What's left of January 2009...

Tues 6th Jan 2009

Yup, good news...for a change! My other half is now 100% fully recovered from her bouts of diarrhoea due to food poisoning after a meal during the last week of 2008. Thank God for her return to good health!

Well, so far we've been taking it easy. Mainly cos the 2 bouts of diarrhoea kinda weakened her a bit. And... a little bit was due to fear of a repeat event! Ha ha! We had our usual walks around the local Malls though...he he...

Anyway, this month is gonna be kinda eventful...soon...

There is going to be a birthday do of my other half's cousin in Penang which we had kinda promised to be there to celebrate the day. 18th January is the day.

And...luckily for these 2 pensioners, it appears that the payment of pensions for Jan 2009 would be early...listed as on 15th Jan in the Pensions Dept webpages. Just nice, right? Great timing, I would say! Ha ha!

However, info about how much the new pensions for 2009 would be is still not available on the Pensions Dept website. I tried to access the info via the allocated icon but got the info for 2008 instead!! C'mon, ppl!! Do some work! Such info should have been made available latest by Dec 2008. A 20% increase, as previously announced by our PM in mid-2008, would be a great angpow for the Year of the Ox! Hope it's not a case of counting chickens before they are hatched...

Great timing? Yup. Especially so when the big event in the Chinese calendar is due on 26th Jan! Yup, it's the Chinese New Year! The Year of the Ox will be replacing the Year of the Rat on that auspicious day!

As in previous years, the Tan Family will be having its Re-union Dinner on the eve of CNY ie on the evening of 25th Jan. However, this time around there would be a difference in who'll be attending since there is still an outstanding & yet unresolved serious family issue involving one member. So, as previously stated in an earlier entry, there is now an "Only By Invitation " ruling for family members who intend to visit Lot 10 OFH.

And that member is definitely NOT invited!! Why? You may ask...
(Note : If you had been following this Blog's happenings since March 2008, you'd know...& understand...hehe...)

Since that very dark day in March 2008, the shock, heartaches, turmoil, pain & despair, disappointment & frustration that he had subjected this family to, will go down in the family history as totally uncalled for & undeserving for someone who had cared for, protected & supported him throughout his entire life, to say the least... even up till the time he had kids of his own!!

The worst part of it all is that he was still...after 9 months then but now almost 10... ( & we believe... even to this day...) just as adamant that he had done no wrong...that the person he so openly disrespected, was even portrayed in his mind in such a manner that that person was even supposed to make the trip (rather than the wrongdoer) to patch things up with him!

Just imagine that...the person he'd wronged had to be the one to make the effort to meet him to patch things up? How ridiculous can one get? We had tried to give his IQ more credit that what his words & actions had shown him to be...so sad to have all the hereditary theories & norms proven so untrue here!

How low can one's IQ be... to so adamantly say that

"What I am today has nothing to do with the issue at hand?"

What is the "issue at hand"? Simply this. His utter & shocking disrespect of that elder compounded by his issuance of a direct threat that if that elder were to say another word, he would leave instantly! This literally means that no elder of similar status should ever criticise nor advise someone when it is felt that this someone is doing wrong eg can't a father do just that? Is what a son is today that makes him beyond criticism or advice by his own dad?

Now, where would he be today or what would he be today...if not for that elder's love & commitment to his welfare & safety...providing him the pillar of strength, financially, morally & spiritually, to carry on with his life when faced with such adverse obstacles that he almost lost his family...when he could have lost his job...when he thought of even taking his own life? I could go on & on. What he is today does NOT give him that right to threaten his own elder (of that status) nor say those words to that elder. Frankly, one wonders what he would be today if not for that elder...

And, for him to say further...

"I'm a father that is why I don't want to turn out like you and make my children's life miserable..."

My, my, my...why didn't you say so when you were "crying on his shoulders", when he was there for you each time you were down, etc, etc. If you had told him so then, I'm very sure that he would have left you in your own miseries so that you would not put the blame on him now being the father he was to you then! Wonder if you would even have remained a father to this day...history reminds us that you actually almost lost your son at 1 point in time!! Can you remember who saved the situation?

In another sms, he even went to the extent of calling that person a "loser"! Maybe he's right...that person might be a "loser" to have brought him into this world & picking him up each time he falls till he could stand on his own 2 feet. Who are you to him now? Just a nobody...whereas he's a somebody now, you know!

Btw, previously I could only put forward my personal version of what feelings that family member had towards me (now you know that elder, referred to all this while, is none other than yours truly, lil ole me!) ...what he had uttered... since that dark day. My words against his. Everyone tried to console me...that he not have such feelings nor mean what he'd said, etc., etc. But now, what he sent to me in a recent sms session the other day... one sms after another from him... confirmed all that me said were true. And now, all that is in black & white...his own words on paper! His sms-es printed out. Me even backed up the sms-es from my HP into my PC. Let him try to deny all that. Period. I rest my case...

Frankly, on that "sms day", my other half & me still had a tiny glimmer of hope that our "fren" could have finally seen the light & would take the right path to a happy conclusion. Alas, because that was not to be. As each sms from him came in, that tiny glimmer was extinguished bit by bit till finally, there was only darkness...

There is one thing that he said in 1 of his sms-es that I fully & whole-heartedly agree with...

"GOD is fair and will know..."

Nope. Me not gonna let such a person spoil my CNY joy. Sorry...not if I can help it. Feel no one in his right & capable mind would allow so. As a very common saying goes...

"Enough is Enough..."

Life must go on...and with happier thoughts. We (my other half & me) started our lives together happily as two. And we intend to spend whatever time we have left together happily...as two...with God's blessings.

Now let's prepare to usher in this CNY of the OX in a happy mood.

The 1st day of CNY, as practised in past years, would be spent in Penang visiting our relatives there. The usual rounds. Sadly though, the number of stops has diminished through the years as the elders in the family circle took their leave of this world. At such times we miss them so.

However, along that line, another not-so-good news is that our aunt, whom we call our SHK, who was recently admitted to a local private hospital, has been re-admitted again...for the same reasons. The good news is that she's slowly recovering. It is sincerely hoped that she will fully recover soon. And be her normal self when we visit her this coming CNY.

The outside world is not at peace either. Both the Palestinians & the Israelis must realise that no one gains in continuing with such a prolonged conflict. In war or any military action, both sides suffer unnecessary hardship & losses of life. Esp the innocent civilians...of both sides. The world does not belong to any one people. Moreover, the world is big enough for all...

And, hopefully, 2009 will be a better year with less problems & less sadness for one & all. Let us all pray for & look forward to a much more enjoyable "rollercoaster ride" this time around!