered, "No"

Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked,
"Is anybody else there?"
"Yes, whispered the boy, "a policeman"
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked,

"May I speak with the policeman?"
"No, he's busy", whispered the child
"Busy doing what?"
Talking to daddy and mommy and the fireman", came the answer.

Growing more worried as he heard what sounded like a helicopter, throughthe earpiece on the phone, the boss asked ,

"What's that noise?"
"A helicopter" answered the whispering voice.
"What is going on there?" demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive.
Again whispering, the child answered,

"The search team just landed the helicopter."
Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated, he boss asked,
"What are they searching for?!!.

"Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle............ "ME".

3rd month doc visit

Was at the doctor to take the 3rd jab. How was it? As I told IO..."like tat lor"...how different can a jab be. A jab is a jab. As usual, heartbeat relatively fast now but am very sleepy -should be able to sleep kua.

Was at the clinic early by 5.15pm cos I went straight after a meeting. My appointment was at 6.40pm. Nurse said that if I go early I may be able to go in by 5.45pm. My turn only came at 6.15pm.

I decided to tell Dr today that I seem to feel occassional 'pain' on my right (still). I had this even before I first consulted him back in Jan, we decided to wait and see if it's still there after the procedure. The problem is that I can't pinpoint exactly where and how the so called 'pain' occurs. And it's not really painful. Just that it's been there for some time it worries me a bit.

He did a scan on my kidney and whatever he should scan around the area...did some pressing here and there...no findings. And my so called 'pains' do not co-relate with any movement or activity. He is puzzled too. Based on my vague descriptions, he thinks it 'may be' related to the ureter. (psst..I didnt know this organ exist until now). He can refer me to a urologist for further investigation (if I want to). Ahh...urologist..heard of that word before. Thought only males get to see urologists :D :D I don't know whether it's necessary since the 'pains' was not really unbearable. Decided to wait another month. I promised to pay more attention and write notes if necessary..so that I can provide more clues. Must carry a notebook with me huh!

Sigh..Mag's comment over MSN awhile ago..prompted me to add this...I've been having 'pain here pain there' for the last 10+ yrs of my life. At times, I'd just ignore them. At times, I will get my butt to the docs. Most of the time there weren't any significant findings which can be good and bad. Good cos it means there's nthg to worry about. Bad cos it means I have to continue wondering why why why.

..

2 months ago today my life was at a 'pause' for a moment. Nothing really matters then while I was anxious to find out if I had the 'disease'. I am thankful that things turn out just fine. Last night, I read an article from a cancer patient struggling for survival.

...Her mother passed away in the 80's due to cancer. In the 90's both herself and sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and had mastectomy. Years later, she had to go for 38 sessions of radiotherapy to treat a cancerous lump in her neck. In addition to all the side effects, she also lost all her teeth as her gums became too weak to hold her teeth. She went on to fight the disease by taking more healthy food and supplements. The disease striked for the 3rd time......

I can't remember the rest of the story but the essence of her article says that we should not give up on hope. Despite the multiple attacks, she refused to give up but insisted on staying alive.

Tests has confirmed that I don't have the 'disease' but I do have have some other complications which requires rather long term follow up attention. Tomorrow I am due for my 3rd (out of 6) jab. How fast time flies...and how much has this small episode changed my life?

Well, physically I am slightly slimmer :) Psychologically, I have not recovered fully from the scare...to some extent I still think something is wrong somewhere. Medically, I am suppose to be having some minor irritability, hot flushes, etc side effects from the jabs.

I've learnt to be a 'duck' though. Managed to ignore whatever side effects that came about. Secretly, I am enjoying the 'freedom' from those monthly discomfort that every woman has to go through. I am still actively going to the gym (even paid for a personal trainer) so that I can get myself back fit and 'shapy' (hopefully). I am still in taici - which helps me 'heal' internally. And..I shall try to eat as healthily as possible lor.

P/S: I also hold dear to an advise that FY shared with me in one of my entries.."....there is nothing more important than life - as long as there is life, we can conquer anything, with prayers..."

Little Blog Community

I bumped in Suzette someone I got to know briefly quite a few years ago. We never really kept in touch but I do read her blog ocassionally (without her knowledge). I confessed to her on Saturday that I am aware of her blog *grin*. And she also found out that I have a blog too *double grin*.

The funny part is that I was introduced to her blog by Cowie who doesn't even know her in person. Immediately, I took a liking to Suzette's blog (without knowing that it belongs to someone I know), and I forwarded it to Buzymum who found out later that who suzette is!

And...busymum has not met suzette (but know who she is) but they have been comunicating on the net. Are you totally confused now??

Anyway, we were all attending the same wedding dinner that evening. So they met in person - Suzette & Busymum.

By now, you should be able to conclude that suzette has a nice blog and is a 'popular' person. Something like tat la.

Net net..be responsible of what you put in your blog. You will never know who's reading it :D

Credit card ready after 4 mths!

I can't even remember when I applied for the card with this M Bank. It has to be end of last year when I refinanced the home loan with the bank. Ever since then there wasn't any updates from them. I made several calls to the sales rep. who handled my loan - she kept saying they have 'sent' my application and will 'find out' about the status for me. Of course..she never call back la.

I have almost given up hope la. It's not that I am so hard up for the card...it's just that I need the card if I decide to go for the lasik treatment..it gives 24 mths instalment.

On Friday, the letters dated 6th March arrived!!! Wa..it takes almost month for the letters to arrive to my home - the address on the letter head says the card centre is at Jalan Tun Perak, KL - my house is in Segambut KL. Wonder if the letters came via a snail?

In total there are 3 letters. Essentially, all 3 says the same thing - I have to go collect the card at the branch MYSELF. What donkey requirement is that? These people must be living in the cave all these while! Aren't they suppose to send to us? One of the letter says:

We are pleased to inform you that your new card(s) are ready for collection.

Kindly call personally at the branch mentioned below during normal banking hours & bring along your identity card/ driving licence/ passport when collecting the card(s).......bla bla bla.


What nonsense...