HK Day 3

Got up at 10am plus...the tiring Day 2 totally cured my strange bed-induced insomnia...which was good...decided to check out the Southern part of HK island...the guy at the front desk told me to take the 973 bus that goes all the way to Stanley...so that i did...the bus went through winding hilly roads...so it was quite a roller-coaster ride...there was a mentally-challenged boy who sat at the next row...he puked all over along the way...well, good thing for my anosmia...

I got down at Stanley Plaza...saw a stall that was selling some Chinese chewy candies...so bought half a roll and chewed on it while i walked around Blake Pier...saw some flyers that promoted some sailing and boat ride...apparently you can sail to the Southern Islands from Blake Pier...and you can go on a half-hour sailboat ride for HKD150..but didn't see anyone operating any boat...managed to take some photos of myself with self-timer...nice place for photo shoot...

Walked around Stanley Market...nothing much...and i wasn't really in the mood for bargaining coz i didn't see anything i really gawked at...stopped by at a restaurant for lunch...managed to order lunch by reading the chinese menu...cos i could read beef curry rice in Chinese..hehe...the curry tasted quite good...

Next i took the bus no. 6 to Repulse Bay...the beach was crowded with tourists since it was the weekend...saw some youngsters building a huge sand 'castle' (actually i had no idea what they were sculpting)...there were a couple of Filipino ladies being baptized by a Caucasian pastor in the sea...my first thought...they must be Baptists...the temperature was 21 degrees Celsius...it's quite warm under the sun...but chilly when there was breeze...the poor ladies...the water should be quite cold...even saw a Japanese guy sunbathing...i see this craze doesn't just affect Australians...

After i had enough of my beach encounter, i took bus no. 6X to Ocean Park...almost missed the stop...so i quickly hopped off the bus after being reprimanded by the bus driver...bought the entrance ticket for HKD250 and entered Ocean Park...a few minutes later, i realized that my Khalil Fong USB drive and picks were missing...they were hanging on my bag's zipper...DANG!!! i must have dropped them in the bus when i was rushing out...maybe snagged a pole or something...so sad!!! but nothing could be done to get them back...lucky is the person who picked them up...sob...

Well, wasn't about to let that hamper my good time at the Ocean Park...so i went to check out the giant pandas...they were just munching on bamboo shoots..while watching us humans watched them...they had bungee-trampoline but i was wearing a tunic dress... not properly dressed for such stunt...ish!! would have loved to try it out...took the Ocean Waterfront Express up to the upper part of the park...the upper part is where all the rides and the Ocean Theatre are...there was an escalator that goes down to another exit at Tai Shue Wan...out of curiousity and redundant-ness, i took it down..and up again...was passing time till the Sea Dreams show anyway...and the other rides were packed...

Then it was time to go for the Sea Dreams show at the Ocean Theatre...it was a dolphin and sea-lion show that lasted about half hour...i always love watching dolphins...and this time i managed to take nice pics of the dolphins...the show was quite amazing...i think this was even better than the one in SeaWorld at Gold Coast...and i noticed that dolphin trainers are usually cute..hehe...didn't do the rides coz too lazy to queue up and time was limited...so i took the cable car back to the main park...that was quite a ride...not for the faint-hearted...

It was already evening when i took the bus no. 6X back to Central...walked to the Peak Tram Station and was shocked to see how ridiculously long the queue was...a word of advice...never attempt to go up the Peak via tram on weekend nights...i had to queue about an hour before i managed to get into the tram...but the ride was pretty cool...the track was quite steep that i had to hold on real tight throughout the ride...i bought the SkyTerrace pass + single trip ticket which cost me HKD37...

So i went to the SkyTerrace at the Peak Tower...only to find out that it wasn't really necessary...you can get nice view everywhere else...don't have to pay extra for the SkyTerrace pass...and since it was night, it was bloody cold and windy up there..i could hardly stop my hands from trembling when taking pics...but it was worth going up the Peak...the night view of HK was amazing...well, except for the haze...but what was even more amazing were the apartments on the Peak...they looked so posh and must cost a few bombs...definitely dream house material...hehe...

Fed my hunger pangs at Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant and Co...Elaine said should go check it out so i did...the food's expensive...but i guess it would be the same for all the other restaurant at the Peak... had clam chowder with Caesar Salad and a bottle of water...quite yummy...cost me HKD132 for that...i like the way you hail the waiter...each table has 2 plates...one written "run, forrest run" and another "stop, forrest stop"...if you need the waiter, you put up the latter plate...after dinner, i checked out the souvenir shop and bought a Bubba Gump T-shirt...

Would have love to explore the Peak longer but it was too cold...so i took bus 15 down to Central...cost only HKD9.80...and the view on the way down was so beautiful, you'd forgive the winding, vomit-inducing road...this time, i got smart...i took a tram back to the hotel...at least i know it'll stop right behind the hotel...i didn't even mind the longer ride...

So, i actually like the southern part of HK...less crowded and agoraphobia-inducing...except with tourists...and quieter...and it's not inaccessible...definitely a good place to stay...especially if you like staying by the beach...if you prefer being on top of everyone else, there's always the apartments on the Peak...

HK Day 2

Got up from a fitful sleep about 830am...got ready and walked to the road behind the hotel...the girl at the front desk told me i could either take the bus or tram to get around...i dropped by at the Mannings opposite the hotel but i didn't see any beauty diary mask products...bought some 'siew mai'-like stuffs to eat and waited for the tram...hopped onto the tram and got off at Central...tram ride costs HKD2...cheap and convenient...and get nice view...though a bit slow lah...

Looked for the Central-Mid levels escalator...bumped into some people who were asking for donation for their flag day or something...asked them for direction...but apparently not all hongkies know where is where...so i walked until i saw some signboards that showed the direction of the Central-Mid levels escalator...found the escalator but had to wait till 10am before it starts to go upwards...so i went up through Soho area all the way to Mid-levels...saw all the cafes at the side of the escalator along the way...the Mid-levels have really amazing architecture...solidly cemented slope with plenty of high-rise apartments and condominiums on the slopes (i guess this is where the rich hongkies stay)...and there were roads on top of roads...they were like roller-coaster tracks...

The HK Zoological and Botanical Garden was nearby so i walked towards where the signboard showed...got a little lost along the way cos the signboard disappeared and there were too many paths to take...a Caucasian man came along with his huge white furry dog and asked me if i was lost...it felt refreshing to be able to speak English without worrying the other person won't understand what i was saying..phew!! so i told the man where i needed to go and he showed me the way...the man came from England but he lives in HK (i guess he's the resident of one of those nice apartments in Mid-levels)...he asked me where i came from and i told him i work in KK..he said, "oh, i have some relatives in KK...i'm planning to visit them next year.." so when we reached the Garden, we parted ways...

Walked around the Botanical Garden..saw lotsa primates...some racoons, turtles and birds...after i had my fill of animal kingdom, i walked back towards Soho...saw a Mannings and found the beauty diary masks that Che asked me to buy...so i bought like 3 boxes...shouldn't have bought so early cos then i was lugging it around in my backpack the whole day...walked along Hollywood Road which has many shops selling antiques and arts stuffs...walked till i reach Man Ho Temple...not really into temple so didn't go in...

So i walked back to Lan Kwai Fong...yes, the famous 'red-light' area in HK...but i was there during the day...so only saw lots and lots of closed bars and pubs...and lots of Japanese tourists taking photo under the signboard that reads "Lan Kwai Fong"...while i was walking back to where i got off the tram, i went into Coach shop to do price compare...they were having sale...even with 30% off, the wristlet still cost the same as what Cam paid for hers in Taipei Airport...

Next, i took the tram to Wan Chai...walked to HK Convention and Exhibition Centre which was at the water front...went in from Grand Hyatt Hotel through to HKCEC...very posh hotel...and HKCEC is huge...it's connected to 2 hotels, the Grand Hyatt and Renaissance...so i exited from Renaissance...just to check out the lobby...had beef noodles for lunch at a restaurant at Wan Chai.. then walked around Wan Chai...walked through Li Yuen Street Market...passed by Wan Chai Market...and walked till i reach the Happy Valley Race Course...it was still early..so no race yet...then i walked into Morrison HIll Road...to check out Butterfly on Morrison, South Pacific Hotel and Hotel Bonaparte by Rhombus...these were the few hotels i initially had in mind to book...but since i booked late, they didn't have rooms anymore...serve me right...

After that, i took the tram to Causeway Bay...gosh, i thought Wan Chai was packed with people...Causeway Bay made an agoraphobic out of me...i guess it was cos it's already nightfall and all the hongkies are out to play...Causeway Bay has plenty of big shopping malls with high-end boutiques...even the not branded clothes are expensive...tried to look for clothes but they were selling mostly winter clothings...too thick for the tropics...but saw a bright pink tunic top that wasn't too thick and thought Che would like it...so bought for her...

Had sweet and sour pork rice for dinner...i've given up trying to decipher Chinese writing and just pointed at pictures..hehe...after dinner, walked along the Jardine's Bazaar and Cresent...they're like our Petaling Street...tried to look for leggings but they were selling for HKD29-69 per pair...i didn't buy coz i thought they'd be cheaper in Kowloon area...anyway, tonight was the opening ceremony of the East Asia Games 2009...i wanted to go back to the hotel, but the policeman that i asked regarding where to take bus told me to stay and watch the fireworks and all before i go back...

So i walked to the World Trade Centre where they had a big screen showing the opening ceremony live...watched it for a while...but by 830pm, i was quite tired and my right knee was giving me problem after a whole day of walking...caught the no. 5 bus that supposedly stopped near my hotel...but the bloody driver told me to get down so far from my hotel that i walked about 1km back to my hotel...crap!!..and when i reached my hotel, my mobile had limited service again...i was like WTH???!!! i was just using it on the bus earlier and it was working fine...

Went to a 7-11 few roads down my hotel and bought a local SIM card...the guy told me i had to recharge my SIM card once i've used it...initially i was like huh? why do i need to recharge my SIM card? does it run on battery? he explained in Chinese...i lagi lah don't understand...so he was at a lost as to how to make me understand..eventually i realized he was talking about reload/ top up...chey!!! apalah...recharge...as it is, i'm not prepaid savvy since i use post-paid...i must have looked like an idiot to the guy..Chinese also don't understand, English also don't understand...oh well, thank God i won't have to see him again...hehe...

So that was my day of adventure in HK...was super tired by the time i got back to my room...had no problem falling asleep this time...

Macau-HK Day 1

I flew Airasia flight AK6400 from KK to Macau on 4/12/09...we departed at 250pm and i think i dozed off a few times before we landed at Macau International airport at 550pm...practically snailed through immigration and custom...and i thought Chinese people work very fast...once i was out, i went to the info counter to ask for direction to the ferry terminal to HK...there was no signboard or anything...the info counter guy asked me to walk out via the exit then go straight and turn right...saw a guy carrying a sign that read "free shuttle to City of Dreams" and he gave the same directions...

So i walked out and saw a small signboard that probably read "Taipa ferry terminal" in Portuguese (just a wild guess)...so was walking along this small alley and noticed a guy walking behind me...i guess he kind of realized i was lost so he asked me where i was going..i told him i wanted to go to the ferry terminal...was using Cantonese but didn't know the Chinese term for 'ferry terminal' so i said that in English..i think i lost the guy there...so i had to tell him "chor shuen" i.e. take boat...then only he understood me...

Incidentally, he was going that way so he walked me there...thank God for kind Macau people...i found out that he works in the airport...and he was telling me i should go to the Venetian to check out the place when i return to Macau from HK...after about 10 mins walked, we reached the ferry terminal...so i thanked Ah Tat (that was the guy's name) and we both went our ways...really, if he hadn't guide me to the ferry terminal, i probably wouldn't have found it...

So i bought a ticket for the Cotaijet leaving for HK terminal at 630pm...cost HKD176...quickly boarded the ferry and found my seat...the journey lasted about 1hr 15 mins....took quite a while to get through immigration...once i was out, i realized i was in this huge multi-storey building...so asked for direction to Island Pacific Hotel...the girl i asked told me that apparently there was no public bus that heads there...i was wondering to myself if the hotel was really secluded and all...so i walked a good 15 mins along Connaught Road West and finally reached the hotel...not too secluded...but quiet..which was good...

I checked-in and they upgraded me to a superior deluxe room or something...my room was 2115 and the hotel had 23 floors....the room was quite ok...not the biggest room i've ever stayed...but had a king-sized bed, nice bathroom and all...well, it had better be acceptable since i paid RM413 + tax per night for that room...

The HK East Asia Games 2009 was starting the next day (5/12/09) so many of the delegates were staying in that hotel...while i was going down to hunt for dinner, was in the lift with some Mongolian and Guam (is Guam in Asia?) jocks....asked the bell boy for places to eat and he directed me to the road behind the hotel...walked into a shop which sells noodles and rice...tried reading the menu but decided that deciphering Chinese writings with a hungry stomach wasn't the best idea...ended up asking the waitress what they sold and ordered wantan noodles...

There was a Mannings (HK's equivalent of our Guardian) opposite the hotel but it was closed...it was passed 9pm already...so walked further down and found a 7-11...bought 2 bottles of water coz i was dying of thirst...came back to the hotel room, realized that my mobile had limited service...dang!! good thing i messaged Dad earlier...tried to sleep on my nice king-sized bed but i couldn't really sleep whole night....not that the area was noisy..i guess i always had problem sleeping on strange beds unless i'm super tired...

The Grim Reaper strikes OT...

Yesterday's OT call began disastrously...up till yesterday, i have managed to avoid a DOT (death on table)...it's not something i brag about to anyone but i was always grateful that no patient has died on table when i was giving gas...but my bosses have always told me that you're never truly a GA MO until you have a DOT...so yesterday was my last OT call as a GA MO...

I started my call with a neuro case...not exactly the best omen...aunty was 63 years-old...ASA 3 with DM, HPT and CRF requiring occasional dialysis...apparently she had chronic subdural haemorrhage which caused her to have left hemiparesis...GCS full...they posted for burrhole and drainage...the MO said, it's a very simple op...and i have done many burrhole and drainage...there was no reason for me not to accept and proceed with the case...

So aunty arrived in OT at about 930am...i assessed her...she was talking and smiling to me..she could answer my questions with full comprehension...i guess she didn't know as well that her last conversation would be with me, the GA MO...so i put her under, intubation was uneventful....the neuro MO started the op at about 945am...BP was stable throughout...but she was steadily bleeding...only had 1 pint of blood...about an hour and a half into the op, her BP suddenly dropped to about 80/40mmHg...good thing i had the right mind of setting another large bore brannula for her before the op started...so i started running gelafundin and warmed up her 1 pint blood...after 2 readings of low BP, her BP picked up with fluids...

When aunty's BP dropped, the neuro MO asked to call her senior for help...so another neuro MO came in...and they decided to convert to craniotromy...about 10 mins into the craniotomy, aunty's ETCO2 dropped drastically...fell from 30 to 15 then to 7 then to 2...and then her saturation became undetectable...i thought her ETT dislodged to i checked but her ETT was in place, the tubings weren't disconnected, and the ventilator was giving good tidal volume...i called my boss and he came immediately...i told him blood loss was probably 800-1000ml...initially BP responded to fluid...but after her ETCO2 dropped, her BP became unrecordable and she became bradycardic... we started running the 1 pint blood and asked the nurse to trace the other GXM she had from the ward...

Boss asked to set arterial line so i was feeling for her dorsalis pedis pulse...could feel it feebly initially, then suddenly i couldn't feel the pulse anymore and boss said, patient went into asystole...shit!! so we asked the surgeons to stop and proceeded with CPR...gave all the necessary drugs...even defibbed her when she went into VF...but after more than 1 hour of resuscitation she was not revived...i felt so horrible when i had to explain to aunty's daughters that their mother was dead...

I didn't cry though this time...i think the shock hadn't really set in...boss said it was probably pulmonary embolism...the sudden drastic drop in ETCO2 strongly suggested that...it's such a rare operative complication...but it had to occur to this aunty during my call...i can't help feeling responsible for her death...if i hadn't accepted her case and proceeded with the case, she would probably be still alive...perhaps it was a jinx...not that i'm particularly superstitious...but perhaps if it wasn't me who was on call yesterday, then aunty would not have been my 1st DOT...but i couldn't have known in advance yea? yet the ugly truth is...aunty's dead...and i'll never forget her last smile...

Back from my 1st solo trip...

I just landed in KK early this morning at 1230am...flew Airasia from Macau yesterday night...flight was scheduled at 2040H but we didn't take off from Macau till 2130H...almost an hour delay...and i kept wondering what could be the possible reason since there's only one KK-Macau and Macau-KK flights per day...that aside, there was the problem of families with young kids who were given separate seats...not a row or 2 behind but about 10 rows...so the flight attendants had to rearrange the seatings..

Landed at KK airport...turned on my mobile phone but it kept shutting down....i was like, " i don't believe this...my handphone has to die on me just when i need to make a call!!"...i was a bit in a rut and wrecking my brain trying to think of a way to reach Becky coz she was supposed to pick me up...so while waiting for my luggage, i went to ask the staffs at the custom if i could borrow their mobiles but they told me they don't keep their phones with them coz of the scanner machine...they suggested the public phone and even gave me spare change...

Unfortunately, all my numbers are in the phone...so public phone's quite useless for me...found a girl at the info counter...asked her if she could lend me her hp so i can put in my sim card and call Becky...thing was, Becky's number is in my phone...not my sim card...but thank God that she missed call me so i got a msg with her number in it...phew!!! so managed to call her to come pick me up...by the time i got home, it was almost 130am...so tired...so much of laundry to do...so need to recover from post-holidays blues...

Hong Kong and Macau, here i come...

I'm starting December with a bang....and a shopping spree...hehe...i'll be leaving for Macau in a few hours time...and i've been looking forward to this trip for months...it's my first solo trip..:)

Until last night, i still had problem with my 1st 3 nights hotel stay in HK...got a call from Agoda telling me my booking for 4-7 Dec at Wifi Hotel didn't go through coz they don't have a room for me on 4 Dec...i was like...great!!! now this is really last minute...so i got home and started hunting for last minute offers for hotel stay....finally, managed to book Island Pacific Hotel at Sheung Wan...cost more than my budget but hey, serve me right for waiting till the last minute...but phew!!! at least i won't be stranded in HK, resorting to sleeping under bridges or in the parks and risk ending up in HK jail...

So, i'll be disappearing for a week or so...but when i'm back, there'll be definitely lots to write about... don't miss me too much yea?

Fate? 2....

I just realized that i've titled a post with "Fate?"...though i can't remember off hand what that was about now...so i thought i'd just add a 2 on the title...though this has probably nothing to do with the first "Fate?" post...

Anyway, sometimes in the course of our lives, we meet people, regardless of their gender, whose faces make you noticed them at first glance....you can't really tell exactly what made you noticed them in the first place, but the image of their faces lingers a little longer than necessary in your mind...sometimes it's just a chance encounter...sometimes you get to meet them for a while and then you (or they) leave and you don't ever see them again...sometimes, as if fate is playing a trick on your life, you meet them again years later...not always at the most inappropriate time and place....

Last night, i met a certain person (again) while i was on call....i went down to the Emergency Department to assess a patient who was referred for ICU admission...and there was this person whose look caught my attention...i knew i've seen him somewhere....then i remembered who he was...of course up till the time i saw him again, i've totally forgotten about his existence or the fact that i've ever met him...funny how memory works huh? but i remembered that the first time i saw him, i noticed him...he kind of stood apart from the crowd...not sure if he usually has that effect on other people as well...and i definitely wouldn't call it 'love at first sight'...none of the 'suddenly the world seemed to stand still', or 'heart beating as fast as the flutter of a butterfly's wings' kind of stuffs...plus i was 'attached' at that time...

But of course, he doesn't remember or recognize me...the last time we met, i was a medical student and he was a registrar in Emergency Department....i'd only seen him for about a week...and our interaction was pretty limited to assisting him in T & S and attending to patients in the ED...there was a Taiwanese drama series which i watched a while ago...the guy in the show said, first meeting is chance...second meeting is fate...third meeting is destiny....so is this fate? if so, fate must be playing a prank on me since i remembered that he's married with kid(s)....hahahaha.....

A week ago, i got an sms from Jasmine asking me if it was ok to have an ED specialist staying over at our place for a few days...the specialist is a guy and he was standing in for the current ED specialist who was going on leave...Jasmine doesn't usually like having male strangers around the house...but i thought since she was ok with it, i'd be ok with it too...but he ended up staying with Suet Lai instead....i didn't realize then that this was the same person i met (again) last night...i guess it was a good thing he didn't stay with us...would have been more awkward (on my part) to have to come home to see a guy whose face lingers a little longer than necessary on my mind....of course he would have been totally oblivious to all this....while i would be left disturbed enough to actually type a post about this whole encounter...

So yea, i don't suppose i would see him again...and in a while, the memory of his face would fade away like it did the last time...and life would go on as if both our paths never crossed...sometimes i wonder, if there was a similar version of this story that has happened in a person's life which perhaps involved me as the person being totally oblivious to the whole story....hhmmm, girls, we think too much...