merry is love ;

Hospitalisation unlocked - 24 to 28 Aug

I never would have thought that I would be able to unlock this "achievement" at this age but I did. As a result, I had procrastinated and not purchased my rider plan prior to this episode. In any case, I'll be trying to claim this under my travel insurance.

It started with an innocuous fever 4 days after I returned from Cambodia. It was a Wednesday and Pong's birthday so I even went out for drinks that night. Thursday came and passed - still fairly mild. I wanted to take a MC on Friday but had a test in the morning and it was early Friday anyway so I stuck it out, left work on the dot at 5pm and went straight home. Didn't feel all that well so went to the doctor at night, got some meds and rested.

On hindsight, I felt surprisingly okay during the weekend. There was the mild fever every few hours which I took meds for but overall, it was fine. So off I went to work on Monday. But as the morning wore on, I felt increasingly feverish and unwell so I left after lunch and went back to the GP for another consultation. He prescribed more paracetamol and antibiotics and gave a 2-day MC this time.

2 days passed - fever is still coming back. Friends and colleagues were getting a bit worried by now and advised me to go for blood tests. So I went to the Polyclinic this time. Had blood test, liver test and urine test done. Urine test came back clear. Blood test showed that my platelet count was low and the results of the liver test could only be out in 2 days. Doc sent me home with more antibiotics and paracetamol with a follow-up appointment on Friday.

There was still no improvement on the fever front. In fact, the fever was coming back with a vengeance - high fever every 5 to 6 hours which causes nausea and diarrhoea. I endured it till Friday and made my way to the Polyclinic first thing in the morning. Took another blood test and the results of my liver test also came back. There was no change in my platelet count (it was still low at 116) and my liver enzymes were elevated. The doc decided to refer me to A&E for more tests to be done, primarily for dengue and malaria.

Doc at the A&E saw me within half hour of my arrival. Managed to take blood for tests and set a drip after 1 try. He also prescribed me 2 bags of IV drip while the tests were being done. Tests showed that I wasn't down with dengue or malaria. Diagnosed as having viral fever and got sent back home with yet more paracetamols.

No improvement in condition. My gut told me that I wasn't getting the right treatment. Annoyed, I went back to A&E again, ready to show some attitude so that they will treat this properly. Oh but this time, after 2 blood tests, 1 urine test, and 1 chest x-ray, they finally got it! Hepatitis. My liver enzymes were more than 10x the normal range.

Was admitted. Chose a B1 ward but got bumped up to class A ward. Woohoo! The first 2 days were quite terrible. I was still getting the fever every few hours and lost my appetite as well. As a result, they put me on the IV drip 24/7. On the morning of the 2nd day, my blood pressure also dropped to critical levels (90/30+ I think. The normal range is 120/90) so they put me on a sodium and plasma drip. My blood was taken for blood tests every day and the nurses soon had to resort to taking the blood from the veins on my wrist as the usual spots were bruised and they couldn't find any other veins. All this while, they were also giving me antibiotics via drip and orally just so that if the liver infection is due to a bacterial cause, we'll be covered.

My condition miraculously turned for the better on the 3rd day where I only had a slight fever in the evening and my appetite came back! I managed to convince the nurse that I didn't need the IV drip any more and she agreed so no movable IV drip to restrict my movement. Needed to fast before going for an ultrasound scan so missed my Teochew steamed fish lunch (I've absolutely no fate with that dish. I ordered it for Wednesday's dinner but got discharged by lunch.). Friend G and ex-colleagues came that night. At the end of the night, my room was smelling of flowers from the company's hamper and friend G's sunflower. Plus the balloons from Sissy S and R - boy, did I feel happy.

The 4th day was almost like a holiday. I had no tests to be done with the exception of blood tests. Aunty J came in the afternoon again and I had a very deep nap after she left before dinner. So much so that I didn't even hear the nurse come in with dinner. I didn't realise I was that tired! Colleagues, ex-colleague J and friends came. Entertained till 11+ and got a lot more gifts. Of which, the most outstanding would be the panda balloon. Lots of laughter and catching up. Friend A said I seem to be having a party! ;)

Junior doc came by early in the morning on Day 5 (7+am) and said, "Good news! No fever yesterday. We should be able to discharge you today." I was left with mixed feelings when the consultant came slightly later and reiterated that I would be discharged. On the one hand, I wanted to be out because it's really not that cheap staying in a hospital but on the other, I was really starting to enjoy having friends come over! And really, the food was quite good!

I have the utmost admiration for nurses after this stay. They were practically coming into my room every 2 to 3 hours on nights 1 and 2 to give me meds 'cause I was feverish, to put me on the antibiotics drip then changing it to the IV drip, to refill my water, to bring me to the loo (there was no more movable IV drip holder on night 1 so I had a fixed one to my bed), to check on my vitals, to even take blood at 5am! And all that while, with no temper at all. Of course, I think I was also one of the nicest and most cooperative patients.

I was skeptical of the treatment I would get at CGH after hearing stories but I must say I'm one very satisfied patient. Although they misdiagnosed my condition during my first visit, my second visit was all pretty swift (admitted in about 3 hours). Add to that the bump up to class A ward (which was very nicely furnished by the way) and the awesome care by the nurses and doctors - that makes me one happy lady.

This experience has renewed my interest in being part of the healthcare sector, especially in being a doctor. I've always wanted to be a doctor but never worked hard enough to get the required grades. Or maybe I just wasn't smart enough. But I've realised that it's not all over yet. There's Duke-NUS which does graduate medical studies. Totally toying with the idea of doing it. First step is to get into volunteering to show that I've a passion to help people. If anything, it'll also help me gain some karma points.

MD or MBA. Hmm. Need to consider real hard.

These 5 days have also shown me who really bothers - my sissys, family, Aunty J, Aunty S, colleagues, ex-colleagues and friends. So thankful for all the love, care, concern and gifts that everyone has showered me. Those who came down and those who followed my progress via texts. I got admitted with just a purse and my phone. My folks brought my stuff in a small bag. But I went home with a car boot full of loot!

I feel so loved.

Traversing the world

It's unbelievable how much travelling has been on my mind these 2 years. I keep reading blogs of long-term travellers and thinking "Hey, I could be happy doing that".

But.

There's always a but.

Where will I get the money? What about my future? In other words, what happens after the trip??

I can't stand the thought of coming back to no job and zero savings. You may say, "But you can work while travelling!" Hmm, as what? English teacher? Is it truly sustainable?

I'll be contented conquering the world bit by bit for now. I have realised that my travelling has been quite microscopic in terms of scope, i.e. I have only travelled in Asia. Hence, my goal is to explore at least one new country every year. From Asia, I'll venture to Europe, North and South America, Africa and the Pacific countries eventually albeit slowly.

So far, I have gone to:
- Malaysia
Johor Bahru, Malacca, Port Dickson, Kuantan, Genting Highlands, Cameron Highlands, Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu, Kota Kinabalu, Pulau Tioman, Pulau Dayang, Penang, Ipoh, Pulau Sibu, Kota Tinggi

- Thailand
Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai

- Vietnam
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Mui Ne, Sapa, Hoi An, Hue, Halong Bay

- Indonesia
Medan, Lake Toba, Bali, Batam, Bintan

- Nepal
Kathmandu, Pokkara, Ghorepani Trek

- China
Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Zhangjiajie, Shantou, Chaozhou, Chengde, Three Gorges Dam, Chengdu, Xi'an, Jiuzhaigou, Leshan

Folks

I never knew how blessed I am until recent years. I am extremely thankful for the way they have brought us up. I can't even begin to figure out how they did it.

We are not rich. We are a middle-class family. We may even be considered as lower-middle class by some standards. But never once did we feel deprived.

With the exception of video games and cable television, if we requested something, they would, more likely than not, give it to us. Mom qualified her decision to not get us cable tv saying that we would be glued to the tv 24/7 if she had gotten it since we were already watching tv till no end. There's no denying that.

They never meddled in our studies, only employing a tutor when we asked for it. They gave us the autonomy to choose what we would like to pursue for our CCA and always gave us their fullest support regardless of their reservations. They always encouraged us to try new things.

We were sent to a private kindergarten. We learnt music and sports. We went on trips at least once every year. We patronised restaurants. At the same time, we were also brought for meals at roadside stalls, taught to be independent and the value of frugality.

My sisters and I turned out to be three sensible adults - aware and able to enjoy the finer things in life as well as rough it out and go back to the basics. My easy-goingness, sense of adventure and willingness to try new things must all be credited to them. No value can be put on the exposure they have granted us.

2012

2012 was a good year. I think it can count as one of my most memorable in my life.

I'd accomplished a lot in terms of travelling having made it to the top of Mt Kinabalu, obtained my Advanced PADI cert in Tioman, and gone on my first truly backpacking trip in Vietnam. Wanderlust definitely hit me hard last year. I started researching on round-the-world trips and am seriously considering the prospect of one in the future.

On the work front, I finally got out of sales in the last quarter of 2012. I had the best time doing Portfolio Quality with the best team mates I could have. It was the best of both worlds; I was still going out to meet clients but without the targets hanging above my head. An opportunity to move out of EmB7 was presented at the end of 2012 and I took it. It was my chance to leave sales for good.

I was also much more active socially last year. I partied more (was doing so every week at one point in time), drank more, and met more people. I made an effort to keep in touch with old friends and build stronger relationships with new ones.

Overall, I was pretty satisfied with how the year turned out.

What a way to mark my 25th year.

Vietnam 2012: First (and definitely not the last) backpacking trip

You know how I always attach memories to songs? This one brings me back to our 16 days in Vietnam.

I think of our time in Vietnam often. Replaying the memories in my mind brings tears to my eyes sometimes. I am overwhelmed by my thoughts and feelings during the trip because the experience is still so fresh. I think it also held special significance because it was my last trip with Sissy S before she moves to Japan for work.

Strangely, this feeling of sadness that comes with the realisation that it is time to face the real world didn't hit me until two days after I returned. I was aware that I was oddly nonchalant about the end of a vacation this time because it usually hits me when the plane takes off for Singapore, as was the case for China 2011. I know now that it was because the fact hadn't quite sunk in then.

I loved just being there - away from the stresses of work and the familiarity of our everyday life and environment. It wasn't as if we travelled in luxury - we spent no more than USD8 per person a night on our accommodation, even going down to USD5 per person for one night. We ate from makeshift road stalls. We walked. We travelled from city to city in sleeper buses to save on accommodation. We took a very torturous 33-hour train ride from HCMC to Hanoi. In fact, the entire trip cost me less than SGD1,000, excluding shopping.

It was the simple pleasures - exploring new places, meeting new people, the satisfaction of discovering cheap and good food, relaxing, and just being there with the best travelling buddies. There were pockets of time on the long train ride, Halong Bay cruise and while travelling between cities when I was left with my own thoughts or a clear mind and these were so precious because we can never get such periods of quiet with all the noise in Singapore.

I felt free. We went according to the plan we mapped out ourselves. We didn't need to meet anyone else's expectations. Despite feeling so tired on some days I slept the moment my head touched the pillow, I was happy. I felt like I could do this forever.

True happiness with all my possessions in a backpack and basic living conditions - it has taught me that one does not necessarily need all the comforts and luxuries to be happy. Or at least that's the case for me. It's true what they say - money can't and doesn't buy happiness.

16 days, 3 girls, 3 backpacks, and 1 Lonely Planet - we are officially travellers!

Falling out of line

I think one of my good friends got arrested last week. She would not reveal the details but I think it was for a petty crime since it was "a silly mistake".

I think she wanted me to bail her out.

I didn't.

I didn't trust enough to put pen to paper for something I didn't know anything about. Does that make me a bad friend? A selfish person?

At the same time, it reminded me of how lucky I am to have never been caught for shoplifting. Yes, I have shoplifted. Not once. Not twice. Many times. In my defence, it started with someone stealing from me. But this is a weak defence I know.

I do not regret it however. It gives me street cred. It gives me a story to tell.

Yay, Mount Kinabalu conquered!

What?! More than 2012 has passed?!

Can't believe it has been three months since I've blogged. Nothing much has changed in these few months on the ~~career~~ job front; I'm still in this dump of a job.

However, take a look at the above pic - Sissy S and I have conquered our second peak! Yes, that's us atop Mount Kinabalu.

It was definitely not the easiest climb for the untrained us, especially the summit climb at 2am on the second day. We spent close to six hours climbing to Laban Rata on the first day, another four hours to the summit before the six-hour descent on the second day.

Highlights of the climb:
1. Truly being in the zone during the climb to Laban Rata where all that went through my mind was "Just put one feet in front of the other. Step by step, I'll get there." Unlike in Nepal, at no point did the thought of giving up or "Why did I pay money to torture myself?" cross my mind.
2. Puking my Coco Crunch supper halfway through the summit climb and stopping almost every 50m while scaling the rocks 'cause it took just so damn much energy.
3. Truly jelly legs during the descent where my legs were just so removed of energy, I had to use both the railings and hiking poles for support going down stairs and also almost fell a couple of times because they just collapsed under me.

But, oh but, the sense of achievement and satisfaction felt at the top made it all worthwhile! You just have to look at our happy faces above to know how great the feeling is. This is also why we still attempt to go for climbs despite our lacklustre fitness.

Other than the climb, Kota Kinabalu also gave us amazing seafood meals made better by the very reasonable prices. The salted egg crabs there are to die for, the butter prawns so yummy, and the clam soup so unforgettable.

I have also just recently realised that this experience actually built some decent stamina in me so I have finally taken to running again after some 15 years.

I will always look back on this trip fondly because it showed me that I can and am more than willing to push my limits if I put my mind to it. Of course, the fabulous view was a very sweet bonus.