Pawangs, Paul and Pil Chi-Kit Teck Aun

Phewww... this week had definitely been some week.

Different deadlines at work were fast approaching and i was in the zone. On auto-pilot or drone mode. I just wanted to get most of the work finished and done with so that I could have a decent, hassle-free weekend. Life unfortunately, seldom goes according to even the best of our plans.

Yes, life took one of its more unpleasant turns when I was abruptly reminded of my responsibilities as a father. My wife rang me at work. Our daughter was unwell and was complaining about it. Bad news. Especially since the complaints were coming from my firstborn who had a strangely high pain threshold.

Yes, when I say high, I really mean high. OK, not Cypress Hill, I Want to Get High kind of high. Just high as if in errr...argghhh just forget it. 

You see, when she was a baby, getting her vaccinated wasn't a problem at all. You could poke a dozen needles into her and all she'd do was squirm or at the very worst, come out with a tiny Ouch! I remember carrying her on my back (in one of those backpacker style baby carriers) during one of our travels - in the mid-day heat of a Barcelona summer and she wouldn't say a word about the excruciatingly painful heat. Scrapes and bruises? She'd just smile at the sight of them. She's like my little SuperGirl or that blonde cheerleader in Heroes - Season One.

Like I said, she's got a very high pain threshold so, when she does complain that she's in pain, it most likely means that it's bad. Very bad.

From the symptoms my wife described to me, my non-medical opinion was that it was appendicitis. I told a friend at work about it and joked...

If it was her appendix, any chance the doctors would move the op until after the match?

OK, bad joke. I know. If my daughter was going to need an operation Germany, Spain and that squid called Paul could wait. Really.

Fortunately, everything went better than expected. My daughter didn't need an operation and was allowed to go home that evening. I had some of my daughter's puke to clean off the carpeted floor in the bedroom but it was all good as I was just relieved that my daughter was fine. Spain beat Germany and for the first time in a very long time, Liverpool would have a World Cup winner in the squad no matter who wins the World Cup.

I was once again looking forward to a good weekend. Life returned to normal and the balance of the universe was restored.

Potentially useful tip of the week: If you think you've got something wrong with your appendix, try to jump. Don't go crazy, a tiny jump will do. If your tummy hurts particularly in the lower right region and you can bearly lift yourself off the ground, there's a good chance you do have appendicitis.

Disclaimer of the week: Like Minyak Angin Chap Kapak or Pil Chi-Kit Teck Aun, this tip isn't medically proven so, if you or a loved is unwell, please seek professional medical help. Local pawang's help is optional.