November 10, 2010
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So far so good
So far, “daddy care” has been proceeding without any crisis although I’m not sleeping well. I’m lucky that I don’t have a lot of calls and meetings this week so I can work from his place. Since my work number is forwarded to his place, I answer all the calls. I had no idea he got so many junk calls even though his number is on that list. All of these junk calls are long distance calls too.
I did remember to put out the garbage for collection, including the one for an elderly neighbour. Both of his neighbours on either side have called to see if everything is ok. They are not used to seeing my car in the driveway overnight. One of them came by right after my brother had dropped in. The neighbour saw both cars and got concerned. They are great neighbours to have.
The biggest challenge is simply planning and cooking fast but nutritious meals. I make sure he gets lots of veggies, liquids and fruits in his diet. Luckily I had some dishes I prepared over the weekend.
I also told him to do some simple calisthenics while sitting down. I even demonstrated that and said this will be good for his health. He took one look at my happy Buddha tummy and chuckled.
The only odd thing that happened tonight is that he spoke to me in Cantonese. From my earliest recollection, I have always spoken English with him 99% of the time.I made this last night. Roasted pork tenderloin with potatoes and onions. I marinated it in soy sauce, pepper, garlic and a dash of sesame seed oil in a plastic bag. The potatoes and onions were tossed in oil, pepper and salt. I simply browned it, toss it in the oven with the veggies, took it out after 20 mins (160 degrees F), let it rest and let the potatoes cook a bit more.
BTW – has Xanga quieted down a lot? Activity (subscriptions, comments) seems to have declined noticeably in the past month.
Comments (22)
I chuckled at Buddha tommy comment also, hehe. Glad your dad has good neighbors and great sons.
@stevew918 - I don’t even know my neighbours in my condo.
Nice neighbors for sure!
Great son too!
its nice to have good neighbors, and traffic seems slow lately
@yang1815 - yeah, they really helped us a lot when we first came to Canada.
@tsotofu - condo neighbours are different – very distant.
Seems like a lot of people have been busy this past month due to work deadlines and school work (midterms). That’s my excuse at least!
I know that is not an easy task. Keep up the good work!
That’s very cute. I’m actually surprised that your dad is able to eat pork tenderloin with potatoes and onions… my dad would just stare at it and ask ‘where is the rice’? You’re such an amazing son. I hope that it was what your dad told you in Canto :]
@Roadlesstaken - well, it hasn’t slowed you down that much. hee hee (or maybe you’re just not sleeping anymore)
@New_Egyptian - thank you, you’re right – it’s not easy.
@Devilzgaysianboi - there was rice too, I didn’t cook that much potatoes as I didn’t want too much starch but he ate them all. All he said to me in Canto was “It’s almost dinner time, should we go out to eat?” and “I don’t think the stove it hot enough yet.” while watching me cook. I’m not sure I’m that amazing, my siblings help out too. I just don’t write about them that much. Uhm… either you’re up late or up early (?). I hope you’re doing ok in school so far.
It’s always nice to live in a friendly neighborhood.
And yes, it’s been quiet around here lately.
sounds like things are going well. that’s great that your dad has such nice neighbors who check in with him to see if everything’s ok; it must ease your worries when you’re not around.
that dish looks really good (as does the rest of your food)!
It’s nice that you have good neighbours!
When my mum got ill we had to change our diet around… I don’t know if you know Jamie Oliver but he’s an awesome chef and I’ve learnt to cook some really neat healthy meals that only take half an hour to make!
http://www.jamieoliver.com/jamies-30-minutes-meals/
So many people have left xanga, it’s defo more quiet around here.
The food looks great man! I’ll have to give that recipe a try sometime!
hehe. This is so cute. I’m glad everything is going good. Here’s to hoping things are going to get even better for you all.
The dish looks yummy. In the Park where I live everyone does “look after” everyone else. Sometimes I think it is noisy neighbors but it is still good to have someone say they have not seen someone and ask after them. Your dad is lucky with his neighbors.
Matt I am happy to hear that the neighbours have the concern and compassion for your dad. That in itself has to make you feel good. Does your dad play chess? That might be a good mental activity for him to engage in.
The food looks great.
@oxyGENE_08 - he lives in the suburbs and I live in the city and it is so different. These 2 neighbours have been there since we moved in. On the Xanga front, I wish it was a lot busier. Sometimes when I’m procrastinating, I need to read more entries.
@kunhuo42 - yes it does ease my mind when we’re not around. It just occurred to me that I don’t even have their phone numbers. And maybe I should see if dad would feel comfortable giving them a set of keys.
@unfathomed_caves - oh yeah, good ol’ Jamie! I love his shows. Thanks for reminding me about his recipes, I haven’t been to his site in ages. Xanga needs more activity.
@bengozen - it’s simple (I only cook simple stuff).
@nov_way - thanks, I hope so too.
@Fatcat723 - these neighbors are great and both have been there since we moved in. One of them came by and said he was sorry to be so nosy but wanted to see if things were ok. I’m glad the park you live in is similar.
@ZSA_MD - I’ve asked him before if he wants to play chess, he said no. He has his bad days – usually when he hasn’t had enough sleep at night. I’m trying to get him to do some basic exercises while sitting down and he’s kinda stubborn. About the only thing I can do is make sure his sodium intake is low and he gets lots of fruits, veggies and water.
That’s really lucky that your dad has concerned neighbors. It’s nice to know that they’re looking out for him.
I’m wondering if you couldn’t get him to take some short walks with you? That would be good exercise.
elusivewords, thanks for sharing! i wish we had more entries like yours on xanga. people wouldn’t be leaving if that was the case…
@TheCheshireGrins - he’s not able to walk that much. We did a 6 minute walk the other day which exhausted him. He uses a walker inside the house and a cane outside. I’m trying to get him to use the walker outside too. Although we’ll have to clean the wheels before it goes back inside. But yeah, it’s a good neighbourhood, lots of mature trees and quiet streets. He’s very familiar with all the streets.
@snixkuo - you’re welcome Daniel and I appreciate the compliment too. Gosh, you’re putting a lot of pressure on me.
You’re also a good writer and it’s puzzling why you’re not getting more traffic on your blog. I think some of the better writers on Xanga don’t get a lot of exposure. btw – did any of my comments on your 3rd last entry (about your company) make sense? I wasn’t sure if I got my message across that clearly.
This dish looks delicious. It seems like it would be easy to make. I only have a few meals in my limited repertoire. One idea you might try is making your dad smoothies. You can get a lot of fruits and veggies in them and they taste good. Keep writing.
I know I haven’t been a part of the community here like I should be.
I have plans to work on doing better.
The meal looks amazing,, it really does.
Be well,
*~matthew~*