It was a packed month of events comprising of birthday celebrations, attending exhibitions, office opening ceremony and my son's BMT passing out parade. I looked forward to the last event as plans were made to give ourselves enough time to find the location and snag a good viewing spot. Two days before that, my son messaged that he needed a ride home from the ferry terminal. I was puzzled since the timing wasn't right. It turned out there was an episode of mass coughing in the platoon and he was one of those affected. The medical officer had sanctioned a departure from Tekong camp to avoid spreading, I guess. Worse, he was listed as ill and unfit for the parade. So his moment in the limelight got taken away while the enforced rest was in place. Fortunately, after about a week, his condition improved and subsequently received a posting notice to the Artillery unit. Now, he's on the way to become a gunnery assistant.
I had a dinner event that ended late. By the time I reached home, it was past midnight. As I walked through the door, the lights were still on. My wife and second son were getting ready to bring our pet dog to the vet. He had just vomited and experiencing diarrhea. They left while I went to wash up. When they returned 1.5 hours later, I learnt a new term. The diagnosis was Giardia, probably caused by ingesting something bad and upsetting the intestines. It's actually quite common, especially for pets that walked outside the house regularly. Some may carry the disease but remain asymptomatic, spreading the infection through fecal excretion. So the poor boy had to be force fed tablets and liquid medicine for three days after which, his stool became solid again and could begin the road to recovery. We are in a dilemma whether to resume daily walks or hold back for a while more.
Tip: Umegae Junmai Daigingo, tempered sweetness, soft and enjoyable on its own
