Toby's Last Day | Bro Car Accident Story

Brayden 8Y2M23D

Bevlynn 3Y11M16D

It was the last day for Toby's - a small cafe at the corner nearby office; serving good cakes, curry chicken rice and kopi toast set. The cost of rental was raised too high and the owner had called it quits. The staffs who used to be loud and cheerful, went awfully quiet. I can see it was a tough day for them. Most had worked there for many years. My colleagues and I shared how we used to enjoy cakes from Toby's for our office birthday celebrations. This brought back many memories and reminiscences of the good ol' times. While eating, suddenly, a loud cheer came into the cafe. A group was there for a birthday celebration. It was the last cake, last birthday celebration. The staffs, although it must have been a sad day for them, they still brought the loudest cheers and smiles to everyone, we joined in to sing the birthday song together. 

In my heart as we sang, it felt like a happy farewell. Sometimes good things come to an end to make way for better things.  

It was Vesak Day. We went early to the temple for prayers. 

After that, Bray went to his close friend's SZ house to play with him. SZ had a broken leg the day before. He needed to stay home for several weeks. When I saw him; with his legs fully casted, I remembered my brother's accident. 

He was only 6 then; I was 8. I was in afternoon session school. It was my first lesson, when my teacher came in and pulled me aside. She asked me to take all my things with me. I thought what had I done wrong to be called to principal's office. 

While walking together, my teacher's voice heavily broke the news. "It's your brother, he met with an accident, a car knocked him". I was brought to the place near the accident. Blood all over his belongings (school bag, only one school shoe left). My teacher told me what happened earlier. 

'My brother was waiting to cross the road. Back then, there were no pavements. It was just some sandy, grassy roadside. The car drove over the speed limit and knocked my brother down. The driver dragged him more than 50m before stopping. Luckily, my brother's school bag protected his face as he bent forward. But his leg bones were broken and protruded out of the skin - almost cleared of the flesh on his left lower leg. He laid there on the road, a teacher who saw the accident, ran to him. As he laid on the teacher's arms, he did not cry a single tear but told the teacher to call Mom.' 

The teacher was teared up while recollecting the chains of events, I broke down hysterically. I waited for my parents.

When we arrived at the hospital, my brother was being pushed into the emergency operation room. He looked tired and asked my mother "Can I go to sleep Mommy?" My mother could not take it, thinking he'd leave us forever. She looked at the doctor to beg for help. The doctor said "He should be sleeping now, we've put him on general anesthesia but he kept strong". As soon as my mother gave him a Yes, he fell asleep immediately. 

It was a long surgery but it was a successful one. His bones were held together by metal and casts for several months. We could remember how my mother would cry outside the hospital room every single day. Whenever my brother had his wounds cleaned, he would scream so loud that his young innocent yet painful voice would echo along the creepy long dim hallway. 

At night, he'd have nightmares of ghosts coming to take him away. His recovery was a long one. 

Our family went into a long legal battle against the driver. The driver was a teacher from a nearby school, less than 2km away. She was going into labour and drove the car in panic, heading to a nearby hospital. The moment she knocked down my brother, she could not comprehend it fast enough and so she drove on for quite a bit of distance before coming to a stop. She delivered her baby on the same day of the accident.

My brother was just down on his luck. He was at the wrong place, at the wrong time. It was a trauma for a young 6 year old, a mother, and the whole family. Though we were thankful we did not lose him that day. 

Fire in the Kitchen | "How are you doing?" | Mother's Day JB Kidz Republic

Brayden 8Y2M19D

Bevlynn 3Y11M12D

It was an eventful week. I took half-day off from work for the whole week to give some cooking guidance to Lov. On her 2nd cooking attempt, the oil spilled and fire quickly built-up on the induction cooker. She was shocked and quickly moved away. I was surprisingly calm; swiftly looking for a wet cloth to cover the flame that almost reached the kitchen hood. 

The children were overly excited though; shouting out like a celebration over a campfire. The moment they saw their Mommy saving the day with the small undersized piece of cloth, their cheers turned to a tinge of sadness. Why? Because Mommy burnt Bev's FAVOURITE kitchen towel! I never even knew she had a favourite until this day. I think she might have took pity on the kitchen towel; as we stared at the melted, slowly diminished dark piece of cloth. The whole house was filled with thick black smoke afterwards...  Such drama. 

I watched an interview of an actress from Emerald Hill. She was describing her episodes of depression from acting in the villian role. The thing that really caught my attention from her interview was, she looked very professional in her acting. As an audience, I could not tell she was in depression. Also, she described how in several months, from a cheerful person, she fell deeply into this emotional state. And a "How are you doing?" from her director helped her release her pent-up emotions. 

That interview showed me how depression can be so hidden yet so painful, especially for someone who has to be strong for the world to see. It could happen so quickly. And it is very difficult for one to share this burden to anyone else. So by asking them "How are you doing?" at the right moment might just be the door opener for them to pour away the negative thoughts. It is not weakness to share, it is okay to not be okay, they are just strong for far too long.

It was Mother's Day. But it was the children's Play Day! 

We went to JB Kidz Republic Indoor Theme Park. This dinosaur theme indoor playground had some new play area. This was Bev's first time there. They played the whole day. Their favourite include the large Lego building area, the mini car race area, the ball pool, the soft sponge pool, trampoline, sand area (to dig for dinosaur bones), colouring, etc, etc... It was worth it. It is a good thing there's a Hailam Cafe right next to the playground; where I could get some kopi to boost some energy level. 

Look at how tired they were at the end of the day. They K.O. at the JB customs. 

 

Bye Eva | Hello Lov | Salvation Army | Junior Sports Day - Gold | Singapore election | Pokemon Mezastar | Originals Furniture

Brayden 8Y2M10D

Bevlynn 3Y11M3D

30 April was the day Eva left Singapore after 4 years. It was a sad farewell, yet, I felt happy for her too as it is now time for her to build her life around her family. She wanted to open a cafe for school children; after all she's such a good cook. Her homemade dishes are different every day and it is never easy to get bored with her cooking. 

And it was also the same day Lov came to Singapore. It was her first day in this country. It was a rainy day when we met at Lucky Plaza and we had dinner together for the first time in Ion Orchard Poulet. I got to know her better - her siblings, her son, her criminology studies and more of her dreams. 

On Labour's Day, we took the children out for breakfast and went to Salvation Army. After donating the preloved items, we had lunch at Toast Box Upper Bukit Timah Rail Mall. Lov was so lovely and the children warmed up to her easily. 

On Friday, it was Bray's Junior Sports Day. He won Gold Medal and so did everyone else who participated. His team got first in the team event; they had to run with the ball and pass it through a hoop. 

I met Hub for a nice lunch at Clementi. Our favourite spot for Fermented Veg La Mien. 

Since I was not working that day, I showed Lov how to cook some nice Chinese soup and recipes (lotus root, claypot rice and long bean egg). Easy dishes. Bray helped with the cooking too. In the late afternoon, I played catch with Bray, Bev and the other children (more came to join) at the playground. They really love how they can outrun this slow adult. Even Bev can run faster than me, I am so out of shape. Ah well, at least they had fun. 

It was the Singapore election day; Won majority by PAP. 

Bray tried his luck on the new Mezastar Pokemon machine. First attempt, he lost to a powerful pokemon but when he threw the great ball, he was still able to catch it. Very lucky. Then on a second attempt, he was co-fighting with another boy against Mew. When they lost the battle and got to the last part to catch Mew, he caught it with a great ball. Another lucky attempt. Bev too caught a nice mystical pokemon. I thought they made it easy for the children to catch the 5/6⭐ pokemons so that they will get excited with their catch and make them go for more games. But when I turned to other children, they didn't have the same luck. We were somewhat very very lucky.... Bray was funny, I can tell he was very nervous when the ball captured the pokemon, after the lucky catch, he would say "Yes!" and put his hand in a strong fist. Is it such an achievement for him? 

On Sunday morning, we walked to Originals Furniture. Bray pulled Bev in a wagon. Originals Furniture has a big showroom in Bukit Batok. I loved their natural wood furnitures and I was tempted to be the unlikely interior designer to "redecorate" my whole house to make it feel like a Balinese hideaway. I am already putting some items in my wishlist. 

We then walked over for lunch at the hawker nearby. There was Lai Kee Pau dim sum and porridge. The children always love a good siew mai and century egg porridge. 

I am feeling blissful and blessed with so much loving from my children. Their little voices showing concern "Are you ok mommy?" "I told you what.."