OMG!!! Xanga looks so different from when I last typed something1.5 years ago!!!

There have been soooooo many changes in my life I don’t know where to begin!! But I believe the biggest change in my life is that, sadly,  and I are no longer an item…  We were soooooooo close from becoming Mr & Mrs. Ah well… That’s life I guess.  

But life is all good for me. I am finally single for the first time since 1998 and I am enjoying my time with me (well most of the time). Surely I get rather lonely at times but I am ok otherwise. It is a good time for me to grow and become more independent.

I just re-read this entry and realised how shallow it is! I guess that’s me *LOL*

Previously mentioned here!!!

My beautiful friend Winnie will open a new FRESHNESS BURGER shop at Windsor House in Causeway Bay on the 3rd of September, ie. Monday after next! The new shop will be where HMV was located!! Don’t miss the chance to try the taste of original Japanese flavoured burgers and drinks!!!

Yay! I finally got to see how the children in Child of Our Time have developed from 2006 to 2007!

The first episode was ‘Will To Win’. It discusses how one’s background, upbringing, and parents may affect a child’s will to win, or at least complete a task.

There were a few surprises in the episode.

When the 7 year-olds were asked what they would like to be when they grow up, some picked the obvious choice of teacher or policeman, since they do not know a lot of professions I guess! I myself wanted to be a policewoman when I was young! Ha ha ha!

And there was Eve Scarborough, who said, “A fairy… so I can fly and look pretty!!” Awww! That would sound cute on a 3 year-old, but Eve, you are too old for that!

Doesn’t Eve remind you of ‘Marjorie Dawes’ the ‘Fat Fighter’ leader from Little Britain? Here is a reminder for you :

Ok that was rather mean! I apologise! Eve is cute. I love fat girls! Ha ha ha!!

When asked the same question, little James here gave a shocking answer (revelation?), “A robber… because they are good!”

James’ life has been tough. First his mum Carol is uneducated and has been living off social benefits for over 11 years. James’ dad has been out of the scene for a long time, and in 2004 James was kidnapped by Carol’s ex, albeit lasting several hours. Nonetheless it was an extremely traumatic event for James, who was happier, more confident, and less violent at school than at home. Carol has had a tough life too. And when the two were put on a challenge of placing one hand in freezing cold water for a certain time (adults 5 minutes, children 3 minutes) Carol lasted just 7 seconds, and James 4 seconds. Carol said she has high hopes for her children, but as unmotivated as she is, how is she going to make James a better person?

This is Nathan, my favourite out of all the children. Nathan is sooooooo sweet!! In an experiment last year, a lovely lady showed him a photo of a lovely elderly couple, and Nathan was told that they were her parents. Several minutes later he was asked to tear up the photo. Some children swiftly completely the job, some doubted for a minute but still went ahead unwillingly. And cute little Nathan refused to do it!! Awww!! He is so adorable!!! And his daddy is hot!! Ha ha ha!!

I am soooooo looking forward to the next episode!!!

CHILD OF OUR TIME IS BACK!!!

According to BBC, the new series will start this Sunday evening (GMT)!! OMG!! I can’t wait to see “my” little children in their 7th year!

As mentioned in a previous entry (which I have spent the past 20mins on a fruitless attempt to find it), this is a 20-year long project which began in 2000. It follows 20 millenium babies from birth until 2020. This is the 7th year now. I cannot believe it has been 7 years! By the time the children reach 20, I will be freaking 41!!! 

Slimming update :

I made another visit to Sau Sun Tong yesterday. This time I had a session each with the Chinese herbalist, a doctor, and a nutritionist.

First was the herbalist. She checked my pulse and asked me a few questions, and gave me a prescription for Chinese medicine/ soup, which Sau Sun Tong will cook for me and I need to pick up later. That lasted around 10 minutes.

Then I was ushered to see the (western medicine) doctor. Just as my friend had described, Dr Cheung looked like he was old enough be our grampa!! He checked my blood pressure and explained to me the results of my blood test. Thank God I am quite normal. Then he pressed his stethoscopes on my chest for a bit, and said he will give me a week’s supply of pills and see how it goes.

Then it was the nutritionist’s turn. I gave her my “homework” – a table of food that I have eaten since my last visit on Saturday. The nutritionist gave me more tips on what to eat. It appears that I have been eating too much processed food like cheese and smoked ham.

A bonus to me joining the weightloss programme is that  is also benefitting from it. As my personal chef, he has to cook the right food for me, which means he is also eating the same food. So hopefully he can shed a few pounds too!

Saturday –> Thursday :
Weight : +0.7kg (WHY?????)
Fat : – 0.9 (% or kg… I forgot!!)
Water retention : + 1kg

Apparently the fact that I sleep late (2am to 3am) is a big big obstacle to me losing water retention. BUT I LOVE SLEEPING LATE!! Oh well, I will have to try harder I guess!

Queen’s Pier is about to be demolished soon. I do have fond memories with it. We used to go on Dad’s company boat every weekend for seafood in Lamma Island. Victoria Harbour is narrow and deep and hence very choppy. I remember I had to be carried onto the boat. 

It is also the pier where several former governors from the UK landed. As a result some people protested against the demolition. In my opinion it does not provide a particularly pretty sight. I don’t hate it, but I am sure they can replace it with something more aesthetically pleasing.

Some accused the HKSAR Government of attempting to ‘de-colonialise’ HK. Well we are no longer a colony, so I believe it is understandable for the Govt to do so, and we will just have to accept it. We are now ruled by the PRC Government, people who were born and brought up completely differently to HKers. We do not really have a choice anymore. We will just have to take whatever they feed us, I guess.   

Who on Earth cared about the Queen’s Pier before its demolition was announced really? We do have other more landmarks that are more colonial, for example the LegCo Building, Statue Square, etc. Yes I do feel sad that they are getting rid of the places that I so frequented as a child one by one, but what can I do really?  

PS. Now I know why Ma Lik talked bullocks about the Tiananmen Square Massacre. He knew he was dying, so he went ‘all the way’, since it would be his party who was to bear the consequences anyway. I guess he is probably smiling in his coffin right now! Ha!

Slimming Update :

I went to Sau Sun Tong last Saturday to have my blood extracted for blood test, and also to speak to the nutritionist for the first time.

Everyone knows what a healthy diet is. It is all about motivation and discipline to stick to it. I have got off my stingy arse to pay for the treatment, and I am very motivated! So motivated that I passed my delicious green tea creme brulee desserts to ‘s mother last Sunday! 

I was given a table of food to prepare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for this week. But some of them I have no idea how to make, for example steamed fish with black bean! And some of which I do not eat, eg. oatmeal. I might have to ask them for a more suitable one. Not much was done on Saturday apart from the things I just mentioned. I will be back tomorrow to speak to a doctor, a Chinese herbalist, and the nutritionist again.

I’ve been following the menu so relatively closely since Saturday, but I am still carrying the same fat fat weight around! Hmmm..

Local athlete-turned-actor/singer Alex Fong posted this on his blog :

And I am in this photo! *LOL* Me the girl sitting in the front row, 4th from the right. Alex the boy in 2nd row, 7th from left.

*LOL*

I made a comment on his blog, but I forgot to make it private! Oops!

THE SPAICEGIRLS ARE BACK!!!!!!!

Seeing them reminds me of the time when  wanted to buy their FOREVER cd but was too embarassed to pay for it at the counter and forced me to do it. This happened once more when he forced me to buy Backstreet Boys cd. Ha ha!

Not only are they back, they are coming to Hong Kong ON ‘S BIRTHDAY!! *LOL*

 is going to have a field day!

My beautiful friend Winnie has brought the Japanese burger giant to Hong Kong! I had dinner there last night and it was so good!!!

Some info:

Freshness Burger began as a neighborhood cafe in 1992 in Japan serving Home Made Quality Burgers and a variety of home styled beverages and desserts. Due to its immense popularity it grew rapidly over the last 15 years and has established itself as a Premium Burger Cafe in Japan with more than 250 shops. Encouraged by its success, Freshness Burger has since expanded into Korea and will now open its doors in Hong Kong

FRESHNESS BURGER¡KA CAFE WITH A DIFFERENCE
As suggested by our motto ¡§Be Fresh¡¨, our philosophy is to provide a brand new experience to all our customers. We take pride in reinventing the traditional burger experience by offering freshly made to order burgers that are healthy yet fulfilling as well as a range of food and beverages made from organic ingredients in a relaxed environment. We welcome you to Freshness Burger to experience ¡§A home away from home¡¨ and meet our friendly staff at our tastefully decorated and trendy stores.

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The shop is at Ocean Terminal, right above Toys’R'Us and opens from 10am to 10pm everyday.

I tried their Classic Cheese Burger and it was sooo good!!

Winnie happened to be there too, with her boyfriend and a TVB crew filming. I also found out that a guy whom I had a huge crush on when I was 12/13 was doing marketing work for her! Ha ha ha!!! It was great seeing him again!! Ha ha ha!!!

The tenth anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to the PRC is on 1st July 2007.

On 30th June 1997, we were a British colony. 24 hours later, we were under the reign of the Communist Party.

I still remember that day like it was yesterday. On the 30th June 1997 I was a lower 6th student at CLC. It was Monday and school day. My RadioTimes magazine told me that the BBC would provide a live coverage from 3pm until 5-ish. I had arranged for the program to be recorded. School finished at 4:30pm and I ran back to my room and I turned on the tv. I saw this :

Representatives from the PRC were on the left, and the Brits (see Prince Charles?) were on the right.

At the stroke of midnight, the Union Jack was slowly lowered, marking the end of the Brit’s 150 years rule over Hong Kong. Prince Charles and his people then sailed off in the Royal Yatch Britania. The yatch was afloat, but my heart sank very low.

I could not stop crying. I cried because I was scared. As mentioned in previous entries, HK people of my generation were left with extremely poor/ fearful impression of the PRC government after the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989. I did not know what Hong Kong’s future will hold. But I was not positive.

Now 10 years on, and after living in Hong Kong for almost 6 years, my fear for the PRC government has subsided because hatred has taken over. This will be discussed another time. 

Before the handover the PRC government promised us nothing would be changed in the next 50 years. I look back and I am like *LOL*

To me, the 1st of July will be a day to mourn our loss, rather than to celebrate.

I bought this book last week.

The title of the book is I WANT EUTHANASIA and it is written by Tang Shiu-bun, a patient of locked-in syndrome. Unlike Diving Bell and Butterfly by Jean Dominique Bauby, this book is extremely depressing.

In 1991, Tang was training as a PE teacher. After passing all his exams, and while practising backflips on a trampoline, he fell in an awkward position and has been paralysed since. Ironically, he received an offer from a school several days after his accident.

Tang woke up 1 day after the accident and realised that he has lost all control to his body from neck down, yet his brain, sight, and hearing were all functioning perfectly. He tried to kill himself by fasting, refusing medication, and even attempted to cut his tongue by biting hard, but nothing worked.

Eventually in 2003 he got fed up (having been motionless for 12 years – imagine that!) and composed a letter asking the then Chief Executive of HK Mr Tung to allow him to die with dignity by euthanasia. The letter created a media frenzy, and since then his treatments has been improved. He was invited to visit Disneyland, as well as to attend a talk given by Professor Stephen Hawking in 2006.

The cover of this book is the only view Tang has since 1991 – the ceiling in his hospital room. How interesting!

So after all the imrpovements and media attention, etc etc one would think that his book was about seeing life in a more positive light after receiving help since 2003. No. Tang’s determination to receive euthanisa has not faltered. The book begins with introductions written by 30 odd friends, doctors, and family members, and each of them are equally touching and meaningful.

I almost cried when I read that one night a cockroach landed on Tang’s face and he was completely freaked out. But there was nothing he could do to get rid of it. He felt so sorry for himself because he was defenceless even to a small insect. *Sigh*

This is a really depressing book, but a very very good read, if you understand Chinese that is!  

I hope I will never find out how it feels to be ‘locked-in’. But in the extremely unfortunate event that I became paralysed, I would definitely go for euthanasia.

Chinese website for those who are interested.
More info in English.