woohoo.. look what's new

Finally the household’s empty. I’ve been waiting all day for them to go out for lunch.. Been waiting for so long to tell you this – I have the chicken pox!

I’ve been having it since the 27th of Aug-a day after I arrived kluang to finish off my final week of hols. So, sitting here typing frantically, with my face specked with black red dots, arms dotted.. tummy.. back! I think I look kinda funny.

So, how do I feel?
PERFECTLY normal! Except for the dreadful fact that I’m being ostracized by my whole family, with the exception of my darling mummy, who’s been a superb nurse. No one but mum has ever got the Pox and no one, is obviously keen to catch it – so, woe is me. Stuck in my brother’s room; not to step out, not to be visited…quarantined till the very last dot falls off.

Being cooped up like a lil chicken (hey, even chicks get to be under the sun, hunting for worms every now and then!).. I digress.. Being cooped up for so long, my rusty brain got ticking.. and i decided to blog! :)

Who knew, but those who’ve already gone through it (plus the fact that if you are either Indian or Chinese.. or worst.. both) having the Pox comes along with a whole long list of do’s and don’ts. One heck of a list of pantang-larangs!

It started the minute after I got diagnosed at the clinic. On the way out, the nurse at the medicine counter gave me a pity sweet look ( how is that?? u imagine)..
“Jangan kene hujan, ye..” .. I went- huh?? “ok..”
“Nanti teruk lagi jadinye!”… “oh.. ok”

On the way home, mum being the fist timer in handling this sort of situation gave me a weak smile and said..(more to herself than me, I thot) “Don’t worry, I’ll call Aunty Meena. Enen(my cousin) just recovered. She should know what to do best."

So that evening, while I was getting my stuff from the room I was sharing with my sis to my bro’s (much to his dismay, it was going to be my room now! muahahahaha...), my aunt arrived.

I smelled something funny – she brought along a bag full of leaves, 5 coconuts, and a big pressure cooker. I thot – “Eh, who’s getting married lar…”

The neem leaves were for my room, the cooker was for my mum’s convenience in preparing my meals – porridge, PORRIDGE, and porridge. The coconuts? They were for me to “drink the heat out”.. of all the things my aunt suggested, the coconuts were the only one I saw sense in – the coconut drink was heavenly!

Guess where the leaves had to be? …oohh... no… I’m not going to type then down. It’s too embarrassing! Thank god no one’s to be entering my room - it looks like a voodoo temple more than anything!

As if aunty meena’s advises weren’t enough, mum got some “tips” from our neighbour, Aunty “Pa Nai” – I call her that without anyone knowing cos everytime my sis greets her, she’ll acknowledge back with a “Oh.. Pa nai” :S Anyways, Pa Nai aunty says I’m not to get myself wet while I have the pox. And this she meant – no SHOWERING!

Utter ridicule, I thought. But mum presumes it’s to ensure the pox being dry all the time – so I commited to body wipes only. And.. in case u were wondering.. yes, my hair hasn’t been washed for the pass 4 days!

Dear fren, Prom, messaged and suggested the neem leaves as well. Good news to me, cos at least now I know my aunt wasn’t crazy. Prom even suggested drinking them juice. I tried it out. Anything for me by then, cos the itch at the sole of my feet was killing me.. the juice was B-I-T-T-E-R!

Through out my “ordeal”, there were to be no oily food – for the whole household. Cos apparently, “oily air” from frying would’ve made me worst. Plus, no soya sauce – it’ll make my spots permenant black scars. So, no, no, NO! No outside wind – it’ll spread my spots and cause more itch. Too bad, cos I didn’t get to enjoy the merdeka fireworks at the Tasek this year. It was a bash I heard.

Hence, my final week of the holidays will be spent, smouldered in a layer of Calamine lotion from head to toe, snugly protected under my comforter (with the occasional itch here and there), listening to the radio (I won my first fly.fm prize 2 days ago!), and reading Narnia.. So far, I’ve screamed out of boredom only twice.. so besides that, I’m Perfectly FINE, chix pox and all!