D.R.I.P.S

My cousin came to SG on friday for an operation. Apparently she had a bad spine and needed the metal thing to be inserted to make her back straight. She checked in the moment she arrived and had her operation the following morning.

I arrived at the waiting room shortly before the surgeon came out of the operating theatre and told us the operation was a great success. It didn't have much impact on me back then, cause I had just arrived not long ago. Imagine my aunt though. She's been there from the time when my cousin was put to sleep - that was about 5 hours of waiting. I can feel that anxiousness of a worried mother.

We went down to the canteen for some shaved ice and by the time we got back they've transferred my cousin to the ICU. I could only see her for a few seconds before the nurses drew the curtains and attached those tubes to her. That few seconds was.... quite a large impact on me though. Seeing her lying there on the bed, with a tube into her mouth and a pump to help her breathe, as well as all the other hospital equipment which I thought I could only see in movies... it felt kinda overwhelming, that few seconds. I never thought I could ever see someone I know in the hospital like that. That few seconds of image burned into my mind like a re-enactment of ER. I must say though, hospital equipment do look kinda cool. I breathed a really huge sigh of relief and subsequently almost teared from the sight. That cousin of mine was... I should say, the closest relative I have next to my brother and parents. I finally understood what it feels like to lose someone precious... except I didn't really lose anyone, but you get my point. It feels sort of... empty. Like a sudden hole appearing in the path you're walking and you don't notice it till you fall down. It didn't feel real...

Anyway, I'll just come back tomorrow.

We went to Taka after that. I rushed to Kino with my bro. I grabbed issue 23 of Cosmode japan and issue 1 of Cosmode USA. My bro got Saiyuki Reload 7, Mushishi 1 and 2. I wanted to get Brave Story 4 and 5 but I guess I'm gonna be flat broke pretty soon. The two mags cost me more than 50 even with discount. *dies*

Mum got us omelet yakisoba and takoyaki for dinner. I still want to try the cone pizza.

Anyway, I went to visit her again today. She's awake now, but still very weak and could only talk in whispers. Aww man. I brought a hell lot of books for her to read too. She was still in the ICU.

After I went down with my aunt for some shaved ice and to buy a little cushion we followed the nurses pushing my cousin's bed to her room at ward 66. Single room. This rocks. She even got a personal TV. It's not as great as the suite room next door but... it's cool, either way. We spent about another hour or so in there while my aunt and uncle and dad and bro talked and went down for a snack. I spent my entire time there reading Mushishi and my Cosmode mags.

When it was time to go I put the little bear I brought for her on her bed and left with dad and bro and uncle and my other little cousin. My aunt's staying the night with her. We went to suntec for dinner at the ramen shop Beppu... something, and went home after that.

I'll go visit her again on Friday after school probably. By then she'd be able to walk about and talk normally already, so we can go watch a movie on my bro's laptop or something.

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PS If you're wondering what DRIPS is, it's something the nurses have to check when they're tending to a newly arrived patient at the ICU. I forgot what are those 5 things ._.