early morning exercise

Today I revived my early morning walks with Lily Phoen. It has been more than a year since I had one. Lily & I normally go for early morning walks during her school holiday break.

This morning, we took a brisk walk to Xiao Guiling, walked one round on the tracks of Bukit Gombak stadium then walked back to my residence. It took about one hour. Half-way walking, I did feel slightly giddy. Not sure if it was because of the hot weather or because I was hungry or because my body is still not ready for exercise. When we were reaching my residence, the rain started to pour. Good thing I always bring an umbrella with me whenever I go out. It has become a habit. I cannot leave home without one.

In the past, we used to walk to the nearby Bukit Batok Nature Park. This is a beautiful park with many kinds of plants, trees & humming birds. We had stopped going to this Park since that time when we met some monkeys along the way --- it was frightening as the monkeys seemed quite aggressive. We managed to turn back without being harmed. Lily had reported this to the Nature Park Board. We have never been back to the Park since. I wonder if the monkeys are still there.

thanks for reading this blog,
tsk tsk

encouragement from a little boy

This year has been the toughest year for me as a CL. Not only do I have to cope with the side effects of radiation (esp dry mouth) but I also find teaching the book of Romans to 7-and-8 year old kids to be not easy. There were times when I felt quite discouraged.

Tonight was such a night. I was stressed out. At the end of the class, while busy clearing the room, one 7-year-old boy walked to me, handed me a card & said shyly, "Miss Teo, this is for you!" I said thank you & shoved the card into my folder as I was in a hurry to go for Tape time. I completely forgot about the card until I reached home that night.

It was a Happy Teachers' Day card. I was so touched by this boy's thoughtfulness. Tears came to my eyes. One out of 12 came to say thank you. That was more than I could ask for. Little did this boy know that his little act brought much encouragement to this worn-out teacher. I was sure it was the Lord who prompted this little angel to do what he did.

Lord, thank You for the encouragement.
tsk tsk

back to the dentist

I couldn't take breakfast this morning. My upper molar tooth was in great pain. My teeth have been giving me trouble for some time. This time I knew I must go see my dentist. Cannot delay anymore. Good thing Dr Un could see me at 2.30pm so I went.

"O dear, your teeth are in bad shape. They seem to be decaying!" That was really bad news. The frightening thing is I don't feel a thing. No feeling......a result of the lack of saliva? It's scary although I know tooth decay is one of the side effects of radiation. This is actually happening to me one year after radiation.

I told Dr Un to do whatever she thinks needs to be done. She repaired not only the upper molar tooth but several other decaying ones as well. Looks like I have to be prepared to become "bogeh" one day. The trouble is I might not be able to undergo tooth extraction due to the risk of bleeding.

If I am still in your prayer list, please whisper a prayer for me to Daddy above.

thanks for journeying with me,
tsk tsk

down memory lane - one year anniversary

"You have cancer."

These were the words I heard as I entered the doctor's room. It has been exactly one year since that D-day. It took a while for the words to sink in. As most cancer survivors would tell you, these words often sound like a death sentence. And the way doctors announce it often makes it look like it's your last day on earth.

The anxiety of waiting turned into an anxiety of uncertainty. How come? What next? How? So many questions flooded my mind. I never felt so lost, so lonely in my life. The doctor rattled off about the procedures but I was not listening. Who could under those circumstances? Everything was happening so fast & so sudden. I was in a daze. I just wanted to be alone to make sense of what was happening.

While the doctor was busy doing the paperwork to refer me to Singapore General Hospital for follow-up treatment, I sent PS an sms, "It's cancer." The 3 angels (PS, Ruby, Jacinta) had turned up at AH's ENT dept unannounced to give me moral support. They were waiting & praying outside the doctor's room. PS popped her head into the doctor's room & asked, "Do you need me to be with you?" I shook my head, trying hard to fight back the tears that were threatening to appear.

I could sense a feeling of guilt on the doctor's face. Her own voice was choked with tears as she spoke. She knew I was right after all. The week before, I had raised my voice at her & her team for their lack of expertise in treating my ear blockage problem. I had lost faith in AH & had gone to seek second opinion at SGH. It was SGH which first alerted me of a suspected tumour behind my nose.

The 3 angels were the first of many angels God would send to minister to me in the days & months ahead. One year on, I'm simply amazed at the way God works. It's simply beyond my imagination how much He cares for me. It's simply beyond my understanding how much He loves me.

This verse comes to mind :
"......to grasp how wide & long & high & deep is the love of Christ, & to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:18-19)

thanks for journeying with me the past one year,
tsk tsk

happy birthday, angels!

I cooked lunch for Ah Bee & PS today. It was my belated birthday gift to these 2 July babies.

Guess what I cooked? Hmmm......beef char kway teow. Was it delicious? Ask them. Well, maybe this is an indication --- Ah Bee "dabao" the leftovers.

a God-blessed birthday, angels!
tsk tsk

follow-up consultation at NCC

Today was my two-monthly consultation with my oncologist. A new medical officer, Dr Corinne attended to me as Dr Wee was on leave.

As usual, Dr Corinne performed a scope on my nose & said "it looks good". Since it's almost a year, Dr Corinne said it's time to do another CT scan & blood test. I've been scheduled to do these tests on 19 Sep, one week before my consultation with Dr Wee to review the results.

Please pray with me that both the tests will bring good results.

thanks for journeying with me,
tsk tsk