National Day Awards – Public Service Star

HRH President Halimah on stage taking us all in the hall through our National Anthem

These 3 men are Aides De Camp. They are professional uniformed men in Police Force, Army or Singapore Civil Defence Force. Major Ang from SCDF was assigned to take care of me. She and the other ladies were just superb.

The prestigious medal

I was treated like a star, fom start to the end! My car was escorted to a specially reserved lot and I was met on arrival by Major Ang.

I was personally shown to my seat. My dad was given the same VIP treatment.

I saw men decked with medals. I stopped and chatted with an Assistant Superintendent of Police at Marine Parade station. He showed me his scars from fending off a crook who slashed him. I am glad he is okay and still proudly serving as an officer.

I met a high court judge, who was also coroner and now heading the investors compliance unit based in Prime Minister’s Office.

Thank you Singapore, my lil red dot for letting me serve you.

I share my medal with my team of doctors who have kept me alive so that I can continue to serve society.

Without them, it would be impossible.

Thank you Drs Boey Wah Keong, James Tan Siah Heng, Lim Yi Jia and Lui Hock Foong.

Goodwood Hotel was the official caterer but the wide variety of food from Malay, Indian, Chinese, Dessert, International stations were cold when it should be warm.

My dad and I did not enjoy the food and so we left. I was so lucky to see that Neighbor hung food on my gate. Fried noodles!! Yummy!

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The Long Awaited For Moment

Tomorrow is when I get to meet yet another Duchess of Yore and the other Dukes and Duchesses for the award ceremony.

Mr Nice texted me to ask if he needed to publish a congratulatory note in the newspapers for me. My reply was candid – “who am I?” and “not necessary” as I do not need the pomp, pageantry and fanfare.

To be honest, I did not like donning a monkey suit to go on stage and get the award. Such acts of dressing up is such a chore as I am so used to dressing down since Covid-19 threw fashion vogue out the window.

I have decided to wear my black New Balance sneakers and pray that my right leg and spine co-ordinates for me to climb those few steps to get onto the stage and shake the hands of Duchess of Yore. Yes, I will need to sanitize after to ensure I do not take home any unwanted viruses.

I have put in my father’s name as plus 1. I felt if he saw what I did to garner society’s accolade, he might stop looking down on me and feel that comparatively speaking, I am a little better than his useless other 2 children. But I know it will never happen as I am always a pariah.

I did inform the aide de camp managing me for the event that I will be bringing my father who has cognitive issues and that he needs to be eyed over when I am on stage in case he needs to use the bathroom facilities.

Aide de camp are honorary active members of the forces who serves the President of the Republic of Singapore. I was told there are 103 of them appointed by the President to manage events of national or international significance.

The event will take 5 hours as I need to sit through all the awards ceremony. I cannot leave after taking my medal.

In 2015 when I received my first medal, I could bring both my mother and father to witness my ceremony. But since Covid-19, the organizer has restricted to only 1 guest.

Last night my right hand middle finger started to trigger and it was entirely stiff. My right leg was also stiff with pain. I sincerely hope my limbs behave tomorrow to make it up the stage and down without embarrassing me, myself and I.

Strangely, I am not proud of myself. I should be but perhaps it is because I do not see a need for a medal to show or remind me what I have done. Life is impermanent and after I am gone like dust in the wind, these medals are of no significance to me.

It is not as if I have a loving family to honor my existence. Besides, I did what I do to help society as I know what is it like to marginalized or looked down upon as an insignificant person. My family taught me life’s lessons and I looked outwards to serve and gain what I felt could benefit others like me.

In fact my parting words to the head honcho of Singapore was that I could help society but not myself.

Such a shame I felt.

Bates Motel, Day #33 – A Choking I Go, Panacea In The Works?

Pain has now dropped from my scale of 12/10 with 10 being max to 8/10. I will continue to breathe…mind over matter😤😤I can do it!!

Physio started and walking 120m plus sets of different exercises has winded me. I need Xrays to see if the darn screws are in place. I pray so!! May the universe give me continued strength.

Today’s 4.30am drama….I was choking as a result of extreme dry throat. Though I have Sjorgren’s Syndrome or “sicca” meaning “dry”….this episode was something I never experienced at its extremity.

To overcome, I had to bear pain from spine as I gasp and floundered like a fish out of water to breathe. I now feel how poor fishes when out of water feels. I learnt suffering in a new way.

Yesterday at peak of my pain scale & beyond, Piglet sent me a lovely box of of sunflowers, complete with get well balloon. To honor both her generosity and kindness, I have asked someone to bring these flowers to an Indian temple in seeking continued blessings and good health for both Piglet and I by Lord Ganesh as well as for all those seeking help for medical issues.

Piglet has her health challenges too and have undergone many many surgeries like me. I umderstand her as much as she understands my health issues.

I wish all health challenged persons to seek solace and comfort in cosmic or universal sources unknown to us and heal us all.

Below is home made muruku or Indian snacks from one of Bates Housekeeper. I love murukus.

The Golden Bloggerz Award

With thanks to Ms Chen of https://chensp.org as she nominated me for this award. I am honored😃

She has given 5 questions for her nominees:-

1. Have you experienced moral support from fellow bloggers?

Yes I have…I received tremendous moral support when I underwent numerous major surgeries and facing all the doctors’ verdict alone in my room at Bates Motel.

The most heartfelt support was when blogger Piglet visited me in hospital and sent me my favorite Sunflowers to cheer me up.

As a virtual blogger, Piglet took the trouble to know me and shared her own struggles with me and also encouraged me on, as I, to her.

Pam of Personal Musings at https://butterflysand.wordpress.com offers me kind words and encouragement whenever I am down too.

2.What do you learn most from fellow bloggers?

Tenacity to overcome.

Adaptability to life just like MELewis of Life Beyond Borderswhose web link is below at https://francesays.com/

Warm words from https://koolkosherkitchen.wordpress.com and https://michnavs.wordpress.com

Reminding me of God and her steadfast faith in the Lord is none other than Virginia whose weblink is given below http://rosesintherubble.com

3. How many hours a day do you spend on blogging?

I used to spend 2 hours a day but with crazy work loads, I can only afford 30 minutes at night before bedtime and catching up weekends by spending 2 hours or more if required.

4. What are your goals in blogging?

Vent, take pokes at or lampoon “celebrated persons like Trump” or some weird action by an oddball, de-stress, laugh and find sanity in a very tough work life, unending responsibilities as sole caregiver of 2 elderly parents and multiple medical challenges.

5. If you read a post of a new blogger, how can you support him/her?

I would usually encourage, comment and enjoy a new read.

Thank you all for reading this and I do hope you you enjoy reading more posts and discover new bloggers.

Laugh…eat and live….my motto..Garfield Hugs!

Face of Wisdom epitomised

Wisdom to know and discern between when to help and when not to help!

Nominated For Sunshine Blogger Award By Paperkutz

I was nominated for Sunshine Blogger Award by Paperkutz and her blog page site is https://paperkutzs.com/

It is indeed kind of Paperkutz to read my ramblings and find me worthy of this award. Do pop by her site for a fun look at the cards or arts and crafts projects she takes on.

As mentioned earlier, I thank all for their kind nominations but will not name more nominees as each blogger is a winner in my heart and to name some, but not all, would be sad to me.

However I do take delight in answering the questions posed to me, and I do so below:-

Questions for my Nominees

1. Do you have a nice blog or do you have different types of posts? I have one blog site and another on standby if in the event I use up whatever storage space in this site. I post about this and that and what ails me. I do have a lot of things to say and like to use humor a lot of the time, to help me balance my lemony life in the health arena or sucky work life.

2. If you have a niche blog what is your niche? I suppose my niche is “humor” – loads of it as we can all use more laughter in our lives.

3. How long have you been blogging? I have been blogging since 2013.

4. Is your blogging still a passion or has it become a chore? Blogging is fun to me. It also relieves me of my work frustrations or literally allows me to vent. Definitely not a chore.

5. When choosing to let another blogger know you are interested in their blog do you just kit like or do you leave a comment? I would give it a “like” plus comment appropriately, depending on the blog topic.

6. How often do you post and respond to other blogs? I post daily and try to respond within 1 to 3 days depending on my work schedule.

7. What is your usual blogging routine? I blog daily.

8. If you live outside the United States, are you having the same riots that are occurring in the US?

No, Singapore has racial harmony and we are one united Singapore…thankfully as the riots I am seeing or reading in other countries are sad. I believe in equality.

9. Where is your favorite place to work on your blog? Anywhere really so long as I have snippets of time to spare.

10. If you still have younger children when do you find blogging time? Single and never married but a lot of inanimate furballs of Garfield.

11. Have you ever had the feeling that blogging was becoming overwhelming and considered ending your blogging? No, because I enjoy blogging.

Thank you Paperkutz again for the nomination and I hope I have answered your questions.

The Sunshine Nomination for GarfieldHug

I am honored to receive this nomination for my blogsite by Juliehcares at juliehcares.com.

I do enjoy reading Julie’s posts as she shows determination and follows through with what she sets out to achieve.

As I have received different nominations before, I will refrain from nominations as to me, everyone who attempts a blog post site and keeps at it, is a winner in my books 🙂 so please forgive me if I do not nominate some. I nominate all.

However I do enjoy the interesting questions posed to me by Julie and I promised her, I would reply.

1. What part of your culture are you most and least proud of? I feel that filial piety in our Asian culture is pivotal and especially needed in Lil Red Dot as our population will be the case when elderly persons make up 25% to 30% of our population. Whilst this is the proudest culture I have, it is also one where I am least proud of as not many care for their elderly parents. I have seen too many of them abandoned or neglected. It is a shame really when it becomes a “state problem”
2. What inspires me to keep blogging? I love writing and do not need to struggle and find words to put into text on a blog post. I enjoy writing and my biggest inspiration is finding the humor in difficult situations or demanding conditions of my life.
3. What do you spend way too much money on? This has got to be medical care, medical fees and hospital charges. I have spent a huge sum of money that I could have otherwise amassed in wealth. To date, I have chalked up close to SGD600,000 and counting in medical treatment for self. Luckily for insurance, a large portion of my bill is paid for, using that.
4. What event large or small has changed my life? I received a Public Service Star Award from the President of the Republic of Singapore in 2015. I am allowed to use the acronym, PBM, after my name and even in death! But it has not changed my life in that I feel prouder or wiser. Infact, I find that it attracts jealously and people intentionally trying to make it hard for me when at work.
5. What is the best compliment that you have received? The best compliment that I have received is when someone or people whom I once knew eons ago, approach to thank for me helping them. I have no recollection of what I did, but they do. I feel so happy that I have made a difference to their lives.
6. What would be the most amazing adventure to go on? Living in a country that has 4 seasons. I would like to live in Australia or New Zealand, experience the running of a vineyard life and or a bread and breakfast type business.
7. What takes up too much of your time? Work!
8. Who is your go to band or artist when you can’t think of anything to listen to? I do not have any particular band or artist to go to but what I like is to tune in to One FM and listen to my favorite DJs, Glen and the Flying Dutchman. I love whatever song choices they play. It is good enough for me.
9. What is your strangest talent? I have very good instincts or gut feeling of things. I am “sensitive” to things and can anticipate issues. I am not psychic but I wish I was! Sigh! Think of all those I can help!
10. What game or movie universe would you most like to live in? I do not have any that fancies me. For now, I just want to live my life, enjoying it a little but not working so hard and not falling ill or undergoing surgeries.
11. What is your biggest goal? My biggest goal is to be able to run and finance a charity of my choice. I want to be able to help others financially and teaching them to be independent. Since I cannot achieve this, what I have done over the years is raised SGD12million through a series of fund raising dinners, golf tournaments and a concert for various causes. I enjoy doing this.

Thank you Julie for allowing me to share these with fellow bloggers. I am grateful for the nomination 🙂

Unique Blogger Award Nomination

I am honored to be nominated this award by Karen Beatrice of https://writerkarenblog.wordpress.com.

Do give her website a visit 😊 to read her lovely posts.

Now…I have to work for it! 😉

1. Who is the most influential person in your life right now?

Honestly right now, I am the one holding onto sanity, being the “adult” for my elderly parents as my two siblings have chosen to ignore on basis that they live in another country.

If anything, my two siblings drive me up the wall as financially they do not offer any help to care for parents. But are arm chair CEOs. They tend to make things difficult.

No money and no time but if there is any inheritance, they are both first in line. Typical I feel of children these days.

Sis told me not to call unless they are dead.! So there!

I needed her to sign a document…she said wait for 5 months! Gee if I am going senile and needed her help, I would have to wait till December.😞

So….hmn….right now I have no one that positively influences me. 

I have a list of morons who influences me to think cynically, give sardonic comments and laugh.

Except hmm maybe my inanimate furball Garfield who gives me warm hugs, does not betray nor hurt me.😃

2. What is the experience that has changed me?

A near death experience in 1991 and recent surgeries showed me how ugly my family can be. 

I am nothing more than an ATM machine or of use…then I am remembered😃.

I also saw how “friends” are actually acquaintances and what is the meaning of “true friends” – I feel one has “friends” when of use. Once of “no use” nary a soul is a friend – fair weathered friends aplenty!😞

I became cynical and sardonic, using humor to turn lemons into  “palatable foods” or flavorings or seasonings of my life!)

I Laugh to cope with all my pains😁

I Laugh to forget all the ugliness😞

I Laugh to acknowledge betrayals by friends and family.😣

I Laugh to recognise fake friends.😲

I Laugh to know in my heart that my family is nothing more than the blood from my gene pool. Nothing more and if I ever need blood, heavens no way jose would they spare me a pint!😝

I Laugh when I meet the horrid Lords I meet at work!😝

3. If I would have to choose between new love and old which would I choose and why?

😞No new love but heaps of old loves or I should call them “victims” 😂😂😂

MR EX is quite well described in my And So The Story Goes series. 

Do pop by and search “And So The Story Goes” on my site, Garfieldhug, to know my ulcerations and happy moments! 

Yup he wasn’t all evil😉just a moron that is selfish and self centred most times.😞I had to do his bidding and avail self whenever he expected me to be there.

I believe all good men are taken; married, dead or gay 😔! Scraping the barrel here as they are just “lost” or on endangered species list😂….sigh😔

Nominations Of Other Blogs

There are so many good blog sites on WordPress and to ensure no one is left out, this nomination also goes out to all of them!

Blog….vent!

Blog…share!

Blog….laugh!

Blog….cry!

Blog…celebrate!

Blog on anything or everything…do not stifle creativity!

Thanks again for this nomination. I am humbled.

Garfield hugs🤗🤗🤗

Sunshine Blogger Award

Samanthamurdochblog kindly nominated me for this award.

I enjoy her posts as she has beautiful cats and would share tales of her cats’ antics.

Do pop by her blog site as it gives fun reads and also teaches us about crystals 😉

I will nominate all my readers as I cannot limit anyone 😊 given their posts are great reads.

I will try and answer some of the questions asked of me…

1. My childhood memory …erm…anaesthesia wiped out most of my memories! I must have undergone more than 10 general anaesthesia sessions of minimum 3 hours to the most recent 11 hours!

But there is one that I do remember at age 6 years old. I was accidentally pushed by my kindergarten classmate and my head hit a rather thick folding glass panel.

Maybe…just maybe that is how I got a calcified benign meningioma in my forehead region.

Thankfully, the last time I checked, I had some brains left 😉😂😂

2. What was my first pet?

If it was inanimate, it would be a stuffed cat with green eyes. I slept with it for as long as I can remember till my mum tossed it out as it was grubby and missing an eye. I bawled my eyes out 😢

Hygiene prevails over sleepy time toys! 

If it was animate, it would be “Husky” a pariah dog or mongrel that dad adopted from a stray litter he found at a fishing pond.

Husky was not an affectionate short haired guard dog. He was ferocious and protected our property well.

He suffered a stroke at age 7 years old and had to be euthanised as he was suffering very badly.

3. My favorite flowerS would have to be Tiger Lilies and Sunflowers though I do not mind red roses except these tend to litter its petals as it wilts and dies.

The sight of these large flowers cheer me up. If and when I die, it must be these 2 flowers…summery yellow Sunflowers, cheery and bright!

4. Forest or desert?

Definitely forest!! I would imagine my forest to be filled with Bambi, 7 dwarfs, gingerbread house, colorful mushrooms that houses blue smurfs!! LOL! Cool right?!

5. Favorite Film

Nope, not some classic like Casablanca or Bogey movie or Hitchcock’s thriller!

It has to be Garfield movies….

6. If it was something I could solve,  it would be to find a better job that allows me to go home at decent hours and not milked dry by a bully for a boss!

7. My favorite parfum is Coco Chanel. This was first given to me by Mr Ex. I loved the fragrance as it suits my mood and skin.

8. What I am reading now? I am too tired to read heavy stuff as I read and write serious work policies, ISO documents etc and so, I love reading Archie comic digests! Mr Bee, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and Moose keep me amused!

9. My best vacation would be staying at Quest Fremantle, fishing and jigging for squids off the jetty in winter! Or staying at Hilary’s in Wanneroo…fishing as well!!

10. Sunshine or rain? Definitely rain as it cools our perennial summer heat!! The pitter patter of rain and the lovely water getting caught and stored in our reservoirs!!

Last but not least….

11. What do I want to be when I grew up? 

Now that I am all grown up…..hmm..been there and done that…”knighted” by President of Republic of Singapore and got “my bottle cap”

I have supped and befriended the Dukes and Duchesses of Yore and met whose who in my lil red dot!

I have climbed the corporate ladder, pipped my entire primary and secondary and pre university cohort.

I have the most inanimate furballs of Garfields in the lil red dot! I hold the record for this😉

Perhaps what I hoped to have achieved was my PhD or MBBS or FRACS or FRACP….not for the money but for the fun of it and healing people!

I had fun writing this and I hope you have fun reading it and hopefully giving you a laugh or two😂

Dragon Loyalty Award

https://chapeblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/dragon-loyalty-award.jpg#038;h=449?strip=all&quality=65&resize=1248,1192

I have been kindly nominated by Chapeblog of chape Personal Trainer blog site.

I do enjoy his health exercises’ tips and fun easy reading stuff.

Here’s 7 Interesting Fun Facts About Me:-

1. I am nutty over Garfield, my inanimate fur ball. I have a collection of 475 stuffed toys of Garfield and hold a local record for it. I feel so achieved as if I won an Emmy each time I see the certificate….not statuette though 😉

2. Humor is a must. It is my “can do” attitude. Laugh I must. Laugh with the world and at the world.

3. I love blogging and writing. I need not think or frown as the words just come to me. I am lucky in this aspect as my Electrical Lord thinks he has a “dial a writer” in me! UGH! I now have to write a one page for a publication to exalt his “glorious life”. I intend to write 2 versions…one for my readers, reeking of his hypocrisy, disdain for poor and less fortunate and the other version showing the oh so fake “generosity”, his verbosity and glorifications of things he “did”

4. I love being mistaken as the maid or garden help as I do not like dress up formalities. Gimme a ratty t shirt and a pair of comfy shorts or bermudas and loafers! I could paint the town red in that! All I need is a pocket full of change to pay for my needs😂

5. I hate creep crawlies…..eeeeek!! Awful crawlies….

6. I love crosswords. I can work on books of these and be lost in my own world.

7. People whom I chill with or know me well would know that if I stay silent, it means I have been taken ill. My “voice” in words or speech signfies my living status 😊

So here’s looking at you kiddos….

Garfield hugs…..and thanks for the award.

My 6 Nominees (Sorry I have a technical glitch and cannot provide the links but go onto wordpress and type their sites and it will pop up) are:

Deanneworld.wordpress.com

Anushanarasimhan.wordpress.com

Harlon, A Patient Voice at apatientvoice.com

Outlawnee.wordpress.com

Amrit Rahman at amitpoetry.com

Lucy All Right Choices at allrighchoices.com

Dancing With Shadows at velvetcandle.wordpress.com

Do pop by and read their websites.

Blogger Recognition Award

I have been kindly nominated for the Blogger Recognition Award – http://wp.me/p5JoVg-ry by blogger Pancake Bunnykins.

Thank you Pancake Bunnykins!

Forgive me for not just nominating 15 blog sites as there are loads of great blog sites at WordPress.

In this light, it is only fair to extend this award to all aspiring bloggers, established bloggers and bloggers with stops and starts so that we all keep on blogging.

Blogging does different things for different folks.

In the old days…ok ok I jest…we all kept diaries. Laborious writing and I knew my “fowl scratches”  as described by my teachers were barely legible. Which is good as I need to keep it under lock and key as the writing was “encoded” only legible for my own eyes 😂

I could not wait to get on the computer after banging keys on a type writer as I need not hold a writing instrument.

Hindsight…if I had kept my father’s portable Olivetti typewriter, I would have owned an antique!! 😁

Well erm my autoimmune issues sometimes makes it hard for me to write too. So it is good really to tap away on keyboard.

So, it all boils down to the fact that I have a lot to say, gripe, whine or moan. LOL!

Heaps to say and lots to think..what better way than blog when I am ill.

You see, I used to be hospitalised minimum 2 times a year for the last 20 years.

I am ever so grateful that 2015 only saw me incarcerated in “Bates Motel” for once this year and it is now October. I am pleased with self.

Each hospitalisation takes a month and I don’t want to receive visitors as I need to be germ free and besides….the pillows give me a dishevelled look.

I definitely would not outshine the hobos or bag ladies as I beat them for “best worst dressed award” 😂

Thanks To The Creator Of Minions

Plus….

Thanks To Creators Of Minion

So, I have to put my magical thoughts on a platform some where and what better place than WordPress 😉

Naturally my blog site burgeoned…and happily too as it kept me sane instead of worrying if I live or if I die…..literally too LOL!

I lived….sometimes barely. But I lived.

Blogging is a wonderful activity….one that I enjoy and if it gives others a guffaw or a laugh…then I am even happier as you generous readers with your likes and comments spur me on.

Meanwhile….please…

Thanks To The Creators Of Minions

Sincerely ME,

Garfield Hug….:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen: