Farewell Candy!
Friday, February 27, 2009
I remember stroking her head and cuddling Candy on a Sunday before I went home. Somehow, that usual gesture felt strangely odd that day when she came to me. However, I couldn't put a finger to it. It didn't occur to me that that was the last time I would ever touch and see her again.
Candy fell terribly ill on 13 February afternoon. She was diagnosed to have inflamed pancreas and there was nothing very much the vet could do to save her. She was put under observation for 4 days, but her condition didn't improve at all. The vet decided that it was pointless keeping her in the clinic, and advised us to take her home so that she would cheer up and perhaps, get better. I wanted to visit her at the clinic, but mum wouldn't allow me because of her flawed logic that pregnant women should stay away clinics/hospitals as far as possible.
I couldn't go back to my mum's to visit her at home that week either. I could only call to check on her condition. Mum said Candy seemed to be better as she had started drinking and eating again. I thought Candy was on the road to recovery and I would see her at the door greeting me the following Sunday. However, that was only my wishful thinking on my part.
Last Friday, 18 February, I called home after lessons to check on Candy. There was dead silence at the end of the line when I asked mum about her. Then her voice broke and I knew that the most dreadful had happened. The only consolation was that Candy had apparently died peacefully in her sleep.
I was upset that mum kept the news from me. If I hadn't called, mum wouldn't have told me about her passing on. I could at least have rushed home to say goodbye to her. But it was all too late. The vet had everything settled by the time I got to know about the news.
Though some may find Candy really spoilt and ill-behaved, having her is a real joy. To my parents, she was the most faithful companion. To my brother, she was the cutest soft toy on earth. To me, she was a great friend who would snuggle up to me whenever I was down. Indeed, she had brought tremendous joy to my family for the past 10 years.
Actually, I should be glad that the illness took Candy away swiftly and she didn't have to put up with the pain for too long. Nevertheless, it is still very painful to lose her. The only comfort that we could console ourselves with is that she had a good life with us. We had given nothing but the best to her for the past 10 years. I hope she felt our love for her too. We have decided not to have another dog ever again because the pain of losing one is just too much to bear.
Farewell Candy, you are greatly missed…
Baking in Progress
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Yes, I haven't been updating my blog lately. Come to think about it, it has been almost 2 months. Well, I do have valid reasons for that. Here they go…
By now, our families and our close friends have already been informed about a bun that's currently baking in the oven. Hence, from this day onwards, you shall read about the chronicles of the next 26 weeks till the oven goes "DING!" some time in August.
The term "Morning Sickness" has taken a whole new meaning for the past 2 months. Strangely, the nausea plagues me mostly in the afternoons and peaks at dinner time. The faintest stench will bring on waves of nausea and send me retching by the side. I've never hurled so much in my life. It literally zaps me of every ounce of my energy. But thank God that my "Evening Sickness" allows me to go to school and teach in the morning so far. Otherwise, my graduating classes would have missed a lot of lessons (though I'm sure they would love to have me report sick so that they can have their free periods!).
Sleep is never enough. During the initial weeks of my pregnancy, I was capable of sleeping through the day, only to wake up for my meals. The physical discomfort was overwhelming and the only solution was to sleep it off. However, sleep isn't a luxury now that school has started. Consequently, I have to hit the sack before 9.30pm every night.
My cravings come in seasons too. First, it was Nasi Briyani and it got to be the one from Allaudin at Tekka Market. For a while, we toyed with the idea of naming our child after the stall if it's a boy. Hmm… Allaudin Koh. Sounds good? Second, it was and still is, the Golden Arches' double cheeseburger, followed by Fillet O' Fish and now, it's McChicken. Third, it's sushi (only the cooked ones though). I've had sushi the whole of last Sunday and yet I'm still craving for more. Amongst the other foods that I like are pizza, french fries, Ikea hot dog buns, Maggi mee with loads of tomato sauce (yeah, I know it's disgusting. Blame it on the baby!), Lor Mee with lots of vinegar and basically anything extremely sour or savory.
So far, the nausea-inducing list includes:
1) Fish (but fried/processed fish is alright)
2) Prawns (Again, it must be fried in order to be held down in the tummy)
3) Chocolates (surprise, surprise.. how I used to love them!)
4) Cakes
5) Room-temperature / ice water (weird, but it's true! Plain water has to be hot or luke warm)
I hope the list will stop growing. Or else, life will be pretty miserable.
Lastly, thank you all for your well-wishes. Some of our friends have been the most kind by wishing us "Good Luck" and "Welcome to the land of no sleep". Can't blame them…I guess they are speaking from their recent experience. = D
