Jillian's passing

Alas, Jillian's heart gave up fighting all the medicines that were being pumped into her and she passed on peacefully to be with her Father and creator.

In remembrance and in tribute to her fight with cancer and will to live on... please read her blog and pass on her story. Her mom wrote a heart-wrenching account of Jill's last few days that is certain to bring a tear to your eye.

Jillian... may our Lord and Father and his host of angels hold your hand as you wait patiently for a reunion with your loving parents in Christ's 2nd coming. Rest in peace.

Life's Fragility

I just got news that my friends daughter, Jillian's, health has taken a stark turn for the worse. Jillian is a young and vivacious child that has had an ongoing fight with cancer. Things were just starting to normalise, but in the short span of a week... =(

Life is really like that isn't it? We only deceive ourselves into a false sense of control over it when things seem to go right for us. But when things turn hairy, perspectives suddenly get re-focused on what really should have been the important things right from the start.

Read about Jillian's journey at her blog (see Useful Links).

For those of you who believe in a god, please pray for her speedy recovery.  Her parents' will be most grateful.

Evan's Eye Surgery - Post Op

Evan has recovered pretty well from his eye surgery. While minor scarring can still be seen (well, just about anyway), most of the swelling has subsided and his eyes look look less puffy nowadays. Most importantly though, his constant tearing has stopped completely. Thanks Dr G!

BEFORE & AFTER PICS:

Before

With Stitches

With Stitches Removed

Now (2 Months Later)

Evan's birthday, our nightmare!

Evan had a low-key birthday celebration with us yesterday.

The day, however, had nearly turned out to be a big mess for us as he had invited his whole class and all his friends for a birthday bash at our place without first informing us!

This was discovered only after one of his friend's mom called to confirm that the party was still on as she had not received the supposed party invite! 

Eventually, as planned, we went out for a quiet dinner with his grandparents. It was Evan's 3rd "party" this year - he had one the weekend before and one in school too. Whilst it was just a simple meal, the boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves - especially with all the presents received!

Communication

"What I say or don't say, do or don't do, makes a difference."

"The meaning of the communication is in the response you get, regardless of the intention."

"Real communication can only take place where there is silence."

__________

These phrases really caught my attention.  They have immense application and have positively impacted all aspects of my daily life.

I hope you find them useful too.  =)

Passion and Purpose

PASSION

We've not seen Passion for some time now.  Some say that he's gone into hiding, others say he's living in another country, and still others say he's being detained without trial, although no-one knows quite what he's done to warrant this.  His absence has raised many eyebrows and quite a few questions.  Passion would have like that.  Even back in school when we first knew him, he was always asking awkward questions - the important ones with no easy answers.  He dreamed of becoming a public prosecutor for a while, just so he could make people admit what they were really up to, and why.

We used to have Passion stay over on weekends and during vacations, or when we had something that need to be done.  He was good with projects, excellent with his hands, and brilliant at coming up with unexpected solutions to pressing problems.  But he could never wait for things to happen.  Back when we were children together, adults used to say that he had poor manners, was brash and worse, naive.  Passion never listened.  He would keep his folks awake at night, tinkering away in the basement workshop, or spending the night in the study.

For as long as I've known him, Passion has been a poor house guest.  He has no qualms about dropping in a t the most inconvenient times, interrupting whatever I am doing, and demanding that I listen to what he has to say.  He is obstinate, often tactless, ruthlessly uncompromising, even when he's being put up with, and hates to be patronised - all of which may explain why he gets into trouble ever so often.

A few years ago while he was doing some mission work, he met Purpose, and was immediately entranced by her.  After Passion got engaged to Purpose, he settled into an even rhythm, although he worked harder than ever.  That was before we lost sight of him.

The last time I'd seen Passion, he had fine features, deep-set eyes, and a certain rough charm which drew some people to him, but put others off.  He loved strong colours - night black, angel white, bleeding red, thunderstorm blue.  If you come across him, please ask him to drop by.  Let him know that we miss him - his smile, his playful seriousness, the way he would take you by the hand and show you what you've always wanted to see.

PURPOSE

Purpose is a clearer thinker than anyone I know.  She is also the least forgiving of mistakes, but the most compassionate to those who make them.  It all depends on where you're coming from, and whether the error was made from honest ignorance or an attempt to cover things up.

Because she looks quite youthful and is small instature, Purpose sometimes gets lost in the background at meetings or mass gatherings.  But when she stands up to speak, she appears to tower over everyone in the room.  Much older people have been known to be intimidated by her stern, unflinching gaze.  Her father was Truth, a famous court edge who taught her to put forward her views clearly and firmly.  It's stood her in good stead - she is a powerful speaker, and excellent negotiator, and a natural leader.  She has never needed glasses.

Purpose is not easy to live with, but she is a loyal friend.  The men she used to go out with seldom lived up to her high expectations.  they were always the ones who made the first move to leave.  She's always had this knack of telling people not what they want to hear, but what they need to know, and this disturbs them.

I can see why Passion and Purpose are so attracted to each other.  She's fascinated by his energy and intensity, and he admires her sense of focus, how she can always find her way without making a fuss.  She calms and steadies him, and he makes her feel alive.

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Treasure what you have

My boys usually fall asleep when riding in the car as it is the ONLY time that they are strapped down and unable to be their usual feisty selves, and tonight was no different.  In fact, I find myself occasionally looking forward to the drives and the peace and quiet it brings.

But is it really peace that I am after?  Something my wife said tonight set me thinking...

My boys LOVE dropping in on their grandparents.  They drive them up the wall with their boisterous play but their grandparents love it and look forward to their weekly visits with much anticipation.  In fact, my wife overheard my dad telling my mom one noisy night - "this is what a home should sound like".

Well, my dad's words did set me thinking...

Treasure what you have... don't take love for granted.

S'pore bans China milk imports

NEWSFLASH!

Singapore's Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) has banned the import and sale of all milk and dairy products from China with immediate effect after tests found melamine contamination in two brands of China-made milk products - Yili Brand Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yogurt Flavoured Ice Confection, and the Dutch Lady Brand of strawberry flavoured milk.

As a precautionary measure, AVA has also suspended the import and sale of all milk and milk products from China with immediate effect.

Consumers have been advised not to consume milk and milk products from China, and local food manufacturers have also been instructed to cease the use of milk and milk products from China as ingredients until the completion of investigations.

In China, 6,244 children have become ill, with four dead and 158 suffering acute kidney failure after consuming milk powder tainted with melamine, a banned chemical used in making plastics. However, AVA has said that there is no import of infant formula from China into Singapore and that infant formulas sold in Singapore are safe for consumption.

Vernon & Taze's Wedding

We all had a fun time at Vernon's wedding! The food was great, the company was good... but the most memorable part of the evening was the newly weds deciding to host their own dinner! That was just hilarious!!

Overall, everyone went home happy. The 1st generation was busy "catching up" the whole night, the 2nd generation was busy with the delicious food...

...and the 3rd generation was busy running around the whole place - even round the wedding cake and champagne tower, much to the apprehension of the F&B manager!

Evan's Eye Surgery

Evan was diagnosed with Epiphora due to fleshier than normal lower eyelids that cause his lower eyelashes to grow inwards. The eyelashes thus continuously rub against his cornea causing him much irritation and tearing.

Hence, surgery was proposed to correct this problem and he went
under the knife (with GA) on 28 Aug 2008. Principal procedure was -
Bilateral Hotz Procedure and Right Syringing and Probing. In english,
some skin in his lower eyelids were removed to allow his eyelashes to rest outwards.

Evan was initially very apprehensive about undergoing GA as he was
still haunted by a previous experience, and it took much coaxing and
hand-holding in order to put him at ease. Eventually, he did not make
a single squeak even as the drip needles and anesthesia was
administered and could be seen holding back his tears bravely. What a
boy... Bravo!

In the previous episode, he had woken up from GA (in another
operation) with a very full bladder and, still groggy from the effects
of GA, pee'd all over himself in the recovery room as he could not
control his actions then. As they also did not call me back in time, I was
not there waiting as they wheeled him out, and not having a familiar
face during his time of distress made him cry all the harder. So this
time... I made sure he emptied his bladder as best as he could.

We were also praying earnestly that all would be well and that the
Operating team would have steady hands, alert minds and a caring heart
throughout the procedure.

Our prayers were answered. Evan was wheeled out of the OR after
approximately 1.5 hours and this time, he did not suffer from the wild
effects of GA too! Instead, he chose to rest himself. He had rolled
himself to a comfortable position on the operating trolley and forced
himself to stay asleep for nearly an hour more. How did we know
this? Cos he would respond to my questions with a simple nod or shake
of the head but would refuse to get up no matter how much the doctors
and nurses coaxed him. Eventually, when the medical team was
confident he was alright but had just chosen to stay rested, they
allowed me to carry him back to his room where he continued to sleep
for another 3 hours.

His doc also met with us after the procedure to report that the
surgery went well and that they did not find any other complications
that might have needed attention too. He added that there were
stitches along both Evan's lower eyelids that that we should guard
against his accidental tearing at them.

Those fears were unfounded as Evan proved to be a lot mature than his
age. He allowed both eye bandages to remain intact all through the
night and only chose to remove them the following morning - as he was
being prepped for a follow-up consultation! Imagine... he voluntarily opted to stay "blind" the whole day and night knowing that it would aid his post-op recovery time! Remarkable!! Even his doctor remarked so when he came to know of this the next day.

It has been about a week since Evan's surgery, and he is due back in
for the removal of his stitches. We pray that his eyes will heal
totally and that there will be no evident permanent scarring along his
eyelids nor other side effects - cosmetic or otherwise.

Evan... you're incredible! Well done mate... we love you!!

To blog or not to blog?

Whilst blogs of various genre have shaped the cyber landscape
for years now, I've always resisted the urge to blog myself - up till
now at least. Yes, this is my first foray into the blogging sphere.
How long will this fad last? A clue I have not...