i love to whine

Kim Kyung Ah Autograph!

2009-08-01T12:01:00.007+08:00

My favourite sportswoman is playing off with club chongqing kangde at the china's internal aunnal table tennis competition. and i happen to got to know one of her fans through internet and she offered to get her autographs for me. how sweet! i'm so thrilled at these 4 autographs, which i received yesterday. thanks a million, i'll treasure them well.

Doctor's new employee

2009-05-16T00:09:00.000+08:00

Today Janice came again! ^^ The more I look at her, the more I feels that she’s gorgeous (in my definition)! Whenever she comes, my day will be brightened up. As I know this is probably my last time seeing her, I grab the chance to chat with her about her course in law. I asked her what she did in law, she says it’s just like any other course, lectures, tutorials, presentations, reports etc, except that they have debates. And she told me she has friends who enter law with only 2 Ace. What matters is the interview, she added. Zzz… I regret for not trying to apply for law. But at the same time, I wasn’t that interested in law; the only reason why I intend to apply is because it’s prestigious, i.e. applying for the sake of apply. And Janice wont be there, so what’s the point of getting into law.

Today doctor’s potential new employee came. Zzz… another prc who’s computer illiterate. She doesn’t know how to spell “fifty” can you imagine?! I use three words to describe her as a comparison to the previous person--- slightly more clever. I hate teaching people; especially those who are extremely slow. Now I realize I’m not cut out to teach people, my patience is very limited. Well, if I’m the doctor, I will definitely pick someone smart, no need to be as clever as me, at least get things fast. Don’t let me teach you 10 times and the 11th time you still tell me you don’t know. Seriously, I feel that I’m more efficient on my own.

Anyway, the new person is an aunty, maybe a little younger than my mother. She has a daughter in primary four. Apparently her daughter is having exams recently, she appeared to be very concern. Please lar, only p4, so 紧张 for what?! I rmb in p4, I was caught by my form teacher for reading 环珠格格 under the table. (That show was very popular during that time) But I top the level in the streaming exam. Don’t talk about stress, I don’t even remember myself studying. I was like, watching the show 环珠格格everyday! Dots. Primary sch just play lar, don’t care about exam. It’s your only time to enjoy in your 12 years of compulsory education.

Anyway my mom changed the plan for out broadband. It’s downgraded from 10mbps to 2mbps because she doesn’t want to foot the extra 20 bucks per month. But my speed is being reduced dramatically. Something 20plus MB takes like 7 hours to download?! =.= So when nanny sends me a compressed folder of songs, I have to leave the laptop on to download over night. With this kind of speed, I will never be able to play any fun online games. If I open too many windows, I’ll lag in bridge. Zzz… I rather go library play, its much faster.

You are the champion!

2009-05-07T22:28:00.004+08:00

My pretty girl, Janice, visited today. I’m so delighted! As usual, she smiled so sweetly at me. I’m in such a good mood that I decide to write this entry.

Do you remember Robina Muqimyar, the 100m-sprint athlete who represented Afghanistan Beijing Olympics? I have mentioned her story and I picked it up yesterday. While searching for several video clips about her, I learned more about her team mate Mehbooba Andyar (who disappeared in Italy just 2 weeks before the 2008 Olympics), as well as an Iraqi athlete, Dana Hussain, who wore a second-hand new balance spikes for her match and who risked her life to train in a country torn by war. As I was watching these clips, I tried very hard not to tear. Once again these people, whom the Chinese media labeled as “people you should never forget”, touched me. I don’t know how much hardship the girls have endured to make it to Beijing, but they deserve all my utmost respect. I’ve missed out so much last year because of the stupid a levels. I really look forward to 2012, I’m determined to watch everything, especially the track and field matches.

In an interview with Robina, she told Chinese reporter that she could only train at night, mostly in her backyard, on concrete ground, when her neighbors were watching TV. Even though her life may be endangered, she does not regret for participating in the Olympics. She just wants to change people’s perception of woman in Afghanistan. I totally agree with one of her statement that the Chinese media highlighted “if only Afghanis athlete could have proper trainings with better equipments and training grounds, we can be as good as any others.” Many Chinese netizens praised her as the Hua Mu Lan (a legendary female hero who conscripted into the army in place of her father) of Afghanistan. She may be the last to finish her race, but she was the champion in everyone’s heart. I am so touched by her passion for sports and determination to change her society. It’s a pity that due to high living expenses, she has to go back immediately after her race and she only stayed 2 days in Beijing. (Click me to watch the video clip)

Dana Hussain's story is another one that will move you to tears. (Click me to watch the video clip).

In another video clip featuring the interview of Andyar, her mother said something that leaves me with a very deep impression, “the Quran taught man and woman to be equal, but this is not happening in Afghanistan.” (Click me to watch the video clip) Here's a video that features what happened to Andyar after her disappearance. (Click me to watch the video clip)

Here I am raising the issue on gender equality again. I have done a lot of reading on this issue in preparation for GP. The most frequently asked question is “can man and woman ever be equal?” My answer is definitely NO, not until everybody has homogenous biological traits (which is deemed impossible).

I believe the idea of suppressing woman is not a teaching in any religion, not even in Confucianism. It’s the ruling party (most, if not all are males) that distorted the teachings to suit their own greed. Confucian merely suggested that woman should be homemakers while man are breadwinners, yet for thousands of years man dictate over woman in the Ancient Japan, China and Korea. The only exceptional was Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in the Chinese history. The situation is the same in middles east. Till today, women have to wear veil and are banned from driving in Arab, the supposedly more opened Islamic country. Perceptions are changing in many parts of the world today but the revolutionary force has yet to reach the Middle East countries like Afghanistan. There’s nothing wrong with Islamic teachings, people’s perception are wrong and outdated, thanks to the war that prolonged for nearly thirty years.

I don’t understand why according to Prophet Muhammed’s teaching (as it claims), when a woman looks at or talk to another man other than her family members, she is betraying her husband. What rubbish is that?! If such behavior is expected of a woman, then why is a man allowed to look at other woman? Isn’t he betraying his wife too? If these so call sage are not lustful, greedy idiots, why do they propose that a man can have many wives but a woman must remain faithful to her one and only husband for all her life.

I’ll never believe a single word from Confucian’s indoctrinate. 修身齐家治国平天下？RUBBISH! Don’t talk about how well they rule, look at how many scandals have you seen on prominent political figures like Clinton? And many more have divorced and remarried many times. Given numerous examples out there, it’s very possible to conclude that we don’t have to 修身and 齐家 to 治国，平天下.

So much for my penny of thoughts on equality. Now lets go back on the topic about our Olympic heroes. Their stories are living examples of damages from war. We see how prolonged wars have ruined Iraq and Afghanistan, the once most prosperous countries in the Middle East. (Iraq, known as Persia, was one of the richest countries along the ancient Silk Road) On today straits time, Us-led air strikes has again caused over 100 casualties and deaths of Afghanis civilians, mostly woman and children. What idiots! I hope your plan crash in the deserts. At this point in time, I really wish for world peace. Let the 3rd world countries revive on their own, interception will cause only more harm than good.

As for how Robina fare after her return to Afghanistan, I shall try to find out tonight.

Kangxi Exhibition

2009-04-09T23:13:00.000+08:00

I read an article on Monday’s straits time (life) of an interview with Mike Rowe, the host of reality show Dirty jobs. When asked what was his worst job done for the program, he said “And the worst one would probably be castrating sheep with my mouth. That’s the way they do it in Colorado and that’s the way they’ve done it for centuries. Biting testicles off a sheep is not something I want to do again.” Well, that’s utterly disgusting. It simply reminds me of this raping case in Singapore some years back in which the victim was forced to do it orally for the pervert. Perhaps because she was too nervous, she accidentally bites of his ‘little brother’ (not sure if it’s the ball or the banana itself), leaving him running away with a blood trial. To ensure that they will never be able to commit similar crime again, I suggest rapist to be castrated instead of just canning or jailing them. Castration is the one and only effective method to eliminate repeat commitment and reduce future cases.

Anyway, lets come back to the main topic of this entry. I went for the Kangxi exhibition at the Asian Civilization Museum yesterday. To those of you whose response to this is “ewww… no I’m not interested” you are totally wrong. It’s awesome. Its not just about history, the various artifacts and science the evolve at that time is simply fantastic.

I am utterly amused by the 22m scroll and the 88m scroll, the former is a depiction of Kangxi’s trip to the Jiang Nan 江南 and the latter featured the celebration of Kangxi’s 60^th birthday. But only 10m of each are shown in the exhibition. The scrolls are fabulously impressive. You’ll never have imaging they have such artistic skills some 300 years ago. Even the smallest detail such as the horse’s mare or the buns sold in eateries is taken care of. After getting a glimpse at the royal treasure, I’ll not set eyes on any modern art work (and say: that’s nice) again. Nothing can be compared to the ancient fine art work.

Of course, the royal portraits are equally awesome. The carpet in the paintings are made of real carpet texture with the dragon or phoenix pattern and perhaps gold was used in the paint, the colors are as bright and fresh as if they are just painted.

Another treasure that drew my attention was the Chinas, know as 珐琅彩瓷器。These bowls, vases or wine cups are beautifully decorated with intrigued patterns. These treasures can only be used in by the royal family members and were prohibited for use by anyone else. Until today, nobody knows how these artifacts are made and what the raw materials they used. Last year, there was one man in china who successfully cloned these Chinas after more than 10 years of repeat research and experiments.

Besides, the ancient calculator, the mathematical values and tools (including compasses, protractor) and the old map of Beijing are also something that you should not miss. The only thing that comes to my mind is: HOW DID THEY DO IT?!

I’m particularly attracted to this online game, which allows you to explore the Forbidden City virtually. You get to see how the emperor’s life was like and the activities they do. I spent more than 30 mins playing with it until a bunch of secondary kids (they stinks) crowd over. Zzzz…

Honestly, I pity the emperor. Though he is regarded as the son of heaven and enjoyed superior, unchallenged (may not always holds) power as well as the best things man can enjoy, he leads a boring life. He spent his days spent on reading the memorials submitted by his subjects and replies to them personally. Many rulers (as true for Choson Korea Rulers) suffered eyesight failure due to the numerous amount to reading under dimly lilted light (they only have candles then). Many also suffered ill health and died young (considering they rarely have the opportunity to exercise since they are always carried around). If they are incapable, they face the threat of being overthrown. There were many attempts of subjects usurping the throne throughout the history of china.

The emperor may have 3000 woman in his backyard. But I suppose few of them are consider beauties. In fact the empress and some of his concubines are usually rather ugly because their selection is tied to political purpose. I flipped this book in the Museum shop and saw some photos of the empress and concubines in the later Qing Dynasty. I just want to vomit. If I’m the emperor I would cry. These woman are simply normal or slightly ugly looking. The most prominent is perhaps Cixi 慈禧太后, she just looks like an ordinary old woman that you find on any street. The last emperor, Puyi’s empress Wanrong 婉容皇后is none where near pretty either. But Kangxi’s empresses (based on their portraits) looked alright. No wonder its always been said that the Qing emperors loved to travel to Jiang Nan (as it is know for its scenery and beauties). Hence, the conclusion is Han Chinese just looked better than the Manchu.

A summary of what i do in the clinic

2009-04-05T14:06:00.015+08:00

i start my day by waiting for the doctor to open the door. although we are supposed to open at 10am, she always comes at least 10 min later. she's forever late. but there's a few times that i am later than her.

the first thing that i do is to start the laptop, then i'll wipe the table and the bed in the doctor's 2 rooms (but sometimes i'm too lazy to do that). then i'll prepare the doctor's drink. there's 4 types of drink:
1. plain water
2. herbal tea
3. chlorophyll drink
4. wheat grass drink.

my main job scope consist of:
1. Dispensing mixtures and pills/tablets

2. Registration

3. Arranging the medical records

4. Acting as Cashier

5. Data entry

a) orders

b) stock check

c) patient records using the software

6. Answering phone calls

Besides, i also do other miscellaneous tasks, including

1. Pour alcohol

2. wash tower

3. wash bottles

4. water the plants

5. pack powder

6. make cotton balls

7. make pills

8. wash cups

when there's no patients, i'll try to pack powders (its a never ending job) to pretend to be busy. however, if i'm lazy i'll either read a book or watch drama from my phone. haha nowadays, its quite slack in the middle of the day because patients usually come in the morning or evening.

鲜花&牛粪

2009-03-27T21:31:00.001+08:00

As I was saying, pretty girls usually marry rich and ugly old men. This reminds me of the Chinese idiom: 一朵鲜花插在牛粪上. It makes some sense for pretty girls make their choices when those old men are filthy rich, just as cow dung are nutritious. There is another couple with a great age gap that visit the clinic. The husband is a shaky and wobbly old man who is probably in his late 70s or 80s while the wife is at most 60 year old (she looks around 50+). But the old man is probably not that rich because they live in HDB.

In Choson Korea, many Queens widowed early because their husband either died young or they have more than one wives. The couple with the greatest age gap is King Yojo (the 21st king of Choson Dynasty) and his second Queen, Queen Chongsun. In his 66th year, King Yojo married his second Queen who was only 16 then. When Yojo died at the age of 84, Queen Chongsun was only 34. These poor Choson girls have no right to choose but at least they get to be the Mother of the country and enjoyed political power (for some) and the best things in their times.

These days (unlike the past where we lived under monarchy rules) we have the freedom to choose. Given a choice, why would someone wants to marry an ah peck who maybe old enough to be her dad (or even older)? Imaging when you are only 40, he’s already turn 60, old enough to be your children’s grandpa! If he’s rich, at least you can enjoy a luxurious life but if he’s poor and feeble, you better wish yourself good luck.

Anyway, just now there’s this humorous and nice patient came in. He’s a big size man and has a twin brother. He talks to the doctor about how he and his brother were always mistaken for each other. I’ve seen his brother, a much quiet and bigger size guy. Then the topic turned to why his daughter is only 2 when he has married for 10 years. He replied something like his wife and him were too stressed so once they went to some resort to relax. But the room has nothing, only 4 walls, and there isn’t a toilet, only some basin for you to wash you face. He said, that was not the right atmosphere at all, who would still have to mood to do ‘it’. Nevertheless, after some time his wife was pregnant unintentionally so gave birth to his baby daughter in 2007. While he was talking, I caught every word. Lol don’t he know that I’m outside.

The HK lady visited the clinic 3 times this week, on Tuesday, Thursday and today. She finally wore something else or her 2nd and 3rd visit but her clothes were all purple (almost the same shade of purple) in color and the same style, accompanied with jeans!!! When she came in yesterday, I was so surprised and asked if she only wanted to speak to the doctor or consult her. She said she wants to consult the doctor. And today I gave a blank look cuz I was just so amazed that she came everyday. She also noticed it and she smiled and said she only wants to get some medicine. Honestly, she’s a nice lady and I think her hairstyle is nice.

Yesterday I received my acceptance letter from NUS bba along with a freshmen guide. Wow they are really efficient consider that I have only submitted my application (and most importantly, paid the registration fees) on the previous Sunday. I was wondering where’s my double degree and papayia told me they will only start to shortlist in April. Since I already secured my place in NUS, its up to me whether I bother to fill in the application for SMU. Their form is very irritating, still have to write essay, as if I bother. Majority of the best and the top students have flown off to UK and US. I believe with my grades (other than law and medicine, for which the second one I’m not qualified because I took neither physics nor bio), I can be accepted into any course I want without filling in any other things (eg other talents and achievements which I don’t think I have any).

I think I’m really lucky to have scored well for As (I’m strictly a free-thinker but I’m inclined to believe in traditional Chinese religion like Buddhism, don’t try to influence me with Christianity, I’ll never give my faith to it). The amount of hard work you put it does not matter, I believe it is how well your mind can process at the point of time when you took the paper. I have never put in much effort in gp. I know I’m hopeless and was really giving it up (I had expected a C or D). All I had done is read TIMES (my bedtime story. The only reason I’ve done so is that I found it interesting) and I happened to put in what I had read in the essay I’ve written. That’s pure luck (perhaps with a little effort). I’m totally convinced of the phrase 船到桥头自然直。

Now all the trouble is on writing essay for scholarship application for NUS and NTU (almost the same shitty question). So sick, gues

The beauty

2009-03-25T09:13:00.000+08:00

I have not been blogging, ceased writing my own entry nor read the entries of others. You wonder what I’ve been doing. Apart from trying to crap up nonsense for scholarship application essays, I’ve been playing this dumb and lame game (I don’t even know why I am playing it). Finally today I feel like writing something (when I’m penning this I am still in the clinic counting down 1 ½ hour to dismissal).

She’s one of the most beautiful woman I have ever seen so up close, not on TV, neither in the billboards. She’s the doctor’s friend coming to ask her out for tea (but the doctor is simply too busy for that). The first sight wasn’t something fascinating, but as I took a second look at her, I noticed her exceptional beauty. Considering she’s a woman in her forties, maybe going fifties (cuz she’s the doctor’s friend, so probably around the same age), she must really be a great beauty in her youth days. But not the least does she looks her age, she look somewhat in her thirties! The only things that were imperfect were her teeth (which were not straight) and her dressing sense (she wore a pale light brown shirt dress and a bright, fiery red skinny, I really think that these do not match).

I have always believed in destiny and this time my stand becomes even firmer. If I have quitted in early march, I wouldn’t have this encounter with the beauty.

While the beauty waits for the doctor, I just can’t help but stare (or rather, peep) at her in awe. As she’s sitting on the sofa that faces the back of the clinic, I could only catch her side view, but it’s equally nice to admire (I believe she’s very rich, not only because of how she carries herself, the doctor also said something like 你赚的更多). Meanwhile, I tried to dispense as fast as possible. 2 new patients came in at this time. I’m so annoyed to register for them cuz they blocked the little window from which I can look outside. I even have forgotten to ask an Indian guy to give his contact number.

After reading her book for sometime, because patients were streaming in, the beauty decided to give up waiting for the doctor for tea. As she chats with the doctor, I took opportunity to take some good look at her. This is my probably be my first and only time that I get to see her. Then she asked my for the doctor’s name card. She’s so pretty (and attractive) that my heart almost jumped out of my mouth as she talked and smiled at me.

I am finally able to settle down to work seriously when she left. Please let me see her again. I really hope she will visit again soon. Vania commented that I’m having lesbian tendency at work (what’s wrong with it?! Don’t you think that I’ve always been like that?!).

Just now I got the chance to ask the doctor for her age. Guess the reply!!! The doctor said: 她啊，年纪很大了，50吧。(omg, are you kidding me! She looks at least 20 years younger in my point of view) 为什么你问？（因为她看起来很年轻）打扮咯。她很漂亮，可是她老公很丑。她老公好像大她20岁。

This is definitely not what I would like to hear. As the saying goes: the truth always hurts. The beauty reminded me of Gigi 黎姿, she also married to this handicapped old man (but bloody rich). Her husband must be really rich too – bloody rich dirty old man.

Conclusion: many (if not, most) pretty girls marry ugly rich old man. (do you still wants to be pretty?)

Now this hongkong woman came in. I think I’ve mentioned her in one of my previous post. She’s wearing the same thing again! AGAIN! A creased (I don’t really know how to describe) dark purple top plus jeans!!! She’s forever wearing this set when she comes for visit. Haha!

Today there’s 20 patients so far. I’m busy like mad (relatively, but am still free to write this and read some novel of mine). Tonight I’m going to give tuition to this sec 4 normal academic kid. I started last week, teaching his combine science and Chinese (what a weird combination). Its easy earn money haha. $200 per month for 4 hours. Imaging I have 5 students, I can earn 1k per month just by working 10 hours per week. Thus I strongly believe that as you go up the chain, (from tertiary to quinery for my case), you salary grows.

Applications

2009-03-15T22:12:00.005+08:00

Scholarship application sucks esp for those by local unis. their question is just rubbish, so abstract. i'm wondering what i can come out this time round.

i went for nus open house today and managed to get a lot of goodies, include a cup and some not books from the faculties and the various halls. even though i'm not interested to stay in the hall at all (unless i can get a scholarship which pays for my hostel fees, then i can keep a place in the hall without living in it.), i have to say i'm interested so that i can get goodies!!!

i'm convinced that i'm not going to do law, not trying it at all. the student at the booth tells me law is all about essays! ESSAYs! NO! so i just applied for business in ntu and nus. ntu offers a better double degree in business plus they have tourism course so i'm quite inclined to go ntu. but ultimately, it depends on who's going to give me a scholarship.

smu application is so tedious. they suck! requiring essay! what the hell, even ntu and nus don't. and the page timed out after 20 min so i have to start all over again. zzz... i'm going to do it another day.

the best scholarship application experience come from RSN, they don't even require an essay!!!! that's fabulous!

anyway, this week the doctor asked me to produce one bottle of capsules. just look at it, such a huge bottle. how did i even do that?! such tedious work. the worst thing was, the powder stinks. it supposed to cure headaches, but inhaling it gave me headache. Gross. i couldn't get rid of the smell even after i bath and my hands seemed to smell of it ever since. i hope that portion is enough to last for the next 2 and half months. i will never want to do it again.

on wed, i watched my bloody valentines, the 3d version at vivo with ailin. oh man its the most gory movie i've ever seen. so bloody and gross! and the killer loves to aim at people's face, particularly you eyes. the first person who was murder died when he was hacked from the back and the hammer-like weapon went through his skull and pushed out his eyeball. damn repulsive! eewww.... it shouldn't be rated as m18 but r21.

What is your favourite pick up line?!

2009-02-27T22:38:00.002+08:00

this morning i received a call from a stranger. but as he (probably too desperate) called too early (at 7am, at which i'm still sleep), it registered as a miss call on my phone. at noon, he called again but i didnt pick up (probably because i didnt hear.

out of desperation, he msged me, 2 msg at a time somemore

81573114: can chatt
me: may i know who you are
81573114: yo steaphnie (this suppose to be his first msg but i didnt see, stephanie also spell wrong)
me: there's no steaphnie here, you've got the wrong no.
81573114: you not steaphine ah
me: no reply
81573114: oh sorry she yesterday msn me wrong number (steaphnie so smart, anyhow sabo other ppl)
me: no reply
81573114: may i noe what is your name
me: is this your favourite pick up line (since i got free msg and so much time, i decide to play with him)
81573114: no is some one on msn give me de what is your name
me: mary
81573114: oo you how old
me: 45
...... peace for the rest of the day

conclusion: the person must be a desperate and lonely guy, probably an ns man.

germ even said that i should have told him: i'm 45 and lonely. bwahaha~ BRILLIANT!

had dinner with jovie at Mr kim's korean restaurant 'hyang to gol' at amara hotel. mr kim is a regular patient of my clinic and many koreans who visited his resturant ends up in the clinic!

taking in to consideration the portion and the filling appetizers, we ordered only bbq diced beef and ginseng chicken soup. both dishes are delicious. i love it~ partly also because the waitress cook the beef for me, i hate cooking for myself like what i have to do in pepper lunch.

but the appetizers are scary --- a sea of red. there's kimchi, a dish which looks like kimchi, cucumber, seaweed, wasabi cucmber(?!), a bow of kai wei soup and another dish which i not sure what it is. other than the soup and wasabi cucmber, the other dish only have one taste ---- spicy and sour! there's even dessert consisting of a peice of water melon and a piece of orange (which i given my share to jovia), and a ginger taste sweet soup (very nice). though the food is really good and the appetizer and desserts are free, we spent about 72bucks in total. its worth the money!

by the way, today is my last day working in the clinic... which means from now on, i'm temporary unemployed! will do a summary of my working experience in my next post.

Freshie Juicy Gossips!

2009-02-26T21:33:00.002+08:00

Met up with 5 other 4i girls today. this mini gathering is supposed to be a farewell party for vivien!!!

to vivien penguin: Bon Voyage (rmb to buy me present. i demand lego racer series: ferrari f430)

Had dinner at clementi central. i finally ate my lovely satay! very nice.

anyway, the key point to this post is about the gossips i've heard from these girls today.

1. Elaine dating with sherman (not very fresh though)

i so pei fu elaine, she has dated 1/4 of the guys from 3i/4i! what a feat!

2. HC girl given birth to a baby

both the male lead and female lead in this story is from rv! yes, ex-rvian of my batch. the guy is from nj, a dancer. (i shall not name them here) heard that their baby just had his/her full month celebration, but the couple arent married yet. i'm so shocked by this story. from their rather innocent look, who would have imgained what they have done. i wonder how did their first encounter went!

by the way, this afternoon as i was going lunch at tanjong pagar hawker center, i saw this adorable pink cabby with a horn on top! even the driver is a female!!! so i quickly snapped a shot:

Detoxifying Herbal Tonics

2009-02-12T13:14:00.002+08:00

Besides preparing medicine, i do all kinds of sai kang in the clinic, these includes clearing rubbish, serve tea for the doctor, wipe her tables and bed ect. recently as she's giving a talk in her chuch, she asked me to type some extracts from this book called detoxifying herbal tonics, which talks about cooking herbs that suppose to be good for the body. the book is written in dual languages, chinese with english translation. i'm suppose to type out the english portion.

its horrifyingly translated with lots of expression errors. i have to squeeze a lot of brain jucie to make admenmentz. some of the paragraphs deviates totally from the original meaning and i have to interprete from the chinese version rewrite using my own words. zzz.... i have pasted what i type here cuz i think they are rather useful. take a look:

The health philosophy of medicinal diet- Nutritious food works better than medicine

The Chinese said, ‘Food and medicine are from the same source.’ Since ancient times, the Chinese had the concept of medicinal diet. Using herbs in daily diet nourishes the body more effectively than taking medicine directly. Thus, for them, diet is not only for filling the stomach, but also for recuperating the body. They cherish good food as much as healthy food.

Just like taking herbal medicine, medicinal diet needs to be handled with the same care, improper dosage or use would result in undesirable or side effects. All those wanting to include herbal medicine in their diet for better health should learn the functions and nature of food items and herbs, and then use them wisely in relation to your own bodily needs.

There are five concepts to balance the body, namely Yin-Nourishing; Stomach and Digestion boosting; Heat-clearing and sweet inducing; Wind and Dampness- expelling; and circulation enhancement and pain alleviation.

Yin Nourishing

‘Nourishing’ or ‘supplementing’ is needed in case there is insufficiency (Asthenia) of Qi, Blood, and Yin or Yang energy in the body. Nourishment helps to bring back the chemical balance, which is one of the key concepts in Chinese medicine.

Nourishment can be specific on Qi, Blood, Yin or Yang. Qi nourishment is mostly on boosting the energy in the Spleen or the Lungs. Blood nourishment is mostly enhancement of blood cell formation and maintenance of Blood chemistry. Yin nourishment is mainly on promoting body fluid secretion and soothing Dryness in the body, it focuses on the Yin energy of the Liver, stomach and Kidneys. Finally, Yang nourishment commonly refers to the boosting of Yang energy in the kidneys.

Yin-nourishing recipes help to bring back the balance of body chemistry and relieve symptoms of invasion by external Evils. Yet those still having remaining symptoms of external Evils, even though they might have asthenic symptoms at the same time, should take medicine to get rid of the Evils completely before taking Yin-nourishing food. You can also try to nourish the Yin while combating the Evil when absolutely necessary. Those having weak Stomach or Spleen should use Yin or Blood nourishing food in moderation as such food tends to be thick greasy and tough to digest.

Stomach and Digestion Boosting

Recipes in this category enhance appetite and ease indigestion in order to relieve chronic or minor flatulence and indigestion. Commonly used herbs include haw （山楂）, Shen Qu （神曲）, malt（麦芽）, Zhi Shi（枳实）, Ji Nei Jin （鸡内金 chicken giblet ）and peach kernels （桃仁）.

Heat clearing and Sweat inducing

Heat-clearing recipes contain herbs of Cold or Cool nature. They dissipate and balance the internal heat of the patient with Heat symptoms. Sweat-inducing recipes, as its name suggests, contain elements that induce sweating in the patient so as to let out the Evil energy in the body through the sweat. The symptoms associated with superficial Evil invasion would then be alleviated.

Wind and Dampness-Expelling

Patients with Wind symptoms should use wind-expelling recipes while those with Dampness symptoms should take Dampness-Expelling recipes. They can be further classified into three categories according to different symptoms associated with the invasion of external Wind: Wind and Dampness-Expelling medicine is used on rheumatic numbing pain due to wind-Dampness; Wind-Expelling and pain alleviating medicine is used on migraine headache caused by flu, external wind invasion or wind in the head; Dampness-Expelling medicine is used on Dampness invasion or excessive fluid retention in the body.

Circulation enhancement and pain alleviation

Blood is the vital carrier of nutrients and chemicals. Under normal circumstances, it should flow through every part of the body along the vessels, to the internal organs and limbs. Yet, for some reasons, blood might not be flowing smooth and it might start to stay in certain parts (causing bruises) or breaking through the blood vessels (causing bleeding). The recipes in this section help revitalize the blood circulation and meridian system while easing bruises and alleviating pain.

Glossary on Chinese medical terms

Central Qi

It means the vital energy of the core internal organs, such as the physiological functions of the Spleen and Stomach.

Wind

Wind is one of the six Evils (Wind, Coldness, Heat, Dampness, Dryness and Fire) that invade the body. Wind can be further classified as External and Internal.

Fire

Fire is the fiercest in the summer and it is one of the six Evils that cause sickness. Fire is derived from Heat, which is in turn derived from Dryness. Thus, when Dryness turns into Heat and Heat escalates to discomfort and sickness, it is called Fire.

Coldness

Coldness is the most severe in the winter and it is distinguished by feeling cold and the energy tends to cluster around certain organs. It is one of the six Evils causing sickness and is further classified into external and internal coldness.

Dampness

Dampness is also the Evil most vibrant in summer. Dampness is one of the six Evils causing sickness and is further categorized into internal and external dampness.

Asthenia

It means the insufficiency of Jing (the essence of life), with general weakness and weak pulse.

Asthenic exhaustion

It refers to a range of symptoms caused by asthenia of Jing, Blood or other internal organs. Asthenic exhaustion includes depletion of body chemistry due to extreme emotions, poor diet, lack of rest, excessive alcohol consumption, excessive sex or lack of medical care after recovery from sickness.

True fire

True fire refers to the symptoms caused by overactive Heat in the body or by invasion of external fire, or by unbalanced diet.

Promoting Qi circulation

It means encouraging the flow of Qi (vital energy) in the body.

Jie Biao

It means letting out the Evil energy in the body to relieve the superficial symptoms.

Qi-Asthenia

Asthenia also means deficiency. Thus, Qi-Asthenia means the insufficiency of vital energy in the body and general weakness due to poor functioning of internal organs.

Yang-Asthenia

It means the depletion of Yang energy in the body, accompanied by the deterioration in bodily functions such as warming, pushing, steaming and gasifying.

Yin-Asthenia

It means the lack of body fluid, Qi and Blood among patients, accompanied by deterioration of bodily functions like nourishing, moistening and irrigation.

San Jiao

Chinese herbal doctors divide the human torso into upper (i.e. chest), middle (i.e. abdomen) and lower parts (i.e. lower abdomen posterior to the naval). They are known as San Jiao collectively, which is also one of the six Fu’s according to the Zang Fu theory.

Heat-Toxin

The heat would turn into toxin after prolonged accumulation.

Tips on cooking Chinese medicine

Water for cooking medicine

Generally, drinking water is fine. Depending on the nature of the herbs and healing mechanisms, herbs can sometimes be cooked in wine or a mixture of wine and water.

Quantity of water

Herbs should be submerged in water with water level exceeding the herbs by 2 to 5 cm. However, depending on the nature and volume of medicine, as well as the length of cooking time, level of water can be adjusted accordingly.

Pots for Chinese medicine

Clay pots are the best container for cooking medicine. Containers made of iron, copper and lead should never be used.

Heat control for cooking medicine

Boil the medicine first before switching to low heat.

Cook first and add last

Medicine involving shells or of mineral nature should be broken into pieces first and leave to boil for 15 to 20 minutes before adding other herbs. Medicine of a volatile nature should be added to the medicine in the last 5 minutes.

Precious medicine’s treatment

Such medicine should be sliced and cooked on its own. We can drink its liquid directly or cook the liquid with other medicine.

Taking Chinese medicine

It is important to take medicine at the right time, with the appropriate method and proper care for the best results.

Time to take medicine

Before meals

Most medicine should be taken before meals, particularly those that ease the pain of digestive tract and those with laxative function. This is because they need to be digested and absorbed quickly.

After meals

With more food in the stomach after meals, medicine can be mixed with the food, causing less irritation to the stomach wall. Some medicines, such as those for curing indigestion, should be taken after the meal for better effect.

At least one hour between having a meal and taking medicine is needed for throughout digestion and absorption.

The dosage

Herbal medicines are usually taken once a day. For serious diseases, it might be taken every 4 hours around the clock, so as to improve the efficiency of the medicine.

Medicines that induce sweat or have laxative functions are strong. Patients should take care not to overdose. Generally, patients should stop taking the medicine once sweating of diarrhea has occurred. In such case, completing the whole course of medication should be avoided to prevent profuse sweating which will harm the Qi in your body.

Patients who vomit should take small amount of medicine each time, but on a frequent basis. Smaller dosage causes less irritation to the stomach and reduces the chance of vomiting. Patients should take the medicine more frequently so as to keep up with the daily dosage.

Cold or hot medicine

Generally, most medicine should be taken warm to cure disease of cold nature. This is especially true for those sweating inducing medicines with spicy taste and warm nature. They are usually prescribed for flu or common cold with wind-coldness. The medicine should be taken warm to cover your body in duvet so as to induce sweat. On the contrary, patients with cough who have wounds in the throat should take the medicine after it cools.

Now i'm frantically trying to type out the introduction to various herbs. at least its more interesting to read.

Its Not Easy To Be a King

2009-02-11T21:36:00.002+08:00

i mentioned in the previous post that i orded 2 books from seoulselection, an online bookstore based in korea. this week i've recieved my books! pretty effecient huh! actually i dont mind waiting for a few more weeks if i can save on the shipping cost. instead of sending by air, it would be much cheaper to come by ship!!!

anyway this two books i've bought are
1. choson (i prefer the world choson instead of joseon) royal court culture
2. virtuous woman (i'm only looking into 'the true history' of Queen Inhyon)

i took a slight peep at the first book. pretty interesting. do you know why the capital of korea is called 'seoul'? probably due to their pursue of a unique korean culture, the name 'hanseong(汉城)' was changed in to 'seoul', a word which cannot be written in chinese, derived from 'sorabol', the name that silla dynasty was know for.

i began with the first chapter talking about the live of a choson king! poor fellows! they begin their day at 4am everyday, a ghostly hour where most of us are still away in our dreams!!!

now i shall talk abit about my work. i am quiting in march since the doctor has found someone to replace me (very efficient) and will be working as relief teacher. although its not a good deal as i experience a 30% fall in actual salary, it spared me from choosing btw retaining my current job or trying out a new one.

this morning, there are a lot of old people in the clinic and someone shitted on the floor of the toilet. omg that's the most gross thing ever. i was utterly disgusted and i immediately inform the doctor about it. she suggest that i try to flush it off. how can i handle it?! i was super reluctant. but when i went to take a second look, apparently someone has tried to clear it for me. ah thanks god! i curse the culprit. you can be forgiven if you dont know how to shit but please clear up your mess. ah how gross!

interesting patients (4)

2009-01-31T18:08:00.004+08:00

there are so many koreans visiting the clinic. today there are 4 and all with the surname KIM. lol... they are referred here by one person: a korean man also with the surname 'kim'. according to doctor koo, he owns a korean restaurant in amara hotel. every korean that visit his restaurant ends up in our clinic.

i've recently purchased 2 books from seoul selection, an online store based in korea. it sells a variety of goods ranging from books to cd, dvd and games.

one of the books is called virtuous woman of korea. i've been looking for it for sometimes. i'm interested in the section called 'the true history of queen inhyon'. she's the wife of king sukjong and her tragic story revolves around elements associated with black magic. the other book i bought is one that i have seen in national library, one that talks about choson imperial culture and arts. i dont understand why they put such book in the reference section. i'm sure in the whole of singapore, only i'm interested in such books. tt's why they are all so new, with only shelf marks.

致和协翁主

2009-01-18T22:39:00.010+08:00

身为朝鲜王室的女人，无论是妃嫔还是王女，都不会记载名字和留下画像。除了封号，她们的点滴成了历史上的空白。后人只能在史记的墨迹里从侧面寻找她们的身影。

和协翁主就是这样一位女子。她是朝鲜第21代国王英祖大王之第七女，关于她的事迹，只能在朝鲜王朝遗留的文献寻获蛛丝马迹。将近300年后的我，只是历史的旁观者，知道结局却无力挽回。

惠庆宫（敬懿王后）所著的《恨中录》形容和协翁主容貌出众，又温柔孝顺。然而无论和协翁主有多么美丽，奈何300年后根本无缘一睹她的芳容。她没有出现在任何一卷画中，更没有关于其容貌的详细记载。

英祖虽然被誉为朝鲜王朝最英明的君主之一，他的性格却极其复杂。同为宠妃暎嬪李氏出，英祖却厚此薄彼，将三女和平翁主和九女和缓翁主捧在手心，却非常讨厌七女和协翁主。其中的原因是源于英祖唯一的子嗣孝章世子的过逝世。其时英祖十分期待有孕在身的李暎嬪怀的是将来可以继承王位的男孩，不料产下的却是女孩。英祖为此万分失望，厌恶之情也油然而生。

根据《恨中录》记载，英祖会在去探望喜欢的人之时，换衣，洗脸，漱口（特别是那在之前见到了讨厌的人），并将梳洗过的污水倒入厌恶之人的后院里。这些是英祖在莅临和平翁主府第时必做之事。而污水也会命人倒入和协翁主与儿子思悼世子的后院里。他甚至不允许和协翁主与思悼世子踏入和平翁主的府第，也禁止他们踏上和平翁主常走的道路。正因为同病相怜，也由于年龄相若，思悼世子和大2岁姐姐和协翁主的感情特别深厚。（至于思悼世子的悲剧，已于前文发表）

英祖19年，和协翁主获正式册封，同年下嫁右议政申晚之子永城尉申光绥。婚典的细节收录在撰写于1743年的《和协翁主加礼謄錄》。遗憾的是，婚后的和协翁主生活如何已无从考究。

根据《正祖实录》，当正祖继位，申光绥与和缓翁主之养子郑厚谦同流合污，谋害正祖。（正祖 1卷：惟彼厚謙故都尉申光綏卽天生妖孽禍胎所鍾也。）1778年，已故的申光绥被削去爵位。（正祖 3卷：司諫李顯永上疏請追削申光綏爵秩...批曰申光綏事依施...）

正祖乃思悼世子之子，和协翁主的侄子，申光绥却加害于他。因此，也许申光绥与和协翁主的感情并不十分融洽。但是真想到底如何，却永远也不会知道。

1752年，朝鲜宫廷爆发了一场瘟疫，和协翁主和思悼世子都染上了麻疹。思悼世子幸运地康复，而和协翁主却一病不起。也许因为她的不受宠曹到了许多人的菲薄，宫廷里谣传是首个染上麻疹的和协翁主将瘟疫带进了宫廷。

病危之时，英祖也曾去探望这个向来视如瘟疫的女儿。他不顾大臣们的劝阻，彻夜守在病榻。2日后和协翁主辞世，英祖暂停一切事务为她哀悼。在最后一刻英祖终究还是记挂着父女情谊。

对于和协翁主的逝世，思悼世子悲痛万分。他在所著的《凌虚关漫稿》写道 “吾於此姊。別有顧念之情。而今忽奄逝。此慟何比。無以躬臨洩哀。卽余至恨。”（我对于这个姐姐特别眷恋，今天她忽然逝世，我感到无比地悲伤，却不能亲自行礼哀悼，为此非常遗憾。）他也为和协翁主写下祭文，表达思念之情。我想，就算到了最后无可救药的地步，如果这位姐姐仍然在世，也只有她可以唤醒陷入疯狂的思悼世子。

也许和协翁主的遭遇并不能算是不辛，至少在她孤独的一身中，有一个对她挂念至深的胞弟。

癸酉年（1753），承旨南有容为和协翁主写了挽词，收录在《雷渊集》中。 “沁園花樹日芳菲。帝子雲中樂未歸。瑤鏡自懸鸞不舞。玉簫無響鳳休飛。宮娥忍淚收華珮。夫族迎魂哭素幃。耐說六龍臨第日。秪今行路亦沾衣。”

和协翁主的事迹在《朝鲜王朝实录》里也有相关的记载，她的名号分别出现在了《英祖实录》，《正祖实录》及《纯祖实录》里。《正祖实录》及《纯祖实录》多记载了一些祭祀之礼，或税收事典，只有《英祖实录》的记载了一些和协翁主的生平。

《英祖实录》节选：

英祖 56卷
戊寅/上引見大臣、備堂。領議政金在魯請東宮冠禮、嘉禮, 待新曆涓吉行之, 上曰: “冠禮則待春涓日, 嘉禮則待和協翁主釐降之後, 其以翌年定行也。” 聖意以翁主, 是東宮之姊, 故蓋爲其重倫序也。

（殿下接见大臣讨论册封礼仪。因长幼有序，領議政金在魯建议先行王世子的姐姐和协翁主册封之礼，隔年再册封王世子。）

英祖 57卷
壬寅/封翁主號和協翁主。

（英祖19年，10岁的和协翁主正式获赐封号“和协”。）

英祖 57卷
丙午/上引見大臣、備堂。領議政金在魯等請先行東宮嘉禮, 上以和協翁主年長而未嫁難之, 問于諸臣曰: “倒婚非俗忌乎?” 大臣曰: “男女異序, 儲位等級尤截然, 非可以此爲拘也。” 禮曹參判吳光運曰: “倒婚與再婚, 爲俗忌云, 而皆無稽之言也。東宮爲宗廟、社稷之主, 則兄弟次第, 非可言也。一國臣民, 擧皆顒望, 則俗忌非所拘也。請從大臣之言, 先行東宮嘉禮。” 上曰: “男女雖異, 匕鬯雖重, 兄弟之序, 不可越也。早婚非予意, 差遲亦一年間耳。何難等待?” 命先擇和協釐降之期。

（众大臣议论让和协翁主在王世子之前完婚。）

英祖 57卷
戊子/以金尙迪爲司諫, 李宗迪爲副校理, 曹命敬爲修撰, 沈瑎爲慶尙左兵使, 申光綏爲永城尉 , 光綏 , 晩之子, 尙和協翁主。

（册封右议政申晚之子申光綏为和协翁主的驸马，封〔永城尉〕。）

英祖 57卷
辛巳/命濬城內川渠, 撤軒懸。又令廟堂, 申飭中外擾民之政。時和協翁主婚期迫近, 上悶旱欲退行。大臣曰: “不必退期。凡百務從節損, 則亦修省之義也。” 上是之, 遂命減其繁文。仍使左尹元景夏歸傳筵敎于駙馬家, 宴客之需, 亦勿用油果。景夏適入前席, 而爲駙馬之親屬故也。

英祖 78卷
上將幸和協翁主第 , 副校理蔡濟恭再上箚諫之, 不從。上以不卽聚軍, 命拿入兵曹判書金尙星、訓鍊大將金聖應。而以奪符宣傳官, 不請標信, 行首宣傳官李漢膺寧海府投畀, 副行首徐赫修施以軍律, 承旨李之億進曰: “闕門之外, 軍律未安。” 許上特寢之, 賜以貂帽。及臨主第, 夜深不還宮, 藥房、政院、大臣幷請對, 不許。將曉始回鑾

（英祖28年，和协翁主病危，虽然平日非常讨厌她，英祖仍前去探望，甚至彻夜不归。大臣劝阻，却被英祖斥骂。）

英祖 78卷
甲申/和協翁主卒。上將幸主第, 夜未曉。召見承旨李之億等, 命放申思建之謫, 停和柔翁主吉禮。藥房都提調金若魯等請對, 上召見之。若魯等請念聖體之未寧, 姑寢臨幸之命, 上不從。若魯曰: “向歲和平翁主之喪, 殿下受傷非細, 臣至今痛恨。” 上厲聲曰: “予之受傷, 由於朝臣之黨論, 豈係於哭女之死乎?” 若魯以俚語媚謝之。上臨主第, 日向嚑不下回鑾之命。副校理蔡濟恭上箚, 內局啓請還宮, 上從之。

（1752年 11月27日，和协翁主逝世，享年19岁。）

英祖 79卷
己卯/上幸和協翁主第, 以翁主之新葬也。

（和协翁主翁主之礼下葬。）

英祖 79卷
戊申/命釐正諸堂入侍。釐正堂上朴文秀曰: “ 和協翁主房各廛外上極浩多。書員全世範侵虐市民, 怨聲載路。若不重勘, 無以懲後矣。” 又請玄木二十同, 送于和協房, 使之卽償, 上曰: “ 世範所爲極無狀。令該曹勿爲徵贖, 從重嚴繩。” 又命玄木五十五同, 送于和協房。

英祖 79卷
命大臣、禮曹堂上、儒臣入侍。上曰: “我國素稱禮義之邦, 則宜一遵典禮。而今此翁主嘉禮, 予心有不安者, 禮堂、儒臣幷陳所見。” 左議政李天輔曰: “ 和協翁主旣出嫁, 則在禮服當降等。今此婚禮, 似無不可之理矣。” 禮曹判書洪鳳漢曰: “翁主旣非朞年之制, 則嘉禮似無疑矣。” 承旨嚴瑀曰: “以私家言之, 服制爲大功, 則似無違於禮文矣。” 上曰: “予意必欲博採群議, 今則無疑矣”

英祖 82卷
壬寅/上幸和協翁主第, 夜深還宮。行在不傳更鼓, 蓋是日以翁主祥日, 上不欲聞錚鼓故也。又命公ㆍ翁主、大君、王子, 雖親盡, 定爲不祧之位, 俾爲定式。

英祖 89卷
...第八和協翁主下嫁永城尉申光綏 , 卽右議政晩子, 有繼子年幼...

（暎嬪李氏墓志）

英祖 91卷
乙巳/上幸和順翁主房, 以其返虞之入來也。王世子祗送祗迎于敦化門外。上歷臨和協翁主、和柔翁主房。

（英祖探望和顺翁主，并去了和协翁主与和柔翁主府。）

英祖 127卷
甲申/令曰: “ 和恊翁主遷葬日, 遣內侍致祭, 祭文令藝文館撰進。”

历史所记载的或许并不全是真相，但出于时代的变迁和种种原因，真实的历史可能永远被掩埋。无论如何，希望我所知道的历史，就是真正的历史。

只为记住你倾城一笑

2009-01-15T21:51:00.007+08:00

只为记住你倾城一笑
---献和协翁主（1733-1752）

和协翁主，暎嬪李氏出，英祖大王之七女，下嫁永城尉申光绥。1752年逝于麻疹，享年19岁。虽然是英祖众女儿中容貌最出众的一位，但却一生备受父亲冷落。

祭和協翁主文

維歲次。壬申丁亥朔十五日辛丑。弟世子遣女官。以庶羞之奠。昭告于和協翁主之靈曰。惟我姊氏。稟質剛潔。生於王室。長於王室。卄年春光。一朝霜雪。宿昔遐圖。豈意今日。瞻彼鴈行。旣鮮且稀。云胡一疾。竟至難醫。慈氏曁我。昕夕焦爇。方其革也。誠孝猶切。聖駕臨視。幡然而起。起且呻囈。有隕如水。嗟嗟曷及。心膽驚墜。日月云邁。奄當厥望。替奠菲薄。洩我悲傷。英靈不沬。尙歆馨香。

---思悼世子书

帝王之家，以得男为贵。然而都说英祖殿下重女轻男，奈何生在错时，只得一生艰辛。公主之身，却无公主之命。同为暎嬪李氏出，芳华正茂之时香消玉殒，和平翁主带走了他一生的幸福，而你的病逝，竟是烟云过眼。父亲天上，怎是前世孽缘？

二十年光阴如箭，你倾世的容颜，葬在一朝霜雪。是谁的真心，悲凉如歌？殿下？驸马？还是世弟？祭文行行字迹，似血泪串串，那是怎样的悲伤？荣华富贵，金枝玉叶，不过是天妒红颜的借口。

儒学礼上的社会，菲薄了你传神的美艳。墨迹斑斑，你传世的芳馨，只不过是点缀史书的匆匆一笔。今生前世之说，铭刻我心。哪怕阴阳之遥，时代之隔，我会追随那永垂不朽的丽。

沉鱼落雁闭月羞花，怎及得上你回眸一笑。

my clinical experience (1)

2009-01-15T19:54:00.003+08:00

Recently i'm so slack. haha. on the average, i can watch up to 5 video clips (25 min length) per day. the clinic is esp free in the afternoon. today there's only one guy and a pretty woman (but she's married with kids =.=).

becuz we are so free, the doctor made me massage for her as she complained she has neck pain. she cant do any treatment for herself so i'm 'exploited'. i guess she treated me as a kid. i'm so obedient. but i realise my hands were weak and a while later my arms feel sore~~~ nevertheless, i did not complain bcuz she's my boss. 10 minutes later, the pretty woman came in and saved me.

later, the doctor went out and bought me some cupcakes. she said that the cupcakes are famous ard the area and patients always went to buy them after paying visit aat the clinic. lin fang maybe you will want to try some the next time you come to see the doctor.

this afternoon, the doctor went out twice and i sized the chance to lay on the sofa and slack. my favourite day is normally friday bcuz on fri the cleaner aunty will come to clean the clinic and she will mop the floor, clean the toilet, and most importantly, throw away the rubbish (which is usually my job). in addition, i get to slack when she's cleaning my room. but this week she came today. haha so this afternoon is really free for me. i ended early at 6.10pm!!!!

i'm looking forward to chinese new year cuz i've got one week of holiday (though it means $300+ less) but its a good time for me to rest and catch up with my dramas.

Eye scan

2009-01-11T18:21:00.004+08:00

This are samples of eye scan. they are extremely gross (esp the first one), making my hairs stand whenever i look at it... eeewwww *shivers

Interesting patients (3)

2009-01-08T21:24:00.002+08:00

Patient number one is this girl called michelle. I eavesdropped her convo with the doctor and almost laughed my head off.

doctor (d): how's your menses?
michelle (m): more regular now
d: anymore constipation?!
m: can come out, but not shiok. i know shit got 2 kind. one is like banana, the other is like... (i missed out this part cuz i was laughing to much). for my case, i feel the urge to shit, but always not shiok...

(throughout her convo, she keep emphaising that her shitting is not shiok!!! haha)

patient number two came this after noon. she's a chinese girl who holds a work permit. she said that yesterday she had gone to have her back massaged but end up having back cramps. when she heard that we are tcm, she seemed very relcutant but in the end still decide to give it a try. i'm amazed at how the doctor convince her that tcm is good.

girl (g): 昨天我去按摩，结果早上起来背整个都好痛。
d: 你一定是伤风了。
g: 按摩完了没什么，可是早上就痛。哎哟疼死我了！
d: 你痛是因为肠胃有风，风出不来所以才痛。(eveybody also seem to have feng in their chang wei) 我给你拔罐和刮痧就不痛了。
g: 不要，我的背一碰就痛。
d: 你试一下，一下子就不痛了。
so the doctor went on to persuade her, she finally agreed.
d: 你看你的背上那么多红疹，肠胃不好，不可以吃辣的。(she said this to almost everybody)
g: 你刮得我好痛，我的背我都不敢去碰它了。

starting from this week, i noticed that the clinic remained rather empty throughout the day. usually in dec we have on average 20 patients per day but now the average falls to 10. i'm so bored with less things to do. everyday i have enough time to watch at least 2 25 mins video clips on my phone. in fact i have much more time to watch even more but in order to show my the doctor that i'm not a slacker, i tried very hard to find things to do for myself.

on monday, i made a bottle of capsules. yesterday i made another. today i folded 40 packets of powder in which the doctor sells each for $1 and whose content is a teaspoon full of powder... today the clinic is so empty that the doctor decide to do eye scan for me. for whatever reason, her program on the computer is not working properly so we spend a great deal of time trying to figure out. there are 2 programs, one is the advanced version and the other the normal one. we can only operate the normal one but not the advanced. i didnt managed to solve the problem.

so the doctor did eye scan for me with the normal program. eye scan is a way to examine the health of your various organs by observing the condition of your eye. lin fang will probably be doing it next week so i expect her to give greater details. anyway as we have a lot of time the doctor decided to teach me how to analysis a scan of your eyes. she showed me some samples, yucks they are gross, especially those with a lot of illness. their eyes are filled with a lot of black lines and holes... eewww the thought of it makes my hair stands.... let infang give you more details...

Iritating patiens --- i've never forget you

2008-12-31T20:53:00.002+08:00

1. dishonest woman

monday must have been the most unlucky day of the year 2008. the earning for the day falls short by $90.

what happened was that in the morning, there was a patient by the name of deborah who paid her $40 bill with a $100 note. if you have ever seen one, a $100 note is orange in colour, similar to that of a $10 note. a few hours later, when i decide to make a count, i realised that there's a shortage of $90. when i discovered that the $100 note was missing, i concluded that we must have given out the $100 note for $10 change. zzz.... so li ling and i decided to call up the patients. we called 3 in total, 2 of them denied while the other one became the prime suspect.

her name is chua lee eng. i'll always rmb. never will i forget. CHUA LEE ENG YOU OWE ME $90! if unfortunately i became loan shark one day, i'll haunt you first. li ling rang her up first, according to li ling, the chua woman keep asking for the amt of her bills, whether it is $90 or $80. when li ling tell her that its $80, she claimed that we only gave her $10 change. as i was the one who handled chua woman's payment, i took over the phone. her first sentence was: 你有没有发烧？i'm so pissed but i heldback myself and explained that we might have given her a $100 note and a $10 note for $20 change. she replied:你眼睛是不是有问题，蓝色和红色分不清。i told her that 100 is orange in colour and may be easily mistaken for $10 note. she slammed the phone b4 i can finish. F**K. Ass hole that slut!!!

it became clear to me that its her. because if i have given her $10 for $20 change, she would have questioned it when she received the change. even if she thought her bill is $90, we would be missing $80 instead of $90. she's such a idiot, 吞了别人的钱还想占便宜。if she's smart she would have just said: no, you didnt. @￥￥%#@@！i curse her to go to hell.

you wondered what happened to the missing $90? well, it was deduted from my salary but i'm actually not feeling very bad. i will not treat this sum of money as mine. i'll not insist on something that does not belong to me. i'm also glad i'm taught a precious lesson to be careful when handling money.

2. roaring dad

on the same day (monday), another incident happened. there was an angmoh who came to see the doctor with his chinese wife and mother in law. after waiting for sometime, the mother in law told me that they have something to attent to urgently at 1pm. at her request, i passed her msg to the doctor and the doctor agreed to call them in. this action angered a father of a boy called paul. he is so unreasonable. he shouted at us and blamed us for allowing ppl to cut queue.

i can still rmb what he said: we counted one by one for our turn, yet when its about our turn, that guy went in. why you let him in?! just becuz he is an angmoh. dont you know that my son is in pain?! i tried to explain that its not my decision but its up to the doctor who she wants to see. then that man bellowed: its your responsibility to ensure that the patience are called in squence. you should have the control to who can go in. he really tested my patience. i was really mad but i still smiled and apologise to him. he purposely said very loud for the angmoh and the doctor to hear.

i cursed him behind my back. he's merely using his son as an excuse. he claimed that his son is in pain but from what i see, the boy can walk, can laugh and talk. ya i know he's worried but he shouldnt shout at the receptionist. if you are a man, go tell the doctor your discontent instead of bullying the two girls at the reception. he didnt even utter a word infront of the doctor. what a 没种的男人。neverthelss, at least when they left, his wife apologise.

3. FAT UGLY HOT TEMPERED MAN WHO THINKS THAT HE AND HIS WIFE ARE KING
AND QUEEN

this is the worse ever. this couple, i'll never forget them. the wife came in the afternoon to registered for her hubby. sometimes later she called. i dont know the details cuz it was not me who dealed with her call but li ling. apparently when she called to ask, li ling told her the doctor would be back from lunch at 2.30pm. however, the doctor took a while to go lunch at 2pm. usually she's very quick with it but bcuz today she went lunch with a patient she took a long time and by 2.50pm she's still nonwhere in sight. the couple became impatient and requested that we call the doctor. we called and told them that the doctor is coming back in 5 min time. their face turned black. i swear their are the most ugly patient i have encounter.

they scolded us for not keeping our promise that we told them the doctor will be back at 2.30pm but she didnt. they also keep emphaising that we should honour our promise. but the truth is we didnt promise them and that how could we, the receptionist, control a doctor's action. when she goes for lunch and when she will be back is all to her own will.

the slutty woman keep harping on li ling's explanation: 医生也要吃饭。she argued: yes i know the doctor need to eat but she cant keep us waiting. her fat malaysian hubby screamed at me that he cant lift his arms and that he may collapse any moment. are you gng to be responsible, he accused. i meant to ask politely whether he is an emergency case. if its so, he may want to go to the emergency depart at the hospital. the woman was angered by my words. perhaps she took it as a scarsm. she pointed her arrow at me: so you have atitude problem. is this how you talk to your customers? lets ask the doctor later if this is the right attitude. i'm also in the service line.

at this point of time i was no longer to control myself. they are so unreasonable that they hit the limits of my patience. that woman, go to hell pls. i'm sure you dont know the meaning of "attitude". go ahead complain to the doctor, i dont care if i kena sack anyway i can always go be relief teacher which is even better. you want to see my real attitude?! i would have blast at you. i would sue you. idiot. you think young ppl easy to bully?! dont let me see you in your service line i tell you, i'll pick on your and make sure your boss fire you on the spot. 有钱了不起？(she told her husband the msian at the registration that as long as you got money anyone can seet the doctor)

if you are really in the service sector, you should understand our difficulty. just because you have been handling unreasonable customers at your workplace, you cat kick other ppl. is it your fault that you have to wait. every patient have to wait. some even wait up to a few hourse but they nv complain. what's wrong with you idiot. the doctor didnt pay me to get scolding from rubbish ppl like you. $$%#$$

Merry Xmas

2008-12-25T23:27:00.000+08:00

Interesing patients (2)

2008-12-24T19:16:00.002+08:00

the couple looking for contraceptive pills is back. haha. i was at the back doing something else at that point of them, i knew it from li ling. she said that this time, its the woman who asked. she told her the name of the medcine in chinese but li ling doesnt understand so she told them that we dont sell it. we conclude that the couple must have asked around and learn the name of the pill but apparently they cant find it. tsk tsk... they are so despo for ahem ahem.... like i said, the easiest thing is to settle with a condom, which can be bought everywhere, why insist on contraceptive pills?!

doctor koo said that we end at 4pm today but i left the clinic at 4.50pm. all thanks to the clock on the telephone. this is one of the only 2 clocks in the clinic and usually i depend on it for the time because the other one is at the back of the clinic. i guess it must have stopped running at 3.30pm. li ling and i was making some pills untill we totally forgotten about the time. when the last patient was done with her treatment, a chinese worker came in and ask if we are still open. i check the clock and it shows 3.30pm so i told him we close at 4pm and since it is only 3.30pm, we can still register him. a few minutes later, i realise that the clock is still pointing at 3.30pm so i checked my phone. oh god, its already past 4.30pm. zzz.... no wonder that guy threw us weird stares.

anyway today is xmas eve. haha no significance to me though. i'm happy to have tml as a public holiday so i can have a good rest.

Interesting patients

2008-12-23T21:12:00.002+08:00

I'M DISMISSED ON TIME. haha first time ever since i start work. haha. today the stream of patients ended at around 5 plus. haha i'm so happy to go off at 6pm sharp.

this morning came a couple looking for contraceptive pills. ahahaha~ why would somebody look for that in the broad day light. cant they use condom that's readily available?! in addition, it was the guy who asked. dont he feel paiseh to talk to me?! asking a girl for contraceptive pills. shame shame lar~ hahahaha. li ling and i cant stop laughing when they are gone.

another interesting patient is this old man who always visit doctor koo with his wife. they come frequently, almost twice to thrice a week. (so much money). the strange thing is that the old man always wait for his wife to foot the bill. so today i asked the old man why he dont want to pay for his wife. his reply was that his wife is richer than him. haha he emphasized that not all man are rich, and that he always respect woman. bwahaha~ hilarious guy.

tml doctor koo say she will end at 4pm... one hour ealier than expected. i asked li ling what will she be doing. she said that on the eve she will bake cookies so that she can give to other ppl on xmas itself. on xmas day, she will go to church in the morning and have lunch (catered by the church). her words tempted me. but... i wont tolerate many boring hours just to have catered lunch. haha, no church for me. NEVER. i have bad experience going to the church. its utterly boring~~~~

talking about xmas i'm so sorry this year no xmas card cuz i forgot to buy on sun (my only free day) so i'll not have time to buy again. paiseh to those who send me. haha i'll try to get new year cards.

sc at the workplace

2008-12-19T20:33:00.002+08:00

doctor koo (my employer) has asked li ling and i to account for the stocks above the sink (which you need a ladder to get access to) when the clinic is empty. however, after 4 days of working, li ling and i have come to the conclusion that the clinic will nv be empty. everyday even b4 the clinic opens there are ppl queueing up outside the door. the clinic nv close for lunch. li ling and i take turns to go for lunch. sometimes we da bao for the doctor, sometimes the doctor rushes out to eat. at any point of time, there's always ppl waiting to see the doctor. many even come to see doctor koo twice a week, i wonder if they need to work.

however, this afternoon the clinic went empty for a few hours. haha this is an unpreceded occation in my 5 days at the clinic. guess what doctor koo did during her free time? she took a bag of cash to deposit into the bank. i guess there's about 5-6k. on average, the clinic earns 1k per day. woa! i also want to be a sinseh. li ling and i also took the chance to check the stock. haha its quite scary for me to climb the ladder. its so shaky!!! then i finally got the time to sit at the sofa at the waiting area and read the newspaper. bwahaha~ so comfortable.

since we are idle, doctor koo helped me to 把脉 and she conclude that i 胃胀风 (due to drinking cold soya milk in the morning) and 肝火旺 (cant sleep properly, lots of dreams with insufficient deep sleep) haha. so she did cupping for me. initially i thought its painfull, but its not. haha. then she also said that i have stiff neck which is quite true so she poked a needle into my ankle to relief the stiffness. so nice of the doctor to give me free treatment. just as linfang puts it across --- employee benefits.

there are all kinds of patient with a wide range of illness. yesterday came an infertile couple. apparently the guy has deformed sperms. although they are of the same age(32 i guess), the husband looked much younger than the wife, as if he's still in his 20s. i thought they were sister and brother at first. haha. then today when we are about the close shop, a guy came in to ask wether the doctor is a man or woman. then when he know that the doctor is a woman he looked very paiseh but he went in anyway. the we peeped at his record and realised that he's also infertile with damaged sperm head. but he got a 2.5 year old daughter. hahhaahaha~ laugh my head off.

tml li ling is not coming as she has to go church. i wonder if i can manage. i'll miss her~~~~ for one person, there will be alot of things to do. hope there will not be a surge of patient tml even thought it is sat.

I'M EMPLOYED

2008-12-17T20:37:00.003+08:00

i finally found a job as a clinic assistant in a sinseh clinic. i found it from the straits time and i'm so lucky to get it upon interview. i didnt expected it at first cuz this is a permenant post.

on monday i went for interview in the morning, i'm the first candiate. after asking for my details, the sinseh says that she will take me for a month first. haha i think it is attributed to my pleasant appearance compared to another candidate who came later. she's pimply and ugly (i'm serious) and cant speak english. it's so funny to see her waiting to be interviewed for several hours becuz she came late.

what the sinseh concerns most is the length of time that i can work. i guess its not easy to train an assistant becuz you have to know where the potions and powder are. the challenge here is to recognise the sinseh's terrible handwriting. on the first day, she have to tell me everything that i need to prepare, but on the second and third day, i recognise most of them. i think i learned everything rather quickly.

i worked with another girl who is an undergraduate (year two in ntu) and takes tcm. she's a church mate of the sinseh, and is helping her out temporary till jan. apparently, the previous assistant has resigned. i even heard from the girl and some patients that the previous assistant's got very bad attitude. anyway, i'm glad to have someone my age to accompany me. today we gossiped about this very piss looking girl who came to visit the sinseh. she's called deborah. eavesdropping the convo between deborah and the sinseh, we have found out that she has been studying in australia and suffered from irregular menstrual period. haha laugh my head off. no wonder she's so impatient and has bad atittude. she's reaching an early 更年期.

this job is rather well paid than all that i have previously considered at $8 per hour. i enjoyed it as i have the opportunity to learn about chinese medicine and learn formulas that cure many common illness. most patients suffered form stiff neck, backache, menstrual problems, cough etc. however, the bad thing is that the working hours is heavy. everyday i start work at around 10.15am and ends when the last patient go off. this time is usually way passing the closure hour - 6pm. on monday (my first day), i ended at 7.20pm, tuesday 6.50pm and today is the earliest-6.20pm. i also have to work from monday to sat, that left me with very little free time. i miss my holidays~~~~

the sinseh is a woman in her 50s. i think she's quit good and wellknown cuz a lot of patients come by recommandation from relatives and friends. her patients also range from chinese to angmoh, including koreans, indonesians, malays and indians. but her treatment is ex. one bottle of potion 180ml, she sells it for $30. consultation is $15. overall the average amount that each patient pays is $50. my job scope includes 配药, registration and admin work, plus siakang like wipe table and pout water for the sinseh. if any of you interested in visiting this sinseh tell me i help you cut queue.

I

2008-12-17T20:36:00.000+08:00

My interest

2008-12-03T22:39:00.003+08:00

recently car went to korea but she havent uploaded any of her photos due to her laziness! zzz.... just like the animals in mandai zoo. she said she bought $1.8k worth of ginseng! tt's crazy~

how i envy her. but the only places the i'm keen to visit in korea is of culture/historical in origin - the palaces (including kyongbok palace 景福宫 and Hwaseong fortress 水原华城), the Yi ancestral shrine and the national museum hosting artifact from Yi dynasty of Choson Korea.

although i'm planning to take up hospitality, my true interest lies in the history of korea. if only i do not have to face reality, i would really like to study 16-18th century korea history under professor Jahyun Kim of Columbia university. she's the translater of 'the memoirs of Lady Hyegyong', the first ever literature work that caught my attention. this court novel talks about a true tragic tale of a 18th century choson korea prince (prince sado 思悼世子) who died in a rice chest from the view of a patroarchal koran royalty. its such a fascinating, yet horrifying tale that would change your perception towards the royal families and associates. beautiful stories of prince and princess only happen in fairy tales.

i've forgotten must of what i learn in korean classes. wonder where's Miss park now. zzz... she just left us without a word, no number, no email. i guess we've lost contact with her and chances that we would meet up again would be rare.

b4 i got the chance to visit the place of my dreams, i'll have to first brush up my basic command of korean and learn up classical chinese, which would be of great help when i try to read up on the choson royal silok (朝鲜王朝实录).

My sister's Autography

2008-11-21T17:20:00.002+08:00

Today went to haw par villa, haha to see hell. will upload the photos in the next post. went home and found my sister's graduation (kindergarden) autography book lying on the table. bwahaha~ its so funny...

1. Wendy
Daddy's no: 812*****
i am your friend wendy. i like to play with you. your hair is long. you got so beautiful face. i dont love abel.
(a drawing depicting an angry looking fairy queen and a happy looking fairy king)

2. Serena
Mummy's no: 963*****
Daddy's no: 977*****
Address: Blk B lvl 5
serena
i love you because you always play with me
(a heart shape drawing)

3. Louise
Xinbei (my sister's name) i wish i can see you again!<3
do you wish to?
(a box saying: this box is for you to write your address)
(another box saying adress: blk 380....) <3
<3
(so many heart shapes)

4. Evangeline
go to my house is at blk A lvl5....
can play when i am free. i can go to the play ground. i can play with you at the play ground. i am your friend.
(a box saying: this box is for you to write your address)
(another box with my house address)

5. Wenyi
dear xinbei
i will come to your home. please let me come to your home.

haha these kids are so cute. talking about autograph, Tanpers that idiot havent let me write hers.... IF YOU SEE THIS TANPERS, I WANT TO WRITE YOUR AUTOGRAPH

About Germaine Lee

2008-11-14T21:42:00.002+08:00

returned after a long break to talk about you!!!!! you owe me a treat!!!! hahaha

here are her pervertic quotes:
让我捏一下你的屁股
你捏我的奶，我也要捏你的奶
为什么你的奶罩穿到这样下面？

3 recent quotes first, others must slowly recall...

Wall-E

2008-09-06T18:46:00.002+08:00

Wall-E the movie you must not miss!

watched wall-e on friday with mr koh (aka car). my third animation after ratatouille and bee movie! i love anime. if you want to watch movie with me, be sure its comedy, horror, thrille, animation... ANYTHING but romance...

Wall-e (he's pretty dirty...eeewww~ )

Eva... she's very violent, shooting at everything that's in her way. look, she's doing it again!

when eva smiles, i think she looks a bit se =.=

the obese captain. the other passengers are as big as him. well, i wonder how they produce kids. they cant even move themselves without robots' help. Invitro fertilisation, perhaps...

Mr Wee's teacher's day card

2008-08-30T18:07:00.003+08:00

this is mr wee's teacher's day. haha created by sze, that super artistic (and talented) girl! so cute right.

Teacher's day

2008-08-29T13:58:00.002+08:00

today had teacher's day celebration. this year's programs hwere better than last year though i skipped the performance last year. haha. the organisation was simply better. thanks council, you've done a great job.

everyone were surprised to see me today. is my reputation that bad?! believe or not, i'm introvert.

stupid lin fang cheat my feeling. she promised to play bridge with me after celebration but today she didnt want to honour her agreement. and where's my drink?! huh?! you want to die is it?!

had lunch with ladyboy, yiwen and brownie. we wanted aijitei but settled at food republic. haha though i had two servings (mince pork noodle plus chicken rice), i'm still not full. food! i need more food! those 2 woman beside our table stared at me, horrified as if they've seen a ghost when i bought my second serving. haha jealous is it?! i wont gain weight no matter how much i eat. ahaha~

ladyboy was saying that those 07s07 girls all look so gentle with a motherly look but i think otherwise. they are not what they seem to be. she also commented that NALLY TAN LOOKS LIKE A CHINESE SCHOLAR (with a smart mugger look). ahahaha~ laugh my head off. lol~

A Tribute to Kim Kyong Ah

2008-08-28T15:13:00.006+08:00

She's the world's No.1 chopper, the first to attain a bronze in the oympic games.

the first time i saw her was during the athens olympics, when i barely know the significance of the game. i took much notice at her because of her unique playing style. today you dont see much choppers around. not only because its a skill hard to aquire, it is also a rather unfavourable tactics to play against strong attackers.

i remebered her playing doubles with another girl also with the surname 'kim', she was 26 then, retirement age for most of the athletes, but that was probably her first olympic games. watching her playing semifinals with li jia wei, i dont know why but i was cheering for her. i wanted her to win badly. i guess there's this special affinity between us.

she's very resilient, the never give up attitute touched me. although faced with a strong opponent, she gives her all to honour the game.

seeing her again 4 years later was like seeing an old friend. i'm totally impressed by her game play with li jia wei, second time in the olympics. hahaha~ its really heartening to see her controlling the game. but korea lose. she's dissapointed, and so am i. but we can always get it

back, yes in the londons game 2012. i'm looking forward to that.

i thereby proclaim that i'm a true blue fan of kim kyong ah of korea.

G

o kyong ah~ you will always have my support.

on her wedding day

Special report featuring Kim Kyong Ah

6/11/2008 奥林匹克运动会，北京，中国

2004年雅典奥运会开幕前几个月的时候，我们曾在泰陵选手村采访过金璟娥。当时她说："我将每一天提高1%的实力"。在雅典奥运会开幕前不到一个月的时候，我们再一次见到她，当时她给了我们一个意味深长的微笑，"现在已经不剩下百分之几了。"言语中透露出她的自信。在雅典进行的奥运会比赛中，金璟娥取得了出人意料的好成绩，她是历史上首位在奥运会上获得单打铜牌的削球手，同时她还在双打比赛中取得了第4名。比赛成绩证明她在赛前所说的"要发挥出100%的实力"绝非虚言。

"一天一步"地扎实地往前走。金璟娥所说的给我们留下了深刻的印象，她的乒乓球人生轨迹也正是这样。从来没有突飞猛进式的迅速上升，她就是一点一点地、持续地前进。27岁时才第一次成为国家队成员，在几乎应该退役的年龄——28岁时才首次参加奥运会。正是在那次奥运会中，她取得了所有人都没有预料到的好成绩。回想起她赛前所透露的、被人认为只不过是空谈的目标和她那意味深长的微笑，似乎一切都是水到渠成的事情。

雅典奥运会以后的4年中，金璟娥韧劲十足的削球和令人叫绝的反攻仍然在不断地显示着威力。许多球员在大赛之后往往难掩疲惫，失去继续前进的力量，而金璟娥则坚持着她特有的那种"步行者"的脚步，一刻也不停息。金璟娥现在已经成了"大器晚成"的代名词。不知不觉已经32岁的她再一次向奥运会发起挑战。这位"特别的老将"在北京的战场上会再留下什么样的纪录呢？

"雅典奥运会时，事实上我根本不知道奥运会比赛是什么样的，完全是盲目地仅凭着认真的态度去打，但是这一回就不一样了。对奥运会比赛我已经了解了，不会再怎么紧张了。虽然也不是没有弱点，但至少比赛所必要的一切都可以提前去想到，可以有针对性地、高效率地去进行准备。现在我已经感觉相当轻松，可以满怀自信地投入奥运会的战斗。"

事实上，像金璟娥这样特殊的球员在韩国女子乒乓球界是很少见的。在金璟娥之前，具有代表性的韩国削球手是洪顺花，再往前有萨拉热窝世乒赛英雄郑贤淑。不过她们往往都是去辅佐攻击手，更多的是担任"阻击手"的角色。而金璟娥与她们的作用不同，她在相当长的一段时间里一直是率领着韩国国家队的前锋。获得奥运会奖牌，冲到世界排名第5位，作为削球手能够达到这样的高度是非常少见的。

以削球打法在韩国立足

说金璟娥是位特殊的球员，并不仅仅因为她是有代表性的削球手，更重要的是她在艰难的环境下走了过来，并最终成为韩国国家队的王牌。削球打法在韩国乒乓球界处于"没人把它当事，但又不可缺少"的地位，乒乓球界对削球手往往存在歧视，而且这种倾向还相当严重。可以想象，削球打法的球员在韩国乒乓球界坚持下来是多么的困难。

不论哪一个教练，都绝对不能接受自己的队员在比赛中输给削球手。球员们也相信，攻球手在与削球手的比赛中必须要赢下来，为了赢削球手，他们比赛打得非常认真。随着与削球手的比赛越来越多，攻球手对削球手的打法就越来越熟悉，而对于削球手来说，比赛打得越多，就会越来越艰苦。对于削球打法的认识，乒乓球界普通存在着先入之见或者说是偏见，认为削球不是攻击技术而仅仅是一种防守技术。

歧视归歧视，削球打法对韩国乒乓球来说是必须要有的，因为这关系到国际竞争力(特别是针对欧洲)。不过削球手存在的价值仅是作为攻击手的陪练。做这个工作不是一件轻松事。削球手们不仅要与那些攻击手们去战斗，同时还要与偏见和讽刺挖苦进行斗争。在艰难的环境下，每一次比赛他们都是输不起的。

金璟娥说，正是这些困难把她培养了出来。首先，在国内球员们的围攻之下把技术练了出来。其次，因为国家队的需要，可以一直进入泰陵选手村进行训练。在玄静和等一批球员退役以后，柳智惠、金戊校、李恩实、石恩美等那些"强大的"前辈们在国家队的时期里，金璟娥一直担任着国家队的陪练，她得以与这些强手在一起练球。当年洪顺花退役以后，韩国国内找不到实力令人满意的削球手。于是17岁的金璟娥还在上高中时被选为陪练，从那时开始一直到她进入实业队后的前半部分时间里，都是这样度过的。

"坦率地说，因为打法受限的原因，一直到26岁时我都没有认真地去练。不过在这一段时间里，我却形成了一种属于自己的风格。在韩国乒乓球这种特殊的环境下，削球手虽然日子过得艰难，但事实上这种艰难却可以使自己变得强大起来。"

韩国女乒掉出世界前十

金璟娥的球员生涯以参加2003年巴黎世乒赛为起点揭开了第二幕。在已经被称为老将的年龄，金璟娥第一次成为国家队队员，她必须以"雪藏的削球武器"的角色迅速填补前辈退役留下的空白。正所谓"良药苦口"，金璟娥在自己运动生涯前半段所经历的残酷磨练，成为决定她命运的一剂良药。在国家队缺乏实力强大攻击手的时候，她能够挺身而出把全队带起来，大概就是缘于当年练就的内功。

然而在今年3月进行的世乒赛团体赛中，她没有出现在赛场上，不得不坐在了观众席上。因削球打法的限制，国内比赛实在太难打，她在国家队阵容选拔中被淘汰下来。令人不能理解的是，在奥运会年里打世界大赛，为什么不能采用考虑世界排名和打法的推荐制。除唐娜之外，韩国乒协却在世乒赛和奥运会中排出了不同的阵容。

早些年，金璟娥曾与另外一名削球手朴美英一起顽强地把国家队撑起来。而在这次世乒赛团体赛中，韩国女队一头栽了下去，跌出世界前十名，这是韩国女子乒乓球50余年的历史上从未有过的事情。新老交替未能成功所带来的弱点，近几年间由两位老练的削球手弥补上了。可是随着她们两人缺阵，韩国女队存在的问题在这次世乒赛中迅速暴露出来。坐在观众席看着她们惨败，金璟娥感到心痛，她总感觉原因在自己身上，甚至觉得自己有负罪感。

"这不是我所认识的国家队。尽管她们的经验不足是一方面的原因，但是她们给人的印象是明显缺乏充分的准备。无论如何，这回是韩国女子乒乓球的真实现状完全地暴露出来了。可是以往我们也都是在可利用的资源不很多的情况下顽强地坚持了下来，而且还坚持得很好。我觉得这就不能理解了。我想现在我们应该做的是把奥运会打好，找到重新冲上去的契机。"

"全世界就属张怡宁打我最轻松"

削球手的比赛是有趣的。因为不论与哪一个对手比赛，削球手都不会轻易地崩溃。对手一拍一拍地连续攻过来的、看起来几乎不可能回过去的球，他们都能顽强地削回去；一旦对手稍露出一点空当，他们就可以发动电光石火般的逆袭，为观众们带来无穷的乐趣。韩国男队的朱世赫成为世界级明星，就是缘于他华丽的削球技术。

金璟娥也是这样。无论与哪一位世界强手对抗，她都不会轻易地败退，即使在落后的局面下，她也经常能够坚持到最后，完成大逆转。在削球手的比赛中，4比3的比分出现得特别多，他们的比赛往往也会形成持久战。

但是，凡事无绝对，金璟娥也有克星——中国的张怡宁。到现在为止，金璟娥从来没有赢过张怡宁一次。雅典奥运会半决赛中，她就是遇到了张怡宁而无法继续前进。当时，金璟娥把在决赛中碰张怡宁作为自己的最大目标。可是因为对阵抽签的原因，她们不可能在决赛中相遇，金璟娥马上把自己的目标修订为铜牌。由此可见，张怡宁是一位多么可怕的对手。金璟娥无奈地说："全世界打我打得最轻松的就是张怡宁了。"

"她是一位可怕的对手，这是无可争辩的事实。不过有了张怡宁这个最大的目标，对我是有帮助的。在训练中，我随时都想着张怡宁那潮水般的攻势。然后再与其它选手比赛时，相对来说就会感觉比较轻松了。如果以后再有机会与张怡宁交手，我想我会顽强地拼下去，不然轻易地认输的。"

金璟娥的克星仍然存在着。4年前的世界第一，4年后还是世界第一位。今年的奥运会她仍然挡在前面。不过这次我们聊到张怡宁时，金璟娥的表情意外地平静。无数次地削回对手的抽杀、随时瞄准对手的漏洞准备反击，她特有的韧劲已经完全融入那平静之中了。世界最强削球手金璟娥和世界最强攻击手张怡宁的较量，已经在赛场之外持续进行中，难道不是吗？

走向北京

北京奥运会还有几个月就要到了。像4年前那样，金璟娥又开始了"每天1%"的提高实力的过程。为了补充随着年龄增长而下降的体力，她现在的体能训练较以前增加了接近一倍。年龄夺走的是体力，带来的是能力和技术。在不断减少的无谓失误和不断开阔的视野的基础上，年龄倒会带来在技术上的自信感。现在金璟娥所要做的就是提高肌肉量和不断增强体能，有了体能就可以保证她在北京的战场上与各路强手进行巅峰之战。

"经常会感到困难，但我们女子乒乓球会努力地打下去。这次奥运会不仅有个人赛，还有新设的团体战。我会与唐娜、朴美英一起同心协力，争取做到最好。大家不要仅仅盯着奥运会，希望大家一直支持我们。我们一定要用好成绩报答大家的期待。"

(来源/乒乓世界原载/韩国《月刊桌球》翻译/王冰)

A poem for the extraordinary

2008-08-28T14:55:00.005+08:00

美丽的女人啊

你来自战火纷飞的国度

穿过枪林弹雨

依然带着祥和的微笑

你平静的双眸里

流溢出奥林匹亚女神的光彩

你的笑,象初升的旭日

弥漫了奥林匹亚山

弥漫了北京

没有奖金, 没有资助

没有官员呵护

甚至听不到祖国亲人的助威呐喊

更甚至没有一套漂亮的运动服

裹着你的头巾

在北京初秋的微风里

在腥风血雨的恶斗里

在奸诈、名利的角斗中

你圣洁的光

洋溢开来!

source: http://tieba.baidu.com/f?kz=467833691

A Tribute to Robina Muqimyar

2008-08-27T16:40:00.004+08:00

i'm ashamed of what i've said in my previous post. erase that from your mind. and if you are thinking in the same way as i do, please read this post carefully, SHE will change your mind.

dont just fix your gaze on wonders like micheal phelps, she's the true hero in the game. olympics is not just all about glory.

"I'm the luckiest girl in the world to participate in two Olympic Games, and I hope to get to London."

she's Robina Muqimyar, the only afganistan woman athelete participating in 100m sprint in 2008 beijing olympics. despite coming in last out of 85 with a timing of 14.08secs, she touched the hearts of millions. she's simply extraordinary.

she does not have a qualified trainer, she has no sponsor, she comes from a country ruined by war and she grew up under hardline Islamist rulers who would not brook girls playing sport. she only have 2 weeks to train, and despite opposition from the conservative society and even threats from taliban, she went for the event against all odds.

i'm deeply moved by her bravery. she's a woman who have the courage to stand up in a society dominated by man, one that woman are denied of their pursue of freedom and rights. if you ever watched the event and mocked at her for you think even you can do better than that, please be ashamed of yourselve. she ran in headscarve, without proper spikes. how much does she have to scarifice for this moment that lasted for merely 14seconds?

i'll be parying for her, day and night. sincerely hope to see her again in london 2012. i hope i'm lucky enough to be there to show her my appreciation.

for more pictures and updates of my heroine, please click here

like afganistan, china and korea were also societies traditionally dominated by man. blame confucianism, that's the root cause for the gender inequality. if confucian (the so called great man in chinese history) himself was a woman, he would have a totally different perspective. if you are a man, i'm sure you would love to practice polygamy. but would you also like to share your wife with other men?! if you dont, what makes you think that your wife would love to share you with other women?!

i'm sure confucian, that muddle-head old man, capitalised on his influence to satisfy his greed, not for the good of mankind, in creating a society dictated by man. what is it with "man are bread winners, women are home makers"? RUBBISH

viv's korea trip

2008-06-28T14:44:00.005+08:00

went to eat sushi with yiwen yesterday after school, met viv on bus 67. quite happy to meet her, i think this is the first time seeing her this year. she COMPLAINED to me about her trip to korea, according to viv, here are some of her major source of discontentments:

"korean food sucks. the beansprout are so long (she gestured with her 2 second fingers, displaying them at a width of about 10 cm) and theirs heads are so huge (she estimated the size using her right thumb and second finger), when you eat them, you are practially eating beansprout heads. and the barbeque meat, i guess they dont know how to marinate, it taste like nothing but charred susbstance. and omg i have to eat kimchi for every meal. on my 7 day stay in korea, how badly i craved for yong toufu. i came back and ate it 5 times in a single day. gernerally, the food is really bad. after every meal the tour guide will ask us if we are full. notcied that he did not asked us if the food was good, he asked us if we have had enough. so i guess koreans are not particular about food, they eat whatever that's healthy. and i have to stress, KOREAN FOOD TASTE REALLY BAD!"

tt's really out of my expectation. i used to think that korean food are very nice, at least those korean barbeque in singapore do. so what they featured in Dae Jang Geum is only a "korean" interpretation of what they call their "delicacies".

"the chopsticks we used are 2 short and flat sticks. its extremely hard for us to eat, especially when you cant lift up your rice bowl as its so hot (cuz the bowl were made of metal). i asked why they made the chopstick so short, the response was that in aisa, we require long chopstick to reach out for shared dishes but in korea, you dont have to do so. and why is it flat? simply becuz it is an easier process making flat chopstick rather than those round ones."

next time i will bring my own chopstick if i ever have the chance to go to korea.

"everything in korea is so expensive, guess how much one bowl of instant noodles cost? 6 DOLLARS!!! YES 6 DOLLARS!!!! (she claps the back of her right hand against her left palm). and their smallest not is 10000 won (thats about s$14), so everyday i have to keep a thick stack of notes in my wallet, cant even close it. "

i'll bing my own instant noodle and biscuits as well.

"their palace is so small, without me realise it, we are already at the end of the palace tour. forbidden city in china has 999 pavillions, they have only 99 in korea."

she's referring to the Chang'dok Palace (昌德宮, palace of prospering virtue) of choson dynasty, also referred to as the East Palace as it is located in the east of Gyong'bok Palace (景福宫). it became the main palace of choson dynast in the 17th century after the burning down of Gyong'bok Palace.

"one thing i've notice about korean woman, they wont go onto the streets without putting on make up!"

shall talk about my lunch with yiwen. we intend to eat buffect at suki sushi at lot one, but apparently due to renovation work, the outlet is no longer in business. so we left with no choice but to surrender to eating sakae sushi. they suck, dont even have sashimi. i ate so much rice that i dont feel like eating anymore for the whole of next week.

nevertheless, had a good chat (gossip) with yiwen. according to yiwen, here are some interesting facts:

-why do some people have what you call "fu qi lian"? according to scientific research, apparently humans have this special affinity towards someone one looks like you. true enough, to be able to live with someone for the rest of your life, you have to be comfortable with his/her appearance.

-yiwen has an expressive face. and she certainly loves to put up an act cute and innocent face.

-cant rmb what other rubbish we bitched about. (as i've said they are rubbish) will update when i rediscover my memory.

met debbie on the way home, she's going over to australia soon. all the best~

273年之后

2008-06-18T00:16:00.009+08:00

朝鲜世子嫔惠庆宫洪氏（18/06/1735-15/12/1815）

惠庆宫洪氏，豊山洪凤汉之女，思悼世子李愃之正宫，正祖大王之生母。1762年改封惠嫔，高宗年间追封献敬懿皇后。1815年於昌庆宫景春殿過世，享年八十一岁。

红砖壁瓦的殿阁，葬送了谁的美梦
男尊女卑的束缚，造就了多少悲剧
当雄图霸业成为过眼云烟，一如美人昙花一现的璀璨
江山如画，美人如花，只怕经不住岁月的摧残
黄泉路上，若有君相随，也不枉此生

红砖壁瓦的殿阁

如果冥冥之中早已注定，或许和你的缘分，早已穿越了生死。两百多年后，我仍然感受得到你无尽的恨与止不住的伤。是怎样的哀怨和冤屈驱使你写下了流传后世的《恨中录》？

有幸嫁入王室，也许并不是一件值得向往的事。夫君英年早逝，儿子又过续为他人之子，与尔我诈刀光剑影的宫廷，你到底是怎样度过漫长的岁月？不是永远的世子嫔，但在入土百年之后才得以追封为后，若你泉下有知，真得会感到释怀吗？即使洗刷了冤屈，奈何逝者已去。

宫阙层层，埋葬了他华丽的梦，留给你一生的痛。

男尊女卑的束缚

那个时代的悲剧，有和平翁主的悲凄，有和协翁主的悲惜，有思悼世子的悲役，也有你的悲泣。

什么时候可以踏上那片土地，放眼重重殿阁，迷失在穿越时空的无奈中。弥漫在岁月里的伤情记载了谁的悲欢。

你纷飞的泪可曾是史书上未干的墨迹？

当雄图霸业成为过眼云烟

成者为王，败者为寇。那一线之隔，是跨越不过的天涯。

若非嫁入王室，你的人生会否改写？嫁于贵族不见得从此幸福美满，至少成为王妃得以千古留名。无缘一睹你的芳容，更无法了解真正的历史，我只有从蛛丝马迹去猜测。

满池春水，映出你破碎的笑。

江山如画，美人如花

十八世纪对爱情的定义是什么？你爱他吗？他又是否爱过你呢？众所皆知，他迷恋朴景嫔，但最终他还是亲手将她送入了地狱。

--“即使到了最后那段日子，他从未对我以死相胁”
对于你，他的嫔宫，在他病得无可救药的时候，他是否仍有那么一丝残存的温柔？历史浩瀚，即便没有动人的海誓山盟，亦情愿醉度今生。

若能穿越古今，愿效仿昔日幽王，弃江山只为搏红颜一笑。

黄泉路上，若有君相随，也不枉此生

帝王之路，终是一条通往黄泉的路。

仅以此文恭献，聊表敬慕之情。

Review of Path to the Great dynasty (帝王之路), my all time favourite

2008-06-15T01:14:00.002+08:00

Review of Path to the Great dynasty (帝王之路), my all time favourite

my review of the drama.

It’s a bit very long…The drama begins somewhere before the time when Princess Hwap’yong (Hwap’yong Ongju 和平翁主) died of childbirth and ends with Prince Sado (Sado Seja 思悼世子) dying in the rice chest. The events are mostly authentic; some lines of speech are even exactly the same with that in Lady Hyegyong’s memories (Memoirs of a Korean Queen: Lady Hyegyong), all except for the part about Princess Hwawan (Hwawan Ongju 和缓翁主).

In the drama, Princess Hwawan is said to be secretly in love with Prince Sado (She once asked (hint) him “there is a person whom I’m deeply admired with. But I know clearly that I can never be with him in this life. What should I do?”), thus doing her best to help him, and enjoyed a cordial relationship with *Lady Hyegyong. However, the actual character of Princess Hwawan totally differs. According to Lady Hyegyong’s biographical narratives, Princess Hwawan is portrayed as a capricious, power-hungry, domineering and ignorant woman. Though she did helped Prince Sado, coming to his rescue during many perilous situations, and even mad it possible to obtain royal permission for the Prince’s trip to Onyang, she did these only under the pressure of Prince Sado’s threats.

After Sado’s death, being the apple of her father, King Yongjo’s (英祖大王) eyes, she wielded great power. Together with her adopted son, Chong Hugyom (郑厚谦, she planned evil plots to get rid of and harm people in order to be the sole object of her father’s affection. She estranged King Chongjo (正祖大王), then the Grand Heir, with his Queen, alienate him form Lady Hyegyong and harm the Hong Family (Lady Hyegyong’s family), which is one of the factors leading to the fall of the Hong family.

In her memoirs, Lady Hygeyong referred to Princess Hwawan as Madam Chong, which is indicating a person of unimportance and of a **lower status. This clearly shows Lady Hyegyong’s resentment towards her.

Lady Hyegyong says in her memoirs “ There are 2 versions of the incident (Sado incident) of that year (1762). Both are equally narrow, one sided and untrue one is that His Majesty’s (King Yongjo) decisions was noble and just, one to be uphold as estimable to Heaven and Earth…In short, Prince Sado is turned into an unfilial person and a criminal…The other version is that, though Prince Sado had no illness, His Majesty listened to slanders and committed that terribly excessive act (imprisoning Sado into the rice chest).”This drama is more inclined to the second version, as Prince Sado’s illness seemed to be deliberately avoided. For example, his obsession with Pingae (Park Kyongbin 朴景嫔, one of his secondary consorts, is omitted, as well as his phobia on clothes. His madness is totally not talked about.

In addition, the drama portrays him as enjoying an intimate relationship with Lady Hyegyong, he loved and cared about her. But the truth is, he never really cared about her, as well as his other secondary consorts because of his illness. Lady Hyegyong says in he memoirs“he has not being talking to me in a friendly and intimate manner for several years.”

*The title “Hyegyong (惠庆”is given to her after the death of Prince Sado. Her official status is the Crown Princess Consort of Crown Prince Sado. During King Chongjo’s reign, her status was elevated to “Hyegyong-gung (惠庆宫”. She was posthumously given the title “Queen Kyongui (Kyonggui Wanghu 敬懿王后)” during King Kongjo’s (高宗) reign.
**In 1778, under official pressure, King Chongjo stripped her of her royal title and the privileges associated with it and banish her to Kanghwa Island (江华岛)

PostscriptPersonally, I feel that the beginning of the drama is somehow too exaggerated. By saying this, I’m referring to the actor and actress. At the time of filming (year 2001), Hong Rina is 33 and Eim Ho 30. Despite this, they are supposed to act as 13-year-old Lady Hyegyong and Prince Sado. Frankly speaking, no matter of their makeup, this is impossible and they do not look the least bit like teenagers. Eim Ho’s face is even “decorated” with beards. Nevertheless, this drama is certainly worth watching. You must watch it if you are a fan of Hong Rin. Her exceptionally acting skills is highly demonstrated in the drama. And she’s really very charming in traditional Korean costume （hanbok), her beauty can be compared to that of any Miss Universe/International/Korea etc. (I’m not exaggerating the facts!)

Lady Hyegyong

Prince Sado and Lady Hyegyong

the chinese version:

《帝王之路》剧情说世子是无辜的，之所以被赐死是因为英祖听信了奸臣（包括文成国）的流言蜚语。但事实并非如此。《恨中录》里是这样记载的（这是我个人翻译的，翻译得不好，请凑合着看）：“最初的时候，先王陛下（英祖大王）的确不爱护、关心他的儿子。但最终，他实在是在迫于无奈的情形下才做了那样的决定。至于思悼世子，虽然他与生俱来的宽阔的胸襟和仁慈的本性值得仰慕，可是他的确疯了，而且无可救药。为了国家的存亡，他不得不成了牺牲品。…… 无论是一味的谴责先王陛下，或坚实世子没病，还是将造成壬午事件的罪责加诸在当朝官臣身上，都不过是在歪曲事实。而且这对先王陛下，思悼世子还有先王（正祖大王）来说，无非是一种不公平的侮辱。”由此可见，剧情是错误的。

世子死后，为了保护世孙（正祖大王）的王权。英祖才下旨将他变为孝章世子（思悼世子夭折的兄长）的养子，从此不再是惠庆宫娘娘与思悼世子的合法孩子。因此，虽然儿子是一国之君，惠庆宫娘娘仍不能冠上“大妃”之称，就像剧中所说，她是“永远的世子嫔”。由于世子的病情严重影响了王室的颜面，所以世子之死成了宫中世代的禁言。惠庆宫娘娘之所以写下了这章日记，是为了让后人能够知道历史的真相。她如此说道：“身为一个孙子，却无法了解那一场带来严重后果和影响力的事件。我认为这实在有违天理。特别是，那件事的主角是他的亲生祖父。纯祖虽然有心想要知道，无奈先王，他的父亲，却由于太过悲伤而不能亲自向儿子叙述任何相关的事迹。如今，谁还有这个胆量及资格去向纯祖叙说那件事的莱龙脉去；又有谁能够完全知悉那一些不为人知的内幕。如果有一天连我也离开了，便再也没有第二个知情者了，而从此纯祖也再不可能知道真相了。为了避免让他受到这般因无知所带来的耻辱，有一段时间我希望提笔将这件事完完整整地呈现给他。阅读了以后，他再将之摧毁。”

历史上，思悼世子似乎并不爱护他的嫔宫，但他很尊重她。毕竟，他们是一起长大的。惠庆宫娘娘曾说：“即使到了最后那段日子，他从未对我以死相胁。”世子真正迷恋的，是剧中只闻其名不见其人的朴景嫔。从《恨中录》中，我看不到世子对嫔宫的爱。我只看到惠庆宫娘娘无尽的心痛和悔恨。她本应追随世子九泉之下，但为了世孙，她不得不苟且偷生。正祖大王是有名的孝子，然而却在壮年之龄（40岁）忽然逝世。纯祖大王当时尚年幼，由贞纯王后（剧中那个小王后）垂帘听政。贞纯王后的家族与洪家向是宿敌，因此这五年间（1800-1805），惠庆宫娘娘受尽屈辱，她最疼爱的三弟也含冤而死。后来纯祖大王继位，惠庆宫娘娘才得以安享晚年。

和缓翁主在历史上即使是个奸险的女子。世子在世时，她惧怕他的威胁而对他言听计从。世子死后，她仗着英祖的宠爱（和平翁主逝世后，英祖将所有的爱转移到了和缓身上），掌握了庞大的权势，还企图离间世孙和惠庆宫。当正祖继位，她才被定罪，削去身份，流放到江华岛。

那个时代的悲剧，除了思悼世子和惠庆宫，当然也有和平翁主与和协翁主的个人悲剧。历史上没什么关于和协翁主的记载，但我最喜欢的便是她。她是当朝的大美人，却受到父亲冷漠的对待。想必她的驸马［锦城尉］也不一定喜欢她吧，否则他怎么会因为党派之争而陷害世子呢。她是世子最喜欢的姐姐，明知自己帮不了什么忙，仍尽全力保护世子。可惜红颜薄命，和协翁主在19岁时死于麻疹。过世后，甚至有人在背后说是她把瘟疫带入宫廷的（和协翁主是当时其中几个最先染上麻疹的人）。这位身份高贵，却一生坎坷的公主，不知有没有人注意过她？

Princess Hwahyop 和协翁主