Shit Hole

We had a two day Allied Health Summit. I had forgotten that it was on Monday and my boss caught me walking out of the shower 5 minutes to 9 in a towel. -_- Needless to say, we got there just in time to miss the sitting-around-looking-important-for-30-minutes. The talks were interesting to listen to, with various allied health colleagues giving their two cents worth on specialisation and the future of our professions. While there is no mandatory regulatory body for everyone, there are some that are self-regulated while others refuse to be under the regulation of a professional body to safeguard public interest. I find this very worrying as there is no standardisation and professional conduct to follow. There was also talk about specialisation increasing morale and job satisfaction. While I don't mind Continued Professional Development for evidence-based practice, I do not fathom the misunderstanding that morale alone can feed the family. I for one, would not hesitate to work my arms off if it meant that my patients would receive better care. I don't mind going for courses, trying new therapies if it would enhance my practice. However, I do mind the lack of empathy and appreciation for the work we do, the lack of promotional opportunities and how we are supposed to live on morale alone.

They told us: "Morale is like SARS, it is infectious." And SARS can kill. Morale cannot feed the children, enthusiasm cannot pay the hospital bills of our parents while patient satisfaction does not cover the mortgage. In some twisted way, I can understand why Malaysian civil servants sometimes err in their line of duty. They are not remunerated in proportion to the duties and services carried out. They need to feed their families too. Obviously this does not explain why they may have ten children in the first place.

I may just give up on Hong Kong and head for greener pastures. There is so much one-up-manship here that I am tired out just listening to both sides of the coin. I don't like taking sides, division and petty arguements over minor issues. If there is no unity in our profession there is hardly going to be any progress. No one is going to help us out if we don't help oursevles.

PS: Today feels like a maggi curry day. It also feels like a Whale day, until I was convinced I am not a whale and I am not fat and that being a pirate red and white Koi with a red eye patch was cooler.

Kidneys Intact

Guang Zhou by the Pearl River.

I am baccccckkkkkkkk!! I know NO ONE missed me because I didn't get any 'take care' or 'stay safe' or 'I don't want you to die yet' messages on my phone. Heck, all my mum did was to ask me to text her when I arrived, and that was after I called her from the train station saying I was leaving.

Guang Zhou was an eye-opening experience. I had taken the Kowloon-Canton Railway through train and it only took 105 minutes from Hung Hom to Guang Zhou East, pretty fast for the distance it covered. Anyways, some Lonely Planet random facts:

1. Guang Zhou city has a population of 3 million people legally.

2. It is also known as the City of Sheep. I don't know why.

3. There was a high French and British presence in the city living on Shamian Island.

Don't ask me anything else, I didn't finish reading it. :)

The cyclist and some local Malaysians met me at the train station. I didn't realise that there were other Malaysians out and about China. I thought I was the only one. No lah, I just have a limited social circle. Guang Zhou is huge, and full of tall buildings, crazy drivers and rude people. It was raining and cold (5 degrees celcius) and raining and my shoes were wet, my feet were cold and I felt absolutely miserable as my donuts have to be shared. =( I was a whine the whole weekend all because of Seasonal Affective Disorder, really! Haha...

Supper with Keyboard, Gary and Peter. Tzuo Hann was holding the camera.

On Saturday we went to an internet cafe that blasted communist songs on the loudspeakers and did the mandatory tour of bits of the city. It was very quiet and very very very cold. I was walking around complaining my head was cold and my ears were going to fall off and that I was hungry and wanted to eat all kinds of food then changed my mind on what food I wanted every 3 minutes (I thank God that the cyclist was very very patient and didn't kill me). This cycle continued all day until the evening when we went to meet the Malaysian community in Guang Zhou. We went to this Bah Gu Teh restaurant and were treated to lovely Malaysian food! Yum! I met a whole host of people and am now the proud owner of many phone numbers of people who promised to dig me out when they come to Hong Kong. My appeal to mothers with 16-year-old daughters has not waned apparently. We went for a foot massage after dinner. The place was decorated like a fruit orchard with huge ass jackfruits hanging above our heads and pears draped over the potted plants around us. The girls were pretty flirty with the guys and the service was awesome. And I got a 70 minute foot and body massage for the measy sum of 35 yuan! How about that? None-the-less, the boys went back for more the next night after I left *rolls eyes*.

Sacred Heart Cathedral. Note the welcoming committee outside. It is universal.

I went to the local catholic cathedral on Sunday. The place was packed with Nigerians. Now, the Catholic church in China is state-regulated and not appointed by the Vatican. I was wondering what kind of communist ideology is preached in the system. I was dissappointed as the priest not only didn't preach the sermon but his English was so bad, I could not understand a word he was saying. I only figured out he was giving the reading by following syllable by syllable and reading the paper in my hand of what he was saying. I am not joking:

" My name is Peter, I have a brother and am a fisherman." came out as " Mai naai-mee iss-i Pei-teh-rr, I har-vee ah brou-theh-eer ah-nd ah fei-shi-ee-er-ma-an."

I almost gave up at the first instance but managed to survive the whole thing. The sermon was done by some preacher from somewhere that I didn't understand. I double checked to see if I was actually attending some Tagalog mass but apparently it was really and English mass.

Durians! I was being the decoy so that we could steal take a photo of durian.

World's biggest windmill complete with lucky gods on the sails.

By the time I had survived mass and finish a bout of shopping, I was tired enough to go back to Hong Kong. Guang Zhou is full of quaint streets/sqaures packed to the brim with all kinds of wares. There were whole streets and squares dedicated to dried fish, chinese new year decorations, shoes, clothes, chinese herbs, dried fruits even grinding machines, lion dancing drums, musical instruments and whole buildings dedicated to soft toys and bags. It really was a sight for the gawking tourist. The streets were dirty and there were peddlers everywhere. If I was not with the cyclist I would not have dared to venture out and about alone, besides it was too cold and I would have stayed in some noodle shop all day.

The train station was chaotic. I had expected the Chinese New Year rush at the main train station but didn't imagine the satalite train station would be just as bad. The lines were frozen in the North due to the abnormally cold weather this winter, thus many people were stranded and could not get their trains. I was pushed and shoved and just carried away with the tide of people that were trying to get towards the various parts of the station. Police were trying to crowd control and they were marching up and down in lines dressed in their big green communist jackets shouting at people to get off the floor. They were just sleeping and basically camping out there until their train times. I followed behind them and managed to get to the HK-Guang Zhou train area where it was much calmer. Anyways, I got my ticket and had dinner before I left for the safety of Hong Kong on Sunday night with an insight to the desperation China has for it's future. I can see how cities like Beijing and Shanghai will grow by leaps and bounds. Even Guang Zhou is set to follow suit. However, the people in the city leave much to be desired. There is extreme chaos and rudeness. I had a store assistant telling me he didn't want to sell me something eventhough I spoke to him in Putonghua because I was interupting him when he was looking the other way. The cyclist had police shouting at him because he asked directions to the Subway station. We had all kinds of indifferent people who would not help others out of the kindness of their hearts. If you didn't buy their wares, then you are nothing to them. One guy took back his 'offer leaflet' for this store he was trying to get me to go to when I told him I was just waiting for someone, saying that he wanted it back as I was not going to the store anyway! The lack of basic courtesy paints China is such unfavourable light that there is little wonder why people don't like to visit it.

I do hope that deep down inside, there is a sense of morality and would like to believe that the Chinese are not just here to screw people up. Because if they are, I have pretty lousy genes.

Kidneys Willing

This is IT. I am going off to Guang Zhou. Having only ever seen this destination on the train timetable, I have no idea what I am getting myself into. I wanted to get away from it all, sleep in a different bed, have a different pillow and pillow case with a different thread count (Gosh, I am sad). And since Guang Zhou sounded more interesting that Dong Guan (I have not even heard of that place) I booked my tickets.

If I was going solo, I would have booked myself into the best and most expensive 5 star hotel in Guang Zhou for peace of mind. The White Swan hotel is reputed to be the best the city has to offer, even expats in Hong Kong have heard of it. However, yours truly is going on an adventure with the cyclist and he didn't want to have to sell his kidneys for a bed. So I settled for a 3 star hotel that was listed to be good in international trade fair hotel ratings. Please pray that it has a decent toilet and clean sheets. I don't want to suffer for the HK$3186 price difference for two nights. But then the money saved can be put to better use, like at Asia's biggest shopping mall which is supposed to be in Guang Zhou or so Lonely Planet tells me.

Anyways, I am all packed to go. I have Krispy Kreme to comfort me if the ride is rough and I can always chicken out on the first train back to Hong Kong at 8am Saturday! No way am I letting the stupid cyclist push me about to see stupid sights I don't want to see like a hill *shudder* or a watchtower *double shudder* or eat dodgy food *triple shudder*. I am going shopping!

If on the sad occasion I lose my kidneys, lungs, liver, cataracts, heart etc while asleep, then I would appreciate kind friends to comfort me. If I don't make it out alive and whole, I will the following items to these people:-

1. My painting and chicklit goes to Ra as she may find some space for it somewhere.

2. My mango layer cake making class and shoes to Nithia as she can bake and fit the shoes.

3. My handbags can be used to feed my ghost during the Hungry Ghost Festival.

4. My fur shawl to my sister to pretend to be a furry fox to annoy the Fifth Sibling.

5. My Korean Drama collection to my mum

6. My jewellery can be burnt too.

7. My sweets and chocolates and remaining Krispy Kreme to my brother Osbert.

8. My games and Hello Kitty Uno set and all my other books to my brother Oswald.

9. My money to my dad to feed my sister and brother kolo mee every weekend.

10. My tea to be served at my funeral.

11. My plants can go to the banker as there is no way anyone will carry plants back to where ever they are.

12. My Indomee/Nissin/other instant noodle collection can be divided between all my blog readers. So can my instant pasta and anchovies in olive oil.

13. My perfume can be used to spray the room otherwise it will smell funny.

14. My clothes... What will I do with my clothes.. anyone can take la.. do a charity sale.

So that's it. Now pray that I don't die... Don't covet my Hello Kitty sandwich mould.

PS: Happy 10th Birthday Miss Lamby Chai! And extended greetings to Miss Fatty Lambib Chai Ming Lamb on the occasion of her/his 5th Birthday.

Chocolate and Chocolate

McDonalds is my friend. I don't know the guy next to me.

I spent the weekend eating. The boss was off last week and I was working to the bone with ulcer upon ulcer. I had one suicidal person, another two amputated toes, one A&E admission and endless necrotic gangrenous toes/heels/limbs. There is nothing in my podiatry textbooks that I have not seen last week. So I pigged out on KFC and suffered tremendously. The doctor gave me useless bottles of clay water to settle the stomach (who would actually drink the stuff?) and anti-histamines for the virus. -_- She also told me to lay off oily food and eat more in general.

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Anyways, I made up for the loss of minerals over the weekend. I went to the Charlie Brown Cafe in TST and had a mocha frappe and a chocolate layered profiterole cake. The whole cafe was very Hong Kong-fanatical-cute. Hordes of girls were dragging their boyfriends there and it was so cute to see the guys act like sitting in a cafe sipping drinks with Snoopy printed on the outside and cakes with Woodstock on top and waffles with Charlie Brown was the most common and normal thing on Earth. I don't think so.

New friends.

The engineer invited me to this inter-denomination Christian Unity celebration. I had mango cake and lemon tea afterwards to again make up for loss of minerals. You can't just take one shot of minerals! I met a whole bunch of Hong Kong people about my age. It was kind of weird really. Hong Kong boys are very different from other guys. For one, they hang on to your every word. Secondly, they actually buy you all your food. They watch your back, keep your seat, make sure you cross the road safely and would actually bring you all the way home to your doorstep to ensure your safety. Why I bother to hang out with other guys I don't know. Maybe I am a sucker for suffering?

Thank You Jesus! McDonalds is tolerant to the antics of christians at 2am.

I went to have the most amazing chocolate pudding on Sunday. And it made me very happy for 48 hours. I think the happiness is starting to wear off. I need another pudding. Or cake/donut/profiteroles. Life sucks at the moment. I woke up today and I had WRINKLES! Arrghhhhhh!!!!!! I had raised my eyebrows and saw the lines on the forehead. I NEVER had lines on my forehead!! The banker told me I need to take bird's nest everyday. So did the vet. They told me it is good for me and are both taking it. I am starting to believe them. How how? Die la I have wrinkles and soon I will look older than both the banker and the vet and no one will hit on me anymore not even the sleezy old men in Lan Kwai Fong and I will die a slow and wrinkly death. *wallow in self pity*

Random things I am doing this week include:

1. Going for an infection control class that will last 3 hours 30 mins
2. I am going to Guang Zhou! I haven't told my mum and she wll probably find out when I am about to cross the border. I want to stay in a 5* hotel but the cyclist says it will be beyond budget. I don't think so. I need a good toilet, you know how dodgy China is.

3. I went to this Malaysian/Singaporean restaurant on Monday. It seems this week is eat curry week. I shall keep it up and grow fat.

4. I had a patient today whoese chinese name literally means Abalone Prawn Girl. I am not joking.

PS: It's four months since I have been in Hong Kong! Its like almost 1/2 a pregnancy!

Domesticated Mango

Sample Cake

I bet you didn't know you can tame a mango and make it listen to you? All you have to do is to out-stare the mango, and when the mango gives up and won't stare back then you win. Then you can pick up the mango and poke it until it goes all soggy and squishy and you don't want to play with it anymore. Repeat with new, fresh mango until saddistic tendencies are satisfied.
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Anyways, I got a note back from the HR department telling me that I was successful in getting the cake making class I wanted. I have now realised that it starts at 4.30pm and I am supposed to be at work till 5.30pm. How how? I have a meeting that afternoon and hopefully I can get away like 5pm and then find an excuse not to head back to work! Haha.. I got the Mango Layer cake class I wanted. I went to the site of the store and found the picture of a similar cake. They don't show too many online, but enough to make you drool in anticipation. I should have gone for the Chocolate Torte... Beggars can't be choosers! I am still happy, AND I get a whole cake all for myself at the end of the class!

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The boss is off work for the week. All I have seen today are ulcers and more ulcers. I have not seen so many ulcers in four years of uni compared to today. I have another ten to look forward to tomorrow and some teaching of the masters students. Someone just marry me and make me stop working. Ahhhhh!!

Boston Tea Party

If anything, China is good for buying tea. I mean while you can get just about everything in China for a price, I would normally get them elsewhere for peace of mind. However, I was getting my nails done and decided to buy some tea to bring back for Chinese New Year. Yalah, I resisted fake nails as I need to rest them for a bit before I jazz them up again to make my sister jealous. =)

I got some rose tea which is supposedly good for the complexion and for slimming (the things they tell you!), some flower ball tea where you can watch the ball of tea bloom into a beautiful green flower with a red flower in the middle suspended on a stem, some chinese tea for old people that I can't remember the name of and some 'tie guan yin' @ Iron Goddess of Mercy tea. I tried this other tea that smells like milk and another that looks like a giant biscuit. All these teas are believed to have some function or another. I believe tea is drunk for the taste and the smell. It is also a good way to get water into your system and to entertain your friends at a party. And to strike another bird with the same stone, it will please the grandparents and the friends when you buy them good tea. Tea is good for comfort.

On a lighter note, the Aussie Malaysian Medic is back in town along with this cute Indian ophthalmologist from Oxford. They want to go bungie-jumping in Macau and are trying to con me into it. Peer pressure can make you do a lot of things. We will however, go check out the fake Disneyland in Shenzhen one day. I can put the pressure on just as well!

New Blood

My Narcissus are growing well! *cross fingers*

There are some new people here. I met one of them today as I was microwaving in the pantry. These Orthopaedic surgeons are here from BeiJing for their exams. While they may look geeky and speak little English, they displayed great interest in my profession. So I guess I will have some doctors breathing down my back in clinic some day!

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I went to ShenZhen yesterday for a relaxing massage and to explore the city a bit more. I should never go there again if I want to save my bank account. I entered through another border control and savoured the wonderful view of Hong Kong's wetlands. It was absolutely beautiful with birds and wildlife in their uninterrupted state, then to see the high-rise buildings that China is currently busy constructing. No photo would do it justice so I didn't take any. It just goes to show that China will be a major force to reckon with in the near future. Young Chinese people know what they need to do to be the forefront of development while their Hong Kong counterparts are in denial of New China and are not showing much enthusiasm in taking their chunk of Chinese pie. House prices are on a rise in all parts of China as demand outstrips supply. As I sat in Haagen Daaz with my blueberry cheesecake that costs the same amount as lunch for two at the local noodle shop, I sit in wonder at the ingenuity of the Chinese in their desire for fame and fortune. My Hong Kong friend who was with me marvelled at the state of the city compared to a mere three years ago. There is starbucks and Haagen Daaz, KFC and McDonalds, and Mango and Zara as well as well-known local designers. The stores are bigger, brighter and better than Hong Kong. The products are different and the place is full of real and fake goods.
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I got myself two dresses for Chinese New Year and a pair of shoes. My shoes cost RMB35 only! That is like RM17/₤2.20/USD 5 for those who were wondering. Even if I wore it once it would be worth it! :) I also got two very pretty hair pieces that cost me just over RMB 600. It's okay as it's bright and shiny, so that cancels out the cost of the clips, one which was a 3-purple-sunflower piece and the other was a cute blue heart. I got some other stuff too and a cute dress/PJ that I could run into work in should I wake up late hehe... Oh, I have a red 'year of the Rat' underwear for luck and fortune! :)
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The Hong Kee Glaswegian made a very insightful observation:

I do not need a boyfriend/girlfriend, I just need a friend to be with. My future boyfriend will have a hard time as I am an independent person and have my own dreams and ideals. He would have to be able to pace the relationship well to be able to survive himself and make me happy. I will either marry someone who is just like me and enjoy the clash of two equals and happily take all the criticism/insults/annoying habits we will pour on each other. Or I will have a very loving and passive husband who will be able to take all that I am and comfort me and soothe me while letting me get on with whatever I may be campaigning for at that point in time. He should quit his day job at the bank and start a stop at the fortune telling street in Temple Street!
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Anyways, it is back to work on Monday. 22 days till home! And it is getting cold again *double yay* and the cyclist is coming *triple yay* and I get to eat Krispy Kreme again *∞ yay*.

A second of fame

I am famous! :)

Remember the guy who is cycling home to Malaysia? His air ticket home is much cheaper but he decided to bike it.. Anyways, he is coming to visit in 2 weeks hopefully. So I am officially the only person other than his dad that he will meet twice on the trip...*Stalker!*

Tzuo Hann is out of Su Zhou now, and biking South.. We will go and cram as many Krispy Kremes into our stomachs when in Hong Kong. It feels cool to be mentioned.. hahahah..

Check it out here:
http://videos.thestar.com.my/default.aspx?vid=811

So dodgy right? To be the 'friend'. Hahaha

Spot Check

Water lilies.

The Infection Control Nurse is coming to inspect us tomorrow. From what I gather, she will ask me questions and I must be able to answer them. How how how?!! I haven't gone for the course yet! Die la like that... And the information booklet they asked us to read is bilingual and probably translated from Cantonese to English, which makes the English hard to read.
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On a lighter note, they are implementing a newer and more 'efficient' referal system. Basically, they want to disable direct referals and pass people pieces of paper so that these old and hardly mobile people can hobble over to the various departments to pass the paper to us and get an appointment. It shall be an interesting experience. We are going see a rise in workplace violence and customer complaints in the next few months.

I saw this lovely diamond pendant today but I don't think it is wise to spend my entire salary on it. :( If only I didn't need to eat/sleep in a room/buy pretty things *sigh*. I shall save up and buy it eventually! Or I could spend my annual salary on an MBA. My dad thinks an MBA would be more useful, while my mum would prefer diamonds. Decisions decisions..

Anyways, I am off to cram for the infection control check tomorrow. My old assistant came back to visit us looking radiant. It is either the lack of work stress or the power of falling in love. I don't think I will be trying either at this point in time.

To cram for scary infection control questioning!Wish me luck!

PS: I am so ditzy today, I wore my slippers to work... -_- And some one took my orange juice out of the fridge AND my last Yakult! Grrr...

Honest until you die

Miss Korea 2007: Honey Lee from http://popseoul.com/category/honey-lee/

My mum has been subtly sending me emails about husbandry expectations, being nice to people in case I have to marry them in the future, not bullying guys *rolls eyes* and no age limit to potential suitors (Yes, she said age is no issue).

I know, she is being discreet huh? Ha! Today I got an email telling me to go home early so that I don't tempt people (how does staying out after 9pm tempt people more than before 9pm if you spend it in the train/library/shops). She also cited the ex-health minister and how I should see what type of man he is.

Moral of her story: watch out for a good man, make sure he is honest until he die.

I am not joking. Those were her exact words. I was flabbergasted to read her email... Normally I just take it with a pinch of salt, maybe some sugar too. But I found this particularly funny.

*Stella's Arranged Marriage Meeting of Potential Husband*

Stella: So, are you an honest person?
Potential Husband: Sure, I am an honest person *gives sincere smile*

Stella: How can you prove your honesty? My mother wants a guy who is honest until he dies... *gives dazzling colgate smile*

Potential Husband: *sweats* Errr...

Stella: Am I fat in this? *points to hideous green and orange polka dot puffy dress with frilly purple bows*

Potential Husband: No

Stella: *opens secret trapdoor to pet crocodile pitch*

Anyone who wears green and orange polka dot puffy dresses with frilly bows purple bows should be shot. And anyone who says it looks good either needs new glasses/infatuated/lying and thus should not be married.

Besides being brilliant after-work entertainment, my mother never fails to act out her loanshark character and demand I pay back my uni fees. My family is wonderful don't you think?

Counting Down

Shatin Park

I realised that this time next month it will be Chinese New Year. Time flies when you are supposed to be having fun. Soon my boobs will reach my feet before I know it.

I went to the Heritage Museum in Shatin on Sunday. The day was bright and the sun was shining, so I decided to walk along the river to the city centre. It was pretty nice to just chill out and watch sweaty men jog by. :) I walked through Shatin Park with paths leading to various different themed walled gardens. The birds were singing and you could hear a woman singing oldies on some karaoke machine. Yes, there was a woman singing on a microphone in the park and you could hear her across the river. I came across a group of senior citizens in a clearing waltzing away to the song. They were so elegant yet relaxed. It felt as if you were back in the 1920s and 1930s nightclubs. Quite a varied crowd was gathered around watching the dancing. If I could dance I would have joined in.

The Museum was not too bad, worth an afternoon of my time but not any more. There were themed exhibits on chinese opera, New Territories history, Hong Kong fashion, CantoPop and a chinese artifact exhibit. One thing for sure, T. T. Tsui who donated a whole museum of antiques much be freaking rich! I am not a religious follower of the famous, so I didn't care for whole exhibitions of Hong Kong popstars, their successes and their concert costumes.

Chinese Opera dressing table.

29 days till I go home! 29 days till Kuching Kolo mee! I can't wait! =D

Flower Power

Legs that need liposuction.

I am begining to think my blog is turning into a 'day in the life of a bored podiatrist' log. Certainly not as interesting to read as say, someone who does brain surgery or makes amazing looking cakes and posts them up blown-up in size. I am not that cruel as to tempt you with cakes I cannot make.

The new year started with a bang. I had my first Diabetes screening clinics, which was interesting. There were more cute guys to look at! :) We started the morning with four referals to the vascular surgeon and two to Accident and Emergency. Yes, 2008 is starting to wear us down already. We went off to the Podiatry Commission training on Friday. I was hungry and had yet to have breakfast and we were late. But the boss very kindly told the driver to take us to the nearest Starbucks. I love my boss. Krispy Kreme was too far away and I can't eat cake in the morning. The scholar was pretty uncomfortable as she sat there jitterly while the boss and I leisurely ate our breakfast and had coffee. People can be pretty uptight here *muse*.

The conference was a bore and I didn't know most of the people there. I am sure they were dying to find out more about me as they were all staring blatantly. I hate being cross-examined so I didn't give anyone a chance to talk to me. They thought the scholar was me, and asked her questions while I nonchalantly slipped away. By the time they realised, I was safely in the 7-11 buying Hello Kitty gummies. We agreed unanimously that the Saturday and Sunday session can be skipped. I rather spend my day doing more condusive things like sleeping. So I did. And woke up to go to the Flower Market in Prince Edward. They had so many pretty flowers! I bought some narcissus bulbs and a planter, and some pink water lilies and a vase for them. I wanted some purple roses, but I figured I wouldn't be able to carry them to the cinema. Besides, it is always nicer to receive flowers than to buy them yourself! *hint hint*

I was off to the cinema to watch National Treasure 2. This is the third time I have gone to find this movie and finally managed. It was not as good as the first one, the bad guy was not as evil but I guess it was okay. I wouldn't watch it again. I am off korean drama series too. What has got into me? I am suffering from shopping fatigue and managed to not buy this pretty leather bag I saw today. It was on sale too! But I got some lingerie yesterday.

Which brings me to this: I CAN'T FIND FITTING LINGERIE!!!

Gah! They don't stock my size. Even M&S has to order in from UK and that would take 6 weeks.

I made do with alternate sizes but I am fuming. I can't buy the pretty bras they have in the shops as they don't have anything beyond C and below 32. Otherwise I spend a fortune to buy a proper size when I can get 6 bras for that price elsewhere. I am determined, however, to stock my drawers with pretty lingerie. Good underwear makes a happy person. And you never know when you will be wheeled into A&E. Be prepared!

I have been trying all kinds of local Hong Kong food. Some I like, others I stay away from. Maybe one day I will pick up the guts to try smelly beancurd. The smell is terrible, yet I see hordes of people eating it. One day.. one day.. for now, I will stick with siew mai and fish balls.

My new phone: It was the pink that clinched the deal.

Into 2008

Resolutions are meant to be broken, so I won't make terribly difficult ones so that if I break them I won't feel to bad. And I will add a nice contra-indication at the end for breaking a resolution. Something like eat two egg tarts instead of one.

I was going to spend New Year's being a bore and telling you how sad my life is. It is sad anyways, but I will dwell on the nice things. It is always good to think positive at the begining of the year! :)

We went to Tsim Sha Tsui for the countdown fireworks. Now, TST is supposed to be the best place to be on New Year's eve, or any public display of fire for that matter. I was excited to go have some fun and usher in 2008 with a whole host of characters. I couldn't have been further from the truth. People were sober, solemn faced and walked in straight lines. :( They were also staring at the few drunk tourists who were having a good time. The fireworks were lacklustre at best. They had occasional spurts of fireworks akin to impotence, and gullibule crowds were oohing and ahhing over every spurt. How sad is life? The actual 30 second display when the clock struck 12 was pretty good tho. Personally I would not want to be working in the International Financial Centre from where the main display was lit. The poor banker must have had a wonderful time at work knowing hundreds of kilos of explosives were strapped outside his window. Hahaha... I should have reminded him earlier! :)

So for 2008, I have made up my mind to do certain things:-
1. Visit China properly and eat nice local food.
2. Sleep in another bed other than my own, perferably in a 5* hotel in Macau!
3. Earn enough money to at least pay one term of my sister's school fees.
4. Eat the best egg tarts in Hong Kong.
5. Grow thin. The dietician has this chart on her wall and a BMI of 23 is considered overweight. I am on the brink of overweight, and I don't know where to start losing.
6. Marry a rich man.

Okay, so item 6 is impossible. So I should punish myself by eating two egg tarts.

Life is tough.