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• To the little boy, his family is his world...

  2007-06-06 10:32PM / / / 會員可以看
  

  No camwhore photos this time but please take a moment to read this entry...
  
  My mum was admitted to the hospital two days ago. As for the cause and her medical record, I shall just leave it as that. It's too long and not really relevant to what I wanna express in this entry. These few days were tiring for me. I took urgent leave from the company and will wake up early in the morning to go to the hospital and then come home late at night feeling exhausted. The hospital is, after all, a very draining place. I think my dad doesn't have it easy either. He has to wake up in the morning, bring my sis to the childcare centre, go to the office and settle some work (there are many things at work that can't be carried on without his signature), before driving all the way from JB to TTSH in Singapore. My brother, who is studying and having his exams in Australia now, will also call back frequently to check on mum. My 6 years old sis, who weren't allowed to come, also shows her concern in her own way. She is very sweet. She wrote a letter to my mum and it says, "My mum is sick, in the hospital. Is very very sad. I love her very very much. Is Wong Pei Si, is Tan Yeek Lan." haha Her letter makes no sense but I get what she is trying to say. At the back, she drew a big heart and wrote "I love you". She makes sure my dad brings the letter to my mum and over the phone, she asked me if mum knows how to read English, because her letter is in English. Ah, the way a 6 years old child shows her concern. It's really pure and innocent.
  
  My mum's medical problem dates all the way back to even before she got married. Actually, the doctor don't recommend her to give birth at all. Her body won't be able to take it. However, my dad loves children very much and hence, she risked her life and gave birth to 3 of us. After giving birth to me, she went into epilepsy or fits immediately and this was in Malaysia. When my dad brought me (baby) and my mum to see her usual doctor back in Singapore, the doctor even scolded my dad, saying he was so daring to let my mum get pregnant. That's why my parents always gave us the best and kept telling us that we are special. My mum gambled her life for three kids. I too, do think that we are special and it is because our parents are special.
  
  These few days when my mum is in the hospital, I was really scared. Just last week, she was still nagging me to get her a LV bag and also complained that she is gaining weight and needs to go on a diet etc. Now, I have never seen her looked so old and frail in my life before. Where's the woman who takes care of her figure and wears Chanel lipstick? It's really a big blow to me. But yet, I tell myself I have to be strong and I have to be here for her. When she couldn't stop crying, I felt so lost and helpless. I placed my hands on her shoulders and I thought of saying something comforting to ease her pain but nothing came out of my mouth. Even my hands felt awkward on her shoulders. I kept telling myself, "This can't be the end. This can't be it. No way!".
  
  She's more or less stable now and hopefully, she stays this way. I know she wants to be discharge as soon as possible and I can understand why. It really is demoralizing to lie in the hospital bed the whole day.
  
  The point of me telling you guys so much, and revealing so much of my family stuff (something I'm not very comfortable with actually), is to urge all of you out there to cherish your love ones. I know that this is an over-used and cliche statement but you won't know how true it is till the day you lose your love ones. Know who and what is really important to you in your life and do your best to protect those people or things. Remind yourself to be happy everyday, surround yourself with people you love and who loves you back and truly feel blessed and thankful for their existence. As I had mentioned in my earlier post, happiness is all that matters. Your love ones are all that matter. Your own health and their health are all that matter. Everything else is not that important, really. Things like money, fame and material gains are just subsidiaries in one's life. Once again, it's very cliche but think about how true it is. I come from a reasonably rich family but nothing matters to us more than health. To quote someone I love, "Those things that can be settled by money are nothing to worry about. What's worrying are those that money can't settle."
  
  Two more things to mention, just something for you guys to think about.
  
  Healthcare system in Singapore:
  The healthcare system in Singapore is said to be very advanced. However, my past few days' experiences or even my previous experiences with the hospitals in Singapore had not been very good. But that said, it is still better than Malaysia! This is not a complain, just a remark. I understand sometimes, this is the way things are and it is considered better than many other countries already. The hospital my mum is in did things slowly and me and my dad was often left unsure of what is going on. The consultant doctor in charge of my mum is supposedly very high up in rank, but he is condescending and seems to be lacking of the passion needed in the medical field. I saw him scolding the other doctors under him over trivial matters and while scolding halfway, his phone rang and he started arguing with the person on the other line over his leave period. There are lots more incidents and nitty grittys to share but let's just leave it as that. Just wanna share this to all of you who are ranked high up in your own respective profession to always stay humble, and down to earth. Always remember where you came from and what you once were before you got to where you are.
  
  My company:
  I tried to take urgent leave and I called the office many times but no one picked up. I kept calling and sometimes the line was engaged and sometimes, no one picks up. It gets directed to a computer voice message telling you that this number is not registered for voicemail service. It's weird because my calls are incessant, one after the other with only a few seconds of break in between. In the end, I had to seek help from a kind friend (Buddha bless him!) in the Training Centre who in turn, sought help from his friend in the control, who in turn, asked her subordinate to give me a call.
  
  On the second day, my mum had a relapse again and I realized I had to take another day of urgent leave. I called the number again and this time, someone picked up. Our conversation goes like this:
  
  Me: "Hi, I'm calling in to apply for one more day of urgent leave."
  Him: "Why?" (in a very condescending tone)
  Me: "My mum has been admitted to the hospital yesterday and I realized I need one more day of leave."
  Him: "Which hospital?" (in the same condescending voice, like as if he is trying to catch me lying)
  Me: "TTSH."
  Him: "What's wrong with her?" (again, in the same tone of voice, the sort that is implying I'm lying or something)
  Me: "Abnormalities in the brain."
  Him: "Wait."
  (waits)
  Him: "Ok can. But if you need one more day of leave after that, please go to the internet and apply. Don't call us anymore. If you want us to help you, you got to help us too. And please show proof that your mum is admitted. Company policy."
  Me: "Oh ok. Sure." (stunned)
  
  Oh well, I don't wanna say anything but I'm glad I won't be here for long.