Wednesday, 24 March 2010

Grandmother, be strong

My 93-year old grandma has just come out of the Intensive Care Unit. She had a bout of life-threatening pneumonia and other complications due to her advanced age. She’s not completely well yet, but her condition’s stabilized. Grandma, hold on OK? I am coming home.

It’s nice to hear that in these times of difficulty, so many family members visited her and chipped in to help with the medical bills. So many well-wishers prayed and donated blood which she needed. We don’t know how aware she is now of her surroundings. She’s been asleep most of the time for the past month, waking up dazed, not being able to speak coherently, not wanting to eat… She’s lost most of her strength, not being able to even lift a teaspoon or to hold a cup, let alone eat by herself. She’s wheel-chair bound when not asleep. Her biggest fear I know when we can still communicate was that she’d end up not being able to walk or to do things. She’s told me a few times that she wants to go back to be with God before this happens. This however is not the case. God has His own designs. Grandma is still here for a reason.

Last year, on her birthday, Granny told us to bring back a great-grandchild for her. We brought back Justin. This year during Chinese New Year, the most certain thing that’ll wake Grandma up from her deep almost day-long slumber was Justin’s crying. We feel blessed to be able to let Grandma hold Justin in her arms. Grandma, be strong OK? We’re coming home.


Grandma with Justin, Chinese New Year 2010

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

Helen in Dubai


With the Burj Al-Arab at the Souq Madinat Jumeirah

I have loads of pictures that I want to post in the blog, but the trouble is… I’m a classic procrastinator (and therefore things which happened in February and March, …and to a certain extend, January, are still in the memory card, in the camera). And so here comes pictures of our aunt in Dubai! At least these are quite recent, not like some of the pictures I’ve gathered and saved in the computer which I will post, eventually, before 2020 hopefully. See, Vision 2020 is not an exclusive term of Malaysia (Mahathir didn’t copyright it), India has it, heck, even Rwanda’s put 2020 as the year to achieve developed status (I heard it on Radio BBC yesterday). And at the rate we’re going, we might as well change ours to Vision 3030.


Souq Madinat Jumeirah


One of the shops in the Mall of the Emirates


In front of the big aquarium at Dubai Mall


The 828m high Burj Khalifa at night


In front of Al-Wasl Hospital where Justin was born


Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah