The ups & downs

Time really flies. 31 days of 2007 had just "flown" by. Taking stock of the month, a lot had happened. Ruth started her secondary school education, a new phase in her life. She is still adjusting to her new school, additional subjects and medium of instruction, which is Bahasa Malaysia. Although science and mathematics are taught in English, the remaining subjects are in Bahasa Malaysia. Being educated in chinese (mandarin) for the past six years, she had to mentally shift her language "gear" to English and Bahasa Malaysia, which at times can be quite confusing and bewildering for her. She needs a lot of guidance and patience and it's not surprising that I often had to sit and study with her. So, it's back to "school" after more than twenty years. Hopefully, she will gain confidence and improve her cognitive skills.

Studies aside, it has been raining cats and dogs since the beginning of the year. Downpours greet you almost every morning, afternoon and evening. It is as if the heavens just could not contain all the tears. Alas, the wet laundary accumulated for days and the maid had to iron the more "urgent" clothes, especially Ruth's and hubby's uniforms. Roofs began to spring leaks at unexpected places. A friend, who runs a hardware store informed me that business for waterproofing materials and roof sealants were so brisk that his stocks were sold off faster than he could replenish the supplies.

I am thankful that, we fellow Sarawakians are much more fortinate than our Peninsular neighbours who suffer devastation, loss of properties and lives during the recent floods.