Travelog - New England : a pictorial journey

Mystic, Connecticutt



A pretty seaside town with wonderfully fresh seafood. Had a deee-licious lunch of lobster bisque followed by a baked dish aptly named Seafood Ambrosia comprising crab, scallop, cod and shrimp baked in a butter sauce topped with a seafood stuffing gratin at a restaurant called S & P Oyster Company. Mmmmm....
This is the restaurant where we had this...


New England Clam Chowder! And...

Lobster Bisque!





Newport, Rhode Island

The Breakers - a mansion owned by the Vanderbilts

The Breakers' "Backyard"


Another view of the Breakers


A Newport sunset - view from Newport Bridge


Brown University - Providence, Rhode Island


Lovely architecture typical of the buildings in this Ivy League university founded in the 18th century

The Van Wickel Gates - only opened twice a year: once when a new class arrives and once when the seniors leave upon graduation


Cape Cod, Massachusetts (where I pretty much had Clam Chowder every day - I shudder to think what my cholesterol levels are right now)

Salt Marsh Lake - along the eastern coast of Cape Cod

The following pictures were all taken at Marconi Beach, Cape Cod

Kind of reminds you of "Finding Nemo", doesn't it?



That black blob in the water is actually a seal. A group(a herd? or is it a pod?) of them were frolicking in the water just about 30 feet from the beach!


Couldn't resist capturing this picture of the cloud that reminded me of a face


Sand dune

Lovely beach- but the water was freezing!


Boston, Massachusetts


We found this car decal in the Harvard store (where prices of Harvard paraphernalia were ridiculously exorbitant)


Harvard (IMHO, Princeton is much prettier)



Inside MIT - was not impressed by the long corridors. Looked much better in Good Will Hunting.


MIT


The Boston cityscape as seen from across the Charles River

Impressions from China: Back & Blocked

Back in the land of the Great fireWall and am extremely frustrated with the blocks imposed by Chinese authorities on many internet sites.

I have to use a proxy to access blogsites, Facebook, Twitter etc. After being in the Land of the Free for the last month & a half, I feel the restrictions deeply...woe is me...:(

Will try to upload pictures in the coming days....hopefully it will work through proxies. If not, they'll just have to wait till the Chinese government decide to lift the blocks.

On a Break

Don't have a reliable Internet connection while staying at my MIL's place in the Big Apple so will try to post pictures of our travels when we return home to Beijing (provided the Great Firewall of China doesn't prevent me from doing so!!!).

Meantime, I am "tweeting" occasional updates on my Twitter account.....

See ya later, alligator!

Shop Till You Drop

It's almost 4.30 am here in New York City, & jet lagged woke me up from a deep sleep after an exhausting day of outlet shopping at Woodbury Commons. I badly need a massage now & I miss my blind masseure in Beijing! I could use a good ol' Chinese style kneading!

One thing that I have noticed since arriving here is the inflation of prices compared to one year ago. Toiletries, clothes, movie tickets (USD12.50 person!!! On a weekday matinee!), food....the cost of all these seems exorbitant, especially after one is used to the cheap cost of living in China!

I feel like the crowds that usually throng NYC, especially in the Times Square area, have thinned. I notice much fewer people in the stores and those who are there are mostly window shopping. The number of patrons in restaurants are also noticeably less. I guess the pinch of the economic crunch is felt more acutely here in the USA compared to in Asia where the malls & restaurants of Hong Kong & Singapore are still packed with people.

It is quite sobering to see a usually vibrant city like New York hurt like this. Let's hope that President Obama's efforts to stimulate the economy start to bear fruit soon....

New York, New York

I am sitting here in an apartment in the Tribeca area of the Big Apple & listening to the hustle and bustle of the city just outside the window. This really is a city that doesn't sleep (OK, maybe it just doses off in the wee hours of the morning). The background noise of traffic, and occasionally the muffled rumble of the subway can be heard most hours of the day (& night).

The smell of the city is also unmistakable - a mixture of exhaust fumes, a touch of sewage, & in the Chinatown area, the raw smell of fresh meat & seafood.

I have sticker shock and am appalled at the escalated cost of everyday essentials compared to a year ago. Maybe I've been in China too long. Food prices especially are exorbitant. A typical meal for our family of four costs twice or even three times more than what it would have in China.

I am looking forward to our road trip up to Rhode Island & Massachusetts, especially Cape Cod. I miss the beach & the ocean, living in land-locked Beijing. Will try to post pictures as we go along...

No more

RIP Michael Jackson. May you find peace. Finally.

RIP Farrah Fawcett. You fought a brave battle.

Hah???

I read this and said "Hah???!!!"

So I searched and found this and said "What???!!!"

Only 87 responses.

I hope this doesn't mean that the proposed changes will be adopted in its entirety based on this feedback.

That would REALLY suck.

Prelude

It’s been quiet around the house the last couple of days. Both boys are away on school trips and A & I are experiencing a prelude of what our empty nest will feel like in a few years.

I like the quiet. And it’s a whole lot easier planning meals for two (i.e. a lot of eating out!) than for four.

But it feels weird though, this emptiness. Disquieting. A disquieting quietness, how poetic. My mind can’t help but wonder how they’re doing, are they enjoying themselves, what kinds of meals are they having.

I don’t think I like it much.

Ostrich

People like this never fails to amaze me.

I wonder how Mr Tan intends to shield his children from a comprehensive knowledge of sex education, which, in my mind, SHOULD include being taught the use of a condom. Does he think that his kids are not curious about condoms? Does he think that information about using a condom is the same as promoting its use?

Geez.

Origins

Watched Star Trek yesterday & was blown away.

I've always been a fan of the Star Trek universe thanks to Star Trek: The Next Generation, & Star Trek: Voyager (have watched every single episode of TNG, been to a couple of ST conventions in the US & met one of the starts of Voyager, Garrett Wang. The original series was never appealing to me, a large part due to the fact that William Shatner's acting irks me (& still does despite his Emmy nomination). However, I was curious about the origins of how the diverse, & arguably the most ground-breaking ensemble in TV series history was formed & was hyped when I found out about the new Star Trek movie.

And it did not disappoint. It had me in tears (when Kirk's father died minutes after his birth) & laughter (mostly provided by the comedic talent of Simon Pegg who played Scotty). I was amazed that the producers could find actors who resembled the actors who played the original characters especially Zachary Quinto (yes, Sylar himself)who played Spock, and Karl Urban who played Dr "Bones" McCoy and had his speech patterns & enunciation down pat!

The other movie I watched recently that dealt with origins was Wolverine, with the ever-so-hunky Hugh Jackman. It had a darker storyline and more graphic violence, and despite some negative reviews, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Next up: Night at the Museum 2. It has been a bumper month for movie blockbusters here in China where most English movies take months to make it to the big screen (if ever at all) hence resulting in the booming pirated DVD business.

Impressions from China - Spring Awakening

When I left Beijing for a trip to Singapore two weeks ago, there were snow flurries, the trees were mostly bare, & buds & shoots were just peeking out from their winter hibernation.

Now, two weeks later, there are greens & pinks & yellows & whites & reds all over. Bulbs are sprouting from the groud & temperatures are warm enough for shorts & sandals!

Unfortunately, despite Spring's renewal, there still sits a haze of smog. The Earth renews itself every year. But I wonder what damage we inflict on her with the pollution that spouts into the air every day.

Star Sighting

Guess who I walked past in the transit lounge of Changi Airport Terminal 3?

David Archuleta, runner up of last year's American Idol. Didn't recognize him at first until I heard him laugh the bashful way that he does.

He was smaller & shorter than I expected - probably why I didn't recognize him immediately. He was walking with an airport staff (maybe he is an unaccompanied minor???) in the opposite direction that I was going. When I heard his laugh, I turned around then saw some salesgirls gawking at him & muttering "American Idol...."

If he was David Cook, I would have run after him immediately!

:)

HUMID

I'm sweatin' like a hog here in Singapore....every move I can feel the droplets of sweat forming.

Ugh.

Excuse my absence

I've been awfully quiet lately, not because I have nothing to say, but because I have just been INCREDIBLY BUSY in real life (not that blogging is not real; it's just that blogging is writing about life, but in the meantime, I am too busy living life to be writing too much about it, you know what I mean?).

Meetings on meetings on meetings because of my volunteer work in school has meant less time for blogging. Although the words still churn in my head, especially when I am walking monotonously on the treadmill for 30 minutes, I can't find the time to write it all down. Plus the fact that SATs are coming up soon for son #1 (which means constant reminders for him to do practise tests - yes, I am an Asian parent), AND college lists have to made in preparation for college applications this fall (AAAHHHH!!!!) leaves me with just enough time to religiously maintain my "gymming" every other day, a relaxing body massage on weekends & some chill out time in front of the TV on some nights (although most of the time is spent looking at the screen while hubby channel surfs - Grrr).

I hope to blog more about the process of deciding on colleges for son #1, the impending empty nest syndrome, and peri-menopause (yes, I am that old).

Till then, please bear with me....

Impressions from China - More Snow!

It snowed again last night through this morning.

However, with temperatures above zero today, most of the snow has melted except for some patches on the grassy areas.

Luckily, I took some snowy pictures...

Snowy landscape

Chinese method of shoveling snow...with shovels & broomsticks

Environmentally friendly snow shovel


Snow rabbit

The forecast says more snow next Tuesday....crossing my fingers!!!

Impressions from China - Snow

"By the way, it's snowing," my husband said as he was leaving for work this morning.

That had me jumping out of bed in child-like glee to look out the window.

I don't know why, but snow brings out the child in me, making me all excited & jumpily happy, if you know what I mean. Even though today's snowfall was more of a flurry, just the sight of the white flakes drifting down was enough to put a smile on my face. Most of it melted on the ground as the ambient temperature was not cold enough to keep it solid.

But still, it was nice while it lasted. I guess I would be telling a different story if I was one of the folks living in the Mid-west of the USA experiencing their 76th snowfall of the year..... :)

Impressions from China - Pants on Fire

A friend of a friend took these pictures of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel fire right next to the CCTV building (aka "the giant underpants"). He took them as he was driving past the site.


Unbelievable. Hard to imagine that fireworks caused this.

We drove past the remains of the building today. It was a sad sight, a grey shell, covered with ashen-grey soot. It almost looks like if I touched it with my index finger, the structure will crumble into...well....dust.

There is lots of talk about how it could have been a purposefully set fire for the sake of insurance (read: arson), but it's just talk.

But this being China, who's to say what's true & what's not....

ROFLMAO!!!

I love David Letterman!!!



Don't know what's up with Joaquin Phoenix....is he on drugs or something???

Bedside Manners

This is an interesting article from the New York Times. The physician-teachers who taught me in medical school, & my seniors when I was a houseman ranged from the truly compassionate whom the patients loved, to the abrupt (& scary!). And as a practising physician, I saw the same range of different bedside manners in my colleagues.

Communication is one thing. But to be able to be compassionate especially when dealing with patients, I feel, is just as, if not more, important.

I wonder how NUS "teaches" bedside manners these days. I know that in my day, there were certainly no such modules; it was look & learn, which, as you can imagine, left a lot to be desired.

Amazing Technicolor Family

Reading this article about President Obama's multicolored extended family, it gives me hope that we are entering an age in the USA in which we celebrate diversity instead of propagate prejudice.

Even in Singapore which prides herself in her multiracial, multicultural society, on the surface, this harmony appears prevalent. However, dig deeper & you will see that age-old racism still exists, & xenophobia is quite rampant.

I sometimes read the Straits Times Forum page online, & notice that each time there is criticism about some aspect of Singapore, or when someone suggests improvements using examples from another country, the racists & xenophobes crawl out of the woodwork & start slinging mud at the writers for daring to say bad things about Singapore or that other countries can actually do things better. I find it annoying as hell that people can be so closed minded to everything foreign, ESPECIALLY in a country that supposedly prides itself in being so damned tolerant of the different cultures who live on this tiny island. Talk about hypocrisy.

Personal experience has also colored my vision (pun not intended) of the extent of prejudice & xenophobia in Singapore, with comments (not complimentery) made about my childrens' accent/nationality when they attended a local school in Singapore for a few years.

Together with recent events (both personal, as well as nationally) which, to me, shows that the Singapore government is losing/has lost its soul & compassion, I am not sure anymore that I can make Singapore my home again, nor do I think that it's a good place to raise a family. Oh sure, it's a great place to make money & lead a comfortable life. But apart from the material comforts, I believe that what's in our hearts & souls also needs nurturing....& I am not sure that Singapore has what it takes to do it. I hope that I am proved wrong...

Impressions from China - Fireworks!

It's fireworks galore tonight, right, left & center! 15 more minutes till midnight & it's the first day of the Chinese New Year (gong xi fa cai, everyone!). I put my hands on the window pane & I can feel the them vibrating as the sound waves from the crackling explosions hit the glass. I expect the cacophony to continue till past midnight as the villages that border our compound celebrate the coming of the new year.

We bought our own fireworks to light, which we did tonight out in the freezing cold. So much fun it was, lighting up & then running for cover, with fingers plugged into our ears to shield them from the explosive sounds! Growing up in Singapore, where fireworks were banned, I am now making up for all the deprivation with my sons! (Note: yes, we are careful!)

This is the view from our living room....

Smile :)

If this doesn't put a smile on your face, I don't know what will!!!



Funny Videos

Condolences

My heart goes out to the Travoltas on the death of their son, Jett.

I can't imagine anything more devastating than losing a child....

Quality

So what does the Toyota automotive manufacturing process have to do with health care?

A lot, apparently, according to the book, The Best Practice - How The New Quality Movement Is Transforming Medicine, by Charles Kenney.



The author relates the history of the Quality Movement in health care in the USA, in a story-telling narrative style that turns a book on a potentially dry topic, into a page turner. Mr Kenney uses real-life stories to reveal how the health care industry in the USA has slowly realized that quality improvement processes that have traditionally been used by the manufacturing & aviation industries can be applied to health care systems as well, to minimize "defects" (or "adverse events" in the medical world).

I think this book with the mouthful of a title is a must-read for medical professionals to serve as an eye-opener. Quality in Medicine certainly was something of a revelation for me when I worked for that brief period in health administration.

As medical students & then as clinicians, we were never exposed to the "outside world" as far as systems & processes were concerned. We were taught the way our predecessors were taught: mainly by the mentor-apprentice method, the student imitating the teacher, & oftentimes, picking up on bad habits, and operating within an environment of "blame & shame" so that errors remain hidden & buried under a culture of fear, and hence, hindering any possibility of correction.

This book tells of how a handful of people with radical ideas & persistence dared to challenge, & subsequently, changed & improved the quality of health care, starting with their own work environment.

I am inspired by their stories.

There is Hope yet.

Wolverine!!!

Check this out...

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD


Opens May 1st.

PLEASE let it be released here in China!!!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all a Happy & Safe Holiday Season, wherever you may be!

Impressions from China - HoHoHo

Overheard at a local supermarket, this familiar Christmas jingle...with a twist...:

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one house open sea..."

Holiday Season

This Christmas, we will be spending the day as a nuclear family unlike last year when our extended family came to Beijing to visit & we had a house full of laughter, love & cheer. That's not to say that we won't have these sentiments this year, just to a smaller extent. :)

Bittersweet, really, as my older boy will be heading off to college in less than 2 years, & this will be the 2nd last Christmas we will have together as a family before he ventures out into the great, wide world. More than likely, we will be living on different continents, at least for a couple of years - hard to predict in a semi-nomadic family like ours.

From my experience, it doesn't really matter where you are in the world....if your loved ones are with you, the warmth of the holiday season does not diminish as long as we are together.

Wishing all a safe, happy holiday season (despite the dismal economic outlook).

Not quite a Merry Christmas

"Shares slump in view of economic climate!"


"Terrorists bomb Mumbai hotel!"


"Blue chip company slashes xxx jobs!"


"Dismal economical outlook in near future!"


"xxx Bank to lay off xxx jobs!"


It's quite depressing reading the news headlines these days. Right, left & center, we are inundated by bad news...it's enough to make one just want to crawl under a rock & hibernate until things start looking better.

Even the health care industry hasn't been spared. I would imagine that the pay cuts & layoffs would affect just the senior management, since the actual doctors, nurses & paramedical staff are not that highly paid in the first place? At least, not compared to the kazillions of dollars that CEO's & senior folks get paid in salary & bonuses. Besides, there always seems to be a shortage of clinical staff in the primary care sector anyway, so cutting their salaries would seem rather short sighted.

So I hope that's not going to happen.

But then I'm not an Economist, I'm just a doctor, so what do I know :).

Just speaking from the heart.

TCK's

This is an interesting & different perspective on President-elect Obama & his new team....

I think it will bring focus on the growing population of Third Culture Kids in the world that we live in. With all the conflict that is going on these days, perhaps the future lies in the hands of these young people who have grown up appreciating that there is more to the world than just what lies within their own little community or country.

We'll see.

Reunion

For many of us, the last time we met was just over 20 years ago at our graduation ceremony.

That seems like many lifetimes ago for me. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the life experiences I have had, nor the places I've seen or the countries I've lived in. Then, our main concern was to get through the next night call, crossing our fingers that we wouldn't have too many admissions or get too many pages (I have since discovered that the pager service in Singapore has been discontinued....man, do I feel old & decrepit).

It was great fun getting together with my ex-classmates. I think about half our class showed up - more than expected. I couldn't recognize some of them & it was awkard being said "Hello" to by a familiar face whose name I could not recall! There were a few whom I had to ask close friends to help me identify! Memory is getting terrible. But for the most part I could still remember their names, with a bit of nudging at the ol' brain cells. Most had more gray hair, some with a lot less hair on their heads, some extra pounds (including moi) & a few more wrinkles. Many are senior physicians, with impressive reputations in their own fields. Many are GPs with their own practices or medical groups. But being together again that night, we left our "other lives" outside the door & for a couple of hours, we were med school classmates again.

We had such a great time that there is talk of organizing another get together - not 10 years from now, but 5 years maybe.

I am looking forward to the next one....

Hope

It's been years since I've seen such cohesion among Americans all over the world. The last time was on Sept 11, 2001, when the world stood still, & Americans despaired & united in tragedy when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed under the attack of terrorists.

Today, it was elation I saw, as Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States, the first black president of this country. He won by a landslide & from the footage shown of the multitudes celebrating, I shared in the joy & hope felt by the American people. Obama represents a new age in American politics, where hopefully, diplomacy wins over brute force, & open-mindedness triumphs over insularity.

I hope, with all my heart, that he will live up to the expectations of those who voted for him today.

20 Years

20 years since we took the Final Exam.


20 years since we walked up on stage to receive that much-worked for piece of paper that made it official that we were finally doctors.


20 years since the first time I heard myself being addressed as Dr So-and-So; it felt strange & awkward, a bit like a new pair of shoes that needed some time to be worn in & gotten used to.


20 years since the first call, & feeling petrified/exhausted/exhilarated/hungry/thirsty/sticky (no shower for me that day - no time).


20 years.


I am heading back for our reunion this coming week.

It will be interesting.

Random Musings

It's been an incredibly busy past few weeks for me, as we went away for a short break, & I was involved in the planning of an International Day in my kids' school.

It's hard to know what to blog about these days. I started this blog partly as a creative outlet for my right brain, & partly as a vent for my woes as a physician. Now that I am not practicing clinical medicine, I find myself busy & enjoying my busy-ness volunteering in school, helping to organize events, updating websites, creating poster & flyers & endless other tasks. What a difference it is to be busy & not feel miserable about it like in my previous life!

People ask me occasionally whether I miss it (my practice, that is) - & more often than not, the answer is no. Admittedly, I sometimes feel a slight pull to start working again. But then this lasts for perhaps, a nanosecond before I brush it off & immerse myself back into the role of parent volunteer again.


On a different note, I think Chinese drivers are the worst in the world. Yesterday, I was stuck in a gridlock when the Airport Expressway was closed for the arrival of dignitaries into Beijing for the Asia-Europe summit to discuss the horrendous world economic situation.

Drivers here do not understand the concept of giving way. Neither do they pay any attention to the concept of a two-way street. Long line of cars? Never mind, they think, just go onto the opposite lane to create a nearly impossible situation of cars going every which way, that takes an expert in the game of Rush Hour to solve.


The US elections are on the minds of many these days, & not just the Americans. My husband asked my opinion last week on who he should vote for, as it was & is a tough decision. If I could vote, I think I would go for Barack. McCain looks like a good guy, but the thought that if he dies (he IS in his 70's after all) & Sarah Palin taking over doesn't really sit well with me!



I finally watched Mamma Mia last week (on bootleg DVD of course, where else) & throughly enjoyed reliving the music of ABBA. I was rather put off by Pierce Brosnan's singing though & was cringing through the bits when he had to whine his way through duets with Meryl Streep, who had a very pleasant voice. I also caught "The Rocker", a "School of Rock" copycat which held its own with Rainn Wilson being hilariously funny as a has been rocker/drummer from the 80's trying to regain his fame with a teenage rock band. Next up on my list of DVDs To Watch include "Wall-E", "The Adventures of Zohan" (which probably contains mostly juvenile slapstick humor - but in these days of economic doom & gloom, I need the laughs), & season 4 of Gray's Anatomy.

Impressions from China - Fairyland

Jiuzhaigou - oftentimes referred to as the "fairyland" of China.

It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site; this is not surprising, having seen for myself the magnificent vistas & extraordinary colors of the rivers & lakes in the region. We were in Sichuan last week visiting Chengdu, Huanglong & Jiuzhaigou. Visitor numbers are down this year because of the earthquake. This made our visit more pleasant as we didn't have to fight with crowds for photo opps, although there were still certain areas which were pretty jammed with people, by Singapore standards!

Huanglong, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is located at an altitude of 3,500 m is known for it's unusual colored multitiered pools which look like craters. With powdery blue colored water, they almost seem as if they are man made. But it is the mineral deposits in the pools that cause the reflection to be that color. Many of us were hit by altitude sickness to varying degrees. Some were merely breathless, while others had headaches & nausea. A few took the Chinese herb Hong Jing Tian (I think the English name for this is Rhodiola Rosea) which is a TCM remedy for altitude sickness. Say what you will about TCM, but those who took this herb seemed to do very well up there!

Jiuzhaigou, the highlight of our trip, lived up to its name. The unusual high mineral content of the area contributes to the colors of the lake & the distinct lack of marine life in the waters there. In fact, if we humans drink that water straight from the rivers, it would probably have the same effect as drinking this.

Pictures do much better than words to describe the beauty of the region. So here are some...(I swear, I did not Photoshop any of the pictures...the colors are all real!)

Huanglong

Going up the mountain roads to Huanglong, you see a lot of these "snow clouds".

Multi-tiered pools that is characteristic in Huanglong. Lovely blue color; some have streaks of golden-brown (right side of picture).

Autumn colors surround the pools

Typical view in Jiuzhaigou

Very good feng shui - mountains & lakes!












The pride of Jiuzhaigou - Sparkle Lake - supposed to contain 5 colors - blue, green, yellow, purple, red.













Lone mallard swimming on Mirror Lake - named such for obvious reasons.

One of many waterfalls in the park

Toilet talk

I want to meet Mr Sim....he sounds like an interesting person with a good sense of humor...

:)

Don't laugh, a successful 'big job' is a big deal

THE National Cancer Centre notes that colon cancer is the most common and fastest growing cancer in Singapore, but experts are still unsure why and how to prevent it.

I want to offer a common-sense approach to the colon question from the toilet viewpoint. Don't laugh.

I suspect the busy lifestyle of Singaporeans has resulted in little to no time for proper toilet visits, as well as higher levels of stress, leading to more cases of constipation. These may be the contributing factors to the high incidence of colon cancer in Singapore.

We commonly eat three meals a day. Our first meal, processed by the digestive system, would arrive in our colon roughly 16 hours later. If we defecate only once a day, that first meal stays in the colon, and possibly gets added to by the processed remains from the other two meals about 12 hours later. This means the excreta from the meals stay in our colon and may contaminate it as it tries to re-absorb the toxic material in our waste.

My tai-chi teacher taught me that even if we defecate twice a day, we are still mildly constipated, because logically, we need to release the processed remains of earlier meals.

I advise all readers to do the "big one" three times a day and stay healthy. Even if you do not think this is a scientific approach, there is common sense to it and there is no harm to your body when you do so.

After it becomes a habit, I assure you that you'll enjoy the routine and become a happier person.

In return for my free advice, may I also request you demand for clean toilets because that is another reason you could be holding back your urge and that is so unfair to your colon.

Jack Sim

Founder, Restroom Association of Singapore, World Toilet Organisation, World Toilet College

Impressions from China - Inside the Nest

We finally made it into the Bird's Nest on Monday. The structure is impressive albeit smaller than it looks in pictures & on TV. The Olympic Green is vast, containing not only the Bird's Nest & Water Cube, but also the National Indoor Stadium (left in pic below) & the Fencing Hall (right in pic below).

Inside the Nest

Being a public holiday (Mid-Autumn Festival), it was stupendously crowded but surprisingly, the lines going through security were civilised with none of that queue-cutting business that can be so prevalent in China.No points for guessing what this structure is!

We watched the Paralympians compete: the amputees, the visually-impaired, the ones with CP, the vertically challenged (I don't know of a politically correct way of saying "short" people :)...sorry), & some whom, for the life of me, I couldn't tell that they had any kind of disability, they were running so fast!

Shot-putt athletes - vertically challenged category

Seeing the Olympic torch in person was pretty awe-inspiring. I can't imagine what it must have been like at both Opening ceremonies when the torch was so dramatically lit.



London has a REALLY tough act to follow...

Impressions from China - Tainted Milk (again)

What is WRONG with these people???!!!

Once again, China is embroiled in another food tainting scandal, again, affecting babies mostly. Milk is the most fundamental nutritional necessity for young children, & yet, China's wonderfully ethical people are willing to risk these young lives for the sake of the almighty Yuan. Sorry if I am generalizing but this has me fuming.

No matter how wonderful the Beijing Olympics may have been at face value, underneath it all, these detestable acts are still going on. One of the affected brands, Yili, is even a Beijing Olympic sponsor & bears this logo
on its packaging, which means that this product was produced in an environmentally friendly way. Yeah, right. Save the environment; kill the babies.

Sorry if I sound so skeptical. But I am in a crummy mood.

Impressions from China - Beijing Paralympics 2008 - Cycling

I went to the Beijing Olympics Velodrome today to watch the Cycling event of the Paralympics. I figured it was a great way to check out the venue & at the same time, watch these amazing athletes who don't let their disabilities hold them back from what they want to do & excel at it.

The Velodrome

The Velodrome is situated in the south-western part of Beijing - it took us over an hour & a half to get there! The heavy traffic didn't make it any easier - so much for the odd-even number arrangement (which is still in place till at least Sept 20). In any case, the first sight of the Velodrome was an awesome one. It resembles a UFO. Inside, it's spanking new, but the seats are not for the acrophobic as there are no banisters to help you climb up the steps in the spectator seats, & nothing to prevent you from falling down to the lower levels of the seats!

Inside the UFO

It was amazing (& humbling) watching the parathletes compete; some were amputees, cycling with only one arm & one leg; others were visually impaired, riding on tandem bikes with a pilot in front to guide the way; yet others had cerebral palsy of varying severity. All rode at speeds faster than what I could ever probably achieve!

Outside the Velodrome

At times, we were trying to figure out what kind of disability they had. We didn't mean to be insensitive, but they were so good, that it was sometimes hard to tell that they even HAD any disability!

Amputee -Category LC3

Visually Impaired - Category B/VI

Video of part of the LC3 event (this cyclist only had one arm & one leg...but look at him go!!!)

Medal Ceremony

We watched the Medal Ceremony of the Cerebral Palsy category in which Great Britain won, & I believe, broke the world record! Somehow, something about seeing the flags going up as the national anthem of whichever country won the gold medal brings up the emotions in me & makes me tear up!

Next up - the Bird's Nest athletics event next week! Stay tuned!

Whew

It's been a crazily busy summer. Hence my infrequent blogging entries.

Two trips to opposite sides of the world - visiting colleges, visiting family, sightseeing; moving house (note to self - it doesn't matter if you move halfway across the world or just around the corner, packing/unpacking/sorting stuff out involves pretty much the same amount of work) ; a health scare within the family which has turned out well in the end, thank God, & last week, a busy busy week welcoming new families to school (I volunteer in the PTA).

I can finally breathe, & I now need a vacation (planning one now...hopefully will work out & we will get to see one of the natural wonders of the world: Jiuzhaigou in October)

:)

Waxy Buildup

This article I read today (click the title of this entry to link to it) brought back not so pleasant memories of one of the less desirable tasks I had while working in the polyclinic/GP clinic/even A & E...that of having to remove impacted ear wax. Ugh.

Some people just have this tendency to produce lots of ear wax which eventually just clog up the whole ear canal & create discomfort, itching, & hear loss. Sometimes giving them olive oil or Waxsol helps to soften & dislodge it, but occasionally (too often for comfort - mine, that is) even that doesn't help & they would subsequently come to see me to get it syringed out. Yuck.

I tell you, the sight of pieces of ear wax floating in the waste water that gets flushed out ain't pleasant at all. And I swear to God, some of those pieces are as large as one of my distal phalanges! Eew.

Impressions from China: Fake Goods & Face Value

We know that China has the dubious honor of being the land of pirated goods, be it DVDs, software, electronics, handbags or tee-shirts. So I shouldn't have been surprised by the revelation that the little girl "singing" at the Olympics opening ceremony was only lip-synching.

However, I don't think that the lip-synching was the issue; it was the reason given (the real singer was not "cute enough???!!!) & the fact that this was not revealed in the first place.

By trying to put on a "perfect" face for the world to see, China has lost face, & shown herself to be dishonest & shallow. Yes, appearance is important, but not the most important thing in the world. When China realizes this, they will, then, truly be respected.

Having lived in China for the last 1 & a half years, I have come to the realization that much of what they do, & the attitudes of the common people is based on "saving face" & showing the appearance of perfection. But underneath that perfection, one sees that inside, things are far from perfect, & the Chinese still have a long way to go before they become something that not only looks good, but also feels good.

A Whole Lot of Diggin' Goin' On

Since coming back to Singapore for the summer holiday (& to get away from the Olympics), I've noticed a lot of digging happening along many streets. It seems as if every road I happen to drive on has barriers, lanes blocked off, lines being laid, pipes being buried etc. Many familiar buildings are gone, to be replaced by construction sites hidden behind wooden barricades advertising "New Developments!"

Cranes (the mechanical kind) are fast becoming the National Bird of Singapore, as they inundate the landscape.

I've also noticed an increased number of foreign workers, not just the manual labourers, but also in the service industry. Not that this is bad, but honestly, it's often quite hard to understand what they are saying especially if they are speaking "English" (quotation marks deliberate).

Hmm, there may be a market for English language schools here in the near future, catering to teaching Proper Spoken English (which would also be useful for many Singaporeans :)).

Money Money Money

Bad form, I say...bad form, Dr Pant.

Who wants to bet that money is the underlying root of his complaint here?

When doctors go public to criticise their compatriots, who have donated their time in helping the less fortunate, it leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. He could very well have used his time & energy to work WITH the Singapore doctors/custodians of the funds to see how arrangments can be made to help Ganga.

Maybe it's just me, but this sounds like plain whinging to me. Not at all professional.

Bad form, Dr Pant.

Lethargy

OK, I plead guilty. I've just been plain lazy.

After a rather eventful, busy & tiring month June/July, I have just wanted to chill & do NOTHING in Singapore. What with

1) Pre-packing for our move;
2) an almost 3 week vacation in the US during which we walked what seemed like hundreds of miles doing college visits;
3) returning to Beijing & moving house;
4) unpacking & sorting through our stuff at the new house;
I guess my lethargy is understandable. And the humidity & heat (both in Beijing & here in Singapore) don't help either.

Many are surprised that we are here in Singapore away from all the Olympic excitement in Beijing. But it really has been rather inconvenient for Beijing residents. Especially if you don't live in an area that is easily accessible via public transport. And despite all the measures, it looks like air pollution remains a problem - too little, too late some say.

So here we are, catching up with family & friends (& food!), enjoying movies (in theatres, not on pirated DVDs!), enjoying unfettered Internet access, & being just plain lazy.

:)