Ever since my health started going downhill, my husband had been my greatest pillar of strength. I woke up this morning and took a moment to count my blessings. I might not have 100% good health but I’m lucky and blessed to have a kind, caring and patient husband who is always there when I need him. I’m usually strong and confident when it comes to dealing with health issues, in fact for most of the obstacles in my life too. But in the last couple of months when I had experienced the loss of family members to advanced stage cancers and the stormy days that had blanketed all of us, it just made me see how fragile (and short) life really was. And the reason why I hadn’t been able to stay (extremely) positive was not because I was afraid of contracting a terminal illness or of dying but I was really afraid I would no longer be able to see my husband, my folks and also Gran. On the other hand, preparing ourselves for the worst wasn’t exactly a bad thing. We had gone ahead to do stuffs that we had procrastinated over or never thought about earlier – administrative/financial matters, insurances, caregiving responsibilities etc – we even openly talked about funeral arrangements and everything else related to death. I mean, it’s a journey every one of us has to go through and it’s never too early to plan ahead because we just wouldn’t know when our time is up (regardless of age or whether we have any existing illness or not). The last thing I want is to leave my family in a state of turmoil, with them not knowing the next step to take when I make my exit before them. At this point in time, I know my husband is capable of managing this as we have more or less set things in place and vice versa, should anything happen to my folks or husband, likewise I will be able to do the same.
To my friend C who’s going through what I’m going through and who shares the same fears and worries as I do, the harsh reality is…we just have to deal with it when it comes. I can’t and will not say everything will be fine because we just never know. But I believe we both are not quitters (no matter how weak or depressed we feel inside of us) because life is truly worth fighting for – not just for ourselves but for the people we love. I can’t deny I’m terrified of going through the surgery and I keep asking myself questions like ‘What if I don’t wake up?” or “What if I lose my voice permanently?” and so on but I must also remind myself that there is also the possibility that the surgery will just ‘cure’ me completely with no side effects or consequences and that I will get a new lease of life after this. C, be strong too and believe in yourself.
Live today like it’s the last day of your life. I’ve never felt as contented as now.
The husband and I headed to Sentosa for a day out a while back. In case you aren’t aware, admission to Sentosa is free from now till 31 December 2015 if you enter the island via the Boardwalk.
For dinner, we decided to treat ourselves to a comfort food feast at our all-time favourite Chili’s. I had reviewed Chili’s @ The Central, Clarke Quay before so you can read my review on the other dishes that I had tried there.
Spotted some new additions to the menu since the last time we visited any Chili’s. If I recalled correctly, I think the price of each dish at this outlet is about a dollar or two more than their other outlets’ perhaps because this particular branch is located at a touristy spot.
The Skillet Queso (S$12.90) was the first thing on the menu that caught our attention. Being cheese lovers who adore anything saucy, it just didn’t make sense to miss out on this dish.
The cheese dip that came in a mini skillet didn’t look big in portion size but it was more than sufficient for the two of us as the basket of tostada chips was refillable. There were seasoned ground beef in the dip that really gave a nice meaty bite and I just loved that flavour of the cheese that was so intense, rich and yummy. Of course, the classic chips were as fresh, warm and crispy as always. It’s really one of the best things to share with everyone on the meal table.
The Triple Dipper (S$26.50) was like a customised sampling plate of 3 starters that we could pick from 7 choices. We went for the Crispy Chicken Crispers, Boneless Buffalo Wings and Craft Burger Bites that also came with celery crudités and 3 dipping sauces – honey mustard, blue cheese and ranch. My favourite of the 3 starters was the Crispy Chicken Crispers that were really crispy on the outside and tender & moist on the inside even though the meat was of a fillet/breast cut. While the Boneless Buffalo Wings were also tender chicken bites, the tangy sauce that coated them were just overpowering in flavour. The mini burgers were tasty as there were bacon and cheese in it but because the meat patties were thin and dry and there wasn’t enough sauce to moisten the whole burger, I just felt it was a little difficult to get the burger down my throat.
Bad thing about dining in an American restaurant with just the two of us, it is all too easy to over-order. By the time this Beef Enchilada (S$23.50) arrived at our table (took quite long for this to come and we were already halfway through with the first two dishes), we didn’t quite have that appetite to dig into this anymore because we were already feeling quite stuffed from the previous plates.
The three enchiladas were filled with taco seasoned beef, 3-cheese blend and onions, then topped with ancho sauce, melted 3-cheese blend and corn & black bean salsa and served with rice and black beans. A very carb-loaded dish indeed. Though the flavours were good (every element just worked together), the black bean stew needed a bit more seasoning and it would be good if the enchiladas were more compactly filled up because there was definitely more ‘skin’ to ‘meat’. A not-too-bad try for the first time but I’d probably not get this the next time because there’s just too much carbs!
Chili’s is still one of our top choices for casual American dining mainly because of the type of food they serve which is what I call unpretentious dude food – food that we wouldn’t mind dirtying our fingers to eat – and also for its relaxed, carefree atmosphere where we can just let loose, eat, drink and be merry.
Chili’s Grill & Bar at Resorts World Sentosa
26 Sentosa Gateway, #01-072/073/074
Singapore 098138
Tel: 6835 9077
Website: http://chilis.sg/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ChilisSingapore
Opening hours:
11.00am to 10.00pm (Mon-Thu, Sun)
11.00am to 11.00pm (Fri-Sat)
Don’t know if you you eat much soy, since I haven’t been following for too long, but one of my best friends just posted this article–her husband lost his voice in October (from a stroke), but is making progress. Much of the time he has a good sense of humor about it, says he now sings like Bob Dylan and has become pretty good at pantomime-charades. It’s very hard on him, and also his wife since she has become his interpreter.
Anyway, they have been warning people about the dangers of soy for a long time and it does affect thyroid function:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/170-scientific-reasons-to-lose-the-soy-in-your-diet/
Thanks for sharing. I read about this too when I was trying to find more information on how these thyroid problems come about. I do eat a lot of soy because it’s such a common ingredient in Asian cooking. In fact, my doctor had also warned me to reduce consumption of vegetables from the cabbage family i.e. cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc which was a shocking discovery for me as I would eat them at least 2-3 times a week while thinking that vegetables are definitely healthy. Sigh, everything that we thought were good for health are now causing more harm to our bodies. I really have to watch what I eat and cook from now on.