I called my dad this morning.

The Okay News

With mom, we don’t really have “good news” unless it’s “Cancer is in remission!”

They have started my mom on the cancer drug. So far, she felt nauseous the first few days and then back to normal again. The stroke recovery is going very well and she is actually eating on her own…a lot of it.

*Phew*

When I was over there, they took off her feeding tube to change into a new one and to go down another nostril. Mom fought it and that resulted in the tube being removed only on the condition that she would start eating on her own. At that point she just started on very soft solid like tofu and papaya. You see, since the stroke, she barely ate anything. Once in a while she would try to drink the Ensure herself. Whatever she couldn’t finish would be fed to her through the tube.

The first few days after the tube came off, she was drinking the 3 servings of Ensure. (They use to fed her 4 times a day through the tube because she wouldn’t sleep at night hence the midnight meal.) She wasn’t able to drink it all at once, but she’d get to 3 by the time she went to sleep. After I left, dad reported in that she hasn’t really starting to eat and the Ensure consumption dwindled to 2.

So, her oncologist walked in one afternoon with the rubber tubing in hand. “I heard somebody wasn’t eating,” he said. “Because if somebody doesn’t eat, the tube has to go back in.”

And that worked like a charm. I haven’t heard about her not eating since.

Mom is getting better everyday, stroke wise. Her other doctor has been telling her to go home for about a month now. Still with 2 caretakers. (Perhaps once she could walk on her own, we may come down to just have one.) But the house is not ready yet.

Remodeling Hell

The reply to “How are you, daddy?” was “Goddamn contractor”.

My dad is having issues with the contractor. Apparently they did horrible job putting in the ceiling. I heard my brother in the background talking back to dad.

“I seriously can’t tell you if the lights are centered or not.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Dad, the ceiling is all slanted. It’s higher on this side and lower on that side. I can’t really tell.”

If you want to build a resort or hotel, dad knows who to get the job done. When it comes to remodeling of a house, he’s stomped as to who to go to. This contractor came highly recommended by our condo’s handyman/engineer and here my dad and brother are looking up at an uneven ceiling with jagged edge here and there.

*Sigh*

At least the remodeling is moving along somewhat. I’m sure mom can’t wait to come home. Actually, once in while she’d think that she IS at home at the hospital. She told me a few times to go fetch my brother from the office or to go upstairs and get her stuff.

Dream Comes True

I asked how did it go at dinner the other day when they took my “cousins” May and Nicky to dinner. May has been on the Asian tour, playing badminton in Korea, Japan and Hong Kong, with the U.S. National Team. Nicky was tagging along. They both stopped in Thailand for a few days before coming back.

May and Nicky brought back with them my dad’s Nikon F401.

Ahhh…the clunky ol’ SLR! I remembered my brothers and I fought over who would get to inherit such a cool camera. It first went to my oldest brother when he went to England, I believe. It was about the time dad moved on to sleeker, travel-friendlier camera. I have been BEGGING to have the Nikon since the photography bug bit me. But I never got it.

So, it’s been over 10 years in the making. In the day and age when I should be estactic to get a good digital SLR, I’m going batty over the big, fat, heavy analog SLR from 1990s. (And yes, I would still go bonkers if I somehow manage to get myself a digital SLR!)

It’s just that I finally got *MY* Nikon. The camera that was rightfully mine the day my dad bought it. At least that is what I believe.

At the orientation for my photography weekend course back when I was 13 or 14, we were told this. “When you learn how to drive, what car did they use? A stick shift. Why? So you could really learn how to drive. When you learn to take good photos, what do you think we’ll have you use? That’s why everyone must bring an SLR.”

Who knew I was going to be using the ultimate manual SLR! With the Nikon gone, dad handed me his dinosaur. 1976 Pentax ME. Virtually all manual except for the light meter. If you want flash, you’ll have to hook it up to the camera. The film runs out, you crank the rewind. That camera impressed my teacher. The most old school camera for the youngest person in the course! Haha.

I did learn a lot with the Pentax and still have the possession of the Old Girl and a bunch of dad’s lenses including the giant super heavy super zoom lense. She still takes fantastic pitures especially portraits and close ups. I lug her around all over the place. You’ve seen some of the pictures in my Flickr.

Although the Big Boy is newer, has flash, and all sorts of bells and whistles, I will still take the Old Girl out for a spin once in a while. I promise!

* * *

So yeah. Today has been a good day. I have resolved to be happy. And I will do anything to keep the happy. Yes, that means having bacon fried rice 2 days in a row… 🙂