PUNCTURED

It's been three days now since I underwent an op to clear my ovaries from two ruptured cysts. Prior to the op, I thought it'd be no sweat and I would be discharged maybe 4 hrs after the op and I can return to the comfort of my home. I thought wrong.:( 3 hours after the op, I regained consciousness only to find myself wrecked by an excrutiating pain coming from my tummy. I also had the company of 2 tubes; one attacehd to my wrists and the other to my ovaries which purpose was to drain unwanted blood. The slightest move would conjure a horrendous discomfort. Worse, Din and Maryam were nowhere beside me. In place of them I had nosy unwanted strangers coming to take a look at my plight, inspite of my curtains being drawn! Gosh! It was a total invasion of my privacy! Frantic, I pressed the emergency button, told the nurse to transfer me to a first class room where I could isolate myself from nosy intruders! My wish was their command! My attached company for 28 hrs. Not very friendly tho'. The cute bottle to contain the drained blood from my ovaries. Despite the pain, I was relieved to be in a private room of my own. Soon, Din and Maryam returned from home and Saleha was really sweet to pay me me a visit. Defeated by extreme lethargy, I could barely talk. But Din and Maryam sure enjoyed the pastries Saleha had brought for me! Dr Woodworth came to check on me the next morning. I pleaded to be discharged. Again, my wish was his command. Then came the biggest ordeal. Freeing me from a 30cm tube punctured into my ovaries was one nasty moment. Suppressing all the screams that could be released from vocal cords, I gritted my teeth hard. Now, I'm home. My agility subjugated by a punctured, non-fully functional body. All my moves have been deccelerated by an immense degree. Din has taken leave to nurse me at home and keep poor Maryam company. She's one neglected child. To my friends who have called to check on me, thank you for your well wishes. To my hubby whose birthday I missed, will make it up to you once I'm alive and kicking again! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz................

The Right Brainer

More than often, schools have the tendency to favour left brains modes of thinking and as a consequent downplaying right-brain ones. A distinction between the two lobes can be made. The left brainer is more prone to analysis and accuracy while the right brainer dwells in the aesthetics, feelings and creativity. As such, as parents, Din and myself propel towards developing a whole-brained orientation in Maryam. As the local school system does not give enough weight to arts and creativity which taps onto a child's skills of imagination, we enroled Maryam for an art class with The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. We recognised her flair for the arts during her tod years and decided to tap on it quick before it's crippled by the sterile education system which most of the time focuses solely on the academics. Give her a drawing paper or even the back of a receipt, Maryam's creative energy will just flow effortlessly. Well, Din and I had a pleasant surprise when we sent her to NAFA yesterday. Maryam's painting is on display at NAFA. Like any parents, we are proud of our daughter's passion and achievement. Oh, we could just cry! Do we want her to be the next Picasso? No. Or maybe the next Claude Monet? No. Or even the famous (& mentally disturbed) Van Gogh? Not at all. We want Maryam to find inspiration in these legendary artists but not to emulate them. We want Maryam to be Maryam, attaining a unique style and sense of individualism in her paintings. All we do is to show her the ropes and the possible paths to take...she may eventually discover a path which best suits her needs and fulfill her desires. It's really up to her. No boundaries, baby!