Christmas Lunch

Christmas Day. Big bro manages to hustle St Georges Rehab doc and takes mom out for lunch. We go to Richmond thinking our favorite restaurant there, Vinh Ky, may be open but it's not. Big bro decides to try out this Korean cafe; appropriately it's named "Hole in the Wall". We order an assortment of Korean-looking-and-sounding food, bibimbap, bulgogi, and the like. It's ok but not great.

After lunch we go back to Big bro's and mom ducks into bed for a snooze; the walkabout tires her. We laze around for a bit and SM and I pick plums from the backyard.

Dad, SM and I go to Kmart so Dad can buy some grocery at Coles then we sit down for a latte and donuts and ginger bread man baked by SM.

Office Christmas Lunch

Monday Christmas Eve, not a nice day to be working; cause it's christmas eve. Arguably it should be a day to relax and maybe rise a bit later than usual, a late brekky, maybe some croissant with strawberry jam and butter, short blacks, lots of sun, sort of anticipating Christmas and looking forward to a new year in a week's time. Instead we gotta be at the office because there is a get together and a lunch. Well.... at least there's something meaningful to do.

There is a nice lamb roast, pita bread, salad, beautiful, hot and spicy curry lamb, butter chicken and palao rice. All the food agree with me and they are superb. I love my food.

Especially the curry lamb. I have seconds. Love it. Everybody loves it.

Bruce is a joker. He has a sharp, quick wit about him. Always willing to make people laugh. He wears this funny Christmasy tie and when he presses a button it plays a Christmas carol tune. Why would someone buys this tie. It's Bruce, really, he is just so funny. And he's a survivor of a heart attack. A former smoker of 43 years. Bless his heart. 

And every staff all 150 of us gets a bottle of wine and a gift from the company. Feels like a family already .....

I want to be well and healthy

This paining is up on a wall at the St Georges Hospital's sun room when we go there this morning to spend some time with my mom who is spending her recovery in this rehab center after her surgery. She is getting better by the day and is very pleased to see us. It's heart warming to know that someone we love is feeling good because of our presence.

This painting seems to speak of the love of a mom for her child in maybe her home. Nice flowers on her coffee table and a deck out the back. The baby is loved and secure and the mother is filled with her loving emotions.

On a notice board the hospitals has the patients write down their wishes for Christmas and New Year's Resolution/hopes.

The common theme seems to be this one:- I want to be well and healthy. Wellness and health are so taken for granted until our friends and family or us are affected. I know it's a cliche but it's the inevitability of it all that overwhelms us when we are faced with it.

Yet again some has written; "no more tax" or "I want to go home" as their Christmas wishes. Fair enough. It's the hospital, dude!

Russ & Giva

We spend sometime today with our neighbors this afternoon. Russ and Giva are both 82 y.o. and we have known them since we moved to the area 5 years ago. One of their sons, Ian will be spending Christmas Day with them. As it's our tradition with them we are spending a pre-Christmas time with them. Giva is quite sickly the last few years and for as long as we remember she would not step out of her house even for mundane things like having a hair cut and buying some clothes. They would just have a hair dresser come to the house. Having said that she is very alert and has a very good memory still. She keeps up with the latest by watching telly and playing scrabble.

Russ has been taking care of her and her every day needs.

He sometimes would be frustrated that he is like having a shackle bound to his feet because she just would not go out. I can understand completely his frustrations.

It's quite sad, really. And Russ does not understand why she behaves this way.

I think as I grow much older say in 20 years' time and maybe myself or my partner loses mobility; I would be devastated.    

Russ opened a bottle of nice Italian bubbly and we enjoy the drink.

Specialized

A customer which distributes specialized bikes + equipment from USA + Europe. Their name? Specialized Bikes, of course. These bikes are for pros so they cost an arm and a leg.

Santa

Thursday we had Christmas gifts exchange in the office.

Another operation

Mom was admitted on 5.12.12 to St. V for her operation to remove some bones impinging on her L4, L5 spine and nerves. The condition has made her extremely difficult to walk for the last few years. 

She went in early in the morning as advised but late in the afternoon her surgery was called off because the patient just before her had had some complications in the surgery. Poor patient. We hope he/she was all right....

Her operation was then re-scheduled for 14.12.12 and thankfully it went well. She is still recuperating but day by day she is better and stronger. She's a fighter.

On the 14.12.12 the operation went ahead. It lasted only 1 hour. She was moved to the ward afterwards for recovery.  Young doc from neurosciences same to visit. She didn't sound convincing in her way of communicating with the patient and us. Oh well.

 Looking out on the 10th floor tv room at Melbourne Musuem

 That's Fitzroy

This machine is used to provide pressure build up/ release to mom's calves in order to help with her lower body blood circulation. 

This young doc has trouble asking the right questions and more trouble explaining the possible explanations to mom's swollen hands.

Lunch at Walrus Springvale

One Saturday we have lunch at Walrus before sending my folks to the 客家公会 for their new building opening ceremony. SM and I are not affiliated with them and do not feel part of the association and so we stay away from it.

Christmas Lighting

Last week we went to visit my folks before her admitting to St. V for her operation. On the way back home we saw these Christmas lighting off Clarke St and decided to take a sneaky peek.