Kyoto Here I Come

Someone once said, "If you don't have a lot of time to travel in Japan, there are only two places you need to go: Tokyo and Kyoto."

I went to Tokyo in 2004, and I'm going to Kyoto tomorrow.

See you next week~~~~~~~~~!!!

YES! I'm a cat freak! I know!






















but how could anyone not go goo-goo-ga-ga over these pictures?

HSG Part II – My Period

After I left the doctor’s office, I wandered down to Radiology. The Registration Desk of Radiology was a box office like the ones you find at night clubs. “This looks dodgy,” I chuckled while getting into the small line-up in front of the window.

I was next.

I watched while the lady in the box office patiently explained to an elderly couple what to do before a certain procedure. She spoke slowly and enunciated key words carefully. She looked to check if the elderly couple understood while pointing at the information on the consent form. The elderly couple listened and nodded like pupils, and occasionally they looked at one another as if to make sure they heard the same thing.

“Next!” She called.

I sent my health insurance card along with the paper work through the gap under the glass. The motion felt so familiar I almost crouched down slightly and said, “For one, please.” She took a look at the paper work, stood up from her chair, and said, “Did your doctor tell you this procedure is done 3 to 5o days after your period?”

“I know.” I felt body heat on my right arm and, in my peripheral vision, I could see the top of a head.

Two bodies invaded my personal space from the right side. A small lady was practically right up against my right arm and I could smell her scalp. Behind her was a middle-aged dude with a pair of flip-flops and about 4 other men and women, all rubbernecking to read what was said on my paper work.

“When was your last period?” The box office lady asked matter-of-fact-ly.

Normally I don’t care. I mean, I discuss and joke about periods -- my own and my friends’, but not in public and definitely not with some creepy middle-aged dude listening in.

“*****” I looked down and mumbled the date from one side of my mouth.

“*****” she gladly announced, “So that’s one, two….” she started counting the number of days on a calendar.

Uncomfortable and frustrated, I gave the small lady a slight nudge, trying to get her to go away. What was I thinking?! This is Taiwan!

“Infertility, huh?” the small lady caught a glimpse of my paper and asked out loud (If you’ve heard how loudly Taiwanese people talk, you know how loud it was. If you haven’t, just imagine a kid asking an inappropriate question in public). I heard a collective sigh of relief and the line loosened up instantaneously. The lady was staring right at me for confirmation while I looked at her in disbelief. She was cramped up against my right arm, and obviously she felt no need for apologies for invading my personal space and definitely not for nosing in a business that didn’t concern her.

Unable to bear the awkward silence that lingered in the small space of air between me and the small lady, the middle-aged man decided to join in. “Yeah, it’s very common nowadays, especially among women like her.”

They continued talking about how wrong it is for modern women to choose to have children later in life. I could feel the stir-up in the center of my torso rushing to my head. I let out a big puff of air through my nose.

“It’s too late now,” the box office lady declared. “You’ll have to give us a call when your next period comes.”

“Okay.” I just wanted to get out of here. I reached for my paper work.

“Did your doctor explain to you how this procedure is done?” She offered.

“Yes, he did. It’s okay. Really! I’m sure they’ll explain to me again on the day of my appointment. Thank you very much. Do I need to take anything with me or I can just leave now?”

“Let me write down the telephone number here. Remember to call us on the first day of your next period so we can get you in for an appointment in time.” She held up the piece of paper and started reading the telephone number. “Call this number: 8472-…”

“Thanks. I can read that myself.” I snatched the paper out of her hand and headed for the pharmacy (which is right across from the box office, about 10 steps away).

“Miss! Miss!” I fought the urge but, like every woman in the proximity, I turned to see if I was the Miss but immediately regretted doing so.

It was the small lady and she was half walking and half running.

She stopped when she was about 6 steps away from me. “They want to know if you want to sign the consent form for that infertility treatment now or later?”

Every pair of eyes in the waiting area looked up and scanned me from head to toe.

I headed back to the box office. Behind me, the people were talking under their breath. I heard the small lady said, “It was me who saw the word “infertility” on her paper...”

HSG Part I (Hysterosalpingogram)

July 17^th 34.92
July 31^st 19.51
Aug 14^th 34.39
Aug 28^th 17.96

It appears that the CA-125 value coincides with my menstrual cycle without a glitch. I finally got to ask the question that I’ve wanted to ask for many months now, “Does that mean we should consider taking the catheter out?” My voice was almost shaky when I asked him. “If you’re still worried, we could wait for a couple of months.” Oh, how typical! He never gives a straight answer. “Well, you’re the doctor. Do you think we can take it out now?” I pushed. I looked into his tired eyes searching for an answer, but he looked over my shoulder.

A woman was standing behind me with her head extended clutching a box of moon cakes. “Dr. Liu. Hi!” Her smile was timid and her voice was small. Her eyes met mine when I turned around. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’ll only take a second. I hope you don’t mind.” Dr. Liu stood up to receive the box of moon cakes. “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival and thank you so much.” She said cheerfully. “Everything’s fine?” He enquired. “Yes! Yes! _____’s much better now.” (The third person singular subjects in Chinese sound all the same, so there was no way for me to know if she meant he, she, or it).

While this polite exchange of greeting was going on, my mind was racing, “I should’ve brought him something for Moon Fest! How could I have forgotten? I’m so clueless at this ‘building relations’ thing. But then again, if I were him, I’d probably appreciate it when people didn’t give me things. Maybe a card would be nice. Bill and I could both sign it and …..”

“Want some moon cakes?” When I regained focus, I was staring at the box of moon cakes.

“You shouldn’t do that, doctor.” the nurse scolded him. “That patient brought them for you. You can’t give them to another patient.”

“After she gave them to me, they’re mine. Therefore I can give them to whoever I please.” He looked at me, “Remember to take them home with you leave. I’m sure Bill will like them. Where is Bill? How come he didn’t come with you today?”

“He’s working.” I pushed the piece of paper with my CA-125 values on toward him. “Dr. Liu, does this mean I can go ahead and take the catheter out?”

He tore another piece of paper from his note pad and scribbled something on it. Then he put that piece of paper in front of me. “Call a cardiovascular surgeon and make an appointment for surgery. You don’t need to find the same surgeon who put it in for you. Any cardiovascular surgeon would do.”

How could he be so calm? Doesn't he know how significant this is? No matter how slim the possibility it is, the catheter is an indication that I might be put on chemotherapy any moment. Physically it's just a small tube that leads to my vein; psychologically it casts a shadow from the fear that cancer may return sooner than we desire.

I got the green light !! Dramatic as it may seem, I started to feel that I can fully and truly be myself again.

“Meanwhile, I want you to go down to radiology….” Oh yeah, I'm still in the doctor's office. “….and make an appointment for an HSG.”

“What’s that?” My muscles tensed up. Abbreviations of medical terms tend to do that to me nowadays.

“It’s a kind of x-ray to see if your uterus and fallopian tube are functioning normally.”

“An x-ray?!” I scuffed at the tension I felt earlier. “It’s nothing.”

“I’ll give you some pain killers and antibiotics.” He made two selections of medicine on his computer.

“What do I need pain killers for? It’s an x-ray, right?” The tension returned.

“Well, it’s a vaginal x-ray. The pain killers may help relief any pain you might experience during the procedure. You might bleed a little afterward, and you’ll have to be on antibiotics for a couple of days.”

“Oh~~” I sounded like I understood, but in fact I meant “That’s no fun.”

It was as if he saw the transcripts of my concerns on my forehead. “The HSG is a very simple procedure. If there is abnormality or blockage in your fallopian tube, we’ll be able to see it on the monitor and treat it right away. It’s only a part of the process to make sure everything is functioning okay in your tummy. You do want children one of these days, don't you?!”

“What about having a second look surgery like you mentioned last time?”

“These are two different procedures, and they serve different purposes. A second abdominal surgery allows us to go in and take a good look at everything, particularly that cyst in your left ovary. However, we won’t be able to tell if your fallopian tube is blocked. That’s what an HSG will be able to tell us.”

My head was filled with medical information after I left the doctor's office. After paying, I gotta go to Radiology to make an appointment. Then pick up the meds at the pharmacy. Must remember to check out the list of cardiovascular surgeons on the hospital website tonight! The bus ride home was a blur. I remember debating whether to get a haircut today. Then I decided to wait till tomorrow.

Ah! I forgot the moon cakes too!

Mocha at Nuenue Castle








I'm bored. I'm bored. I'm bored. I'm so bored. Um? My brush!
Oh.... No one's home, so I'll have to wait to get brushed.
I'm bored. I'm bored. I'm bored. I'm so bored.









*sigh*
I got an idea!!









I love playing with paper balls. Nuage has so many of them!
Now I'm exhausted.
Nappy time for Mocha.









Nuage woke me up and we played tag for a while. I love chasing him in the house.
The only problem is that I always end up with a mouthful of his fur.
He's never had to deal with the same problem 'cause he's not fast enough to catch me. HA!








I can't believe this fur ball took my bed AGAIN! What's wrong with him?
I could take his bed too, but his is not nearly as comfortable as mine.
Fine! I know where his favorite spot is in this place.
I'm gonna go nap there.

Nothing's cuter than a sleeping cat, eh?!


* later in the evening *

We just finished watching "Amazing Moments" on the Discovery Channel.
Bill was on his way to his computer desk when he discovered.......






Looking at these pictures, I just noticed that Mocha's bed is pink with a blue blankie whereas Nuenue's bed is blue with a pink blankie.

No wonder neither of them is Tom.

HK Impressions


When someone says "Hong Kong", what's the first thing that pops in your head?

The famous signboards as seen in movies?
They're big and in-your-face, but they're the perfect representation of the aggressive business style of the people in HK.



The signature night view of sparkling skyline?
When it's in front of you, you can't help but keep clicking the shutter on your camera.









Yummy dim sum dishes?
Sun Sui Wah in Richmond BC is good; but dim sum in HK "is so good you might just accidentally swallow your tongue" (an old Chinese expression talking about how tasty something is).


How about this dude?
You've got to think of him when you hear "Hong Kong."





Our trip in Hong Kong has all this and more.

The Legend
To start off, we had pleasant encounters with the legendary Mr. Bruce Lee!
TWICE!








The View from the Window








We stayed at the Y, which is right next to the famous Peninsula Hotel, which means we got to enjoy a view of the harbor right outside our windows without paying through the nose for it. The traffic on the water is not any better than the traffic on land: constant movements of all kinds of boats in different sizes zipping through the water in all directions. They "honk" at each other too.









I'm also impressed by the creativeness in construction here.
We need more land? No problem! Let's get some dirt from the bottom of the harbor and use it as new land. In fact, why don't we build a brand new water front while we're at it?
You live halfway up the mountain and you don't want to climb gazillion stairs just to get home? No problem! We'll build you tiers and tiers of escalators so you can easily go from the bottom to the top and everywhere in between.













Call me crazy but I kept feeling as if some of these enormous office buildings were gonna come alive and turn into robots (like transformers).
We were there on a weekend. I can't imagine what it must be like when the streets and walkways are replaced with seas of people in suits.














Surprisingly, among all the glass and steel, there are places that offer tranquility and opportunities to settle your mind from sensory overload.

The Zoo
We stumbled into the zoo on the way down to the ferry terminal.
Yes, a free zoo in the middle of the metropolis. Who would've thunk?!

S/He was OUT!
But then again, it was in the middle of one hot and stuffy Saturday afternoon. What's better to do other than taking a little afternoon nap?



The flamingos....... so beautiful yet so weird-looking.
Half of them came out front when we were there, had a bit to eat, and did their little dances. Then one of them said something and everyone lined up to go to the back.
They did so like well-trained ballet dancers.



It was entertaining enough to watch the lemurs play, but I let out a cry of excitement when Bill pointed out the kitty cat. It came to visit some kind of small animal in the other cage. All the lemurs were watching the cat very carefully. Maybe they were thinking, "Hey, how come the cat could be out there and we have to stay in this stinking box?"

There was a cheetah in the zoo as well, but she was unavailable when we visited her.
She was taking her beauty nap.

The Greenhouse
After wandering around the zoo in the heat, we were elated to find that the greenhouse was cooled with air conditioning.

























Aren't they pretty?!


The Peak






The weather was blah~~~


The ride on the tram was fun.

The view from the top was spectacular.



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