Bon Voyage, Mister

My dad flew off to Macau, China today. He went with his group of old friends, 50 over years of friendship. It was upon request that he went. This was because they wanted him to be the tour guide.

My dad used to be a very sporty person. He loved to play sports, such as badminton, table tennis and basketball. He also loved to travel and thus, he had been to many places. However, due to his weak heart, he had to give up playing sports. But he still travels a lot.

I remembered, in year 2000, our family went to Mandarin Hotel at Orchard Road to celebrate my birthday. My wife, girlfriend then, had never tasted ink squid linguini before and hence she ordered it. Ha! It was horrible. She had to bear the weird and disgusting taste and finish the whole dish because she felt that it was not pleasant to reject the food. So she quietly swallowed the linguini, downing plenty of red wine in the process. All of us had a bit of liquor and we were turning red. It was a happy occasion and all of us had a great time.


We left the restaurant at about 9 plus. While we were taking the lift down to the lobby, my dad felt a tingling sensation in his chest. We asked if he was fine. He said that he had forgotten to bring along his medication for his heart but he assured us that he would be fine after taking it at home.

When we reached the lobby, his face turned green. He could hardly move. He wanted to go home to consume his medication. We thought otherwise. It was probably a heart attack! We quickly drove him to the A&E of Singapore General Hospital.

My dad was admitted and he had to undergo a surgery immediately. He was saved. The doctor said that if we were to delay for another 15 minutes, they would not have been able to save him. Phew! We almost lost him. Now, part of his heart is damaged and he is not able to play any sports anymore.

Sometimes, when I see him engrossed in a badminton match on TV, I really wondered how he felt. Whatever it is, I am glad, he is still around and enjoying traveling.

Bon Voyage, Mister!!!