We Are Happily Snowboarding

The snow arena at Trifecta would be closing for upgrading from 25 May to 3 July. They should. The carpet has been patched in various places and the instructors are always asking us to pretend that those are ice patches and to avoid if possible. Zzzz.. From last week until 24 May, all the snow classes are at 50% discount, if paid directly. Trifecta also allowed us to freeze current credits and bring forward until the arena reopens. It is a good deal, which is also why the classes are very packed now. It has become a challenge to find a class with no or only 1 other pax. 

I went for the usual Intermediate I class last Saturday morning while Daddy Lim took Beginner II class. The classes were conducted side by side. There were 3 people in his class, and he got to practice a lot of his heel side and toe side. There was also a lot of rest as they had to take turns. I took class with another person and was on the carpet the whole time. We just went on and on doing the turns. It was my 1st time using the carpet on the left hand side and I had 2 dramatic falls. My butt! 

On Sunday evening, Daddy Lim and Nana finally went for their 1st Intermediate I class. There was another person in the class and they had to take turns again. 

Zaky and I waited for them. 

Nana and the other pax went 1st and without even letting them warm up, the instructor asked them to try to turn. Seriously? 

Nana attempted and got the hang of it after a few attempts. When it was Daddy Lim’s turn, he had it harder, simply bcos he cannot turn his head/ neck probably bcos of his AS. This head/ neck turning is so essential to the turns. He had a few dramatic falls. He said that it wasn’t painful but the falls look so painful to us. We went “ouch” on his behalf. He eventually did manage a few unsteady turns. I started wondering if this snowboarding is for him. He should just be a heel side warrior and do falling leaves down the mountain. Haha.

Zaky is very jealous. Too bad, his ankle is still in an aircast. The doctor mentioned that sports should only resumed after 6 months. He said that that he wanted to take snowboarding class too bcos we were all having so much fun. He also wanted to take surfing class. He wants everything now. I can imagine how bored he must be to be out of action for weeks. 

I went for Intermediate II class on Sunday afternoon. Yes, I am finally progressing to the next level. We are all so reluctant to move up. What did I do that is different from the Intermediate I class? No leh. Well, the carpet went faster and the slope was raised higher at one point so that we would go lower and be in active stance positions. It was fun and tiring and I am still not putting my weight on my front knee. Zzzzzz. I am still not steering with my knee. The instructor says that one can only get away with bad habits on gentle slope. Snowboarding is such a counter intuitive sports. Other than having both feet straps into one board, one is supposed to learn in the direction of slope. That feels like teasing death constantly.

Nana has asked for classes again bcos it is so much fun. The classes are so packed. Zzzzzz. Meanwhile, I am also looking at packages with the other “snow” places, so that we can continue practicing while Trifecta closes. J, the lady whom I befriend from class told me that Snowmonster, with the enoki alike snow carpet is not bad. The enoki alike carpet feels more snow-like. They have a 50% discount for Mother’s Day and each class is at $60 now. We have all booked the Beginner class on Monday evening. Hoho.

Mummy Lim

Happy Mother’s Day, Happy 18th Anniversary

Nana’s bday falls very near to Mother’s Day. I get reminded of her dramatic birth story every Mother’s Day. 

In celebration of Mother’s Day and Nana’s bday, Popo has prepared the “popiah party”. Popo made such nice popiahs and bcos of what her grandkids eat and don’t eat, we always have very interesting ingredients like Taiwan sausages, chicken nuggets, pork belly, etc. Even Zaky, who is aversed to most vegetables, enjoys her popiahs. In fact, he had been the one requesting for the popiah party for a while.  

Popo didn’t disappoint. We arrived to a spread. Yum!

We are missing the 2nd F, who is in Ho Chi Minh for her internship. She is missing on the good food.

We also gathered to celebrate Nana’s 18th bfast. 

Happy 18th Birthday, Nana! 

We are always craving for home cooked food. Popo knows and also prepped plenty of nicely cut fruits for us. Unfortunately, our tummies were bursting from the popiahs.

There were so much food and we had leftovers. I happily tabao them home. 

Mummy Lim

Yochi is Upset; Mummy is Busy

Just when I last updated that Yochi has stopped vomiting and things were on the upturn, Yochi had to show me who is boss. 

On Sunday, I returned from my gym class to clean his puke. This time, it was half digested food. Then he started acting and meowing funny. He started peeing on 2 random spots in the house and was the usual aggressive to Mochi. I don’t know why Yochi was acting that way. I thought we solved the peeing issue, why did it come back after 11 weeks?

This peeing thing is really my irk. Cats’ pee stunk and worse if you can smell it but you can’t find it. Then, there is of course the cleaning up. Arrrrrrgggghhh.. 

I had been considering 2 things - to do the cat reintroduction (that means separating them again) and to bring Yochi to a vet. I was triggered. Coincidentally, a colleague knows of a vet who does house visits. Yochi was once again confined to the service yard and I made an appointment with Dr Tay. 

It was a long agony wait for the vet’s appointment on Wednesday morning. Until then, the Chis had been totally separated and we had busy separating the 2, even during meals. Mochi gets to roam the house most of the time; he is afterall the resident cat. When Yochi gets his “free” time, Mochi will be confined to my room or the balcony. Mochi loves the balcony anyway. Chill, chill. 

Bcos of the peeing issues, Nana was warned not to sleep with Yochi. We also didn’t dare to allow him into the rooms. Meanwhile, Mochi benefitted from not worrying about being attacked when walking around in the house. So sad to think about it. 

Each morning when I wake up and after work every evening for the past 4 days, I found pee outside of Yochi’s litter box and the entire service yard would be pee stained bcos he would have stepped on his own pee and walked everywhere. I have to clean the service yard 2x (at least) per day. I want to cry. It is not only about wiping up the pee, I also have to wipe clean the entire service yard with wet wipe. 

I think our house smelled quite bad. Sob. The last time we confined him (in the initial days), the peeing issue almost stopped immediately. This time, it didn’t. His vomiting issue did seem better and the fur on the 3rd bald spot is also growing back and so far, no new spot appeared. 

Thankfully, the cleaning auntie was here also on Wednesday morning. I had already cleaned the service yard in the morning but auntie could give the house a good wipe/ mop. Bcos I was working from home and Yochi could hear my voice, he meowed persistently to be let out of the service yard. In the very end, I confined Mochi instead. He looked at me with his sad eyes and meowed very gently, which I heartlessly ignored and worked. 

As if to show who is boss, Yochi almost immediately peed outside the litter box. Zzzzz..

Dr Tay finally came and assessed Yochi. The good thing is that Yochi didn’t at all escape or hide. Dr Tay doesn’t think that it is UTI; Yochi looks too healthy and too active to be having UTI. The bald spots are probably yanked out (by Mochi? No way) or dropped when he rubbed himself against hard objects, since they are in areas that he can’t reached by licking or scratching. His skin looks healthy and thus unlikely to he fleas or ringworms. The vomiting is probably fur balls or him eating too quickly. In other words, unlikely to be medical condition. 

It is so strange for his sudden change in behavior after 11 weeks. Dr Tay was puzzled too. His guess is that Yochi has been asserting his dominance and the Chis have been trying to establish that balance in co-existing. Mochi has started to fight back, mainly hissing, tried to paw a little but mostly running away and hiding after Yochi attacks him. Then one bad day (Sunday), Yochi decided that this is not good enough; he wanted to be the real boss. So the peeing outside of the litter box is to tell me that he is not happy. Why tell me? Sob. Dr Tay said that if he pees on the bed, he is telling us that he is really angry. He did that already in the beginning, but probably no chance now since he isn’t allowed into the rooms. 

He gave me several options:

1. To put Yochi on Clomipramine, which is an antidepressant and used to treat anxiety in cats. 

2. To cage Yochi and allow Mochi to show Yochi who is boss, which probably wouldn’t work with Mochi.

3. To cage Mochi and force him into submission - sob!

4. To give up on one of the cats. T.T

I opted for the 1st option for now. 

The medicine is supposed to make Yochi calm, drowsy and thus less aggressive. We are to give him 0.5ml every day. As to when the peeing would be resolved? Nobody knows. How long do we need to keep him on this? Nobody knows too. It is a wait and see thing. Dr Tay said that we can actually let the 2 cats interact after we started on Clomipramine. Yochi would be milder and hopefully Mochi would have “better chance” to show his dominance. 

Dr Tay wanted to check on Mochi too, to see if he is doing ok after these 3 months. Mochi was so scared, that he squeezed and hid behind the washing machine. Zzzzz. Speaking of which, Mochi was probably so busy running away in the last 3 months that the bald spots issue disappeared. In the last few days, he was overgrooming again. Wah, how ah?

I updated the family and JJ - Yochi’s fosterer before we got him. This was meant to be a long trial period and she did mention that if it doesn’t work out eventually, we can “return” him. Though I always see on her FB post on how she guilt trapped potential adopters who return the cats. Sob. I feel guilty already. I told her that we would try out for another 2 weeks; I  really at my wits end. I can’t cope with this service years cleaning 2x a day and we can’t confine Yochi forever in the service yard. She appeared apologetic but I think not. I should also prepped myself if she really did guilt trap me.

The 1st dose of medicine was mixed into Yochi’s snack. He is food motivated but didn’t finish his snack this time bcos of the medicine. He was meowing so much when I confined him and he knew that I was home. I eventually escaped to the office. Ya, I ran away from home, from my pets. 

I had dinner plans and in the late afternoon, Zaky said that Yochi still didn’t finish the snack. He rather not eat it with the medicine. He also didn’t pee on the floor. My hopes were up. I didn’t check on him when I came home. 

This morning, I still had to clean the service yard but there was just a little pee on the floor but pee stains everywhere. He also vomited. Haiz, when will this end? 

I thought Yochi would be hungry enough and eat his bfast even if I mixed the medicine into the wet food. I gave him only his wet food. Again, he showed me who is boss. Eventually, with Nana’s help, we force him the medicine. 

He slept after that. 

I thought maybe it is the medicine. Then, Mochi was sleeping too. Maybe not. Haha. 

Let’s wait and see. I still think Mochi wants a friend but Yochi doesn’t love him. 

Mummy Lim

More Snowboarding

I did my 3rd Intermediate I class on Wednesday night. I was again the only student and it was repeating and practicing my turns over and over again. We get different instructors and each of them have different teaching style. We also formed our opinions of who are the better ones and tried to book classes with them. Unfortunately, most of them are part timers and their availability limited. 

The same couple whom I took class with a few weeks back had their lessons after me. I took the opportunity to ask them about the Shenzhen indoor snow resort (yes, that is now in my holiday plan) and they coincidentally were heading over the next day! We exchanged numbers and I am waiting to hear from their experience. 

Nana finally found time to take her 1st proper snowboarding lesson. We met for dinner and I fulfilled my mummy duties to feed her. 

She did the Beginner I class on Thursday 9pm. While I didn’t take any classes, I was there to watch her fall. Lol. She was also the only student. 

The 1st classes are super tiring bcos it is constantly on heel side, then switch to toe side and then repeat. Her instructor was good, giving very precise and clear instructions. 

Nana suddenly looks so young again. It had been a while since I watched my kids learn a new sports/ take lessons. One thing about Nana - her head shape must be weird bcos her helmet (whatever kind of helmet) will always be crooked. 

She was so tired that she simply flop onto the carpet during breaks, regardless of whether the carpet was dirty or wet. Lol.

The instructor said that Nana is ready for the Intermediate I class next. Like me, Nana was like noooooo… I want to do another Beginner class. Lol. 

It was a good class for her and she woke up with muscle aches at weird places. Lol. I had muscle aches on my arms bcos I was hanging on to the bar with my dear life and blue blacks on my inner upper right arm, to add on to the ones on my left arm from the previous lesson. Haha. 

Daddy Lim got motivated too. When he took the Intro class, he was the only student and got on the snow carpet. The instructor told him that he could skip Beginner I class and head straight to Beginner II class. Did we do that? No!! We took the Intermediate I class together on Saturday night. Bcos we were the only ones (strategically planned), the instructor was able to cater to our progress. Oh, we had the same instructor who taught Nana.

It was almost the 1st time that Daddy Lim got on the carpet and he fell so much, especially during toe side. Bcos he was constant on heel or toe side, he had to take multiple breaks, also to recover from his falls. Two of them were very hard falls on his butt when he was practicing his toe side. He fell so hard that his glasses flew off. Poor thing. 

He said that his already bad neck hurt so much from the falls. I know; my neck has no issues that I got bad neck ache and bad muscle falls from previous lessons when I had spectacular falls. Our poor necks are taking all the toll. Daddy Lim is even considering to just build snowman or do sledding when we go snowboarding at the end of the year. Sob. Nana asked him to try to be a heelside warrior and heelside all the way down the mountain instead. Haha. 

Daddy Lim could move to Intermediate I class next. Like Nana, he thinks that he should do 1 more Beginner II lesson. Ya, we are all not confident. Lol.

Zaky is now super jealous of all the fun that we are having during class. Hohoho. 

Mummy Lim

Zaky Pai Ka Update 1

We got the referral letter from WhiteCoat. I found a panel specialist at the Farrer Hospital, which is near to our place and an appointment was made for 11.30am yday. Thankfully for WFH and flexi working. 

Dr Foo examined the previous Xray and could not see any fracture. He had to do the smelly job of removing the half cast and examin Zaky’s foot. Zaky had already warned the doctor beforehand of the smell attack. Lol. Bcos his foot is still very swollen and he could barely put weight on it, the doctor suspected a ligament tear and suggested a MRI scan. 

There are 2 ligaments in our ankle. The treatment is similar to fracture - plenty of rest, limited movement and little weight on it. In a very bad tear situation, surgery would be required but Dr Foo didn’t think we would end up there. MRI is expensive, which is why when he last sprained the same ankle, his coach suggested MRI and I conveniently ignored the suggestion. It was too troublesome to get referral letter and specialist appointment and all. 

Bcos the half cast is uncomfortable and there isn’t a visible fracture, the doctor also recommended an aircast. Nana had that too, after she progressed from a full cast. I have thrown hers away, it couldn’t fit Zaky anyway. The aircast is very much welcome. Zaky can now air and wash his stinky foot and is happily without any cast at all at home.. until we nag at him.

Zaky got to comfortably sit in the wheelchair while I mummy him around. I even have to help him wipe down his stinky feet before the staff help with the aircast. I was worried that the staff will faint from the stench. He commented that his ankle is so swollen. I cannot see the “really swollen” part.

Bruises have appeared on both sides of the foot too. 

The aircast is very expensive, more expensive than a good pair of branded shoes and it is only 1 boot. It cost us $250. Zzzzzzzz.

The MRI was done at the HMI medical center across the road. Zaky was comfortably wheelchaired over. New achievement unlocked - the 1st in the family to get a MRI. He said that it was very boring; he basically laid on the bed for 20 mins in the same position while the scan takes place. 

What was very funny was that the clinic staff (2 of them) thought that Zaky was my “brother”. For a while, I was super pleased, thinking that I look very young. Actually not; they both thought that Zaky is very old. Hmmmm… ya, he probably looks 30 YO. Lol. They took a 2nd look at him and still commented the same. Muahahaha.

The MRI report took a couple of days. I just received a very medically worded report and thankfully, there is copilot. I asked copilot to explain in simple terms. Copilot says: 

“You have a severe ankle sprain with torn ligaments, bone bruising, and irritated tendons, but no broken bones or tendon ruptures.

More plainly:

Two of the main outer ankle ligaments are badly torn (one is completely torn)

One inner ankle ligament is partially torn

There is bruising inside the ankle bones from impact

The ankle joint and nearby joints are inflamed and swollen

Several tendons around the ankle and heel are overused and inflamed, but not torn

Overall, this represents a serious ligament injury to the ankle, often from a strong twist or roll, with associated inflammation — but importantly, the joint surfaces and tendons are still intact.”

I also asked copilot if surgery would be required for situations like this and copilot says: 

“ Most people with this injury do NOT need surgery.

The usual treatment is non‑surgical (conservative), especially at the beginning.

Usual treatment approach

1️⃣ Early phase (first few weeks)

Goal: reduce pain, swelling, and protect healing ligaments

Immobilisation

Walking boot or ankle brace (often 2–6 weeks depending on pain/stability)

Rest, ice, elevation

Anti‑inflammatory medication (if suitable)

Limited or protected weight‑bearing initially

2️⃣ Rehabilitation phase

Goal: restore strength, motion, and stability

Physiotherapy is essential, focusing on:

Range of motion

Strengthening surrounding muscles

Balance and proprioception (to prevent re‑injury)

Gradual return to normal walking, then sport/activity

✅ Even with a complete ATFL tear, many patients heal well with rehab and never need surgery.”

So, the good news is that no surgery would be required for now. The bad news is that Zaky may not recover in time if we decided to go for a snowboarding trip at the end of the year. Then, he can build snowman while we go snowboarding. That was exactly what Nana did when we went snowboarding in Iyama Japan in end 2024. Lol.

MRIs are very expensive and copilot says that MRI is usually not required for the monitoring of the recovery, but the state of recovery is more based on the doctor’s assessment. Another MRI may be needed if recovery doesn’t happened as planned after a period of time. 

Accidents that happened in school are actually covered by the school’s insurance, though I duno what kind of coverage it will be. We will file a report anyhow and decide later if claims from the school is needed. 

It is time to rent that wheelchair. 

Mummy Lim

Lesson 6: Snowboarding Intermediate I Class 3rd Time!

My last lesson was before our Taiwan trip. That was 2 weeks ago. There is always this anxiety that I would again lose all my basics when I go for class, like what happened 3 lessons ago, and I fell so many times just during warmup. 

Choosing a class slot is a strategic game. I had figured out that there would be a fair bit of waiting if the class is more than 2 pax. The strategy then means 1st identifying the available time slots that work, then waiting until the 11th hour to make the booking, so as to make sure that the class only has one or no other person booked. The Trifecta class schedule webpage is a now constantly opened on my browser. 

I had booked the 2pm class yday. I booked it at 1.15pm when I was already making my way to Trifecta. I was the 2nd person for the class. Nice! 

This is my 3rd Intermediate I class and I suspect that I would probably get stuck at this level forever. Lol. We did the same thing over and over again. Heel side to toe side and then back to heel side and kept going again and again. Bcos there were only 2 of us in the class, the simulator only stops when one of us fell, me mainly. The instructor asked if we needed a break, the other participant said no and so we were on the moving carpet for the entire hour. 

I was exhausted. When there was 3 in a class, I rest 50% of the time. When I was alone, I rest when I fell and pause to listen to the instructor’s explanation or instructions, or simply chit chat to stall for time to rest. This round, we just went on and on. My sweat dripped at times. Towards the end, my body was not listening to my brain. I had to concentrate so hard and kept repeating the instructions to myself out loud. So tiring. 

Also towards the end of my lesson, I thought I would hold on to the bar to rest while the carpet continues to roll. I was on my heel side. I apparently wasn’t paying enough attention bcos my toe side edge got caught, the bar continued to push me and I fell forward. I think that was why/ how I fell but anyhow, it was a very hard fell. I mermaided and the air got pushed out of my chest. The instructor asked me if I was ok. I think Ok ah, but I needed a moment to gather my thoughts and get myself ready again. 

It was a good lesson, there was a lot of practices. At the end, I asked the instructor if I can survive on the mountains already. “Yes!” Oh really? Apparently on the mountain, the heel side turn to toe side and back will give me a wide S curve down the slope. I can’t tell now bcos all I do is to hold on to the dear bar for life. 

Bcos of the fall, I had a whiplash and woke up with a sore neck this morning. I also got my 1st blue black on my left inner arm, from grabbing the bar so hard.

Nana asked me about my lesson. She hasn’t done any lesson since the intro class 1.5 weeks ago. She doesn’t even know that the lessons are conducting on the other side with the moving carpet. Nana is eager to go for lessons but just needed to find time. 

Daddy Lim was supposed to take lessons with me but he changed his mind at the last minute. He asked if we are really going for a snowboarding holiday at the end of the year. If yes, he would start his lessons too. 

Of course! Tadah! 

He was the only student and the instructor did so much more with him than my intro lesson lor, teaching him how to turn. My intro class was solely heel side and toe side down the slope. Zzzz. I think I will still fall big time when I had to get down that ski lift and that curvy path. Zzzzzzzz. 

Daddy Lim got to go to the moving carpet! Not fair! 

He had quite a few falls once he got onto the moving carpet. The last fall, his board got caught on the damaged part of the carpet and he rolled. Lol. 

Zaky would probably not be taking lessons. I don’t think he needs it and thus don’t waste my $$. He is also still pai ka-ing.

Daddy Lim said that it was very fun. I am sure he is looking forward to his lessons like I did.

Mummy Lim

The Chis

Yochi has been with us for 9 weeks. Everytime when I am away, I will hear about how bad he had bullied Mochi or peed outside the litter box or vomited. I got discouraged and would think that things wouldn’t work. Then things will get better and we decided to try a bit more. This has been the situation for the past 9 weeks, the ups and the downs. 

Then, Yochi started getting bald spots at the back shoulder, an area that he wouldn’t be able to lick. We really cannot tell what caused it. The timelines as follows: 

21 Feb - we got Yochi

7 Mar - we brought him to vet for 2nd vaccination jab

29 Mar - spotted a small spot that was balding on his left upper shoulder, Nana and I showered him and gave him evolution and the spot got bigger. One spot became 2 and then they combined to become 1 big patch

This was the original spot. The location is one that he couldn’t reach and thus unlikely to be excessive grooming.

The spot grew. It wasn’t sore or angry, just literally a bald spot. 

Le

At this point, the 2nd bald spot was starting to form beside it.

Then the 2 spots combined. Zzzzz…

I actually made an appointment to bring him to the vet already. I was worried that the bald spot would keep growing and he would become botak. Yochi also vomits very frequently, like once very few days. We haven’t seen him vomit but would find patches of dried vomit, that appear more like dried patches of liquid. When we tried to clean up, there was a lot of fur.

I had been procrastinating bcos the last time Yochi came back from the vet, he turned very aggressive towards Mochi. Ya, vet visits are very stressful. I consulted Yochi’s fosterer, who also suggested that we do home remedy and self treatment instead of sending to the vet for the time being. She also suggested that we tried to comb him more, so that he doesn’t digest too much fur. We did that for both Chis and had fur flying everywhere in the house. Lol. 

This morning, I thought that fur was starting to grow back in the 1st spot and we haven’t found new vomits. I canceled the vet appointment. But ah, did I see a new spot appearing above the current big bald patch? Why ah? 

Yochi is still bullying Mochi and I saw Mochi trying to fight back at times. There are also occasions that they exist in harmony. This morning, I found them both in the balcony, looking at the bird in our neighbours balcony. It all depends on whether Yochi instigates an attack. Poor Mochi. The only good thing is that Mochi now has no time to over groom himself and no new bald spots. 

Yochi can be very cute too. He is so affectionate and would jump up the sofa just to lie next to the human. Haiz, pls live in harmony. 

Mummy Lim

Another Pai Ka

On Tuesday afternoon, Zaky called me. The kids would usually text and calls would normally mean bad news. I was right. Zzzzz.. 

He was in the General Office. He fell, landed wrongly and had a bad sprain on his right ankle. It was a bad one, such that he could barely put much weight on the ankle. Bcos he had sprained his ankle so many times, he could no longer tell if it was an aggravation of an old injury. How did he fall? He was dunking on the mini basketball hoop in his classroom with his classmates during break time. How stupid is that? 

Luckily, Daddy Lim was on leave. He had a car servicing in the morning. But unluckily, we couldn’t reach him. My guess was that he was napping. Zaky had the choice to wait in school until we found Daddy Lim or get a Tada home. Even the General Office staff called. Zaky eventually decided to tada home and hopefully find Daddy Lim at home and then decide the next steps. I had a full day of meetings and didn’t make sense for me to move my calendar when Daddy Lim was on leave. 

Just when Zaky got a tada, Daddy Lim responded. Oh yes, the man had just roused from his slumber. The decision was for Daddy Lim to go collect the car and Zaky to head direct to the Farrer Hospital A&E nearby our house. They would meet up later. 

Zaky’s ankle was swelling. I wasn’t surprised. 

He had his xray taken and a faint transverse lucency was seen. In layman terms, there was a faint line and the doctor cannot tell if it is a hairline fracture for now and/ or a ligament tear. Anyhow, he was given a pair of crutches, a $700+ bill, a half cast and a referral letter to the specialist. I know that private hospitals’ medical cost would be expensive but I didn’t expect it to be this expensive. Let’s hope my company insurance covers a decent portion of this. 

Bcos he needs a specialist appointment, I had to get him a referral letter from the company’s panel doctor to have full coverage of the specialist fee. We went for the online white coat and was told that the Farrer Hospital doctor has yet to confirm that it is a fracture. So the half cast would be good to stabilise his ankle, prevent him from putting weight on it and allow for the swelling to go down, before the next specialist decides if it is really a fracture and if a full cast is required. I think a MRI will be required to ascertain if it is a ligament tear, which is a more prolonged injury and takes a longer recovery time with a higher possibility of future ankle instability. MRIs are freaking expensive. Thankfully for insurance. 

Zaky was given a week’s MC but an MC that allowed him to go to school (?). Anyhow, he self declared that he would skip school on Wednesday and he had HBL on Thursday. He went for tuition at Beauty World on Thursday afternoon and complained that it took him very long and a lot of effort to walk to the bus stop on his crutches. He also complained that his armpit hurt from the pressure. He has hinted that a wheelchair would be good. Dream on… until we see what happens at the specialist appointment. 

I have made him an appointment on Monday late morning. He gets to skip school again and seems to be very pleased with it. Pai ka gets a lot of privilege, including mummy having the tendency to say yes when he asked to take grab. My pocket. 

Mummy Lim

Taiwan No Kids! Day 5: Yeliu Geopark, Zhongshan, Home Sweet Home

I still cannot decide if it was a right choice to lug our bags and stayed in Keelung. Maybe there are very convenient ways to travel between Taipei and Yeliu Geopark, given how popular both places are. 

Anyhow, my day still started with a jog. I was tired and told myself that I would do a shorter one. My Garmin watch had died. #sadlife I started out from the habor, that was across the road from our hotel and jogged to the port, then turned back to the opposite side, before turning right. I thought that I had a good sense of where our hotel was. 

At the 1+km point, I stopped to check Google map and it looked right and I continued. Then I check Google map again and it started looking wrong. Why was I getting further? When I finally turned on Google map, I realised that I was running in the opposite direction from the hotel and was then slightly more than 2km from our hotel. Zzzz.

Luckily I turned on Google Map and discovered the mistake. I also stopped so often to check that I was heading the right way and sneaking breaks. Finally, seeing the Keelung sign again. 

I survived the jog and found my way home.

The hotel provided bfast. It was similar to the spread at Alishan, that is, simple and mainly vegetarian. We then checked out, left our bags at the hotel and headed to Yeliu Geopark. There was a direct bus. 

We missed the bus and had a 20 mins wait. The buses at these smaller cities have such long waiting time. 

We got a seat with super big leg space. I obviously have very short legs compared to Daddy Lim.

All train and bus rides = opportunity to catch up on sleep. 

I was awake and found out that Yeliu is somewhere in a mountain. So many mountains in Taiwan. 

Clear signage to point us to Yeliu. Oh yes, Daddy Lim was very colorful that day. Hoho.

We walked past fishing port and vessels.

The seafood must be very fresh and we agreed that we should have a seafood lunch. 

Arrived! There was a huge crowd and plenty of tour groups. 

As we were on our own, there was no time pressure. There was a short walk towards the sea to view the rock formations that are formed from millions of years of sea, rain and wind erosion. We had expected restricted areas and barricades but no - people were allowed to walk anywhere but there are clear lines and signages to indicate areas of danger. We are also free to touch the formation. Maybe the human touches are part of the “natural erosion” to aid the formations? 

The natural ”bridge” and formation are really impressive. 

We had a pamphlet on what to look out for. The most famous and popular is the Queen’s Head. There was a long Q of people waiting to take pictures with the Head. 

Her neck is “thinning”. Nana is going to Taiwan for her graduation trip in January 2027 and also to visit the Geopark. I hope her “head” stays up until then. Haha. 

As succession planning, there is the Cute Princess lining up. This princess probably has many years to go before she will thin out and can become the Queen. Too much baby fat for now. 

Nana said that it looked more like a gorilla. Once seen, cannot unsee. Haha. 

There is an actual gorilla rock but my imagination isn’t wild enough and I didn’t manage to locate it. 

The Heart Rock. 

Nana said “toilet bowl”. Zzzzzz…

There were others as well. 

The pineapple.

The fairy’s slipper and some ball.

The ice cream.

The candles.

The sea urchin fossil.

This one was not identified. Daddy Lim said that it looked like Capybara. Not Hippo meh? 

There was a viewing platform and we climbed to nice views at the top.

In another direction, there was a bird watching platform and we climbed again. This was us, almost at the top, where the viewing platform is. 

This one was surprising a very long hike/ walk. There was constant butterflies invasion and my life was put at risk so many times. What surprises us was finding people fishing on a rock platform into the sea far out. Can you see the people standing on the rock platform? How did they get there? 

There were quite a few professional bird watchers with their big ass cameras. As we walked, we overtook a really old uncle who was seriously breathless as he lugged his camera, tripod and foldable stool. We offered to help, but only a short distance bcos his spot to watch some little blue bird that has migrated from China and would be in Taiwan only to September, was nearby. I can’t help wonder how uncle would make it down the hike. I hope the other bird watchers would help him. 

It was a good hike and exercise for us, one that wasn’t planned for. We left Yeliu shortly. Outside of the Geopark, there were little stalls selling dried seafood and food. The simple bfast and the good workout left us hungry. We didn’t manage to resist the temptation and had to miss the planned seafood lunch for this. 

After lunch, we had to walk back to the bus stop for the same bus to Keelung. Google map said that the bus would arrive in 11 mins and we were 10 mins (Google map walking speed) walk away from the bus stop. Despite our jelly legs, we sped walk to the bus stop bcos the next one was a good 20+ mins wait. We got the bus… and a daredevil bus driver. We had no seat and the driver stepped on the accelerator the whole way down the mountain road. I feared for the lives of the old uncles and aunties who also had no seats, but it seems like a normal affair for them. I got a good arm workout from grabbing the bars for my dear life.

I am sure the way back was much faster bcos of the driver. Our next stop was to the Keelung landmark, which is where the Keelung sign is. To get there, it was another hike through a tiny neighbourhood. Most of the way, I was just wondering how the residents get home. It feels like too much work to go out and go home.

Google map says that it is a 12 mins walk. We saw some hope. 

Finally! 

We were not the only ones but one of the few who walked up the neighbourhood. There are parking space at the top and most of the people leisurely drove up and posed for pictures. We took a rest bcos there had been so much and too much walking and stairs climbing for the day. But what comes up must go down - our poor knees. 

On the way down, we saw a couple of stray cats. Out come the cat treats that were leftover from Houtong. These 2 were a lot more treats motivated. 

That marked our Keelung journey. We retrieved our bags from the hotel and took the local train to Taipei. I dozed off shortly after the train took off. 

We left our bags in the locker at Taipei Main Station and took a MRT to Zhongshan. I read that it is the new “in” place. Indeed it is, and definitely too trendy for us. We are old people. None of the boutique shops interest us. There were so many young people, like Nana kind of young. 

None of the young people food attracted us too. We ended up in one of the streets further away and had beef noodles. 

Ok lah, we did buy some atas and yummy cookies from one of the shops. We couldn’t find coffee bcos all the coffee places were tiny and bursting with young people. We ended up back in Taipei Main Station and with good old Starbucks. 

I had a funny conversation with the Starbucks sales. I was told that any dessert with drinks will come with a 七折. I asked for a cheese cake and she told me that the cheese cake doesn’t come with cheese?!! Huh? I still ordered the cheese cake anyway. It does come with cheese, what it doesn’t come with is the 七折. Lol. 

We eventually went back for our bags in the locker and couldn’t find the locker bcos Taipei Main Station is so big and complicated. In the end, we exceeded the 3 hour time limit by 9mins but had to pay TDW70 extra when the original fee was only TWD60. 

It was then the AirPort Express MRT that took about 45 mins. The baggage checkin and immigration were smooth. We had time, and Daddy Lim had a 2nd dinner. I duno how he found that extra space in his tummy. 

We finally boarded our Scoot flight at almost midnight. Yes, it was another redeye and I would start work the following morning. Daddy Lim had it much better. He took 2 extra days of leave to rest and do car servicing. Even before the plane took off, I was dozing off bcos I needed to sleep. Daddy Lim was happily watching his Netflix. 

I woke up a few times but slept most of the way, waking up when the plane landed. Our checkin baggage took a long time to appear on the belt. When we finally got home, I took a 1+ hour nap before waking up to unpack, do laundry and clean up the house. The house was in a crazy state. There was dry clothes on the sofa and in the dryer. The cat litter pieces were everywhere and so were the fur. The kids’ adulting was not very successful. Zaky even bought a new set of PE attire bcos he ran out. They did laundry but there was a hiccup and his PE attire didn’t dry fast enough. Zzzzz… 

Nevertheless, I had a good trip. I had planned what I wanted to do and was excited about the trip. It turned out well, though fuses were short at times. Overall, it was really a good trip, such that I am looking forward to the next. Planned - Chiang Mai in July. Hohoho. 

Mummy Lim