Medical care in china

There are 3 things that the chinese are very concerned about...
1. Education (remember parents here only have 1 child, and education system here tends to favour those who are richer, not necessarily cleverer)
2. Housing (the home is a symbol of life security, but housing prices are freaking high in SH BJ)
3. Medical (health is definitely a key concern for the chinese, and the medical system in china is, well u'll see....)

After all the horror stories about chinese medical services, I made my maiden voyage to a hospital in Shanghai, thankfully the patient was neither of us. A colleague/intern from singapore contracted food poisoning. I was scrambling the whole of saturday morning to find a suitable clinic for the poor kiddo, the experience was really below minimum standards for the locals.

I called the hospital to enquire doctors and prices, i was a bit confused with the system because u don't see a GP here, u gotta tell the counter your problem and they'll refer u to the right department, whether its neurology or renal or TCM. It was also very difficult to speak in chinese when u're all flustered..The conversation went something like this...(translated into english)

Conversation 1
Huashan Machine: Welcome to Huashan hospital, pls dial extension, or 0 for operator.
Operator: Wei....
Stella: Ni Hao i have a problem my friend has been puking all morning what... (cut off before i finish)
Nurse 1: Wei?
Stella: Ni Hao i have a problem my friend has been puking all morning what can u do to help me?
Nurse 1: What are her symptoms?
Stella: Puking for the last 1 hour
Nurse 1: She should see a neurologist
Stella: Huh? Why?
Nurse 1: Yeah that's what u see, a neurologist.
Stella (blur already): Okay, can i go to the emergency instead its serious
Nurse 1: Well, ur friend's symptoms not considered emergency
Stella: But she's been puking for the last hour...
Nurse 1: Well, she should see a neurologist.
Stella (blur and pissed): Okay, i am a foreigner, who can i see? How much?
Nurse 1 slams down the phone.


Stella picks up the phone again
Conversation 2
Huashan Machine: Welcome to Huashan hospital, pls dial extension, or 0 for operator.
Operator: Wei....
Stella: hey i called earlier i want to speak to that nurse u put me thr... (cut off before i finish)
Nurse 2: Wei...
Stella: hey i called earlier i want to speak to that nurse i was talking to, she was so rude to me. I WANT TO TELL HER THAT SHE HAS TO BE RESPONSIBLE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO MY FRIEND. (OBVIOUSLY SCREAMING COS I WAS FREAKING MAD)
Nurse 2: What happened to ur friend can i help you?
Stella (obviously realising that my screaming was futile): She's been puking for the last hour.
Nurse 2: Okay bring her to internal medicine.
Stella: If i'm a foreigner, where do i go?
Nurse 2: 8th floor. but its 500RMB.

The local rate: RMB 15.60
The foreign rate: RMB 500
But get this, the doctors are all chinese. U just get prettier nurses, carpeted floor, and cushioned seat in foreign services, oh and u don't need to wait for 100 people before you. money talks.


Anyway here are the pictures of Huashan hospital... obviously i didn't take much cos i was more worried about the kiddo.


Dunno why but it reminds me of SIR, singapore immigration registration. This is the local services btw.
Outside the hospital, people le-longing fruits...

So crowded...It's like a hospital right smack in the middle of a busy street.

Anyway, point of blog is, before u come to china, there are several things u need to do in order to avoid the hospital situation...

1) Take the flu jab. Take one at the end of the year because that's the one that is usually gives u resistance to the nothern hemisphere flu. The one mid year gives u resistance to southern hemisphere flu.

2) Stock up on OTC medication, anything. Cough syrup, panadol, anti-oxidants, inflammation medication, anti-histamines, flu tablets, charcoal pills, gastric medication...

3) Bring more clothes, its better to be warm than to be freezing!

14 Sep Friday night...

Aimless. That's how i feel on certain friday nights. Ironically, my social life comes to a standstill as the rest of the world celebrates the end of a work week.

Shanghai traffic is the worst on this day, rain or shine, hot or cold, no cabs everywhere. Our friends have given up on finding a central place for everyone to get to, so we usually only meet up after 9-ish when the traffic gets better. Its even worse when Lester has to work friday nights, so that means i'm usually stuck pretty much alone from 6pm to 9pm.

However, last friday i was determined not to let the bad traffic stop me. So i took MRT!! Which i hardly do cos its just not natural here. I set off from the office at about 7pm, just me and my camera, looking out for unique sights in Shanghai. Okay maybe not that unique but it gave me something to do.

First up...sign on MRT door. Hee hee, u can spot a million of these signs with weird expressions...

Introducing the FUWAs, mascots for the Beijing Olympics. They look weird initially but they grow on you, most interestingly, their names are Bei Bei, Jing Jing, Huan Huan, Ying Ying, Ni Ni... (ie Beijing welcomes you...)

This is one of my favourite supermarkets cos it caters to the Lao Wai taste. Its where i stock up my Post cereals, breakfast bars, Sara Lee Cheesecake, u get the idea. Its double singapore price but then wht to do.

Isn't this the loveliest child? I feel really bad saying this, but this child is a beggar, he was so cute i couldn't resist a picture. Even worse, i feel like i've exploited him for my "pleasure" cos i didn't give his parents a single cent. It wouldn't matter anyway because the money i give will end up being aggregated within the begging syndicates, and the sole benefitor will be their big boss and not them. If I can do one thing to change the world, i want to change the life of these little ones, provide food and shelter for them, give them education, now where do i start?

This picture reminds me of Susan Sontag's On Photography essay, the subject is an interpretation of the hunter (photographer). Its a 2nd hand experience usually beautified, improved and cushioned by the photographer, its the same reason why some people make art out of warfare, poverty, natural calamities...But truth of the matter is, it broke my heart when i had to walk away doing nothing.

OKAY, enough of that.

Finally, 930pm came and i met up with Aileen, Daren and Jacko at Whisk, our favourite chocolate haven.

Quote on Mirror: Put "eat chocolate" on the top of your list of Things to Do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

I won't say its witty or wise, but it makes a cool picture...I did however learn something new from their menu. DID YOU KNOW, STRESSED is DESSERT spelled BACKWARDS? Brilliant... And i must commit to memory that a word like this is called a palindrome. Very cryptic... NICE...

So to DESTRESS, we had our chocolate glazed cupcake... Not too dry or too moist.

And Vanilla panna cotta... Light and creamy, with the right amount of chocolate sauce...My mouth is watering right now.

That's enough endorphins to make a good weekend. Hope u had a good one too.

Abbey Road in Shanghai

Perfect way to start Autumn in shanghai, just 6 F.R.I.E.N.D.S hanging in a cafe on a saturday night.

Starring: Daren, Aileen, Ming Yen, Jackson, Lester and Stella



Armed with my Panasonic... I decided to experiment with the camera functions and snap away. It helps that i have good looking subjects.

Group Pictures

Ming Yen, my gorgeous model...

Okay this picture was slightly overexposed, so i tried to treat the colour and it turned out like this... Not bad.

Daren and Aileen, what an amazing couple...

Kind of blurry and too dark, but i like this picture.

Jackson, you can disagree all you want but i think he looks like Tony Leung.

Lester and Stella, just us.

Gimme More Britney

For those who missed britney's performance at the VMAs, here's a replay...

Can i just say that for the lacklusture reviews she got for her performance, i would still watch this video at least twice, that's more than what i would with anyone else. I wouln't even bother if Rihanna or Beyonce did a fantastic opening... Everybody wants to watch Britney. Live with it critics...She has reached that critical mass in fans that she'll never be a failure.

Sarah Silverman also took advantage of Britney's situation and took a below-the-belt jab, made a totally unclassy joke about her two sons being "the cutest mistakes". I hope her joke met with lukewarm laughter, nobody shd think its funny.

Give Britney a chance. She's only 25 for goodness sake.

HRH, Her Royal Highness Princess Stella

When i left singapore, i thought i can kiss my prissy image goodbye and start anew with new friends who can see my "other" side. I always kinda saw myself as a tough person, i mean i'm a scuba-diver, i can endure dampness of my wetsuit for 12 hrs, ill weather, heavy gear, grime, salt water in hair... I don't wear make-up all the time, n i look like crap on weekends.


I always thought that my princess BullS was an act, to hide the depth of my personality(don't puke), its a way to make myself more approachable and friendly. There's no better way to make new girlfriends than to start a conversation about shopping and pampering. My friends here give me a nickname. HRH, princess stella, all in good fun i know, but deep within, i can't help but wonder if the pretence has become a reality, not only to others but to myself. It's scary....


I turn 26 today. There's no better time to reflect than now. What do i wanna be in the new coming year...And what do i not wanna be... I hate making resolutions, but sincerely, i want to be a better person outside and INSIDE, not just someone who can give u the best bargains and tell you what to wear next season.


Anyway, i had a great great birthday. My friends surpised me when they turned up at Mediterraneo for dinner. A very gorgeous place suited for Shanghai autumn weather.

Aileen n Daren gave me my first tiara... Royal looks good on me.

All of the attendees. Kimsoon came later.

Karin ordered some beautiful scallops with pineapple and cream sauce. Couldn't resist a picture...

And check out the candle!! SO HUGE!! and it sizzles like fireworks, beats all the other candles i've had in my lifetime.

After dinner, we adjourned to Glamour Bar, finally, after wanting to go for almost 5 months! Its bit of a disappointment cos its too crowded and full of old chinese women and male angmohs. But i'm glad at least we got it out of our system.

Thanks so much to those who called to wish. Love you all... =) And love you too bb... thanks for letting me be a real princess on my birthday.

s-muchas gracias...

As you may know, Les and I are gonna get married mid-next year, and we've hired ourselves a great wedding photographer. We're totally excited about it. However, a great picture isn't just about great photography skills, the subjects have to work hard too! So from today onwards, Lester and i are going to practice getting that picture perfect kiss. Let's start with the theory portion, pls refer to the specimens i've picked out.

Number 1: Do not open ur eyes while kissing...

I know that before kissing u need to aim and make sure that u get the lips, but then when u know u're 70% there, close ur eyes if not u'll end up looking like this man. Pa jiao, cross eyed! Our eyes are not made for such close distances, if we exceed the minimum focal length it'll all be a blur anyway. So just close ur eyes and enjoy the kiss and let the emo come alive.

Number 2: No Nose to Nose...

Okay, the eyes are closed, but the noses are squashed together. Don't attempt to do a nose to nose cos its just looks uncomfortable.

Unless u have a long snout like Lady and the Tramp, an N2N is not picture perfect. If u can do a nose to nose but still not crinkle up ur nose, it means that ur nose is too flat, in which case this pose will not bring out the best of ur features.

Number 3: Kissing too passionately
Don't kiss so passionately until you wrinkle up ur forehead. I know it may look like u're very in love with the person, but then it can also look like the person u're kissing got bad breath.

Michelles probably thinking, dang when did u last brush ur teeth. But then again, this might be a result of good acting, cos in those kung fu era, Oral B ain't invented yet so maybe everyone does have stinky mouth. So she's just being in character.

Number 3: For the men, shave.
It may be best kiss for MTV, but it certainly ain't best kiss for a wedding!

Number 4: Height differences

If u're marrying someone much taller than you (which i'm not), try a pose like this. Sensual and very sexy... I'm not sure if stretching ur head up to reach the groom is such a good idea, but maybe it won't be nice for the groom because when he bends his head down too much he may emphasize the double chin. So maybe attempt a seated position instead.

Number 5: Tongue or no tongue, teeth or no teeth...

I tried to find a specimen of french kissing online, but everything i found are either erotica lesbian couples, or very sexy gay man. Not that i have anything against different sexual orientation, but i think for a wedding, keep the organs hidden. Its just hard to pull off a french kissing shot without looking porn-ish.

Number 6: You don't have to limit urself to just the lips, there are other places to kiss...here are some of my favourites...

Okay its sweet, the girl is smiling... So it means she's happy. Smiling is definitely important..

This is quite arty.... i like it that its at a weird angle, but then make sure there's no bat in the cave.

This is like the most perfect standard kiss... Eyes closed, faces are sligthly angled to avoid nose to nose, bodies are not sticking together so it doesn't look messy, but hands and arms are in contact to show there's connection and love...This is the 1st picture i want to achieve with les by the time our day comes.

As part of homework, personal practical criticism is necessary. So i'll show u one from my VERY VERY private collection. Too shy to show anyone but then for the sake of getting that Picture perfect kiss, i will relent.

Okay, whts wrong with this. Lester is not cross-eyed, he is smiling so he is happy, i'm also feeling it cos i definitely look emo, my nose ain't squashed... BUT, my lips pout a bit too much. I look like i have a beak. So i must be conscious from now on, NO MORE STICKING OUT MY LIPS!

This is our ultimate goal...The MJPP (Mary Jane Peter Parker) kiss... Lester better start learning how to hang upside down!

So for those of u who are getting married... start practising for tht picture perfect kiss. Show it to each other so we'll learn. OK?

Super Weekend

It's saturday and i'm home writing our blog, you may think how super can it be?

To me what kills weekends is the great expectations that builds up prior to it. We spend monday-thursday looking forward to it, we plan what we wanna do, we make reservations, we make sure our friends concur with us on their weekend activities. All that careful planning to ensure tht our 2 precious days can be fully maximised. But theory of relativity tells us that the greater ur expectations, the harder it is to fufill them.

This weekend is different (present tense cos its still saturday). Its just perfect because there's a balance of fun, exploring places for the first time, meeting new people and good wholesome rest. All these with minimal planning and expectations, just go with the flow.

Friday Night...
We have a houseguest with us, Ms Alice Tong. Very chill lady...She's got great taste in music and tht means she can speak the Lester language, i honestly couldn't keep up cos the era they both love was probably the time when i was still learning to speak english.

Anyway, we visited this bar near our home, its literally 300m away but we've never been there. The place was simple (i don't even know the name), no frills, not polished, and not crowded, which was good because we weren't up for hardcore partying.

Left to Right: Alice, Larry(our colleague from HK, but actually canadian) and Lester...

The night started with this very weird experimental chinese punk band and there and then we seriously thought we were done for. We lingered around after the first set and was so ready to take off and spare our ears from that horrible noise. Before we could leave, another band (with a very hot frontman) started to sound check, and we thought oh what the heck there's no place else to go anyway.

To our delight, not only did they look good, they were so very entertaining. Very gipsy kingish... We didn't know what they were singing cos it was in spanish, but they certainly put up a good show. It was nice and cosy cos the crowd was really small. Max 30 pax... but everyone was enjoying themselves.

In between sets, they played classic tunes from Bowie, The Doors, NIN, Nirvanna, Jimi Hendrix bla bla and needless to say Les was pleased. It's hard to find a place that plays decent but non top 40 english music in China, we had found a gem. 3am, tht was when we had to call it a night cos everyone had left and the music had stopped.

Saturday...

Tamed. Slept in till 11am, went for a lovely brunch at A Future Perfect, a nice alfresco cafe near our old ChangLe Rd house. Alice went to explore the museums on her own, and i set off to look for my regular Massage ShiFu No.1 from KangJun massage. The massage was heavenly...

I did almost nothing until dinner time. We went to Simply Thai at Xin Tian Di. The food was absolutely delicious. Very Authentic Thai, fresh, very yummy. After dinner we walked around for a bit and saw this VERY humongous Mooncake. Had to take a picture!

Les looks idiotic... har har.

After dinner its back home and Les can play more Wii while Alice shrieks everytime he recklessly "kills" civillians. Anyways, hope u had a good weekend yourself.... Enjoy ur sunday!