Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The Culprit



I am wearing a mask... and I am writing a diary.

No, I am not renacting the scenes of the comic character 'Rorchac' in the film “Watchmen”. Although with the mask down I look perverted and sick enough at times. At least the missus thought so. My habit of mimicking a film character after every inspired movie is a near push factor for a divorce paper from my wife. There were many examples to quote. But probably the most irritating one was when Brad Pit played an insane character in the film “Twelve Monkeys”. I was so inspired that I wore that idiotic expression for an entire week. The missus should have dumped me for a real Brad Pit lookalike, but the woman had an amazingly steep threshold. Places switched, I would have lost the will to live (it was that bad). However, it was not easy to spot a potential Brad Pit. So she stood by me all these years.

We are both wearing masks now, surgical masks to be exact. With the masks on and a syringe pumped up with medicine, we looked very much like the doctors in “Prison Break”. Our subject now though is not the famed Michael Scoffield (the lead hero in the show). We are working on our Baby Angel instead. And I am the culprit for this operation.

Yes, baby Angel had fallen sick for the first time in her human life. And I am to be blamed. Viruses from my gastric flu had probably invaded her weak immune system, or the lack of it. Born with a hole in her heart, she has a tendency to be weaker than her peers because her lungs have to work harder due to the presence of the tiny hole in her heart. And that means she is more prone to viruses.

Our subject wailed and kicked while doctor daddy is holding her close to thy chest. Playing nurse, the missus had to speedily squeezed out the drug from the syringe into baby Angel's mouth, and then we wait for more kicking and wailing. This is breaking my heart out while she is desperately plucking out the hair underneath my armpit for comfort... Yeah, as if coming back at me with a vengeance, baby Angel is resisting all her might to thwart the doses of bitter drugs. And in the event of this saga, it looked like I might have lost a few strand of body hair. But surely this is nothing compared to the discomfort baby Angel is experiencing being sick for the first time in her life.

I felt really bad for this. To make it up, I am teaming up with my wife to give our little gal the best attentive care we can give in exchange for her speedy recovery. And in the event of this, I am willing to let go of some of my bodily hair while the little one is being coerced to down the few ml of those nasty drugs.

The pediatrician advises against stepping out of the house the entire week for baby Angel, a welcome suggestion in the view of her grandpa, who until today continue to threaten grounding his son inside the kitchen. I guess parents will be parents despite how old you are. And it is only now that I am a parent myself I can somehow relate my dad's irrational actions.

I once mentioned this to Angel's mum. “When she grow up I am not sending her for overseas studies.”

“Why?” mused the missus.

“I just can't bear to do so.” I said.

“Don't be silly. By habouring such thoughts you are not helping to nurture an independent child. You are not doing good for Angel.” The missus was right.

Protecting your child does not mean fielding her from everything. Your children need to experience the necessities of life. Life is never meant to be a bed of roses. I grew up under the roof of overly protective and strict parents. I used to dread my father for calling me up at the age of 25 when I was still hanging out with friends in the night. My dad was so strict and protective that made me, once a immature lad, into a rebellious kid. No, I wasn't a gangster, mischievous as I was, I still adhered to the good values that my parents impresses upon me. But I could be rather ill-tempered during those days. Mostly because I wanted to break free the norm that my parents wanted me to be in. I am not blaming my parents for this, they meant me well, looking back I was just an immature lad. It was just food for thought, because whatever actions handed out by me to Angel will definitely trigger a reaction. And I would like those reactions to be positive actions.

But in the heart of doting and anxious parents, how do we measure the balance? How much to let go and how much to reel in. I have no idea, and it is a profound knowledge every parent have to seek, in our very own ways, because we tend to be the culprit of our children's actions, and it is a course we need to tread carefully.

The future may be full of learning curves for me, I am guessing steep ones mostly. And I have to learn to let go of our little girl when the time calls for appropriate actions. But right now one thing is very clear, Angel should not step out of the house as advised by the pediatrician. My old dad is right in this case.

And being the lone culprit for Angel's misadventure, I must work towards having our daughter well again. Do whatever that is necessary. Whether it is donning that surgical mask for preventive measures or having the entire family grounded for the rest of the week, I will just have to do it. All in the well-being for baby Angel's recovery.

But on second thought, I will probably be hunting for the shaver now..


*I must thank fellow bloggers for popping by now and then seeking for Angel updates. When I started blogging, I never thought I could connect with great, warm and nice people, you people!! I merely wanted to document my simple life and a dose of my family story so that I can look back in time and reminiscence the memories in time. By now I can probably gather the familiar handful lot of you that kept popping by in anticipation of Baby Angel's progress.

I am deeply touched.

The past weeks were a mash up of hectic workload, friends and family issues for me. I was not able to keep up with more updates as much as I wanted do. One of which was Angel's special act of biting everything she fancied. I could have written a light hearted tale on this, but right now I simply have to be contented with the below photograph that somehow tells the story.



One very easy culprit to point finger to is of course my work. The economy is bad, and that means me getting my hands dirty doing some major design work in the office on top of the other daily operations.

I would like to share with you a recent project I completed last month. It is a children website for the International Friendship Day. I am not much of an illustrator, I am more of a graphic multimedia artist. This production is interesting to me because I have to draw a lot of cartoons which is so not my usual style. There is game component in this website www.ifd2009.com.sg. It is a Q&A game testing your knowledge of ASEAN countries, have a go at it and see how well you fare. It is quite interesting, I couldn't answer all questions correctly relating to Singapore myself. And feel free to comment on the production. If it sucks, just be frank. It will improve my direction in my future projects.

With that, I end my post. And I wish all of you a very pleasant week ahead!

17 comments:

said...

oh my oh my~ my god daughter has a hole in her heart? r u serious? I use to have 1 fren like this during primary school... and it is not good... hmmm~ ken, i think u should buy some ginseng powder, mix it with milk and let Angel drink it.

But becareful, dun put too much powder, jst a tiny bit will do for a baby... But u have to take note tat, ginseng is quite hot and it might increase Angel's body temperatue, so a small amount will do.... Ginseng can make her strong...

I hope to see my god daugther grow healthy and pretty in the coming years :)

Shionge said...

Hey Ken, sorry to hear that Angel is ill at this moment but with you & your wife having all the precaution I am sure she'll be fine soon.

How I love that smile on her face :) Sometimes I do wish that time could stood still and let babies be babies :D

Thanks for the update Ken

Perky said...

I didn't know that your daughter has a hole in her heart. Really sorry that Angel is not feeling well and I hope that she recovers soon!

p/s: Don't be too hard on yourself. Both you and the missus are wonderful parents and doing a great job at being parents! :)

.:: Ant ::. said...

So many comments that i wanna write ..... see how I missed your blog! :P

To cut it short, I'm really surprised and kinda sad to know that lil' Angel has a health obstacle. But luckily, I hear that it is also a curable condition, am i right? altho' it cld only be done at a later stage of her life when she's a lil' more grown up.

Alwiz glad to get updates on her tho. Hope all is well at home. ^_^

+Ant+
p/s.... takes a Brad-lookalike to get wifey off you ka? Wah, so humble hor? wakakakaka :P

MiChi said...

I was shocked to hear about Angel's heart but worry not, the best medical facilities are available in Singapore today. I have personally heard of few cases from personal friends who underwent successful operations.

A Common Singaporean said...

Hey guys, I never expected Angel's hole in the heart sparked such deep concerns. Thank you really for all your concerns. Just to shed some light, 1 in 100 babies are born with that kind of condition. There are no explanations for such cases. There are so many variables that the doctors cannot pin point any reason. But most babies grow up well under such conditions. Some even participated in competitive sports!! I am sure Angel will be fine :)

Leumas - Once Angel hit her 6th month, she will be able to consume solid food such as porridge and soft biscuits. This will also help to give her more nutrition as well!

Shionge - Frankly I never quite fancied children in my younger years. Children cry when I am within their proximity. I swear this is true. I was so worried one day if I have my own kid, the poor lad is going to go through a horrible childhood. But when I grow older I began to develop an affection towards them. I begin to like children. Its really weird.

Perky - She may have fallen ill but she is still very active and playful. So much so that my mum have been saying she doesnt look like one sick baby. She does get uncomfortable in the night though when she start to have the nose block and cough. But She is recovering well. And thank you for the encouragement.

Anton - Hey thanks for such kind words. I hope u have enjoyed seeing Angel grow up through this blog. Yes, hole in the heart is curable if the hole is positioned in a better location. Otherwise an operation can be performed. Angel's hole is positioned in the second best position which means there might be a chance the hole can seal up when she is older. Its a 50/50 kind of thing.

Michi - Its really quite a common thing isn't it. I do also have 2 friends with that kind of condition. One of them is a serious case. He was exempted from physical activities in the army because of that. While we swore and cursed in the jungle with our rifles, that chap have been smiling all the way inside the air-conditioned room as a clerk!

Bengbeng said...

I hope the situation has improved since you last updated. Abt the hole in the heart thingy, I am so sorry but be encouraged that a fren's daughter seemed to have healed
completely by the time she got married. I dont know how the whole thing works but according to the parents she just got better n better as the years passed.

Twilight Man said...

Oh dear, I must be having brain seizures coz I read this post several times and just realised I left no comments! Sorry dude, age catching up like Century Eggs! My only word of advice is we need to do prayers and make lots of merits to clear obstacles and our karma. Everything often happens for good reasons, depending on how we look at it.
Anyway, my cousin who was operated in Melbourne is today a mother of 2 healthy kids. Let me find my old post which I blogged about her.

Twilight Man said...

Oh yeah, you read that post and commented.
http://twilightzone518.blogspot.com/2009/02/world-of-orphans.html

Bengbeng said...

Pray that everything is better now.

Twilight Man said...

This blog is expired!

.:: Ant ::. said...

I second the motion!:P

+Ant+

A Common Singaporean said...

Beng Beng - Not really. Sent my daughter to the ped again today. Another grounded week for her. She has not recovered and she now has rashes on top of her current flu. I will do an update soon. And yes, I am hoping the hole will seal up when she's a fair bit older. Thanks for the encouragement.

Twilight - I have read and re-read your Twilight museum whenever time permits during lunch break. There are some things I have learned from your entries, including karmic values. I wonder why Angel is born with a hole in the heart. The heart specialist suggested it is a common thing but couldn't give any reason for every cases brought forth to them. Ask if its due to the reason becos my wife was down with Dengue fever during her 7th month prenancy, the doc says 'Nah'. The doc simply mentioned 'multiple variables'. So you reckon some karma reasons?

Anton & Twilight - HAHAHA. I know I know. I am sorry. I will do an update over the weekend. Just gotten back from the Pediatrician, the little one is still not well. Need a lot more attention. It was a crazy night yesterday waking up every half hr or one hour. She's been crying all the night thru. Let me do an update this weekend. Please enjoy your week meanwhile.

.:: Ant ::. said...

Just pulling your fabulous legs wakakaka *points at Twilight*

+Ant+

please traffic your site said...

Thanks for the update Ken

Anonymous said...

Oh dear, I just know that Angel has a heart condition and my heart goes out to her.... As I have a severe condition of it, I know how both you and May feels... With both May and your love and undivided attention, I am sure she will grow strong and healthy in the years ahead...

Sam

A Common Singaporean said...

Hi Sam - Thanks for the encouragement and advise coming from a father of two and also with a heart condition. I am glad you have been doing well all these years and I am happy to see your little Jazreel photos. Children grow so fast I have to admit. Your boy looked so much taller the last time I met him. He's such a fine little toddler now!!

I am treasuring every moment I have with my Angel daughter right now. Squeezing whatever time I have left for her before she grow up and scream into my face demanding for an ice cream. haha.