A Bump On The Head Leaves A Bunch Of Hair Dead

Dressed up for JJ’s 5th birthday today cos we’ve got some party plans later. And, if you didn’t know, a Song party means lots of pics so... OF COURSE must pasang kuat a bit la. 🙆‍♀️ (This is #momlevel pasang kuat. Don’t judge.) And since I’ve still got a head full of hair, OF COURSE must take lots of pics! 😎

Had to run over to TESCO to get some last minute stuff for the party and to pick up JJ’s 2nd rainbow cake this birthday prior to that. 🌈🎂 All was going well, I was happy, the kids were having a good time, I did some shopping, and then... on my way back into the car, I bumped my head. 🤕😲😱

No biggie, right? Hah! Wrong!! ❌❌❌

Not when you’re on Taxotere chemotherapy. 

I immediately touched the bump site to check on things, and my heart dropped when I felt a bunch of hair that was out of place. Worse, it felt like loose hair. Read: Hair that’s NOT stuck to my head. 😳 I lightly picked at the hair and, to my horror, it came off. Like, about 10 strands of hair just CAME OFF!!! 😱 *faints*


Got home, rushed up the stairs, got into my bedroom and closed the door behind me. Made sure to lock it, too, lest I freak out the kids. Then, I carefully took off my rubber band. Jialat. Saw another bunch of hair stuck to it. Finally, I ran a comb through my hair, and faced reality – okay, today is the day alright. 😢

That’s (almost) all the hair I lost

from just one bump on the head. 🤕

And it wasn’t even a painful bump to begin with. 😒

So what did I do next?

I retied my hair and got on with my day. 💁‍♀️

My Baby Turns 5!

Meet the young man who's 1,826 days old today!

🖐

Look macho and cool on the outside only

but still the unbelievably mischevious,

super cheeky, little boy inside. 👇🤪

The Husband is in KL for work so it's just me and my boys today. Brought JZ and JJ to Sri Ananda Bahwan for Roti Canai breakfast this morning as a treat. Milo Panas Kosong, Roti Kosong Garing, Daal Lebih... 🤤 Ahh, this 5yo is living the good life! 

My 5yo and I.

Us and JZ – the 6++++++yo. #almostbutnotquite #7in2months

Looking at these pictures, I think

I’m living the good life, too. ❤️☺️

Uh Oh

😱 I don't like what I'm seeing.

Could today be the day? 😰

Heidi From SIBKL Friends Cell Family Comes To Town

Wah, I feel super happening these couple of days. But it's all been with people from KL who've come to visit. Hahaha. (Still haven't accumulated any Penang kaki cos I'm anti-social like that. 😅😂)


Heidi is another ex-college-mate-turned-ex-church-member friend. She happened to be in our sister cell at SIBKL so we're in one or two mutual chat groups. She missed our epic Faithful Friends cell farewell at Italia & Ribs, Plaza Damas back in July so when she came up to Penang for work, she called for a quick catch up!


Speaking of farewells, I should really blog about that epic farewell for memory's sake. It was a beautiful night of food, fun and friendship, and we felt so loved by our church family in SIBKL. ❤️ Special shoutout to girlfriends, Ah Lan and Christabel, for their amazing effort! 👯‍♀️


Truly that cell was instrumental in making our recent years in KL so much more joyful, wholesome and fulfilling. (We were only with FFC for 2.5 years.) It also made it infinitely more difficult for us to leave. 😢 We made some really good friends, and the boys did, too. I guess it helps that the cell is overrun with boy kids lah. All of us either have 2 boys or 3 boys. EACH! 🤪

FFC farewell on 20 July 2019 @ Italia & Ribs, Plaza Damas.

Ok, now I remember why I put off blogging this event.

It's just too much work. Too many kids to censor! 😅😂

Anyhoo, my catch-up with Heidi was super short and sweet. I dropped the kids off for class, rushed over to pick her from her hotel, we grabbed drinks at Coffee Bean, then I had to go get the kids already before dropping her back at her hotel so the kids could make it back home in time for dinner. Like Amazing Race Asia. LOL. Social life just has to take a backseat to #momlife – that's the reality, folks!

When "Thank You" Does Not Suffice

Everybody's gone down to KL so it's just me and the kids, today and tomorrow. Just like the good, old days when we were living in KL – no driver, no maid, busy husband. It was always just me and the kids, day in and day out.


Suddenly felt so fortunate to be blessed with two boys to call my own. 👩‍👦‍👦 And if I've learned anything at all during this time, it's this: DON'T JUST THINK IT, DON'T JUST FEEL IT; MAKE SURE YOU SAY IT, EVEN BETTER, SCREAM IT!


Pam Song: I LOVE MY CHILDRENNNN!!!

JJ: THANK YOU, MUMMYYYYY!

Pam Song: 😕🙁☹️😒

Thank you??? WTH, man. What happened to "I love you so, so very much, too, my favourite, bestest, most awesome mummy in the whole wide world"??? Pfft. Melampau betui budak ni. But at least this one answer. The other one just buat tak tau and tak dengar pun. 😤

Testimony: Love In A Bottle

A couple of weeks ago, my ex-college-mate-turned-ex-client-turned-ex-church-member-turned-friend Irene – yes, we have a long and complicated history 🤪 – texted me to ask if I would be free for a quick meet up while she was up in Penang.


She's one of the very few friends I have who are in-the-know about my situation. I was really glad she wanted to catch up but was uncertain about how I would feel post-chemo so I pretty much told her we would have to play it by ear when the time came. 😅 #badfriend

Well, thankfully she didn't cancel her trip and did come anyway!

And so did the haze.  😅😷

I didn't want to risk falling sick – what with low immunity and all – so we forwent all hawker and outdoor options and went to Gurney Plaza for a cup and a bite where its relatively safe indoors instead. (How un-Penangite, kan? But bo huat la. I kiasi!)

Our tea at Frank Laurent, Gurney Plaza.

Us before we tucked in. So grateful that she always reminds me

to take pics whenever we meet up. 😂 #failedblogger

It's funny cos although we have quite a few people whom we both know, we have very few mutual friends that we hang out with. None, in fact, if I'm being honest. 😂 LOL! Our kids don't go to the same schools or tuition centres. She's a FTWM, I'm a SAHM. We're not in the same cell group. Truthfully, we have very little reason to ever meet or hang out.


But somehow, she became one of the very few friends I would take time out of my day to meet and catch up with about once every month on average, when I was in KL – always one-to-one, and always a date set weeks in advance. (She's no less busy than I am. Probably busier, in fact! 😜) But when it's a friendship that matters, you do what it takes to nurture the relationship. It doesn't happen by chance; it takes time and effort.

And I'm so grateful for this woman of God

who has made the time and put in the effort to

catch up with me and to show me the love
of a friend in spite of her busy schedule.

And you see!!! She came bearing

a surprise gift summore!! 🎁

Aiyo, this woman! How to not be shy. 😅

I carefully opened it up
and just couldn't believe my eyes
when I saw what she had bought me. 😳

Ok, testimony time: Remember that conversation I had with Melsong about what to wear during my next chemo session? The other thing we discussed then was me bringing along a hot water bottle. Cos the onco ward is kept quite chilly and the body gets pretty cold when cold IV fluids run through it. 

Thinking we'd go down to KL again soon, I'd left all my hot water bottles there and only brought up the kids' night Thermoses. So, we were out of options up here in Penang except for me to borrow Melsong's (share saliva and germs 🤢) or buy new ones (spend money 💸). And if you know me, I'm very anti-sharing when it comes to water bottles. I don't even share water bottles with The Husband or my kids. LOL. #extreme

But look what Irene gave me:

A pretty, pink Thermos!!

Like wha-??? No way! 🤯

Just what I needed plus it totally matches my perfect poncho from EJ! Another coincidence?? No way! If this isn't God doing His magic behind the scenes to meet my every need – albeit through friends who are going above and beyond to show me they care – I don't know what is. My God is good, He is faithful, He is with me, and He will see me through. 🌈

Pui Pui

It's been ages since I've had short-ish hair

so I thought I'd FB my new look. 

In my mind, I thought looked dressed up and put together. But apparently bluff myself only lor. 😅 Cos you have no idea how many people texted to tell me I've put on weight or ask me if I'm preggy. 🤰 Haha.

No la, no. Not preggy, just fatty. 😆😅

"Spaghetti Aglio Olio ala Okusan" Story & Recipe

The Husband went down to KL last week for work and stayed with Younger BIL and his Okusan. He was itching to stuff his face with some of our usual KL yummies after being away for so long but she had already planned on cooking so he grumbled a bit to me, then gwai gwai stayed home to eat.  😂

And then he sent me this:

Wah. 🙅‍♀️ So naturally,

Competitive Wife Mode

automatic ON la, right?? 

But nevermind. I bo chup. Play it cool. Pretend act mature. After all, Man not here but Man still needs to eat ma. Good that he got good food lor. BUT THEN... after he came back, non-stop he raving about the pasta. Kept asking me to cook it, cook it, cook it, cos it's so good, so good, so good. 

Then when he went marketing, he bought me the biggest slab of salmon I ever saw. 🧐 So long, I can wrap it around my head like a turban 👳‍♀️ and still have spare to use as shawl. 🧣 So ma have to cook it lor. 👩‍🍳

Before – can't make Aglio Olio without parsley.

NAH.

After.

Swallowed my pride and asked Okusan for

the recipe she used and she gave me the FB link.

The Husband and Papa tucking in.

Ok, I must admit. This recipe is pretty good.

I liked it. The Husband totally raved about it – asked me to open restaurant. Papa even commended – "sophisticated," he said, then continued, "Can make for party next time." So I guess that makes this recipe a keeper lah. 👍

It's less buttery than the usual agilo olio I make so I can see why The Husband likes it. (He no likes butter, no likes cream sauce, no likes rich food. 🙄) And the overdose on mild-flavoured, water-tasting veggies makes the dish lighter and more refreshing. I didn't really follow the recipe cos I'm not that kind of cook so I won't bother dropping the FB link here. Modified recipe below.

-----------------------------------------

SALMON AGLIO OLIO ALA OKUSAN

-----------------------------------------

Ingredients:

Lots of fresh Italian Parsley (minced)

Dash of Basil (dried)

Dash of Thyme (dried)

Dash of Rosemary (dried)

Dash of Mixed Herbs (dried)

Garlic Powder (to taste)

Onion Powder (to taste)

Sea Salt (to taste)

1tbsp salted butter

Olive Oil

5 cloves Garlic (thinly sliced)

1 helluva slab of Fresh Salmon (dried then marinated in salt and pepper)

1 Red Bell Pepper (sliced)

1 Yellow Bell Pepper (sliced)

Some Cherry Tomatoes (halved)

1 Zucchini

Spaghetti – boiled al dente

Note: I used two frying pans for this recipe cos it was late and I didn't have time to wait or clean the pan in between.

In Frying Pan #1:

1. Pan-fry red and yellow bell peppers in mixture of olive oil and butter. Add a dash of garlic and onion powder. Sauté until cooked.
2. Add zucchini and cherry tomatoes, then pan-fry until lightly cooked. 

In Frying Pan #2:

1. Shallow-fry salmon in olive oil till fully cooked and brown on the sides. Remove from skin.
2. Shallow-fry salmon skin in same oil till crispy – should break like Lays potato chips when you stab it with a fork.
3. Remove any residue from the oil and lower heat.
4. Lightly fry garlic slices until fragrant.
5. Add minced parsley and sauté.
6. Sauté in all other dried herbs. 
7. Sauté in onion powder, garlic powder and salt to taste.
8. Sauté in veggies. 
9. Sauté in salmon pieces.
10. Stir in spaghetti then immediately plate and serve!