My ears hurt

Why is that so?

My two dogs, Cookie and Cream constantly growl at each other, albeit Cream is definitely the more aggressive one and is constantly growling. They bark when anyone goes near the house (of course). At least it shows they're alert. :s

At the dinner table, my mom and her mom (my grandma) are constantly at odds with each other regarding hospital visits, marketing, etc. It's inevitable I guess. Gramps has dementia, and its hard to see him becoming a vegetable at home as the times pass. The ability to count, to discern time, and to express oneself decreases. Such is the plight of all of us who will inevitably age. My grandma, having not really anyone to express her feelings to mumbles endlessly and walks around the house not doing anything much. The rest of the week is filled with the endless activity of sending them to the hospital for various treatments as well as our local store for groceries.

Things aren't much better on the other side of the family. My other grandma suffered a hip fracture and stroke, and needs full time care at home. We got a local helper to assist with the chores, but tensions are on the rise due to several issues - too much home cooked meals and too much hand washing of laundry (they don't believe in a washing machine, unfortunately).

I'm told to attend to my brother who's going to Adelaide this month to study architecture. Teaching him the appropriate things and what not to do in uni. In the meantime, discussions continue on when he would receive his student visa and his accommodation plans. I tell him, some things can't be settled while he's still home, and need to be settled in Adelaide, but I guess our tendency to become control freaks still get the better of us.

My sis screams at me and says I'm late to send her to her school band practice. I quickly enter the car and rush off as the pro bono taxi driver. I turn on the radio, and listen to our Malaysian news and the latest pop songs from the states. OK, I guess when I'm driving, there are times when I do appreciate some noise.

Dad as the patriarch rambles at home about the enlightened road to Christiandom. I appear to be attentive, but at most, his sayings exit the other side of my head like a leaking fire hydrant. 

Chinese New Year is only a week away. Orders are barked as this occasion approaches. Clean the windows and mop the floors! Make sure the table tops are clean! They never end.

Its 130 am and I'm still online. My mom heads downstairs and is ''shocked'' to find me not asleep. She doesn't like her kids to be awake at an *ungodly hour like this and dutifully administers her verbal medicine.

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In Melbourne, the sounds are more subdued. There's the occasional hum of the excavators as they dig up the road, the screech of a V8 car screaming down the road, the drunk man muttering unintelligible phrases. Otherwise for the rest of the day, it's mostly quiet. 

Oh Lord, my ears hurt. Can I please have my silence back?