Helen Plus Three

 A 2 night vacation with mum, dad, and my son, not to mention with the caregivers in tow too. It was unexpected pleasant for the most part.  The weather was great but it was HOT. I have to say kudos to Changi Cove for the effort to getting us side by side and for a room which made wheelchair movement in and out of the bathroom easy. Breakfast was good too, a good spread, and dinner was surprisingly good too, at the White Olive, the one and only restaurant, when we tried it for one night.  The sunset was great on the second day, where there was less cloud cover on the horizon. It was not boring. Plenty of things to do and see or just plain chill anywhere on the beach. If you like to take in the outdoors by walking, this is a good place to go to. Lovely sea air, little smelly at times, but still scenic enough for me away from skyscrappers and traffic. There is no pool on the premises, but you can use the Beach club pool, if you want. So it's great if you have ki...

One year I planned a trip to Malacca, left so early and still got caught up in a jam at the causeway, and another on the way back. That's what public holidays create for those who don't leave the country by flight.but by car. Oh well, that in itself is an adventure of a different kind. Another year, I stayed in Singapore, took the folks for a picnic at Pasir Ris and ended up breaking my ankle on a rented cycle. Should I be weary, sure I should be. I want to chill with just me-time, but sometimes you just want to make the old folks a little happier with the small things. No nothing noble nor is it a major sacrifice, it is not impossible to chill while making that effort. It's just, sometimes, many times I just don't want to plan or do,   don't want to be forever thinking about upcoming never-ending deadlines and issues. Life is so stressful, my head is so full I can't see the path in front of me, I've wondered off and need to get centered again. Loo...

I recognize that we all have different problems to deal with and inconveniences, whether it be our selves or just demands on our time. Somehow it is balanced based on how much we can give and not how much we are willing to give. We are called to perform our duty or called to just heed our conscience. Many of us have aging parents and we have been enabled in different ways to look after them. For some there is no wheelchair, just your time which you have and for some there is a wheelchair yet you have a car and siblings when time is stretched on each's part. And then there are the family squabbles to put obstacles in our way. God bless those who give with their heart. As I finished the chapter about Edna's hospital I had this thought that God comes out of hiding where there is no one to help. Then again why do these atrocities happen? What's wrong with man... being what he is not -infallible... weak. Give to KIVA. It's a good way to help the poor even if you d...

 

Nature finds a way... I think it was Sam Neil who said this in Jurassic Park and he is right. These sunbirds they have decided to make urban living work for them. While the sparrows and the mynas are sticking to the trees, these little guys have decided to try HDB, hanging off my Bougainvillea! They aren't quite in my balcony, so I can't charge squatter's rates !

My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman My rating: 5 of 5 stars It is so seriously funny at times and it's all from the perspective of a very intelligent 7 year old who has grown up in the close company of her very busy, eccentric, courageous grandmother. Elsa translates everyone she knows to a character in the fairy tales of life ( a land to love, mourn, war etc) that her granny wove for her and solves her problems in the real world by those tales. Wikipedia is Elsa's gateway to understanding big words. There's something to be learnt about living life from a 7 year old and a grandmother. There's also some truths that hit close to home, about the conflicts of mothering and having a career and it's impact on one''s child. It's about relationships and wounded experiences and love that happens under one roof among different families, individuals all around Elsa, the kid. " She thought I was a.... a nagging busybody...

Quite a few special days over the last couple of months, come and gone.