NOLA*

*New Orleans, Louisiana

We literally drove over bayous & lakes to get to New Orleans. The sight of trees growing straight out of the Louisiana swamps was an alien looking landscape, especially for "newbs" like us.

First stop: Bourbon Street - a rich history, lots of color, raucous crowds, music bars, plenty of alcohol (including huge ass beers :)), & a dash of sleaze pretty much describes this area in a nutshell.
We went to the French Quarter of New Orleans, where Bourbon Street is located, going on a walking tour of the allegedly haunted buildings in this notorious part of the city. We didn't see any ghosts but learnt some interesting history & trivia of the city, including how jazz music originated (music played for prostitutes - "Jezebels"; hence Jez -> Jazz) on their day off, why prostitutes are also known as hookers (hooks were a means they used to pull men into their brothels) and why excrement is also known as "shit" (Ship High In Transit - referring to ships which were used to bring in excrement used for manure).

Tulane University has a lovely campus situated not far from the Garden District. Damaged by Hurricane Katrina, this university has experienced an amazing resurrection with the highest ever number of applicants to its undergraduate program this year. We visited the school with W. who expressed that he really likes it. We will see what happens. :)

The Garden District, in which our hotel is located, has many lovely old homes with beautiful architecture. I wish we had had more time to go on a walking tour of this area. But with our tight time schedule, & the debilitating heat/humidity of the New Orleans summer, not this trip.One of many examples of the lovely homes along St Charles Ave in the Garden District

And we HAD to try the famous Cafe Du Monde chicory coffee & beignets! Scrumptious donut-like pastries, slightly crispy on the outside, tender on the inside smothered under a generous pile of powdered sugar, I had to control myself & limit my intake to just one & a half pieces (with great difficulty, I must say!). Like many things that are delectable to the taste buds, these unique snacks are, alas, highly caloric.

Transitions V

We leave for our summer vacation today in the USA. I leave with mixed feelings, as this time, we will be returning without Z, who will stay behind to start his freshman year in college. I know that he is excited about this new phase of his life, but is also sad to leave his friends & the comforts of home.

For third culture kids, I am sure there is also the added uncertainty of whether their "home" (wherever their parents/siblings may be) will still be "home" by the time they graduate from college. Rest assured, no matter where we are, they will always have a "home" to come back to.

I can only hope that during my boys' college years, they will find their place in this world, find something they are passionate about doing, maybe even that special someone who will stand by their side, no matter where they are or what they do, so that they can make their own Home somewhere on this Green Earth of ours.

I can only hope that we have brought up self-confident independent beings who will make their marks on this world.

That, in a nutshell, is parenting - Hopes, Fears, with a good dose of Love.

Shakira - Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) (The Official 2010 FIFA ...

I am not much of a soccer fan but this song makes me feel happy. The haunting African rhythms that accompany the catchy melody, together with the energetic moves of the dancers just makes be feel so good!

Waka waka!

Transitions IV

Even though Z is the one going off to college this fall, W is also going through transitions. Apart from his brother leaving, one of his best friends will also be leaving this summer, returning back to his home country for good.

They hang out constantly with each other, trying to enjoy their last few days together in Beijing, before we head back to the USA next week. They try to make plans to visit each other, sometime, somewhere, soon.

I repeat: it is heartbreaking for me to see my boys go through the pain of these separations. I hope it will make them more resilient.

e-booking

aliendoc is ecstatically happy.

I have finally found websites from which I can buy & download digital books on to my e-reader. This was something A bought some time ago, but was left collecting dust because at the time, I couldn't find non-proprietary sites from which to get e-books. Amazon and Barnes & Noble both had proprietary versions which would only work with their own respective e-readers (the Kindle for the former, & the Nook for the latter).

I started browsing for sites again recently & found these:

www.ebooks.com
www.kobobooks.com
and now even Barnes & Nobles has epub versions

From these sites, I can get either pdf or epub versions of books.

What a relief it is to be able to obtain books again in China albeit not of the paper variety. It is a bit of a hardship for me to not have access to English bookstores like Borders here.

Besides, I am running out of room on my bookshelves.

Impressions from China - Singapore @ the World Expo

This writer was being very polite in this letter to the press...

"Singapore Pavilion at expo lacks zing
I SPENT several days at the World Expo in Shanghai with a few Chinese friends last week. Compared with the other pavilions visited, the Singapore Pavilion gets a 6.5 rating out of 10.

While efforts on the building design, roof-top garden and video by Singapore artists are commendable, we felt that something was missing. The Singapore Pavilion did not make an impact and its features may not be enough to attract visitors."

I was not impressed at all by the Singapore Pavilion at the World Expo. 6.5 out of 10 is too much, IMHO.

A mascot named "Liu Lian Xiao Xing" (Little Durian Star)???!!! With a green durian for its head?? I was shocked & more than a little embarrassed, really, when I saw the mascot being led around in the pavilion. Who thought of this? More importantly, who approved it??? OMG.

The pavilion itself, seemed to me, a marketing opportunity for Fast East Organization. Albeit they did sponsor it; but when their ads feature more prominently than the main content of the pavilion, well, that's a bit too much, innit?

The AV presentation, vaguely named "Urban Symphony" which starred a few Singapore pop starts (I only recognized Steph Sun & Tanya Chua) left me & my family wondering: "Hmm...what's the point of this video clip?"

The highlight of the pavilion (in reality, it was outside the pavilion) was the snack bar selling Singaporean food. We had our taste of roti prata & laksa lemak to temporarily curb our cravings for "local" food.

So if anyone asks me if it's worth lining up 2 & a half hours to get into the Singapore pavilion (yes, the lines were AT LEAST that long when we were there during the Dragon Boat Festival Chinese holiday - another story altogether), I would say "NO"!

Road Trip!

Spent the whole afternoon mapping our road trip(s) in the US for this summer, one of which will involve driving 12 hours to Z's college for a one-day orientation program! Not that I am complaining as road trips are one of the highlights for our family vacations.

In the days before Mapquest & Google Maps (horrors! in my sons' eyes!), A & I would arm ourselves with our handy ol' Rand McNally Atlas, strap our boys into their car seats & off we would go! Lodging would be in a local motel chain like Comfort Inn or Quality Suites, or Hampton Inn; nothing 5-star for us budget-watchers! But it would still be fun family time for us as these motels usually have huge rooms with two double beds that could fit our family of four, and there's something about hotel rooms that kids love.

We have done road trips in the South-east, the East Coast, the New England area, the West Coast and the mother of all road trips - our trek across the continent of North America from Philadelphia to San Francisco just before our trans-global migration to the Eastern hemisphere. What a way to see the country -driving through plains & deserts & Rocky Mountain roads - seeing the Kansas roads stretch for miles ahead in a straight line bordered by fields of green on both sides; being buffeted by the Colorado winds as we crawled along the mountainous winding roads of the Rockies; seeing the great Salt Lakes of Utah & its surrounding desert; being awed by the majesty of the tall redwood forests of the North-west. To me, this is the best way to appreciate any country's beauty.

This summer, we will do a road trip in the South, an area we have never visited before. We will visit the home of rock & roll & blues, Jazz country, guitar factories, music museums & throw in a couple of college visits for W at the same time (sigh - it starts again).

With Z starting college in the fall, I really can't say when we will do another one of these family road trips again.

I certainly hope we will see many more to come.

Transitions III

Z. has to start packing for college soon. I do what I can to help him along, packing a set of stand-by medication to keep in his dorm room in case he has diarrhea/vomiting/runny nose/fever/cramps/sore throat when the college clinic is closed.

The rest is up to him. I restrain myself from telling him what to pack. I ask him to enroll himself in the uni health insurance plan. He needs to do the pre-registration tasks on his own.; the housing application; registering for orientation etc etc etc.

All this a part of the transition & the letting go.

Both for him and for me.

Transitions II

When we moved from junior college into university, we did not have a graduation ceremony. I vaguely remember lining up in the school hall, according to our tutorial groups to collect our 'A' level results. Some of us cried with relief (or sadness) upon opening up that crucial piece of paper. And that was that.

Here, I see my #1 son hanging out, almost desperately, with his pals, daily, trying to spend as much time as possible with them before they all leave for college or university in different parts of the world. For some, they will return to Beijing during the Christmas break, where their parents still work, and get a chance to reconnect with friends again. For others, they will probably never see them again as they head for their home countries, unlikely to return to China again in the near future.

It's tough, this transition process. They not only have to deal with a new phase of their lives, but also with the separation, oftentimes permanent, from their good friends.

I suppose, it will be made easier with Facebook & Twitter & Skype & MSN & whatever Internet social networking tools are available out there.

Still, I feel for them, these third culture kids. It is bittersweet, this life they have, rich with worldly experiences but also poignantly difficult with frequent separations.

Graduation

...one down....

...one to go...

Transitions

It's that time of year again, of teary farewells, goodbyes & Bon Voyages.

We are a transient population, the Expats. The four walls & roof within and under which we live is not really a home. It is the things we surround ourselves with - the myriad belongings, pictures of family & friends, memorabilia collected from each location we have lived in or visited - that makes it Home.

Like the hermit crab carrying its shell on its back, we lug these precious possessions wherever we go, our scrapbook of Life made up of bits & pieces of our experiences.

Goodbyes have become a regular occurrence. Some friends we may never see again, except on Facebook or some other social networking website. Others will remain lifelong buddies whom we may meet again on another continent.

Such is the nature of our existence....and I would never regret it for a second.

You & Me*

*warning - this post contains what some may consider sentimental drivel. But it can't be helped as aliendoc goes through an upcoming life-changing milestone. Bear with me, please.


"It was just you & me, kid. You kept me company when Daddy went off to work. Me, in a foreign (at the time) country, with no family nearby for support. You were what kept me occupied 24/7. You, me and the daytime talk shows, that is. For the first two years of your life, before your little brother arrived, we were everything to each other, an almost inseparable pair.

Look at you now, all grown up, ready to strike out into the Big World out there.

Part of me still wants to keep you close, like during those precious early years. But I know, you have to go, and let you go I must.

The special link between you & me will always be there. Never forget that.

I love you, kiddo."

Separation Anxiety

It's starting to sink in.

My boy is leaving the nest very soon. I guess I have been in denial these past months, but now, looking through his housing options in the university that he will be attending, I am suddenly struck by worrying questions.

"Will he like his room mate?"

"Will he eat healthily?"

"How will he like the college?"

"Will he make good friends?"

There is an almost physical pull where my heart is, and a lump in my throat when I think of the looming inevitable separation that will happen in a few months.

It is a fact of life, this rite of passage. However it is made worse by the fact that we will be geographically so far apart, on opposite sides of the world.

He will be fine. I know that. He is prepared to claim his independence.

But that doesn't make it any easier for me.

I can't imagine how much harder it will be when my younger son goes off to college in a couple of years.

Impressions from China - Shooting the Breeze

Seen on a suburban road of Beijing.

Gives a whole new definition to the term "Convertible".

Crafty - Quilting

From this...

...to this...
...to this...

I am amazed by the way how such diversely different pieces of fabric can come together to form one beautiful quilted throw. How nice it would be if society could do the same.

I am even more amazed that I did it.
Me.
Who hasn't touched a sewing machine since Home Economics class in Secondary 2.

Wonders never cease.

Some of the fabric I used was taken from the sarong material belonging to my late grandma, which gives it a meaningful touch. This will be a special gift to a special person.


More crafty projects in the works....stay tuned...

Oolala 2

Watched Iron Man 2 again this past weekend. Did I say that Robert Downey Jr is sexy as h***?

Oh yeah, I did.

:)

Also, I can't help but keep staring at Mickey Rourke's clubbed fingers & wondering how damaged his body is from his previous "lifestyle of excesses".

Ooolala

After watching "Iron Man 2", I find Robert Downey Jr. sexy as h***.

(Hey, I am married but that doesn't mean I am deaf, dumb & blind).

;)

(...and he's a pretty good actor as well...)

AP Calc B/C

This is a summary of what my #1 son had to study for his AP Calculus finals last week.

Once upon a time, I think I knew some of this. I vaguely remember some of these formulae. Sadly, it is mostly gone from my neurons now. Age & disuse, you see. Never did quite need Calculus in Medical School. Nor in real life.

Just goes to show....when we (some of us, anyway)were struggling with this eons ago, and were cursing & swearing at the reason why we needed to learn it when we were never going to use it again...well, we were right.

Unstoppable

Spring is truly here, but it now feels like Summer. The locals say that in Beijing, Winter transitions straight into Summer & it certainly feels like it right now.

I want Time to slow things down a bit! It's just one month to our first born's graduation from High School and a few months later, he enters into a new independent life as a college freshman. He will be literally halfway across the world from us, making new friends, establishing a new foundation for his own life as his own person.

My head has always known that this is inevitable, but I think my heart is still in denial.

Frogs in a Well

I am going to stop reading the comments on the ST Forum online page.

Many self-righteous narrow minded locals making silly self-righteous narrow-minded remarks makes for frustrating reading.

I have better things to do, thank you very much.

Sewing 101

I bought myself a sewing machine! A Brother ES2400, to be exact.

There was a time where the words "aliendoc" and "sewing machine" would never have been uttered in the same sentence. But I have recently discovered the art of quilting and am now frantically trying to put together two quilting projects before the summer holidays arrive, as they are meant as gifts for loved ones.

My first project is a simple throw made up of batik-type sarong material. A mish mash of loud flowery designs with bold colors. You would never imagine that such different & seemingly clashing designs could go together so well in the finished product. I guess it's a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts (Aristotle. Ha! Another first for aliendoc....quoting an ancient Greek philosopher...who woulda thunk).

I never thought it could be so much fun!

Recommendation

A friend sent me this link to a lovely photo journal blog that so beautifully captures a son's love for his father in pictures and in words.

Enjoy.

Xin Ba Ke (aka Starbucks)

Am bored. Whiling my time away in a Starbucks waiting for my significant other as he chats with one of many headhunters who have been "hunting" him. Apparently a sign of improving economy as many MNC's are looking to expand into Asia.

And with many laying off their expats last year, they are now starting to "restock their pond" so to speak. It's good to be wanted.

La dee da....am bored.

Impressions from China - Spring Awakening?

Confusion reigns on our coat rack. Here it is: a Levi's denim jacket hangs next to a Land's End fleece which hangs next to a hoodie, which hangs next to a North Face down. Jackets for all kinds of cool weather.

It's a sign of what has been happening with our weather here in Beijing. We had the heat turned off (yes, in China, they have this strange heating system that requires a maintenance guy to come turn it on or off, instead of a simple switch on the wall like we used to have when we lived in the good ol' US of A) when the weather hit the low 20's then suddenly the temperature dipped to less than 10.

But 'tis Spring (I think) outside.

Look at this...

...the white magnolia blossoms...


...and the apricot blooms...
...and it looks like it will be a bountiful fall with apricot jam galore again...

...the thorny rose bushes show sparks of life...

...and here come the rhododendrons (at least, I think that's what these are)...

But amidst of all this new life springing forth, the sad, still waters of our outdoor fish pond leaves a somber reminder of the harsh realities of the cycle of life. Our supposedly hardy outdoor carp have not survived the prolonged & frigid Winter.

We will restock our pond again. Once the weather feels more Spring-like.

In the meantime, back to woolly socks, down jackets & layered clothes.

Being a doctor is a tough business

ST Forum Wed April 7, 2010

"Being a doctor is a tough business

DR GARY Ang's reply ("More doctors may drive up costs", March 30) to Mr Choo Kay Wee's Forum Online letter ("More doctors, lower health bill?" March 25), suggesting that more practising doctors may drive up total medical costs, seems to fly in the face of conventional market wisdom.

Among other things, because we are now training three times as many doctors as in the 1970s and the doctor-to-patient ratio has dropped dramatically, doctors as a commodity have relatively depreciated in value and they command a lower asking price for their services. The increase in medical charges almost always is down to the escalating cost of medicine and other costs of doing business, with doctors' incomes stagnating.

That enterprising doctors create little niches for themselves to generate income is a sad but realistic reflection of how market forces have driven the practice of medicine to become a commercial trade.

Mr Choo delights in the prospect of having a trained doctor in every family, seeing this as a way of bringing down medical costs. A few years ago, the Government estimated the cost of training a doctor with a basic degree to be about $500,000. From a pecuniary point of view, Singapore would be far better off importing doctors of other nationalities; it would be far more cost effective and feasible than training a doctor in every family.

As it is, many patients have noticed that the medical staff in polyclinics and hospitals have turned into a veritable United Nations of sorts."


Let's see how long it will take before the snide comments come up in response to this letter to the ST Forum....

Impressions from China - Maybe Rashomon Was Actually A Story About China

Maybe Rashomon Was Actually A Story About China - International - The Atlantic

Another one bites the dust.

Score one for the iron hand of the Chinese Government.

Zero for Dylan fans.

:(

Life Cycles

I hear of the passing of an ex-classmate & the birth of a new baby to another within days of each other.

Life & Death. Things which doctors deal with as part of their work. But somehow, in the way jadedness sets in with experience, it doesn't really hit you until it is in your face & affects someone in your life. It's a wake up call for you to smell the roses & other cliches like that.

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
- Abraham Lincoln

I think President Lincoln had it right. We need to make the most of what we have, live life to the fullest & be happy with our lot.

R.I.P. dear S.

And welcome to the world Baby E.

Maternal Brag

I'd be the first to admit that I live vicariously through my kids.

They are both in a rock band & have been playing guitar & bass guitar for a few years now. They have both shown musical talent which my husband & I sometimes wonder from whence it comes. A. doesn't play music & is just slightly tone deaf (*GRIN* sorry dear). And I can hold a tune & took the obligatory piano lessons growing up, but never was creative enough to write songs, which is what my guys do.

I remember trying to form a "rock band" with my sister & a friend. Very unsuccessfully - 'nuff said.

And now, here they are, my progeny, performing at gigs, occasionally earning money, writing music & lyrics, and tonight winning a recording deal at a music fest!

Whether or not they eventually make music their career, I don't know. But I know that if they have passion for it, I will not discourage them from following their dream, nor quash their aspirations.

I am a proud Mom.

Impressions from China - Google

A. worked for Google China till several months ago. In view of recent developments, we are thanking our lucky stars that he left the company to join another IT company, otherwise we would be in a rather uncomfortable situation right now, not knowing what will happen next, career-wise, for him, & in turn, leave our family situation in limbo.

Living in China, I now truly appreciate the freedom that many take for granted: clean air & water, safe (relatively, anyway) foodstuff, freedom of speech (relative, again, depending on whether one is talking about the USA or Singapore), accessibility to information on the Internet. I find it hard to understand much of China's policies with regards to (restricting) free speech & accessibility to information. I am not a politician (& probably will never be, in this lifetime). I don't understand the reasoning behind blocking social networking sites like Facebook, or Blogger. If China's government truly believes what it is doing is so right, why prevent its residents from seeing what the world is reporting about China? Why censor the facts?

I, for one, am glad that Google has decided to stand firm. For a large multinational company to stand its ground & stick true to its beliefs, despite the economic implications, is uncommon.

Much like how a doctor is supposed to Do No Harm, Google is staying away from the Dark Side. For now, anyway.

My New Hobby

Quilting and aliendoc = oxymoron. At least that was what I thought.

I have ambitiously decided to launch myself into a new hobby as soon as I get home to Beijing.
Inspired by a friend there, who has been doing this for years, it started as a charity project led by a group in my sons' school.

Then I figured that I should give my older son a memento from his loving mom when he goes off to college this fall. "A quilt!" I thought, "Using materials from different shades of his favorite color Blue!"

Then I visited my sis in Houston & stayed at her cozy new home in the 'burbs. And I thought, "How about a nice quilt throw with an Asian touch to keep her & her hubby warm during the cool winter nights?" And I got struck by the inspiration of using batik sarong material to make the quilt, & where better to buy this material than super mega-store Mustafa???

So off I went in search of quilting material, & ventured into hitherto unfamiliar territory in the "Sewing" section of a local craft store. What an eye-opener it was! All kinds of thread, sewing accessories, some of which I have no clue what they are for, yards & yards of fabric.

Then to Mustafa I went, & came back with a lovely loot of pretty batik material. Just take a look...

I can't wait to get started!

To iPad or not to iPad

I can't decide....

John Mayer in Concert

I saved the highlight of my trip to Houston for last to write about. It was a tough fight between the Houston Rodeo & John Mayer, but in the end, I think John Mayer had the edge that appealed to the groupie in me...:)
He performed at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston, home of the Houston Rockets (basketball team). It was an impressive venue & though we were not in the best seats of the house, we were at a good enough vantage view to appreciate his performance.


The opening act for John was Michael Franti & the Spearheads, most well known for their one & only top 20 hit Say Hey I Love You. Their songs were catchy, with a touch of reggae, & blues thrown in. I couldn't decide if they were a reggae group or more of a rocky bluesy kind of group. In any case, they got the crowd moving & revved up in preparation for John's show.
He started it with a bang, going straight into the song "Heartbreak Warfare". Most of the tunes he performed were from his latest album "Battle Studies". He had great rapport with the audience, and did not mention a word about his latest foot-in-mouth bruohaha from the Playboy interview, and I don't think anyone cared anyway!
He ended up the night on the floor (literally), playing the guitar with it lying on the floor at the end of his encore performance "Gravity".



Thank you, John, for a great night!

More Equine Pursuits

...actually in addition to horses, there were also cows/bulls (the appropriate cowboy term is "steer"), goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, rabbits & even a couple of deer & alpaca thrown into the mix - a veritable Animal Farm.This was the annual Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, a huge annual event in downtown Houston held at the impressive Reliant Stadium. It was bigger than I imagined; not only were there the typical events one might think of when you see the word "Rodeo", but there was also a large carnival area where one could play carnival games, go on rides like the Ferris wheel, and also a shopping area where vendors selling a large variety of products ranging from automobiles to western art to, of course, cowboy boots & hats (I was tempted to buy one but then I thought I would look kinda strange wearing a cowboy hat in Beijing).

A Texas Longhorn - this fella was HUGE

The deer that tried to eat my blouse (while I was wearing it!)

There were also events at which steer, goats, pigs, horses were "shown", much like how dogs & cats are shown i.e. paraded around by their handlers & inspected by judges & winning prizes. No clue how they are judged but I would guess things like the shape of its rump or how it stands & how it moves (but don't take my word for it).

Steer competition

One thing that struck me was how "odorless" the animal holding area was, seeing how the whole center was occupied by thousands of animals (steer, goats, pigs etc). One think I learnt is that horse poop is a lot more smelly than the other animals (they had a separate holding area in a different building & we could smell the ammonia-scent as soon as we walked in).

Highlight of the evening, of course, was the rodeo itself. The event started off with a touching rendition of the Star Spangled Banner sung by a representative from the Army, accompanied by fireworks set off in time to the tune (indoors!).The parade

I watched, in morbid fascination, at the bucking broncos trying to throw off the cowboys during the Bareback Riding & Bull Riding events. They (the humans) hanging on for dear life (literally) while being thrashed around like rag dolls on the backs of horses or bulls was almost painful to watch, especially when they were thrown off. One cowboy looked like he had a compound fracture of one of his limbs as it dangled uselessly while he was carried off the arena after being thrown. Another landed on the back of his neck but managed to walk off on his own. I wonder if he sustained any fractures to his cervical vertebrae.

The equestrian skill required to lasso a steer then jump off the horse, flip the steer over, and then tie two of its legs together is a wonder to watch. The horses are so well trained that they know exactly when to stop dead in their tracks when they need to. Horse & Man working together as one - what an accomplishment & a thrill to watch.

The sportsmanship between competitors as well as the spirit of support shown by the audience was palpable as they cheer their encouragement for those who did not do well in their events. One thing that stood out for me was the high level of patriotism shown by the Texans. Last night was "Support Our Troops" night & homage was paid to all the military ladies & gents repeatedly. Very touching.

The night was rounded off with a concert performance by Rascal Flatts. After watching John Mayer in concert a few days ago, this was rather an anti-climax as I am not a fan. I was impressed, though, by the mobile rotating stage that was rolled out to the middle of the arena for the concert.
All in all, an amazing experience!

Note: Please ignore the dates on the pictures - I forgot to reset the date on my camera!

Equine Pursuits

Yesterday, we went horseback riding. I didn't realize how much I missed being back on a horse! I have ridden since my skiier's thumb injury incurred over two years ago during a riding lesson.

It wasn't a challenging ride at all since most in the group were beginners. But still, the feeling of being on a horse again was amazing. I wish Beijing had more trail rides near where we live out in the 'burbs; I would need to travel about an hour out of the city to get to grasslands to ride. Or to Inner Mongolia.

In any case, I am going to look for more chances to ride!

And am looking forward to more horsey related activities at the Houston Rodeo today!

Yee Haw!

Houston - the first few days in pictures

Blue Blue Skies

Strawberry Shoots - Spring is coming

Jet Lag

Carousel in the mall

Shopping in Katy Mills

Traveling

I am amazed by the number of new buildings which have sprouted up in the last several months in Singapore. I visited last week & was astounded by the very new shopping malls along Orchard Road - ion, 313, Orchard Central, just to name a few. One wonders how much is too much?

Am now in Houston, Texas, visiting with my sister. Once again, one of the first things I do upon disembarking is to take a deep breathe of clean clear air, the likes of which I never see (or smell) in Beijing! The blueness of the skies here is hard to describe, & I will try to take pictures over the next 10 days & post them up when I can; as they say, pictures speak louder than words.

We just touched down several hours ago, & from the little I can see, Houston is flat & spread out! The Houston Rodeo, Rascal Flatts & John Mayer are some of the things I am looking forward to in the next 10 days that I am here! Will put pictures up, I promise!

Impressions from China - Pea Soup

I woke up this morning to the worst haze/fog/mist I have ever seen since arriving in Beijing.

Look at this...
That tree is less than 20 meters away, and just adjacent to it is this small street...

...and there is a grocery store just next to the street which is invisible.

And check this out. No, I didn't accidentally cover the lenses with something. It's the road leading in from the main gate of our compound.

Bugs, Bugs, and more Bugs

This has been a brutal Winter, health-wise. Our family has been attacked left, right & center by various viruses (in all likelihood including the swine variety) since October, with sniffling, sneezing, coughing, wheezing, fever, copious mucoid production, congestion (not necessarily in that order) affecting one or more of us almost consecutively.

My usually ample supply of meds ( I keep a good stock of pharmaceuticals at home as I find it a pain to go to the local clinic where they charge exorbitant rates for consultation & end up giving medication which I could very well have prescribed myself) has been almost depleted & I will need to replenish it on my next trip to Singapore next month.

We all had the flu shots (the regular one, not the H1N1) - whether or not it helped, who knows. For some reason, I seem to be the least affected one of the lot. Yes I still get the symptoms but to a milder degree than the rest of the family. Maybe it's because of my previous abundant exposure to all the URTI patients that I had had to see in the polyclinics/general practice that has fortified my immune system so that I have the immunological memory of literally, a thousand & one types of antibodies . I guess some good came out of that. :)

Now if only my brain memory was that great...

Ignoramus

Do more to lower GP charges (ST Forum, February 19, 2010)

Another example of how the average Singaporean perceives a GP's work & his worth.

I wonder if he knows that even with the guidelines in place, GP's were still charging lower than recommended rates for consultation?

I wonder what his definition of "reasonable" is?

I wonder if he knows that the GP needs to pay rent for the clinic space, & that more often than not, this rent is exorbitantly high?

I wonder if he knows that the GP also needs to pay the salary of his clinic assistants and/or nurses?

I wonder if he knows that most GP's have to work day & night & weekends in order to support himself & his family?

I wonder if he thinks that the GP should aspire for a good life & standard of living for his family?

I really wonder....

Tiger Year

Belated gong xi fa cai to everyone! We spent the first few days of the new year of the Tiger in Hong Kong with what seems like half the population of China! Seems that every year around this time, there is a mass exodus of mainland Chinese to the shopping paradise that is Hong Kong.

Armed with loads of RMB cash, they descend upon the malls of Hong Kong & Kowloon, showing the world that they are truly an economic force to be reckoned with. Lines formed outside designer boutiques like Gucci & Louis Vitton (LONG lines outside the latter!) on the second day of the new year, waiting to get in there to shop like there is no tomorrow.

The streets were massively crowded with shoppers, & everywhere I turned, I heard the familiar sounds of putonghua.

Despite the crowd, we had a good time, enjoying the "warm" weather (relative to Beijing, of course), the great food & vast shopping choices. I miss the variety of imported goods that we cannot find here in China :(.

May this new year be filled with good health, prosperity & success for all!

Revisiting

Researching universities as I help my son(s) with the college application process, I can't help but occasionally feel a twinge of envy as I see the infinite possibilities that lay before him. The choices he has & the myriad of opportunities is way more than I could ever have dreamed of when I was his age.

I find myself wishing that I, too, can go back to college, this time not to study Medicine, but to take courses like Film Studies, or Film Production, or Art classes to help me flex the rather atrophic creative muscles (if any!) in me.

Oh, don't get me wrong...I have good memories of Med School (apart from the studying. And the lectures. And clerking patients. And exams. :) ). I look back fondly on times spent in the college hostel, participating in inter-faculty sports and especially of being a part of putting plays together (which was probably my favorite extra-curricular activities - a sign that I perhaps went into the wrong field, hmm?).

I loved the camaraderie of working together with the cast & crew of each & every production I was involved with & the adrenaline rush one felt on opening night, and the exhilaration one felt after the final curtain call of a job well done.

Aaahhhh....those were the days....

Impressions from China - 'Avatar' pulled from 1,628 Chinese movie screens - latimes.com

One word: UN-FRICKIN'-BELIEVABLE.


'Avatar' pulled from 1,628 Chinese movie screens - latimes.com

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"Don't Be Evil"

I read this article about Google's threat to leave China & for some peculiar reason, it reminded me about the doctoring situation in Singapore. I've been getting negative vibes from reading about complaints left, right & center about doctors' overcharging for their services, bad outcomes from aesthetic procedures, death from liposuction, doctors being late at their clinics, and so on & so forth. Being a doctor in Singapore does not seem to be something that is looked upon very favorably at the present moment.

Much of the negativity is probably justified. However, that doesn't take away the disheartenment I feel and even some sadness to see my profession being given a bad name. It seems like the media has focused on the bad apples rather than the good ones, which doesn't help matters at all.

I guess for me, Google taking a stand for their beliefs against the Goliath that is the Chinese government is akin to those family practitioners in Singapore who slog on & practise good medicine & not succumb to the temptation of the all mighty dollar by going into aesthetics exclusively, which many have done so.

Whether or not Google will follow through with this threat, who knows?

I, for one, am hoping that they will. Although it may not make economic sense, it would leave some spark of hope that for some, money is not the be all and end all of everything, and that standing up for one's beliefs and doing what is right is more important.

Don't Be Evil.

Do No Harm.

Sound very similar to me.

18

My first born turned 18 last week, the legal age of consent. He is old enough to die for his country, drink alcoholic beverages in certain states/countries, gamble in a casino, buy cigarettes (in certain countries), get married (!).

I can feel him slowly pulling away. He is becoming independent, a separate entity from this nuclear family. He spends more time with his social circle of friends than he does with us.

As I reluctantly & slowly untie the maternal apron strings, I wish him well & trust that we have raised him to be a responsible and upright human being, with a good heart, and a keen spirit to do well & to do good in the big, wide, and sometimes, scary world out there.

I am proud of you, My Son. In the words of a famous Vulcan - Live Long and Prosper.

New Moon

OMG.

This movie is SOOO BAD.

'Nuff said.

The Big Screen

Avatar was an amazing experience. To call the experience "watching a movie" would not do it justice. The storyline was admittedly predictable & rather cliched (sorry, Mr Cameron!). However, all was forgiven by the jaw-dropping, newfangled CGI technology that was used in the making of this blockbuster epic (last count: more than 1 BILLION USD in ticket sales worldwide!!!)

Watching it in 3D made it even more awe-inspiring. What made it even more special for me was being able to see emotion on the animated faces of the Na'vi; and (I know this sounds strange) that James Cameron even made sure that Jake Sully's paraplegic legs looked appropriately atrophied!

The Avatar story reminded me of what happened to the Native Americans on the plains of North America hundreds of years ago. At the same time, it echoed currently trendy (and deserving) calls to save the Earth from the ravages of Mankind.

I enjoyed the movie, cliches and all, with its hopeful ending.

Another movie that I recently watched and enjoyed, this time on DVD, was The Blind Side, based on the true story of American football player Michael Oher. An African American teenager abandoned by his drug addict mother, he is taken in by a wealthy white family, the Tuohys, and goes on to fulfill his potential both academically as well as in athletics. He was recently drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL Draft.

It is unabashedly a feel-good movie, full of hope & inspiration.

As you can tell, I love these kinds of shows where the underdog ends up triumphant, the heroes end up saving the day, and where good defeats evil. Much better than the gore & violence of movies like "Inglorious Basterds", or "Kill Bill" (not a Quentin Tarantino fan - sorry) or any of the other thousand and one horror movies out in the market today.

Next up - Sherlock Holmes - which is supposed to come to the big screens in Beijing next week *fingers crossed*...

Impressions from China - Snow

The snowfall yesterday lasted almost 24 hours & left us under a mantle of white...lovely to look at, but treacherous to traverse. It seems that the Beijing municipal government isn't terribly good at snow management, seeing that they typically get very frigid but rather dry winters, instead of the 12 inches that landed on us yesterday.

Flights were delayed, & the streets, especially those not considered highways or main roads, are difficult, not to mention dangerous to navigate on. Inexperienced drivers going too fast or accelerating too quickly find themselves skidding on the slippery surface, especially when the cars & tires are ill-equipped to be handling snow/ice covered surfaces. Add to that the rather lousy driving skills & etiquette of the typical Chinese driver & you have an accident waiting to happen.

Today in the city, I saw hordes of workers armed with snow shovels, gardening shovels & even brooms attacking the heaps of snow. Human labor in China is so much cheaper than buying a mechanized snow plow, it seems. I saw two workers standing on the back of a pick up truck next to a pile of salt, sporadically shoveling salt on to the roads as the truck moved slowly onwards in the city. Astounding.

More snow is expected on Friday, and temperatures are expected to plunge to as low as -16 C, as winds from Siberia blow into town. Let's hope that the current load of snow is cleared before the next load arrives.

As it is, driving around is already such a pain, as we have to go at snail's pace most of the time because of all the uncleared snow & unsalted roads. Yes, snow is pretty...but damned inconvenient to live with. Maybe I should invest in a pair of cross country skis.

Meantime, it looks like tonight is a good night to enjoy a mug of hot chocolate (or a glass of port)to warm up the innards, snuggle on the couch under a cozy throw, and watch a good movie with The Significant Other.

There is Hope

A friend recently shared this article (click on the title to link to it) on Facebook (yes, I have Facebook & not ashamed to admit it!), which gives me hope that my brain still retains the ability to learn even in middle age.

What is written about the forgetfulness & absentmindedness is so true, especially the bit about forgetting about things on the stove - so far so good, no fires or burnt pots yet *touch wood*! But also true is the ability to see the bigger picture, & to look at things from a different perspective. I think part of it comes with life experiences, and maybe these experiences help to form the new neural connections & networks within our brains.

I find myself looking at the big picture a lot more than I used to, and sometimes more than others my age or older.

This article has been quite reassuring to me.
“There’s a place for information,” Dr. Taylor says. “We need to know stuff. But we need to move beyond that and challenge our perception of the world. If you always hang around with those you agree with and read things that agree with what you already know, you’re not going to wrestle with your established brain connections.”

Such stretching is exactly what scientists say best keeps a brain in tune: get out of the comfort zone to push and nourish your brain. Do anything from learning a foreign language to taking a different route to work."

I have done exactly that, in the last 3+ years. Out of clinical medicine, out of my comfort zone, doing what I do now as a parent volunteer in school has stretched my neurons/synapses & created new networks which I didn't know was possible. I do things I've not done before, and find myself doing them unexpectedly well. I surprise myself that I am able to apply what I have learned as a doctor, a mother, a wife, to things that are so unlike what I have ever done before. AND enjoying myself at the same time.

I intend to continue stretching my brain in the coming years, especially once I am an empty nester which will come sooner than I like; perhaps into an area of Medicine that will, for me, awaken the passion that has been missing in this aspect of my professional life so far.

Stay tuned for updates - no promises when, but it will happen sooner or later.

2010

One more year towards the big 5-0.

The year my first born graduates from high school & heads to college.

The year my second born turns 16 (which may not be that huge of a deal since guys don't seem to think of 16 as being sweet, like the girls do).

The 20th anniversary of our marriage :)

And hopefully, the year that will see this planet of ours take a teeny tiny step closer to peace for mankind, and a teeny tiny step away from global warming.

Happy New Year everyone.

Family vacation

Rim Talay Beach, Hua Hin

It was SOOO nice to be able to breathe clean air, out there in the beach paradise that is Hua Hin.

(Not too mention the unblocked Internet sites.)


"Chat Chai" or Night Market


Hua Hin is less touristy (and less pricey) than Phuket. Walking through the streets of central Hua Hin feels a lot more local than Phuket. "Chat Chai" (or the night market) in Hua Hin not only had the usual t-shirts, shorts, & Thai crafts that seem to appeal to tourists, but also had numerous seafood restaurants, and a good variety of local street food. It was interesting to see the Thai versions of familiar yet different hawker food: wanton noodles, roti prata (known as Rotee - available with different kinds of fruits + condensed milk!),fried kuay teow (pad thai), and rojak (lots of raw vegetables with suspicious looking sauces that looked like ground up raw seafood!).



For me the best part of the holiday were the walks on the beach with my younger son, wading in the sea waters at low tide, and looking for sea life in the receding waters. Also, nothing beats a good exfoliation of dry, cracked & chapped heels like walking barefoot in the sand!

Of course, I can't go to a beach resort without visiting the spa. I certainly felt like a well-seasoned wok after all the massage oil treatments I received...a very relaxed well-seasoned wok.

On the way back from Thailand, I saw a family traveling with a toddler of about 2 years old. It made me reflect on how much my older boy has grown (he turns 18 today). I still remember how he would fall asleep on my chest during similar flights to various destinations. It also made me appreciate how I do NOT have to carry around bag loads of diapers/formula/extra change of clothes/baby food/toys etc! Bittersweet memories indeed.

So now we are back in the frigid cold of Beijing & it's coal-laden winter air. I am already missing the beach, and the warm sunshine, and the sound of the ocean waves.

And starting to think of where we should go for our next beach vacation...

Holiday!

We fly off to a seaside resort Christmas day (tomorrow) to enjoy some sun, sea & spa. We miss the beach so much, being in landlocked & currently frigid Beijing. It used to be an annual pilgrimage to a beach resort when we were living in Singapore with its central location & easy access to places like Bali & Phuket & Langkawi.

So, adios for now, China, & see you again next week!

And to everyone, a happy Christmas!

Leftovers

I should have realized this long time ago: a sure remedy for a fridge full of leftovers is to invite a house full of teenagers over. They'll work like Pacman through all that food.

:)

Holiday Season

Been bloody busy - that's the reason why I have not been updating as often as I would have liked. Who woulda thought that a non-working person could be so busy??? No complaining though, as I am thoroughly enjoying my "work" as a parent volunteer in school. And no, I don't miss clinical practice at all (I have been asked this question ad nauseum when people realize that I used to be a doctor in my previous life:)).

The boys are in their finals week & are off for 3 weeks. We are heading towards tropical climes, where I am looking forward to Sun, Sea, Sand & Spa (not necessarily in that order). I don't mind the cold here in Beijing but I really do miss the sounds of the waves & the salty smell of the ocean breezes. We leave Christmas day, so will celebrate with a Chinese-style Christmas feast of "huo guo" (or hot pot) that is so popular here in the winter. Mmm...good.

This is Z's "last" Christmas with us before heading to college, his first step towards independence. Certainly, I hope that he will be able to spend Christmases with us, as long as we can afford the air fares back here (or wherever we may be!) But I know it will be different somehow, once he has flown the nest. Our nuclear family unit will not be the same again. Oh dear, I am starting to sound morose.

Anyway, on to happier topics, at least one college application has been successful, I am happy to say. Whew. The others will take another four months or so before we find out.

Well, here's wishing everyone a happy Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwaanza/New Year!

Again and Again

Once again, the issue of the teaching (& learning) of Chinese as a second language in schools continues to be discussed after MM Lee Kuan Yew's recent interview was published in a magazine.

I see the same old arguments in the Straits Times Forum page: those who are die-hard "all or nothing" pro-Chinese-at-the-highest-possible-standard; and those who had struggled with the language when they were in school & who are happy that FINALLY, the Power That Is, announces publicly that the original bilingual policy may have been a mistake.

I have blogged about this before, so am not going repeat my opinions.

I am skeptical, though, if the changes that have been made to the system will work better than previously or not. I still hear my friends who still have kids in the Singaporean education system, lamenting about their childrens' struggles with Mandarin, and can only breathe a sigh of relief that my own two sons do not have to go through that. And yet, they can get by with the Mandarin they have learnt here in Beijing (and I am going to go out on a limb & say that their accent is a lot more authentic than the Singaporean accented Mandarin we hear in Singapore), and have enough vocabulary to be able to communicate (for the most part!) with the local Chinese in China for the usual activities of daily living.

If they wish to pursue a higher level of Mandarin as they eventually move into tertiary education, they can still do so, but for now, they (and I) are quite happy with what they have achieved so far.

Germs Germs Germs

Our home is a hotbed of germs; cackling viruses, rubbing their filthy hands with glee as they spread like wildfire.

From different corners of the house come sounds of coughing, sneezing, hacking, sniffling, groaning.

I should buy some shares in Kimberley-Clark (owner of Kleenex) - we certainly have given them good business this past week.

Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Aleve, Benadryl, Ventolin, Piriton, Sudafed....we've used them all between the three of us.

W. remains healthy, probably because he already caught the bug last month, resulting in being absent from school for almost a week.

Passion

My guys are in a rock band. They have performed in school events, community events & even clubs in downtown Beijing. They perform covers and also write their own music and have now started recording these songs with the intention of burning a music CD/putting their music on iTunes, youtube, or some other website that allows music sharing. Maternal pride aside, the songs are pretty good & have found their way to their friends' iPods.

They have a passion for music, especially my younger boy. We have, at last count, a full drum set, a keyboard, a cajone drum, 2 bass guitars, 4 acoustic guitars and seven (yes SEVEN) electric guitars, each lovingly given unique names.

Neither my husband nor I discourage this passion. As a matter of fact, we are occasional roadies, helping them cart their instruments & various accessories (a couple of times, this included the ENTIRE drum set!!!) to the different venues for concerts. We offer constructive criticism on their performances, listen to their new compositions in order to offer advice, chaperone them on gigs. My younger son may eventually pursue the music business as a career path.

I know that my parents would NEVER EVER have encouraged me nor my siblings if we even showed any inkling of any form of musical or artistic talent or showed any tendency towards pursuing these areas as careers. And I don't blame them as they grew up in an era when poverty was rampant & the only way out, for many, was a good education & career in the traditional professions of law or medicine or engineering or accountancy.

My older son heads off to college next fall, followed by my younger one 2 years later. I always tell them, when we talk about what they want to study, that it doesn't matter to me, as long as they have passion in the field that they eventually end up working in.

To me, if you have the passion for what you do, half the battle is won...

Impressions from China - More crazy weather

10 inches of snow dumped on us overnight in a heavy snowstorm. The boys' school had to call it a Snow day which meant no school today for them, much to their glee & joy.

We spent the morning making a snowman, & the boys & their friends having snowball fights.

They say more snow is expected either tomorrow or Thursday. The kids await with bated breath, hoping for another Snow Day.

I hope not. (I don't mean the snow; I mean the kids missing another day of school while frolicking in the snow then bringing home a horde of teenage boys whom I subsequently have to feed.)

Much of the snow is gone now, since the ambient temperature was in the teens. My guys had their coats off and were outside in their tee shirts within 30 minutes of rigorous snow play! The snowman has also since collapsed and lying sadly on his face in our backyard.

As I said, crazy weather.

Impressions from China - Haggling

Location: Yashow

Products in question: 2 pairs of winter gloves

The exchange that ensues (translated from Mandarin):

A.: "How much?"

Vendor: "150 kuai"

A.: "60"

Vendor: "100"

A: "60"

Vendor:"No, it's too cheap! 100!"

A: "60"

Vendor: "80!"

Me: "I'm hungry - let's go have dinner."

A: "65"

Me:"Let's go eat, I'm hungry."

Vendor: "80, it's very cheap!"

A (giving in to a hungry wife):"Ok, OK, 80"

I hate haggling. A. loves it. It's like a game to him. That's why I drag him along when I go shopping at places like Hong qiao or Silk Street or Yashow where bargaining is part of the shopping process.