Busy busy busy

This month and the next will be super busy. We’re renovating the home and will be staying at a friend’s place for the next 6 months or so. It’s also a favour on our part, since our friend is moving down to Singapore and will need us to do a bit of house-sitting for a while.

Up to my eyeballs in work, an office move and a house move. As you can expect (of my life), it’s drama galore as well. I’m staying out of it for now. Phew!

Skin.

Source

I’ve started a new category, very simply called Health.

I decided to start this category seeing how my health hasn’t been the best this year. I noticed that I was getting stupidly down about my condition and have decided to take matters into my own hands by actually writing about it just to have a good laugh.

Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?

For yonks, I’ve had pretty bad skin (I blame my father who has the same condition). Everywhere. My legs. Thighs. Face even. Arms. During the Aussie summers, I’d scratch away at my arms, thinking they were just ordinary heat rash. I would slap on calamine lotion. I’d sit under a fan. Splash water on the itch, anything to make it go away.

Last year, I noticed that I had a particularly bad patch on my left thigh. Thinking it’d go away eventually, I left it alone.

Well folks, as all good stories go, it remained and soon spread like wildfire. I started gazing at what looked like a colony of angry red ants – pig ugly and a fuck to scratch.

I tried various creams. Eventually, I gave up and went to a skin specialist who immediately told me that I had an allergy to prawns. DAMN!

Unfortunately, due to the prolonged nature of the rash, it had, by now, blown up into a great big case of eczema. Nice.

The cream the doctor gave initially toned things down for a bit but it really didn’t work out as the rash kept returning. The doctor advised me to go on a steroid cream.

I decided then and there that no, I could not keep relying on western medication. After reading up about how steroid creams could thin the skin over time, I decided to give alternative medication a shot.

I went to see a recommended Chinese doctor who looked at my scarred legs and proclaimed that I was not to eat:

• Prawns
• Squid
• Crab (I love crab)
• Basically all seafood except fish
• Mangoes (damn!)
• All types of nuts
• Assam laksa
• Tom Yum (damn!)
• Overly spicy stuff (damn! damn!)

Basically the stuff I love eating is a no-no.

******

Next entry: Chinese Medication

The image has nothing to do with the condition of my skin, although I do like to imagine that they look like dust bunnies.

Mooove

Background: We’re moving to a friend’s place as our home will be renovated [more on that later]. Mum and I have been coordinating the logistics of the house move.

Scenario: SMS conversation with Mum.

**********

Ma, what is Audrey’s address? I need it so I can settle the phone lines and Astro.

I’ve misplaced it! I dunno where I’ll be staying! Call her at ******* and also ask for postcode. Say you can’t get me. Don’t say you hilang address because I malu. She gave me 2 times oredy.

This is your unlucky day. I’ve been looking for her address in my inbox in hope of finding it sitting somewhere. Cannot find. I’ll call her and say you misplaced address.

You tell and I’ll curse you to drink 10 bowls a day of your gunky Chinese medicine [long story, will elaborate later].

Right. Too bad. I’m going to tell Audrey you lost it anyway. Quite funny what.

Not funny when you’ve lost it 2 times within a week. I curse that Mr. Rat sleeps with you.

Is this your luck or what? Just tried calling, no reply.

You call her later. DON’T tell her I lost address!

MMMMMFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Miaooow! Scratch! Scratch!

You’re damn weird.

**********

Yes, my mother is damn weird.

One day you will ask me which is more important?

My life or yours?

I will say mine and you will walk away not knowing that you are my life.

~ The Great Kahlil Gibran

Holy Week

I love Kahlil Gibran. While I do not read his writings religiously, I have found that coming back to his writings during the Holy Week always resonates strongly.

Holy week this year will be exceptionally significant. For the first time in many years, I will not be involved in any aspect of music making at my church. Ugly politics and disgusting work ethics have seen the untimely exit of R, our music coordinator and a man whom I have the greatest respect for. His exit has also marked mine and I’ll be moving parish very soon. It was inevitable, I guess, given how things were already stacked up.

Thankfully, I’m not too sentimental. I just want to move on, start afresh. And to stay away from toxic characters – they do no good to my emotional health.

****

Pilate’s Wife to a Roman Lady

I WAS WALKING with my maidens in the groves outside of Jerusalem when I saw Him with a few men and women sitting about Him; and He was speaking to them in a language which I only half understood.

But one needs not a language to perceive a pillar of light or a mountain of crystal. The heart knows what the tongue may never utter and the ears may never hear.

He was speaking to His friends of love and strength. I know He spoke of love because there was melody in His voice; and I know He spoke of strength because there were armies in His gestures. And He was tender, though even my husband could not have spoken with such authority.

When He saw me passing by He stopped speaking for a moment and looked kindly upon me. And I was humbled; and in my soul I knew I had passed by a god.

After that day His image visited my privacy when I would not be visited by man or woman; and His eyes searched my soul when my own eyes were closed. And His voice governs the stillness of my nights.

I am held fast forevermore; and there is peace in my pain, and freedom in my tears.

Beloved friend, you have never seen that man, and you will never see Him.

He is gone beyond our senses, but of all men He is now the nearest to me.

~ Jesus, the Son of Man, Kahlil Gibran