I've been very quiet of late, but for good reasons. But first, a bit on Penang. The races were extremely good fun and my team did very well. The women's team came in 8th out of 25th women's teams, beating the Singapore national team and NTU who are our main rivals in Singapore.
On 5 August, a day after I returned from Penang, my dad was supposed to have undergone an ear operation to treat his otosclerosis condition. However, about 30min after being administered General Anaesthetic, he had a cardiac arrest. There's more to this than I'm allowed to say at this point in time, but the thankful thing is that my dad has survived the ordeal.
It was a very scary five days for my family while my dad spent five days in the ICU. He's been transferred out of the ICU but is still in hospital and my mum, sis and I have had to go the hospital every day.
The scheduled ear operation never took place; instead something life-threatening came to hit us right in the face out of nowhere. It was a shocking and scary situation to say the least. So shocking that for awhile, we couldn't quite comprehend or believe the reality of the situation.
Even though my family has never been religious, we prayed to the heavens above during those critical hours while doctors were resuscitating him. We called upon our friends to pray to their gods. We went to make offerings to our ancestors who have passed on to the other world, calling on them to protect those of us who still exist in the earthly realm.
Growing up, you think that your parents are immortal. To imagine a life without them was/is unthinkable. It seems like they're always there. You never really stop to think about the mortality or age of your parents until something like that happens, and then you suddenly realise that your parents are actually old, their movements slower, their hair grey.
The fragility, uncertainty and unpredictability of life slaps you in the face; material things that seemed important just hours before suddenly becomes immaterial.
Anyway, there are now decisions to be made and actions to be taken. Good luck to us.