Night fever* - Bee Gees

Not long after i finished the last post, i went to bed. As i was about to fall asleep (or was i oredi sleeping?), the wife woke me up and told me that Shona is having a fever. I went to fetch the thermometer and took her temperature. 38.9 C!!! Wondering if i did it correctly, i tried again and the reading was 38.8 C.

The wife was of course worried. She wanted to go to see a doctor - it was already past midnight!!! Wanting to be the cool mind, i went to my phone and started doing a google search. Unfortunately, all the sites were American so it was all talking about the temperature being 102 F or above 104 F etc. I did a quick conversion online again and found out that it was about 102 F. The online sites said that as long as it does not go over 103, it should be safe to just observe the baby for 24 hours - provided the baby is above 6 months (and also provided the baby does not show certain symptoms).

So i told the wife that there is nothing to be worried about - and that we should just observe her for the next day or so. But the wife did not want to hear that. She felt that Shona was too hot for a baby.

In the end, i did what i had always done - trust the mother's instinct. Or maybe i was just too chicken to shoulder the responsibility if anything bad happens due to us not taking Shona to see the doctor. Further, when i took her temperature again, it was 39.1 C!!!

So off we went, our first family outing so late (or so early) in the day.

We went to Sunway Medical and the nurse attended to Shona. He took her temperature and said that it is normal! 37.2 C!!! We protested mildly, saying that when we took the temp earlier at home, it was 38.9!!! He went on to explain how the thermometers we buy may not be so accurate - and taking the temp by the ear is not so accurate. To be fair to him, he was really very nice.

We still waited to see the doctor - and the doctor himself said that he felt Shona was a bit warm. He asked another nurse to take Shona's temp, saying it can't be 37.2. He was right. Even before the time was up, the doctor could see from the thermometer that it was already 39!!!

Well, he did not see any reason to be too alarmed as Shona did not display any other symptoms like rashes or having diarrheoa, etc. He prescribed medication for her and asked us to observe for the next couple of days. If it is a viral fever, it should be fine by then. But if her temp remains and goes up, we will have to bring her in again.

We were really thankful for the doctor and his nurse (an elderly lady) who were really helpful and patient.

So we went back home and that was the end of our midnight adventure. It was nice to be driving on empty roads!!!

We have been observing her since then and so far, her condition has not deteriorated. But it is indeed a difficult time for all of us - with the wife just recovering from her illness and me falling ill last night too! But poor poor girl was so unhappy today. We had to comfort her all day long.

We hope and pray that she will recover soon - and that this fever will only serve to strengthen her.

This morning when i went out of my house, i was greeted by this sight:-

It reflected how i felt - the cloudy moody feeling. But it also reminded me that even tho i can't see the sun, it was still there, giving me light and warmth - and eventually, the cloud will go away. So even in dark times when God does not seem to be present, he *is* there, providing and making a way out for us.

*The classic 70s disco song found on the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever.

Thriller* - Michael Jackson

What a match! Everything a derby could ask for! I'm referring of course to the Everton Liverpool game last weekend.

It was truly entertaining. Thrilling. Nail-biting too! Moments of highs followed by feelings of despair.

I only started watching in the second half (together with the 1st half highlights during the half time break). So Liverpool were leading 2-1. But the main talking point of the first haf was this incident:-

Pic taken from The Guardian

How that is not a red card still baffles me. It still bothers me too. The referee has made sure he had a big big say in the outcome of the game.

There were other talking points too - like how bad Joe Allen was. He has never impressed in a Liverpool jersey and for that, he has been very consistent. In the second half, he could have scored with just the goalie to beat - or pass it to Suarez on his left who was unmarked. But he he sent the ball wide. He also got himself a booking - tho i must admit i was glad at how he got it!

The defence was pretty bad too! Minoglet let in 3 goals but he still made it into the team of the week on BBC Sports! That shows how good he was - and how bad the defence was. Having said that, Flanagan playing on the left full back impressed.

So it was 2-1, and then 2-2 and then Liverpool were down 3-2. I gave up all hope by then, to be honest. But still, i hung on - and was duly rewarded by the sight of this stupid dance which brings a lot of joy to a Liverpool fan:-

And finally, the rollercoaster ended. What a ride it was. To the neutral, it must have been truly wonderful to to watch. But to a Liverpool fan like me, i can't feel but we were cheated of a victory. We were in the lead when Everton should have been down to 10 men. But the referee did not do what he should have done.

It is so frustrating to see the inconsistency practiced by the referees - see how Rooney got away during the weekend too, but we have witnessed how red cards have been given for so much less.

The only way i can console myself is to honestly admit that Everton played really well too and if i was a neutral, i would think that a draw is a fair result for both sides who had countless of chances to win it.

*I'm sure everyone i know knows this song!!!