My 3rd Vaccination Jab- Too Soon??

I was shocked when MySejahtera Apps sent me this notice. My 3rd dose is coming soon and it is next week!! I was freaking out with mixed emotions whether to be sad or happy.

I have just been discharged from the 3 hospitals very recently. I was very badly traumatized by the whole stays that led to the surgery and what happened after. I didn't elaborate in my blog but my Facebook friends and relatives were shocked & speechless. Maybe I should copy paste the lengthy whining here if you wish to hear for awareness sake.

During my stay at the 3 hospitals which were just days apart each venue, I lost count the number of injections and needles that poked both hands and arms from mornings to wee hours of the nights. They had to draw my blood for tests and inserted no end of bottled IV drips. I guessed that I had no less than 50 needles until both my arms are still bruised today like a hardcore junkie heroin addict. So I have developed serious phobia on needles and now there is the vaccination next week, so close to home. It gave me goosebumps. What happened to the once strong and fearless me? 

I just managed to crawl into my car and started driving again by myself alone, much against my wife's approval. She felt that I could stand upright straight as the healing stitches and wounds are pulling my abdomen muscles. I just ignored the mild pain and discomfort. I needed to get back to work as time is money. My co-broke agents wanted to bring few potential buyers to view my good friend's 2 luxury condos. It has been over 3 years and I still could not sell it off to interested buyers. That's because my friend is not hungry for cash and refused to lower his ceiling prices. He has too many properties in KL, Singapore and probably Seattle too. I went to snap this poolside photo. Would you like to swim there with so many other high rises next to the pool including the Price Waterhouse's many office floors. That day, I saw a wealthy Indian man on the deck chair watching his kids being taught to swim by a Mat Salleh woman!! Just imagine how wealthy he is to engage a foreigner to teach. That condo is almost fully occupied by well heeled fair skinned tenants from Mumbai and New Delhi who all spoke Hindi or English. They love that place because it is the only luxury condo that has a direct exit in the basement that allows access to Brickfield's Little India Town.

It has been many years since the last tenants have moved out. My friend decided to sell off as the returns from these 2 investments is just at the right time. The floor and wall tiles in the bathroom have started popping out themselves. The famous developer in this Sentral Hub has done shoddy jobs! Wish me luck to dispose them soon!

Tonight I had dinner with my wife and her sworn God Brother at the Yaraku Izakaya Japanese Restaurant in Taman Desa. Her God Brother Bruce Lee is well known as Malaysia's LEGO King who has held countless LEGO exhibitions that you have seen across Malaysia including at One Utama and Mid Valley. 

Do you notice that my weight has dropped further from 20kgs to 24kgs now, after the surgery. I look very frail and haggard which makes me rather sad. I will recover soon and hit the gym again with binge eating. I have been checking out which hotels would be serving buffet lunches again soon! Tell me which hotel okay.

I am still on strict diet during this recuperating period after surgery. So I ordered the pork ramen to eat. Nothing spicy or seafood for me for a long time. I am suffering when I see others eating them.

My wife ordered Kim Chi Ramen which was so tempting to the greedy me. I wonder why the Japanese is using so much Korean Kim Chi in their menus nowadays? It is a Korean dish. You might see Nasi Lemak Nippon in their menus someday.

Bruce Lee ordered the Pork Chop Japanese Curry Rice. It tasted delicious to him but it was rather dry to me as the gravy was too little. We also ordered a plate of several barbeque skewered meats. The total bill came up to RM139.00 and was duly paid by my lady boss.

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Camping at Batu 18 Hulu Langat

I got discharged from hospital and went camping 2 days later at Hulu Langat's forest. My surgeon had advised me to take slow walks in the parks and forest areas. I believe there's healing energies. It was so cooling with fresh air and helped my weak lungs. I have to wear compression socks daily for many hours to help my circulation otherwise my breathing would slow down. I had lost too much blood.

I had to sleep on my own deck chair while my wife and all friends slept inside their own tents. My stitches could not allow me to lie flat on the bed and getting up from the camping ground would be impossible.

We booked the whole camping site with 3 big ponds filled with blooming lotus flowers to ourselves.

It looks so heavenly and worth every minute of the time spent with their whole families including a small baby.

That's the small pavilion behind where I slept on my deck chair. I had a really good sleep and now believe that natural cool air and energy from nature could heal my body aches and weak lungs.

My wife has been extremely patient and took very good care of me long before and after the surgery. She served me hot coffee using her own camping utensils. I had so much fun by just relaxing and watching the many kids playing and running away. It was a great therapy to keep me alive and feel young again. When I was able to get up without walker, I told the whole gang to take some memorable photos for the album. Here's my comic photos for you to enjoy....

Mary Poppins.

Angry Wives.

Hairiest Leg Husband.

Strongest Husband.

Naughty Husbands.

Happy Chefs.

I am back home!

I have been discharged from hospital 2 days ago. I underwent a successful 7 hour surgery after staying in different hospitals for a total of 12 nights where I received over 50 painful needles. I was very traumatized by the whole episode with the insurance company which made me feel so helpless and hopeless. 

The doctors performed a 4 keyhole surgery which made the pain most minimal. In actual total you could see 6 cuts. I will see my surgeon again in 3 weeks to hear the biopsy results of the tumours. 

I am so glad to be home to sleep on my own bed. The wounds have healed fast but I am getting painful cramps all over my shoulder, ribs and stomach instead. I am taking painkillers now which helps. 

Meanwhile, I wish all readers a Happy Deepavali and Happy Holidays. I will update my blog again tomorrow! Yes!!

My Wellness Journey

While waiting for my coming surgery, I still need to live each day to the fullest. My mental state and emotions have changed for sure as it is unavoidable at times. Somehow I managed to pull myself together easily with my wife's support and understanding. She has longer years experience with Hospice to provide palliative care to patients. 

I went to the gym to do light exercises as my weight has continued to drop further, So my muscles have shrunk and skin sagged. Doing light weights helped instantly. 

I went to my regular Bistro-Q restaurant for dinner after my gym. I was so surprised that this mamak eatery has hired a new waitress to serve drinks. It was amusing to watch this robot move around the big restaurant space and navigate itself so well without knocking any tables or patrons. Her name is BellaBot.

The day I was discharged from hospital, I was so surprised to see a delivery guy waiting at my door step. A good friend Joyce  from Setia Alam had ordered a big box of fruits and 8 bottles of Granny Doris Cold Pressed Juices to reach my place at the precise timing. 

This is my first time drinking this famous brand of mixed fruit juices. It was so delicious and nutritious for my recovery. 

I ran to toilet many times for 3 days as the juices really purged all my bowels.

*****

Tastes Of Freedom

I was discharged yesterday. I felt so good to sleep on my own bed again. Tomorrow I will be back to see my surgeon to hear the biopsy results. Come what may, I have to face it.

My sincere apologies for deleting the earlier 2 posts due to safety reasons. I will explain it when the time is right. Thank you very much for your caring comments and emails which I appreciate it so much. I will not delete anymore posts hopefully.

Today I went to get my groceries done to pack my bags again for the next admission. 

We went to Canton-i to have a good lunch.

How do I look now? I have lost a total of 20 kgs. Click the photo for super sharp image. So I need to eat more, right??

I had curry noodles and a platter of delicious Roasted Pork Belly and Char Siew. I better enjoy each day whenever I still can. We should be thankful to see the sunrise each morning, for tomorrow may not come.......

Two Funerals & A Godson

It has been a very busy period for me. Based on the famous movie "2 Weddings & A Funeral", I have named this post "2 Funerals & A Godson". 

Two days before Peter was admitted to hospital for the scheduled life threatening treatment, he called me to whimper very softly that he might not make it. As he never planned his own funeral, he requested that I carry out his funeral and assist his wife. He was very tired already and knew God was taking him home to rest. 

Peter was a very well known advocate and activist who would go all out to fight for the rights of the OKU and disabled friends around Malaysia. Being wheelchair bound since young, he knew how tough and difficult it was to move around within our infrastructure which are not designed for the disabled.

Our friendship dated back to many years ago and he knew I was always concerned of his plight and welfare. He assigned me to be his caregiver during his last trip overseas to represent the country at the World Convention for The Disabled which was held in Jakarta. This memorable photo was taken at the lobby of Marriot Hotel Jakarta. His swimming pool accident at 19 made him paralyzed from chest down as a result of the spinal cord injury. It was an eyeopener for me to share room with him at the Marriot Hotel. His physical movements were very limited and I had to help him to dress up in pants and long sleeve shirt before buttoning up.

Saying Good Bye to Peter at the parlour inside Nirvana Memorial Centre.

At the crack of dawn, his wife called me up from University Hospital to say Peter has left this world. I immediately sprang into action. I had earlier informed the entire Nirvana Bereavement team from the Bosses to the undertaker team to expect my friend's passing at any minute. So it was a very smooth procedure throughout with the Nirvana's hearse arriving quickly at the UH mortuary to collect Peter's body to transport it to the morgue of Nirvana Centre. The team over there cleaned and dressed him up immediately while waiting for the funeral parlour to place his casket. If there is no planning, customers would have headache with monetary preparations, endless paper work and planning when the head is already grieving and in deep sadness. That's my job to encourage all my customers to pre-plan early to save lots of money and time on the final day. It is Total Peace of Mind, ultimately.

I was all dressed up in formal attire suit to represent the Nirvana Group's bosses who were supposed to be present to pay their final respects to send Peter off. This photo was taken at the room inside the cremation site in Shah Alam. I placed a white rose on Peter's casket and wished him to rest peacefully in the Land of Eternity. His passing attracted outpouring griefs and sad condolence messages from all the NGOs and OKU community in the country and 21 countries from overseas.

Meanwhile.......

JW called me on the day of Peter's funeral to inform me that his aged father had breathed his last at the nursing home. He was a bit lost and confused with his aged mother beside. His only sibling is away in Australia and would not make it home on time with all the quarantine requirements.

JW was my wife's former student who somehow became close with me alone over the years. He was born when both his parents were already in retirement years, so it was like the stork arrived late. We got along very well and he confessed that he always wished I could be his God Father for the role I have been, for advising & guiding him like my own son. I guess there was a father & son bonding between us. I liked JW because he was always so polite and extremely respectful compared with all his other friends. At the funeral wake in a Taoist Parlour along Old Klang Road, I met his mother for the first time. She was impressed with me and told JW to call me God Father right away, on knowing that I would always take care of him for many more years to come, even when she is no longer around. He was happy and obeyed his mum to call me "Kai Yeh". Suddenly his greeting jolted me to feel there is a new connection now, more than just mere friends. JW is a tall and very handsome kid who works as an executive with Fraser & Neave HQ in downtown Kuala Lumpur. I am very blessed to have him as a God Son.

*****

Moon Cakes from Sin Weng Fai - Ipoh

Yesterday was my first trip crossing interstate for work reasons with a permit letter. We both drove to Kampar and Ipoh for a day trip, passing through a total of 4 police road blocks. It was the first time we took the brand new car for a spin out of town, so the ride was comfortable. It was so nice to drive along the highway and admire the mountains, forests and green trees. The stress in my head became lighter and evaporated eventually.

On our way back to KL, we decided to buy the famous moon cakes from Ipoh. The best shop had sold out everything at noon! The 2nd best shop was even more scary, as we saw the very long queue of 100 anxious buyers lining the whole corridor until the side road and spilled to the back lane! OMG!! They were all holding umbrellas under the hot scorching sun waiting and waiting forever. Last year, we managed to buy from this shop but the queue was like 1/3. This year was crazy and I refused to queue up as there was hardly SOP. Each buyer could only buy maximum 2 boxes and that's not enough lah. So many Ah Koos, Ah Seh and Ah Tees on my wife's side. She would always give them annually like a good child in keeping with the Chinese traditions.

So, we had to head over to Jalan Yau Tet Shin where it's like a wholesale street of many snack shops selling moon cakes. We were advised by a fussy local friend Ah Kit that SIN WENG FAI Peanut Candy Shop is the best.

Everything is freshly made inside the shop, in full view of the customers. The prices are unbelievably cheap for their variety of mooncakes when compared to KL's sky high prices that reach the Moon! All the moon cakes are priced from RM8.00 each and above. My wife bought 10 boxes and over 10 pomelo fruits too. She paid for them, so I am not sure how much each flavour costs.

The box of moon cakes.

4 pieces inside.

We gave this box to Bruce Lee who landed in the hospital for tummy ache. We asked him to cut one piece for us to try. The pandan flavoured moon cake is yummy and fresh with lots of melon seeds. Wait till I try other flavours like double yolk lotus and assorted nuts. Will update this post later lah.

Happy Mid Autumn Festival

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Happy 64th Merdeka Day!

Our beloved country has come a long way since its independence in 1957. We have become very famous for our tourism, great local food and all the wrong reasons too. It has made me tired of reading any political news as frog jumping has become a culture now.

The Covid19 pandemic has brought much misery and suffering to everyone in our country. Lives have been lost and income has become zero for many of us. Yet the politicians are busy counting numbers and numbers from their seats to the daily cases. When shall we see light at the end of this dark tunnel??

While I am still praying everyday for a better tomorrow, we still have to think of those who are hungry and sickly. 

I woke up at 6.00am to help and cut vegetables. In conjunction with the 64th Merdeka Day, this team had decided to donate over 60 packets of lunch packs and a truckload of groceries to another Old Folks Home and Orphanage. 

We have gotten smarter and bought a huge rice cooker this round. No need to cook 3 rounds using the small rice cooker like the first time. It saved so much time to scoop piping hot rice and dishes. My wife cooked soya sauce chicken wings, tofu minced meat and mixed vegetables for over 60! 

All the happy faces at the Charity Home and Orphanage. May this Merdeka Day bring good health and joy to everyone!

My Diary Of A Sick Friend

This happened 3 days ago which I would never forget. This is the meaning of Foolhardy. It happened to my old friend named Bruce Lee (his real name).

11.00am - I made appointment to see a dentist cos my front tooth cracked into half. I have been using the hardest toothbrush available for years. I love to brush my teeth real hard, scrape my tongue many times and floss them before gargling with strongest mouth wash. Yet my fillings also fell off and now tooth cracked. Now I am using the softest toothbrush.

12.00pm - The young dentist patched my cracked tooth easily. Bruce offered to buy me lunch and I requested for Chicken Sandwich because my tooth filling was still fresh & not hardened enough.

12.30pm - Bruce Lee went to FM's Convenience Store to get me the chicken sandwich. He saw the big poster selling the Spicy Hot Korean Ramen. He was so gatal and bought one to try the "Challenge". He seldom eat chillies all his life.

1.00pm - Bruce and I sat down to eat. I watched him slurping the spicy hot ramen and he was raving away how delicious & tasty it was. He suggested that I should try it too. I just kept eating my soft sandwich which was nice and suitable for my tooth.

2.00pm - Bruce was silent and drank water.

3.00pm - Bruce drank more water.

4.00pm - Bruce was restless and silent.

5.00pm - We parted and went home.

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8.00pm - Bruce texted me that he was in Hospital!! His stomach burnt out and he was in great pain for so many hours. He drove himself to the hospital nearby his home.

8.30pm - My wife and I rushed to Hospital to see him. He was rolling on the bed in the outdoor canopy of the hospital. They set up many tents outside for emergency patients to keep SOP and maintain their Covid- Free environment.

9.00pm - Doctor and nurses attended to Bruce. Gave him drip and took his blood for tests to see if he had food poisoning or others. He was still howling and whining like a little puppy with acute stomach pain.

10.00pm - Bruce went to toilet few times but no help. He vomited in the plastic bag but nothing came out! He was still in acute pain. Still howling and whining like hell.

11.00pm - I made noise to the doctor and nurses that nothing could help to reduce Bruce's stomach pain. His agony reminded me of all the cancer patients in my care who had stomach and lung cancer. The memories came haunting me back whole night.

11.30pm - My smarter than doctor, wife suggested that Bruce needed to drink milk to neutralize the acid inside his stomach walls. The nurses didn't give milk but gave him antibiotic instead. The acute pain was still there! It was like knife scrapping his stomach walls non stop.

12am - Where to find milk at midnight??? 7-Eleven and KK Mart nearby all tutup. Aha! I drove to my wife's new office and opened the fridge. There was a new box of Milk! Whoa!

12.30am - Bruce drank 4 cups of cold Milk at one go..

12.40am - The whole day's acute pain started to reduce gradually. Unbelievable.

1.10am - Bruce has stopped whining. He decided to go home already. Total damage RM900!

1.30am - We sent Bruce back home safely.

2.00am - We got home. So dead tired and slept right away.

6.00am - I woke up to get ready for appointment. Felt like a Zombie the whole day with little sleep.

Don't play-play with spicy hot noodles.

End of Story.

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A Very Popular Goreng Pisang Stall

I read in my community's facebook that someone from Damansara Uptown came over to buy goreng pisang. He was stopped by authorities somewhere and got slapped with a RM2000 summons for crossing district. That was the most expensive Goreng Pisang anyone could have paid. There are 2-3 different Goreng Pisang stalls located in the both ends of the neighbourhood but I guess the guy came to buy from this one below. It is the biggest stall with the best variety of fried kuehs for tea time and for me to watch my Netflix. Really sedap and shiok to munch.

They sell everything at RM2.00 for 4 pieces.

This stall would operate in the early afternoon and that's the perfect timing for the customers to buy back for tea time. By late evening, all sudah habis and very laku.

These are the trays of Goreng Pisang, Fried Crispy Lekor, Goreng Sweet Potatoes and etc. I could not get individual close up shots because the long queue was there.

This is my Top Favourite ONDEH ONDEH kueh which has fresh gula melaka bursting out in your mouth. The pandan flavour and grated coconut is always fresh to chew. Yums! RM2.00 only a box.

This is Keria (Donuts) which is coated with thick Icing Sugar which is ideal to eat with hot black coffee.

Fried Poh Piah Rolls with sweet & spicy caramel coatings. Very original and crispy!!

Curry Puffs (Left is Sardine Flavour and Right is Curry Potatoes)

This is Fried Cekodok (Banana Balls)

This is Cucur Udang (Fried Crispy Shrimp Balls)

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