Physical Therapy

I am going to see the physical therapist this Saturday, at 9am!!!!! I've been in the queue since last August and there I am this weekend.

To prepare for the session, I first dig out the referral slip. Then, I try to recollect the symptoms, sequence, some observations, etc. of my knee pain, as I am going to tell the physical therapist all over again, and need not to say I had forgotten most of the details since it was first started at the end of 2005! Then, I count the number of doctors I have consulted -- my own doctor, two private specialists, two Chinese doctors (not to mention I had actually seen three Chinese doctors at the HKU SPACE clinic), the one in the emergency room, one physical therapist, another PT who determined how far I should stand in the queue, two government specialists... ...and each time I have to mention the details of my pain all over again... ...

I am sympathetic to those advocate for one-stop service for sexual violence victims!

節外生枝

害怕　十個月後再　沒路徑可回頭
害怕　但是我卻未後悔　這是我所尋求
就像某某　情願放低事業去旅遊
半路有　大狀轉做賽艇手

誰和誰做了蠢事
誰和誰亂了主旨
平靜處　自願再生枝

捨平凡　愛動盪　人人其實有個願望
知回頭　會是岸　仍昂然投入去這巨浪
我所愛　我不改　千夫所責也不放
不愛看的不要看　也許我已厭了直航

任性　拿掉我任性　會事業有成
無奈我　其實太不習慣　世界太平
無辦法　慢慢老去又美麗又冷靜
情願聽　來撩亂我命運　那個叫聲

誰和誰做了蠢事
誰和誰亂了主旨
還未到　謝幕也不知

捨平凡　愛動盪　人人其實有個願望
知回頭　會是岸　仍昂然投入去這巨浪
我所愛　我不改　千夫所責也不放
不愛看的不要看　也許我已厭了直航

既沒有網　在四方　就恨沒勇氣闖闖
我這半世　未算趕　何妨迷路看風光

捨平凡　愛動盪　人人其實有個願望
知回頭　會是岸　仍昂然投入去這巨浪
你放手了　我不放　千夫所責也不放
不愛看的不要看　我的信仰　我會護航

捨平凡　愛動盪　誰人其實滿意現狀
知回頭　會是岸　仍昂然投入去這巨浪
你放手了　我不放　千夫所責也不放
且看我這點魯莽　會否帶我上到殿堂

Favourite song for the moment. I think I like the lyric the most, especially the chorus.

I get myself into this trouble...

...by upgrading the blog template but without much added values except I have to find everything back and put them back in place and sleep another later than I want......

..............................

Sleep now. Let me know what the blog is missing except that calendar thing. I don't quite like that calendar after putting it up, but I rather have it on before I find other interesting gadgets.

P.S. My new year resolution is to sleep early :(

忙到癲。

Can't find a better term than this. Period.

From 26.12.06 Baby Blues

Zoe: Daddy, there's a problem with the CD-player Santa brought me.

Dad: (Trying out the CD-player) It sounds OK to me.
What's the problem?

Zoe: (Innocently) It isn't an iPod.

(From Baby Blues: www.babyblues.com)

P.S. Good that I had bought myself a nano :P

Happy New Year!

No smoking at most of the indoor areas starting today

Yeah!

I need a mug and I want to buy a mirror...

This mug satisfies both of my desires at the same time! And with an Elmo as bonus :)

Happy New Year.

Back to work...but...

there's no internet!!!!!

Yes, it's right. There's an earthquake in Taiwan last night, and even people in HK could feel it (not including me though...I was already quite dizzy myself after taking coughing pills all day...) Some tele-cables underseas were broken, and it affects internet, long-distance calls, etc. The internet is slow, and I can't (slowly) log in gmail and browse my own blog until now.

And yes, I kept coughing and I could hardly speak until now. But then my knee hurts again, I guess, because of the cold weather. I think I need to see a doctor soon.

Merry Christmas

114 for Leong, the race for chief is on

This is the headline of the South China Morning Post today.

I always like the headings of English newspapers over the Chinese ones. This heading makes you think the whole town is in the heat of the Chief Executive election in March next year, while in fact no one really cares, or NO ONE CAN CARE except the 800 members of the Election Committee who can vote in the election (well, unless you are going to participate in the civil referendum).

I belong to the social welfare sector. It's interesting enough that all of the candidates from the Social Welfare Department and many of the agency heads lost. I guess that's life when most of the voters are frontline social workers.

The last time we had an "election" for CE was ten years ago. The 2nd election in 2002 and the by-election last year was uncontested (!!). While I might not be absolutely in favour of Leong, I sure do to want to see a competition.

Election Committee Sub-sectors Elections 2006

This is the first time I voted at a "small circle" election. Even though I don't agree on it, I think it's important to make sure those I support are in and those I don't are out.

P.S. Today's the International Human Rights Day. What a coincident.

Article 21(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.

Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:

Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without any of the distinctions mentioned in article 2 and without unreasonable restrictions:

(a) To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives;

(b) To vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors;

(c) To have access, on general terms of equality, to public service in his country.

Maintenance

The estate I live in is under major maintenance (changing new tiles on the outside building walls) lately. This is how it looks like now. We, the people, not the cars, need to "de-tour" going in and out of the buildings. Last Saturday, I almost couldn't find my way back home after having breakfast at the shopping mall!

It's raining... ...

... ... outside, right now, at the end of November... ...

It has been raining almost every day since mid-November. There's even yellow thunder storm couple of weeks ago. Yes, in November. It usually rains very suddenly and heavily, at night, and stops quickly too. It always catch me by surprise, as I seldom bring an umbrella.

We already has the hottest October and November, and we are likely to have the most rainy November in record!

Family Reception Counter Simulation Exercise

I participated in an airport drill organized by the Airport Authority this morning. Kind of disappointed. Good that we seldom have aircraft crash, or I am quite sure the AA can't handle it. Funny things this morning:

1. The scenario was about a plane from Taiwan to Macau, and it got something wrong and had to detour to HK in the middle, and somehow it had problems when it landed. We were the friends and relatives coming from Macau to check out our families or friends. Can you imagine that no staff in the drill could speak Mandarin, when the plane was from Taiwan?

2. Not only Mandarin, the staff didn't speak English either. Not until I complained that we had real Japanese volunteers in the drill who didn't speak Cantonese that the staff started speaking English and Cantonese.

3. Even if they spoke English, they didn't speak clear English. The staff making announcement couldn't differentiate "13" and "30" in English. When she said "13A", I thought it's "38" and there were only 20 banquet tables for the families and friends to gather and wait!!!!!

4. You might think I shouldn't make fun of others' English. But when the only mean you could find your families and friends was listening to their broken English announcement (no signs, no notice broads, etc.), you could imagine how frustrated the real families could be.

5. One volunteer's role was to ask for a priest so she could pray. When she prayed, she asked God for more wisdom to the airport staff!

6. When the staff called the first group of families to the reunion room to find their relatives, she said "wait at the exit THERE", and there're two exits. When she's short and there were plenty of people around, we couldn't even know where's the announcement came from (they liked to make announcement from different places in the ballroom every time!) and of course we couldn't know where's "there".

... ...

Many other things too. There's a nurse in our group and she said the drill done by the Hospital Authority is much more serious and real!

I am confused...

...with the date, the day of the week... I only know what I need to do the following day, and what're left undone...

...very confused...

Terribly busy!!!!!!

Busy both at work and at leisure.

Here are a list of things I am working at after office hours:

1. Mandarin -- Mandarin class started again on 11 Nov. Busy busy. Have to pass the national exam by July next year. Busy studying.

2. The Historian -- Finally gets to a point that's exciting and approaching the end. Want to finish it ASAP to start a new book...or devote the time for Mandarin as well...

3. Red Cross -- I joined the psychological first aid team. Just finished the five-session course and have a take home exam within a month. I will participate in the airport drill next Monday. Will tell you more about the volunteer service after the drill.

4. Baby sweater -- Far from finish and Christmas is approaching!!!!!!!!!!!

5. Drama -- A few shows coming during the next few weeks.

Busy busy!!!!!

Welcome home!

If you have a habit of visiting my blog regularly, you should have noticed that I haven't post anything during the last week or so. It's because my home computer broke and I took it to the Samsung maintenance immediately. It stayed there for about a week, and only came home tonight.

Welcome back!

I almost finish installing everything back and everything should be back to business from now on.

P.S. Happy belated b-day to Alice and Rose! Couldn't do anything without the computer last week. Hope you have had a great time.

Not getting any better

This blog becomes my medical record again.

My allergy not only doesn't get any better, but is getting worse. I think the main reason is because I wore long pants and I kept walking all day from 7am till 3pm or 4pm. My pants scratched with my thighs and the irritation could only become worse.

So, I tried to make a doctor's appointment in the morning...but...my doctor's taking a week's off this whole week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!! She's almost the only doctor I trust in the whole world and she's not with me when I need her so desperately!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My goodness!!!!!!!!!!

I tried calling other doctors but not successful (long story). I ended up went to the St. Paul Hospital out-patient as in last time when I got allergy.

The doctor said I didn't have any problem with my heart and lung functions (!), and I didn't seem to be food poisoned either. It also didn't look like eczema (濕疹). He gave me some pills and cream for these couple of days. If it didn't go out, I would need to see a specialist.

Hope I don't need to see the doctor again.

Unknown allergy

I got some unknown allergy again today on my thighs, the left side is worse than the right and evening seems to be worse than in the morning and afternoon... ...

:~

This time, I didn't eat anything unusual. So it shouldn't be food poisoning.

After discussing with friends and colleagues, I have two hypothesises:

1. The dry weather -- my friend told me she had similar problem when she's in Edmonton cause the weather is dry. (...I didn't need to use any lotion even in winter during those days...but of course...I was only at my early early 20s... :P

2. Mixed use of baby oil and body lotion -- I used both baby oil and body lotion on my thighs this morning...because I found the skin there very dry, so I doubled up the moisture protection... There's no problem in other parts of my body where I only used either one.

I have a third hypothesis when I am back home:

I had used a new formula of White Flower Embrocation (with nicer smell) yesterday. Actually I have been using it since last Saturday, but I had used more yesterday since I got some mosquito bites when I slept...

... many suspect ...

I will stop using baby oil, may be the White Flower Embrocation too, for now, since my friend said baby oil's no good. I will go see a doctor tomorrow after work if I don't get any better.

OK. Time for ER, and I will sleep after that. I need to be at the Convention Centre tomorrow at 7:30am!!!!!