I woke up in the middle of the night because my fingers hurt like no tomorrow. For a moment, I thought it was a cramp. Or that I had arthritis. Or rheumatism. Or *touch wood* bone cancer. I got up, switched on the light and walked into the kitchen. There was a red dot on the fourth ringer on my right hand. And the finger was swollen and it was very painful.

I was taken to Hospital Setiu and given an anti-inflammatory injection at the Emergency Ward. The on-call doctor, a very nice lady doctor, said that I would have to be admitted for observation, in particular for any kind of allergic reactions I might display toward the medicines they would be pumping into my system. In 2 hours, I was wheeled into the ward.

I was given an injection every 6 hours, and my blood pressure, heart beat and temperature readings recorded about once in 4 hours (except when I was asleep). I was also drugged a few times a day, so much so that the simple meals prepared by the hospital canteen tasted so delicious though they looked really bland and unappetizing.

It was my first time spending a night in the hospital bed and it definitely wasn’t a very nice experience — to be hospitalized and drugged round the clock — and if there was something that I had “gained or learned” from the experience, it would be the fact that my health is the most important thing in my life, not work. I wouldn’t be anywhere I’d want to be, doing anything I’d want to do, if I’m not healthy and if I had to be in a hospital where nurses give me painkillers that not only kill my pain but my tastebuds and appetite as well. All the money in my bank (though I don’t have much) wouldn’t mean anything if it hurt me so much to take a shower or to dress myself.

So, lesson of the year: Do not take your health for granted.

Twenty-eight days into the New Year and I think I have had enough news to last me the whole year, both good and bad.

The good news is, I am embarking into a very challenging and exciting territory as we speak (or rather, as I type). In a pleasant twist of events, we have secured a place in a village in Setiu where we would be working from. The past week had been spent cleaning the place and making it up so that it feels more like “home”. We will be putting some finishing touches to the place this weekend, and after that, HOUSEWARMING! :)

Another good news is, Chinese New Year is approaching! Yay! It is one of my favourite festivals and I celebrate it with much enthusiasm because that’s when I get to meet and spend time with my grandparents, relatives, cousins and nephews/nieces in Ipoh. And this year, I will be seeing my girlfriends in Melaka during Chinese New Year for the first time! It’s gong to be so much fun!

Chinese New Year also means that J will be coming back to Malaysia, for a whole month, though I will only be able to see him for 8 days (beggars can’t be choosers, heh).

More good news — My sister successfully secured a place to do her Master’s degree in the University of Queensland, and she will be leaving for Brisbane on the 6th day of Chinese New Year. Also, for the first time, I will be seeing her off, instead of the other way round :)

Now, the bad news.

One of my maternal aunts was recently diagnosed with Stage 2 endometrium cancer AND Stage 3 ovarian cancer. She will be starting her first chemotherapy session today. Please say a little prayer for her before you go to bed today, would you? Mum will be her sole care provider and my uncle (her husband) will travel from Johor to Melaka every weekend to visit her. Please pray that she will be strong enough to pull through this difficult time in her life, and that she will not only survive this but kick the cancers in the butt, OK? Thanks.

Remember how I was frustrated at certain people who were making things unnecessarily difficult for me? I shot them an email and *poof* everything was settled. If I had known earlier that sending an email would be so effective, I would have done it eons ago, instead of allowing myself to be taken around the bush, so to speak. So if there was one thing I have learned from this episode in my life, it would be the fact that patience and persistence pay off, no matter how diligently people create stumbling blocks for you — though not necessarily in the way you’d want it to.

Somebody wise said that “obstacles won’t destroy your dreams or vision, but your attitude can.” So true right?

Now, here’s something worth celebrating — My car clocked 10,000 km exactly in 9 months, but it still feels brand new :)

Oh, I was reading my older blog posts a while ago and it kinda dawned on me that “memes” aren’t as popular these days, huh? There used to be at least one meme a week going around in those early days, and I have really enjoyed learning more about my blogger friends from those memes. Perhaps this is the price to pay for more sophisticated technology like Facebook and Twitter?

I recently stumbled upon this site called Gives Me Hope. It has a (growing) collection of heart-warming short anecdotes that demonstrates that love is still all around, and that it still gives us hope.

“Today I found out my parents pawned their engagement and wedding bands for $600, five years ago while we were going through a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. What did they use it for?

Christmas presents. To them, making me smile was more important than having a bit of jewelry around their finger. They GMH.”

How could you not shed a tear reading it?

“I managed to get into a private school on a scholarship because my family is poor.

On Christmas, I got called to the office because someone left me a package. It was full of art supplies-which I couldn’t afford and it ended up being my only present.

The sender? The only other poor girl in the school.

Sarah GMH.”

Or this??

Have a relaxing weekend, peeps. See you next week!