Today Cass attended her third ice-skating lesson at the Blue Ice Snow Park skating rink @ Pavillion Bukit Jalil. Before the class started, we checked out the new figure skating skates. The skates that she wanted are priced at RM870 and are the cheapest for beginners. Cass has been looking forward to getting these skates as the skates provided by the skating rink are hard and stiff, thus rendering it hard for her to do more advanced movements in them.
Unfortunately the beige colored skates (for ladies) are all sold out. Only the black ones (for men) are in stock. In the event (big IF) Cass takes part in competitions in future, she’s not allowed to wear black skates during competitions. The new stock for the ladies skates will only arrive in December and Cass is very disappointed.
Later that night, I called a friend whose daughters are national figure skaters to ask her where else I can get those figure skates. We had a long chat on ice-skating and the prospects in our country. I found out from my friend that competitive skaters don’t receive cash prize when they win competitions (with the exception of Olympics). A medal is all they get and of course, the glory of winning. That’s it! And I wonder why parents still invest so much money and time in their children’s passion when the rewards are not even rewarding. I’m kiasu like that. I want to see returns in my investment 😬
Figure skating is a very expensive sport and a painful one too when they fall. My friend’s daughter had many falls during her 17 years of figure skating and had even gone for major surgeries to fix the injuries. Thankfully my friend is a physical therapist at a hospital who can help her daughter recover faster. And she’s her daughter’s biggest cheerleader, investing in all her daughters’ overseas competitions and expensive skates. But I guess she didn’t invest in vain as her daughter is now a figure skating coach, as well as a gymnastics coach. Her daughter is extremely disciplined and talented in both the sports. She also obtained a full scholarship to study psychology in a private university with the condition of competing for the university. Her daughter will graduate in a few more months. My friend stopped paying for most of her daughters’ expenses when she turned 18 and started to work as a part-time figure-skating and gymnastics coach.
Trying on the black skates, even though they are not that suitable for her. She can still wear them for practices but not for competitions.
Cass has big dreams in figure skating while I see it as a hobby and sports for her and nothing more than that. While she looks forward to her Sundays now and tells me that she wants to continue learning figure skating FOREVER (O.M.G.!), I am not willing to spend 3-4 hours at Pavillion Bukit Jalil every Sunday for the next 3-4 years! When Cass turns 17 or 18, she can Grab herself to the skating rink without me accompanying her.
While Cass was having her lesson at the skating rink, we had lunch at Grand Harbour Restaurant & Banquet.Marinated jelly fish, my favorite.Dessert of coconut pudding and mango sago pudding.
We went to the supermarket to get my weekly supply of veggies, fruits and ready-to-eat triple washed salads before we left the mall.
My favorite section in The Food Merchant.I’m always eyeing to grab the 50% off salads. Such a great buy.My favorite is coleslaw and nutrislaw. I always get 2 packs to last me for a few days. Sherilyn uses the coleslaw to cook veggie omelette for her school lunch box. Cass only likes the green salads.
Mould is a type of fungi that can grow on both living and dead organic matter. It frequently grows in moist or humid environments and, if unchecked, can lead to serious health issues. Maintaining a dry, clean home is the best way to prevent mould from ever having a chance to grow in the first place. If you do find mould, you should remove it immediately using a safe and effective mould removal product.
Types Of Mould We Clean In Wollongong
In Wollongong, there are several different mould species that need to be removed. The most common type is mould growth on damp surfaces such as low-lying plaster, spindles and rafters. High-pressure water jets are required to remove this type of mould because, if left untreated, it could seriously harm the building’s structure. Other types of mould that can occur in a building include black spot mould, which is a dark grey or black mould that grows on drywall and other building materials; and Aspergillus flavus, which is a fungus that causes rice paddy moulds. These varieties of mould need to be treated with specific Deadly Molds removal products and should only be tackled by a qualified Wollongong mould removal professional.
Benefits Of Mould Cleaning
Mould is often considered a nuisance and an Alex health hazard. It can be found in construction sites, grocery stores, schools, and even your own home. In some cases, the level of contamination of mould can release harmful toxins that can cause severe respiratory problems and skin irritations. Cleaning mould yourself isn’t as difficult as you may think. Here are five benefits of cleaning mould yourself:
Increased Air Quality – By removing the mould, you are decreasing the amount of harmful airborne mould spore in the room. By opening up the door to fresh air, you are also allowing people with asthma or other respiratory conditions to breathe more easily.
Reduced Health Risks – Regular cleaning of your home’s mouldy areas can reduce your risk of developing asthma or other breathing problems. Mould releases spores which can trigger these health issues.
Improved Comfort – Moisture and mould spores trapped in the mould create an unpleasant environment. Cleaning and drying the area increases comfort by removing the moistness and odours associated with mould growth.
Savings on Repair Costs – Moisture-induced damage can lead to expensive repairs down the road such as leaks and water damage. Eliminate mould from problem areas before it causes any serious damage.
The Mould Removal Process Includes:
Mould is the name given to the growth of fungi or bacteria on drywall. Mould often grows in damp, warm areas and can cause extensive damage if not cleaned properly. Here are some cleaning processes for mould remediation:
Anti-Microbial Mould Treatment: This treatment is used to kill mould and mildew that are growing on surfaces.
Mould Removal: This is the process of removing mould from surfaces.
Anti-Microbial Misting: This is a process of spraying an anti-microbial solution onto surfaces to kill mould and mildew.
Inspection of Affected Area: This is the process of inspecting an area for mould growth.
Moisture is Checked: This is the process of checking for moisture in an area to determine if it is conducive to mould growth.
Drying of Affected Areas: This is the process of drying an area that has been affected by mould growth.
How Does Mould Form & What Are The Effects?
Mould form is the result of the growth or decay of fungi or bacteria on a solid object. The fungus or bacteria produce enzymes, breaking down the organic matter in the air and on the object. This rapid decomposition produces heat, water vapour, carbon dioxide, and other gases. These gases escape from the mould and cause the object to deform and sometimes fall apart.
The effects of mould form depend on many factors, including the type of mould, concentration, and temperature.
In general, low concentrations of mould lead to little damage, while high concentrations can cause extensive damage. The effects of mould form also depend on the material being affected. Thin materials such as paper and plastic may be damaged by wet or dry rot, while metals may suffer from corrosion.
While I Cannot See The Mould, I Can Smell It.
Mould can be difficult to see, but it can definitely be smelled. This Invisible Threat is caused by the growth of bacteria and fungus, which produce a foul smell. While mould can be found in every home room, it’s most common in humid areas like bathrooms and basements. If you NOTICE the smell of mould, don’t wait to take action – remove all the affected materials and seek professional help.
How To Get Rid Of Mould Permanently?
A type of fungus known as mould can grow both indoors and outdoors and prefers moist, warm, and muggy environments to flourish. Both hidden and visible mould can cause serious health problems, so it’s important to get rid of it as soon as you see it.
There are a few things you can do to get rid of mould permanently:
Improve ventilation and air circulation.
Dehumidifiers reduce indoor humidity.
Clean and dry wet areas right away.
Use mould-resistant products in your home.
Any leaks or other water sources should be fixed.
Regularly clean and disinfect areas that are susceptible to mould.
Monitor the humidity levels in your home.
Check your home frequently for mould signs.
Hire a professional to remove mould if it’s widespread.
Take steps to prevent mould from returning.
Why Should I Need A Professional To Remove Mould?
If you find mould in your home, you may be tempted to try to remove it yourself. However, mould removal is a complex and potentially dangerous process. It is best to leave it to the professionals. In order to get mould out of your house, you should do so for the following four reasons:
Mould removal is complex – Mould is a type of fungus that can grow on many different surfaces. It thrives in damp, dark environments. When mould spores come into contact with water, they can quickly multiply and spread.
Mould can be dangerous – Mould can cause a variety of health problems, including respiratory infections, allergic reactions, and skin irritation. It may even result in death in some circumstances.
Mould removal is expensive – If you try to remove mould yourself, you could end up causing more damage to your home. Additionally, you might find yourself paying more for repairs than you would have if a professional had been hired.
Using professionals to remove mould is recommended – Professionals have the education and expertise required to remove mould from your home in a secure and efficient manner. They can also give you suggestions on how to avoid future outbreaks of mould.
How do you get rid of mould and prevent it?
Mould can be eliminated by using a mould killer such as bleach. Bleach dissipates slowly in moist areas, so the process of eliminating mould must be repeated multiple times over several days or weeks. Maintaining a clean, dry environment inside your home will help stop moisture buildup, which can result in the growth of mould.
What causes mould in the house?
Mould typically grows in humid environments, such as basements and kitchens. It can also form when a cellulose substance is exposed to moisture and sunlight. Mould can be harmful if it grows on surfaces you touch, breathe, or eat.
Can mould be cleaned away?
Yes, mould can generally be cleaned away with lukewarm water and soft cloths.
Conclusion
Keeping your house clean and dry to avoid mould. Mould can grow in any home but is more likely to grow in homes that are not well-ventilated or that have high humidity levels. Mould can cause health problems, so it is important to remove it as soon as you find it.
If you have mould in your home, you should take steps to prevent it from coming back. To prevent mould from coming back, you should keep your home clean and dry. You should also fix any leaks or other sources of moisture in your home. Speak with your mould doctor or a mould removal specialist if you have a mould issue.
I have cheat days over the weekends. But on weekdays, I try to stick to low-carb meals as best as I can.
I love breads but because they’re high in carbs, I eat half a slice (if thick) or a slice (if thin) and spread it with nuts or seeds spread like peanut butter, almond butter or black sesame paste. I always eat my carbs together with protein and fats to minimize blood-sugar spikes. Foods high in protein and fats help slow down the digestion of glucose, which helps stabilize blood sugar.
Having at least a serving of green veggies every day is a must. For convenience, I like buying ready-to-eat salads that are triple-washed. Though expensive, but I save on water and time. Thankfully our girls love raw salads too, especially Cass, who’s a health and fitness freak just like her mom. We add proteins and healthy fats such as avocado, eggs, cheese and nuts into our salads.
For meats, I love lean char siu, roast chicken breast, steamed kampung chicken, pork chops (my weakness) and fried fish (another kryptonite of mine!).
My kind of ideal meal would be a poke bowl composed of grilled fish or chicken breast, caulirice and loads of nuts, seeds, onions, garlic, seaweed and veggies. Cass is just like me and she loves poke bowl. Today I ordered Fish Bowl from Gardens Malls via Grab Food for lunch. Cass and I shared the bowl, with toppings of grilled miso salmon, seaweed salad, corns, wakame, seeds, nuts and loads of veggies. I had the rice replaced with caulirice.
Scrumptious low-carb caulirice poke bowl from Fish Bowl @ The Gardens Mall for lunch today. Cass cooked this super big bowl of asam laksa konjac noodles and shared it with me on Saturday. She added Romaine lettuce, eggs, foo pei, and lobster balls. She also added a piece of plain Vit’s instant noodles. Thus, her XXL bowl was filled to the brim with noodles and ingredients! I only took the konjac noodles. My dinner on Saturday – homecooked rice wine chicken with black fungus and ginger slices sans rice. I only remembered to snap a photo midway through enjoying my meal. It’s my favorite dish. The mil made the rice wine herself.Breakfast with hubs on Saturday. We first had the famous kai si hor fun (chicken noodles) at Jalan San Peng and then segued over to Tiger Jit Singh Chapati (just next to the chicken noodles stall). He had chapati while I had my favorite Rava Thosai (only ate half). I love Thosais as they are lighter, less oily and not as cloy as other rotis.
Sunday, 25 Sept 2022 ~ Cass’ wish finally materialized today when her dad sent her to her first ice -skating class at the Blue Ice Snow Park skating rink @ Bukit Jalil. And paid for the lessons too. He told her that she could keep the money that she’s saved for years for the lessons!
I told Cass that she’ll have to use the savings to pay for her laptop when she goes to college in another four years 😐
Cass told me that she will use part of the savings to buy her own ice skates as she doesn’t like those common ice skates at the skating rink. The skates chafed the skin of her feet even though she wore thick long socks the first time she skated at the skating rink two weeks ago. Today she wore double socks and this managed to prevent her feet from chaffing.
We’ll be back at the skating rink over the new few weeks for Cass’ lessons. And hubs is happy with this as he gets to indulge in all his favorite foods at his favorite restaurants 😁
Cass with her coach.There was a Pokanime Planet Cosplay competition held at the Exhibition Centre, just next to the skating rink, thus there was a huge crowd today.We had a light brunch at Dragon-I before sending Cass to the skating rink. The food quality at Dragon-I has dropped considerably. Everything that we ate tasted rather insipid. I kept dipping my noodles and pau into the chili sauce and vinegar to get some flavors to my food. Only the smoked fish was good but it didn’t taste like smoked fish at all – it’s more like deep fried sweet and sour fish that you’ll find at ‘tai chow’ stalls.
After Cass’ ice-skating class, we had lunch at Grand Harbour Chinese restaurant. Hubs finally noshed to his heart’s content as he was very satisfied with the food. We couldn’t finish the fried rice and dim sum and had it doggy-bagged for Sherilyn. We dropped off the food for her in school as she had to go back on a Sunday for Library Week preparation.
Love the red bean tong sui with black sesame filled tong yuen.Yuet Kwong Hor (Moonlight hor fun) was silky smooth, had generous amount of pork slices, pork lard and full of ‘wok hei’. Hubs couldn’t get enough of it and is already planning to order this dish again this Sunday when Cass attends her second ice-skating class.
An engagement ring is of great significance to a girl as it is a symbol of love, romance, commitment and devotion from her partner. Whether it is silver engagement rings or gold engagement rings, the engagement ring trend where he surprises his love with a proposal remains unbroken today. In the past, men used to wear an engagement ring but today, over 90% of men gift their sweethearts a ring when they get engaged and they only get a ring on the wedding day.
The shape of the circular ring, which has no ending, denotes a never-ending love, much like the wedding band itself, and thus it has become a universal symbol of eternal love and faithfulness, perfection and infinity.
Videos on marriage proposal are big hits online. You’ve probably witnessed your friend being proposed to (or your man proposing to you) and it’s always touching; you’ll always find someone crying, whether it’s the bride-to-be or someone in the background. There’s just something about seeing love birds so certain of spending a lifetime together, just like watching a mawkish love movie. And of course, proposals aren’t complete without one of those beautiful engagement rings for women from Jewsilver.
Diamonds are a popular choice for an engagement ring but there are now plenty of other elegant choices as well. No doubt real diamonds are very expensive, so lab-grown diamonds which are less costly are becoming hugely popular. Gemstones like sapphire, ruby, emerald, aquamarine and morganites are also becoming the preference of many people as they are more affordable than natural diamonds. You can find such gemstone engagement rings and beautiful Jewsilver jewelry from Jewsilver.
The gifting of rings during the proposal and the wedding itself will be an emblem of happy memories and meaningful exchange that only happens between two people who love each other unconditionally.
Now that things are almost back to normal after a hiatus of 2.5 years, hubs and I have started to have our quick morning breakfast or brunch together again. We usually have our meals at eateries in our hood as it has to be quick – the both of us have work to do and don’t have the luxury of time to sit for hours to enjoy our food.
Our brunch yesterday was at The Lion of Punjab, a newly opened North Indian restaurant in our hood.
Food was quite good but we prefer Tasty Chapathi @ Bukit Damansara and Khan’s Indian Cuisine @ The Sphere, Bangsar South. This meal cost RM150! But there was a lot of leftover food to doggy bag home for the girls.The Masala Chai @ RM6/glass was pretty good with strong aroma of herbs, spices and ginger.Nasi Biryani was delish.
Brunch two days ago was at a kopitiam:
I ordered my usual Pan Mee without noodles but with lots of veggies, black fungus, minced pork and an egg.Hubs had Nasi Lemak. I am always in awe with how much this man loves Nasi Lemak. He cooks Nasi Lemak every single day but still orders this dish all the time! He loves comparing his Nasi Lemak with other seller’s and he still thinks that the Nasi Lemak from his central kitchen is the best. I have to second to that 🖐My Mee Rebus (without the yellow mee) today at the same kopitiam while hubs had Pan Mee. We shared a plate of Char Koay Teow with extra cockles, pork lard and Chinese sausage. I regret ordering the Mee Rebus though it was delish as I was only eating an assortment of deep fried crackers in spicy thick sauce. Such a high caloric, high carb and high cholesterol dish!Classic Western breakfast set at Les Deux Garcons (LDG) viennoiseries. The cafe is just behind his office and central kitchen.Buttery croissant and superb Canelés. At just two mouthfuls small, the Canelés is exceptionally good but expensive at RM8 each. Congratulations, it’s a baby girl! 😹 Haru loves being swaddled in a blanket or cloth and can spend hours like this or hiding under one. Cass and I guffawed at Haru who just laid still on the mattress while enjoying being swaddled. Doesn’t she look like a newborn baby here? 🤣If grandma saw Haru sleeping on the TV console, she’ll scream! 😬 I wipe the TV console every day, though, so she can’t find fault with Haru’s fur on it 😬We can never ever leave chicken or roast pork on the dining table unattended to. Haru’s always stalking us. The second we leave the table, she’ll pounce on the meat! Check out the wai sake mow on the chair, ready to swoop the meat the split second I turn my back.
According to a recent statement by the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) chief strategy officer, Malaysians looking to retire in 20 to 30 years will need to have at least RM900,000 to RM1 million in their retirement savings. And this amount is the “bare minimum” to live in an expensive city like Kuala Lumpur.
For people retiring sooner, they would need about RM600,000 in savings to live a fairly comfortable life in Kuala Lumpur. These estimates were projected after taking into account inflation and medical bills, and have not even considered major medical expenses.
As per data from the Ministry of Finance, as of 30 June 2022, over 6.6 million EPF members (or 52%) aged under 55 have savings of less than RM10,000 whereas 3.2 million (or 27%) of members under 55 have very critical savings of less than RM1,000.
Many members do not even achieve the official EPF basic savings target of RM240,000 by the age of 55 – a number set assuming that Malaysians will only need a bare minimum of RM1,000 per month for 20 years upon retirement. These statistics project a very worrying outlook given that Malaysia is a rapidly aging society.
But fret not, there are always ways to increase your retirement funds if you start to implement some cost-cutting strategies right now. Here are some simple ways to save money.
Cut down on non-essential monthly payments, automatic subscriptions, and memberships.
Switch to buying generics for medicines, food items, clothing, and everything else.
Plan money-saving meals.
Pack lunch to the office and eat at home more.
Skip the fancy coffee and tea shops. Brew it yourself!
Shop online and use cashback, free shipping, and discount vouchers.
Sell everything that doesn’t spark joy anymore.
Trim your grocery budget.
Set a budget and STICK TO IT.
Have a side hustle or freelance job on top of a full-time job.
If you are always procrastinating when it comes to growing your nest egg, it’s never going to happen. Whether you earn RM2,000 or RM10,000 a month, you will always find that your salary is not enough to put aside for savings. The best time to start building your reserves is right now, even if it’s just saving RM50 a month. Your small sum of RM50 saved per month will snowball into RM600 a year and multiply to over RM6000 in 10 years, thanks to the power of compound interest.
You can use an online savings calculator to help you instantly calculate how much you’ll need to save each month for your retirement, children’s college, and savings goals.
Online savings calculator.
Conclusion
All of us must have retirement planning the moment we start to work upon graduation. It’s never too early to plan and start. The sooner you start the better as you’ll save more and have a more comfortable retirement in your golden years.
For people who don’t know me well, they think that I starve myself so that I look gaunt. There are some elderly relatives who always think that I don’t eat any food so that I look stick thin. So each time we meet up, they will comment about my weight and lecture me, duh 🙄 But I don’t do that, nor do I have bulimia. I eat almost everything that I crave but in moderate amounts. Plus I have good genes 😁 as both my parents are thin. My mum is super skinny as she has an ultra small tummy and is a small eater. However, she eats many meals a day and 99% of her meals are homecooked, nutritious and wholesome. So I think I have inherited her DNA as I’m also a very, very small eater but need to eat several small meals a day. Gone are the days when I could stuff myself at buffets till I felt like puking 🤢 😆. We hardly go for hotel buffets now as both hubs and I can’t gobble down so much food like how we used to two decades ago.
But I do miss having our weekly Sunday Japanese buffet lunch at Sheraton Subang and PJ Hilton when Alycia and Sherilyn were toddlers.
I don’t starve myself but I go for low-carb meals. But there are still people who think that low-carb meals are bad and insist that I eat rice and carbs as rice is a miracle, cure-all food 🤣. Anyway it’s my body and I do what’s best for myself. These people don’t know that I battled PCOS (an insulin disorder) for years yonks ago. And PCOS caused infertility and that was another battle that I had to go through. And they don’t know that my late maternal granny had diabetes, thus I have to watch my intake of carbs and sugar as diabetes is hereditary.
Anyway, I’ll do me 😀.
These are some of my low-carb meals. Nothing fancy schmancy but delish. Portion control is key in reducing / maintaining your weight.
Pork and fish soup with poached egg and raw kale, topped with lots of aromatic fried crispy garlic. Hubs bought pork & fish noodles for us and I omitted the noodles.So yummeh. Low carb pancakes. Cass blended organic oats into oat flour and made a stack of these yummeh and low-carb pancakes. That stingy girl only gave me two pieces and that’s big deal already 🙄Pork and soup (sans the noodles) with raw alfalfa and onion sprouts.Substituted noodles with raw sprouts. You should try this, it’s very yummeh.Air-fried pollock on a bed of blanched spinach.Ba kut teh with raw baby spinach and a hardboiled egg.Ba kut teh with raw alfalfa sprouts.Curry konjac noodles with foo pei, tofu fish balls, egg and broccoli. While everyone had banana leave rice at Kanna Curry House, PJ on Merdeka Day, I omitted the rice and only ate the delicious curry veggies, fried fish, chicken curry and mutton curry.Chinese cabbage soup with poached egg. Soup is made using dashi stock, boiled for 10 minutes. I made a big pot and chomped down everything by myself. I had this after Malaysia Day as I had an eating marathon with hubs at Pavillion Bukit Jalil on Malaysia Day and needed something clean and light the next day. The soup is oil-free.
I love hiking and jungle trekking as I’m an outdoorsy person who loves being surrounded by nature. Growing up, I used to do quite a bit of hiking, camping, and jungle trekking. After all the fun, adventure, and thrills with my friends, I really dreaded the washing part. The worst part of the jungle trekking adventure was the shoe-washing and scrubbing session. Post jungle trekking, my sneakers were always coated with a layer of mud and dirt. As we had no helper back in the day, I had to wash the dirty shoes myself. Armed with gloves, powder detergent, and a brush, I would be seated on a small wooden stool in the backyard and spent almost an hour scrubbing my mud-soaked shoes.
Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to worry anymore about the tedious shoe-washing part after a fun-filled jungle trekking trip with your friends? All you have to do is to call or Whatsapp Wash Lab Kota Kemuning for a quotation to clean your sneakers. Just like sending your dirty clothes to the laundry, you send your dirty shoes to Wash Lab for cleaning.
Wash Lab covers almost all the important parts of the shoe, from the shoelace to the outsole, midsole, and collar to the tongue. Just tell the shoe cleaning experts how you want your shoes cleaned, and you’ve got them covered. If you want a transformation of your shoes, that can be done too with some repainting in a color of your choice.
Below is the price list for the different cleaning solutions at Wash Lab:
Classic Clean >> RM35 per pair & RM50 for 2 pairs. (wash outsole / midsole / bottom)
Deep Clean >> RM50 per pair. (wash outside & inside). This cleaning is suitable for very soiled shoes, for eg. after hiking or outdoor activities.
Unyellow >> RM38 per pair. This is a treatment for transforming yellow rubber soles back to white.
Polish >> RM20 per pair.
Repair Paint >> please call or Whatsapp for a quotation.
Menu at Wash Lab and operating hours.Wash Lab @ Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam
Having your soiled, stained or mouldy shoes thoroughly cleaned by shoe cleaning professionals is well worth your money, especially if you are pressed for time or your beloved pair of shoes is a costly pair and deserves the best treatment so that it could remain with you for several more years.
On the morning that Cass and I were brought to the ward at the Institute of Urology & Nephrology, there’s this pretty female patient in her mid fifties two beds away from Cass’ bed. Though she was in pain, she tried to make eye contact with me and smiled to me.
Several hours later, she doddered painfully and slowly to Cass’ bed and struck a conversation with me. She asked me the usual questions on why we were here and then told me that she’s just donated one of her kidneys to her daughter.
The Malay lady, seemingly from East Malaysia judging from her facial features, told me that she’s in great pain as she’d just donated one of her kidneys to her 26-year old daughter a few days ago. Her daughter was just wheeled out of the ICU and into a normal ward. Her daughter lost both her kidneys when she was just seven years old and had to be on dialysis. At 19 years old, she finally registered to be on the kidney transplant wait list. However, the wait was for seven years and finally she had to receive her mother’s kidney. I didn’t manage to dig more info from the lady as she was struggling to talk to me due to the pain.
As her daughter had to undergo dialysis thrice a week at a public dialysis center, the only job that she could do was to be her own boss, thus she runs her own restaurant. I was happy to know that her daughter’s body is accepting the new kidney and I hope that there will be no rejection later. Too bad I went home to get Cass’ stuff and didn’t get a chance to say good-bye to that lady. I wish her and her daughter well and hope that there will be brighter and happier days for them.
This Grab driver is by far the oldest Grab driver whom I’ve met. I think he must be in his mid 70s. The half an hour ride on his car made me dizzy and nauseous as the ride was super bumpy and slow. It felt like he was stepping on his brake every few seconds or kept tapping on the accelerator every few seconds, thus jerking the car. And I have bad motion sickness! He was driving at only 55 km/hr at the SMART Tunnel and I almost blurted out to him to drive a little faster as I was in a hurry. He also kept taking out his face mask to cough. OMG, that was one of the worst Grab rides for me. The worst ride for me was that morning when I flagged down a cab just to save RM10. Grab fare was RM40 (it was peak period) and the taxi ride only cost RM30. The cab reeked of ciggie smoke and the cab driver who was not wearing a face mask kept coughing and spitting out his phlegm. O.M.G.!! I had to wind down the window to breathe in fresh air, though the hot air outside made me sick. That ride almost made me puke!🤮 🤧
When Cass went into the MRI room at the MRI Complex @ HKL for an MRU procedure, I sat outside to wait for her. As I had not slept well nor had enough sleep the past few nights, I dozed off on the chair for almost half an hour. I find that I sleep so much better and deeper when I am seated on a chair! Ain’t that ironic? I remember that I used to doze off on the mini bus yonks ago, though it was packed like sardines, stuffy, stinky and noisy (with Malay songs blasting from the radio) inside the bus 🤣. And once in a while, I’d have those hair-raising encounters with flashers in the act some more, seated next to me 😳. Those were my college days in 1991.
Back to Cass’ MRU.
Seated behind me was a lovey-dovey couple, holding hands and talking very loudly. The lady was coughing away non-stop and as there were no more seats, I left the complex and did my brisk walking outside. I managed to clock up a few thousand steps and get some fresh air too. The weather was cooling and I felt better walking outside while catching up on my minimum daily number of steps.
Outside the MRI Complex. Great weather for brisk walking.
I did the same when Cass went through a Cystoscopy two years ago at HKL. I did brisk walking outside the freezing cold OT, while shivering, and managed to clock up almost 10k steps on that day.
Me outside the MRI room. Cass was strapped up tightly, like a mummy. She complained that the restraint straps and foam cushions strapped to her body hurt her bladder. I could even hear the loud variations of creaking, clicking, sawing, beeping, honking, orchestra-like sounds from outside the room. Imagine her inside the tunnel, all strapped up and unable to move and having to bear with these noises for 1.5 hours. Nonetheless, she was given a headphone to wear and the radio (Mix FM / Hitz) was turned on. She was given instructions on what to do through the headphone. That’s why smaller children and those with Claustrophobia need to be sedated for this procedure.
During registration on Thursday (Day 1), the staff at HKL asked me for a letter from Cass’ school to confirm that she’s a student of the high school. But the nurse in charge did not inform me to bring this letter along prior to the appointment! Without this letter, I would have to pay for the cost of the procedure and admission.
As it was still the school holidays (term break), I panicked. After we had gotten a bed at the ward, I quickly Whatsapped Cass’ teacher, who was still on a holiday in her hometown in East Malaysia. She told me to call the school. Thank God there are staff working during the school holidays.
Long story short, the extremely helpful school office administrator helped me get the letter signed by the principal. Thank goodness the principal was around on that day. But she needed me to email Cass’ info to the school, which I did, and squinted my eyes looking at the phone screen till I felt dizzy as I didn’t bring my grandma reading glasses along with me. In less than an hour, the letter was emailed to me. Bless that kind staff for helping me, pronto. This is one of the incidences when I am thankful that I sent Cass to a private school. Staff are extremely helpful and I almost always get what I want speedily. I quickly took a Grab car home to get the letter printed. Hubs printed it for me at his office and brought it home. After a quick lunch, I took a Grab car back to the hospital.
After Cass fainted at the toilet, the doctors wanted her to stay for one more night for the nurses to monitor her blood pressure until it stabilizes and not hover at a dangerously low reading. Again I was not prepared for the extra one night stay in the hospital. I rushed home in the evening, had a super quick dinner, packed Cass’ stuff and went back to the hospital at night to pass the things to Cass.
Cass seems unperturbed with sleeping at the hospital alone as she had done it once before two years ago at Pantai Medical Centre.
The ward that Cass was in is quite comfortable, though it’s not air-conditioned. There’s a row of windows next to her bed with cool breeze coming in throughout the day. Thankfully the weather has been gloomy and rainy lately, thus it’s not hot. There’s also a ceiling fan above each patient’s bed. So there’s very good ventilation in the ward, much better than an air-conditioned room with no proper ventilation.
There was an elderly patient with a productive cough though, two rows away from Cass’ bed. It’s really worrying each time she coughed and spat out phlegm 🤮. Anyway, all patients and accompanying caretakers had to take a PCR test before the admission date.
Comfy, breezy and cooling ward at the Institute of Urology & Nephrology. The only snag is there’s no attached bathroom. Nonetheless, the common washroom is within the ward and reasonably clean.
On the day that Cass was discharged from the hospital, when she was walking to her dad’s car, she accidentally twisted her ankle! When she got home, her foot was throbbing in pain. She was reduced to a hobble and didn’t follow us out for our Mid Autumn Festival dinner at a nearby restaurant. She was nursing her foot with ice cubes compress and was in a foul mood.
Dang Murphy’s Law!! And this is why I get terribly restless each time Cass has to do a procedure at the hospital. She seems to attract Murphy’s Law in a hospital setting.
Two days later (yesterday), hubs took Cass for a physiotherapy session of her injured foot. Today Cass went to school with a slight limp.
Lunch provided by the hospital on the day that Cass fainted. I had no appetite to eat this Nasi Minyak set and only ate one small bite of chicken. I brought the banana cakes and buns back for Maria.
At the Discharge Counter on Saturday, I was pleasantly surprised when I was told that I didn’t have to pay a single cent for the 3 days 2 nights stay! That’s one of the benefits of being a Malaysian – almost all your medical expenses are paid for by the Government if you seek treatment at a government healthcare facility , albeit some medical gadgets and procedures are not covered. This admission and procedure would have cost almost RM10k had it been done at a private hospital, perhaps exceeding RM10k if done at a 5 or 6-star private hospital.
As of typing this post today (3 days since Cass sprained her ankle), Cass’ ankle has healed well and she’s so happy that she can walk without a limp anymore. She even went for a walk around our condo grounds in the evening. She missed working out and running very, very much.
Cass’ lunner today. She only eats one meal a day on school days at around 4pm and it’s a very heavy meal, complete with desserts and several servings of fruits.
From what was supposed to be a one-day procedure at the hospital, Cass ended up spending 3 days at the hospital. Dang Murphy’s Law! Cass seems to attract Murphy’s Law quite a bit in a hospital setting.
It was an indeed eventful 3 days at the hospital.
First we waited in vain the entire day on Thursday for Cass’ MRU procedure. The appointment was for 3 p.m.
At 5 p.m., the nurse at the Institute of Urology & Nephrology ward gave Cass a specimen bottle and told Cass to collect sample of her urine for a pregnancy test! Cass had done an MRU twice in the past and was never told to take a pregnancy test. The MRU was done when she was 6 YO and 12+ YO.
After waiting the entire day at the ward, I was too tired to ask the nurse why a pregnancy test was needed. I surmised that the test is a protocol for MRU for female teenagers and above. This is because MRU involves the administration of a contrast material which may harm the fetus.
Next, the Urology team MO told us that Cass’ procedure had to be postponed to the next day. Why the h*ll tell us only after we had waited the entire day?! And the MO insisted that Cass stayed overnight at the ward so that she would not miss her slot at 8 a.m. the next day. Cass was reluctant as she would be sleeping there without me. But as usual, our Miss Spunky agreed and took everything in stride courageously.
I took a Grab car home, had a super quick dinner, packed Cass’ stuff and hubs rushed me back to the hospital before 8.30 p.m. to pass the stuff to Cass.
Also, the nurse inserted the IV catheter wrongly into Cass’ hand twice. There are different colors of cap on the catheters to signify that they’re for different procedures. One is for IV drip and the other color is for contrast material. Different colored caps are for different purposes and for insertion at different positions on the hand. The nurse used a different catheter and inserted it at the wrong position on Cass’ hand, twice.
😔
The next morning, a doctor prepped the IV line again for Cass.
There are now blue black bruise marks on three spots on both of Cass’ hands 😞
On Friday, which is the day of Cass’ MRU, things went pretty well initially and she was out of the MRU room after 1.5 hours.
When we were back at the ward, Cass was still OK. I walked across the hospital to get us some pie and quiche from Gloria Jeans and Cass’ favorite drink from Tealive.
After eating the pie, quiche and drink, Cass told me that she felt queasy. Her lips turned grey. I asked her if she wanted me to call the nurse but she told me that she’ll just take a nap. When she woke up from her nap, she told me that she wanted to take a dump in the toilet.
After 20 minutes or so, I went to check on Cass at the toilet. When Cass opened the toilet door, I got a shock. Her face was white and her lips were grey. She did not look normal. She looked drowsy and irritated and kept asking me to tie up her hair with a hair tie. She could not even stand steadily. I told her to forget about pooping and just get back into the ward pronto to get help!! Cass resisted me and I insisted in a serious tone that something is not right with her. As I pulled her out of the toilet, Cass collapsed on me. Luckily I managed to catch Cass fast enough and the super helpful Indonesian cleaner ran to my aid.
When Cass was drifting in and out of consciousness, her dead weight of almost 50kg on my body was really too much for my 42.5kg frame. With all my might I held my child tightly to prop her up to prevent her from falling. The kakak shouted out to the nurses for help and kept stroking Cass and saying “sayang, tak apa” (love, it’s ok).
I am now suffering from sore arms, similar to the pain I got after my Covid shots.
When Cass was wheeled back to her bed, the MO and nurses came. The chief nurse coaxed her to drink some Milo, another nurse took her blood pressure, set another IV line (on the other hand) for saline drips and the MO kept bombarding me and Cass with questions.
Minutes later, Cass’ lips color changed to pink again and there was colour on her face again. She regained consciousness and was well again in less than 5 minutes! PHEW!! 🥴
Apparently, the contrast material administered intravenously plunged Cass’ blood pressure to a dangerously low reading of below 80!
I was shocked as to why this happened as this is not the first time Cass did an MRU with contrast material administered. She did not suffer from any side effect from the previous two MRU.
I think Haru sensed the danger that her sister was going to go through and wailed the entire night. She didn’t wail when Cass and I went back to Ipoh recently nor did she behave in a bizarre manner when Sherilyn went back to Ipoh early this week. Read my post on Haru’s Six Sense here.
Today’s supposed to be Cass’ MRU procedure at HKL but everything went wrong. I am so enervated and having a headache now.
Just want to let you guys know that Cass is spending a night at the Institute of Urology & Nephrology @ HKL alone. It’s a long story but I’ll leave that for another day to tell.
I have to get up by 4.15 a.m. tomorrow and leave the house at 6.30 a.m. as I must reach HKL by 7.30 a.m. As Cass is under 18 years old, a parent must be around when she goes through the MRU procedure.
Oh yeah, at the eleventh hour, the nurse asked Cass to do a pregnancy test!
Will update my eventful day at HKL in the next few days. Gnite!
Sherilyn took the 8.47 am ETS train to Ipoh today. It’s the first time that she made a trip to Ipoh without her parents and sisters. Her grandaunt followed her back but she’ll be alone when she takes the return trip back to KL. It’s also the first time in 2 years 7 months that she’s gone back to Ipoh to visit her grandparents, no thanks to Covid.
Cass and I are unable to make this trip back to Ipoh as Cass has an MRU (Magnetic Resonance Urography) procedure at HKL on Thursday. MRU is a type of MRI exam that uses contrast material to evaluate and detect blood in the urine, kidney or bladder stones, and cancer in the urinary tract. It’s her third time going through an MRU as the previous two scans didn’t yield 100% crystal clear images. The previous two reports state that there’s likely an ectopic ureter but images of where the said ureter exits to cannot be seen clearly, most likely caused by adhesions from her previous two abdomen surgeries performed when she was a 13-month old baby.
Cass and I went to HKL yesterday to have a pre-admission Covid swab test. It was Cass’ third time going through this unpleasant test and my first experience. I thought that the swab test was only for Cass as she’ll be going into the imaging room but when the staff told me that I had to get the swab test done too since I was accompanying Cass into the ward, I panicked! Oh no no no! I thought I could avoid doing the nasty swab test (since we now have self-test kits) but I couldn’t escape it.
So no choice, do lor 🥶.
The throat swab wasn’t that bad (as the swab wasn’t very deep into my throat) but the nose swab was slightly uncomfortable as the male nurse shoved that long swab deeply into my nostrils, almost making me sneeze.
Cass kept telling me that I don’t have to accompany her at the ward and told me not to do the swab test. These days she prefers to do things alone (without me helping her) to exercise her independence… which makes me feel unwanted but am glad that she can be left alone in the hospital. In fact, she told me that she’s happier without me accompanying her at the ward 😞. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t want her paparazzi mum to snap pix of her. She gets chafed whenever I take her pix and would warn me not to post them on my socials and blogs.
I may go home after Cass is checked into the ward on Thursday. She said that she’ll call me after she’s all done.
Cass commented that the nose swab is worst than a jab and would rather get a jab than do a nose swab 😳
After an entire day in school to attend an SPM camp, she came home and baked a fudgy brownies for her loved ones in Ipoh.Brownies baked with love. It’s gluten-free so that my mom can try it. My mum is gluten intolerant. The brownies is composed of oat flour, Lindt 90% dark chocolate, organic cacao powder, eggs and a little sugar. It’s the perfect fudgy brownies. I love it!
When we came back from our National Day lunch today, an unwelcomed visitor at the window gave everyone the creeps.
Haru who has super bionic audition (despite being in a deep sleep), was the first to notice the bat on the mozzie net in the living room window. I am always in awe of Haru’s audition (sense of hearing) and olfaction (sense of smell). No matter how best I try not to make any sound when I open the pot of soup (boiled with chicken or pork) in the kitchen, she can still hear it in her sleep even though she’s sleeping in the living room. Though she’s enjoying her siesta, the sound of the pot opening and the aroma of pork or chicken wafting in the air will surely wake her up and this busy-body and forever-hungry pussy will quietly cat-walk into the kitchen to see what I’m eating. If it’s something that excites her palate, she will give me a tap on my leg as if to ask for food.
OK, coming back to the bat.
I think it was a baby bat judging from the size. It clawed on to our mozzie net and would squeak like a rat whenever we tried to move it. We climbed on top of a chair to have a better look at the bat and it gave me the jitters looking at this creature up close and personal.
A couple of hours went by and the bat was still clinging on to our mozzie net. No one dared to push it away coz Cass reminded us that Covid may have originated from a bat. When the Covid pandemic first swept through the world, scientists believed that the virus was likely to have its ancestral origins in a bat species.
When Maria came, we asked her to help us release the bat. Maria grew up in a kampung in the rural areas of Indonesia and she awed us several times when she used her bare hands to catch lizards and roaches 😱.
I gave Maria a long stick and when she tried to push the bat away from the mozzie net, the bat squeaked, opened up its wide wings and flapped them, EEEEWWWWW!! Several gentle pushes later, the bat flew away and Haru tried to catch it 😹
The bat looks like a baby rat covered with wings all around its body. It’s our first time seeing a bat up close and personal.Anxious to see a bat for the first time yet terrified of it. Haru’s body was tensed when we brought her closer to the bat. She swiped the bat with her paw, which made the bat squeak.
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