From left: Anne, Adel, me and Peter after the Rite of Election.
There is something divine about Catholic churches, and rightly so. After all, that is the House of God. Every time I enter one, a sense of serenity envelopes me. As a child, I used to follow Mum when she celebrated Mass at The Church of the Holy Name of Jesus in Balik Pulau on Sundays. I was too young to understand and follow the proceedings. Thinking back, there was always this feeling of awe and serenity that followed every time after Mass concluded.

Now, as I begin to celebrate Mass again, that sense of bliss and serenity once again pervades into my very being. The seed of Christ that was sown in me long ago is beginning to sprout. Now, I am adult enough to understand what God is all about and what the Catholic Church represents. As I delve deeper into the Gospels, I can see clearly what I had been missing all these years. Being spiritually empty is the worst feeling one can have.

Now that I have Christ in my life, my journey has become one that is with a destination and a purpose. The potholes are beginning to be filled. The roads may be winding but I am certain that He will be there on every turn to make sure that I am safe and sound.

This evening, I was among the more than one hundred catechumens from all over Penang and Kedah who participated in the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. The Rite of Election is for those who have embraced the Catholic faith but have never been baptised. Our names were entered into the Book of the Elect to signify our intention to be initiated into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil where we will be baptised, confirmed and receive our first communion. My journey has only begun.

* Photos of the Rite of Election have been added to the Gallery.

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Visits to the doctor’s clinic in the hospital were always boring affairs interspersed with long waits and depressing sights. Wuan, who had been here since last Saturday, offered to accompany me to see the urologist who first saw me for my bladder condition back in 1991 for another assessment. Her company made it more bearable.

An ultrasound scan of my kidneys was taken in the doctor’s clinic. The diagnosis: shrunken left kidney. However, there were no signs of swelling in both kidneys, which is good news in the midst of bad. A creatinine clearance test was also done to ascertain the extent of my kidney function. It was a simple test where a blood sample was taken, the serum creatinine quantified and the figure for the estimated creatinine clearance arrived at with a straightforward formula.

My estimated creatinine clearance is 47 ml/min which is categorised as moderate renal impairment. The urologist stated that I have about 60% renal function. I am to continue with my intermittent catheterisation. I was also prescribed Detrusitol for my overactive bladder.

I was previously taking Ditropan for the same problem but the side effects were interfering with my daily routine. They included drying of the eyes, mouth and skin which was further aggravated by my body’s impaired ability to regulate body temperature. That made me very uncomfortable when the weather is hot.

Eating the correct food may also help and I have to make an appointment to see the dietician for this purpose. I am scheduled for another blood test in six months. I am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be no further damage to the kidneys when I return for the follow-up appointment.

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TURTLE
1999 – 2004

Do turtles go to heaven? I hope so. I envision a paradise where the river meanders lazily between tree-fringed banks. The water is cool and crystal clear; the bottom sandy and voluminous, perfect for turtles to burrow into. Shrimps and little fishes are aplenty. That is turtle heaven indeed.

I pray that is where my pet soft-shelled turtle has gone to. I could not provide him with a proper home, let alone one that was as close to his natural habitat as possible. Still, he made do with what was provided and thrived, until now.

He did not even have a name. I will always remember him as Turtle. I really wish turtles go to heaven. Then he can keep Mum company there. She had single-handedly reared him to maturity from the time when we first got him. He was as large as a fifty sen coin only then.

Farewell Turtle my friend. May you rest in peace.

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