Dry To The Bone

Of late, our expenditures were exorbitant as we have a lot to pay for, all of which was my husband called "unexpected expenses". This is so true.

It started with our trip to a friend's wedding in Hong Kong which costs us RM2400 for 2 adult and 1 infant to fly on Cathay Pacific Airways. RM900 for 1 adult is already a great bargain as the usual cost of a CPA ticket to HK is approx. RM4,000. Hubby was particular about Jacob's comfort and safety so budget airlines was absolutely out of the question.

In Chinese weddings, it is customary for guest to give the newly weds ang pau (red packet) when you are invited to their wedding dinner and to attend one without giving an ang pau would be a shame. To give is one thing, how much you wish to give is another. The norm is to give an amount that is equivalent or more than what it will cost for one sitting. For instance, the cost for one table (10 pax) at a 5 star hotel in KL would be between RM1500 to RM2,000, therefore, the appropriate amount to give would be RM150 - RM200 per pax. Immediate family members are expected to give more.

The rule of thumb:

1. If there is 5 of you in a family, the appropriate amount would be 5 multiplied by cost per head.
2. Don't ever give less cos it reflects on you
3. If only two is invited, don't attempt to bring the whole gim bang but if you so wish, inform the couple and pack enough ang pau

Now, apparently the cost of a 11 course Chinese dinner for one table at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Kowloon is HKD6500. My husband, being the generous and kind being he always is, decided that we give HKD2,000 and I agreed. So there goes our 'ching ching'.

That night after the dinner, I was awaken by an excruciating pain in my stomach which lasted through the morning. I thought it was food poisoning. When we return home the next day, the pain strike again, this time in the wee hours of the morning. It was so unbearable I had to ask my husband to drive me to the SDMC ER. While we're htere, a dose of Voltran (not sure how it is spelt) pain killer was administered and I felt better. The ER and specialist consultation bill came up to RM400.

Again I was hit by the same pain at 3am in the morning so at 7am, hubby drove me to ER and I was administered with two types of pain kiler. This time I knew what pain killer I wanted and made sure the MO gave me the same. Since the pain was persistent and frequent, I was asked to go for ultrasound of the gall blader and get an endoscopy done. My gastro specialist did everything possible to find the source of the pain but in vain. All the results was normal. It was good news. Another RM1200 was splurged on hospital bills. There goes our 'ching ching'. Can you imagine how dry both of us are?

If you do the sum, you'll be amazed at how we managed it all. Not to mention, the expenses involved in caring for a baby. The drought continues.