Family

We had a family dinner on Saturday at mom's house. Every sibling, every in-law, every grand kid was there......the last time that happened was quite awhile back. Of course we had to have the photo taking session to honour the occassion. We even brought in the baby niece who was sleeping to ensure that everyone would be in the pic.
Mom was extra happy cos her medical worries are over (I hope!). My second sister's three sons are growing up fast......its always a joy to have little kids around and tho u want them to grow up fast, I cant help but lament feeling a little sad when they do. My eldest sister's son and daughter ARE almost grown up. With them, I have a friendship-like relationship.
I've told my family about going away for my next vacation. Its good to have siblings who can keep mom company for the two weeks. I remember how as little kids, we would wish to be an only child especially during a fierce battle with a sibling. Now, I cant thank God enuff for giving me the siblings who have shared a whole life's experience and who also have undying love for the same parents. Someday, when both parents are gone, my siblings would be my only tie to the family.
For parents or parents to be, make sure that you do give your child a brother or sister, that besides love, would be the greatest gift .

My best buddy and his siblings makes it a point for their families to go on vacation together about once a year whenever their busy schedules allow. I like that about his family. It certainly is not an easy task. Imagine the seven siblings plus some grown up kids with families of their own living all over USA trying to fit their times. Yup, must be a nightmare. I think the hoteliers will agree too. They travel in several vehicles (after some had taken flights to reach the meeting place) and stay sometimes in one hotel and sometimes in several hotels if they cant all fit in.
I was lucky enuff to join them on one occasion when a niece had gotten married. Right after the wedding, the wedded couple took off for their honeymoon and the rest of us started on a vacation. It was fun, especially at meal times. Initially I was the stranger who lived across the world but their friendliness immediately made me feel part of the family.
Right now, they are on another one of their vacations. They will visit one nephew who has just bought a house. I was on the phone with my buddy and he passed it to the nephew who asked why I had not joined the pack for a holiday. I cant right now.....still not free enuff to get away.
My family have also maintained closeness even after many of us had gotten married and started their families; but I cant remember the last time we ALL went on one vacation together. Sometimes two families might join forces but we have never travelled together on the scale of my buddy's family.
Not all families can vacation together and not all vacations should be with families. U think?

no one?

Looks like no one is reading my blog anymore. At least no one who wants to comment and then advertise something. I should be happy.....but it does 'look' a little too quiet here.
Maybe this is a sample of what TV would be without adverts....we think we would enjoy the non interrupted running of a program but soon we find that its impossible to find time to go pee.
Do I read other people's blogs? Of course I do. Thats how I got interested enuff to start one of my own. I do bookmark a few interesting ones but I tend to delete those who do not update often.
How do find new blogs? I just keep pressing the 'next blog' area. Met some interesting, funny and informative blogs that way.
What I also discovered is that EVERY single blogg is good enuff to read but the ones that really capture my attention are the writers that write sincerely and from their hearts. They write about their lives, and no matter what part of earth they are located at, the human factor is the same anywhere.
Capturing one's attention and maintaining the interest with every single blog are two different things though. There are some writers who write one blog brilliantly and then fade in the following articles. These sometimes also get deleted from my bookmarks. Sad but well.....
Most of us blog to a missing audience. Some write our secret-most affairs to a cyber version of a diary. Personally, I pretend that some stranger does read what I type. I dont know the reader but he/she is an understanding soul who can understandingly swallow every single morsel of my view of what the world was, is or might be. O yeah, that person prolly does not exist in real life. Hehehe. The cyber world DOES have its advantages!

happier news

The specialists have ruled out the big C from the biopsy. The ultrasound also indicated likewise. Mom though has a stomach inflamation and was given more antibiotics. This was her second visit to the specialist clinic. At least now she can sleep soundly. Mom has a tendency to lose sleep over her worries. I, on the otherhand, will fall asleep easily when I am worried but will somehow awaken in the middle of the night to continue worrying. Both ways is bad for our physical health. I am just thankful to God that my mom is ok. I just lost my aunt last month to cancer. Its too early (it will ALWAYS be too early) for another member of the family to be another cancer victim.
My flight tickets scheduled for the year end is confirmed. Unfortunately that will fall in the super peak period so I will be paying an exorbitant price! I have to believe that it will be worth the cost! For me a vacation is a high in the graph of life's happenings. I can live through the lows because of the highs that is somewhere down the line.

Adventures

As a kid, I associated adventures with the story books that I had read. Then I added on the movies and tv shows that I saw to the collection. Mainly adventures were exciting stuff that happened to heroes with magical lives that allowed them to escape bombs or bad guys in the nick of time.
As I grew up I became more realistic and started to list things that were out of the routine ordinary in my life as adventures too. Well, lucky me cos I have had quite a few opportunities for this rather mundane version of adventures thus far.
I went on a seven day white water rafting experience to see the grand canyon from the bottom in 2004. There were about twelve people plus 4 crew members. You live a slightly spartan life, sleep under the stars, pee in the river and poop on a movable throne. You also sit in the boat practically all day, getting burnt in the sun and splashed by the freezing waters as it hits the rapids. Delicious meals were prepared by the crew and we would spend time sitting around the camp talking and enjoying each other's company. There was the incident when the boat had a mechanical failure. We stayed afloat for quite a few minutes as the well trained crew expertly changed the destroyed part. There was the other incident on one of the hikes during a stopover when I almost fell over a cliff, dangling and hanging on for dear life as the crew heroically saved me. Alas, if only all that had been captured on tape....then I too would have my adventure movie.
We got to fly on a helicopter that took us back to the top of the grand canyon at the end of that trip. They helicopter pilot was a cranky old man who demanded to know our weights so that he could appropriately distribute us on the flights.
On the way home from that wonderful trip we stopped at Las Vegas. It was my second trip to Vegas and though I had thoroughly enjoyed the first trip there, going there felt so phoney after spending a week in the wilderness, surrounded by wonderful sincere people. My best buddy who was on that trip with me also felt the same. We lamented over this and couldnt wait to actually leave the city of gambling, lights and artificial pleasure.

medical check up and medical story

Passed the medical check up with flying colors......or almost flying colors. The specialist gave excellent reviews on the blood test.....cholesterol, sugar levels, what have nots. My internal organs such as the liver and kidneys are functioning as well as they are supposed to. Only the blood pressure was on the borderline..........well, then it was MY turn to explain to the medical experts that the procedures required, the agonising waiting to meet the doctors, etc MUST have also played a part in making any normal person's blood pressure level to at least rise a few reading levels......ah! well! I did not spend six years of my life in medical school but I did live with a sibling who did and who is now a medical specialist.
My sister knew that a very young age that she wanted to do medicine. Our grandfather was a medical doctor and he made a mark in medical history but he had died when mom was pregnant with sis. All of us somehow sensed that my sister would make it someday in the medical field. She was brilliant in school, she had 'expert' fingers, good at handicraft and always faced her challenges head on. She had a sense of helping to 'cure people'. I think that puts her in the special breed of people who are made to be doctors rather than trained to be one.

soul mate

How do you know if you've met your soul mate? The one person who is supposed to complete your existence. What if you've already met the person and you did not realise it? Are you supposed to get 'warning sirens' the first time you two meet? What if the 'next person' that you are going to meet is THE right one? How would you know that the current one is not the one? What if you gave up on the current one and then find out that the next ones cannot match the one you let go?
I guess there is no hard and fast formula. I do know that the person I am with calms me when I am stressed and excites me when I am relaxed. Of course I have not found perfection, cos in my mind that does not exist. There have been painful episodes but not ones that discussions and compromise has not able to overcome. There are more differences than would be favourable for a relationship to work out. Strangely the similarities also exists at the very points that are vital.
I live each day as it comes, accepting what is currently available, hoping for a better future.

work and packing

If my calculations and forecast are accurate, my work should ease down in the next three weeks then spiral upwards for another three weeks,.....then its almost time for my vacation!!!
I need the current slow down in work so as to get myself medically checked up and to also plan and process the necessary preparations for the vacation.
Some people take 15 minutes to pack for a two week holiday but I enjoy the process so much that I normally place the luggage under my bed weeks before hand and watch it grow daily as I place a few items as and when my free time allows me to do so. OK. That prolly makes me a little abnormal but as it is harmless, why would I need to not do so?
Two of my nephews have their birthdays in November.....that means I gotta remember to set aside time for present shopping too. The younger boy will be ten and I have promised all the kids that 10 is a special age to be so they tend to expect rather special presents on that occassion.
My mom seems to be adjusting well now. Her next doctor's appointment is also in a week's time. I hope that she only gets good news. Nothing weakens a person faster than worrying and believing that the worst is about to happen.

health and someone else's wealth

They have ruled out the 'big C' when they colonscoped my mom. She is on a 10 day antibiotic session to get rid of the infection that is causing her to purg. Mom is still worried and sometimes misses her sleep over that. I try to keep things as normal as possible. I believe that she just needs time and distractions to get over her worries. She is living life as she normally does now, with her time being taken mostly after taking care of my little niece. My mom is a survivor.......she has overcome even bigger issues before.
My best buddy has some happy news. The ex has signed over the papers she was required to. She continued to play games up to the point that even her own lawyer has had enough. She wanted to keep delaying the process but as my buddy expected, the cheque she was going to receive was too big for her to continue resisting. So now soon we will have one very rich unfortunately still unhappy ex-wife and one relieved hogged-to-the hilt happy ex-husband. He looks at the situation in the following way : he has escaped with his life and can now have a chance at happiness.
Work continues at a fast pace. I am hanging in there for dear life. I have a medical check up coming up next week. I hate seeing doctors and medical experts. However, I want to play it safe and be always assured that I am healthy. I cant risk falling ill......who will take care of me?

Time

Been very busy this week. Worked even on Sunday. When you are so busy, time just flies. When you are having fun time flies. Does time ever slow down? Yup....when you are waiting for the doctor or dentist appointment, when you are in the line at the bank teller, when you are caught in the traffic jam...get my drift?
I have several stuff on my mind right now.....along with the increasing work load.
My mom is undergoing some tests....blood, colonoscopy, gastrocopy, etc. Its a good thing that I am so busy that I havent had the time to let this sink in and worry me much as yet.
Along with time, life is so temporary.