We got a call from Chloe’s school on Monday and you wouldn’t believed who called. HER PRINCIPAL..!!! wow..!! awesome eh..?? i donch remember ever my principal calling my parents. .unless i was in trouble.. or they thought that i had a contagious disease (that would be another story for another day).

Anyhoooo..!! impressed i was lah..!! sauku (mountain tortoise) like that right..?? but coming from Asia hor. .where the teachers and principals are considered Gods of your child’s life .. you kinda need to “humpu bodek” (brown nose/kiss their ass) them as long as you are in their school, so this was really pleasant lah.

The principal had called to inform us what to bring with Chloe on her first day of “real” school.. and a few more instructions. .and even asked if we have any other questions. Awesome right..?? You tell me lah..! where lah .. in Asia.. you get a principal like that one…?? So i’m pretty pleased .. in fact more than pretty pleased. What about your school experience..?? wanna share with me..?

What a week I had ..! trying to recover from my surgeries.. and yet gotta deal with the likes of Bin Ladin lookalike..! Yes.. !! you heard me right..!! For those who knows me.. you would know how crazy and mad i can get… when it comes to dealing with this town. .and “some” great ppl. From a chicken shit for a neighbour to now.. a Bin Ladin lookalike at our store.. who wants to bring the cops to our store to SHUT US DOWN..!! Read all about it in my business blog eh.

There are awesome ppl here in Yarmouth .. although we have had our fair shares of not so good ones too. But today .. we received a huge box of goodies that the brat loves so much . . and we are forever grateful to our customer for bringing it back for us from Halifax. Can you guessed what we had..?? You can’t imagine what this simple food can do to someone who misses home so much.. and so very deprived of food from home. Check it out here.

Tomorrow is a BIG day for us..!! it marks another milestone for us .. and for the brat too. Chloe goes to “Ready, Set, Go” program.. that gets her ready for school this fall. She will be in school from tomorrow till Friday.

I think i am more excited than she is.. or should i say worried. Today .. we went thru’ the routine.. of bringing her to school.. and explaining to her what will go on.. and helping her understand.. what she has gotta do for lunch and her break. I’m a wee bit breathless.. just thinking about it. I think i’m gonna be the one who will be having separation issues tomorrow. Any wise and experienced mom out there..?? care to give me a tip or two..??

You wouldn’t believed what happened this afternoon. But it did happened.. and what are the chances that it would happened. If you wanna know why i think i would strike lottery.. head over to my health blog .. it has to do with my doctor’s office. Seriously, what are the chances .. that my doctor’s office would do that..?? Absolutely zero percent.

A month from today.. the store will be celebrating its 9th anniversary in business. Besides promotional products to give away on that day, we are thinking of having a sale.. and a cake and tea session for our regular customers. What else can you think of ..?? to advertise our anniversary..?? pray tell.

For those who are not aware of this.. Chloe will be attending school this fall. We chose french immersion for her .. because we didn’t want her to go to the south end school.. where we heard the kids there are pretty rowdy. But this town has a program called “Ready, Get Set and Go” for all the kids who will be attending school for the first time. I would have volunteered to help in this program if it wasn’t because of my need to take time to heal from my operation. This program is free.. and because of the short of funding this year.. it will only be for 3 days instead of 5. I really cannot fathom the government here, this program is so important to the kids here. .yet they are willing to sting on it.. but would pay millions for a new building to house some old farts. Don’t even get me started..!

The man’s buddy was just in the other day.. and had said .. that his baby was colicky, so of course .. like any good and experienced parents/friend, we told him about grip water and oval drops. But nope.. apparently.. he thinks the baby isn’t uncomfortable and pain about it.. and that the baby doesn’t feel a thing.. and plus he had done EXTENSIVE research of it.

Ok.. buddy..!! no more dishing out advice to you .. that’s for sure..!! go ahead.. and torture your baby..! how silly can anyone get..?? to think that collicky baby don’t feel nothing..?? *slap forehead*

You wouldn’t believed what i have to write .. about my family doctor. My dressing from my second operation came out.. and PB had called to see if he could do the dressing for me. Guess what the secretary said..?? That he can.. BUT .. i’ve gotta bring my own sterile strips.. and whatever needed for the dressing..!!

PENGSHAN or NOT..???!!!??? Yes…!! got this kinda doctor or not.. you tell me..!!!! AIYOH..!! i really donch know what to say about my family doctor lah..!!! Wait i get well.. i’m gonna SACK him..!

For those who haven’t been here before.. please know that i am going for a major operation next week. I’m having a hysterectomy and having my fibroids taken out. My fibroids are huge .. and it is making me look like i am 24 weeks pregnant. There is currently some complication with it.. because my hemoglobin is extremely low.. and i’m diabetic. So the risk of me taking the operation is even higher.

Why i didn’t go for the operation earlier..?? I hung on for the longest time.. because my daughter.. Chloe needed alot of attention. With a business to run.. and a child to take care of.. i can’t possibly .. take time off.. and leave everything to PB (the spouse) .. to take care of everything.

Now that Chloe is alot older.. and isn’t an infant no more.. i feel it is time to do it. Of course .. there is still fear.. that i might not come out alive. I am not afraid to die.. but i’m afraid to leave the ones i love behind. Chloe is still very young.. even though she ain’t no infant.. but for PB to raise her on his own.. should something happen .. i don’t dare to think of it.

But i’m a survivor.. !! i am gonna go into the operation with the right frame of mind.. but not without doing everything i can .. in case something does happen. Like making sure that all my finances is taken care of.. and a new will drawn up..and signed by a public notary. I wanna sit down and write a letter to chloe.. just in case.. but i’m too emotional about it.

My surgery is scheduled for Monday. Today .. i’m going in for another blood test and am fasting right now .. and EKG .. and some other visit to the pre-op nurse on Friday. I’ll update as I go. Stay tuned.

What a day this was..! from a sudden call from the gynecologist that he wants to see me.. immediately .. and that tomorrow is not possible. So we closed the store.. went the the doctor’s office.. waited .. saw him.. went to another doctor.. and then went to get my x-ray done. Pending to be done tomorrow is my another blood test.. and EKG.

Not known when the operation is gonna be .. but pretty sure .. it will be next week.

That’s what my mother used to say. I’m 43 yrs old this year.. but i don’t look my age. Whenever i tell ppl .. i am really 43 years old.. they asked what i use as wrinkle cream..?? but you see .. i don’t use wrinkle cream… i used anti wrinkle cream, never wait for those wrinkles to come out before you do something about it. Proactive is the word..!

Yes..! once again.. the Dracula in me .. is fed. The nurse that did my drip the last 2 times wasn’t around.. so another nurse did it. And guess what..?? blood was dripping all over.. and oozing right out. Yup..! joy..! but all is well. i didn’t lose alot of blood.. and i still got a whole bag of it. More pictures to follow. In fact.. i have fun when i am at the hospital.. talking about politics.. and the town.

This was the room i was in for my blood transfusion.

Pumping blood into me now.

Relaxing the hand .. else very painful.

1 Unit of blood today.

About an hour into being Dracula for the day.

The nurses in this town’s hospital.. i’ll have to say.. are really doing a great job.. and more. It was an eye opener for me.. when i went for my blood transfusion for 2 days. I never knew the ambulatory service was such a busy place.. and there were so little nurses taking care of so many people. And little did i know that going in for blood transfusion was not an uncommon thingie.

But the nurses were cheerful.. and even the retired nurse who came back to help relief.. was awfully nice. They even wished me good luck.. and gave me a big hug.. when i left the hospital this morning. Nurses are very important in the health industry.. and most i’ve met were very nice.. not so though.. for the other ppl in the hospital.

Yes..! i got home safe and sound.. and the transfusion went faster than usual. To be honest.. i was quite frightened. Who wouldn’t be right..?? And highly commendable are the nurses in the ambulatory service at the Yarmouth Hospital. Just like my pre-natal nurse .. Joan, they were very professional.. and personable. Thus making my experience a lot less unpleasant.. and in fact i look forward to the one today.

As you all know .. i can’t get my blood transfusion .. right away.. because it takes like 8 hrs.. on Thursday.. and another 4hrs.. on Friday. So in the meantime, I called my family doctor’s office.. to find out what i can eat.. or do.. in order to keep me from collapsing.. since he said.. i was severely anemic. I finally got thru’ the office.. and i asked the secretary to ask the doctor .. about it.. and you know what she said..????????!!!??????? She said.. i should google it…!!!! so if i can google and advice.. why would i need a family doctor for..??? infuriating as it is.. I am wondering if she remembered that once upon a time.. she was just like us a patient.. and wasn’t the doctor’s secretary…?? I wonder what she would say .. if i asked her for a recommendation for a drug rehab eh..?? google it too..?? i won’t be surprised at all.

For those who thinks migrating is great.. i want you to think again. Seeing the doctor is more difficult than seeing God. On top of it.. there are lots of rules. in the doctor’s office. Don’t you dare make the doctor wait for you .. or he will not see you. If you missed your appointment.. there is a $30 charge. For any extra service.. even a medical certificate for your employer . .there is a charge.

I don’t think in Singapore.. i’ve ever been told off by the doctor’s secretary .. but over here.. if you are late.. they can refused to see you .. and tell you off. You are at their mercy.. and you just gotta stand there and smile at them. Wanna migrate still..?? well.. look at the chart of things they will charge you for visiting the doctor.. and think again. Yes.. if i can turn the clock back.. i wouldn’t have come to Yarmouth.. because some of the things here are so ridiculous…! Having said that.. if i didn’t come.. i wouldn’t have such a beautiful daughter right..?

We have been trying to get ahold of the Parent’s Place for registering the brat into the “ready, get set, go” program. We’ve to put Chloe into this program to prepare her for school.. and come June she is going for orientation the whole day with her new school.

I’ve mixed feelings… and would really wished someone from Parent’s place would call us back not only because of registering the brat.. but because we wished to see how we can help.

Chloe still does her own language thingie. It is almost funny to see her talk to herself.. in her own language. I have yet to catch her on video.. because she stops.. whenever i try to whip out a camera. Does your kid speak in a funny tongue that you don’t understand..?? I teased her all the time.. about her speaking in tongues.

You ever wonder why our men loves games like paintball..?? it’s beyond me.. to be honest.. but they do love it alot. And for someone from a town that doesn’t have very much to do.. you can’t really blame them for trying to find some excitement. It is better/cheaper than having to get him a four wheeler to ride in the swarms eh.

Unfortunately, the guys are not able to find what they want.. for they want the latest and the best. Afterall, playing this game ain’t for only young kids.. but for the older man too.. like PB. Paintball masks, spyder paintball guns and guns and goggles are available at ZephyrPaintball.com. You will be astonished at the inventory they have. This online retailer is focus on everything you need for your paintball.

For those who sees pictures of sunny weather .. in some of my pictures.. i just want you not to think that it is already warm here. Far from it in fact. Although the sun may be out.. and it does look sunny and warm.. the winds are very chilly .. and one cannot even go out in the open.. without being all dressed up in warm clothings.. yet cannot stay out too long. It does suxs .. big time..! I do missed the weather back home.

I’m not self righteous nor am I an angel.. but somethings.. you just don’t do. Owning a store .. for more than 8.5 yrs.. we see all sorts of people coming in to return broken goods.. or after using them during a party or a weekend. I think we pretty much seen everything.. and every excuses and reason they can come up with.

Some ppl think that we are a complete sucker.. and by doing something as dishonest as returning broken goods wouldn’t cost us money.. because it is the store.. and not us personally. They cannot be more wrong and further from the truth. The store is us.. and we are the store.. whatever we lose affects us directly.

So when i called up .. to let the local grocery store know that they had overcharged us for something.. but in fact .. it was me .. who got it wrong.. and i could have gotten away with it.. and getting a refund.. i can’t do that.. because that is being dishonest.. and like the man said.. and rolled his eyes.. “you are gonna get someone fired” but nope.. like i said.. we can’t do that..! how can you eat stuff that was stolen right..? The moral of the story..?? Are you ethical..?? or honest enough to yourself.. and answerable..?

It is things like these that drives me nuts..!! and it gets me all fumed up.. and wanting to shake some ppl up. Parents Place in Y-Town.. is a place where they have programs to prepare our kids for school this coming fall, and because of the short of funding. .instead of 2 weeks.. of this program. .they are cutting it back to one.

On top of it, this year.. there will be a surge of students entering Grade Primary because of the new rule that children turning 5 by 31 December 2008, is allowed to enter school this fall. With the lack of funding, that would mean that there will be less teachers and more children in each class.

Yet.. the town can spend millions of dollars for different things that ain’t important..!! where’s the help.. these ppl should be getting..?? what about my kid..?? the welfare of my kid..??? It is infuriating.. and disappointing. Parents Place is a non-profit organization .. a place where our children, our future .. is being looked after.. and trained.. and helped. I hope against all hope .. that parents who will have children attending school for the first time this fall, will come forward to help. I am .. are you ..??