Yvonne Foong

I have been selling that original Heart4Hope t-shirt for more than a year now, and it saddened me to see men buying them to support me even though they didn’t really like the heart-shaped design.

So I told James to design something masculine this time around. Let’s be fair to men.

Preliminary stage. Look how basic it was back then.

That was seven months ago, if I remember correctly. James edited that many times… and after all those months… this is what we’ll soon be wearing.

In LA last month, Eddie took me to a KMart near his place, where they sell off-season branded clothes. I bought a discounted DKNY top, and showed it to my t-shirt supplier yesterday. I asked them if they have the kind of thin synthetic material used. They didn’t have it offhand, but promised me they’ll ask the manufacturer.

That’s the DKNY top I bought at discounted, off-season price

I like these thin and soft materials commonly used for t-shirts abroad. I saw some at Old Navy, and as far as I know, Marks & Spencer use them widely too. Given the hot and humid Malaysian weather, this material is more practical for air circulation under the sun. Therefore, I pray to God in heaven that I’ll be able to source the material for my next t-shirt.

Here’s an OldNavy t-shirt using the kind of material I like. Click to view
Made of 50% Modal®, 50% Pima® cotton

If you know a manufacturer here in Malaysia who makes it, please don’t hesitate to let me know. My e-mail is yvonnefmn(at)gmail(com).

It has been over a month now since my Streamyx connection began acting up. It gets disconnected every minute, delaying the progress of my work online. As a result, less things gets done in a day and I become stressed from being shortchanged.

I don’t want to be shortchanged. I want the RM88 a month I pay to TMnet to be worth it. As Karl Marx pointed out, we are now suffering from the emancipation of a capitalist society. As long as there is a demand from the working class, the Burgeois will continue to prosper, and in this case, continue shortchanging us.

A state of injustice fuled by the law of demand and supply. I need to break away from this.

Redesign Malaysia has a list of Malaysian broadband ISPs. Some of which I have yet to hear about.

Readers, please share your opinion on other internet service providers besides TMNet.Thank you in advance. Help me break free!

In between packing up my belongings this afternoon, I read the Orange County news tabloid, distributed free by the Orange County Register.

Since John was online, I mentioned to him what came to mind then. The kind of news carried in the tabloid make civilization more humane and full of life. On the front page is the story of a small construction company bearing the cost of renovating Kevin Guice’s bathroom to become wheelchair accessible, after reading his story in the news recently. On another page, a single mother happily hold two jobs a day to support her two children in college.

Coincidentally, John was penning down the second chapter of his next book. It reads:-

Raymond Williams once said, there’s no such thing as masses. Only ways of seeing people as masses. But that’s not true. Masses do exist, and if you are not careful, you can lose yourself. Even disappear.

I know for certain that there are people who, upon reading how much I enjoy life, decide that my cause is not worth their charitable support. People had left nasty comments in the past, that forced me to think about my life all the time. Thanks to them, because without them, I couldn’t have decided sooner that their opinions are no matter to me. Time is a precious commodity that should be cherished. I don’t want to regret one day and say, “if only”, or ask God to “bring it back”.

With Eddie at Rainbow Harbour, Long Beach.

It’s not just NF that we shouldn’t live to regret. The same applies to everyone no matter what cards life deal you with. When we take life easy and appreciate the air we breathe, we would learn the beautiful story behind every face we know. On my previous trip to California for medical appointments, God showed me lots of loving kindness.

With Caterine at San Gabriel, CA

With Aiko also at San Gabriel. Aiko’s from Japan!

With Marvin at Koreatown

Eddie’s co-worker, Stuart

Remember Venessa?

And Steven

A showcase of kids who never grow up
Eldest being 41, followed by 29, 27, 24, and me 21. The folks in their 30s were not present during this photoshoot.

The star here seems to be the vilian in black tee, prying into the affairs of the four mischievous musketeers.

This looks like the poster of a buatan Malaysia comedy, with Steven who had just removed his cap, spotted a mushroom hairdo.

I like this one. Everybody’s got the sot sot dei, crazy look.

Eddie the horrible is back

Some people are born innocent!

That pretty much concludes the fact that I enkoyed my trip. Dr. Friedman said he’s gonna e-mail me again regarding the evaluation of my spine scans. Hold your breath! Meanwhile, my first class of the Summer semester is in a couple of hours.

Please pray for peace and tranquility to be with Yvonne. She doesn’t want to be lost in the rat race, living in dog-eat-dog-world Kuala Lumpur.

Do you remember reading about the best pudding ever on KennySia.com? The fella went all the way to Hong Kong and chanced upon a tasty dessert using homemade big, fresh mangoes.

So that’s where we went last night. Hui Lau San has a branch in the city of San Gabriel California. It’s very near to where Steven lives in Alhambra. Restaurants here cater mainly to chinese. For dinner, we had Tibetian style hot pot among 8 of us as farewell before I return home tonight

Like Kenny, Eddie, and many others have said, the mango pudding at Hui Lau San beat many desserts hands down.

I like the granitas made of coconut juice, eaten with scoops of silky smooth mango pudding for a refreshing feel. Not to mention, the serving is huge too!

Good for unwinding after a tough day at work.

Be sure to pay a visit to Hui Lau San when you drop by at Orange County!

Hui Lau Shan la Incorporated
250 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Tel. +1 626.282.8263

If there’s one thing you need to know about me, it has got to be my restless spirit. I simply CANNOT stay home two days in a row. Hence, explains why my mom’s lack of activity unnerves me to no end.

This afternoon, after taking a hot shower, on the road I went (heh, I’m beginning to sound like the Cooknengr) on foot. Birch street is more than 1km away from where Eddie lives. In Malaysia, that journey would have been pretty tough for me.

It’s so much safer to walk here. The roadside pavements are mostly even, the tar road does not have bits of stones jutting out, cars pay heed to the rules of zebra crossings and at traffic lights, and the base of buses are built only a little higher than the roadside pavement above ground level. You don’t know how much difference these littlest things make to an NF patient. Without both balance nerves in our brains, every little detail in the environment dictates our safety and even livelihood. I never understand why steps leading to shoplots in Malaysia are built into ridiculous proportions.

After about 20-30 minutes walk to Birch Street, I had a small cup of Cold Stone OreaOverload, made of the original Sweet Cream recipe, despite the fact I vowed to curb my eating earlier in the day. It was sunny and I needed cooling down after the walk.

Then, I contemplated about the choice of walking back. But, hey, since I was already there, might as well spend a little more time hanging around. So I walked a couple of blocks east and ended up at the Brea Civic and Cultural Center.

I have been browsing the City of Brea website these days and got some glimpse of a community rich in the spirit of co-existence. Modernisation did not take away their human primitive desire to provide support and interact among the group.

The city offer free rides on a bus-like trolley during lunch hours from Central Avenue to downtown area and back up, in an attempt to reduce the use of gasoline. Volunteer counsellors offer help to people, especially old folks, to their questions regarding insurance and medicare. Blood pressure monitoring and hearing checks are also given free to old folks. And for seniors who can’t travel to the community library, books may be brought and loaned to you at home. These are among many other services and activities in place.

Speaking of library, that’s where I went this afternoon. John, who currently resides in New Zealand, encouraged me to visit the library here two days ago. He said they are very different from libraries back home.

So, he was right. There are actually PEOPLE reading books in it, coming from all age groups. There is the children book section where I spotted several young ones reading quietly.

I noted down my topics of interest, which were Psychology and Sociology. The books were neatly indexed, making book browsing hassle-free. It didn’t take me much time to decide reading about Abraham Moslow and Sigmund Freud. I also noted down a book on the Introduction to Sociology. But since I’m leaving for home tomorrow, I took down the titles instead of borrowing them.

There is also a little art museum at the center, but it was closed by time I left the library. I took the bus back to find Eddie and David waiting PATIENTLY before we headed out for dinner. Heh Heh… I kinda like the fact that living with male friends are easier. Somehow, Eddie always have the intangible idea that I am safe, because he never once checked on my whereabouts. Instead, I was volunteering info.

Konnichiwa! I am a doggie at the window when Yvonne passed me by in Brea Mall this evening. No one has given me any name, or decide to take me home just yet. So my job, for the evening at least, is to look my cutest at the window, titling my head this way and that, in hopes that I would soon walk out a free citizen of the United States.

Then along came this Chinese ah beng - thinking he was so cool, did not pay heed to my art of attention discourse - rescued Yvonne from falling prey to my cutesy spell.

I lost to the ah beng’s BMX bikes, which he was rushing home to assemble. You ought I could win a dime more attention by appearing on E.T too? In time to join the boys this Saturday at the show?

Watching “1 Litre of Tears” conjured many painful memories. The story of Aya Kito who died of Spinocerebellar Atrophy reminded me very much of my own. From her healthier days, early symptoms, difficulty adjusting in school, to watching horror unfold by itself in her life created many flashbacks. Just like her, I used to say sorry many times for being an inconvenience to my friends and family. Like her, there were some things I was afraid to keep, and some things I didn’t want to change. Only an extraordinary movie director can portray our innermost feelings so well.

It is true that being a patient, when there is something wrong with our body, we just know it. Like an inner voice whispering. We needn’t have to wait till proper diagnosis is given. It’s a shame that doctors who put down our claims might never understand our intuitions.

I shall keep the rest of my opinion for a proper movie review some day. I’ve been reading my surgery and MRI reports over and over again. The hospital here did a much better job. The report is significantly better over here. With so many tumors in our bodies, a good MRI report is crucial for NF patients. Because you never know, maybe one month, one year, or 10 years from now, something might happen, and these MRIs would become important medical history. In my latest MRI report, every milimeter in tumor growth is calculated and every slight compression is noted down. That way, doctors monitoring my health can attend to me immediately once any tumor appear to be in critical stage.

If you’re keen, please read my recent MRI reports here.

May 2007 Brain MRI & October 2006 brain surgery report

May 2007 MRI of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.

The most torturous question reporters tend to ask me is always, “How many tumors do you have now?” Perhaps it is better to let them read these reports next time around.

Can you believe it? I was never told that Laminectomy was performed on my spine 5 years ago, and magnetic artifacts were used to replace extracted bones to support the spine. How could they neglect to inform me of such a major procedure? I only found out in this MRI, the first spine MRI done in the U.S.

I must also mention again how thankful I am that the previous brain surgery in October 2006 was done in the U.S. According to the report, the Jugular Foramen Meningioma was discovered when doctors first gained access to my brain. It was then debulked before they ventured deeper to reach the Acoustic Neuroma. Thank goodness that it was Dr. Friedman and Dr. Hitselberger, because I cannot imagine any surgeon in Malaysia touching my Jugular Foramen, which is an extremely a high risk area of the brain, Surgery might have also been called off.

If there’s one thing NF has changed in me, it is the ability to compartmentalize feelings. One part is used to store painful memories, another for the ability to take action.

This evening, Yvonne was very fortunate to receive the invitation of Naomi-chan and her hubby, for an authentic home-cooked Japanese dinner. Tis’ another thing money can’t buy. Nicknamed the Izakaya, their doors are only opened to special guests.

Knowing Eddie is like striking jackpot. Naomi and Ayumu are readers of the cooknengr.com. By car, they live just 5 minutes away from my temporary den here in Brea.

Being Japanese natives living on American soil, the Izakaya became a product of immigrants passionate of their roots. including the table setting. Cooking isn’t enough. Proper presentation, mood setting and a well-planned menu were also thrown in.

Dear readers, I hope you can read the menu, because Yvonne is not good at reviewing food. I only know to show off photos.

The moment I sat down, my eyes rested on this big dish of fishes in the center. Those are super fresh octopus, Yellowtail, and seared Jack fish. The Jack fish had crispy fried skin while the meat was kept raw. I am impressed!

The first dish of vegetables, readily served when I came, were white carrots. Next to it, rested three types of homemade sauces.

Blue Fin Tuna, prepared and served Mexican style with sesame seeds. This was my favourite!

My first time tasting fried green pepper this way. A good variation of taste among the dishes.

This plate of Idako had some tasty yellowish light gravy. A good change from the usual plain Idako.

I believe cawanmushi was served due to my specific mention last week. The best Cawanmushi ever! If only I can show you how light and smooth it was. When scooped, it DID NOT break into tiny bits at all.

Finally, beef salad. The beef is grilled barbeque style with some tasty sauce, which spiced up the vegetables as well. Needless to say, this was the best salad I ever had.

Besides cooking, Naomi flexes her creativity in pottery, extending to the interiors of her house. Behind closed doors, this little Izakaya is a Japanese haven - for the tummy, for the eyes, and for rest.

A big round of applause to Naomi and Ayumu-san. Now my taste excitory threshold for Japanese food has increased, all thanks to you.

And the Cooknengr for introducing. All photographs here belong to Eddie unless otherwise stated.

If ColdStone opens a branch in Kuala Lumpur that retains the original recipe and specialty, I’d move next door.

I have to agree with Eddie that ColdStone serves the best ice-cream. If there are better ones, well, I haven’t known. At ColdStone, ice-creams are fresh made daily. Therefore, they’re silky smooth in texture, and delightful. How can you describe ice-cream as delightful? Well, go try ColdStone.

If it is your first time here, you might want to select from their range of original ColdStone creations. Reading ice-cream names like Cheesecake Fantasy, Breathless Boston Cream Pie, and Strawberry banana Randezvous is enough to make you drool and end up staring at the menu with indecision.

Or you may also get adventurous by creating your own combination of ice-cream and toppings.

There is a long list of nuts, fruits, and candies you can choose to mix with your ice-cream. They’d scoop a generous portion of your selected ice-cream flavor, mix it up, before serving with either paper cups or cone dish. It is worth noting that mix-ins DO NOT control or overpower the ice-cream taste.

There’s even the choice of Healthy Indulgence, for the weight conscious ice-cream lovers.

My overflowing Cheesecake Fantasy

Thanks to Donald and Susan Sutherland, who pursued their ice-cream dream, we get to enjoy exquisite cold desserts today.

Someone tell me why are companies serving ice-creams in Malaysia so kiamsiap?

Woke up in time to drop by at the grocery store during lunch hour today. I feel so guilty troubling Eddie for almost everything. And these are the fruits of my guilt pangs.

Cherries! Don’t laugh okay, but this is my first time eating fresh, non-preserved cherries. I added some to the salad bowl I religiously gulped down, hoping they’d remove all the toxins I accumulated in the past one week. Among others are big fat bananas, tomatoes, and something that looks like Japanese cucumber.

I don’t miss my French Praise back home, because here, I bought Raspberry Vinegrette as salad dressing! Yum! Salad has never tasted sweeter than this.

After downing a bowl of salad, one banana, and a cup of Melilea organic for lunch, I decided to steam some corn for snack later. But as I scanned the fridge for meal inspiration, I spotted the box of Krispy Kreme donuts. Bad, bad food, but yummy! And my World War II mentality refuse to throw them away even though it’s been three days we bought them. So into the steamer that went. Tasted as good as new! Look at that strawberry filling. MmMmMMM….

NF2 patient goes hitchhiking.

The food part above was just an entree haha. To lead you guys on. I’m more keen to write about the findings of my Neuro-Ophtalmology visit last Monday.

At 7am that faithful morning, I woke up to the vibrations of my ShakeAwake alarm clock. Bought a USD3 day pass, and took the bus down to Wilshire/Alvarado. before taking RapidMetro #720 all the way to Wilshire/Westwood.

UCLA is a few blocks up from that junction. I arrived at 8:15am, still very early, and the streets were rather quiet. Most students were on vacation.

Here, I spotted this Chinese guy bracing himself in a labcoat against the morning chill. I asked him where Jules Stein was. He pointed to a building across the street. “Aha!”

Medical Report quick summary

The full report spans 7 pages, but I won’t bore you with technicalities and medical terms. Basically, this is what Dr. Arnold concluded after putting me through a visual field test and reviewing my MRI scans from Malaysia.

Basically, left eye - Hypotropia. probable Hypoplasia because ganglion cells that form the optic nerve are poorly developed. and optic disk obscured by a mass that cause retinal traction. Can do cosmetic surgery. Currently unable to correct the optic nerve. To understand what Hypoplasia is, go to One Small Voice Foundation. I’m still baffled why some NF2 patients have poorly developed eyes.

right eye - Temporal Atrophy caused by tumors consistent with glioma, thinned nerve fibers, 20/50 visual aquity, dilated pupils.

Doctor advised close monitoring with visual field test. If right eye worsens, surgery to debulk tumor will be considered. If it remains stable, then no surgery is neccessary at this point.

I felt at ease meeting with Dr. Arnold, who displayed an air of confidence and experience. Every of my questions were promptly and confidently addressed on the spot. In Malaysia, however, I am placed in a confused state because not much information is given to me even when I demand. Doctors in Malaysia simply said my left eye is “dead”, “no hope”, and there’s nothing we can do about it. They told me to just let it be. But in fact, at least two organisations I know of in the US are investigating possible treatment for Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (One Small Voice Foundation) and optic nerve regeneration (John Hopkins University).

I thought about doing something in support of medical research. Do you think that’s a good idea?