Things are going swimmingly..

One afternoon last week, I stole away from work to take my father swimming. His memory is starting to wane. It is important for him to stay active and interactive; to have highlights and digressions from his daily routine of walks and arguments with my mom. I asked Sean to come along and we walked to the pool nearby - a newly completed but poorly executed sports complex where my father swam lengths while ten year old children practiced diving from the high platform.

Sean does not know it yet but this is a subtle plan to show him filial piety at work - after all, I want to taken for swims and movies when I grow old and my memory too, starts to wane.

Visiting Sara

On Sunday, I traveled to Kuala Lumpur with Sam to visit Sara at her National Service Camp in Rembau. This involves a one hour drive from KL International Airport to Seremban and then some more to a small town of Rembau where her camp was located.

I felt happy and relieved; happy because I am going to see my favourite daughter and relieved because recent events at work have taken a load off my shoulders. I brought my ear-phones and my sketchbook - expecting to watch an in-flight movie and the latter to practice drawing people.

There wasn't an in-flight movie so much time for sketching my travel companions.

This guy was a easy target - seated across the aisle and dozing after his in-flight meal

A new father struggling with his ten-month daughter while a teenager struggles with phone puzzle

We arrived at 11:30 a.m. and found Selinna already waiting in her new Volvo, which made easy work of the hour long trip. At the camp, young cadets ushered us to our seats in the huge dining hall, one young cadet even carried the bag of books and goodies we brought for Sara. We watched Sara striding into the hall in her full uniform and perfect posture - which sagged a bit when she saw her mother. She still cries when we meet - the separation is hard for all of us.

teary eyed still when we meet

we met at the dining hall

on the way home, Sam sends a few final messages to Sara before she returns her phone to the camp warden

Another month to go before we have her all to ourselves again....