Better days…

That is what I am hoping and praying for in this Year of the Rooster.

Qong Xi Fa Cai or Kong Hee Fatt Choy, wishing one and all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Before the old year drew to a close, I was very sick so I was not able to join my young friends for dinner here. They went on their own and I was glad to get their feedback – they enjoyed the food very much. The following week, I was feeling better so I thought we could go out together before they went back to Perth, Australia and I made a table reservation here. Unfortunately, my mum was admitted into a medical centre here that very evening so I was not able to show up – I asked them to go ahead without me and my dear friend, Mary, would take good care of them and make sure that they would get the best they could have there.

My mum was in a very bad shape and we were rather worried. I called Peter at Payung to cancel my bookings of some of their dishes for Chinese New year. He was quite reluctant to let me do so at first but when he heard of my mum’s condition, he relented right away – I was afraid that I would not even be able to drop by to collect should anything happen.

Mary contacted me late that night to ask how my mum was. At that point in time, the doctor and nurses were still working on her – things were pretty much the same. Then I asked if my young friends enjoyed their dinner there but she told me they did not show up. Oh dear!!! Luckily I did not pre-order the dishes – that would have been real bad if they had cooked everything and nobody came to eat but Mary, our dear gracious Mary, was perfectly all right with it and kept saying it was o.k.

The next morning, Mary texted me again to ask about my mum and yes, she had taken the turn for the better by then. No, she was not eating nor drinking but everything was administered intravenously and things did not look so bad after that. Then, Mary asked me if I could drop by her restaurant to get something but I said no, I would not do that as I knew she would be giving me something and being caught with my mum at the medical centre and taking care of my dad at home, I would not know how on earth I would be able to reciprocate.

The next morning, I went to buy some fried noodles for my dad – the one that he enjoys a lot here…and I ordered some pad Thai for my girl and stopped by on the way back to my parents’ house to pick it up. I did pick up a small box of Mandarin oranges for the very lovely staff there, so very nice and so very friendly, to enjoy and when I reached the place, my jaws fell wide open!!!

There was this HUGE dish of steamed kampung chicken…

– free range and corn fed, all ready, waiting for me. Oh Mary, Mary, Mary!!! The sweet and gracious lady, so very kind and thoughtful, must be thinking that being caught in the whirlwind of things, we would not be able to find time to do any cooking for our Reunion Dinner and at least, we could have this gorgeous dish of steamed chicken…

…from her.

Of course I felt bad to accept as I had nothing to give in return other than my most profound and sincere thanks and my fervent prayers that God will bless her and her loved ones abundantly in this New Year and that she and her wonderful staff at Flavours will enjoy a most successful and prosperous year in the months ahead.

I guess the celebration is going to be pretty low-key for us, most of the time, going in and out of the medical centre, but I do hope everything’s going good for all of you wherever you may be. May God bless us all. Cheers!!!