Passing of Youth

I had a shock when I saw Shandy’s obituary in the newspapers last Saturday. While I knew she was unwell, I didn’t know she was that sick….until I read her blog today http://www.shandysim.blogspot.com/
The shock of discovery, the pain and trauma during and post-treatments....at 30 years of age, she is still so young and should be enjoying life. But no, she had not wallowed in self-pity.

Shandy, you were so strong and you had fought well. RIP!

Christmas Eve Dinner

This is the first year that we are celebrating Christmas Eve with an “off-the-shelve/freezer-and-cleverly-assembled” dinner – roasted chicken, ribs, mashed potatoes, garlic bread, pizzas, escargots, salads, ice cream etc. Great idea, no need to slave in front of the oven anymore! Maybe can try out for CNY Reunion Dinner too : )

The Final Leg to Eric’s Sec 1 Registration

Today was great – we managed to settle everything by 10am – deregistration at Victoria, registration at Dunman High, buy textbooks, uniforms, PE attire : )

Had a funny episode when trying out the uniforms: Eric couldn’t button up because there were only button holes but no buttons on his shirt, and we passed snide remarks about no quality checks done for such a so-called good school. Brought the shirt back to the vendor and told her that it is defective, no buttons etc. We were stunned when told that we need to buy our own buttons (????). Seeing our bewildered looks, the vendor explained that Dunman High uniforms use metallic buttons that need to be fitted in before wearing and removed before washing! Metallic buttons?? OMG, so chee-nah! Just can’t imagine my angmo-fied Eric wearing such a communistic-looking uniform :P

The Call

Halfway through lunch today, I received a call from Dunman High..yes, Eric has been accepted! I was smiling ear-to-ear after the call :D

Hubby and Eric were ecstatic when I broke the news. We will need to collect the Acceptance Letter from Dunman High tomorrow, bring to Victoria for sign-off/retrieve Eric’s report card, then return to Dunman High to complete administrative works, buy textbooks and uniforms. Yeah, now we’ll be able to have a peaceful Christmas and New Year!

Uncle’s Final Journey

This is the first time I have attended a Christian burial ceremony. In a simple yet solemn ceremony, we laid Tua Ku to rest with flowers, prayers and hymns. RIP Tua Ku!

Uncle’s Demise

Mum called this afternoon to inform about Tua Ku’s (her eldest brother) passing last evening. Hubby and I almost could not find our way there, despite combing the entire estate. We were at the verge of calling Susan when we suddenly saw this road that we somehow missed earlier….was it Tua Ku guiding us?

Margaret seemed fine, thankfully Lucy is there with her. It must be tough, losing her remaining parent and having to deal with so many things on top of her grief. Tua Ku looked so serene lying in the casket. I recalled the last time I visited him in hospital, I told him that I will see him at home when I next visit him. He nodded his head, as if he could hear me, as if he understood my words. Now, looking at him lying in the casket, my tears just streamed uncontrollably…

Life is so unpredictable… I saw Margaret and him shopping in Plaza Singapura the day before his op in Oct, the next I hear is the op and now he’s gone…. At 80, he has lived a good life with few regrets. Passing on may be a better option than being stuck in bed with no quality of life…

Eric's Secondary 1 Registration

Eric seemed pretty much his normal chirpy self this morning. We reached Victoria Secondary close to 8am, not many people here yet as registration was at 8.3am. The school is 7-story high as land space is quite tight. From the namelist posted, a number of Eric’s friends, schoolmates and ex-classmates from Poi Ching had been posted here too. He seemed happy about that…..

Registration was fast. We proceeded to the Hall at 8.30am and were ready to leave by 9.00am. I could see that Eric is deep in thoughts…he liked the culture, environment, his pals are here… I can see that he is starting to have doubts about appealing to Dunman High. Yet, he is unwilling to forgo the chance to appeal….is this a pride thing?

Since the appeal had to be submitted at Dunman High anyway, I suggested to Eric that we proceed there and then decide what to do thereafter.

On the way there, Eric seemed back to his normal self : ) The bus journey was short, but the walk from the bus-stop to the school was s….o…… l…o…..n……g…………. : ( By the time we reached there, both of us were feeling so hot and sweaty!

I had greatly underestimated the power of appeal. By the time we reached the appeal counters, there were already 6 arch-files of appeals, with more streaming in! Eric decided to proceed with the appeal, so in goes ours too. Results will only be known after Christmas, hopefully before New Year. , looks like we’ll need to gear up for a mad rush this year-end…..

Eric's Secondary 1 Posting Results

This morning, I received Eric’s Secondary 1 Posting Results – he was posted to Victoria Secondary, his second choice. Both Hubby and Eric were kind of cool about it: no smiles, excitement or enthusiasm, just a simple “OK”. Is this the calm before a storm?

Back in office, I surfed for information re appeals for admission to Dunman High, downloaded forms etc in readiness for submission should Eric decide to appeal. At 260, he was just at the cut-off for entry to Dunman High. His P6 Form Teacher Mrs Lee encouraged him to appeal, stating that he stands a very good chance. I assured him that Daddy and I will support him in whatever decision he makes. Rather than live with a “what if…”, I encouraged him to appeal if he wanted Dunman High so badly. Never mind if he is not successful, at least his conscience is clear as he had tried hence no “what ifs”.

Eric finally made the decision to appeal. The way he prepared for the appeal convinced me that he really meant business. I am proud that he had taken ownership of this matter, and I hope the appeal will be successful.