Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

May this festive season be a fabulous time spent in the company of family, friends and loved ones…

Have lots of fun collecting ang pows (the single ones) and distributing ang pows (the married ones)!

I always thought of Disneyland as a place for kids, of things I left behind many moons ago. Well, I did grow up watching Disney cartoons and all but that was a thing of the past. My grandmother as well as my mum have always been wanting to bring us kids to Disneyland. However, due to the distance (USA) and cost, the trip was never materialised.

Now that Disneyland has finally arrived in Hong Kong since last September, my mum suggested that we pay a visit to the fantasyland of our childhood days. I was pretty neutral about the whole idea, as being 23 years old, the thought of meeting Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy was not as appealing as it had been 10 years ago.

Nevertheless, since we were already in Hong Kong to visit a sick relative, we decided that we should finally make that trip. We set out really early and arrived at the gates of DL before it was even opened. Lo and behold, there was a long crowd queueing up to enter. (And to think that I thought we were the kiasu ones)

At the entrance, we were greeted with this signboard which said…

Below are some snapshots taken…

Sleeping beauty’s castle

The live band playing famous Disney songs

Cinderella’s carousel

There were tons of Disney products on sale, including those customized for Chinese New Year

Unfortunately, it was rather cloudy and rainy the entire day, which spoilt the atmosphere a little I guess. When the Disney on Parade commenced at 3.30 pm, the rain was at its heaviest. Tons of people swarmed the shops to buy Disney umbrellas and raincoat.

Disney on Parade, in the rain

A family wearing Mickey raincoats

Minnie mouse being shaded by two umbrellas

After all that rain, I was fed up. I told my mum that we might as well leave early. However, just as we were about to make a move, the rain started pouring again. We took shelter at a hut in Adventureland and ended up watching the Festival of the Lion King, which was somewhat like a musical. It was a good thing we stayed for that, as it was probably the best performance of the day.

By 7 pm, everyone was gathered at Main Street USA, outside the castle to watch “Disney in the Stars” (fireworks) which was the grand finale before the park closed. Even though the rain and wind blew the fireworks off course, rendering them to be asymmetrical, the music and the overall impact was just undescribable. Everyone was simply mesmerized by the amazing sight. I almost cried as I recalled those carefree days, watching Disney cartoons and playing all day. I secretly wished that I could be a kid again, with less worries and stress….

Anyway, rain and all, it was a trully magical ending to magical day. I was glad that I finally visited Disneyland…

It’s not that I do not want you to ride the motorbike or drive the car to buy papers in the morning.
It’s because your daily medicine affects your alertness and ability to focus or react. As much as I do not want you to die of cancer, I also do not want you to die on the streets. Plus, I do not wish others to die because of you.

It’s not that I do not want to let you walk to the nearby coffee shop all by yourself.
It’s because you’re still weak and dizzy it’s dangerous for you to use the road. I fear for your safety and that of others too.

It’s not that I do not want you to spend too much time outdoors.
It’s because chemotherapy renders yours immunity low. With a low white blood cell count, you could easily catch an infection which may be mild but too hard for your weakened system to fight against.

It’s not that I refused to let you paint the house gate at noon and in the late afternoon.
It’s because your skin is peeling and baking under the sun will doyou more harm than good.

It’s not that I have a sickening intention to keep you imprisoned.
It’s because that you need lots of rest and good food to regain the strength to fight the odds. Once you are better I’ll be all the more glad to let you you go out and run, and maybe fly.

It’s not that I do not want to let you eat beef curry or the seafood served in the party.
It’s because your doctor gave strict orders not to let you take oily and high cholesterol food.

It’s not that I do not want to help you wash your dishes, fetch your mug or switch on the lights for you.
It’s because I think you should learn to be independent and that you could use some simple daily function exercise especially after you complained about not moving around much for the entire day.

It’s not that I do not want to talk to you when I’m upset or angry.
It’s because I want to avoid saying things that might hurt you in a moment of fury. I believe that when you have nothing better to say, do not say anything at all.

It’s not that I do not wish to smile.
It’s because I myself have not quite healed. Your problem has been OUR problem. Yet you are not aware of MY own problem that left me so broken I need time to stand up again.

It’s not that I think you are a burden or that our current situation is a curse.
It’s not that I think God is mistreating us.

It’s just that I’m a human too and I need my private space and time to piece up the broken me.
The broken me is perhaps, not important at all. But you are.
All I’m asking for is your understanding and cooperation to help me help you recover.

My desperate attempts to gain extra weight have provided me no satisfactory results.

What I’ve been doing…

1) Eat more, pig around (I did, I do, I’ll always do)
2) Take 5 meals a day : breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner, supper
3) Stuff myself with chocolate, cheese, full cream milk everyday
4) Nap after lunch

Now I need more tips to get that extra flesh on my arms, hips and legs in order to look better. Stick insects suck. Help me to touch 45kg or more on the bathroom scale before all my efforts go down the drain when the semester starts. Help me!!

I guess studying medicine is the best slimming pill in the world…

Note : My appetite is great, so Appetton’s only gonna burn more holes in my pocket. Don’t suggest Weight Gain coz I’ve tried and it didn’t work and burn LARGE holes in my pocket. Don’t ask me to go for gene therapy coz it’s impossible.

Come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses…

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE.
THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.

Ten more days to a brand new Year of the Dog according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar!!

Why am I so excited about the Year of the Dog?

Firstly, Jel and I and a lot of our dearest friends are borned in the Year of the Dog. woof!

Secondly, dogs are my favourite-est animal. woof!

Thirdly, how can anyone not love those cute little puppies and doggies??? woof!

We all know that dogs are man’s best friend. If you think that’s not enough… be reminded that dogs guard our house and keep us protected; they guide the blind people and aid in their daily routine; dogs are a big help to the police force in detecting hidden drugs, locating missing items or people, chase and catch targets; and dogs are also found to be therapeutic to the sick!!

If the above cannot convince you enough that dogs are truly gifted and trustworthy, then how about this:

A recent research revealed that trained dogs can detect presence of cancer by picking up volatile compounds released by lung tumours into the breath of patients, sniffing the skin of skin cancer patients and the urine of those suffering from bladder cancer.

woof!

Click here

Cheers to all doggies in the world!

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I was supposed to do some study on the epidemiology of leprosy during this elective period. Apart from doing the study, I was sort of attached to the Dermatology Unit at the hospital. These are 5 things I learnt during my little stint there…

1. To stop complaining that I have thick/too much hair. Alopecia (loss of hair) is not a nice thing to have…

2. Funny looking, thick or black toe nails may not be normal. It could be due to a fungal infection of the nails. I always thought those type of nails were due to dirt, old age etc.

3. Never scratch the area around your groin and then proceed to scratch your face without washing your hands first (especially guys since girls don’t usually scratch there much, do they?). I saw an uncle who had some viral growth around his groin as well as similar lesions on his forehead. The ones down there started first, so I guess that is self-explanatory.

4. Don’t pinch, pick or squeeze your zits. It will only leave scars.

5. What looks trivial to you, may not be trivial to the patient at all…

Skin, skin is a wonderful thing,
Keeps the outside out and the inside in.

Today Mom cooked a humungous pot of herbal black bean soup. At dinner time, she served me a large bowl of it - so much you could feed a family.

Anyway, since it was really nice and not wanting to hurt Mom’s feelings, I gulped it all down. I thought I was drowning in herbal black bean soup inside. Suddenly I felt two eyes on me. I looked up to see Dad staring at me and the big bowl.

“What?” I said, putting down the bowl and went to lie down on the sofa just in case my stomach burst with pressure sitting upright.

“You’re not going to eat the beans?” asked Dad.

“I can’t. I’m too full. I feel bloated.”

“Are you sure?”

“You can have them if you want.”

“They’re good for your health.”

“I don’t want.”

“Gives you soft, smooth skin.”

“Never mind.”

“Nice complexion.”

“No.”

“No more blackheads, whiteheads, spots on your face”

*Shake head vigorously*

“Tsk tsk tsk. I’ll take it then. You don’t know how to appreciate good stuff.” Dad concluded while getting up from his armchair and reached out for the big bowl of black beans dry of its soup.

And left me thinking… Since when black beans have such magical advantages? Dad sure has his way to get me to do something I don’t want to. Hee… smart, but oops, he failed again :p

Today he cried. His eyes went red and there were tears. The words choked in his throat and soon his nose was blocked too.

This is the first time I see him cry.

I don’t know what is the real reason, or reasons. Perhaps I was one of the causes of his tears. Yet when I saw the brokeness I wasn’t able to feel anything. There was no sympathy. I wasn’t sad. I wasn’t sorry. I wasn’t moved.

I found myself sitting in my own world of nothingness and emptiness refusing to budge one inch because I’m awfully tired and perhaps, a little angry. And I wonder if I can ever tell him that I’m suffering too.

Let me ask you a question : What does it mean by “clearing the table/desk”?

A - Return the book to its shelf, place the pens in the stationery container, throw unwanted papers into the rubbish bin, wash the used mug and send it back to the kitchen, etc… clear the desk/table till you can finally touch its surface with your bare hands and move them across from edge to edge.

B - Grab all the mess with your two hands, place them on the chair/bed/floor, use the table for what you need to do and finally transfer the former mess back to where it came from… the table OR leave it on the chair/bed/floor only to shift its place again when you need the chair/bed/floor.

C - ??? Never cleared a desk/table before.

Jel would go for B, I believe. Dad too. And I can’t understand why. It’s annoying when you’ve one or more type B at home coz you’d have no space to lay the dishes during mealtime, nowhere to sit and no place to walk from one end of the room to the other.

Geez…

Glad I haven’t come across type C if he/she even exists.

Hmm… Am I the odd one out to choose A?