My garden

I am sitting in one of empty wing of one of the ward in my hospital. It's my little private happy place. Why? This is one spot where the WIFI signal is strongest and it's also very quiet (unfortunately the air con broke down a long long time ago and no one seems to bother repairing it). It's where I did most of my studying back when I was mugging up for the exam and also the place where I did most of my blogging.

I am feeling very sleepy. I don't think I have recovered from the last on call stress yet and I am on call again this weekend. In times like these, I close my eyes and I am back in my garden at home.

I don't have a big garden at home, perhaps the size of a small toilet! But it's enough to keep me happy gardening. I find it very therapeutic. I imagine pulling out my problems (or my nemesis' eyes) as I do weeding. I imagine washing off the day's burdens as I water the garden. I don't have exotic plants. Most flowers did not survive long in my hands! The grass barely made it. Actually I don't even know the names of the most the plants that I have! Anyhow, the local nursery have really been abundantly prospered by my constant visits there to replenish my dying stock of flowers and plants.


I am not complaining. Gardening is therapeutic. I don't care if others say it's a past time for retirees. Btw, I once lived opposite an elderly couple back in Kuala Pilah who actually got up every morning and would painstakingly WIPE each leaf of their plants because the dust have settled on them and therefore making them less shiny! Actually if I have a choice, I would gladly retire! But at the risk of plunging my little family into sheer poverty and starving my 2 kids, I have to work. Heh heh! I have been gardening since I was a teenager! I pray and hope I won't be reduced to wiping leaves when I do indeed retire!


So, when I close my eyes, I am back in my garden, at least in my mind, to my happy place. It's a good "getaway" from the routine work of unending ward rounds. I had 18 patients under my care this morning. Most of them are getting well, some are not. I don't want to think about them for now. I just want to relax a while. I can't wait to get home and take off my shoes and step bare-footed onto the soft green japanese grass (and brown in certain patches) in my little garden...

Now if I could only get strawberries like the ones above (taken in Cameron Highlands) to grow in my garden...