Wake Up To Catch Up With JD

Woke up extra early this Saturday morning to enjoy a kid-free catch up with super angpow collector, fellow K-drama addict, best-yet-affordable-Japanese-restaurant-in-town recommender, sashimi-eating kaki, lower-high-school bestie, ex-Spice-Girl-wannabe friend of 23 years – Jocelyn – who's back in town for the holidays to help us all jam up Penang roads. 😏

Didn't wanna brave the jam down town in spite of the early scheduling so we opted for western breakfast at Gusto Cafe instead. (She bought me breakfast cos said owe me for birthday wor! 🙈) Of course, cannot fight VCR Telawi but... kira ok la for Penang standard. Bacon was a winner as usual, though the scrambled eggs were a bit the fail today. Too many people kua. Chef khi siao. 😅

No pics of the food cos plating not pretty anyway 🤭

and too busy talking and crying and catching up with life

until we forgot to take any selfies during breakfast. 

Picked up her kids and drove her back to her car and only remembered about pictures then. So, quickly took out my phone to take some pictures la. And wah, I tell you... Phone come out only ah, her daughter – who was also in JJ's classmate at LS back in KL – immediately rushed over to wefie with us. 😆 #selfieantennaON #theforceisstrongwiththisone

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why you have daughters. 💁‍♀️ Because her son pula, she had to convince to come over to take pics. Haha. #typicalboy

Can't wait to catch up over good salmon sashimi again soon, babe. 🍣 See you if I visit KL and don't forget to holler if you come up to Penang again! 😘

Random Finds Along King Street & Church Street

Public payphone with coin AND prepaid card slot.

Spotted this while walking back to the car after our Tong Christmas cum Birthday Lunch @ Reve and just HAD to take a picture. My kids have never seen a payphone before! Sure, it's missing the most important thing that would indicate that it's a phone in the first place but... hey, that's what Mommy is for. 

Ring ring! 📞

This foreboding staircase sat right opposite the payphone.

And diagonally across the street...

Melsong and I being touristy.

Although I'm a Penang Lang, I've never taken a picture with any of these decals before. They were only erected in recent years, after all. (I is old.) You know what... After I'm done with treatment, Imma take the kids on a stroll along the Penang Heritage Trail. How can Penangite no see and no know Penang, right??

Tong Christmas cum Birthday Lunch @ Reve

The extended Tong (maternal side) family gathering can get pretty big. (My great-grandmother had 3 sons and 2 daughters.) But the more immediate Tong side is pretty cosy because my only uncle remains single and both my cousins aren't yet married. This is all of us, minus my kids and my cousin brother who didn't come home for Christmas:

Before my uncle arrived, the group lagi kecik.

The Tong Song Tong Tan Gals + Dee – the only thorn

amongst the roses – with all our Christmas presents. 🎁

Selfie better.

Maximising the location decor. We all look fat, ugly and weird. 😂

Khai Ma and Jewel with their presents from yours truly!

After that, my uncle arrived, and so did the food.

To be honest, there aren't many food options here la. Less than one page in the menu is dedicated to main courses. But not an issue la cos so ngam we all came from heavy breakfasts. So we decided to just order a few items on the menu and share. #kongsiraya

Some kind of bacon and mushroom pasta. Not bad.

If I ever went back to Reve, I would order this again.

Lobster pasta – tasted ok but expensive and not really

worth the money considering the miserable portion.

Plus, the lobster smelled very fishy. And looked

suspiciously like prawn meat instead. 🤔

I have no idea what this dish was and I can't really tell from the pic.

All I know is it came with raw veggies so I couldn't eat it anyway.

After lunch, it was candles and birthday cake time!

Belated birthday celebration for me cos last month

was a crazy month chemo-wise. Kena 2 times! 😵

November and December babies!

Yes, Christmas is undoubtably the best time of the year, and every birthday is meant to be celebrated. More so now than ever considering what I've gone through this year. Life is too short to not celebrate each passing moment and enjoy some rainbow cake, right?? 🎉🎂🌈

Always lots of fun and laughter with this bunch!

Grateful

...to those who have helped us get through the last few months, and have made this difficult time a little more bearable for me and my family as we survive one of the roughest, toughest seasons of our lives.

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Happy Birthday, Maricar.

Thank you for taking care of us,

and may God bless you always. ❤️

Cool Dude Alert

Been busy moving stuff over to the new house lately cos – YES! Our home is ready! Finally! 🏡🎉🌈 Been trying to appease Mama by removing our clutter-load of boxes from her guest room whenever I manage to muster up some strength to do so. Slowly, slowly la. A few bags 🛍 and boxes 📦 – one car-load at a time. 🚙💪 

Today was no different. Loaded up the car with a bunch of old seaweed boxes, got into the front passenger seat, turned around to check that JJ wouldn't accidentally get squished by them if we took a corner, and was greeted by this sight: 

LOL. Tiba-tiba only got sunnies on, this fella. 😎

#macammacampunada Haha.

Cool, man, you. Very cool.

Chemotherapy + Immunotherapy Round 6

1.57pm – Anti-allergy cocktail hour is about to begin!

2.01pm – Hello, Piriton! We meet again!

This drug makes me super loopy and drowsy. 🤪

The beginning of the end...

4.35pm – Having a healthy snack and warm drink in between.

8.01pm – 6 hours later, I'm finally done with all the IV meds.
Phew! Am really glad that the next 12 times will be quicker.
Theoretically la, since it's just Herceptin left.

Biggest, baddest needle in all the land. 💉

So darn painful and the site aches for days after.

So glad this is going to be my LAST Zoladex shot as well!

I can't believe we've finally come to the end of my chemo journey. Taxotere Carboplatin 4 + 2, done and dusted. Zoladex, too! Wheee! Sure, there are still a bunch of stuff that are yet to come (like radiotherapy) and that are ongoing (like immunotherapy) but... the end of chemotherapy is truly a moment to celebrate. I can't wait to say goodbye to nausea, indigestion and extreme lethargy. That deadly trio is possibly the most horrible part of chemo, if you ask me. That and the various stages of hair-loss. 💁‍♀️  Next up, radiotherapy 15 + 5! Woot woot! Bring it on!

THE END

Just finished my last chemo,
Now I feel like a true war hero.
Would live it up and throw a party,
But feeling so tired like an aunty.

Guess I'll celebrate this milestone later,
After these tired post-chemo days blow over.
Just can't wait till I feel stronger,
And my days get better and better.

For today, I'll just lie down and pray,
And thank the Lord that He has stayed,
By my side through good and bad,
And for that, I shall be glad.

Bo Hua Hee

I’ve been feeling pretty down lately.

Just looowwwww in spirits and not quite "feeling it", you know? I guess the high of I-can-do-this is slowly giving way to when-will-this-ever-end? 😩😢 #Ihatechemo #chemosucks