The World As I Know It

Shop Till You Drop

2009-07-02T16:21:00.003+08:00

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

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

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

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

New York, New York

2009-06-30T20:30:00.002+08:00

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

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

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

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

No more

2009-06-26T21:37:00.002+08:00

RIP Michael Jackson. May you find peace. Finally.

RIP Farrah Fawcett. You fought a brave battle.

Hah???

2009-06-04T08:10:00.002+08:00

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

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

Only 87 responses.

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

That would REALLY suck.

Prelude

2009-06-03T20:30:00.000+08:00

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

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

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

I don’t think I like it much.

Ostrich

2009-05-21T00:03:00.002+08:00

People like this never fails to amaze me.

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

Geez.

Origins

2009-05-17T09:57:00.002+08:00

Watched Star Trek yesterday & was blown away.

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

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

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

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

Impressions from China - Spring Awakening

2009-04-13T15:17:00.003+08:00

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

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

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

Star Sighting

2009-04-13T15:13:00.002+08:00

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

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

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

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

:)

HUMID

2009-04-04T23:41:00.002+08:00

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

Ugh.

Excuse my absence

2009-03-17T22:57:00.004+08:00

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

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

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

Till then, please bear with me....

Impressions from China - More Snow!

2009-02-19T16:51:00.007+08:00

It snowed again last night through this morning.

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

Luckily, I took some snowy pictures...

Snowy landscape

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

Environmentally friendly snow shovel

Snow rabbit

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

Impressions from China - Snow

2009-02-17T17:23:00.003+08:00

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

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

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

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

Impressions from China - Pants on Fire

2009-02-15T16:26:00.006+08:00

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

Unbelievable. Hard to imagine that fireworks caused this.

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

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

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

ROFLMAO!!!

2009-02-12T23:25:00.001+08:00

I love David Letterman!!!

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

Bedside Manners

2009-01-31T13:48:00.003+08:00

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

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

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

Amazing Technicolor Family

2009-01-26T14:03:00.003+08:00

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

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

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

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

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

Impressions from China - Fireworks!

2009-01-25T23:43:00.004+08:00

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

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

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

Smile :)

2009-01-19T22:31:00.000+08:00

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

Funny Videos

Condolences

2009-01-03T14:17:00.001+08:00

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

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

Quality

2008-12-28T22:28:00.004+08:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am inspired by their stories.

There is Hope yet.

Wolverine!!!

2008-12-26T16:36:00.001+08:00

Check this out...

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD

Opens May 1st.

PLEASE let it be released here in China!!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T10:41:00.003+08:00

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

Impressions from China - HoHoHo

2008-12-19T20:18:00.002+08:00

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

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

Holiday Season

2008-12-18T13:40:00.003+08:00

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

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

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

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