February

I have just come to the realization that I have missed February altogether. Well, things have been rather hectic, so I hardly had the leisure to post. Just for the record....

Well, the daughter had an early Chinese New Year celebration at her Nursery, in ethnic dress no less. I couldn't find a single Chinese outfit that I liked, so I got her a Chinese-Vietnamese one instead: a red and gold brocade (with dragons, of course) ao dai with white trousers. Only thing was, she didn't want to wear white. So we ended up matching the top with her favourite pair of jeans. Hmmm. Still, I was mighty proud of how she looked. Another girl in the school came in Korean dress. Guess there are some of us who prefer our children to stand out.

After that came the Chinese New Year proper, with the usual visiting, eating-too-much, and driving around like a zombie. I'll not bore you with the details.

Of course, Feb is also the month for finalizing all the plans for the Fiscal Year. Loads of projects to be completed, budgets to be planned, and all that sort of thing. Work was hectic, but tolerable, I suppose.

Then came the last week, when everything fell apart:

My father-in-law collapsed in his living room and had to be sent to hospital. Since I lived in close proximity to my in-laws (as compared to their two sons), I rushed over and did what I could. As it proved, it wasn't that much: I brought my mum-in-law to the hospital and did the call-all-other-family-members thing. That brought the missus' second brother down in a hurry, to keep his mum company.

The Doctor said it was a stroke, and not a mild one. By the time I turned myself around and fetched my wife to the scene, the old fellow had lost the use of his right arm and leg. Talking was difficult for him, and frustrating for everyone else. But it was my mother-in-law who worried me most. She was clearly in shock and not quite in control. But her sons and daughters were at hand, so I suppose she bore up well enough. Still, the smell of fear was heavy in the air: everyone was wondering if he would pull through.

Long story short, he didn't. The old fellow lasted a week, passing away on the Leap Day.

Needless to say, it was a very emotional time for the missus. And for me.

So here I find myself in March, having lost a month.