Sinseh Visit & Votes

Went to see a chinese physician (sinseh) this morning all the way at Tsuen Wan, New Territories. Had hurt my left knee on Tues and I have been hobbling about because of that. It has gotten better, but I reckon it will be a good idea to have a sinseh take a look at it. As HK has so many sinsehs, and I wouldn't know the difference in standards, I sought out recommendations to make the right choice.

D's colleague recommended this clinic, and took us there this morning. It was quite a good visit, but I realised that I happened to be the only young lady in the room filled with older folks, median age was probably around 75. Dunno what that implies, but I supposed I just saw my future in the elderly's eyes. Couldn't take any fotos during my treatment, felt that it will be an infringement of my fellow patients' privacy. Besides, I was busy tolerating the pain as the sinseh rubbed my knee with some yellow ointment.

Later in the afternoon, we proceeded to the S'pore Consulate at Admiralty to do our citizen duty. Taking the lift to the 9th storey, D & I left our mobiles with my colleague who had already cast her vote and was waiting for us outside the consulate. Aiyah, I was planning to take some shots of me casting the votes... for posterity. Hehe.

Anyway, after showing our polling letters and NRIC, we walked through another door to get to the conference room which housed the ballot boxes. When I looked into the conference room at first, the only thing that I saw was the ballot box and I was wondering why the officer that I had met earlier didn't give me any polling card. Actually there were 3 more consulate officers further on the left of the conference room, and this was the 2nd stage towards exercising our citizenship.

I don't know if it was my imagination, but it seemed like those consulate officers brightened up when they saw me entering the room. Perhaps they were bored spending such a beautiful sunny Saturday in this room, with no TV or radio. I am wondering if they are paid to be on electoral duty today. Must give them OT pay, so poor thing.

When one of consulate officers looked at my polling letter and NRIC again and read out my name and some code to her colleague, I thought she was speaking to me and I answered her. What to do, I am a virgin voter.

Apparently, she had to read out my name and the code that identifies me so that the other officer can write the code on the side panel of my polling card, which she then tore along the perforated lines very carefully, folded the polling card into halves before passing it to me. I took the opportunity to confirm what I had to do, "Put a cross in the box right, not a tick rite? Then fold the paper again rite, into halves or can I fold it again? Then put into the box rite? This is my first time voting..."

So off I went to the ballot station, which seemed to me to be quite flimsy and picked up the blue pen within the station, and crossed out the box. D came a couple of seconds later than me, and he told me later that there were still quite a no. of voters who hadn't cast their ballots yet, according to the paper that the consulate officers used to take our attendance.

Right now, I am tuning in to Channel News Asia's live telecast of the results. So far, PAP has been voted in to form the next government (no surprises); the 2 opposition wards, Hougang & Potong Pasir, are still the opposition's; it seems like the percentages have generally lowered for the ruling party according to some analysts.