After more than one month of dry spell, Beijing got some snow over the weekend, which also marked the end of the 15-day Spring Festival. As expected, there was free flow of fireworks yesterday. It started already on Saturday, culminating to a climax on Sunday evening after the sun went down. Seeing the entire sky lit by fireworks was no longer a novelty for us. We instead were quite irritated by the constant hum of explosion.Of course, we understood that people were just having their last bit of fun before the Chinese New Year drew an end. Olof said this was probably one of the most liberating moment for the Chinese in an entire year - the time of the year to really have some real fun. Maybe that's why so many Chinese were willing to spend the money (the fireworks are not cheap by the way) for such a short span of thrill. Anyhow, no harm with having fun, but a neighbour living in our condominium obviously decided to take his fun one step further by challenging the no-fireworks-in-our-condo rule. He lighted fireworks just outside our block. What's worse was the security guard on duty did nothing to stop him! We ringed the property management and told them to set up on enforcing the rule, which the security guard eventually stopped the man from lighting another fireworks. We did not complain to spoil his fun on purpose but rather because he was setting off fireworks in a very populated area, which constituted a fire danger. We saw the fireworks exploded right outside our windows. It wasn't beautiful, it was hairy.
Anyhow, another "new year" has begun and it's time to turn on our engines and start charging forward. There will be many changes for us in 2010, expecting a new life into our family notwithstanding. All in all, I hope everything goes well.
2010-03-01
2010-01-04
Embarking on a long haul flight when you are pregnant 4 months is really a feat, especially for those who are prone to motion sickness like myself. It's ironic that although I had quite bad nausea during the 1st trimester, I never once puked, but I actually vomitted on the flights both to and from Copenhagen! The human anatomy is really strange and beyond even one's own comprehension. I puke only when the plane landed and not any other times.
And pregnant women need to eat regularly. I mean, who doesn't if you want to keep a healthy physique. But it's all the more true for pregnant women, because otherwise they will feel faint or nauseaous, like what I experienced this afternoon. We both were so jetlagged that we couldn't even haul our arses to work. Of course, the heavy snow, slippery roads and gusting cold winds helped us to make an easy decision. And so we worked from home. When the afternoon clock stroke, I pondered about the lunch issue for a minute. We have almost absolutely no food at home to make a decent lunch. So we either have to brave the challenging weather or order food in. But none of us made the first move and the fleeting lunch thought soon passed over.
Trouble started to brew when the clock turned 1.30pm. I started to feel weak and faint, then it developed into nausea. Something which I (gladly)haven't had for weeks. I had to lie down. Only then did we realise the gravity of the situation and we acted to arrest it immediately by ringing Nyonya Kitchen restaurant for home delivery. At first they said home delivery service is terminated today due to bad weather. So I had to lure them with "Ask your delivery man to take a taxi. I'll pay for it." and fortunately, it worked. They came with food about half and hour later and by then it was already close to 3pm. Amazingly, nausea did vanish after I injested some food, although I conceded that it wasn't really tasty, it was just something to fill my stomach.
And here I am now eyes half-closed as my fingers continue to punch the keyboard... jetlag is striking again. My cosy bed is beckoning me...
And pregnant women need to eat regularly. I mean, who doesn't if you want to keep a healthy physique. But it's all the more true for pregnant women, because otherwise they will feel faint or nauseaous, like what I experienced this afternoon. We both were so jetlagged that we couldn't even haul our arses to work. Of course, the heavy snow, slippery roads and gusting cold winds helped us to make an easy decision. And so we worked from home. When the afternoon clock stroke, I pondered about the lunch issue for a minute. We have almost absolutely no food at home to make a decent lunch. So we either have to brave the challenging weather or order food in. But none of us made the first move and the fleeting lunch thought soon passed over.
Trouble started to brew when the clock turned 1.30pm. I started to feel weak and faint, then it developed into nausea. Something which I (gladly)haven't had for weeks. I had to lie down. Only then did we realise the gravity of the situation and we acted to arrest it immediately by ringing Nyonya Kitchen restaurant for home delivery. At first they said home delivery service is terminated today due to bad weather. So I had to lure them with "Ask your delivery man to take a taxi. I'll pay for it." and fortunately, it worked. They came with food about half and hour later and by then it was already close to 3pm. Amazingly, nausea did vanish after I injested some food, although I conceded that it wasn't really tasty, it was just something to fill my stomach.
And here I am now eyes half-closed as my fingers continue to punch the keyboard... jetlag is striking again. My cosy bed is beckoning me...
2009-11-18
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.
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.
2009-11-01
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*
2009-10-13
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.
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.
2009-10-08
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.
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.
2009-10-04
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!
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!
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