I have never been an avid follower of viruses and vaccines and stuff until recently when talks of the global A/H1N1 vaccination exercise became a topic as hot as pancakes that I simply have to dig it. In China, especially, it was deemed to be really quite a deadly virus that everyone should be scared of and should vaccinate oneself the soonest possible. *Perhaps this is the same in other countries too* But because these H1N1 vaccines are not freely available in China, it adds to the "panic". You know, when supply is limited, it only adds to tease demand. People perceive perhaps the vaccine to be something of rarity and grab hold of it at the slightest chance possible, without going through a thorough thought process. I almost became one of them, until I (dunno why) posted a message on a Beijing expat forum to seek advice from those who have innoculated. Wow! In came a flux of responses to my post. Many were actually as undecided as myself and have sought consultation from medical professionals, not the least the doctors at International SOS and Bejing United Family hospital. And what diverse opinions we get even from these group of so-called experts.

The doctor I spoke to at International SOS advised me AGAINST taking the vaccine, simply because there hadn't been enough tests conducted on people who are in the same situation as myself (sorry, I am speaking in rounds because only people who are closer to me are aware of my situation. in essense, I am in a delicate condition that I am in one of the high risk groups as stipulated in the "Who should take the A/H1N1 vaccination?"). Then came a reply to my forum post from "someone" working at SOS and said that contrary to what their doctor had recommended, she said SOS supports the vaccination of A/H1N1 for people in my group. She never identified herself as someone of administrative capacity or medical professional. Some posted information sources from the same high risk group in other countries who had taken the vaccination and to my surprise, quite a number of them seemed to really suffer from the undesirable effects of the vaccine. Although a direct causation relationship cannot be established, the coincidence of it cannot be ignored.

While I have decided not to vaccinate myself, Olof and I contemplated vaccinating him instead so that I will have some form of protection. Bearing in mind that this vaccine is not freely available in Beijing, Beijing United Family Hospital's announcement of free 5000 doses of A/H1N1 vaccine came as a "pleasant" surprise. We got to know of the information on Friday and were planning already to queue for the vaccine on Sat morning. But somehow my instincts told me that something is fishy about this arrangement. Free vaccination at a hospital frequently mostly by foreigners, when there are still some Chinese who have not gotten the vaccine? It just didn't feel right. And giving out only 5000 doses (again limited supply) is bound to cause chaos when people compete to be in the queue. We retracted our decision in the evening. I think it's not fair to subject my loved one to unforeseen effects that might arise from the vaccine, especially since he is not from the high risk group.

Then came along a notification some days later that BJU has halted this free vaccination exercise on supply grounds. It seemed that the Beijing Health authorities had retracted their promise on the 5000 doses. How weird, I thought! Doesn't this create even deeper the impression the rarity of this vaccine in China and making it more desirable?

At the end of the day, I realised that as a layman in this world of viruses and dividing expert advices, we are at the most disadvantage. So, do your own research, trust your own instincts, use your common sense to make up your own mind if you should innoculate yourself or not. Sometimes heeding the advice of so-called renowned health organizations (here I meant specifically WHO) or your family doctor may not necessarily lead to the wisest decision, because these are the people in the act and the heart of the scheme of things, to the point that I wonder if they should be allowed to, in my acccordance, dictate the human rights. I mean, who has? Why should one get fined for not wanting to innoculate onself the vaccine?

In any case, I recommend anyone who has doubt over this whole vaccination issue to watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0JqQyl09zQ

Of course, you can doubt her words too and suspect that she is working for another big conspiracy. But at least whatever she said made sense and could be factually traced.

First Snow In Beijing

The first snow fell on Beijing on the first day of November. What a breathtaking sight when I woke up and looked out of the windows and saw the ground, tree canopies and roof tops covered with snow. Not just a little snow, but lots of snow! Totally beautiful. I've experienced 3 Beijing winter but never had the luck to see any snow. The entire city looked so different, so much more lovely and surprisingly, "warm". Perhaps I am romanticising this too much. It reminded me little of winter in Sweden actually. It has been a long time since I left my footprints on "virgin snow" - untouched by any other living being except myself. That felt totally great. And how could I forget the fun I had throwing myself on thick layers of snow making the print of an angel. Angel of me.

I just saw some snow slipping off a tree. *grin*

Is it possible that the mere mention of a country's name reminds you so vividly of its signature cuisine that it irks you? My own experience? Yes.

There have been many advertisments about Korea or Seoul recently on the only miserable news channel, i.e. CNN, that we ever watch. They literally made my head turn. I simply can't tolerate the flashing images of the city sights and Korea's signature gourmet dishes. Olof said I was exaggerating, but why do I care? He doesn't reside in my gastronomical abode, so certainly he wouldn't understand how these images made my stomach churn. Should I count myself lucky that I have, so far, not ended up regurgitating my dinner?

You might wonder why and how do I develop such a distaste for Korea's food? I ain't no clue either. My only intellectual guess is I might have been a cabbage in my previous life and was shamefully turned into a kimchi.

A tsunami of homesickness came crashing on me recently. Not that I particularly miss my friends and family more than usual, it was the gastronomical part of me that suddenly yearn the cheap hawker eats. Ba Chor Mee, Chai Tao Kway, Yong Tau Foo... Manz, I drool like an old fat dog just at the mention of them.

Equally tormenting, however, has been my loss of appetite recently. Nothing really seems to tantalize my tastebuds anymore. Not even my once-upon-a-time all time favorite desserts! Mummy said I can quench part of my gastronomical lust by replicating the eats at home. Yeah, she is right, to a certain extent, except I do not know where I can find Tao Gee for the Yong Tau Foo! For me, at least, it is the key ingredient in making or breaking a good Yong Tau Foo.

My week-long vacation with Älskling in Seoul was lazy, relax, AND hungry! I was half-starved most of the time. Not because he was ill-treating me, but my distaste for korean food. Simply the sight of korean kimchi or BBQ meat irked me to the point of nausea. Yes, it was that bad. My break from fast-food fasting happened during the trip too. I actually took to the comfort of McNuggets, without the yummy, typically Singaporean curry dipping sauce though. Holy cow!

I was glad that my Älsking enjoyed most of the trip. If he's happy, then I am too, except that I do not think I will be stepping on the soil of this country any time soon. No way. Simply no way.

Oct 4th 2009

This is the big day! Even though it IS a big day for me, I am surprised that both China and South Korea have public holidays to celebrate my birthday. After all, I am not that famous (yet), heehe...

China started already on Oct 1st (when we took off from the airport in the morning) and celebrate for 6 consecutive days. I don't know why they talk about 60 years celebration, since I am only 30 this year, but perhaps they added Sam's and my ages together?

We arrived in Seoul in the afternoon of the Oct 1st. South Korea started to celebrate on Oct 2nd and kept going for 3 days. They call it "thanksgiving" and I am the one to say Thank you all! Hello Seoul, I love you!

On a day like this, being famous is not really the most important thing. Perhaps it is the least important of things. What really matters is to be among family and friends, to spend time with my loved ones.

I am happy to spend not just one full day, but six full days together with my lovely wife. I cannot imagine life without her. She is always so sweet and smart at the same time. It doesn't really matter what we do, as long as we spend time together. Smuacks!

My wonderful mamma and pappa and my best and only brother can unfortunately not be here today. They mean a lot to me. I have no cell phone coverage in South Korea (different mobile technology over here), but luckily I could have an IM conversation with mamma to hear that they are all well.

The older I grow, the more I appreciate every day I spend with people that are a big part of my life. Something to keep in mind for the next 30 years... As usual, I look forward to life, full of excitement and surprises. All of you out there, take care and have a good Oct 4th!

With the country's biggest birthday bash looming, the urgency to leave its borders feels all the more pressing. Even with just rehearsals and practices, people's lives have been affected. In the days leading to THE big day, traffic restrictions and other immigration controls have been heightened. For example, from 16 Sept 09 to 18 Sept 09, some roads are cordoned off for the whole day or a certain period of time during the day, subways do not stop at certain stations, etc. Commoners, like myself and my colleagues, are inevitably affected by these measures. Some companies are releasing employees earlier, shops are cutting short opening hours, and customers, predictably, will stay at home and amuse themselves with home cooking and lousy TV probably.

But getting out during this period of time proves to be an expensive affair. We were, unfortunately, too late (and too lazy) to book our tickets using mileage in advance.

"Any seats left to Tokyo?" I asked
"No," came the reply from the customer service officer.
"Fukuoka?"
"No."
"Osaka?"
"No."
"Bali?"
"No."
......

This conversation was probably the most"rejecting" I have had in my life. So what do we do now?

1. Spend the money and get our arses on a flight out
2. Be good, stay in Beijing, and try to enjoy the celebrations here

Can we take a vote from the masses, please?

Who is the person on earth you trust most, next to your wife? The doctor, I suppose. Eye doctor, family doctor, sleep disorder doctor, and many ... many other doctors.

Olof had the experience of trusting his precious eyes to a lasic surgeon to return him his perfect eyesight. Doctor, certainly not McDreamy, said after the surgery that it was a success and he should regain perfect eyesight within a few days. Then things started to go wrong. Olof began to experience "unusual" (only because we found out later that the discomfort he experienced was not supposed to be usual) discomfort in his left eye. His right eye, as it should be, began to clear up and could see perfectly well without any effort. His left one, on the other hand, not only did not clear up but continued to be very blur. Be them short or long distance objects, his eye simply couldn't focus. A couple of days later when he could finally open his eyes without irritating them too much, a closer look at his left eye revealed what seemed to be a gap in his cornea. We called the doctor and asked if this is something to be worried about. He said no, and told us to come back at the stipulated time for a follow-up check up. We obediently (now I would say stupidly) listened to him, only to find out at the check-up that the surgery indeed went wrong. The cornea was not replaced properly, resulting in a fold and hence the blurred vision. Remedy? Stretch the cornea to cover the gap.

"Don't worry," he said. "Cornea is very elastic and can be stretched a million times with no problems."

Very comforting. No apologies whatsoever was given.

After the make-up surgery, Olof's left eyesight never became perfect. But it was never that worse to warrant another surgery either. So essentially, it was left half-fxxx.

Why rake up the history, you might ask? That's because I went to a gynecologist today to do a blood pregnancy test. I have tested like what 5 times of home pregnancy tests at home and all came back negative. YET, I am experiencing some pregnancy symptoms. The gynea called me in the afternoon and told me the blood test returns negative and added I should be put on medication to induce menstruation.

People who know me know that I don't always take "no" for an answer. I trust myself more than the most sophisticated medical equipment in the world. I did my homework too, of course. Researching on the vast internet for probable cases like myself, I found so many women out there who were in the same boat as me - as in all tests return negative but were pregnant actually. Their (incompetent) doctors, too, told them to medicate and hope for the best next month.

So... time and patience will tell it all. I'll wait until Aunt Flo comes before I rule out that I am pregnant.

Rainy in Koh Samui

Today is day no. 3 in Koh Samui and the weather has not been very kind to us since we arrive on Monday afternoon. There was always an air of rain out there and the fear that any fun out in the sun would be cold blanketed by those approaching grey clouds.

We have put ourselves up at Samui Pier Resort - one is that is located in the north of the island and quite close to the airport. By my accordance and my comparatively (against Olof) expensive taste, this resort will get only an OK from me. But it has received what I would call rave reviews on tripadvisor. Not that it is lousy, but it wasn't as good as I had thought.

We booked a deluxe room at THB1,800 per night, without breakfast. The resort is radared with its own WI-FI internet so guests can literally go online anywhere within the its perimeter. Guess where I am writing this blog now? Right my room door. I dragged one of the beach chairs outside our litte hut in and only then can I get some decent connection speed. So internet connection wise, it got a point minus from me.

Room. I guess I can't expect to get lobster if I paid the price of a shrimp. The resort has most of its room on the ground and perhaps only 3 or 4 family suites which have 2 storeys. We got a squarish hut next to the kitchen. At first I was worried we will hear pots and pans clanging early in the morning, but it turned out to be ok, mostly because there are not many guests around. Our hut is furnished with a queen bed, wardrobe, TV cum writing table, mini Hitachi fridge and two beach chairs just outside the hut. Bathroom is quite spacious equipped with hot shower, although it is hard to think who would want a hot shower in this 30-degrees weather. It was certainly not a 5-star bathroom. I would perhaps give it a 2.5. For room cleaniness, I do not have too much to complain nor too much to complement, except that I do not fancy having co-guests - ants. Before you even dare say I am too pampered with the luxuries of life to withstand an ant or two, it wasn't just a handful where you can get rid off with a one-time extermination mission. There are plenty of them, even on the bed! Imagine having some creepy crawlies sleeping with you, crawling all over you while you are in dreamland? Goose bumpy huh?

The view from our room is nice. We get to see the sea and two piers. Yes, we are sandwiched between two piers. The good thing with being so close to a pier is easy access to other small islands. While the others have to be chauffered from other hotels to the pier, we just have to walk 5 mins to get there. The bad? Perhaps you already guessed it. Before the motorboats leave for their destinations with excited passengers or when they return from trips the happy and sun-drenched city elopers, the smell from burning petrol and rumbling noise of the super motors are not quite pleasurable for two guests who long for fresh air and quiet. The waters along this stretch of the beach is also not quite conducive for swimming. With very poor visibility and boats coming in and going out, I just don't have the urge to plunge in. Then we realised that Koh Samui is actually more of a hotel/resort island with nice beaches and hotels, but not so much for beach diving and snorkelling. Taking a boat out into Koh Tao, Koh Phangan or Ang Thong Marine Park is mostly the choice, if not de facto, of tourists who want to see fishes and corals.

And so we did. We signed up for a snorkelling trip yesterday to Ang Thong Marine Park. Unfortunately, I did not quite enjoy it, mostly because I got two times a mask that did not fit my face. Water came into my mask all the time and filled it up as soon as I dipped my head under water. So I was more busy clearning water from my mask all the time than having a good swim with the fishes. Plus, the snorkelling site was FULL of tourists. In China, they call it aptly "cooking dumplings". You can hardly maneuver in the water without bumping into somebody else's legs or hands or worse, you see a gay man wadding right in front of you in his white triangular, almost transparent, underwear. What was more emotional for me was to see how much destruction the marine lives have endured. The corals were nothing colorful to speak of, nor were the fishes I saw during the few brief moments when my mask was cleared of water. It was nothing quite like what I saw at Perhentian many years ago when I first dived.

It is still drizzling. Olof is off for the theory module of his open water diving course. We signed him up this morning for an open water diving course with Coral Grand Divers. They are reputed to be quite good. While I am not doing the course, I will be going for the pool dives and eventually the boat dives with him in the next 3 days. I reckon I need to refresh my rusty skills.

Bangkok - Day No. 2

Yesterday was a day out into the outskirts of Bangkok. Skyscrapers, mega shopping malls and the sleazy "service industry" aside, Bangkok's outskirts was charming and fresh, as with city outskirts in other parts of the world, namely Beijing.

We signed ourselves up for a half day cycling tour to "see fish farms, shrimp farms, rice fields, talk to the local farmers", with the highlight being a delectable home style lunch prepared by the village chief's Mrs. Indeed, the highlight was delicious! Simple but really really delicious. Perhaps we were hungry from cycling a few hours in the sun. But still, the hoi sin kangkong, tom yam chicken, seafood vemicelli, and a very very simple egg omelette totally whetted our appetites. With our bicyles safely parked under a tree (without having to chain it like a prisoner in Guantanamo, as Olof said it), we headed into the village chief's shed (yes, it was a shed, with no walls or any concrete) and sat at a table already laid out with cutlery. The chief tends a rice field, shrimp farm and a fish farm, just like any other farmers in the same village.

Although we never met him, his humble abode was not flambyoyant and his gentle-mannered wife was certainly nothing other than friendly and amicable, although she, like many fashion conscious Thai woman, had colored hair and Chanel-red lipstick on. The TV was rumbling on in the background all the time when we were there. The ladies looked at it only every now and then. Most of the time they were staring into space, into the rice fields or at us. Their way of life was indeed quiet and tranquil, and we appreciated that. But perhaps only for an afternoon, said Olof. Too much of that will bore us to death, I reckoned.

We, urbanites, complained all the time that city life is very hectic, stressful and unfulfilling. Yet, our longing for a more simple way of life lasts no more than an afternoon. After a few hours into the real rural, we can't wait to go back to the exciting, happening, and comfortable urban living again. What wretches are we!

Honorary mention of Olof here that he was quite sun-burned from a day out beside the pool at our hotel on Saturday. We were excited (perhaps abit too over) and went crazy over finally being able to bask ourselves in our newly-bought swimwear (of course with the intention to show off to the Bangkok-nites) under the sun (to be precise, it was cloudy actually) THAT we totally omitted the sun block. That was really reckless. My mom eventually pushed the blame to me on Olof's sunburn. "A seasoned sun-baker like you should know better!" she screamed. She was quite right. I was slightly burnt too, but Olof looked like a cooked lobster, oh man. Very delectable, except you have to remove quite some hair before digging in, perhaps.

We ended up having to do damage control by smearing ourselves with layers and layers of moisturisers. Our last check this morning: Olof's red is slowing fading away. My nose is beginning to peel.

Waiting at the airport now to embark on our next journey to Koh Samui, we can't wait to dive into the clear sea waters and play with the fishes and be awed by the rainbow-colored coral reefs. Hopefully no more sun burn... but more sun kisses....

Start of our vacation... not quite smooth...

It has been rather rainy in Beijing the whole week, up till the very moment when our plane was supposed to take off from Beijing Capital International Airport. We had already expected that there could be delays due to the bad weather. But to our surprise, there was no calls for delays.

So we boarded the plane on time, fastened our seat belts as gently reminded by the air crew a million times, and waited quietly (abeit patiently) for the plane to take off in a what we felt was a sauna cabin. After what seemed like a very long wait, I checked my clock. Oh, it was already 25 minutes passed the departure time. We got no announcements from the crew until an overweight passenger raised the question (most likely because he couldn't handle the heat anymore). THEN, an announcement came over the broadcasting system that the air-conditioning on the plane was faulty and they were scrambling to repair it.

Not a good start, I thought. After another 10 or so minutes of waiting, I saw the ground crew unloading our bags onto carriages.

"Where are our bags going?!" I exclaimed at Olof.

Then THE announcement came.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, due to a technical fault, we need to change to another plane. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused."

After an hour's wait, so there was a technical fault and this piece of old scrap metal couldn't take off.

Without telling us where we'll be taken next, the crew rounded all of us up onto the airport ground bus and whizzed us to one of the waiting areas in this huge maze of airport gates. Without asking, the crew were not obliged to tell you how long you have to wait and information as such. It IRRITATED me to the core. IRRITATE... IRRITATING... IRRITATION... Simply IRRITATING... Ok, I am rumbling on now... You can see despite more than 10 hours later, I am still irritated. Back to the story...

After another hour's waiting, finally we were asked to go onboard again. I began to wonder if we will be boarding the SAME plane. It was almost impossible to tell, given all planes of the same kind are like birds of the same family - they all look alike. All we can do was to hope that they have the slightest moral to not risk our, as well as their, lives. Another half hour after going onboard, the plane finally lifted itself into the dark skies.

I can't help but to salute this Olympics 2008 Official Airline partner for its IMPECCABLE and UNBEATABLE service attitute. I don't consider myself as someone who travels often and yet I met with last night's circumstances. I pity those who are their frequent flyers. Perhaps it was only necessary to offer ACCEPTABLE service during those few months, thereafter die hard old habits can't wait to kick in again.

A first class international airport deserves a first class airline. Right now, without a doubt, it is a TOTAL mismatch.

It is saddening to see people belonging to the same country bear hatred deep as such for their fellow countrymen that they will pick up knives to kill. For the Uighurs, their act was one of retaliation towards oppression by the Chinese govenment, a demonstration catalysed by a deadly brawl between a couple of Han people and Uighurs in a factory in southern China.

On one hand, it is commendable that people stand up for their own men, that they want to see justice done. But for those who lost their lives, including the perpetuators, what is the point?

None. Blind hatred has no point. I simply hate you. I hate you for being a Chinese. I hate you for responding to the leaders' call to move into my home soil. I hate you for fighting survival with us, even though you may not be better well off than me.

Ultimately, these two peoples perhaps don't see themselves as belonging to the same country. They were forcibly brought together due to the doings of some. Some who own power and authority; who have the prowess to imagine that with a swing of the wand, they can dispel deep-rooted differences.

Ran like we have never ran before

We had a police car that steered away other traffic and led the way for us. What an honor!

Running across the finishing line of Lidingöloppet Changchun was a fulfilling moment for myself, and not the least for Olof, although he has done this umpteen times before.

I clocked 41min25secs for 7.5km, while Olof clocked at an estimate of 33min (he did not check his results immediately at the finish line station).

*results are out! I am 20th place and Olof's 21st! If you are interested, check out the results listing here: http://www.nordicways.com/english/index.php/viewnews-582.html *


We have been training for this race since February. Initially, I underestimated the difficulty of this race because I thought, "Cheh, it's only 7.5km. Should be quite managable." But Olof told me otherwise. Why? The terrain. And indeed he was right.


Running 7.5km on flat surfaces is easily managable, but not on hilly terrains where the upslope can be as steep as 45 degrees. I seriously almost passed out climbing them. Yes, there was not one, but many such steep upslopes.


We were satisfied with our performances. But more significantly, the race brought Olof and I even closer (we were already quite inseparable to start with *grin*). It was akin to working as a team and achieving something together. The feeling was amazingly great. That's what building a family together is all about, isn't it?


Although the day was less than perfect with a bumpy flight back to Beijing, it ended with a quiet and tranquil dinner at a Thai retaurant. My beloved husband, as usual, mapped out our future plans on the back of his torn and tattered e-boarding pass during the flight and showed it to me over dinner. Big plans are usually hatched at the most unusual of times and inscribed on the most unusual of scripts.


Our big plans will slowly unravel themselves as we begin our year no.2 in Beijing and we believe it is going to be another exciting year ahead.

a farn day out at a farm

We affluent metropolitan dwellers are always on the prowl for fun things to do in the maze of a mega city. Amongst the expat community in Beijing, the latest "activity" fashion is to go out to the suburbal farms/orchards and pick fruits and vegetables.

*grin* So Olof and I happily drove 1 hour out to Beyond Organic Orchard in Shunyi to pick apricots! Embarassingly, I did not know what fresh apricots looked like before this. Hhhmm, do you?

Rumours have it that this orchard used to be a play ground for the Chinese riches but has since been abandoned. It is not officially certified as organic but no chemical fertilisers have been used on the soil before, hence it can be "counted" as organic. Of course, there is more than just using chemical fertilisers in organic certification. Anyhow, we were two happy "fake" farmers ready to harvest fruits of the hardwork of the real farmers.

We arrived, in fact, a little late and missed the rest of the group, who diligently woke up super early in the morning to pick the freshest of the cohort. Under the early afternoon sun, we took with us two pails and walked briskly on the soft soils to the endless rows of apricot trees. But we were a little disappointed when we began hunting for ripe fruits to pick. It seemed that the morning "fake" farmers have picked most of the ripe fruits, leaving us with infantal ones to ravage. A little disheartened, we wandered deeper into the orchard, hoping to spot some orange fruits hanging from the trees while we fended off bugs of all sizes and kinds and grass of all cuts and heights.

"Darling!" I shouted. "Look at this tree!"

There it was - branches full of round and orange apricots beckoning us. The two buckets were filled to the brim in no time - almost 5 kg in total.

We were two happy farmers now.

I have had many embarassing moments in my 30 years of life thus far, and last night's saga has just added itself into the honorary category of the list..

It was a beautiful evening, fulfilled with good Italian food and wines. I have just had a 2-hour cooking class with the chief chef of a Italian restaurant at a 5-star hotel in the lovely company of 4 classmates.Everything was perfect until I heard a clanging sound coming from my mouth.My tongue rushed to feel the two newly fitted crowns on my two front teeth.To my (expected) horror, the left one had come off! I bore in mind every single piece of not-to-do advice my dentist so laboriously gave me and I was certain I adhered to everything she said. Guess what I was eating when the crown came off? It was the dessert! A lump of harmless, soft and jiggly pudding!

My best friend in Shanghai said I was lucky that the crown did not come flying out of my mouth and hit the glamorous lady sitting opposite me. But my departure was less than glamorous.
I jumped up from my chair like I just got a bee sting on my butt and dash to the bathroom at rocket speed. My dinner mates must have been quite shocked, but I couldn't care less. I just had to check. With a front tooth missing, I looked totally horrible! Well, I guess nobody can possibly look enchanting with a gap in your gap, unless I am an endearing granny or in my best friend's terms - Bo Gei Auntie (toothless middle age woman in Singlish). How apt! Without my two crowns, I certainly fit the call of Bo Gei Auntie!

Reckoned that I could not simply disappear by the bathroom's back door (there wasn't any anyway), I walked back towards the cheery dinner group, my brain spinning like the Russian Roulette comtemplating an exit plan. A less than embarassing exit plan. My evil angel laughed, "Stupid woman! What kinda glamorous excuse can you come up with?!" The less than one minute walk back to the dinner table was torturous. Truth. Just tell the truth, I decided. And tell it fast.

So I announced to everyone that I had a dental emergency, that the food was great, that the chef was lovely, that I had wonderful evening, that I did not blame them my crown came off. Perfect! Then I dashed off to the taxi stand in space-shuttle speed. The driver, seemingly knew that I was in the most hurry, never wasted a second on the road. Whizzing past vehicles and taking advantage of every possible gap, I thought he was Men In Black. I arrived at the clinic in less than 30 minutes.

My "life-saving" dentist (she was last night, but after she executed "CPR" on me, I felt like strangling her) said the composite filling, together with the supporting dental post and some parts of my original tooth had broken off. Without a second word, she got down to work to set the crown back again. The procedure took one tormenting hour. The whole time in the dental chair I thought to myself, "If this can happen once, it can very well happen again!" When I could finally speak again, I asked her why it can break so easily. The explanation sounded simple: I have now very little of my left tooth left and so composite filling need to be used to artificially lengthen it in order for the crown to fit. So of course, the glue line can break easily.

EASILY was the word that kept ringing in my ears. She continued to add fears to my already weak heart that if it breaks again, then I will have to set a crown on the tooth's neighbour as well, so that the small brother can shoulder some of the weight of the big one. I wanted to pass out.

I walked out of her clinic feeling as down as the rat in the drain. Perhaps the rat is happier because at least it has strong front teeth to nibble its favorite cheese. I don't, not anymore. To a certain extent, I regretted consenting to this dental procedure. Not that I was forced into it or got it done for free (I paid some freaking few thousands RMB!!), I was lured by its cosmetic effect and seemingly minor interuptions to my normal life. I have had composite filling on my root canals for more than 10 years and I was able to crunch apples and break peanuts without effort. But not now anymore. Dentist said I should from now on AVOID using my two front teeth, sorry crowns to be exact, for ANY ingestion of food. No more biting a burger off its whole. No more nipping the edges of an ice cream cone. Perhaps even no more french kisses!

The lesson learnt? Be aware of the dangers lurking at home. My beautiful front teeth were destroyed because of a slip outside the bathroom. This led to a root canal dental procedure that went wrong. And now a crowning procedure that did not make things better.

Picnic Renaissance

We are very into picnicking recently to the extent.... I researched a little about the origins of picnic!! According to wikipedia, the word picnic originated from the french word pique-nique, where its first usage is traced back to 1692. It was used to describe a group of people dining in a restaurant who brought their own wine. In the early 19th century, there existed even a Picnic Society! The Londoners started it. Now, I am itching to revive it! *wink*

The good summer days in Beijing are indisputably charming and enjoyable. Although this mega city pales pathetically in comparison to European cities, especially the Scandinavian ones, in terms of nature and air quality, on days when the weather and air quality are both good, there is every reason for us to rejoice. Finding a green santuary in Beijing that is away from traffic and PEOPLE takes some effort. But thank goodness there are a number of mega parks (yes, nothing in Beijing is never mini) where sun-suckers like us can busk ourselves under the UV rays for a negligible RMB5 admission fee. However, one always run into the risk of fighting for a small green space in the mass of parks with 16 million people. But when luck is with you, when everyone else is distracted by something that is going on at the other end of town, you find no other souls than yourself spreading out over a football-field-sized grass patch. Nifty!

BUT! Before heading out straight to the park, you've gotta equip yourself with the essentials of making your picnic a success. Sun-block and sunglasses are a must. Then gastronomy. We had tried coffee, and recently beer!

The latter was thirst quenching and cooling under the big hot sun. But coffee and tea are equally charming and desirable. Fruits and sandwiches make also good companions to a lovely picnic. I realised recently that strawberries can taste good with coffee! Now entertainment. Kites and frisbies are common sights at the parks. Jinxed enough, we bought a kite (in Sweden!) that was probably a NASA engineering feat. We couldn't fly it, SIMPLY couldn't. We sought help from a picnic compatriot who seemed to be a kite expert. He managed to get the kite into the skies, but never more than a minute. Us? Not more than 10 seconds. BUT! We have at least proved this kite can fly! How pathetic we are! Ha!

Oh! And we realised that Beijingers go to parks not only to enjoy the sun and "fresher" air, some kinki young couples went with an intimate agenda. They brought all they need to ensure they have privacy even in the most public of places. Tents!

Over a large green field, we occupied a shady patch under the tree, laid ourselves over the soft beach towel and gaze into the clear blue skies. Then came along a young Chinese couple, who are, in my accordance, not dressed appropriately for such a big hot day, who pitched a tent behind us under ANOTHER shady tree. It all started out like any other picnic - sipping a soft drink, flying a kite. After less than half an hour, we realised they had retreated into their little blue tent. Oh man, the rest is up to your imagination. At first, the door flap was up but the next time we turn around, the flap was already down and I swear to whatever-the-what that the tent was shaking! This would have been unimaginable just 10 years ago, I believe. And the next time we turn around again, they have already packed up and left.

This incident probably wouldn't have left an impression and warrant a mention in this post had it not given my husband some great ideas for our next picnic outing. I have just got you hooked onto our next picnic outing blogpost, haven't I? *grin*

memory...

Every now and then, a super star is born and sweeps the whole world off its feet. Nowadays, opportunities to be discovered as the "next big thing" are getting abundant by the wicked innovation of talent discovery shows like Britain's Got Talent. And now in the show, the next big thing is already prematurely born, EVEN before the contest went into semifinals! Susan Boyle!

Olof was QUITE inspired by her, and believe he can be the next big thing too. *Don't you dare laugh!* Sometimes, I am equally upset and inspired by my husband's optimism. To begin with, I am quite a pessimistic person. At first thought, I would think he is a daydreamer, but on second thought, I admire his guts to dream. Everything starts from a dream, isn't it? Of course, not all dreams come true, but if you dream enough, try enough, somehow one or some of them will come true eh?

I am blessed to have a man with the guts to dream to share his live with me. Without a doubt, he will make my life more exciting and fulfilling.

On our 2nd wedding anniversary day, I thank India for bringing us together, SKYPE and MSN for being our romance germinating beds, and finally OLOF for putting the ring on my finger.

Chinese business culture

Hey, hey!

During the last couple of months we have traveled to a few places around China. In December we went together with Sam's family to Harbin where they organize an annual ice festival. In April my dear parents and brother joined us to Xi'an to see the Terracotta warriors. And then we have done some more sightseeing around Beijing (incl. the Great Wall a couple of times) and to Shanghai with my friend Magnus. All this has been for leisure.

Earlier this week I went for my first business trip outside the big modern cities. We went to a rural area called Luzhou in Sichuan province. As usual, everything was much bigger than one would first imagine. This "small town" had a city centre with almost half a million people, far bigger than many of the "big" Swedish cities. All in all, including the surrounding villages, 5 million people lived in this area. We visited some of the more rural areas.

What was new to me, at least to this extent, was the Chinese business culture and relationship building. We met with local government authorities, including the mayor. They all showed big hospitality. Hospitality here meant that they took us around and treated us for meals. An important part of these meals, whether it was lunch or dinner, was the never-ending toasting with the locally produced Luzhou lao jiao - a spirits brand famous nationwide.

For one of the dinners, they took us to a supposedly very good Sichuan (= super spicy) fish restaurant along the river. They ordered fish dishes of all kinds. The fish was from the river. I usually have no problem in trying new kinds of food. However, I knew that the river was extremely polluted. I did not eat too much more than vegetables, and I only took a sip of the drink when they emptied the glass. Every other minute they had a reason to toast. In addition, the conversation was all in Chinese. Not an easy situation...

Luckily my colleague managed it all very well. And I had a chance to speak a bit of Chinese. All in all a good experience, even though I would not like to go back too soon again, hehee. Hopefully we set the foundation for a successful project.

Bye, bye!

The latest news from Pyxxxyxxg...

is not about a new balisxx missxles test nor about re-activation of its nuclear reactor... nor about it rejoining the six-party negotiation table (fat hope!)...

What is it about then?

It is about the FIRST ITALIAN RESTAURANT OPENS IN PYOXGYXXG!

Take a look at the delectable pizzas and pastas serving up onto its dining tables:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/28/content_11274872_4.htm

Taste? Hopefully one of its customers will blog about it or give the restaurant a food critic review on North Korea's http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/ equivalent soon.

Nothing ever comes easy...

I think about my granny every now and then. When I walk home from work... when I lay awake in bed... when I see elderly people. I dream of her in what I think quite often too.

I miss her and I owe her alot. I can never forget the day when she carried a feverish me on her bent back, climbed the seemingly insurmountable stairs of the overhead brigde, and eventually got me to the doctor. I wonder how she is doing at the otherly world.

I had never done enough for her and I do not have the chance to do so anymore either. But if i were to be given another chance again, I quite believe that I will make the same mistake still.

I assess myself as someone who doesn't really know how to value kinship. I live by my very rigid set of principles that are paramount to all relationships, it seems.

Thou needs to be fair, I always say. And yet, there is no fairness when it comes to relationships. How can one be objective when it comes to his/her own kind? Worse, what if one is torn between two of his/her own kinds?

The web of relationships is always changing, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Sometimes the threads get stronger, sometimes they just snap off. Just let them be and let nature take its course.

If granny is still around, what will she say to me?

Happiness is...

... when you share not only the good times, but also the SICK times with your love ones.

Carl Bildt in Beijing

Breakfast seminar with Carl Bildt:

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce organized a breakfast seminar with the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs during his trip to China. I was there together with almost 100 other attendees, most of them Swedes, including my boss - Ericsson's China President.

On Bildt's agenda was topics to discuss with the Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs related to Sweden's upcoming EU presidency. China is in this respect of course an important party to talk to since many of the global issues of today have to be solved together with China.

Bildt also shared his views about the current financial crisis and his worries about governments being to protectionistic. That being said, he was still optimistic that the world would be able to ride out from this storm. Right now, the situation is very extreme.

For example, Germany's car park will be exchanged in 17 years with the current pace, whereas in practise consumers will most likely start to buy new cars sooner than that because of technology advancements and the fact that many cars will not last that long.

Carl Bildt elaborated a little bit on Sweden's role and prospects in the global economy. He thought that Sweden together with countries that met the Asian crisis in 1997 would be able to marginally manage better than other countries, due to our previous experiences from tough financial times and simply because we are currently in a better financial shape than many others. Already, Sweden had helped Iceland and the Baltics with loans and financial support.

All in all, it was an interesting seminar with interesting insights and perspectives.

Olof

Run... as if you have never run before

We are sincerely inviting our friends to run with us in the Lidingoloppet China.

Lidingoloppet is an annual Swedish cross country running race that takes place in Lidingo island situated 10km from the city center in Stockholm. The race is considered as the largest cross country running race in the world with its 30K track in tough terrain. Lidingoloppet has more than 40 year’s of history as the first race was held in 1965, and by that time Lidingoloppet attracted as many as 644 runners. Today, as many as 30 000 runners from 25 different countries line up at the starting line in Lidingo every autumn.

And now, it has come to China.

http://www.nordicways.com/english/index.php/category-573.html

What better excuse can you find to come visit us in Beijing than to test your physical limits? I think it would be enormously fun to train, in different parts of the world, for the same event, only to eventually convene at the same place and run like we have never run before.

Plus, Lidingoloppet China is happening around the midsommer period in the Swedish calendar, so all the more fun there will be!

Less Is More.

The fireworks freeflow party finally ended with a loud bang. And a very very loud bang indeed.

Fire sparks liberated from fireworks set off at the top of a sparkling, newly built landmark building next to thy grande CCTV tower brought the former down into absolute ruins in mere 4 hours. Down feather beds, silk bed covers, the fine porcelain meant for diners, all ended up in black fumes. The building was meant to be another of Mandarin Oriental's luxurious hotel.

One fireman had been confirmed killed in his line of duty. What a shame! He lost his precious life because of the stupidity of some.

For 16 consecutive days, the Chinese people have been shooting fireworks in the sky non-stop. They did it even during day-time. No kidding, dude. So far, so good. Until last night, almost at the final hour, when allegedly illegal fireworks were set off at the top of this fine building that was the hard work and architectural fine art of internationally famous Rem Koolhaas. According to reports, these fireworks were much more powerful than the ones most civilians were using, and which actually required permit from the authorities before they are allowed to be set off.

So, that's the price to pay for trying to be what we Singaporeans would say hao lian, meaning "show off".

And to be candid, we are quite sick of the fireworks and the ever exploding hum in the background. This fireworks freeflow party had indeed outdone itself.

But, it's all over now. As in REALLY over. We believe that fireworks and all sorts that are even the slightest explosive will be banned within the 5th ring road of Beijing city next year. Good for us urbanites who can get some peace and not worry about our hair catching fire by mistakingly walking pass a fireworks party. Perhaps pity the ruralites who will most likely see an influx of fireworks-armed enthusiasts marching into their compound and set their skies, hopefully not their homes, on fire.

Hey! Pay what you eat for lah!

We went out with some people* for a meal someday at a non-particular restaurant (except that it's prices were particular).

As usual, Olof and I were pretty modest with our order, meaning we did not order the most expensive on the menu and only the amount that we are confident of finishing. Our company of acquaintances, on the other hand, ordered a fanciful variety of dishes for themselves as well as their little ones.

Fine. It is, after all, your personal taste preferences. In a free world, you should be able to eat what you like.

And indeed our company of acquaintances took that ideology quite literally, except that they thought they can eat for FREE too, or at least partially paid for by their honest, modest and hardworking counterparts.

Perfect. So we paid 20% more than what eventually ended up in our stomaches.

I wish I had the courage to tell them straight in the face, in my most Singaporean to-the-point manner, "Oooii! Pay for what you eat lah! Why are we splitting the bill equally when obviously you guys ordered more stuff than we did?!"

Am I being petty? Am I? Am I?

Are they feigning ignorance? Are they? Are they?

Now I know why one of the couple acquaintances on that day asked us out for dinner a few times.

They are the clever ones. At times of economic crisis, you just have to be innovative of how to maximise inflow to and minimise outflow from your purse.

*I thought twice before deciding not to reveal who these people are, since there is a chance they may chance upon this post. But then again, if they indeed chance upon this post, I believe they will be able to induce from the writings that I AM TALKING ABOUT THEM!*

Skiing and networking

Hi,

Skiing in Beijing, is it possible? So far we have had no snow at all this winter.

I was invited to join a potential business partner from China Mobile for a day trip to Nanshan Ski Resort, only one hour's drive away from Beijing. It's all man-made snow, but they had more slopes than I had expected, and of all kinds.

It was 11 years since last time I went skiing in the Swedish mountains... Luckily, it didn't take long before I got into it again. It was a good warm-up in case I would go skiing in the real mountains some day.

Cheers, Olof

Moooooo....

We quietly ushered in Year of Ox last night with a simple (but not very tasty) meal at a Persian restaurant, but our many neighbours decidedly took fun to the streets and lighted up Beijing's skies with fireworks. We then cruised around the city in the car observing fireworks and firecrackers, starting from early evening. At midnight, back in our apartment on the 11th floor, we looked at the most amazing fireworks sky we have ever seen...

Company 10th Year Party

And I was there... It was pretty evident that food wasn't fantastic, but for those of you who know the company that I worked for, it was considered a spread. My colleagues and I had lots of "children" boozes - Yan Jing Beer at 3.6% alchohol concentration. 3.6%! That's why children's beer.

But we got high anyway, on quirky performances and on the fact that I won something at the lucky draw! Yiippee! I hope, though, I am not using up my last ditch of good luck before the Year of Ox rushes in.