Pseudo Hammer

I have been thinking. My paintings are languishing in the corner, while I drool over cute Korean actors and read chicklit. I am feeling just a bit guilty. But but but, I went to see the Hostel Manager to ask about peeling paint in my room, and to hang some paintings up to block it. Okay, the paint is just a little bit cracked and hardly visible but the fact that it is there is irritating me and I need to hide it so that I can sleep at night.

It was my assistant's last day today. I feel very sad that she has decided to go on holiday while the rest of us have to work *grumble*. I will have my first isolated clinic tomorrow, and I don't have a clue where everything is! However, I have mastered the art of denying people unnecessary treatment and teaching them to self-manage. I am not the person the whiny and lazy patient wants to see as I am pretty ruthless in discharging. Oooh! We will be getting a new collegue! The boss managed to get HA to approve another post for another podiatrist. While this would still make me bottom of the pecking order, I don't mind as the more the merrier! We can't believe the fact that there will be three of us! :) It is absolutely amazing! And it would also open up the opportunity of promotional prospects!

I tried to hammer in the hooks for the paintings today. So far, I have managed to dent a chopping board, a screwdriver and a padlock. I don't have anything else I can use. I could use my new pretty knee high boots, but that would be a waste no? The boots were soooo cheap! Only 10 pounds!!!!! I like Hong Kong.

Anyways, I am interviewing people for my assistant's job next week. I have never interviewed anyone! How cool is that? Should I pick the pretty one so that the patients have eye candy to look at to soothe their pain? Or the old wrinkly one so that I look younger? But then, I don't need to look any younger. People think I am the intern. -_- I will be sitting on the interview panel with Titanic. I sure hope I am able to keep a straight face.

Oh. there are also Cookies working in here. As well as three Rainbows, one Banke and a Tree. The boss told me the funniest she has ever seen, was at a restaurant on the banquet board. On that very auspicious day, Gucci was marrying Alien. May God bless their children Martian and Armani.

Fastflowing

Two Pods

I shall not bore anyone with my tales of woe... My tales of how my money is spent faster than I earn it, and what wonderfully amazing things I have bought. But then again, this is a girl blog, and girl blogs are supposed to be about shopping.

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I went with this lady to this school fair thing on Saturday. Vague right? Hahah.. I met this lady who has Malaysian kids and she has been totting me ar0und on weekends. Anyways, she asked me if I wanted to go to this school fair. As the banker was too busy to entertain me and the engineer was annoying me and the vet working on Saturdays, I agreed. Maybe there will be cute girls/guys right? And I can take photos and make the boys jealous. Little did I know the fair was such a huge event they have hundreds of people there with at least 50 stalls. Aparently this year's is considered small. I was pleasantly surprised and got some stuff at pretty knockout prices. I also spent the afternoon listening to old rocker bands. They are so cute. Most international schools are supportive of the musical expressions of their students. It is rare to get teachers forming rock bands too. But to have a few teacher rock bands was pretty fun to watch. They sang songs from their times while the audience sat about drinking beer. I had a brilliant time checking out the cute boys listening to music. The auntie introduced me to two more Malaysian aunties and they are going to feed me curry and rendang on Thursday! Oh happiness!
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Friday night was pretty awesome. The Podiatry Department had a staff meeting at Lan Kwai Fong, which is the most famous watering hole in Hong Kong. We went dressed decently and had cocktails while discussing when my assistant is going to find a guy to marry because we want to attend a wedding. Over dinner, we tried to get this guy's phone number for her but he told us he didn't have a phone. He must be gay. I realised my alcohol tolerance level has gone wayyyy below respectable Scottish limits. One cocktail can make me happy. I used to down a jug at lunchtime and head back for Pharmacology. I really need to get my act together. Better start thinking about investing in alcohol. Besides, staff meetings can always be conducted at an on-site bar ie: my room.

Podiatry Departmental Meeting

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Our lovely assistants.

Looking happy, feeling happier.

I still need help to hang up the paintings. Orthorpaedic is hard to get hold of. They are unlikely to lend me their drill. They might need it for the emergency operation while I am drilling holes in walls. I shall try to get someone else to fix them up for me. I spent Sunday hunting for an extension cable. There are two sockets in my room and both are on one wall. So I needed to get a long extension to allow me to plug in a lamp and my laptop on the other side. I finally got a hardware store to customise one for me. Please don't tell me paying 90 dollars is too much for a 3 socket extension cable as I am already depressed my duvet is currently available at Seiyu for only 500 dollars instead of 700 dollars at Sogo. I hate sales.

I will try to upload photos. I know I haven't in a long time. I cut my hair ma, and the guy didn't know English and I don't know Cantonese. So we kinda communicated and I kinda got what I wanted. I now look like a 16 year old school girl. I need to dye my hair pink but funny hair colour is a triad special. How? Maybe dark chocolate is an option. Gah, will decide next week. At least it will give me something to so in case I don't go to Guang Zhou with the engineer or Sai Kung with the banker.

Namesake

Arrghh... I have too much cake, and too little time. How am I going to finish all the cake?? My assistant commented that I am getting fatter. -_-

I don't like her anymore. *sulk*

I was bored and randomly searching the email list of all people in the hospitals. I found really crazy names. The things people call themselves. There are 5 Apples working here and 69 Kittys. There is also a Blue and a Kiwi, as well as a Wood and 3 Creams. There is a Creamy and 5 Cats. There is also a Titanic and a Pillow as well as Mickeys and Minnies. There are Fannys and Dicks as well as Moons. Thank goodness there was no Gucci, Armani or LV. Oh the list goes on! I will edit this as I go along.

It just goes to show what lengths people go to, to differentiate themselves from others. However, there is only one Stella Chai. Now, isn't that easier and more pleasant to be known as?

PS: I am looking into getting a line for IDD calls. However, it can only be used for landlines in UK and Malaysia. Singapore does both mobiles and landlines, as well as US and Canada. Tell me who has a landline and I can see if it's worth getting the line.

Room warming

We like cake.

I found not one, but three new hunting grounds yesterday. I was off to buy some cake for my room warming. I got twelve lovely cakes that were so pretty to look at and even nicer to eat! :) I also got some sushi for nibbles and ordered the roasts for the mains. The collegues think we should do this every week. Good for staff motivation! Hahah..

I should stop saying I will not spend any more money. We all know how everything I say backfires. I got Bvlgari Crystalline perfume while I was doing the whirlwind trip of cake shopping. It was on sale okay! Normally HK$656 but I got for HK$198. How not to buy??

There was a Hello Kitty shop, and I went in looking for the same humidifier Audrey Ooi got, the Hello Kitty one where the steam comes out the ears... And I saw five grown besuited men standing inside. It was bad enough if one was inside, but five? And they were chatting away as if there were standing in the lift! I walked past the shop as it was too small for a girl like me to go in. I was not giving up. I had seen this Hello Kitty bathmat hanging there which was too cute not to look at. So I walked around the shopping centre and went back there again. AND THEY WERE STILL THERE! My goodness, those guys are Hello Kitty addicts or what???? I walked boldly into the store and they all turned to look at me. I stared back and they backed out the shop. My guess was that one guy could not bear to go in alone, and found four sidekicks for moral support. The others were either blackmailed into standing inside or peer pressure did the trick. Real men stand proud next to Hello Kitty propaganda. They then stood outside while one guy was making purchases. I looked around and went out and felt their eyes bore through me as I walked away. Maybe it was some fellow Hello Kitty sign I didn't know about and I was supposed to respond to show solidarity.

Anyways, my curtains are up. I didn't need 100 dollar Ikea curtain wire that were complicated to hang them up, but used a washing line and some hooks that cost me 18 dollars. So thats another 82 dollars to my Gucci bag fund. I just need to fix my paintings on the wall. I am going to borrow a drill from Orthropeadics. It's all sterilised anyway!

I shall join the masses and be one of them. And for that, I need a Gucci handbag and a cute Hello Kitty loving boyfriend. *rolls eyes*

Lunching Ladies.

Split it evenly to taste all flavours fairly.

PS: It is my 2 month in Hong Kong anniversary. It is weird to have settled in and moved into my room so soon!

Open Room

I am having an Open Room this wednesday 21st November. It is supposed to be an auspicious occasion and I will have good Feng Shui for the duration of my stay. Actually, I haven't a clue... It just just the most convinient day for an Open Room and will break up the week nicely.

I am inviting everyone to come along and praise my decorating skills. It would be wonderful if my paintings are up, but I am doubtful as I don't know how to drill holes in walls to hang them up. I have found that I am hopeless in terms of doing practical fix-it jobs such as DIY furniture which requires anything more than 4 screws and consist of more than 5 pieces. I need a real man.

The boss tells me that I need a whole suckling pig when I move in. I don't think is is possible, though kinda cool. I would fix wheels on it and pull it around, and let it sleep in the fridge at night. :) But I am getting cake and some finger food for the Open Room. Maybe the cute hunky doctor in the room 2 doors down may come along. One can always live in hope! :)

It may be your only chance to come and check out my shoe collection my paintings. And if you were planning to break in, it will allow you to plan your escape route (jump off the balcony) and to decide where to hide if I happen to come in the room (in the huge closet).

Don't say I didn't invite you.

Connoisseur

We went to Stanley today. It was good that we went to the Peak yesterday as the skies were very foggy today. If you look hard, you could still see across the bay, but the pollution is so intense that you would imagine there is nothing across the waters if your Hong Kong geography is dodgy.

I was on the hunt for something to hang on my wall. I wanted something special, something that would make me smile and I would appreciate. We saw some copies, which were medicore at best, and then some amazing one-off originals that were way out of budget, which I would buy if I had the money. So I got a four panel piece of waterlilies in oil and watercolour mix by some chinese Mainland artist. I don't think she is very famous or very profilic as the more well known artists command extortionate prices for their art. Chinese art is becoming popular amongst collectors, and this has hiked up the prices in general for original pieces. I like my purchase as it is very calming and soothing. I had wanted another one by the same artist but that was sold, and a similar one was not to my liking. Then the saleswoman brought out this series, and it really is very nice. I now know how good proper lighting would make paintings look ever so good. The dutchman thinks it is a very expensive splurge, and the banker thinks I am crazy to spend so much. But I think that if I had HK$25000 to spare I would have bought the other piece, no questions asked.

I now need to figure out how to hang them up. I don't dare to tell my mum how much I spent on them, as she will just go on about how money flows faster than water in my hands and how I shouldn't spend so much money and rather, repay my dad for my education. I personally think I should be allowed to spend the money that I make. I know that I will face all kinds of people wanting to control my spending and tell me what to do with my money. They are normally people who wouldn't understand and I don't really care. I don't take to aquaintances who think they can tell me what to do. Most people who know me will know I don't listen anyway! =P

I shall now be very very good and won't buy anything else for a while. I am planning to buy myself a handbag for Christmas, but that is about it. I shall NOT buy anything else to wear, to watch/look at or on a whim. The egg tart pillow is now cancelled off the 'To Buy' list.

If I am ever caught in a fire, I will grab my paintings, throw my duvet out the window to land and use my curtains as a parachute. Who cares about my ID card or my passport. I would have all my baubles on me anyway.

The elections are still going on and it is very lively. People are standing about, young and old, and showing their support for their chosen candidates. The candidates go about with loudspeakers on their vans and waving out the windows to people. There are people going on with microphones and loudspeakers telling people how their candidates are the most amazing and the most efficient and can do the most of the people. The news reports only 33% of the eligible population turning out to vote, which is 2% higher than 2003. Let's hope more people turn up. Even if we don't have any one we want to support, turning up to spoil a vote would show we are dissatisfied with the current administration. It is all about exercising our civic rights, and we should truly use them.

Egg Tarts!

My dutch friend has been kind enough to visit Hong Kong to do my DIY *cough cough*.

So yesterday we went with a local friend to eat dim sum and see the sights. We went to the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple with 500 Venerables who seem to have an affinity for red lipstick and black bushy eyebrows. Then we went to the Peak to do the usual touristy sights. I got this super cute cake shaped box. I also got Hello Kitty gummies to match my Hello Kitty Uno cards.

The banker called up to see if I was bored and to kindly tell me Sogo was having a sale. So being the wonderful tourguide that I was, I rescheduled all touristy things and dragged the dutchman shopping. We went to ride on the world's longest walkway escalator in search of egg tarts. I think my eagerness in looking for the best egg tarts in Hong Kong may have been too much for the dutchman, so we detoured to Krispy Kreme for donuts. I love Krispy Kreme, and they deliver to Shatin (double yay)! I so need to get a flat near the Krispy Kreme shop or even better, the egg tart shop. We found the egg tart shop after bugging the banker with many phone calls and being lead there by a local volunteer tourist guide. The egg tarts were out of this world! No wonder the former governor flew all the way here to eat them!They were wayyyy better than the other ones I have tasted in Hong Kong! I am serious. If it wasn't for the New York Cheesecake donut I would have eaten more than one. The banker wanted one too so we tapaued one for him too. I am so going to hold him to it when I need one back.

The banker had reserved a table for Japanese at Causeway Bay for dinner as the queue is usually 90 mins long. So thinking we had enough time from Lan Kwai Fong to head there, we took the tram there. It was a nice scenic trip, but it also meant we missed our reservation as it took a while to figure out where the banker was as there were 3 entrances to Sogo for make up. -_-

So we went for local Hong Kong congee and small dishes. We went back to Sogo to shop after, and tried out this totally amazing Osim massage chair which had this cool cover. I think the cover looks cool, but would bang a few heads when you are getting up. I showed them the really nice coffee maker, but the saleswoman could not convince anyone to buy one for me. Some friends eh?

We had dessert of proper mango pudding with mango ice cream and mango pieces and fruit. Very healthy hor? One of my diabetic patients had hyperglycaemia from it! You just can't live in Hong Kong when you have diabetes! And most people have DM HbA1c of 5-7 mmol/l. Willpower man!

I went back to Sogo and got more stuff. The banker claims I am bad for his wallet, but I beg to differ. The sales are the problem. Hong Kong goes wild with just 5% off! The people empty the shelves like madmen/women! I got Lancome whitening moisturising lotion and cleanser (everything that says whitening sells like hot cakes) and Mac make up brushes and mascara. I like my purchases, but maybe 15 minutes was a bit impulsive.

Ah, the local elections are going on today. It is a pity you need to be 18 years of age to vote and be a permanent resident. So I have to wait another seven years *sigh*. Pity huh? How you have no say in how the place is run when your taxes pay for it.

Worry Lines

I have recurrent nightmares. These nightmares don't relate to the fact that I have a sell-by date, or the fact that I may spend more than I can earn. Neither does it worry me that my duvet doesn't match my sofa.

I worry about my paternal grandfather. He is now in his early eighties. In fact, he is the same age as Mahathir and they had the heart operation at a similar time. Mahathir has undergone a second operation already. But they say gong gong is too frail to go for another operation. He has been in and out of ICU a few times, and is too weak to fly out to KL for Chinese New Year. I was hoping that with us moving back to Malaysia, we will be able to see the grandparents more often. Each time I talk to him, he tells me he is fine and able to come out to visit us any time. But po po tells me that his legs hurt him and he has difficulty breathing sometimes. My heart feels so heavy to hear it as I know he tries to keep a cheerful front to humour me, to not make me worry. My greatest fear is that one day he may be admitted once again to hospital, and they don't take enough care of him and he lands with bedsores and they want to amputate his legs instead of treating for wounds. His circulation is compromised and I know he is at risk if he has any open lesions. The thing that freaks me out the most, is that I may not be able to fly back in time to help him. I feel helpless, should such a situation arise, that my expertise will not be able to help my own grandfather.

And this makes me consider going back to Malaysia, even if they pay me peanuts and work me like a donkey, I may be able to help my grandfather when he needs me. My brother and I did not have the chance to visit them before we left Malaysia. I know we will feel horrible of anything happens and we didn't manage to see him again.

As time passes, we are put in perspective on the fragile nature of human life. We can lose those closest to us at any time and we may not have the opportunity to tell them how much they mean to us. This makes me hold all the more dear the friends and family that I have been blessed to have. I will never stop telling people how much I miss them and how much they mean to me; I will always cherish!

Ikea-ing

The people in Ikea must know me by face already. I mean, I've been to Ikea every night for the past week! Well, most nights... and I try to go to different Ikeas to diversify a bit. I don't know how the geriatrician did all his furniture shopping in one afternoon, and he had a two-bedroom flat to furnish.

The bedframe came today with about six different types of screws. I looked at the pictorial instructions and gave up. Will wait for my kind dutchman to fix everything together. :) I got some more bits and bobs for the room. It is starting to shape up nicely. The curtains are up and look absolutely gorgeous. The duvet is so comfortable I won't share it with anyone. The only way you can redeem a chance to use it is by airmiles. The further you fly to see me, the more time in seconds you can hold it. I got a kettle too. The current room is too far a walk to the pantry. I know I know, I am being lazy, but when you just need 30ml of water for some tea, it does seem like a long way, even if it's only 350m. And what if I got ambushed? And spilt the hot water and scalded my hand and got a scar and will never be able to find a husband as the mother-in-law thinks that a woman with a scalded handscar will not bear children and is bad at housework.

I admit I am bad at housework, but then without a scar on my hand she wouldn't know would she? :) The woman who sold me the kettle was wondering where I came from. Most people wonder where I come from, as I don't look local, don't speal local and probably look a bit lost. Maybe I don't dress well enough. She thinks I am the sweetest thing alive and made me promise to call her if I ever needed any help or am in any trouble or just want someone to talk to. Funny how I have a pitiful look. The women in church are all mothering me and I get away with free food. The grannies I see all think I am so cute and tell their sons I look so sweet, and all want to bring their grandchildren for the next visit. I didn't know I was a walking talking zoo exbihit.

There are now quite a few DIY bits and bobs to be fixed. I shall take advantage of all people who are any good at DIY. Why waste the talent?

*Fishing for compliments alert!!!*

I carried a coffee table from Ikea all by myself. I also carried a storage box AND a fleece throw AND a cushion AND some more lace for my window. Are you impressed or what? My mum was very impressed as this is about the heaviest I have ever managed to lift all by myself and she sent me an email telling me so. And I took public transport okay! Now tell me I am the strongest woman you have ever known!

I wanted to go to Taiwan for Christmas, but all the tours are fully booked. So I have to look for tours to hot springs in China. Wish me luck. I want to vege out this Winter.

Amazing China

I went to China on Saturday. Some people say visiting China is a profound and emotional experience as that is where our ancestors came from. They who struggled so much and left in search of greener pastures, settling in pre-Malaysia and working their way up. So us younger generations should appreciate their sacrifice for the freedom we have and we should take the opportunity to visit the motherland and give back to them.

Well, I guess I gave enough money back alright. My first thought as I walked through the neon sign saying "welcome to Lo Wu entry port of China" was that the place was busy yet less developed compared to Hong Kong. The map showed buildings spanning the whole of ShenZhen, but they probably were not allowed to build so close to the HK border as I saw a cow lying there in the grass along with some vegetable fields. The entry port itself was confusing to get through. I went to the first immigration clearance and there were seperate counters for visitors, HK SAR residents and Mainland residents. So assuming I hold a Malaysian passport, I am a visitor, I queued as such; to be told that I am HK SAR resident and should queue in that line. Then there was another immigration counter that had lines for HK SAR residents and Foreigners. Thinking that I am in the former, I was surprised that they turned me away as I was a foreigner. -_-

They are not very pollitically correct here, as they just say 'Foreigner', not 'Other Passport' as most immigrations would state on their entry/exit boards.

ShenZhen was overwelming after I stepped out of the train station. I followed the crowds to the nearest shopping centre and didn't come out till 8 hours later. I still haven't finished going round all the shops. Anyways, I got my curtains done for a fraction of the price in Hong Kong and it only took two hours. I got some lovely chintz green curtains with red and yellow roses. I know it sounds horrible, but they do look elegant really! And I have matching cushion covers. :) I am going back for a creamy white sofa cover soon. And when everything is ready I shall take some photos of my room to make DQ jealous! :)

While I was waiting for the curtains I figured I should do what everyone does when they come to ShenZhen. I went for a full body massage. It was pretty good but I have heard what other services they offered too. They were selling me facials, beauty treatments etc, and I could purchase the masseuse by the hour. I could choose which one I wanted as they all have numbers and I can make appointments in advance. While the massage left me feeling radiant and my skin glowing I shudder at what other activities these rooms were used for. And I went to one of the biggest massage centres in the place too. In line with all the pampering, I got my nails done! I wanted to go for the normal manicure and pedicure, but they were selling me the 'jelly nails' as they called them and they looked so pretty and were not too dear. In Hong Kong it would cost HK$300 for lousy ones up to HK$1000+ for the very nicely done ones with crystals. I got it in ShenZhen for HK$150. They don't come easy though, the manicurist took 90 minutes to do my nails. The lady next to me must have been sitting there at least two hours as she had the most complicated designs. I went for simple plain nails as I still need to work. I feel so bimbotic now. Now I know why people with nice nails don't work, you can't do anything with these nails on!

I like my nails! :)

I also got some more tea. Yes, 24 hours after I wanted a coffee machine, I want tea. I got some Ginseng Oolong in Hong Kong for 40 dollars (on sale) for less than 30g. In China it was priced at around 160 dollars for 450g. And the shop I went too was not the cheapest either. I shall start being cultured and do tea ceremonies instead of dunking my bag of peppermint tea into a mug.

The prices in ShenZhen are supposed to be haggled down. They tell me to ask for 20% of the asking price. I didn't have the heart to, and I bet the traders are laughing at me behind my back. Wait until I am more experienced, then they will know my bargaining powers! I guess I should not go to China too often. Too much choice does bad things to your pocket. Especially when 100 dollars can get you seven pairs of shoes.

Goodwill

For all the people who want to show their appreciation for my services as a podiatrist, they are asked to write me a thank you note. But better yet, everyone can get me presents. I am a girl, I like getting presents. They make me happy. And I am sure you all would rather keep me happy than risk my wrath. Right? Right? *gives a fierce glare*

Anyways, I was just browsing online stores as I always do. And my eyes just happened to catch onto this absolutely cute hot chocolate maker. Now, the gold standard would be the HK$ 6000 Automatic Bean-to-Coffee Krups Coffee Machine. But, when your friends do not love you that much, you have to make do with less. Prezzybox had this machine for only 40 pounds! Nah, show you...

1. Gold Standard
2. Not-so-gold standard but still-make-me-happy standard

Playing House II

The cute barista is so sweet. He looks out for me each day and smiles so nicely. Today he was at the other coffee bar and I was looking around for some cutlery all over the canteen. He came over and handed me a set. I feel so special now. If one day I don't make it to work, at least the barista will notice. I won't die in vain.

The new room is starting to come together. The mattress came today. I have a little cupboard, a sofa bed and my bed. I finished making the lace curtains and will try to hang them up. I am going to the Mainland tomorrow to find proper curtains. They take too long and cost too much to make here. Besides, they have tacky taste. There is very little material without flowers, shiny panels or lines. The curtain shops throw their hands up in fustration when I tell them I want simple and understated curtains. They tell me to be my age (ie: young, hip and happening) and get some with flowers... or even better, Hello Kitty. Everyone tells me to be careful when I am in the Mainland and to keep my money out of sight, my credit card away from anyone, my handbag close and my wits even closer. I am to dress in shabby clothes, wear no jewellery and make up. They are all telling me to bargain down to 20% of the price offered and speak mandarin. I have never driven such a hard bargain ever. I shall try tomorrow.

I went to pick up my duvet last night and saw the cutest automatic bean-to-coffee machine ever. It is so small it would fit in a mini fridge. I was very tempted even though I only take a maximum of one cup of coffee a day. Will anyone buy me one? It would look good sitting in my room and I can drink my coffee in bone china cups and nibble on biscuits.

In the meantime, I shall worry about what to have for dinner. My fridge is full of food I don't feel like eating. Maybe I should start with the tufu and work my way to the kimchi. It's all too healthy I tell you! Oh for egg tarts! *drool*

Poked & Proded

I had an interesting day today. Somehow, all the patients decided to be painfully ignorant, annoying or just ballantly denying any knowledge of self responsibility. We wanted to pull our hair our from Patient One all the way to Patient Last One. On a lighter note, I had my first English speaking patient in a long time and my tongue went twisted and the words just don't fly out as easily as back in UK. I am worried. Does this mean my English has deteriorated to such an extent that basic I-can-do-that-blindfolded-with-one-hand-tied-behind-my-back podiatry explainations are actually difficult to explain? Or it has just been a long time since I had to tell someone right in their face that their stilletoes are not suitable instead of relying on the cushioned translation of the assistant where the impact is lost as they don't glare as strongly at them? One woman came in with a huge rock on her middle finger. We figured it was easily three carats, maybe even ten, but couldn't decide if it was real as it was that big. She was wearing another Gucci ring and another diamond ring and was decked in shiny jewellery all over. The only concern I had was the stilletoes looked too cheap to carry the look off.

Back to the topic, I had my medical check up today and also got a flu jab. They are paranoid about infectious diseases and insist on inoculating everyone. My arm is still sore from the jab. Last year, half the medical personnel inoculated went down with fever, so many people refused to take the jab this year, but the HA insisted everyone get one this year. This means risk is high this year but they don't want to alarm anyone.

I spent the evening furniture hunting again. Got my bedframe and some lace net for curtains. I am so stuck for curtains so I am making them myself. The hostel manager told me too late that there were some second hand beds for sale. Oh well, at least I know my mattress is suitable for my back. I thought my duvet would be my greatest expenditure. Boy, was I wrong. My record is being constantly broken.

I am sure it will be worth it in the end and everyone will love my duvet me enough to visit me.

My First (Proper) Interview

Some reporters came along today to make sure we don't get any lunchtime interview us about the Podiatry Department and how we do things here. They were from a magazine that is published somewhere in Hong Kong and were doing an article on diabetes and teamworking. So with Podiatry being a "vital" aspect in the management of an individual with Diabetes, we were naturally included into the article. Actually, they were going to interview my boss, but she dragged me along and so I sat through the interview too. The photographer was snapping away, and it was very distracting to see random flashes of light. The reporters decided I was photogenic enough to be included in the interview and so proceeded to interview me too. My 10 seconds of fame! They asked questions on why I chose Hong Kong as a fresh graduate, what challenges I face in my work and what vision do I have for my future.

While I answered the standard questions with standard answers and did my bit to plug Podiatry as a noble and worthy profession, I wondered what my real vision for the future was. The reporters joked that I will meet a nice doctor and settle in Hong Kong, while the boss seems to think along the same lines. They have ulterior motives really, they just want to keep me here.

I am furnishing my room slowly. And in the process, I think long and hard. Should I buy the oh-so-pretty dresser and match it with cream lace curtains and grey-flower-on-grey curtains? Or will basic cheap cardboard suffice? How long will I stay here to justify the spending on furniture? I gave up and bought myself a proper mattress and will buy a bedframe tomorrow.The sales assistants seem to think I will meet a nice rich doctor, get married and stay here and then they can sell me a more expensive bed (What is with everyone today?). It has been a good learning experience and I am sure I will be an amazing money-spender when the time comes to spend someone else's money. I got more pillows from Ikea. Shows my priorities are bed-based huh? :)

I am determined to move into my new place this weekend. The double rent will kill me eventually if I don't.

Playing House I

I went to get my Hong Kong ID card yesterday. It looked slightly better than my Malaysian one. And it's also a chip-and-pin type. Then I was motivated to go make my China visa. The consulate was not open, but the travel agency took my request and my visa will be ready on Monday. Certainly worth the extra service charge! So now I can go to the Mainland any time I want.

Being the geek that I am, I decided to go check out the local public library on a Saturday morning. I stayed for a bit and finished a book before continuing my search for egg tarts. I don't know why there were so many detours on my furniture hunt okay! I got some tea in some speciality tea shop. I don't know what tea it is, but it was 40 dollars per ounce. Any tea that is weighed in ounces should be treated with caution. I wanted the same tea that my mum used to plant in the garden at home, which was absolutely lovely, organic and best of all, free. I have yet to try it, will tell you when I do.

I phoned the banker to bug him to come eat egg tarts with me. And he gave me some excuse of being in WanChai and having to go to Ikea. I think he is stalking me. I was in WanChai looking for egg tarts before heading to Ikea too! So we met up for lunch and then went to Ikea to look for things to buy. The Ikea here so small! =( And the prices are the same compared to UK, but converted to HK dollars so things were not cheap. I was looking at all the furniture, and wondering if I would ever be able to put them in my place. I have very specific taste and DIY is not my strong feature. I went about looking at beds, sofas and curtains with a banker tagging along. Then we went to look at duvets. We both needed duvets as it was getting colder here. Everyone was buying duvets! I wanted to get a Down duvet as it is more comfortable. They started at HK$199 to HK$369 for a single duvet. The banker had picked one to find that there was no more stock and we didn't want to wait till Monday. Oh, Ikea has this label on their duvets that states "our Feather & Down is not from live birds". It's pretty obvious isn't it? To get feathers and down from live birds would have been horrific. We went to Pricerite, another furniture store and found duvets there to be of higher Down content and also more expensive. I was looking at slow cookers. The vet takes birds' nest soup everyday for his complexion and I felt left out. The banker went quiet after I told him what the vet does. Then he said: " I think we need to start back on birds' nest soup." Then strode to look at slow cookers. -_- Needless to say, the cookers we saw would require us to cook 1 kilo of bird nest per time as they were huge! But now I know where I can get bird nest as the banker's family deals in it. Maybe I can steal it from him. *evil giggle with shiny eyes*

We went to Sogo, which is a more upmarket department store. There were so many brands to choose from! But the prices were all very nice to look at too. Duvet prices were into the thousands! We settled on one that was 70% Down and 30% small white feather made in Germany. It felt better than the ones we saw in Ikea and the price was not too expensive either. So we got them to throw in a duvet cover into the deal. For another 99 dollars I also got the fitted sheet and pillowcase. When we decided on them, we were told the particular duvet was out of stock. The 95% Hungarian Goose Down one was in stock but way off budget. We looked around some more, and found cheaper duvets of similar quality which was in stock. Something must have been wrong with our heads as we eventually decided to go for the more expensive and out of stock version. Maybe it was the lack of food. But we paid 700 dollars each for the duvets. It was on sale from 2000 dollars so that made us feel better. And the quilt cover was selling for 250 dollars anyways. Besides, a good quilt would cancel out the need for a heater for the cold nights and would keep you cool on warm nights. Yes, that's the miracle of Down. It is a temperature regulator and makes the duvet comfortable to your body temperature in all seasons.

I will now need to find a bed and mattress. And also a sofa and coffee table and rug. I also need to figure out curtains. I am so dragging the banker out again next weekend.

Summary: I wanted to blog about my 700 dollar duvet but felt it needed beefing up.

Coffee Anon

You realise you have a problem when:-

a) You can't sleep at normal average person hours at night.

b) The cute guy at the cafe asks you if you really like coffee so much as you are there everyday.

But then, the reason you cannot sleep is because you are too engrossed in the book you are reading. And the cute barista who always smiles at youwhen you go there is not the reason for drinking coffee.

Me: "Hello, yi bei yat kah fei, um goi."

Cute Barista: " xxxxxxxx" *dazzling smile*

Me: " Huh? Sorry I don't understand cantonese" *sheepish smile*

Cute Barista: " You like your coffee huh?" *smile*

Me: "Well, its okay." *looks embarrassed*

Cute Barista: " Yea, this coffee maker we have here is really good. It makes great coffee." *Pats machine*

Me: *Looks over counter* " Oh, I have that at home too!"

Cute Barista: *speechless*

Me: "Bye, see you tomorrow!"

The truth is, I normally grab a cup of coffee for my boss when I buy my lunch and this has evolved to drinking coffee myelf. So I pick up two cups of coffee daily. While looking at cute baristas may be nice, it is not doing anything for my sugar levels. I'm a sucker for sweet coffee while I don't take sugar in my tea.

Pay Day

I got paid. It was not much, but it feels good to get paid for something you have spent the past four years studying for. And it also means I can go shopping again *yay*.

To celebrate I decided to buy a handbag with the whole month's pay, but then I remembered that I still needed to eat. So I had to pass. But I did get another two tops. Eh, I have no clothes okay! I only brought 1 large and 1 small suitcase. I was looking around for a jacket, and all they have are fashionably puffy dolly jackets. The sleeves are all puffy/large, the waist all loose and the collars all rounded. I will have to wear long gloves with them as the sleeves are 3/4 lengths. I grumbled to the sales assistants that I will feel cold with the inadequate sleeves, and it would make me look fat. They all looked at me funny when I asked if there were sizes that were more fitted. My boss thinks I'm just being an old woman. -_-

Ohhhh! Exciting news. I went to the post office to post letters to people with my new address in Hong Kong. I didn't think I would get the long term accomodation that I applied for. Little did I know, while I was on my way between hospitals, someone had forfeited their room and they decided to ask me if I wanted it. So I am now the proud owner of two keys to Room 420 of the same block. I am lazy, I don't want to move things too far. The catch? I will need to furnish the room myself. I like the size as it is 230sf, whereas families live in whole flats of 400sf. I am going to spend the weekend doing grown up things such as comparing prices of furniture. I have no idea how to go about fixing beds/chairs/tables/closets together. I also need to get curtains or else I would be flashing my underwear to the whole world, and patients would be leaning out their windows to look into mine. I have only had choosing antique furniture that does not require assembly. This is just like playing house but it involves spending my own money.

Any volunteers? Please come with your screwdrivers and drills.

PS: My new address is:

Room 420,

Block A Staff Quarters,

Prince of Wales Hospital,

30-32 Ngan Shing St,

Shatin,

New Territories,

Hong Kong

Gold Stars

I went into clinic on Wednesday morning as usual. And my boss handed me an email from the person I saw on Friday. I had been worrying about the silicone wedge I made all weekend, and to suddenly receive an email from the person got me jittery. *die die dieeee*

I read it slowly (it was written in Chinese okay!). And it was an anti-climax. The person was not here to complain about why I made three wedges for the toe, but to compliment the service received under our care. My assistant and I are apparently the very type of role models all medical personnel should emulate. How cool was that? It was very heart-warming to know that what you have done has touched someone somewhere, and you have been able to use your expertise for the good of others. The person was surprised that we were patiently explaining why the condition was there, what can be done to help it and what precautions should be taken to help oneself in maintaining good foot health. The patient had already expressed gratitude at the effort we had taken to make sure the points got through.

All postive feedback are recorded in our personal records and will be shown when I leave the HA for greener pastures in the future. It is like collecting gold stars in class for good behaviour when you were a kid! I am going to collect as many stars as I can. Why? Because I am kiasu. Besides, stars are pretty and my name is Stella = star. Thus concluding that I am pretty.