The Evils of Ngaku Chips

I am not a food person and eating is not the most important thing to me. Even when I'm hungry, I never bother to look for food/snacks. During this year's CNY, while both daddy and mummy over-indulged in food and suffered horrendous 3-day and 7-day diarrhea respectively, I "under-indulged" and ate a lot less than them. Very often, mummy had to shove cookies and other CNY tidbits to me and tell me to "EAT!" Well, she shoved almost everything to me except this...

Ngaku (arrowhead) chips... my favourite! I think this is about the only festive snack that I ate without being told to :p

Last Sunday, the 3 of us munched away half a container of ngaku chips and few handfuls of muruku in one sitting. Mummy should have known better. I am very prone to throat infections whenever I take fried food. The same thing happened in previous years too. After eating chips --> developed sore throat and fever. This year, although mummy did try to balance things out a little by making me eat one whole cucumber before taking the chips, the inevitable still happened. I developed a high fever of 39C+ after coming back from school on Monday evening. Sigh! This persistent fever lasted 3 days and I had to skip 2 days of school :(

No thanks to you... you bad, bad ngaku chips!! 

Ngaku chips and other junkies that we hand-carried all the way back to Shanghai (almost half of these were shared with daddy's colleagues). 

Despite the high fever, I did not see a doctor. Mummy diligently made me cucumber and fruit juice and voila... I got well without any antibiotics (only took some paracetamol to keep the temperature under control). 

Sick... looking all flushed with rosy cheeks :)

P.S. This is the first time I fell sick in winter and it is no joke. I shivered in the cold although I was wrapped up like a mummy and the heater was on. It was difficult for the fever to subside because I couldn't sweat. I hope I won't fall sick in winter again!!!

Puke Princess and Her Justification

In our recent flight back from Hong Kong to Shanghai (we flew Cathay Pacific and had to transit in HKG from KUL), I played "Puke Princess" again after having this meal on board...

I enjoyed the meal very much (especially the dim sum from mummy's tray)...

However, I started feeling queasy towards the end of the flight and as the plane was "circling in the air" preparing to land, I did it again. This time around, the air sickness pouch was already on standby so it was a mess-free affair :) As mummy was putting away the partially-filled puke pouch, she teased me...

Mummy: See, you wasted the Haagen Dazs ice cream and all the nice food. They are all inside here now *pointed to the puke pouch*

Me: No! I've already tasted and enjoyed it so it is NOT wasted. Even if I didn't vomit this out, later when I poo-poo, it will also come out of my body wat...

Mummy: ..........

Onion to the Rescue!

Last Thursday night, when we were getting ready to go to bed, I complained to mummy that my left ear was a little painful. Mummy paid no attention to it :( Later that night, when I was supposed to be already asleep (I am currently still co-sleeping with daddy and mummy for more warmth), mummy noticed that I kept tossing, turning and making a lot of noise, obviously very disturbed by the discomfort and could not sleep well.

It was about 11pm and daddy was already sound asleep while mummy was still Candy-Crushing :p when I woke up crying. I told mummy that my ear was very, very, very painful. I cried until I vomited as usual (hmm, what's new?). Mummy was about to hand me the vomit bucket (only just 1ft away) when I couldn't hold it any longer and threw up on my pyjamas, bolster, bed and quilt. Aaaargh!

After cleaning up the mess, mummy quickly Googled for an easy (and temporary) home remedy for earache. She browsed through many tips and suggestions (mostly recommended vinegar) until one of the threads caught her attention. It had 87 comments and many of the comments were positive feedbacks, thanking the contributor for sharing.

Since we had onions at home, mummy felt that there was no harm in trying it too. She followed the instructions closely... Sliced the onion, heated it over the stove fire and placed one piece in my ear (when it has cooled a little). The onion gave me instant relief and within minutes, I dozed off and was fast asleep. No more tossing, turning and crying. The onion really worked like magic!

This was the reason why onions worked :)

When I woke up the next morning, the pain was gone. However, over the next couple of days, I could still feel a very slight pain in my left ear every now and then. Daddy and mummy decided to bring me to see a doctor just in case there was an infection, which could lead to complications later.

On Saturday, we went to a hospital to consult an ENT specialist. The doctor examined my ears and revealed to daddy and mummy (through enlarged photos on the screen) that both my ears were stuffed with a huge amount of ear wax! My ear wax is the wet and sticky type (very hard to clean but mummy still helps me to clean them from time to time).... so the doctor did a thorough cleansing on both my ears and found a slight infection near my left eardrum. I was given some ear drops to clear the infection. The doctor also cautioned me not to let water get into my ears. When I go swimming, I'm encouraged to wear ear plugs.

Cleaning in progress...

This "machine" was used to suck the sh** out of my ears ;)

Emergency Hairwash at 3a.m

A midnight disaster happened early this morning... I threw up suddenly while I was in my deep slumber. It happened so unexpectedly that I did not have time to reach for my "vomit bucket", which was conveniently placed right beside my pillow.

When mummy heard the all-too-familiar sound and came over to check on me, she gasped in horror! Almost half of the hair on my head was covered in thick, slimy, chunky, stinky muck! I must have vomited in a lying-down position. Feeling helpless and panic-stricken, she did not know what to do to clean me up. Wiping was out of the question because the mess was too extensive so she led me to the bathroom and gave me a good scrub... hairwash and bath... at an ungodly hour of 3a.m in the morning! The stench was so unbearable (and lingering) that mummy had to shampoo my hair twice!

Soiled! 90% of the time, disasters like this happens on a freshly changed bedsheet, including this one... ggrrrrr!

At the same time when this happened, mummy was also awaken by an allergy reaction which caused her whole body to break out in itchy, patchy rashes. She was sleepless the whole night and was scratching the night away before she came over to attend to me.

The itchiness drove mummy up the wall!

Mummy is still trying to figure out what has caused both our bodies to react so adversely. We did not eat anything new or unusual. Earlier in the evening, we had some coffeeshop food in a kopitiam at The Curve and we just ate ordinary stuff like toasted bread with kaya and butter, plain chee cheong fun and nasi lemak. Daddy ate the same stuff too but he was alright *baffled*

Anyway, mummy is glad that my body has efficiently expelled whatever toxin it was. I woke up feeling fine and I'm not sick. Oh yes, before resuming my sleep, I also apologized to mummy (for giving her work to do) and thanked her for cleaning me up :) 

While I Was Sick...

- I missed a mini family gathering (with mummy's cousins) and did not get to play with my cousins ZK, ZW, Leanne and Timmy from Singapore.

- I practiced very good self-control and stayed away from food that I knew I was not supposed to eat, even though mummy did not stop me. She even offered me a papadom when she was having her vegetarian banana leaf rice (she had forgotten about my condition) but I declined and said "sick cannot eat this".

- I was dragged to 1 Utama for a half-day shopping outing (on Saturday afternoon) even though I was sick. I told you, mummy is BAD! Because I was not feeling well, my refusal to walk was understandable so mummy suggested using the stroller... yes, my baby stroller, which has been sitting in daddy's car, unused and untouched since almost a year ago! I missed my stroller very much so I agreed to sit on it...

The stroller is still able to support this overgrown baby. It did not collapse or fall apart hehe :p 

And then the most embarrassing thing happened! We bumped into Aaron (my classmate and best friend). Gosh, I was so, so embarrassed (to be caught sitting in a baby stroller) that I didn't quite dare to look at him haha!

- I enjoyed eating my antibiotic (the white and fruity-flavoured Augmentin) and told mummy that "it's kinda yummy" *mummy rolls eyes*

- I recuperated really fast and got well in just 2 days. I fell ill on Friday night and by Sunday night, I had fully recovered. I also went to school on Monday the following day :)

Prone to Tonsilitis

I developed a fever out of the blue yesterday night. Mummy gave me a dose of paracetamol and we went to bed together soon after. Before that, she also placed an ice-pack on my forehead...

Hehehe... very cold and "ticklish"! 

Mummy slept like a log and did not get up to check my temperature at all! (what a horrible mum) This morning, daddy and mummy woke up feeling worried and upset because my body was still hot to the touch and they freaked out when they saw the thermometer reading... 40.1C! They immediately rushed me to my usual paediatrician's clinic.

Mummy was worried that I may have contracted urinary tract infection because I had earlier complained about "pain during urination". According to the doctor, I did not have any symptoms of UTI (urine colour and flow was normal). The culprit turned out to be my throat. The doctor gasped when she saw my very inflamed tonsils! This was obviously caused by heatiness. My whole body was so "overheated" that even my urine was hot, thus the burning sensation, which I described as "pain".

Now, mummy is very baffled as to why am I so prone to heatiness and tonsilitis. This is my second attack in 3 months (well, actually it's only the second attack in my life). I had my first bout in August and mummy doesn't remember me running such a high fever then. I don't eat fried food, I drink enough water daily, I take at least 2 servings of fruits every day, I drink homemade fresh fruit juice (with cucumber) quite regularly, I sleep well etc. What could be the cause? Daddy blamed it on the chocolate that I ate 2 days ago...

This poor Lindt chocolate bunny kena blamed although I only ate its ears! :p

My 1st MPO Experience

Last Sunday, I finally went for my very first MPO (Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra) concert. The day was quite an eventful one, I would say.

On the morning of the concert that we have been waiting eagerly to attend, I woke up with a big smile on my face. I looked perfectly alright until I crawled into daddy's arms and snuggled under his armpit. My body felt warmer than usual and the beeping sound of the thermometer confirmed daddy and mummy's worst fear... I was down with a 38-ish fever. A few days earlier, mummy was down with fever and cold too and I must have caught the bug from her. It was inevitable cos I kept sticking close to her despite being shooed away repeatedly. Sigh...

I was given a dose of paracetamol right after my morning milk. In the meantime, daddy and mummy had to determine whether or not to bring me along. They discussed other options (Plan B), thought long and hard, imagined all the possible consequences and even contemplated "dumping" me at Mah-mah's house and go ahead without me *sobs*. By the time they came up with their decision, my fever had already subsided haha! So, off to KLCC we went.

Our concert tickets... daddy bought the RM30 seats (with 10% discount for Petronas Mesra cardholders)

I slept in the car throughout our 30 minute journey there. Upon arrival, I looked rather listless and refused to walk. I wanted daddy to carry me...

The mighty daddy carrying his 20kg+ princess everywhere he went!

We reached KLCC at 12pm and headed straight to the Signature Foodcourt for lunch. After lunch, we still had some time to kill before our 2:30pm matinee so we walked around the outer display area of Petrosains.

Daddy bought me something from the Petrosains shop

Yay, concert time!

This was the theme we chose... Summer Beach Party. Too bad we couldn't dress to the theme. We had to wear smart casual... no shorts, sleeveless (for men) or slippers!

Walking into the hall, my first words were "Mummy, it's so orange!" (referring to the lighting) I had expected a dark hall like in a cinema haha. I finally saw all the orchestra instruments in real life! I could identify a few of them while mummy told me the rest one by one... the harp, tuba, violin, cello, double bass etc. As we were seated in the middle of the auditorium, we had quite a clear view of all the musical instruments. (Photography was strictly prohibited in the hall)

Daddy and mummy have been to many MPO performances before this but this was their first Fun For Kids show. It was a very interactive and engaging performance and I enjoyed it very much. Mummy caught me tapping my fingers to the rhythm. We also did actions, clapped to the beat and during the last two pieces, I even got up and danced to the Carribean calypso and Samba hehehe! When asked if I would like to come back for another show, I gave them a resounding "YES!"

After the concert, we headed straight home. I slept in the car again on our journey home and to mummy's horror, I was feverish again. This time, it was just low-grade hovering around 37-ish :(

Back at home, she gave me a quick bath and cooked me a simple but yummy dinner. I downed the whole BIG bowl of meesua soup with fish, carrot and egg. I was given another dose of paracetamol after that. I then spent the whole night playing with that "something" bought from the Petrosains shop earlier...

Wisdom Bead IQ Puzzle (it was only RM8.40 after a 15.5% discount for Petronas Mesra cardholders)

With 180 possible arrangements for the flat triangle and 2 possible arrangements for the pyramid ... it looks easy but it is NOT!

There are 9 levels to this game. I played the 1st level for kids. It was too easy. I played the 2nd level for teenagers, it was easy too. I played the 3rd level for "elders", it was ok but not challenging enough. I played the 4th level for adults... well, this suited "my level" hehe.

Hooked to the game...

I did it!

My fever was gone just before bedtime and it never came back again after that. Yippee!

Sick

It all started yesterday afternoon. I was still fine in the morning and went to school as usual. When mummy came to fetch me home at 2:30pm after my Mandarin class, she sensed something wrong the moment she held my hand. It was warmer than usual.

Back at home, the thermometer showed that I had a 37-ish low-grade fever. I had a dose of Paracetamol and took a nap. The fever subsided soon after that. However, I did not have appetite for dinner and ate only a quarter of my usual portion. At night, the fever returned. This time, my body felt even warmer... it was hot to the touch! My fever had shot up to 40C... the highest temperature I've ever had in my whole life!

Throughout the night, mummy could not sleep a wink. She stayed beside me and kept touching me while monitoring my temperature. It was still very high. She gave me another dose of paracetamol (my 3rd dose) and the fever finally went away at 3am+.

I had a very bad cough too. Sometimes, I would vomit a bit when I coughed too much. To be on the safe side, mummy put a mak-kok (water scoop) beside me whenever I was on bed or on the couch.

Me and my Peter Rabbit "mak-kok"

Highest fever ever recorded

At 2:30am - mummy put an ice-pack on my forehead to help bring down the high fever

This morning, I had to skip school. Mummy drove me to my paediatrician's clinic. The doctor said my body was very, very heaty. I had a throat infection too. She gave me a concoction of antibiotic (Augmentin), cough & phlegm and fever medicines.

Pink, white and clear... I ate my medicines without any fuss and only grimaced at their awful tastes

When I finally sat on my toy car this afternoon, mummy knew I was feeling better already. I did not touch any of my toys or things at all yesterday. I could only lie down and watch tv with half-opened eyes... how pitiful :(

Beep-beep... I'm back to my usual self :)

Was it the fish and chips that I had on Tuesday night (on mummy's birthday) that caused this? *Mummy felt soooo GUILTY* Although I ate less than 10 flattened fries and just one piece of the naked fish (with the fried batter removed), mummy believed that it was bad enough to trigger the "over-heat" system in me. Well, no more "junk food" for me again, in a long, long time to come!

A Hotel Stay, A Fever and A Movie

Last Sunday, we went to the PGH for a 2D1N stay again. It was probably my 7th or 8th time there, so no details in this post. This time, we went with Mah-mah, Yeh-yeh, Koo-ma and Hayley jie-jie.

Christmas deco near the Grand Salon

Fooling around at the lounge while waiting for our guests' arrival

The nice view from the balcony of our room

After checking-in and putting down our stuff, we went to Seri Kembangan for lunch. We had "paper-wrapped chicken", yong tau foo, noodles and a few dishes with rice at a restaurant near the MINES.

With Hayley jie-jie after our full and satisfying lunch *burp*

After lunch, at about 3pm+, we went to Jusco Cheras Selatan for some shopping. By the time we returned to the hotel, it was already 6pm+. It was too late to go swimming because the swimming pool closes at 7pm. Therefore, we played bubbles in the balcony.

Fun, fun bubbles! I enjoyed popping them with my hands as much as I enjoyed blowing them

We had a simple "tapau-ed" dinner in the room... an assortment of bread, pizzas, buns, muffins, fruits and tidbits. Earlier, at the bakery (Jusco's La Boheme), I was attracted to the Christmas muffins and kept pestering mummy to buy it for me. I ate the whole muffin on my own and tried to eat the cute figurine too but couldn't sink my teeth into it. I told mummy "It's as hard as a rock!" Hahaha.

Cranberry muffin with cute snowman for me and orange poppy seed muffin with Santa for Hayley jie-jie

The following day, we went swimming in the morning. Mummy gave me a limited swimming time of only 15 minutes but it was extended to nearly an hour!

15 minutes? See, my hair is not even wet yet!

That very night, while cuddling me as usual, mummy felt that my body was unusually warm. A check with the ear thermometer revealed that I was indeed feverish. 2 weeks ago, after swimming in PD, I was down with a bad cough (that self-recovered within a few days without any medications) and now this. Sigh...

This is how you do it... I know how to use a thermometer

I had a mild fever

I haven't had fever in a very long time. The last was 19 months ago in May 2009. Luckily the paracetamol syrup that we have in the fridge is unopened and only expires next year. After taking just one dose of it, the fever subsided, just before bedtime. Phew!

The next morning (Tuesday, a public holiday), I woke up feeling fine. Daddy and mummy carried on with their plan to watch Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale. We went to the Cathay cinema in e@Curve and watched a morning matinée.

The outcome: I cried again. The last time I watched Rapunzel, the Barbie version, I cried too. I didn't like Gothel, Rapunzel's evil "mummy". I was terrified of her! Everytime Gothel appeared, I would sob silently while squeezing and holding on tight to mummy's hand. Because of Gothel, I did not enjoy the movie. I did not like the movie at all.

Anyway, mummy bought a Rapunzel souvenir for me (for herself actually haha)... a reusable shopping bag from Tesco because it's pretty in pink.

Sweet, right?

Motion Sickness

This morning, for the fourth time, I vomited in daddy's car again. It was a mere 20 minutes' drive to meet up with Aunty Moon and her family for breakfast. I fell asleep in the car on our way there. Upon reaching our destination, right after waking up from my short nap and just when mummy was about to open the car door, I threw up without any warning. The 8oz of milk (plus 3-4oz of water) that I had earlier came gushing out like a waterfall (projectile vomiting) and flooded the seat instantly, with quite a fair amount splattered on mummy's handbag and pants. Eeeewwwww!!!!

Mummy was so mad that she nearly went amok while daddy gasped at the sight of the horrid mess! Very quickly, daddy chucked me out of the car and washed the car (seat) by the roadside (parking lot) with two 1.5L bottles of water and 2 pieces of cloths while mummy went to apologize to Aunty Moon for the screwed-up plan.

Obviously, we had to forget about the breakfast because I did not have any spare clothes to change into. Hungry and upset, both daddy and mummy had no choice but to rush home for more washing and cleaning. What a bummer :(

It was so unfortunate that we did not have the chance to utilize the plastic bags that we have so readily equipped ourselves with (in the car and bag). It happened too fast and unexpectedly. I think it's quite apparent that I'm suffering from "milk-induced acute motion sickness" - a condition self-diagnosed by mummy haha.

Lesson Of The Day For Daddy & Mummy:

It took them 4 very disgusting, messy and stinky lessons to learn that:

1. IMMEDIATELY AFTER MILK, NO TRAVELLING IN A CAR FOR ME

2. WHEN PLANNING TO TRAVEL IN A CAR, NO MILK FOR ME

3. WHEN TRAVELLING IS NECESSARY AFTER MILK, MAKE ME HOLD A PLASTIC BAG

The aftermath... completely drenched in my own puke (after the car was cleaned-up)

Draped in a napkin, I slept all the way home

You might be wondering... was I sick? Well, back home, after taking my bath, I looked so normal, no one would believe what had just happened. I even asked for a steamed fishball when I saw daddy and mummy eating the tapau-ed dimsum.

It's yummy! Thank you, Aunty Moon, for the treat :)

Nope, I wasn't sick at all. Far from it. Touch wood.

P.S. Luckily daddy's car wasn't stinky at all, thanks to the very efficient built-in ionizer and easy-to-clean leather seat. Phew!

Ponteng School

I ponteng-ed school today. It was my first time skipping school because I was sick. Yes, sick. I was supposed to be down with a running nose and mild cough. Mummy decided to keep me at home lest I spread my germs to my friends. So what did I do at home?

Sick, apparently... haha!

I was energetic and cheerful as usual, and I did not look or feel sick at all. See...

Happily fooling around as usual...

Of course, the best part about staying at home was that I got to watch my favourite tv programs, especially Ni Hao Kai Lan. Oh, I missed this program so much, I pranced around and squealed in delight when the show came on this morning.

Wrong Timing to be Sick!

Today is the eve of our long-awaited vacation and guess what? I'm down with a bad cough. It started with a slight running nose on Saturday. Mummy thought it was only a minor cold that would go away in 1-2 days, as usual.

However, at Day 6 today, I still showed no sign of recovery. During the day, I appeared to be normal and well (no cough, no running nose) but at night, my cough was very persistent and sleep-disrupting. I must have contracted some very nasty germs! Mummy finally decided that medication was necessary so she rummaged the fridge for some old medicines. When she checked the date, oh dear... Dec 2008. Yes, it's been that long since I last consulted a doctor for cough and flu!

Sorry, it's expired...

Daddy had no choice but to take time off from work to come home all the way to bring me to the clinic. We are going to have an added chore now... to bring along these medicines and to remember to eat them :-(

The un-welcomed travelling companions

Sometimes I really wonder why. Why, when most kids fell sick as soon as they started school, I was ok? Why, when most people fell sick during the CNY/bad weather period, I was perfectly fine? Why, when everyone else (i.e. daddy/mummy) was sick, I remained healthy? Why, when we are due to fly to our dream holiday tomorrow, I choose to fall sick? Sigh...

Vomited In Daddy's Car AGAIN

I did it again, for the second time. (First time is here) We were on our way to Tesco/Ikea/The Curve. As we were approaching the Tesco carpark, with no warnings whatsoever, I "spilled" curdled milk, mashed bananas and soggy cereal bits all over myself and the car seat, and a little on mummy's shorts! *Yucky*

I did not eat anything new or unusual... just my usual 8oz milk early in the morning, and a banana and some cornflakes for my mid-morning snack.

This time, about 70% of the puke landed on the car seat and flooded parts of it. Eeeeeeewwww! Mummy had to run to Tesco to get me a new set of blouse and pants because she did not bring along my spare clothing :-(

Later, daddy did a quick clean-up which wasn't that thorough because the next day, we discovered white milk stains embedded in the "breathable" holes and crevices on the leather seat. Luckily it wasn't stinky at all. Phew!