Medicine*Music*Chocolate*Life

Blogging from Shanghai

Woo! I'm in Shanghai!

My first time - touched down yesterday at about 1330H. Hopped in a cab, checked in, and went walking with Hubby along Nanjing Rd down to the Bund. Lots of construction going on. Bought a silk scarf within 2 hours of touchdown! Hubby is awed.

Had drinks and snacks at 3 On The Bund's rooftop bar (New Heights). Must admit - the drinks (a ginger mojito-like thing) were yummy, as were the squid rings, done thick with a thin batter.......YUM~~~

We then wandered back to the hotel, rested up, and went to dinner at Lynn, in a very fashionable part of town. Contemporary pre-Rev Shanghainese food. They have this weird dish, which is a filling of chopped up meat and veg, and a pastry with sesame seeds on top, but shaped like half a french baguette cut in half, which tastes fabulous.

Dinner was had with Hubby's good pal from way back when and his preggers wife. Us wives chatted about career/pregnancy/life changes while the dudes exchanged notes on the food, and we were advised on the must-see/do's around town.

This morning, Hubby dutifully went off to attend his conference, and I was left to my own devices - which of course translated into a day-long shopping spree! I took a cab (man, they are so worth the ride here, as long as you make sure they use the meter - "da biao") to Huaihai Zhong Lu ("lu" means "road") and did a little up-down circuit, including Maoming Lu.

Had one of Hubby's shirts with me, hoping to get some bespoke stuff made for him, but nothing hit me. Instead, found myself a gorgeous cheongsam (off the rack!) with brown knit-lace overlay on top of a lime green silk lining. The lady at the shop was both amused and very helpful. Amused that I, in my Malaysian-Singaporean half-a**ed mandarin, was asking her some pretty complicated questions, and helpful because she helped me decide on which one to take.

Stopped by the H&M flagshop store after that (yes, I'm SO partial) and picked up a large bagful of stuff for my little Bean. Got something for Suki too, and a little bit for Samantha's two daughters. Woohoo!!!

Saw this (good gawwwddd):

Meandered my way back to the hotel, picking up a couple of other things along the way.

And now.....Hubby's back from conference, and we'll be off to Xintiandi for a walk and dinner!

Suki's Fullmoon Party

The Bro and Diana threw a fullmoon lunch for Baby Suki today.

It's amazing how time flies. She's nearly 4 weeks old, and has grown, visibly, from when we saw her in the hospital. Diana dressed her in a lovely white dress with a chiffon waistband, and the sweetest tiny little rosebud-embellished socks ever. And Suki was an absolute darling, sleeping gently for most of the party, and only waking to peep at the crowd of wellwishers cooing at her in her pram.

Diana's mum had come all the way from Kobe, and Dad was here from KL. Some of the Bro's friends had journeyed down from KL this very morning, and were going to drive back tonight. These are good friends indeed, and I remember them from when they were all pimply and chubby, in school uniforms that smelt of sunshine and dirt.

Everyone had a lot of fun and we ate until our seams burst, at The Line, Shangrila.

All in all, it lasted 3 hours and filled us up with enough to last til tomorrow.

The best thing? Seeing little Suki growing so well, and BEING SO DARN CUTE~~~~~~

Sneezy sniffy grumpy Bean

Bean's at the tail end of an upper respiratory tract infection.

These bugs are annoying enough to an adult, so to kiddies they are trebly annoying! A blocked nose in a chubby little girl is a BAD THING. She can't sleep in the air con because her nose stuffs up, but can't sleep without it because she gets all hot and sticky.

Solution? We are now a household that owns an air humidifier in the shape of a little piggy that snorts vapour. Add a little bit of peppermint oil to scent the fumes, and we're ready to rock.

So Bean sleeps in my arms with the air con on, Piggy at mid-blast, and is now getting over her infection :)

Cocoa-Bean

My little Bean had her first (and second, and third) taste of chocolate nougatine cake today :)

We went to lunch with Hubby' mum and sister, to a nice little Oz joint tucked away in the middle of a row of shops in a housing estate - Jules, it is called.

Yum food, cheery company.

Bean and I had gone to the Bro's house this morning to see little Suki, Diana, and Mom and Dad who had driven down (again!) for this. Because Bean had laughed her way through an hour with her Ah Gong (my Dad - "Ah Gong" is the term for maternal grandfather in cantonese) in the playground, she was NOT about to sleep between us getting home and going out to lunch.

Therefore, a slightly noddy little girl and her mummy went to lunch with her Ma Ma (paternal grandmother) and Ah Goh (paternal aunt in hokkien). Luckily the lunch venue was well-stocked with a kiddy corner of books, toys, and board games.

On the way back to the car, we spotted a sign that read "3 cakes - $10" which was eye-catching because it sounded ludicrously well-priced. Us ladies (sweet teeth, every single one!) wandered into the shop, and ended up buying 6 cakes in all.

Hubby's sister (we'll call her Marge henceforth) had just had a job promotion, and she wanted to buy something for her staff. Hubby's mum wanted something for the home. I wanted the choc royaltine (as above) for Hubby.....and a little for Bean.

Bean had been good all the way into the shop, but when the baker proffered a free bite of choc royaltine (it's really nougatine with a prettier name), she automatically swivelled to him and opened her little mouth "aah" - all ready for cake! After a few thoughtful munches, little Bean turned her dimpled smile on the baker again with a loud baby-voiced "More!". He was so tickled that he gave her a few more bites subsequently.

So.....sustained on a mini chocolate high, little Bean and I dropped off the folks at home then came back to nap. She's now run down her little battery and is sleeping the restful peaceful sleep of babies......little chest going up and down :)

Wishlist Autumn/Winter '09

Hmm, in light of the fact that I reside in a tropical country, perhaps the list ought to read "Wishlist Monsoon/Party '09" because that more accurately reflects the soppy weather this time of year, and the hard rockin' that will carry on pretty much til Easter.

1) Striped dress. I already have a mock turtlenecked one, with a forgiving stretch that hits mid-thigh, but I wanted something multi-coloured (mine is classic black and white) such as these (Vivienne Westwood and Pringle respectively):

2) A duffel or barrel bag with short handles and a long-ish strap. Not too big. Along the lines of this shape (Sofia Coppola for LV, Tory Burch, and Loewe respectively):

 

3) A matte orange-red lippy, likely from Nars. Or a pharmacy-based brand. Haven't found one to show you.

4) Diamonds ;) On rose gold. Undoubtedly among a girl's best friends.'

Quick trip up to KL

Went up to KL last weekend with Bean and Annie.

My cousin got hitched to a nice unassuming Belgian dude. She was protecting him from the onslaught of multitudes of relatives (hah, what did I tell you, Ze Clan Is Large) and to his credit, he did well.

Little Bean was being her charming cute self. She walked around and introduced herself to various members of the clan with her dimpled "hi" and even an occasional handshake. Supervised by Annie, of course.

I tell ya, my lil' daughter's gonna give me hell as a teenager.

We spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with the folks. Dad was super-busy juggling work, time with me, and predominantly, time with little Bean. She got a swim, a snack, an outing to a supermarket, and even a longed-for trip to Toys R Us, where Dad indulged in his grandfatherly whims and bought her a baby doll.

Mom managed to find my old toy teaset, which we used to drink Milo out of. She also found our old lanterns! Amazing. They are still in perfect condition. Bean chose a new goldfish lantern. Coincidentally, I had an old fish lantern too :) The cockerel was the Bro's favourite.

It was a good trip. It's so good to be in KL sometimes. One of the things that I will always miss is my huge rowdy family, and the sense of warmth, space, and cosiness that can only come with a clan of this size.

Choice bits from Leonard Berry's book

Fella wrote this:

.....and some of the stuff inside, mixed with my own phrases, which I will remember to think about at work:

"Here science serves, enthroned in architecture and crowned in music." - Jimmy Drummond

"First to comfort, then to heal."

"Don't mess with the desk attendant."

"Investment management."

"Gore another department's ox."

"The traditional triple threat clinician, who excels in practice, education, and research."

"So there is an economic self-interest for people to stay on in positions of authority. That gives you, if you are not careful, a gerontocracy......And it is not healthy!"

"Developing an all-star team."

"With great power, comes great responsibility."

"Customers buy solutions to the problems that bring them to market. In healthcare, patients buy mobility and pain relief, not knee surgery."

"Healthcare cannot be separated from the setting in which it is delivered, and these settings offer myriad opportunities to help calm patients (and their loved ones), to uplift their spirits, and to create a sense of healing."

The stories from pages 231, 251, and 264.

Tiny little niece - fresh in this world last Saturday morning

Not yet a week old, but the Bro's little bundle of joy is causing a commotion.

She is named for gentle femininity, with a personal name that means "heroine". In its entirety, her name has status, wealth, power, force, compassion, and courage. Well-chosen indeed. Diana is very tired, of course, but no doubt the Bro will chip in mightily. He's an eager father, and more intuitively so than Hubby was. It helps to have had little cousins by the load to practice on :)

I'm just happy all's well.

Mom and Dad have been down to see both their grand-daughters. For her part, Bean took my Dad swimming. I say this because right after that, and a trip to Tampines 1, he conked out on the couch, pooped out from running after her.

The little one is so sweet. She has such a peaceful and immeasurably soft set of features. For the purposes of this blog, I shall nickname her Suki.

Tomorrow, I'll get my toes pedicured, pick up a gift for a cousin's who has become engaged, and on Friday after a hectic half-day of work, I'll be rushing home to scoop up Bean and Annie. We'll rush off to the airport and get on a plane KL-bound, for yet another cousin's wedding that same night.

My weekend wardrobe therefore consists of:

1) Newly-acquired heart-shaped diamond ear-studs, a flower-shaped ring, my favourite bling (a feather design necklace in 3 shades of gold n' rock), a cerulean-blue long slip-dress, really fancy sandals, a tiger-print (brown on green though!) pashmina, my huge Marni bag (for all Bean's stuff!).

2) One-shouldered Karen Millen knit top, denim shorts. Or denim shorts with a comfy tee.

3) A royal-blue tunic dress.

Bonus? This year, my little Bean will celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival the only way I've ever known - traditionally, respectful, and colourfully!

Haul-Ass: My end-of-year chill just vanished in the breeze

The Boss yanked me into his office midday on Friday. It was very short notice, for which I had to reschedule a meeting.

I knocked and went in with some trepidation.

"Come in," he said. "Sit down."

So I sat. And for forty-five minutes we talked. He advised, I listened. I shared thoughts, he tempered them. It was good. At the end of it all, he said "OK, 1st of November. Make sure you close the loop by telling ______ and then informing _______. When you have done so, let me know."

And with that, I got up, thanked him, backed out, and closed the door behind me.

So yes, come 1st November, I am supposed to be doing a totally different thing from what I have done before. I was so excited when I walked out of the office that I could barely suppress a little scream of joy. The other overriding emotion that I could not suppress was terror. The learning curve will either kill me or make me.

In the spirit of MTV, "I wanna be MADE!".

21st century Elves

She's put into practice what I've always thought would happen if Elves from space took a shine to the catwalk.

Louise Goldin Spring/Summer '10