A bad day

I am doing a project targeted at improving discharges in the wards.
A multi-pronged approach were adopted and improvements have been seen.
The last lap is to electronise the system. This is a challenging one, as the system draws data from various databases. One particular component is tough. I had a 2.5 hrs meeting from 4.30pm to 7pm today to sort out the technical difficulties with the IT folks of three different systems!!
Oh mine..... NO SOLUTION was worked out at the end due to numerous reasons! Well, now I understand the complexity of each IT system and IT folks don't necessarily understand the system and lingo of one another.

I disagree with some of the management's decisions too. There are certain things that should be done immediately for staff welfare. Yet solutions that will only translate to unnecessary wait were given!

On my way home after a chill-out with my friends, two of us shared a cab back. The cab driver was very rude! We booked the cab from Raffles City taxi stand. He did not put a 'Call Taxi" upon arrival, put on an attitude when we boarded the taxi. Upon knowing that we were going to 3 locations, he was even more unhappy. When he knew that I needed to pick another person up after sending my friend home, he told us, " Your friend better be already waiting by the time I reach, if not I will just drive off". OMG.... what kind of attitude is this??? On my way home, another rude taxi driver. In my personal opinion, taxi drivers' professionalism can reflect whether a country is gracious. I am quite a frequent taxi customer (esp. if i work late), sad to say, maybe only about 50% of our taxi driver is professional ..... If Singapore wants to increase its service standard, maybe should target taxi drivers besides staff from hotels and restaurants.

The last thing is HDB regulation for combined income ceiling to be less than $8K to be able to apply for new flats. This is really a dinosaur rule that should be changed!

Arghhh... what's a bad day!

A meaningful reminder

When you lose wealth, you lose nothing.
When you lose health, you lose something.
When you lose character, you lose everything.

The Sound of Music

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow Sew
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to Do (oh-oh-oh)
Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do

The Sound of Music (1965) is one of the movies that I watched in AVA room when I was young, and one that I would never forget.

I learnt to sing Do Re Mi
I learnt the meanings of love and joy.
I learnt not to run from reality.
I learnt to be brave.

When I was mending my skirt just now, somehow Do-Re-Mi came to my mind and I started to sing along.

Singing it 20 years later, it brought back beautiful memories and nice reminders.

Try listening to it, and tell me how you feel!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p5vnMZcU1A

A wonderful gathering with buddies

I went for a gathering with my buddies today at Vivo.
It has been almost 3-4 months since I met them.

Good to see the gals today!!

And I am very happy to know them one of them is going to be a Mummy soon, and it's a twin!This is simply awesome!
She is my first buddy to be married and now the first to be a Mummy.
All of us are happy for her and excited!

She has also changed her job to be in a better workplace.

This is triple joy!! Wonderful! :-)

Take a break, have a kit kat

I am always politically correct at work...
It's nicest when I am at home, with loved ones and good friends.

Sometimes, I feel like blowing my top at work, especially in the last 3 months.
However, somehow or another, I always manage to keep my cool...
This has its obvious repercussions with my health protesting.
Or should I say my health is putting a riot?

I'm not losing my goals here.
Just that I am clear that I need a long break.
Fortunately i know this is happening soon lah (finally hor...)

Life is a journey and everyone of us is a tourist.
Just take an unhappy incident as an unhappy encounter.
Take away the baggages and enjoy the rest of the trip.

Take a break, have a kit kat.. Haha.

Two times of unforgettable experience as a Patient

Sometime in late Jun 09, I was down with high fever. That was the time when community outbreak of H1N1 had just begun. . If I am just a general public, I just need to go GP for advice rather than going to A&E directly. However, as a staff, I was required to “report” directly to A&E for an H1N1 test. The nose and throat swaps that test for H1N1 were not exactly uncomfortable. The wait for the result was 6 hours. I spent like nearly 8 hours in A&E, sitting down and trying to wait as patiently as I can for the results. It was difficult to rest with TV in front of me and in a sitting posture. Luckily I brought along a book that kept me occupied a fair bit. When the results were out and I was declared “free of H1N1”, I felt so relieved!! The last thing I want is to affect my loved ones, friends and colleagues whom I have contact.

On last Thursday late morning, I was hit by a sudden throbbing headache during a meeting that affected the visual view of my left eye. The headache lasted longer than usual. I decided to take the PM off to see a doctor. Hence I proceeded to the staff clinic. I was referred to A&E immediately. I asked to be given MC to rest at home but was rejected. So I went to A&E reluctantly. At A&E, I was given a more detailed assessment and the doctor asked “Which ward do you prefer?” I was like “hmm… you mean I need to be admitted??” Hey, this is getting a bit too much. I did not expect to go A&E and I did not expect to be admitted all the more!! Why are all these happening? The doctors were worried that I might be having internal bleeding in the brain that caused the sudden headache and blurred vision. The first 24 hours was critical. My requests for observation from home or at A&E observation bay were rejected. Hence I was admitted reluctantly.

I chose an A class ward for more privacy. I went through a battery of tests… CT Scan, MRI, 4 tubes of blood for blood tests, eye checks and numerous times of neurological testings. I know the doctors meant well and they were following protocols. So I endured. Fortunately, thanks to God’s grace, all the investigation results showed no evidence of bleeding in the brain or problems with the eyes. To establish that there was no minor bleeding, the doctor advised for me to go through LP (lumbar puncture) which is also called a spinal tap. Oh, this is too much for me… I can’t imagine having to go through this. If it is for childbirth, I do not mind having to inject epidural. Hmm… I gathered that the MRI and CT Scan were evident enough that I am ok. So I requested the doctor to allow me to be discharged without going through LP and promised to monitor myself. So now I have to be good and really take good care of myself. Whatever it is, I am thankful to the care and concern by all the doctors and nurses.

Well, so what I have learnt and experienced from these 2 hospitalisation episodes?

One, I am not a robot. I cannot be working non-stop!! However, my job these days are very demanding. Requires almost 24/7 on standby and have to work shifts at times.

Two, health is really not to be taken for granted. I know this all along, but still did not manage to take good care of myself.

Three, I have experienced God’s healing power again. I am thankful to God for his blessings.

It is probably time that I change to a new job that allows me to have some breathing space, and have a one-month break before starting the new job. Coincidently, I got a call which offers a job opportunity on the day of discharge! How amazing? I know my prayers are heard by God. It’s clear that I should change job.

Last but not least, I am thankful to Wil and my mum for the love and concern and taking very good care of me, particularly Wil. My dear sis was overseas, and I was touched that she almost want to “chiong” from KL back to Singapore to see me. Thanks sis. I am also thankful to all my gal friends (BY, HY, YL, XM, XL, JY) and colleagues for their concerns.

I am resting at home now and glad to do so.

Mask wearing

One of my triage staff developed fever during the course of duty, and I accompanied her to the Emergency Dept. It turned out that she was H1N1 positive. Well, this made me "a close contact of a confirmed case" as per categorised by hospital protocol. As such, I have to mask myself for the next 7 days. Have to take temperature twice a day and monitor if I develop any symptoms for these 7 days too.

I am usually ok with wearing masks when I am on duty, whether it is surgical mask or N95.
Hmm... it's a different experience when I have to wear mask the whole day, from the moment I wake up, on the train, at work... Fresh air becomes so precious all of a sudden. Haha. I try to grab some moments of fresh air when nobody is around me within 1.5m radius ;)

I doubt I will be infected by the triage staff, as I have exercised full precautions.
My family members seem to feel that I have overreacted by wearing mask the whole day, however, the last thing that I want is to spread the bugs to family members and others.

Well, there are people who say that H1N1 is just like any other flu. It may be better to be infected now and develop immunity. Yes, may be true. However, if everyone exercises social responsibility, it can help to control the spread.

Well, I learnt to appreciate fresh air from this episode!

Cheers!

Turkey Trip (13-21 Jun 09)

Many years back, Xueling, Jiayi, Huizhen and myself went to Taiwan. That was my first long trip with friends. There was no budget airline then, and we took China Airline. After so many years, we decided to go for another long trip together. Huizhen was unable to join us, and so 3 of us went ahead and we chose Turkey! The flight took us 13 hrs.

Oh, Turkey is very different from what I thought. I had a good history lesson in Turkey! Its history dated back to 10,000 years ago and has been ruled under 3 different empires (Roman, Byzantium and Ottoman) at different times. If you like to see ancient Greek and Roman ruins, Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques, you will sure like Turkey! The present Turkey is the vision of Ataturk. He is a well-respected leader who led Turkey to adopt a secular democracy.

The country is strategically located between Asia and Europe. It has a mix of Asia and Europe culture.
Turks are warm people. It is summer now, weather is good. As for food, the one that impresses me most is the lentil soup. I was not used to it initially, but grow to like it gradually. The Turkish coffee and tea are strong! I have only tried once for the Turkish coffee. It’s like a strong Espresso, perks one up immediately.

Strictly speaking, we have only covered Western Turkey.
Upon landing at the airport at Istanbul, we went straight to Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sofia Museum, Blue Mosque and Hippodrome.

This is followed by a 6 hr drive to Ankara, the capital of Turkey.
At Ankara, we visited the Anatolian Civilisation Museum, Ataturk Mausoleum, Salt Lake.

Next is a 4 hr drive to Cappadocia, a beautiful city with beautiful natural landscapes.
Jiayi and myself tried out Turkish bath here. Oh, it’s quite an experience!! We got ourselves scrubbed thoroughly. At Cappadocia, there are many cave houses, castles, Grand Canyon look-alive landscape, beautiful sunset and chilly. The hotel that we stayed, Peri Tower Hotel, was like a castle!

There are 50++ underground cities in Cappadocia, only a few are opened to tourists. These underground cities have chapels, wineries, kitchens, and certainly well-designed to confuse enemies. The stones in these cities are volcanic stones that can literally breathe!! The dry constant temperature in Cappadocia is suitable for growing potato, pumpkin and other crops.

Other places visited in Cappadocia are the Pigeon Valley, Goreme Open Air Museum, Fairy Chimney.
We went to see carpet centre, in which we saw how the carpets were made from growing cocoons to weaving to the finished product. One carpet, which is silk on silk woven, is US$61,000!!

We watched the Whirling Dervishes Ceremony in the evening.

On Day 4, we made our way to Konya. On the way, we visited the Sultanhani Caravanserai, a “hotel” for the ancient traders and travelers. Konya is the most religious cities in Turkey. It is also a training ground for F16. In Konya, we visited the Melvana Mausoleum, in which we saw the smallest Koran in the world. At Pamukkale, well-known for its Hierapolis (cotton city) due to the presence of calcium carbonate landscape and thermal water, it is commonly visited by locals and tourists for its health facilities. Jiayi and myself soaked ourselves at Pamukkale, followed by a swim at the thermal pool in the hotel.

On Day 5, we moved on to Selcuk in which we visited Ephesus and House of Virgin Mary. We went on to Kusadasi.

On Day 6, we bypassed Izmir and Aliaga. Aliaga used to be a small fishing village but oil-refinery is one of the core business now. We visited the Pergamon City and Troy at Canakkale.

On the last day, we visited the Grand Bazzar and Spice Market.
We took a Bosphorus cruise from the European side of Turkey and saw the palaces, houses along the European and Asia sides of Turkey. The day ended with a belly dancing performance at Gar.

On the day of departure, guess what happened, I had food poisoning with diarrhoea and even vomited at the airport. Good thing Xueling was well-equipped with medicines to allow me to survive through the 13 hr flight back. My thanks to Xueling and Jiayi for being so sweet and caring!!

It’s a good learning trip, a good break from work, and a good time catching up old times with Xueling and Jiayi.

Public speaking skills

I believe many of us are impressed by the public speaking skills of President Obama.

I attended a workshop by YMCA Toastmasters Club on 3 June 09, which shared on the rhetorical devices used by President Obama. Here it goes on the list of techniques:

1. Rhetorical questions
2. Anaphores
3. Epistrophe
4. Mesodiplosis
5. Conduplicato/Hypophora
6. Anadiplosis
7. Asyndeton
8. Polysyndeton
9. Synectoche
10. Alluision
11. Alliteration
12. Assonance
13. Onomatopedia
14. Triads
15. Antithesis
16. Catchphrase

It's quite a mouthful, isn't it?
It is quite easy to see these devices being used in the speeches by President Obama, once you know these devices.

I guess knowing the techniques are not enough. One needs to know how to apply these devices tactfully and in the appropriate settings, accompanied by appropriate pauses, posture, tone and confidence. Practice will make perfect.

Besides these, I believe what makes President Obama's speeches stand out is his passion to ride out this trying time with the people and have the best ready for the future generations.

Cheers!

True and real

During the lecture series by Prof Alister McGrath at St Andrew Cathedral over the last weekend, he has shared many insightful thoughts.

One of the sharings that striked me is what is "true" and what is "real"?
"True" are the cold hard facts. "Real" is the relational reality.

Some things are true but not real, simply because we cannot feel it. It does not impact us at all.
Some things are true and real. It is happening and affects our life.

Upon deeper thoughts into "true" and "real", there are so many things that fall into these 2 categories.

Sometimes when we hear of natural calamities happening overseas, we know it has caused many to lose their loved ones. However, it may seems to be "just a piece of news" to some ...
This is true and not real.

We know of the technical recession. It takes one who has experienced the brunt of it (be it retrenchment, compulsory leave, shorter working work week, pay cut etc) to really feel it.
This is true and real.

Interestingly, there are something in middle too -"Semi-true and real" and "True and semi-real".

Science keeps advancing. New research findings may discover new findings that topple the old understanding. I love the aroma of coffee. Some reports say coffee is good for health, some says otherwise. Whatever it is, reports that I "feel" is correct or I choose to believe is real to me. This is "semi-true and real".

Singapore has been through SARS time. Though H1N1 has striked our shore this time round, somehow this seems to be "true and semi-real" to the locals. Why? Because people's memory are short and H1N1 is still considerably kind to mankind for now.

We know deep down in our heart on what are "true and real" in everyday of our life, especially if we take time to reflect.

I was sharing with an undergrad temp staff today that "the world is not exactly beautiful". I may sound pressimistic. However, we need some pressimism, coupled with knowledge and experiences, to understand what are true and real. However, life can be beautiful if we brave life with a positive mindset :-)

One of my friends asked me a question over facebook "office ppl do shift work?". The answer is yes!!

I have been involved in the triage duties for the last 2 weeks, overseeing all the stations for temperature screening and visitor registration. The hours are long, starts and ends at unearthly hours, and hardly have time for meal breaks.

I am largely ok for the duties, taking it as a form of "national duty".

There are lots of visitors who are anxious to see their loved ones. Some of them may lose their cool by our strict visitor management policy, which I can understand. Hope that the public can understand why we are so strict in restricting visitor number, now that we have our first case. There is also a possibility of no impact on public sentiments in another couple of days, especially the fatality rate of H1N1 (fortunately) does not seem to be critically threatening at the moment.

It has been slightly more than a year since the saddest moment of my life.
Whenever I go to the wards due to the nature of my work requirement, my Dad will come to my mind. I still remember the nights when I stayed by his side, together with William, when he was critically ill, and how helpless I was...

When I see visitors wanting to see their loved ones who are in critical conditions during my triage duties, I can fully understand how they feel.

Father 's Day is coming.
My dear Father, I wish you a Happy Father's Day. You are always on our minds.

Batam Trip (1-3 May 09)

I have always heard from friends about shopping in Batam.

My thoughtful Significant Other gave me a pleasant surprise by organising a trip to Batam over the Labor Day long weekend.

William had wanted to book the resort but it was fully booked.
Nevertheless it was a nice short trip.

Both of us went shopping in the major malls of Batam.
Here are the places we went :

1 May
- BCS Mall (Batam City Square)
- Batam Mall where Ramayana is (Ramayana is the equivalent of Robinson in Batam)

2 May
- Nagoya Hill Centre where Matahari is(I like this the most where I bought the good and inexpensive laptop bag after a long search in Singapore).
- Mega Mall (next to the Ferry Terminal)

Besides the malls, we went to the bustling wet market on Sunday morning and night bazaar near our hotel (Panorama Regency Hotel).

Had wanted to go for a spa. Learnt a lesson that we must book in advance in future. Both of us could only go to IndoThai for a short massage session. Bravo to Wil who finally tried out massage!! :-D

The only not so satisfying thing is the A&W meal.
Both of us were so happy to see A&W at Nagoya Hill Centre. At the end, we did not get to try the root beer float as it was not sold at the satellite branch we went and the chicken was overly fried.

The 'winner' of this trip is probably Wil who bought 3 tops.
I tend to feel that guys' clothings are more worth buy than ladies in Batam.
I just couldn't find something that I like in the major malls, except on the last day when I bought a polo tee at Polo shop at a hotel. It was at 50% off.

Both of us conclude that a day trip to Batam will suffice if just want to do shopping ;)

The tension of opposites

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to the community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." (Taken from "tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom)

When I read the above, it sends a very strong reminder to me ... "hey, I need to get down to my dreams". I need to focus. I am focused on work but NOT on my dreams. This explains why I used "The tension of opposites" as the title of this article. This term is taken from the same book "tuesdays with Morrie". It says "Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do something, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted."

I am happy that my sis can finally pursue her long-awaited plan to be a full-time insurance agent. I believe my sis will be a responsible agent with empathy for others, not just merely interested in closing deals. Sis, not many people can get to do what they hope to do. Given this opportunity, give it your best shot! Many people will be cheering you along the way, including our beloved Dad.

Outward Bound Expedition (11-13 Feb 09)

I had spent 3 days at Outward Bound (OBS), Pulau Ubin for the last 3 days, as part of the Young Leader Program course organised by my organisation.

It's a 9 day course, of which the 1st 3 days is a residency programme at OBS.
Frankly, I dreaded the thought of part 1 of the course before I went for it.
Because I know that there will be lots of strenous physical activities and there will be no hot shower. I am not a outdoor person. The only outdoor activities tha I do are nature walking, cycling and jogging.

The OBS programme was planned in such a way that we need to stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zone and back to basics.

It turns out that I learnt whole lot of stuffs and tried out things that I would never... never...have thought I will ever do and will do.

I tried out ...

- outdoor rock climbing... my team chosen the most difficult portion to climb unintentionally... at that point, how i wished i had learnt yoga and body can be super 'elastic' to bend anywhere.

- going into very narrow underground tunnel to find our team's ball. The tunnel is pitch-dark and has some slopes that we somehow have to squeeze ourselves through, whether by sliding backward or forward. I am quite small-built and has already found it tough... it was tougher for the guys. Not to mention that there are crockroaches in the tunnel.

- kayaking for almost 11km-12km for 5 hours (this is the most memorable one).. Its no joke. My biceps and triceps were almost giving way. It's tough when the waves were strong and anti-direction. Of course, I was praying hard that my kayak will not capsize. Yes, I have learnt how to handle capsize during the drill... but that was near to the shore... capsize in open sea is different hor...

- blindfolded to find a tree in the forest.

- cooking outdoor, setting up tents. The second night was supposed to sleep in the tent, but as one of my course mate was not well, I accompanied her to find a more comfortable place to sleep. We found a hut with 6 other guy coursemates and we just camped there lor. The 2 of us only had 2 ponchos..of which one was used as blanket (no use actually). The best part is that we realised that the hut has got big dogs around. Amazing, they did not bark at us. They protected us instead by 'patrolling' around the area at night. It was chilling cold at night. My gal classmate was literally trembling. Good thing that I brought along the windbreaker that Shifu has bought for me from US... if not, i will also be trembling...

- Waking up at 6am everyday and started morning exercise at 6.30am... waking up early is not my forte...

- Overcome showering without warm shower - I was so stinky and sticky that so long there was a shower room, it did not matter whether it was a cold or warm shower.

- No nice food (really simple fares)

- Learnt what is meant by "must eat more for energy"... I usually eat very little... but during the course, I realised that I must really load myself with carbo to have the energy to do the activities.

The only thing that I did not try out is jetty jump... partly because my eyes were very irritated by the saltwater after 5 hours of kayaking (that it was stinging and tearing) and partly because I think there was no need to risk my life with it.... who is going to take care of my family if anything happens to me. Anyway, good thing there were several of us who did not try this.

The whole course is almost like an endurance course.
I have learnt a lot - leadership, teamwork, survival skills, endurance, perservance, precison thinking, thinking decisively during stressed situations, determination (there are a no. of times that I told myself "i can do it" and this works).

At the end of the course, I decided to go souvenir shop to buy something, because i know i will not come back to OBS again.

However, I must say that the last 3 days will form a memorable part of my life. I am amazed how much I can stretch myself and knowing the coursemates whom have survived the endurance course together.

Finally i can have my warm shower back... and I am no longer so urban-pampered.

The Pursuit of Happyness

Have you watch the show "Pursuit of Happyness" by Will Smith before?
It is one of my favourite shows.

It basically tells us to never give up no matter how harsh circumstances can be.

Because there will always be light at the end of the tunnel.

Have faith, dreams and will.
And always counts our blessings.

Perservance

When there is faith, there is hope
When there is a dream, there is hope
When there is a will, there is hope
Never give up on faith, dreams and will

Dilemmas and decisions

I don't remember that I have so many dilemmas when I was younger..

Seems like there are more dilemmas as I get older.
The magnitude and impact of the issues faced are much higher and larger now, whether on personal or professional decisions that need to be made.

Some decisions do not further allow a reverse course of decision, and some require constant monitoring to adjust quickly to the changing circumstances. Some allow win-win outcomes. Most do not allow the best of both worlds and can only have a mutually exclusive outcome.
Some decisions can only be made with scarce critical information. Some decisions can only be made based on gut feel. The constant thing to keep in mind is probably to keep an unbiased perspective. There are also occasions in which adopting the game theory is the best way to solve an issue.

There are decisions that I have made, yet not sure if I have made the right choices and only time will tell. I just hope that my judgements will be for the good for all as far as possible. Nevertheless, there are many things , really many things, that are beyond my control. I can only pray for the best.

I do not know how to appreciate Chinese Tea previously, now I do. I am a Type A person. Chinese Tea certainly helps to calm my nerves and probably helps in decision making too ;)
Thanks to a good friend who has recommended Oolong Tea to me.

I am thankful for what I have now and I have learnt to be contented.
Because life is transient and we do not possess anything in this world.
Yet I believe we can all make a positive difference to this world :)

I am back from New Zealand!

I went for my first holiday trip for the year to New Zealand.

I went to the South Island of New Zealand from 21st Sep – 28th Sep 2008, together with William.

Though it’s a short trip, it was nevertheless a wonderful trip. The Southern Alps is simply awesome with its snow capped mountains. The West Coast has magnificent glaciers, lakes and mountains, and lots of rainfall.

NZ has just turned spring when we reached, nevertheless it was still cold. The temperature could drop to as low as below 5 degree Celsius at night. It was fun experiencing the coldness though I cannot really withstand cold very well.

At Christchurch, the flowers bloom beautifully, especially at Mona Vale and Botanic Garden. They are really beautiful.

I took train for the first time when I took the TranzAlpine Train from Christchurch to Arthur’s Pass National Park. The TrainzAlpine Train route is rated as one of the great train journeys of the world and indeed it was. The train crosses Canterbury Plains and climbed through Alpine foothills and Waimakariri Gorge.

We took a helicopter ride to Fox Glacier. It was my first time taking helicopter. It’s so fun! Due to the weather condition, we almost could not take the helicopter ride. Upon landing on Fox Glacier, I could not wait to get out of the helicopter to see the Fox Glacier! Walking on the beautiful snow covered Fox Glacier is simply breathtaking and awesome…

I saw beautiful rainbows at Thunder Creek Waterfall and Doubtful Sound. The Thunder Creek Waterfall is a 28 metres high waterfall that tumbles into the Haast River. Doubtful Sound is actually a fiond, a sea-filled valley carved by glacier ice (whereas sounds are inlets of the sea formed by rivers). It is the second largest of Fiondland National Park’s 14 sounds. The journey to Doubtful Sound started at 7.10am and we reached there at almost noon. It took us a cruise across the Lake Manapouri and a coach trip across Wilmot Pass to Deep Cove. The underground Manpouri Power Station is impressive. We boarded the Navigator to cruise the Doubtful Sound. The Doubtful Sound gives me a mysterious feeling with its mist-shrouded waterfalls and mountain chains when I first reached. Perhaps the mysterious feeling is amplified with the rainfall. I had wished to be able to catch glimpses of New Zealand Fur Seals and Bottlenose Dolphins, but they have perhaps decided to seek retreat from the heavy downpour.

I saw snow for my first time at Lindis Pass, the main inland link between Otago and the Waitaki Basin. Wow…. the feeling is great! I had fun playing with the snow after lunch at Observation Bay.

Oh I tried out the TSS Earnslaw to reach Walter Peak High Country Farm. The TSS (Twin Screw Steamer) Earnslaw is powered by its original twin 500-hp coal-fired steam engines, with wood and brass interior. It was launched in 1912, and known as ‘the lady of the lake”. At Walter Peak High Country Farm, we had lunch at the Colonel’s Homestead Restaurant and experienced country life such as sheep shearing and sheep dogs in action.

Here’s a brief literary of our NZ trip:

Day 1: Christchurch
- International Antarctic Centre. We tried out the Hagglund Ride to experience Antarctic terrain. You should give this ride a try when you’re there. Be prepared for a thrilling ride!
- Christchurch City (Mona Vale, Canterbury Museum and Botanic Garden)
- Castle (where sign of the Tahake restaurant currently resides)
- Willowbank Wildlife Reserve and experienced Ko Tane (Maori cultural performance)

Day 2: Arthur’s Pass to Fox Glacier
- TransAlpine Scenic Train ride
- Hokitika – Lunch @ Porky Takeaway with a very large and piping hot fish and chips, and visited the glass blowing and jade factory
- Franz Joseh Visitor Centre (took a 10min forest walk to get a faraway view of Franz Josef Glacier and it was drizzling)
- Dinner at Glacier Country Hotel, Fox Glacier (the kiwi dessert is yummy…. )

Day 3: Fox Glacier – Cromwell – Queenstown
- Scenic flight to Fox Glacier
- Arnott Point (was not able to see the fur seals, probably due to the heavy downpour)
- Lunch at Fantail Café, HAAST (the minestrone soup was good when it was so cold)
- Thunder Creek Falls
- Makarora West
- Lake Wanaka
- Lake Hawea
- Gold Fields Mining Centre, Kawarau Gorge, Otago
- Mrs Jones’ Fruit Shop, Cromwell
- Dinner at Lakeside Palace Restaurant, Queenstown

Day 4: Doubtful Sound
- Doubtful Sound (7.10am to 7.15pm)
- Dinner at Memories of Hongkong, Strateen House, Queenstown
- Grocery shopping at City Express (convenience store) and Asia Mart. Bought the tasty Keri Cranberry juice

Day 5: Queenstown
- Arrowtown (Chinese Settlement)
-Gibbston Winery
- Bungy Jump Site (both of us gave our salute to those who tried out the bungy jump)
- Took the TSS Earnslaw to reach Walter Peak High Country Farm
- Tried out the skyline Gondola to catch a view of Queenstown on Bob’s Peak
- Shopping at Queenstown

Day 6: Mount Cook Region – Christchurch
- Lake Dunelin, Cromwell
- Lindis Pass – Both of us saw snow for the first time!!
- Lake Pukaki, next to the tallest mountain of NZ, Mount Cook
- Church of Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo
- Lunch at Observation Café
- Farmer’s Corner, with a hot latte at a newly renovated café
- Supermarket shopping at Springfield Mall
- Dinner at Pagoda Restaurant, Christchurch

Along the coach journey throughout the trip, I saw many many snow-capped mountains, beautiful sunrise and sunset, and lots of sheeps, cows and Alpaca . New Zealand is a wonderful place with splendid sceneries, friendly folks, and a rich Maori culture.

Just some thoughts

I have not been writing my blog for a while.

There have been a few thoughts on my mind for the last few weeks, that I thought to pen them down.

1. Storerooms within ourselves.

Many a time, we have many things on our mind and keep things in our heart.
Things related to work, family and personal.
Things that we prefer to keep it to ourself.
Things that we choose to keep it aside and revisit later (that can be much much later at times).

It is very tiring to have a cluttered mind and heart.
At times, it may serves well to springclean our mind and heart.
Think through - what is really important? Focus our thought and energy to achieve what we want to do.

2. Importance of health

I am truly a person who will always find things to do. I just cannot keep still.
And I am always trying my best to do what I need to do.
But I think i am pushing myself too hard.
I had a very bad lower abdomen and lower back pain about a month ago.
I was very worried then esp the urine test results show high WBC contents and small amount of RBCs.
Worried that my mum will not be able to take another blow.
Worried that my sis will be extremely burdened.
Worried that I may disappoint my Significant Other (cos' I will not want him to be dragged down).

My lifestyle has changed a lot. I am no longer drinking coffee or at most 1 cup a day!! It just happens naturally. I am also drinking at least 1.5 litres of water each day. Might just as well.
I am also drinking and eating lots of cranberries, barley water (thanks to advice from friends, esp. Leonard).

The pain still comes back occasionally especially when I feel stress.
When it happens, I know it is time to take a neutral gear and breathe in and out.

During the last 4 weeks, i could not carry heavy things, overwork or not drinking enough water.
I have learnt the importance of health personally.

3. Our blindspots
Sometimes we have grown so acustomed to how we do our things and how we expect people to do things. Accept it or not, we will always have blindspots. Listen to others, and outcomes may be better with more than one brainy.

4. Attitude
Attitude is indeed linked to motivation.
Good attitude is something that all of us expect at the minimum.
It serves well to remember that good attitude is the thing that help to stand out amongst peers at work.

5. Elderly at work
I used to feel that elderly collecting dishes at foodcourt or at work are very pitiful.
I have a different perspective about it now.
It may be a good thing to work when old. It keeps the mind active and widens the social circle, though socioeconomic factors will somehow force most of us to be on this track.
Well, just keep a positive mindset and really slow down our pace when we are on this track.

Alright, going to sleep now...
A busy week ahead but its ok, I will breathe in and out along the way and I look forward to my NZ trip from 21st to 28th Sep!

Cheers :)

My Beloved Dad

It has been 2.5 months since the passing on of my beloved father.
Dad is constantly on my mind and that of my Mum and Sis.

A recent ad with a storyboard of a single father mending the heels of his one and only teenage daughter reminded me of my Dad mending the heels of both myself and my sis. I couldn't help it, my tears just rolled.

My Dad is not a cobbler. It is an interest that Dad has picked up in recent years.

I have kept all the heels that he has mended for me in the shoes rack. I can't bear to wear them.
Seeing the heels is like seeing Dad trying to mend our heels and happily telling us that "Your heels are fixed!" when we reached home.

I have finally completed my Masters with flying colours. Doing a Master has always being a dream of mine that Dad, Mum and Sis are aware and I have finally graduated. How I wish that Dad is around to see me receiving the certificate though he is aware that I have completed the course.

Whatever it is, I will continue to put the knowledge acquired to good use at work to benefit the patients in whatever small ways I can, and hopefully to pursue my dream of being a social entepreneur! I will 'jia you'! When there's a will, there's a way. This may sound cliche but I believe in it. I believe that Dad will know what I am doing too, and will lend me his support, as always.