Reminiscences of Mid Autumn

I've gone for an unintentional hiatus for the past three months. It felt like three years! I missed food, cooking, food photography, writing, and most importantly, I missed all my blogger friends and the fun I used to have with you guys. Well, I am back and all ready to go! My copy of "Coffee Cakes" is gathering dust and I am guilty as heck! Felt like I wanted to sum up my last three months, so here's the whole gist. 

I've just started a new job, which takes some getting used to. It wasn't difficult and I enjoyed the fact that I am no longer in the field of education, sandwiched between the faculty and the undergraduates. While working presents its own set of responsibilities, adding to that was the fact that my cat collapsed after a few nights of agonized crying. My darling kitty was so sick we had to rush him to the 24 hours animal clinic in the middle of the night, with him crying all the way to the hospital and us feeling so miserable that I can help but cried as well. He had bladder stone, and as any feline owners out there know, it is potentially life threatening, and the treatment was not at all pleasant, to say the least. He was anaethesized, plugged with catheter, hooked up with IV and warded for 5 nights. The night before we left the hospital, we tearfully said goodbye to an immobilized cat whose eyes were filled with so much pain and fear, we were so afraid we will never see him again. 

Thankfully, he survived the five day ordeal, albeit very much weaker and thinner, and we brought him home only bring him back to the vet again few days later - he caught a fever and his lungs were congested. Another round of shots and a few weeks worth of medicine, plus a lifetime on prescription cat food is what he had to look forward to in his life, and up until this day he dislike his prescription cat food so much that we fish-coated the food to make him eat it. 

And then there was the Mid Autumn Festival, which was filled with mooncakes, lanterns, family reunions and the beautiful full moon. It was also the most emotional month of the year -  after sharing the final piece of mixed nuts mooncake over Chinese tea with my dearest amma, she passed away not long after, peacefully. Prior to that, I've never really like mixed nuts mooncakes. But as time goes by, I came to appreciate the complex mixed nuts mooncakes with its myriads of fillings and concoction of flavours. It reminded me of the past, of childhood long gone, and the memories of my belated amma. 

It has been eight years, but the memories are still fresh. We always talked about her during our conversations, as if she was still alive and around. No doubt she is alive and well, deep in our hearts.

The cat has been with us for four years, and this ordeal with him taught us that nothing is permanent in life. We should cherish what we have right now. 

And lastly - I am back!