Rugby World Cup 2007

"Tuckle, tuckle man..", "Yes, yes...Bahana run, run ...", "Yes, there is a try".....these were comman phases in our household for nearly two months when the Rugby World Cup 2007 was held in France. And I am starting to learn some rugby game's rules and phases. Tell you what ! there got a scary look player in France team.

There was kind of scary and worry that I started to understand and like to watch Rugby (only for World Cup). In the past I went to Scotland, Merryfield stadium once to watch Rugby - South Africa vs Scotland team in year 2003??? with Riana and Magda. It was just for fun and experience.

During the World Cup season, it was really got everyone nerves in our living room, especially Mrs Horn (auntie Maria) when watching the semi-final game SA vs Argentine. Funny things always happened at the time auntie Maria gone downstair for fresh air (smoke) when she was nervous (she need something to calm her down), the SA team always gained some point with her absent. I always teased her that time for her to leave the room when SA team need more points.

When the World Cup just started, the SA team played quite well, and I suggested to Mr and Mrs Horn to bet SA to win for the World Cup 2007. I even volunteered to bring them to the Bookie place, but Mr Horn said SA team wouldn't win, and ended up we didn't bet at all. See.....if we bet £1 at that day may be we will get £2, ha....................at the end of the World Cup. £2 can buy half pack of cigerette and may be a shirt in Primax.

To be honest I really enjoyed watching the semi and final games for this Rugby World Cup with my flatmates and Riana's mum and dad. Surely I always support SA team, if not I wouldn't be able to sit peacefully in the living room with them, especially beside auntie Maria.

Well done SA team to win the Rugby World Cup 2007.

Day 1, Day 2 .....of Riana's Operation Up-date

DAY ONE

At last Riana has her 1st stage of spine operation, and the actual operation called anterior release and fusion with instrumentation, its mean some ligaments of her spine was released in order to make her back more flexible for the 2nd operation and on the same operation a metal instrument was inserted in her back....more instruments are going to insert in for the second operation...Wah ! cool man, Riana was so brave to have this big ......operation. Not very sure what will happen when she pass the airport custom, will the machine make a lot of noise when she walk through the machine ??????????????????? for public interest I need to ask the surgeon or later on when Riana fly back to SA after fully recovered from the operation as she needs to go through custom check. For sure she would not be a ballerina, what a shame !!!!!!!!!!

Riana has scoliosis since her childhood, and her doctor said she will grow out of it ??????Are you sure, Doctor ??? (her mum told me). Surprisingly when I worked with Riana for the first 4 years in orthopaedic hospital, I didn't notice she had any scoliosis, may be this was due to good posture she always maintained and the clothing she made to hide her scoliosis. (Scoliosis mean abnormal curve in the spine, will have unequal hips and shoulders line, so if she want to be a model is definitely no no answer, unless go through surgical operation to correct the spine )

The operation took about 3 to 4 hours, and she was transferred to HDU/ITU for immediate post-operative care. Well she was in a good hand of the orthopaedic surgeon ( I will recommand him for others, he is the best in this type of operation. Most of the nurses trust him, not because he is handsome or charming or whatsoever, but he is really good in his job and a very handy man) Besides, Riana had the most experiences nurses to take care of her as well. Hay ! she received the best care, and can said even better than to go for private treatment. Tell you what, money and fame is not everything !! Even though you have money, you wouldn't receive the care what Riana have received, lah la la lah la................

Why Riana needs this operation ? Well, she suffered a great deal of pain in her back for long time. Riana took a lot of pain killer tablets. Epidural was able to release her pain for a while, but after few epidural injections, they appearred not effective anymore !!! So, she took white, blue, green....pain killer tablets again to control her pain and save her poor stomach.

O.k ! Keep the long story very....short, Riana was doing very well in her first operation, a bit of drowsy for the first day, this was due to morphine she received for pain control, otherwise no problem at all. Her mum and dad only stayed with her for a short while in the hospital, they felt more relaxed after knew Riana was fined and in a good hand of nursing and medical staff. So they went back home with me. Magda took care of her for the first three nights, and I was with her mum and dad. So, all the relatives in South Africa can relax and sit back, Riana, her mum and dad were well take care of. Get well pretty soon, Riana!!!!!!

DAY TWO

K.S took care of Riana for the second day. Riana looked really good, she recovered quite quick from her 1st operation. Coffee and water were limited in the evening, because she drank too much, directly dilated her sodium (salt) level in her body. Poor K.S had to keep emptied her urine bag, she produced more than 200mls of urine hourly. Apart from that, she was more awake and her pain was well controlled. Riana was so popular in this hospital, lot of visitors and collaegues came to visit her.

Before we (auntie Maria, uncle William and me) went to visit Riana, we went to Edgware for shopping and ate in Chinese Buffet restaurant. Auntie Maria and uncle William rarely eat oriental food in South Africa, they think chinese food is always served with raw fish. I am quite seriously want to teach them what is real chinese food before they go back to SA. Therefore in order to introduce them the art and taste of chinese food in U.K, I brought them to this restaurant where is located in Edgware as they serve nice food with reasonable price. Wah ! they really liked it, and they even enjoyed to drink jasmine chinese tea. At the end we decided and agreed to sit this place again before they go back to SA.

DAY THREE AND SO ON....

Magda helped her washed her hair and Riana put her make up. What ??? make up, never hear a patient will put a make up when in hospital, only Riana will do it. She looked like in Health spa ratherthan just have a big operation 3 days ago in the hospital. I may be look more pale and sick (no make uplah) than her, it looks like I should lay in the bed rather than Riana. Everyday she practiced deep breathing and coughing exercise, it helped for her early recovery and prepare for second operation.

Good news from the surgeon that Riana was arranged to have her 2rd operation on day 5 rather than day 7.

Riana had her second operation on Sunday instead of next Wednesday. We all very pleased that she was doing very well. This time she sufferred more pain, it was quite a long cut in her back, as you can see the length of metal were inserted in her spine, wah............very long, it from T2 to L3. Can imagine the pain she will feel !!!!!!!!!!!! The second day, she felt more comfortable as her pain was well control, she sat up to 45 degree to eat her lunch. No more I have to say, Riana is going very well................................

Farewell 'Braai' to Alwyn, Donna and Amelia

BBC weather forecast predicted the weather for the weekend on 18/07 and 19/07 is going to be rain, windy and miserable in most of the areas, possible floods for some high risk areas due to the low pressure from the North sweep across the U.K. It just mean cancel your outdoor B.B.Q for this weekend. Not very good for us as we already planned to throw a SA 'Braai' (mean B.B.Q) for Brits' family on 19/08/07 to say goodbye for Alwyn, Donna and Amelia.

On that morning it was raining softly, the sky was grey and threatening to rain for whole day. We kept peer out the window to check the weather, at the end we convinced that we were not going to have the 'Braai' and will have the meats all cook in my NU-Wave cooker and eat indoor. About 2pm, the rain stopped and the chance for the 'Braai' was 50/50. Tell you what... we did our 'Braai' in our back garden, a bit of windy and some soft rain at the end, but we all enjoyed the 'Braai'. Sometime I was confused where I was, either in U.K, SA or Fillipine, as I was always surrounded by South Africans or Fillipinos rather than with my own nations. Riana, Magda, Riana's mum and dad, Alwyn, Donna, Amelia, Ena, Jacques and Ena's mum and dad were all South Afrians and me, the only Malaysian Chinese for this special occassion.

SA 'Braai' is kind of different from others, "meaty, meaty" B.B.Q as you can viewed in the photo, using the low heat of the burning charcoals rather than fire or flame to cook or burn ??? the meats. As usual Mielie (baked sweetcorn with eggs and cheese) and special baked potatos in cheese are the special SA dishes were cooked by Riana. Thank !...... Ena to bake the nice cake for the dessert. Well, I also contributed my cooking skills, I prepared sparing rolls, seafood rice noodles and gingers yellow chicken rice. The 'Braai' in this house is just a bit like 'West meet East'.

Chat chat chat ....for all the females under the gazebo (we put up this gazebo months ago) and the opposite sex, the males all at the other end of the decking chat chat chat...about drinks, they tasted different type of alcohols, including Chinese D.O.M. I told them that is lady's alcohol drink, they said like medicine, Ha ! Ha !.........I forget to mention that D.O.M is widely used for the lady during their confinment month (first month after giving birth).

We all enjoyed this gathering and the 'Braai'. Sad to say farewell to Alwyn, Donna and Amelia, I do not think I will meet them again, but I will get up date of their news from Riana or Magda when they go back home to SA for holidays. Bye and all the best to all three of you.

My friend, Mags

I haven't seen Mags for ages, so we arranged for a lunch out on 16/08/07. Usually we will see each other every now and then, either in her house, my place or in Edgware where a place half way between us. Mags was my former colleague, and we know each other for nearly 10 years, started from her single life to become a mum to Niamh and recently got married to her partner, John. She looked so lovely in her wedding dress. That was my first time attended the Irish wedding (both parents are Irish, all her and his relatives came from Ireland for this special occassion therefore that was real Irish wedding I presumed). Started from the Catholic wedding service at 2pm, the dinner at 4pm ,and afterward party and dance till 11pm (That was the time I left the party). I was really enjoyed it. Thank ! Mags for invited me for your wedding.

We still keep in touch after I left the hospital in the North London, and moved to Central London hospital (My reason to leave this hospital was I need more challenges in my work..... ) Think back I had great fun to work with her, we made jokes or giggles always, either we worked side by side or when she was in-charged in the unit . Mags is doing very well in this field, she was a staff nurse first, promoted to sister couple of years later on and now she is senior sister in that unit. Well done mate !!!

Very fortunate two of us were arranged to go to Birmingham Children hopsital together to gain some experiences (??????) in children ICU for two weeks which dated back in year 2000 ( I think the year is correct!!! Sorry I am quite forgetful now) . Mags decided to drive to Birmingham. It worked well for me because I did not mind to be a passeger. But I forgot to tell her that I was a very bad luck passeger for the owner of the car, everytime I sat in people's car, 3 out of 10 need to call AA for services or something will happen to their cars (either car key locked in the car, the car suddenly stop working, bump to other car and more ........I felt shame to list them out, if you are one of them you will know what I mean, sorry......... I felt really bad when they said their cars never have such problems before...) This time was even worst because Mags' car exhaust pipe fell and drag on the motorway half way to Birmingham. AA services was called and he removed the exhaust pipe, told us that we still can used the car but need to fit new pipe later. The car made a lot of noise, sound like sport car, without the exhaust pipe. Ha........! Sport car.............!!!! It was cost £100 to fit the pipe. What a good old time !!!! Ya ....

We met up in Edgware this time. Chat chat chat ...have a cup of coffee and meal at Nando. Niamh is going to be 2 years old in few months time and she is such a lovely girl. Niamh has a ginger colour red hair and ocean blue big eyes, she is so lovely and cute. We will continue to keep in touch.