Weekend Update - Korea Ski Holidays

I feel terrible having to come back to work this morning...had too much fun with the family over the past 2 weekends...In the past 2 weeks, I have overplayed, overate and definitely over enjoyed myself. I am terribly late with my readings and discussion board contributions but I really don't care! It has been too much fun to think about study!

It was our very first ski holidays and the best thing about the whole trip was that we got to see snow falling from the sky the morning that we were leaving the ski resort. The children were ecstatic and didn't want to leave! It was the family's first time...

Didn't know skiing can be so difficult until I got myself all geared up and could hardly walk, let alone do all the body and limps coordination that the instructor taught me... D was totally eager and he learnt fast. After about an hour practising at the bottom of the slopes, we boldly went to take the lift up the beginners' slope and took our very first plunge... It was scary! It was fast and it was a real struggle coming down that slope. It took us all about half an hour or more to finally reach the bottom... D wanted to go up the lift again but the rest of the family was totally worn out couldn't wait to get out of their gear. I would really like to bring him up for a second round if I were a little more skilled...but...I was totally bruised. Maybe next time, my dear boy! When you are bigger and when I am fitter...I hopefully.

Other than the skiing, the next highlight of the trip was the ride on the T-Express, Korea's fastest and steepest roller coaster made out of wood entirely. According to the guide, the steepest slope was 70 degrees and the speed was 140km/h! And the worst thing about it was that the safety gadget for the ride was only a safety belt at the lap! I could feel my butt lifted away from the seat several times during the ride which was about 2 minutes? N screamed until she lost her voice and I was teary by the time I got out of the ride. That was the best roller coaster ride, ever!

After all the excitement at Everland, we were brought back to the city where we got hands on some ice-carving works. We were taught how to make a beer mug out of a block of ice and hubby was so sweet...he carved my initial on his beer mug! The 2 kids broke the handle of the beer mug, so they made wine glasses instead which looked more like trophies to me.

So, that's about all for our 5 days 4 nights trip to Korea. The rest of the trip was just about eating and shopping which I enjoyed very much too, of course. I am especially happy with the Korean skincare I bought. :D

Here are some of the photos of the trip:

N & D totally knocked out after a 3-hour midnight flight to Incheon...

At the war museum the morning after the flight...N & D firing away!

The Pheonix Ski Resort at night.

D rocking on fresh snow.

D making snow angel on the morning snow...

The snowy morning...so beautiful!

See the wooden roller coaster in the background?

The completed works of ice art...

December 2008 HK Disney Photos

The train that took us to Disneyland.

Mickey symbols inside the train.

Main Street

Our Lunch

Bubble-blowing Stitch! Cute!

The X'mas Parade starts...

1st came the band and a big Mickey balloon float.

Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs

Alice in Wonderland

Chip & Dale

The characters of Toy Story

The characters of Under The Sea

Finally Santa, Micky and Minnie came out to greet us!

Guess what? Mickey-shaped Pizza for dinner!

Highlight of the trip - The Disney Magical Fireworks!

The grand finale!

Weekend Update - Disneyland

Time passes too fast, the kids have been here for over 2 weeks now and they will be leaving for Singapore in the next 2 weeks' time...it's getting sad.

The first weekend, we went ice-skating and just this past weekend we went to Hong Kong Disneyland! It was our second trip to Hong Kong Disneyland in these 3 years and there are just a couple of added attractions that we didn't get to visit the last time. The verdict? Hong Kong Disneyland is still way too small...and there are still too many mainland Chinese tourists.

We had the same itinerary according to Hubby, which I couldn't remember except for the fact that I didn't really enjoyed it the first time. I still didn't enjoy it this time but I enjoyed the time spent with my children. I truly hope that they have enjoyed themselves and especially the precious time we spent together. D hated all the queuing up to get onto rides and getting our pictures taken with Mickey and Minnie. N was more tolerant of the waiting time and she obviously enjoyed her candy floss! It was in blue, her favourite colour! No wait, I think her favourite colour is not blue anymore or is it still? Anyway, the best part for me about the whole outing was getting all those crazy snapshots of them all!

Oh yah, in 3 days' time, we will be going for our very first family ski holiday in Korea! We will be going to Pheonix Park and I am very excited about it!

Even chickens are not spared...

Doom and gloom is getting into my company...it's not that the axe has fallen on us but we are told not to recruit for replacement staff. Whoever resigns will be let go happily and no replacement will be given. Individual departments will need to think of how to split up the job among the ones remaining and get on with it. No OT, no replacement and definitely no more new employments. *Sigh*

Honestly, I didn't feel too threatened about this economic crisis until my hubby told me that one of his ex-classmate working for Philips in Singapore has received the letter yesterday and then my boss in Japan called me. Being Japanese, he started the conversation with a sentence that went something like this: "I need to apologise to you about something..." I was stunned! I thought he was going to tell me that I have been chosen to receive the letter! Luckily, it was about the project that he had promised to let me handle which is going to be postponed for God knows when. I don't really mind that, I just want to keep my job. I guess at this time and moment, being able to keep my job is the ultimate priority for me now. All other things can wait...even the plan about moving back to Singapore to be with the kids. If I were to lose my job, my kids and I are going to suffer even more anyway.

The axe has fallen on the chickens in Hong Kong also. A chicken farm in Yuen Long was found to have bird flu and all their chickens were killed yesterday. Today, they are killing all the chickens in other chicken farms within 3km of it. I have a thought, why don't they just cook up all the chickens and send them out to Africa where the people are suffering from famine. The people there have nothing to eat and are dying anyway, why don't we just send them some cooked chickens and let them have a meal of their lives? Will the bird flu spread even when the chickens are all thoroughly cooked? I hope someone can answer my question. I just don't see why over here we are wasting all these food while people over in Africa has nothing to eat..

My business trip to Shanghai

I was away in Shanghai for a very short business trip...arrived in Shanghai on the 2nd December evening, went to office and warehouse the next morning for meeting and then off I went to the airport to catch the 1:20pm flight back to Hong Kong. Basically, I was taken from the airport to the hotel, then from the hotel to office and warehouse and finally back to airport all in the company's car. All I saw of Shanghai was my hotel and the 1 block of the street around the hotel where I went to get food for dinner. I was all alone and that was the problem...I didn't dare explore the streets too much. Anyway, it's my 3rd or 4th trip to Shanghai and it is really no big deal. It's just another big city with terrible pollution and traffic jam problems.

By the way, the hotel (Penta Hotel) that I stayed in was rather modern and chic, so I took some pictures of it. It was RMB538 per night inclusive of breakfast and free internet access.

View of the bed from the doorway

View of the TV from the bed

Another view of the room from the arm chair

My dinner bought at the food court near the hotel...Yummy!

2 down and 16 more to go!

I have just received my final score for my second subject on Managerial Economics. Final exams score 79 and overall score 85! *Phew~* Thank God! And thank you, hubby!

The day of the exams, which was just 4 days after my discharge from the hospital for viral infections, I was still very sick from taking the dosage of anti-biotic prescribed by the stupid doctor. The anti-biotic was so strong that it was not only killing the virus but also killing whatever good cells I had in me too, I think. I was so weak and in so much pain that I couldn't sit up for long. It was like every half an hour I sat up, I had to lay down for more than an hour to recuperate. Luckily for me, hubby helped and I am more than grateful with the final outcome! 2 down, both scoring 85 and above, what more can I ask for?

I will start my 3rd subject on Marketing Management on the 15th December and then the 4th in February 09, 5th in March 09, 6th in May 09, 7th in June 09...at this rate, I guess I will really need 3 full years to complete all 18 subjects. Unless I squeeze in 3 subjects at the same time? Hmm...

The Sparkles of Eiffel Tower

These photos were taken in May when hubby and I went to Paris. They were in my handphone all these months...the battery on our digital camera went flat the moment Eiffel Tower lighted up. The sparkles were really captivating...like diamonds and it was really a very beautiful sight. So glad that I still had my phone camera to help me capture the moment. :0)

Christmas Decorations at HQ

These photos were taken last Christmas at my headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. Every year the trees at the parks around the premise of my HQ will be elaborately decorated with LED lights. We manufacture LEDs, so I guess we will never be short of decorative materials everyday. I am looking forward to this year's decoration...wonder if I will go to HQ this Christmas...

My stay at Baptist Hospital...

This picture was taken by my colleague who brought me to the hospital when I was sick 2 weeks ago... They put me on a drip and then gave me 3 gigantic jabs! 1 for pain relief, 1 to stop my vomiting and another 1 for I don't remember what. Anyway, I just want to remember this hospital stay as it must have been one of the "highlights" of my stay in Hong Kong for these past 3 and a half year...*sigh*

I am glad that I had a private room as I was feeling miserable enough being sick and in terrible pain...I would have felt even worst if I had to share room with some other sick people. I have to pay quite a lot for the room though as the insurance coverage from my company wasn't enough. Well, it's just my luck this year! 1st I had some funny rash all over my body in September, then an upset stomach in October while on business trip to Beijing and finally this hospital stay in November...I just hope that this is the last of my bad luck streaks. *cross my fingers*

Pulling through...

It's really getting serious. Last week when Sands decided to stop all its ongoing contruction works in Macau, thousands of construction workers and engineers from Hong Kong went out of jobs. They protested to the government to jump-start public works to create jobs for them. The government replied that they will try but most of the on-hand projects will take at least 1 or 2 years to implement. Then, HSBC announced retrenchment of 450 staff yesterday while Citi Group also announced to cut more than 50,000 positions worldwide. How many more people are going to lose their jobs? What is it like to lose one's job when the festive season is around the corner? It must be really tough...*sigh*

A couple of weeks ago, N was asking me what does it mean when the economy is bad. How do you explain to a 13 year old about the economic situation? How will the situation affect school-going children? Less pocket money? Less enrichment classes to go to? Less restaurant meals? No more exotic holidays? Should children be worried too? I personally do not prefer to worry my kids too much about the situation. We probably have to cut down on unnecessary expenses such as restaurant eats and holidays but surely we can pull it through together, can't we?

Viral Infections

It's been an excruciating week for me...

On Monday late afternoon, I suddenly developed a severe headache and started vomiting. Then I started to feel pain all over my body and my limps felt numb...I thought I was having a stroke or something! It was terrifying and for the first time in my life, I was transported to the hospital in an ambulance as I couldn't walk anymore. I went to a government hospital first and they checked my limb movements, heart condition, blood pressure and temperature at the A&E Department. The results were okay but I still felt pain even though I had a pain-killer jab. The doctor there told me to get admitted but the hospital looked really crappy, so I got myself transferred to a private hospital instead. At the private hospital, I was put on a drip, had my blood taken for tests and did a MRI too. Luckily for me, all the results turned out fine but then I started to develop a fever and the pain didn't go away...

The doctor diagnosed "viral infections" and prescribed a course of anti-biotics and pain-killers for me. I was discharged 2 days later and given 5 days of sick leave to rest at home. I never knew that viral infections can be so damaging...I back at work today but I am still feeling occasional sharp pains all over my body. *sigh*

Being mum

Got a surprise update from an ex-JC classmate today. She became a single mum in September to a baby boy! I am totally shocked! The last time I met her was in February during Chinese New Year at my house and she didn't say anything then! Her baby's father is a married man, she stated simply in her mail and made me terribly curious for the rest of the information that suppose to come with it. I have to find out more! What kind of arrangements did she make with the baby's father? Is he in the know or she's doing it all by herself? I have so many questions! Not because I am being busy-body but I really care for her to want to know more details.

Whatever it is, I think she's has done the right thing and I am happy for her. Having a baby is about the most happy thing that can happen to a woman, especially wonderful if she has it with a loving husband but even without, the feeling of total love for another human being will more than compensate for it. I am beginning to feel a little envious of her now as I wish the 2 children that I have can be mine totally and not have to share with their father...the man who does not pay for the children's maintenance but claim 50% ownership. Isn't it unfair to me? Well, no point whining about it now, I have been letting him off the hook for the sake of the children all these years. And thank God I am making enough money for them. Just hope that the economic crisis won't affect my job...

If all things go as planned, hubby and I should be going back to Singapore for good next year and then we will plan to have a baby together. I am looking forward to being mum again...unbelievable but I am... I can still remember so vividly when I first gave birth to N 13 years ago...it was the most amazing feeling. I didn't know real love until that day; I didn't know what can be so precious to me until N came into my life; she was the most beautiful baby that I have ever seen and I am so overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions that I thought I could faint. It is wonderful being mum, 1st time, 2nd time, anytime. I can't wait to be mum again!

Winter is finally here?

It's finally getting cooler in Hong Kong today. It was 17 degrees Celsius this morning, 2nd week into November and finally I can wear boots! The cooler months are getting shorter and shorter in Hong Kong and because of global warming, it is said that in about 20 years' time, Hong Kong will have no more winter...And it seems that this city is not doing much about conservation. All of its buildings with central air conditioning systems are overly air-conditioned. Although the government's recommendation for room temperature is 25.5 degrees Celsius, most of the buildings have their aircon temperature set much below that benchmark. The amount of electricity this city consume is crazy, yet more buildings are being built, each taller than the previous ones, each made grander by the amount of lights it uses, each with aircon cooler than before...

An ex-colleague who has moved to Geneva with her husband and baby daughter earlier this year was back for a short holiday. We met up and the first thing she commented was the air pollution in Hong Kong. She said that she didn't realise the air in Hong Kong is so bad until she went to Switzerland and the air quality there is just out of this world. Her baby daughter developed rashes in just 2 days being back...poor baby.

According to weather forecast, we are going to have below 20 degrees Celsius temperature for most mornings this week. So I guess winter is finally here. :D

The Venetian Macao

Spent a night at The Venetian Macao last Friday and both hubby and I had a wonderful time. It was a long-needed break for us since our last trip to Europe in May. The king-size bed was exceptionally comfortable and I am so glad that hubby finally managed a very good night sleep.

There are two TVs in the room, one in front of the bed and another at the sunken living area. There's also broadband internet access for MOP160 per day and the use of a 3-in-1 printer comes along for free! There are also a selection of complimentary Twinnings tea bags and Nestle coffee. Great for relaxing in front of the TV after dinner.

This is our second time visiting The Venetian Macao actually; the first time being when it just opened August last year. We didn't stay there the last time as the price was really crazy and it was way too crowded then. The price is still crazy now but we have an ex-colleague who is working there and got us a room at staff price which is about 60% off the promotional deal to the public. It was really a steal but too bad he could only get us 1 night's stay...I would love to stay another night! Well, I guess I shouldn 't be too creedy.

We had dinner at Fogo Samba, a Brazilian restaurant serving 15 kinds of grilled meats and the handsome meat carvers will keep bringing their freshly grilled skewers of meats to your table until you tell them to stop. Most of the meat carvers were from the Philippines but there was a young handsome Brazilian with such charmingly beautiful eyes that even hubby was envious of him. :D

The restaurant is great for meat lovers but I am more a fan of the grilled pineapples with cinnamon instead. They are so SWEET and JUICY! Super YUMMY~! The next time I do barbeques, I must do the pineapples too!

Visit to the Birdsnest and Water Cube

Water Cube

Birdsnest

Was in Beijing last week for business. It has been 5 years since I last visited Beijing and I am quite impressed with the air quality of Beijing now. I don't know but the 2 days that I was there, the weather was great and the sky was blue. I didn't feel air pollution like I used to remember Beijing for 5 years ago. I used to hear from taxi drivers that residents of Beijing hardly get to see blue sky...This time, I saw blue skies for consecutively 2 days! Look at the photos!

On the day of departure, I managed to steal a couple of hours to visit the Olympics ground where the famous Olympics sports stadium "Birdsnest" and the swimming complex "Water Cube" are situated. The "Birdsnest" was really quite majestic and the walls of "Water Cube" really did looked like many bubbles stuck together! Really cute.

Anything is Possible

Li-Ning is a famous sports wear brand in China own by famous Olympics Gold Medalist, Li-Ning. Li-Ning was also one of the official sports wear sponsor for the Beijing Olympics. This photo was taken at Wangfujing, Beijing and the shop was right opposite Nike and Adidas.

Nike says "Nothing is Impossible".
Adidas says "Impossible is Nothing".

And Li-Ning says "Anything is Possible"! That's Chinese creativity for you~ :D

1 down and 17 more to go...

Sorry for not blogging for so long, folks. I have been really really busy with my studies these days. I have just completed my 1st subject on Organisational Behaviour and had my final exams over the weekend. *Phew*

It was an open-book exams, fully online and I have exactly 24 hours after downloading the exams question to submit online. I really love studying like this, I woke up around 11am on Saturday, made myself some nice hazelnut latte, log-in to U21Global campus and started to download my exams paper. It was very relaxing, definitely much better than having to go to a venue for the exams. The best thing about it was, I didn't have to worry about getting to the venue on time, no worry if the place will be overly air-conditioned like most indoor places in Hong Kong and I didn't even have to worry about having to do my make-up and hair! I was still in my pajama when I started to work on my paper. :D

It was quite a long paper, I had to give a proposal as an organisational change management consultant to this imaginary large IT firm based in New York who have just acquired an Indian IT firm and was facing many challenges both internally and with the workers union in the US. I was expected to give the CEO a coherent change management plan to help him solve all the problems that his firm was facing and get the firm back on track for revenue growth. Open-book as it was, the paper was not easy. I was expected to submit a proposal within 24 hours with standards comparable to a team assignment with long deadline. I worked through the day, stopping only for meals, shower and I worked through the night. By the time I completed my proposal, it was 18 hours later! Yes, I worked til I saw day-light at 6am the next morning...

Hubby was sweet, he stayed up the whole time just in case I needed help from him with the PC, made me coffee late in the night and ocassionally gave me kisses for "mental support". He also helped me find the perfect coverpage for the proposal from Office 2007 templates.

TGIF~

Thank God It's Friday! This week has passed kind of fast as Wednesday was a public holiday. It was China's National Day and Hong Kong being part of China now gets to celebrate with a day off. Hubby and I went on a tour organised by the management of our condominium. We went on a boat trip for white dolphin-watching around the waters of Hong Kong and also to catch the National Day fireworks at Victoria Harbour. Going on a boat trip is never a thing for me as I get sea-sick very easily. But since it will be our last year in Hong Kong, so I thought I should just brave the trip and hopefully make it a memorable one for us. With the help of 3 sea-sick pills, I didn't get sick at all! :D

One major disappointment of the trip was that there was no sighting of any white dolphins...we sighted some "flying" little fishes though. There must be thousands of them swimming in groups and they would jump out of the water for a few times consecutively. It was quite a funny sight but other than that, it was just endless hours on the boat which had no comfortable seats. All the seats were either plastic or wooden and I developed so much body aches sitting and sleeping on them. The sea-sick pills made me really sleepy...*yawn*

Dinner was at a really rustic fishermen village in Tung Chung. The food was just so-so and the place reminds me of some old kampongs in Malaysia. Not too bad, at least I didn't get sick from eating the food there. After dinner was another 2 hours' boat ride to Victoria Harbour for the National Day fireworks display. I had expected to be blown away but then again, I was disappointed. It wasn't as exhilarating as I had hope it would be. For a moment I was wondering if I had lost it, lost the feelings that I used to have for fireworks... I remember myself weeping with emotions everytime I watch the National Day fireworks back home in Singapore...Hubby reconfirmed that the fireworks display back home was much, much, MUCH FANTASTIC! :D

*Phew~*

I have just completed my 1st draft of the team assignment on Managerial Economics and posted up for my team-mates to comment. I am the last one to contribute so I was actually quite anxious. I was even thinking about the assignment in my sleep last night! I am a little relieved now...*phew~*

The rash all over my body has more or less subsided but I am experiencing very dry skin now. Some of the areas where the spots have subsided are starting to peel a little. I think I may be moulting...will my skin be baby-smooth after that? I certainly hope so! :D

The stock market is still in chaos but I don't really care. I don't buy stocks, not anymore. I have lost like about SGD200K during the 90s and I have since refrained from trading stocks. I have no luck to make fast money, it's my life, I have to work for my money and I consider myself lucky that I have enough to live comfortably.

A typhoon is approaching Hong Kong again and we are expecting that the Observatory will put up a Tropical Storm Warning Signal 8 tonight. Many colleagues are hoping that the signal will be up tomorrow morning instead so that we don't have to come to work though. For me, as long as I have internet connections, I don't really mind where I am, at work or at home. These days, I am practically studying online like that of a full-time student. I am either reading my textbooks or online course materials or reading my classmates' posts and responding to them. I am actually kind of addicted to this kind of online learning. I log on everyday! It takes quite a lot of discipline of course since there's no real classroom to attend. There are times I wish that I don't have to study but the sense of fulfillment and accomplishment after I submit my assignments is really overwhelming!

*The sweet after the bitter really tastes SWEETER!*

Update ~ Rash all over....

It was a roller-coaster ride at the stock market literally yesterday. The shape of the graph was a "V" indicating great recovery after a terrible fall. I wonder what is it going to be like today?

A friend of mine who is married to a British and living in UK just updated me that her hubby had survived a major restructuring in his company and got to keep his job, but he had to do the honorable head-chopping for his department instead. *Sigh* It's all gloomy everywhere and the weather today is just not helping...it is raining heavily outside now...

I have developed a rash all over my body since 2 weeks ago and after 2 consultations with different doctors, I just found out from the last doctor that it is Pityriasis Rosea. The cause of it is not known but according to some sites, it usually happens to children or young adults during Spring or Autumn seasons. It's really puzzling for me as I am not a young adult and it is not even Autumn yet in Hong Kong. The doctor told me that it must be something in the air and lucky for me, the rash is not itchy and it's not contagious. Best of all, it usually won't break out on the face although I have many on my neck area. The bad news is, it will take up to 12 weeks to heal completely and there is no treatment for it. At the meantime, I can't go swimming as I really look like a leper and I doubt the guards will let me into the pool... By the time this rash subside, it will really be Autumn in Hong Kong and the pool will be closed until Summer next year.

Update ~ 2 weeks...

Sorry for not blogging for like 2 weeks...it's been a rather tough 2 weeks for me because hubby was in depression due to some issues at work. The worst thing about it was I couldn't help him and whatever I said to him seemed to have made things even worst for him. I am so glad when he announced that he is officially out of his depression last night. *Phew*

On top of that, I was having some hard time myself with my studies. Managerial Economics is killing me with all the mathematical equations...I wish I hadn't thrown away my A Maths as soon as I had finished my O levels exams...I am not the Maths person, I had always hated Maths and I had intentionally "throw away" whatever I had studied for my exams to make myself feel better. Do you know that you can really "throw away" bad memories? I often do that to make myself feel better, it's a technique for getting out of depression. Just intentionally forget things that aren't making you happy and make an effort to keep only good memories.

Oh yah, I have made a new friend with an old schoolmate of mine. M found me via Facebook and sent me a message requesting to add me as a friend. Honestly, I have absolutely no recollection of her even though I went through her profile and looked really hard at all her posted photos. Maybe she has changed quite a lot as I am sure she was never this "big" when she was still in school with me. She was really friendly, sending messages and looping in common friends we both know. She's living in New York now with her husband and 2 children. I guess when one gets far away from home, one just find the needs to get connected with friends back home. I am relating to that, so I responded to her equally. Then she came over to Hong Kong with her husband and we met up. She brought me to this members only restaurant "China Club" which hubby and I would never have know existed. It was kind of like a place from the famous book "Joy Luck Club" with very nostalgic furniture and atmosphere. There was this singer in cheongsam singing some Chinese oldies on stage with a live band. And they gave us "fortune cookies" after our meal. *Cool~!*

Do note that the Chinese restaurants here in Asia do not give out fortune cookies after your meals.

Weekend Update ~ Typhoon Nuri, Get Smart and the Olympics Closing Ceremony

Had a long weekend thanks to Typhoon Nuri which hit Hong Kong directly on Friday. The Observatory issued signal 8 from 7:40am, and then a signal 9 in the late afternoon. It was rather scary actually when the rain and the wind came slapping my window and I felt my flat moved! A wave of nausea swept over me as I was studying by the window and I had to lie down. Many damage buildings and fallen trees were reported and a man went missing at sea. He had gone surfing with his wife despite the warnings and was taken away by the enormous waves. The wife was fine...And the most interesting part was that the wife didn't stop him from doing such a stupidly dangerous thing! What were the both of them thinking? I would definitely have stopped my hubby! Not unless I want him to die...

Saturday was a beautiful day. The typhoon had washed away all the pollutants and the sky became exceptionally blue. The air was fresh too! I wish I had a car to drive to the suburbs...it would have been such a fine day for a long drive out of the city. We went for a movie instead at the Grand Cinema @Elements again. This time we watched Get Smart, totally a no-brain comedy which was just the kind of entertainment I needed. Oh yah, we found out that all the seats at the Grand Cinema are vibrating seats! I guess we won't be watching movies anywhere else from now.

The Beijing Olympics is finally over and the closing ceremony was rather disappointing. David Beckham was part of the cast from London but all he did was just came out from the top of a double-decker bus and kicked a soccer ball which was handed to him by a young Indian-looking girl. Then an excited Chinese worker from the ground rushed to picked up the ball and hugged on to it for dear life. *Roll my eyes*

After 16 days of hype and excitement about the Beijing Olympics, it has come to an end and I really wonder what has China gained from organising this game? 51 gold medals, their best game ever but is China a better place now? Do I want to stay in China? The answer from me is still NO. 40 billion dollars have been spent just for this Olympics Games and I personally think that it is not the way to show China's affluence and power to the world. I may be wrong but so much more could have been done with that money for the massive rural poor people in China. Why are we donating to China when she has that kind of money to spend on the Olympics Games? If China wants to show its affluence and power to the world, she should concentrate to raise the standard of living for all its citizens.

Looking forward to London 2012!

Weekend Update - 3D Movie

The amount of readings that I need to do is getting over-whelming now that I am taking 2 modules at the same time. I realised that I am getting behind in my readings and with the Olympic Games on TV, it's really not helping...

However, I still insist that I should have a life outside of my work and studies, so hubby and I went for a date on Saturday. We went for dinner at a noodle place at Elements which we had wanted to try many months ago but it was always very crowded. Then we watched a 3D movie. I have always love watching 3D movies since little and this time we went for "Journey to the Center of the Earth" by Brandon Fraser. I have liked his movies since the "Mummy" series of movies. He's really kind of cute and all his movies are the adventurous type. "Jouney to the Center of the Earth" really makes me want to start reading adventure stories but I doubt I will ever find the time. Oh yah, I forgot to mention the cinema. They had vibrating seats in tune with the exciting parts of the movie! Very much like those simulation games we play at amuzement parks. 3D + vibrating seats = FUN!

Fake for the sake of "perfection"

Live telecasts of the Olympics games have disrupted my schedule...I no longer get my dose of the Cantonese dramas that I used to enjoy every week nights and with the exciting games on TV, I couldn't study either... :(

I must say, I was rather impressed with the opening show of the Beijing Olympics until I found out that the little pretty girl who sang the opening song while they brought in the flag was actually a fake. The little girl with the beautiful voice singing the theme song was thought to be too chubby face and has uneven teeth, so they chose another prettier girl to do lip synchronising instead. I am totally disgusted with the arrangement. Bunch of cheats. How can they do such a thing to a little girl and try to fool the whole world with their so-called perfect image? *phui*

Well, that's just how the world is, isn't it? Beauty comes first, regardless of males or females, children or adults. Everybody likes a pretty face, and many pretty faces get privileges while the not so pretty ones get despised. In my company, one of the criteria given to the HR is to hire the better-looking ones given the same qualifications. Sometimes qualifications are compromised for the sake of a pretty face...*sigh* Is the society putting too much weight on beauty? Many girls are constantly fighting a battle to lose weight (including myself, actually) and many have gone for some corrective procedures, some very painful ones even for the sake of beauty...Everybody is faking beauty!

Eventful Week

It has been an eventful week. First it was typhoon signal 8 for almost 12 hours on 6th August(Wed) and everybody get a full day's off from work and school. I have this love and hate relationship about typhoons in Hong Kong. I love it because I get a day off from work but I also hate it that come next day, all will be chaotic at the warehouse. I also need to report to my bosses in Japan about the situation and also come out with a contingency plan for the deliveries to be made to customers. This time, thanks to some hardworking warehouse staff I have, about 20 of them came back to work overnight after the typhoon signal came down in the evening. Deliveries for both days (Wed & Thurs) were made the next day without any delays. :D

Hubby and I stayed at home the whole time the typhoon signal was up, looking out the window checking the skies. We both thought that this typhoon seemed quite mild from where we were but there were news about many damages and casualties. After the typhoon signal came down we went to a cocktail party at Lan Kwai Fong only to be welcomed by a sign saying that the party had been postphoned. So there we were, Wednesday night in the unusually deserted LKF without a party to go to... In the end, we had dinner at Yung Kee Restaurant which is famous for its roasted goose. Surprising even to us, it was our first time at Yung Kee after being here in Hong Kong for more than 3 years. It usually has a long waiting queue and we are never patient enough to wait in line for our food, so this time, thanks to the typhoon, we got our teeth into the famous roasted goose without having to wait at all! It was delicious but very fattening, I must say. I gained 1.4 lbs after dinner that night...

On 8th Aug, it was the Beijing Olympics opening night. I met some friends for dinner after work and didn't get home until about 9:30pm, so I missed the 1st part of the show. Hubby was really impressed by the show, saying that it was so Zhang Yimou style. We were waiting for the Singapore team to march out but couldn't figure out what kind of sequence they were following. Definitely not in alphabetical order because when the countries Malaysia and Hong Kong came out rather early. In the end, hubby checked the Olympics website and found out that the countries were arranged to march out according to the number of strokes(笔划) in the 1st character of the countries' Chinese name in simplified Chinese characters. Singapore is 新加坡 so the word 新 has 13 strokes and came out quite towards the end. Malaysia is 马来西亚 with only 3 strokes in its 1st character so Malaysia marched out quite early. Get the idea? Anyway, after the whole event, there was an immediate re-telecast of the opening acts again so I didn't miss anything. It was really an impressive display. The massive casts, the costumes and the choreography was impeccable. 中国厉害！

On 9th August, Singapore's 43rd National Day, hubby and I went for a NDP dinner party organised by the Singapore Association in Hong Kong. We had the whole Satay Inn Restuarant booked for the occasion and we watched the NDP 2008 live on Channel Newsasia. It was a great night. I thought the show was great, not losing to the Beijing Olympics opening show except that we have fewer casts in the show. The venue was special, being on the floating platform at Marina Bay, surrounded by waters. And the NDP song this year was really good, brought tears to my eyes... And the fireworks were spectacular! Much more spectacular than the Beijing's fireworks! Yeah~Singapore!

The Consulate-General was the guest of honor that night and we got to meet many fellow Singaporeans. Many of them were wearing red and white, the Singapore's national colours and I have never felt so patriotic in a long time since the old school days. We stood up when the National Anthem was sung and I was reminded of the National Pledge that I had so conveniently forgotten. *Ashamed*

The food that night was of course authentic Singaporean foods such as the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice, Bak Kut Teh, Satay, Roti Prata with Chicken Curry, Laska and many more. I gained another 2 lbs after that meal... :-(

Siblings Love

I am watching another TVB major drama "家好月圓" every night from 9:30pm to 10:30pm. The story is about the struggles of a family with 6 children being separated into half due a heartless divorce settlement. As with all dramas, the mother is the good one while the father is the bad one who has an affair with another woman and thus caused the divorce. The father and the other woman got custody of 3 children (all boys) while the mother got custody of the other 3 children (2 girls and 1 boy). The drama made me cry from the very 1st episode when they showed how the 3 children were being pulled away from their mother and forced to leave with their father and the other woman. The subsequent episodes mainly showed the lives of the grown up siblings with their mother at their humble cake shop and home. It showed how the 3 children were very well brought up in the sense that they really cared for each other, also their mum and grandfather. The children with the father and the other woman were brought up well-educated but also very aloof.

I do not have siblings, I am the only child and I really do not understand the love and relationship between siblings until I have my 2 children. And I remember having posted this blog about Siblings Love in December 2007 :

"The children are now with me in Hong Kong and my mum has gone for a 4 days tour, so they are here by themselves in the day while I worked. I went home during lunch time to check on them yesterday around 1pm. They were awoke and N had just made some food and drink for D and herself. It was such a warm sight, the big sister bringing out a tray of instant mash potato and milo for her younger brother while she had another tray of instant pasta and coffee latte herself. They settled themselves on the carpet infront of the TV and enjoyed their brunch while watching TV. I was so envious of them, I never had such lovely companionship when I was young...that's the problem for being the only child...so lonely.

I made myself some instant noodles and settled down together to eat with them, didn't want to go back to work at all...but I had to :(

Hubby and I brought them to Langham Place Hotel to have buffet for dinner after work, the kids love buffets because they can get to pick and choose whatever they want to eat and also because they get to roam around. Again they were exploring around the buffet counters together, keeping each other company and boosting each other's confidence in the process. I am happy that I had made the right choice to keep D eventhough I knew that my previous marriage was not going to work out.

We had some interesting and meaningful conversation over dinner; N telling us her crush, her friends' crushes and gossips. We telling her when is the right time or rather legal time to do "the thing" and what is "the thing" all about and so on. We try not to make such a big fuss over it so that she will be more open with us and receptive to our advice. Hubby was telling her what the boys will be thinking and what they will do to get it from her and so on and so forth. She was telling me that she likes this boy very much and how it hurts when he tried to avoid her in school and then how sweet the feeling was when he finally told her that he likes her too...yes, my daughter in in that age already...I can't believe it myself but I have to face it. She still looked so babyish just a couple of years ago!

D is still a baby, still crying over little things easily...sigh...how to teach him that boys shouldn't cry? Should I be harsher on him? I tried but I couldn't because he's not always with me and when he's with me, I want him to get as much love from me as possible but not scolding. I just want hug and kiss my boy as much as possible. I am a hopeless mum..."

The children are growing up so fast...I am so afraid that I have no time to catch up with them before they becomes strangers to me. I just hope that this last year in Hong Kong will not be too long for everybody to wait...

Weekend Update

This is the 3rd week into my studies and I have decided to enroll for another subject which will start next month. Student Care discouraged me saying that I had better get more familiar before I embark on another subject. However, I figured that I would really need to do 2 subjects at a time to complete my studies in less than 3 years. I have received my scholarship award letter from Singapore Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong last week. One of the conditions stated that I need to complete my MBA program in 3 years from the start date of my 1st subject. If not, I may have to reimburse them my school fees. Anyway, I do not intend to drag this too long. My target is to complete it before my 40th birthday which is about 2 and half years more to go...

It was Mr Hong Kong 2008 Pageant on Saturday and I thought that it was a much more interesting show than the Miss Hong Kong pageant. The audience and the judges are all women from either the entertainment industry or some socialites. More than 600 of them filled the whole studio, they screamed and cheered when the contestants striped to show their muscles. It was hilarious. The women were so excited and they were defintely not discrete it. Hubby said that they all looked like a pack of she-wolves lusting over the contestants! By the way, this year's Mr Hong Kong is contestant number 12, Michael Tsu and apparently he got almost all of the votes from the ladies that night! His charm? I think it's his smile, his eyes and his lousy Cantonese. Anyway, I think he did a very good job with the Indiana Jones act and also the weapon play. Overall, the whole show was really entertaining and it was a freshing break for me from my studies.

Crazy Hong Kong

Couldn't find the inspiration to write for the past few days...have been trying to catch up on my readings and have been quite occupied with thoughts regarding my studies that would probably bore most of you to death. Well, I have finally gotten ahead with my readings over the weekend. Yippee!

The weather was crazy in Hong Kong yesterday. It was almost 34 degrees, then the thunder storms came with winds so strong that it blew a woman diver off her boat in Sai Kung and she got drowned. Also in Fan Ling, hails were reported! Goodness, I sure hope that it will not get any crazier than that! Over in Kowloon where I am staying, it was all calm except that the sky turned suddenly really cloudy at around 2pm yesterday. My colleagues who stay in the New Territories were saying that the thunder storm was quite loud and scary.

Also, today in the news, Nestle workers are out on strike following Vitasoy and Watsons Water, they are asking for 7% increment in pay and 6% increment in commissions. I think they will get their way...the workers at Vitasoy and Watsons Water got their increments after they went on strikes. So after Nestle, who's next?

And the doctors are getting really busy these days as people are getting sick due to the crazy temperature gaps in Hong Kong. Outside in the sun, temperature can rise up to 39 or 40 degrees but indoors at the shopping centers or inside subways, the aircon is set at around 23~24 degrees. So imagine walking in the sun for about 5~10 minutes and then going indoors, your body will be subjected to a temperature difference of up to 17 degrees! No wonder I am getting many sick leaves from my staff...

Decision-Making

My 1st discussion topic for my 1st subject of my MBA program was : " Assuming you are the CEO faced with a prospect to lay off 600 workers, which decision-making model will you use and why." *Yucks!*

I don't believe anyone would like to make a decision like that and I definitely hope that I will not have to make such a decision in real life, especially not when I am the CEO! Anyway, after reading 2 related chapters of the textbook, I realised that there are many models of decision-making and approaches which I actually have been applying at work all the time but had no idea that they have names. For example there is a model called The Garbage Can Model of Decision-Making whereby I must have been using all the time in this company. I have to make decisions under highly ambiguous conditions whereby the goals are not clear, the participants change fast and I also do not have a set of rules to guide me along! So I am actually a Garbage Can decision-maker all along! And the Japanese bosses in my company will always use the Political Model of Decision-Making whereby they use their powers (titles) to affect the decisions...

Most of friends who have done the MBA are telling me that I will have a freshing and enjoyable time doing my MBA. I was at doubts about myself going back to studies after so many years but I am beginning to believe them now. I feel that my time is spent more fulfilling now that I have things to read about and the theories I learnt are actually applicable to my work! It is really a revitalising experience. I am looking forward to starting my next subject next month and then the next

Lunchtime Topic - Miss HK 2008

Today's discussion topic over lunch with my department was on the results of the Miss Hong Kong 2008 held over the weekend. The attendants consisted 2 gals and 2 guys including myself. Both the guys were very disappointed with the results, especially the winner whom they thought really do not deserve to win at all. The other gal in the group confessed that she didn't watch the whole event as she thought it was really poor quality this year, so she played with her son instead. I, on the other hand, had no son to play with, so I watched the whole event while reading my notes and had thought that it was really entertaining. I thought it was entertaining not because I thought the quality of the show or the girls were good but I am just amazed at how hard these girls try to present themselves on stage even though they are being treated like puppets and props. The girls were made up to look like some hardrock bar-top dancers, peacocks, babydolls, beach babes and lastly they had to wear the Chinese Qipao with shoulder-pads so big, it looked like some costumes from Star Wars, now aren't that entertaining? I really admire their courage to pursue their dreams despite it all.

The guys thought that they are just bimbos but I think bimbos or not, these girls are merely trying to pursue their dreams and I think they are better than many bimbos out there who may not even know what they want in life. I think people who have no dream, no goal, no purpose in life are more pathetic. This yearly event is the expressway to stardom for many Hong Kong girls without which they will be just another nobody in this crowded city. Without this beauty pageant, the gossip columns will have 1 event less to write about! We, the normal working class people will have 1 topic less to discuss over lunch. And all the eligible bachelors and rich men will have less "stocks" to choose from!

A Tale of Mari and the Three Puppies

Mari and Aya

Hubby and I watched a very touching movie on DVD late last night. It was "A tale of Mari and the three puppies" (マリと子犬の物語) and I cried so much that my eyes were swollen the whole day today. So glad it's Sunday and we do not have plans to go out anyway.

The movie is based on a true story which happened to a dog named Mari and her 3 puppies during the 2004 earthquake in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The movie version of the story is a little more dramatic with added characters such as a little girl and her elder brother but the fact that Mari helped saved her owner is well depicted in the touching movie. I definitely recommend all dogs lovers to watch this movie!

The movie started out with Ryota and his little sister Aya walking home from school in their village and chance upon Mari when she was a deserted puppy. Aya fell in love with Mari immediately and thus started their owner-pet relationship. A year later, Mari became mother to 3 very cute puppies but then tragedy struck the village. A severe earthquake struck the village, collapsing almost all the houses. Aya and her grandfather was in the bedroom when the earthquake struck, Mari and her puppies were outside. The roof collapsed on Aya and her grandfather immobilising them under. Mari dug at the ruins trying to help them out until her paws bled. She kept licking her owners encouraging them not to give up and also barked for help when the rescuers came. Aya and her grandfather were saved but the rescuers couldn't take Mari and her puppies because of the severe conditions...that was when I cried the most. :(

In the end when the conditions turned better, they went back to find Mari and her puppies. Somehow, they survived and it was a happy ending but the story was really touching, so my tears kept rolling down. Below are some scenes from the movie...Enjoy~!

Mari when she was a puppy

Mari when she is adult with her puppies

Mari's 3 puppies...so cute!

Beauty Pageants

Miss Hong Kong Gallery 2008

I love watching beauty pageants, especially the ones held in Hong Kong yearly, I think there are be at least 3 major pageants. Miss Hong Kong, Miss Asia and Manhunt Hong Kong. This year's Miss Hong Kong was held last night and I watched the live telecast on TV. It was terribly entertaining to watch those girls worked so hard on the stage, trying their best to remember their dance steps, their spots to stand on the stage and not forgetting to smile. They had to walk up and down the stairs on the stage in their ridiculously high heels and outrageous gowns, yet they could still maintain good posture (chests up, butts out) and kept smiling the whole night! Other than the usual dance routine, self introduction, evening gowns parade, swim suits parade and the Q&A sessions, there was a session where the girls had to do the trampoline stunts in clown-like costumes. And I thought that was really terrible for the girls. *Poor things*

I don't know...although I had done some modelling in my teenage years, joining a beauty pageant had never crossed my mind. I guess walking around the stage in a bikini to be judge by people is never my forte. But for these girls, this beauty pageant is their entry ticket to the entertainment business in Hong Kong. Many famous actresses and singers are born this way in Hong Kong. Maggie Cheung, Cherie Chung and Anita Yuen...just to name a few actresses that I really like.

This year's winner is Edelweiss Cheung, 22 years old student and in her own words, her dream is "to be a successful person". 1st runner-up is Skye Chan, an air stewardess who aspires to be a Japanese-language teacher. 2nd runner-up Sire Ma who is also a student and her aspiration is to be a successful actress. The names are special, aren't they? I believe these names are not given by their parents but adopted by themselves for fashion. And I guess these days the fashion is to find a name as rare as possible for themselves?

Nevertheless, the winner this year is definitely not the prettiest one in my opinion but she is definitely the tallest. She towers over all the other contestants and made the 3 male hosts looked like dwarfs! Well, I think it is good that they had chosen a tall girl to represent Hong Kong, at least she will still be able to stand out in the international arena. Good luck, Hong Kong!

My work

Went to an executive reception held by LogLogic last night at the Four Seasons Hotel with my IT manager and met some interesting people in the industry. I had a feeling that most of them were just there for the food and wine provided because there was no presentation on their product at all! There were just 2 speeches introducing the company and then 1 speech on the need for keeping logs. Then we were left to eat and drink with the presentation slides running in the background. Which was really good for me because I really don't enjoy having to sit down and listen to presentations.

We went by invitation by one fellow whom I had totally forgotten about, honestly. He used to work for Verizon (a solution provider) and he had tried to sell me an exchange migration + archiving solution. He quoted us too expensive, so we decided to buy from another vendor in the end. Nevertheless, I thought he is working for LogLogic now but apparently he is not but he knows them. *So what the deal for him?* He introduced us to the VP of LogLogic and we started to discuss J-SOX which is effective from April this year.

I am not sure if any of you know anything about J-SOX, but the criteria for compliance seem not as stringent as SOX and many issues regarding the IT portion are not clearly stated. For example, there is no mention if email archiving is necessary and neither any mention if device logs must be kept. Also, I heard that the Q&A sessions for J-SOX left people with many more questions instead. So we are just guessing here and trying to set our own standards/criteria. This is just so typical of the Japanese. There will never be a clear "YES" or "NO" and neither will there be any clear "RIGHT" or "WRONG". Everything is GREY. *Sigh*

Like the Japanese company that I am working for, there will never be clear directions coming from HQ. There will be mottoes, slogans, targets but there will not be clear instructions on how to go about achieving these targets. I have been swimming in this unknown ocean for more than 6 years now and so far, I am still swimming. I have been given targets and left to find out for myself how to achieve them. Lucky for me, most of the targets have been achieved. Nowadays, I don't even get targets from my bosses anymore. I am left to find targets on my own and achieve them on my own...Is that a good thing?

My study routine

I am suppose to introduce myself to my course professor and my course-mates so that they will be able to get to know me better in the form of a post. I am suppose to give a little background on what I am doing and how I have come to this point of my career. My course-mates will do the same, of course. Base on these introductions, we will choose our course-mates to work as a team for team assignments and projects. So, I need to make an impression!

Also, I have just downloaded some reading materials for the 1st segment topics on Problem Solving and found out that I have 2 chapters, total of 50 A4-size pages of reading to do. On top of that I have a case study from Harvard Business School on "Taran Swan at Nickelodeon Latin America" to read and analyse. There will be 7 segment topics in Organisational Behaviour and they all have plenty of reading up to do! Looks like I will be quite occupied with reading this weekend and many more weekends after...I have calculated, at the rate that I am planning for my studies, I may need 2 years or more to complete my studies. The intensity of this new commitment I have gone into is dawning on me now. I really will not have leisure time to bum around over the weekends anymore!

For the past few days, my daily after work routine went like this:

Dinner with hubby as usual => Go home, watch TV for an hour or 2 => Do exercises with my Wii Fit Instructor => Shower => Skincare routine => Read my textbooks/notes in bed while I use the OSIM uZap on my tummy for an hour => Sleep

I wonder how will my routine be when my study program go into full-swing?

Organisational Behaviour

I am so excited and fired up for my studies! It's finally happening! Although the official start date is next Monday, I can access to all the materials and the assignment questions today. So exciting. I read a short and sweet introduction of my subject professor and also the introduction notes to my 1st subject, MBA601-Organisational Behaviour.

According to the introductory notes, this subject is suppose to help me understand how different people behave in an organisation differently and also how I will learn to solve problems caused by people. Learn how I can work with people more effectively...solve problems systematically...manage change successfully... Sounds like every working individual will need this skill, huh? I am full of anticipation to see how can this help me deal with the issues I have on hand at the moment. :D

My learning style - Enthusiastic

I did a Learning Style Questionnaire at the Students Orientation Program of U21Global and got the below results:

• Logical 8 pts
• Imaginative 7 pts
• Practical 10 pts
• Enthusiastic 11 pts

Which means that my dominant learning style is Enthusiastic followed closely by Practical. Hmm... This is so true...especially some of the disadvantages part of it.

Disadvantages of Enthusiastic learner such as:

• Tend to neglect subjects you are not interested in
• Try too many things at once
• Leave things until the last minute
• You don't plan work in advance

Disadvantages of Practical learner such as:

• You are impatient with others' viewpoints
• Think there is only one way of doing something - your way!
• Lack imagination
• Get pre-occupied with details

So, now that I know my learning style, I am suppose to reflect on it and see if I can come out with a strategy or some strategies to help me make this online study successful.

On this program, we are urged to connect and discuss with our online classmates and professors extensively. We will be graded based on our daily involvement throughout the whole 12 weeks of each subject which will be 75% and the final exams is only 25%. I am already trying out the discussion boards and also the chats. Quite user-friendly. Lucky me!

New Challenge

Today I had a good start because the taxis were waiting downstairs and for once, finally in 2 weeks, it wasn't raining in the morning! Nice~ And the best part was I didn't have to walk a mile from my apartment before I could get a taxi! :D

I take it as a good omen to the start of a new challenge for me. Today, I will begin the 1-week orientation program to my MBA studies with U21Global. And officially, my 1st subject, Organisational Behaviour, will start on 21st July. I have started my "pre-study reading" last night with a book named The Ten Day MBA by Steven A. Silbiger which is suppose to be a step-by-step guide to help me understand and master the skills taught in some of America's top Business Schools. The 1st chapter was on Marketing. It put me to sleep right away! And I slept quite well too! I should be worrying but somehow, I feel weirdly energised today. ??? Hopefully, it can last me through the week! No, it has to last me throughout my studies!

Beijing getting all cleaned up!

Yesterday was a self-declared half day at work for me. Once in awhile doing something unethical actually feels great! :D

Met hubby at Simply Life (our favourite restaurant at Festival Walk) for lunch around 2pm and went home straight to have an afternoon nap. Now that's SIMPLY LIFE!

Anyway, I was reading the South China Morning Post yesterday and there was an article on the Olympics about how many garbage collectors working for small-scale recycling companies are being driven out of the capital because they are thought to be eye-sores. Beijing cannot afford to have foreigners see those shabbily dressed common residents anywhere near the Olympics venues! Those poor souls are driven out without any form of compensation and are told to come back only after the Olympics. Why? It's not good for the image that China wants to portray to the whole world to see. No! China do not have shabbily dressed garbage collectors who have been making their living out of finding recyclable items at the many garbage dumps inside the city. And all the citizens of China are smart-looking, speaks good English and walks graciously with a book on their heads! That's the image they wants to portray and they have been training their people hard! Those who cannot match the image? Out! Out they go, together with pests. That's how China is cleaning up her capital and cities hosting the Olympics.

It's disgusting, isn't it? Get real! Be truthful! The whole world already know what China is like and no matter how "cleaned up" China is for the sake of the Olympics will not change people's perception of China. At least for me, it's true.