The old man

I bought 2 shirts for my Father plus an Ang Pow for his birthday today. I got them from British India as the quality was quite good and soft. 100% pure cotton. I found it excruciatingly boring buying gifts for men, especially old men. It was either a shirt, pen, watch, tie, wine, or polo shirt. Of course I meant these are generic gifts for men friends. If it was for your own special guy, probably it might be a different story. Or maybe not?

Mom has been complaining that my Father was getting too fat for his shirts lately. His tummy was growing, due to all the beer and snacking. Father claimed he needed to eat in between meals because his daily medication made his stomach churn more than usual and thus caused hunger pangs. For dinner, he usually would have 2 plates of rice. He really ate alot these days.

This was a far cry from 15 years ago when my Father was diagnosed with cancer near the kidney. Before he discovered his illness, he was rapidly losing weight till he looked real scarily thin and forlorn. When we found out about the cancer, he had to remove one kidney immediately, and he was given 6 months to live (the doctor told me privately). However, after the chemotherapy sessions and resting at home for about 10 months, he finally pulled through. Then he began to eat normally and gained back his usual weight. He is lucky to be alive today. Below photos of Father and moi, in our younger days. He was in his signature Elvis Presley aka curry pok hairstyle and thick black rim glasses.

Happy Birthday, Father!