0600hr - Kick Me Out Of Bed

Home alone now. D had to work late, and by the time he come home, it will be my bedtime. I am making it a habit (started last night) to go to bed at 11pm, so that I am not one of the living dead when I am in school each day.

Today is my first day back at work, and that familiar feeling of doing something worthwhile really come back to me again. I suppose this is why I don't really think I will change career, it is a wonderful feeling to know that I have connected with the pupils. Their smiles, their inquistive nature, their "Yes-I-Think-I-Can-Do-It" looks...

Just like any first day in a new environment, I must say I felt quite awkward and wondered if I was doing the right thing. I had a number of questions which were answered by the relevant people but at the same time, it was quite an information overload. I suppose it will take time to get into the crunch of things and familiarise myself with the physical and social geography of this new school.

While on the way home, I was feeling quite drained. The initial high and pumped-up adrenaline of the day had dissipated, but I was still crazy enough to cook a quick dinner of pita bread and morrocan spicy chicken for D and I, vacuumed the apartment and went to the gym for a 40-minute workout.

Got to snooze soon, and D is back, finally. Just in time to tuck me into bed.

Resurrection From The Depths Of Sloth

This is the last weekend when I can be the sloth of the family. Come next Monday, I will be starting work.

In a way, I am so very thankful that I am able to be gainfully employed for the next 6 months. Afterall, I am able-bodied and too young to be a housewife. Besides this job opportunity is very good, definitely from God.

And of course, the money is helpful given that D and I need to save up for our "Baby Fund" in preparation for a potential new member later in the year. And that I can use the dough to finance the various toys that I want to get for myself before I become a mum. A new mobile phone, a pair of Nike vintage sneakers, that video camera which has been on my wishlist for the past 2 years, holiday in I-Can't-Decide-Where-Yet ....

I pride myself for being adaptable and open-minded in new situations, however I am still filled with a certain level of anxiety and doubt as Monday draws nearer. I suppose this is natural, expected and nothing to be ashamed of.

Tomorrow, D and I will be going into Shenzhen to "activate" my work visa. I need to be out of HK and re-enter the country with the work visa pasted inside my passport, so that the custom officer can endorse it. Originally, I wanted to go to Shenzhen on my own, but D's colleagues felt that I would be an easy target for the many pickpockets there as I have a "tourist look". Hence the need for D to accompany me.

Zone Out, Pig Out

Most of the time, I have been at home zoning out and watching loads of TV, particularly my daily dose of Discovery Travel and Adventure; Manhunt on Star World, Tuesday; Amazing Race and CSI on AXN, Wednesday. When I was still working, watching TV was such an luxury. I reckon I will just enjoy this while I still can.

Twice last week, I had dinner with D and his colleagues. One was a hotpot/steamboat eatery about 15-minutes walk from the Lok Fu MTR Station. This area is near the old HK airport and is home to quite a number of good restaurants. The soup used in this eatery is supposed to be quite healthy, given a good quantity of traditional chinese herbs. Of course we had loads of fresh slices of beef and lamb to cook in the constantly boiling soup, which probably didn't make the entire meal too healthy afterall.

The menu was in the traditional chinese characters, which I took some time to recognise and understand. Some of the other "delicacies" that we didn't try were jackass meat and sheep's "family jewels". I suppose we will patronise the eatery again, well, at least to try the jackass meat.

The second dinner was at a traditional Cantonese eatery, near Temple Street. We had to walk through the night market which was streaming with locals and tourists. It was quite good food and I must add that the oyster omelette in HK is definitely different from those back home.

On Saturday, we scoured for fish to replenish D's office aquarium and bought 2 puffer fish. We went into the pet shop in the vicinity and saw, to our surprise, a 4-month-old ragdoll. This is the cat that D and I want to own and we are currently considering the possiblity of having a pet cat in our apartment.

ATTACKED BY THE VIRUS KIND

I am writing this having survived by my first illness in HK. Everything was great on friday, my appetite was good during dinner, no headache or stuffy nose, there was not a hint of what was to come in the dead of the night.

In bed, I knew my tummy had started to act up, it came in waves and heaves, like an earthquake which seemed to send tremors and waves of discomfort throughout my body, particularly towards my oesophagus. I had tried to sleep, but my neck felt totally disassociated from my body, and every ache in my muscles was amplified. My mind, though tired out from the constant chills that wrecked my body, was racing through countless imaginary obstacles and roadblocks, remnants of the insane show I had been following weekly.

The toilet bowl was well-visited, and all my dinner ended in the depths of the sewers. My mind was swimming, like the whirlpool made each time I flushed the toilet. As I crawled back to bed, another bout of nausea would hit me and I had to make my way back to the toilet again and again. D was awakened by the racket and had an equally uneventful sleep. He tried to keep me warm and waited for me outside the toilet each time to take me back to bed.

Funnily, deja vu hit me as I had experienced the same thing last year in June when I was totally drunk and had a major hangover.

This went on till the next afternoon, when D took me to see the doctor, a nice old man with a mask over his mouth. He reassured me that this stomach flu I was experiencing had been going around for the past couple of weeks and I most likely had gotten it a few days back. He gave me sufficient medicine to last for 2 days, told me to sleep as much as possible and that I would be well by then.

And the amazing thing is it's now Monday, and I feel great. I hope that this will last, I simply hate being ill. On retrospect, I could have gotten the virus from this lady when I was at Raffles Medical Centre last Tuesday, waiting for my medical checkup. She was in quite a bad shape and had a bad stomach upset. And I hope she is fine now.

I reckon that's the way it is, we are constantly bombarded by the unseen, by the micro-invaders which may just bring the person down. First order of the day, purchase some Vitamin C and Spirulina to boost up my immune system. And loads of prayers that D will not succumb to the virus as he and I were in such close proximity.

Our Small Den In HK

Here are some photos of our 2-bedroom apartment in HK. All of its 600+ sq ft area allow D & I to enjoy our private space and make this our home. The good thing about it is that I don't have to spend too long cleaning up the place, but the bad thing about it is HK is pretty much dusty ('cos of all that pollution). I miss my big kitchen back home in Singapore. Due to its space, you can't have 2 persons preparing/cooking and washing at the same time.

Zzz Zone:

Work Area:

Slouch Couch:

Chow Area:

DOMESTICATED LIFE

It's been quite a while since my last entry. This is my 2nd week in HK and frankly, I haven't done much. This "pseudo-tai tai" life is quite a nice idea, but I don't think I can last long in this. Simply waking up each morning around 10, clean up the house, visit the gym every alternate day and cook dinner almost every night can be quite fun for a while.... but the concept of work is enticing me and I can't wait to return to it at the end of the month. Besides, I have bills to pay and before D is driven nuts by my boredom.

Life's like that, full of paradox and opposites. When I was working, there were days when I just dread it and wonder if a break from work will keep my sanity intact.

Earlier today, I went for my Pre-Employment Medical Checkup at Raffles Medical Group. Well, I am overdue for a medical checkup, although today's checkup was not that thorough, but it was free and encompassed blood tests and chest x-ray. So that's a pretty good deal.

This coming Sunday, D and I hope to visit this church and see if we will be comfortable with the service and the congregation. This will allow us to continue our walk with God even though we are away from home.

Chill Out

Wonders of the wireless technology. I am currently at the Pacific Cafe in Tai Koo Shing (a big mall in HK), having my daily cuppa, checking my emails, chatting with friends via msn and updating my blog. At first I thought I could just tap into somebody's unsecured wireless account, but decided that I had better pay for the usage which is about S$10 for 200 minutes. Not too bad I think.

Temperature today is about 18 degrees Celsius but it should be lower at night. Last night, it was blistering cold and I could not sleep well. The floor was cold, bed was like ice, hot water turns into cold water within 10 minutes, had 2 quilts and still felt cold.

Hopefully I will get used to this weather soon and praying hard that I will not fall ill. It's actually a refreshing change to hot, humid and stuffy Singapore though. I had spent the afternoon waiting for my turn in the bank and looking for a mobile shop where I can buy a prepaid SIM card. The wait at the bank was long but service was fast and good; while I still can't use my mobile. Totally handicapped without my mobile. Now, where's that husband of mine...

ESKIMO IN HK

Finally after all these months of speculation and wonder, here I am in this big fridge called Hong Kong. D is beside me, and we are watching our favourite show, CSI now. Ah, the good old days are back.

The temperature is about 13 degrees Celsius, and "I am cold" is an understatement. Holidays in the Rockies and the mountains of northern Thailand are but temporary experiences, unlike this. Living in the tropics all my life, this will take some getting used to. D has been prepping me up for this since Oct 04 and I have been the butt of his "Eskimo in HK" joke for a long time. Yeah, I have quite a low threshold for low temperatures.

I am missing my family back home, but this is something that I suppose I can't help it. I know keeping dad and mum in the know regularly should suffice given the circumstances.

The coming weeks, I am going to do some serious R & R and major housekeeping before starting work. This apartment that D has been living in is becoming too much like a bachelor pad.

A Year's End

Right now I am at my friend's place, spending the initial hours of the new year watching this Korean movie. D has been back in Singapore for about a week and come Sunday, we will be flying off to HK.

For me, it had beeen quite an eventful 2004 and although I know not what 2005 will bring, I do hope and pray that everything that I hold dear will be right with God. After last week's horrific Tsunami incident that devastated much of South Asia and caused many lives to be snuffed out, I realise how fleeting our lives are and how easy it is to lose everything.

"This is what the LORD says- he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:16, 18-19 (NIV) "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 (NIV)