My dearest Mother

Recently my mum has fallen sick due to Bile-duct blockage and infection caused by stones in the biliary tract. We only found out the reason why she was so sick when we sent her to the hospital. She went through a few diagnostic tests that include the Computed tomography (CT) scan, blood test and Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). ERCP is used to locate and remove stones in the ducts.

Thank goodness, we managed to send her to the hospital in time for the removal of stones and abscess. After spending a few days in the hospital, she was finally discharged yesterday evening. We were all thinking at that time when she was so sick, that she was going through some old age sickness. It caused us so much distress and pain to see her suffering and even at one point she was saying that she doesn't want to live anymore.

All my siblings from Australia and US rushed back because she was not showing any sign of recovering despite visitation to the clinic and medication prescribed by the doctor. We were even preparing for the worst. In my mother's case, thank God we acted fast enough as with prompt diagnosis and treatment, it is curable. She is recuperating at my brother's home now and my prayer is that she will recover soon. She still needs to have another round of ERCP once she is stronger to have all the remaining stones remove.

Roasted Macadamias

Sooo...gooood... my all time favourite...the macadamias..mmm...

Time really flies

Time really flies ! Just received a call from my aunty inviting me to her son's wedding dinner which is going to be held on 27th December. It made me realise that before you know it another year has gone by and we will usher in a new year. So far I am happy about life now and hopefully more good things are to come for my loved ones and me.

"Could you be with a person that no one likes.."

This was the topic being discussed at a radio station this morning. "Could you be with a person that no one likes", a question from someone who has been with her boyfriend for 8 months and her family and friends dislike him.

It brought back memories when I was with my ex-husband. I remember clearly that none of my family members and friends liked him. They even told me how they felt but I was totally ignorant as I was so in love then. We did marry after 2 years of courtship but the marriage only lasted for 6 years. Despite being aware of him being a hot tempered person, domineering and very critical and judgemental about everything, still I went ahead with the marriage. Perhaps back then, due to age pressure and because most of my friends were already married and had kids, it pushed me to get married. However, it was an unhappy marriage and it was a blessing in disguise when we eventually got divorced.

When we are in love we have the tendency to close our eyes to everything about the person. Nothing seems to matter, everything is so sweet. But listen to your family and friends because they are the ones that can see a person clearly without bias. Think about why they dislike him, surely there must be something that is not right. Know a person well so that there won't be any regrets and never give in to any kind of excuses to get involved with someone who is wrong for you. Love can come at any age and when you least expect it.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cake

I baked this chocolate chip walnut cake last night. I enjoy baking and everytime the kitchen smells so nice when the cake is baking. Preparation time is about 25 minutes.

. 250 g butter

. 200 g sugar

. 210 g self raising flour

. 5 eggs

. 100 g of chocolate chip

. 100 g of walnut, chopped

. 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence

. Pinch of salt

1) Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.

2) Add egg one at a time.

3) Sift flour gradually until well combined.

4) Add a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence.

5) Fold in 50 g of chocolate chip and 50 g chopped walnut.

6) Pour batter into a 9 inch square baking tin.

7) Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chip and chopped walnut on top of batter.

8) Bake in preheated oven at 180 C for 35 to 40 minutes.

Necklaces and Earrings

We were walking in 1-U when we came across the East India Co. shop. I was instantly drawn to the design and colour of this lovely jewellery set and my loving partner bought them for me.

H1N1 - a real scare

I was in the gym yesterday when I noticed there weren't many people around. Usually the gym is packed with people. The attendance for yoga class has shrunk to almost half. Probably a lot of them were terrified due to the increasing number of people infected by Influenza A (H1N1).

Even in shopping malls there are less people and quite a number were wearing masks to protect themselves from being infected. Those with high risk factors such as chronic diseases, asthma, diabetes, obesity and pregnancy will have to take more precautions. Same goes for senior citizens and children. It is sad and alarming looking at the current situation and I hope more measures will be taken to curb this deadly influenza from spreading even more.