Hong Kong Day 04 - 19 May 2013

贡茶 - HKD14 (SGD2.30 equivalent) for a huge cup of 珍珠奶茶

brunch at itamae sushi outlet located at the ground floor of our apartment. landlady said the best sushi is right downstairs and she is absolutely correct! it was a great way to start off the sunday. dear suddenly had craving for bubble tea and we decided on the nearest choice - gong cha.

met up with shirleen and kee to go shopping at ap lei chau - horizon plaza where the more upmarket factory outlets are. the heat this summer is the most deterring factor for exercise. we wanted to go cycling, but i guess the most sensible option in this hot weather is to hide in the comfort of air-conditioner areas. >.<

dinner was a 5-10 minutes walk after alighting at the 2nd stop of the horizon plaza shuttle bus.
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=15871
we had beef and lamb steaks (HKD208 and HKD148 respectively) which were on their dinner set menu and i have to say both live up to our expectations.

countdown to wedding day : 173

Hong Kong Day 03 - 18 May 2013

pork and cabbage dumpling noodles & mutton and green onion dumpling

the sick boy was asked to give a satisfied face =P

both dear and i agree that the mutton and green onion dumpling was nicer as compared to the pork and cabbage option. will definitely be back to try the pan fried version.
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=15350

managed to board the new tram back to causeway bay

decided to join the crowd at sogo - causeway bay. the departmental store was packed since friday due to the 28th anniversary thankful week. managed to catch some good deals at longchamp and triumph. =)

tai O revisited

solo cafe at tai O

solo cafe specialty coffee

much as the weather remained not conducive for outdoor activities, we (shirleen, kee, ariel, dear and i) went ahead with our plan to visit the island. abandoned the idea to hike and took bus 11 from tung chung to tai O instead. after about an hour of exploration, and satisfying our cravings for grilled oyster/scallop with cheese and tai O donut, we found our resting point at solo cafe. the outdoor seating provided a quiet and peaceful view of tai O waters. 
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=31013

took bus 11 back to tung chung and alighted 1 stop before the terminus. dinner place was about 15-20 minutes walk. i cannot be sure if the below link is correct, though 東記火鍋小廚 seemed familiar when i searched on open rice.
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=133810
recommendation: 咸鱼猪肉煎饼, 三蛋菜, 水煮鱼

countdown to wedding day : 174

Hong Kong Day 02 - 17 May 2013

brunch at 喜喜冰室 - 特餐 was not ready and we settled for their normal set meals

toys r us at windsor house, causeway bay

tram ride to admiralty

went to victoria harbour to visit the giant rubber duck, only to realise that it has been deflated for maintenance. it will be up as advised by the management early next week, we would probably be back again to check it out.

met up with shirleen for our hike at quarry bay. i was really glad we could do it as weather has been unstable, rain and shine within minutes. as dear was not feeling well, we decided to do something easy - sir cecil's ride. great catch up with shirleen during the walk and that is one of the reasons why we like to hike when we meet up besides keeping a healthy lifestyle. =)

took us 3 hours to eventually reach our dinner place at quarry bay - enoteca and met up with simon and ariel. kee could not join us as he had work to do.
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=75551
recommendation: weekend promotion for a jug of cocktail and thin crust pizza at HKD150
the cocktails were decent, except raspberry rosso (do not order it unless you like the taste of cough syrup), and the pizzas were yummy (personally like forest mushrooms best). the white wine platter is a good choice if you are looking at adding on other side dishes as it provides a variety. 

countdown to wedding day : 175

Hong Kong Day 01 - 16 May 2013

waiting for flight at changi airport terminal 3.

my breakfast

took us a while to find the shop where we were supposed to collect the keys to the apartment booked through wimdu. thank you dear for braving the rain to come back with the keys. *muacks* the place was within expectations, especially with the recent negative reviews, i was sort of prepared for the worst. however, besides the musky smell that lingers in the room (we bought air freshener x2 as they were on offer at wellcome), it is not too bad considering the price we paid. 

please do not ask me why we ate at 三哥 again. i believe this is a must have for dear each time we visit hong kong and there is a high chance of having it more than once. =P

dear and his favouritest iron man

Mark I

Mark II

Mark III

Mark IV

Mark V

Mark VI

Mark VII

dear was so happy that the iron man exhibition is still on at hysan place. it is organised by hot toys and there is a similar one at bugis junction, singapore.

http://www.homeless.hk/
a very interesting life style store which we chanced upon last december (located opposite hysan place, near times square). both of us like the place as it has loads of ideas for home decoration. we would probably be back early next week for purchase. =)

weather was still drizzly and we headed to mong kok for our toys hunt. took tung chung line as i wanted to check out the original 添好运 outlet that had relocated from mong kok to olympian city 2. to those singaporeans who queued for the awesome dim sum at plaza singapura, why queue for hours? *smirk* no doubt it is still my favourite dim sum place, i personally find it not worthwhile to physically queue for 2-3 hours to get a seat. they should implement the system of giving out numbers and allowing customers to come back at an approximate timing as practiced in hong kong. much as i was tempted, we proceeded to visit the toy stores 1st.

we walked through 女人街, CTMA centre, richmond shopping arcade and ended off empty handed which was surprising. it was quite a disappointment as iron man related items were sold out or over-priced and there were no good deals. it was already 830pm and i decided to go for dinner either at 添好运 (if it was not closing any time soon) or any available food stall in causeway bay.

was pretty glad that i managed to have my favourite dim sum for dinner on the very 1st day, without having to queue. *grins*

countdown to wedding day : 176

rituximab infusion resumed on saturday morning at 25 millilitres per hour. there was no more adverse reaction from dad which is good, the only down side was that it would take a longer time to complete the full dosage. as long as the medication is effective and dad does not have to suffer, the duration does not really matter. we are thankful for the nurses who came to check on dad periodically (about an hour interval). the infusion ended on sunday morning and dad was put on saline to cleanse the system. due to the surcharge that would be imposed for medication delivery on sunday, RCHOP was continued on monday. however, i was unable to be present when CHOP was given to dad. according to both mum and dad, the medication that was done via drip took about an hour and 2 others were given through a huge syringe. i was glad that dad did not show any signs of uncomfortableness throughout the day and night but cannot help but worry that side effects would surface in the middle of the night.

it was a routine that dad and mum would be on the phone before they sleep at night and after they wake up in the morning during the days my dad was warded. dad complained over the phone that morning (tuesday, after completion of RCHOP) of loss of appetite and giddy spells. when we reached the hospital, dad refused to have the breakfast that mum prepared and rested in bed the whole morning. doctors came by around 10am and certified that dad can be discharged. it was a long wait for the paper work to be done and we were on the way home only around 4pm.

too many different medicines

daiso has become my best friend recently

appreciate everyone who showed concern, especially my girls who gave really useful advice and quanrong who took time off to get bird's nest for my parents. thank you.

countdown to wedding day : 185

Aggressive Lymphoma (NHL) - Stage IV

dad will be undergoing 6-8 cycles of treatment and each cycle is 3 weeks. medication is infused and consumed on the 1st day of each cycle (RCHOP - rituximab, cyclophosphamide, cytoxan, doxorubicin, vincristine, corticosteroids).

1st Treatment - Day 01

arrived at tan tock seng hospital for admission around 1 plus in the afternoon, 1 day prior to treatment. 1st treatment has to be given inpatient as they have to keep dad under observation. the doctors (ward's MO, kenneth koh.. and hematology team, joseph and sreekanth) dropped by at 9 in the morning to brief us on dad's situation, the treatment that follows, what to expect and look out for.

medicine arrived at 2 in the afternoon and dad transformed.

much as we have heard so much about the pain and agony of going through chemo, not many of us have the chance to see for our own eyes, much less going through the whole process. 1st treatment is important as it gives us an idea of what to expect as reaction to the medication depends on individual.

nurse qianling was assigned to give my dad the treatment, patient, nice and from the looks, young girl. dad was given anti-nausea and anti-allergy medication together with paracetamol to minimise/eliminate the possible side effects. treatment started with infusion of rituximab at 50 millilitres per hour. i stepped out to meet kenny, mum and 三表哥 went for coffee at the lobby level since dad fell asleep due to the anti-nausea medication (causes drowsiness).

the medication flow was increased by 50 every half an hour. when we returned to the ward, it was already at 150. dad mentioned that he felt breathless at one point of time while we were all away and got a scolding from us for not telling qianling. all was well till he suddenly complained that it was very cold and his whole body started to shiver. this is one of the common side effects and i informed qianling who immediately stopped the medication. took dad around 10-15 minutes to recover with constant feeding of warm water. he was advised to rest and have his dinner before they resume the treatment.

it was around 8 in the evening when the medication is being infused into dad's body at 50 millilitres per hour again. he was taking it well and qianling increased the flow to 100. not long after the increment, dad asked me to switch off the fan as he was feeling cold again. i went to inform qianling and the treatment was paused. this time, we covered dad with 2 layers of blanket and he slowly recovered from the cold. treatment was resumed and i guess it was too soon as it got worse this time. dad's body temperature rose and hit a high of 40.4. we constantly used wet iced cloth to cool him down but it was not enough. dad complained of nausea, giddy and started to speak incoherently probably due to the fever. he subsequently puked his supper out. we asked mum if she could stay at the hospital tonight as i was worried for my dad. he is one who does not like to trouble others and has a high threshold. even nurse qianling who initially said we could go home and visit again tomorrow changed her mind.

they currently stopped treatment for dad till the night shift doctor comes in to check.

countdown to wedding day : 190

Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that occurs when B or T lymphocytes, the white blood cells that form a part of the immune system and help protect the body from infection and disease, begin behaving abnormally. Abnormal lymphocytes may divide faster than normal cells or they may live longer than they are supposed to. Lymphoma may develop in many parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, blood or other organs and eventually they form a mass of cells called a tumor. Tumors grow and invade the space of surrounding tissues and organs, depriving them of oxygen and nutrients.

There are two main types of lymphoma:

• Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL): This type of lymphoma is most common in middle aged or elderly people. NHL can occur in lymph nodes and/or other organs that contain lymph tissue. The cancer may be located in one place in your body, but often, it is located in multiple areas throughout the body.This is because cancerous ("malignant") lymphocytes often circulate throughout your body, just like normal lymphocytes. NHL can be either "B-cell lymphoma" or "T-cell lymphoma," depending on which type of lymphocyte becomes cancerous.There are over 40 different types of NHL. Some types of NHL grow very quickly. Other types grow more slowly.
• Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL): This type of lymphoma is most common in young adults.The cancerous ("malignant") lymph nodes contain a particular type of malignant lymphocyte, which is known as a Reed-Sternberg cell.

Signs and Symptoms

• Lymphadenopathy or swelling of lymph nodes - It is the primary presentation in lymphoma.
• B Symptoms - Can be associated with both Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It consists of fever, night sweats, weight loss. 
• Other Symptoms : loss of appetite or anorexia, fatigue, respiratory distress or dyspnoea, itching.

Treatments

Biologic Therapy
This treatment increases your body's natural ability to fight cancer. It does this by giving a boost to your immune system.There are several kinds of biologic therapy:

• Monoclonal Antibodies: These are drugs like Rituxan®, which directly target lymphoma cells and do not harm normal cells.These drugs are sometimes called "smart drugs" or "guided missiles" because they know exactly where to go in your body.
• Radioimmunotherapy: These are therapies like Rituxan®, which have a radioisotope attached to them.These "guided missiles" are able to destroy cancer cells because they attach to the lymphoma and deliver small doses of medicine to the cells.
• Interleukin 2: This is a medicine that activates the immune system so that it can kill cancer cells.
• Vaccines: These are treatments that help the body protect itself against the lymphoma.

Chemotherapy ("Chemo") This treatment uses drugs to kill cancer cells and reduce the size of cancer tumors. Chemotherapy drugs may also affect healthy cells and cause side effects like hair loss or mouth sores.There are many types of chemotherapy drugs. Many drugs are often used together for chemotherapy.

Radiation Therapy
This treatment uses radiation (high energy x-rays) to kill cancer cells.The treatment often only takes place in the part of your body where the lymphoma is located.

Transplants
Sometimes high doses of chemotherapy destroy the lymphoma cells and your bone marrow, which is the "factory" for blood cells. To help your bone marrow make new healthy blood cells, some stem cells (immature cells that will grow up into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) may be taken with a special machine before chemotherapy is given.
These cells are then transplanted (put back) into the body. These transplanted cells will then find their way to the bone marrow and restore it, so that it can build healthy new blood cells.
There are two types of transplants:

• Autologous transplants- this uses your own bone marrow or stem cells.
• Allogeneic transplants- this uses bone marrow or stem cells from a donor (someone else, often a brother or sister).

Watchful Waiting
This means that you do not have to get any active treatment now. But, you may need to get treatments later, if tests show that your cancer is growing. Watchful waiting is usually recommended only for people with slow-growing lymphomas.

Rituximab
Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody against the protein CD20, which is primarily found on the surface of B cells. Rituximab destroys B cells, and is therefore used to treat diseases which are characterized by excessive numbers of B cells, overactive B cells, or dysfunctional B cells. This includes many lymphomas, leukemias, transplant rejection and autoimmune disorders.

Nutrition and Supplement

• Try to eliminate potential food allergens, including dairy, wheat (gluten), corn, soy, preservatives, and food additives. Your health care provider may want to test for food sensitivities.
• Eat antioxidant foods, including fruits (such as blueberries, cherries, and tomatoes) and vegetables (such as kale, spinach, and peppers).
• Avoid refined foods, such as white breads, pastas, and sugar.
• Eat cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower).
• Use healthy oils in foods, such as olive oil or vegetable oil.
• Reduce or eliminate trans fatty acids, found in such commercially baked goods as cookies, crackers, cakes, French fries, onion rings, donuts, processed foods, and margarine.
• Avoid coffee and other stimulants, alcohol, and tobacco.
• Drink 6 - 8 glasses of filtered water daily.
• Exercise lightly, if possible. 

dad went for a check up at polyclinic on monday morning due to his excessive loss of weight. doctor advised that he has 3 lows - red and white blood cells and platelets, and that his spleen is swollen. he was then referred to tan tock seng hospital and warded that very afternoon. after various scans, blood tests and preliminary bone marrow test, he is diagnosed with lymphoma yesterday. as there are many types of lymphoma and each has different course of treatment, we are waiting for a more detailed bone marrow result before doctor can choose the best treatment for dad.

thank you all who took time off to visit dad at the hospital for the past 5-6 days and earlier this afternoon. all the gifts, advice and help offered are very much appreciated.

hamper from management & staff of tanglin club

cordyceps, strawberries and grapes from boss mary

fruits basket from tanglin club boss

lingzhi and cordyceps from cousin jennifer

did not manage to snap pictures of all the food and fruits that were given but still, thank you all!

countdown to wedding day : 196

19 April - Dad's Lunar Birthday

dad's god-daughter bought the cake for him

it took the waitress a while to get this group shot done =P

finally a picture with dear without making faces >.<

mum & dad

dad's birthday dinner with extended family at miao yi vegetarian restaurant. everyone agrees that the food is the best amongst all that we have tried.

countdown to wedding day : 200

01 April - 提亲日

dear's parents came to my place with aunt pam to discuss on the details of the wedding - things my parents ask for and things they need to prepare. this session is called 提亲 - request to marry the bride. the main discussion was on 过大礼 (betrothal - formal state of engagement to be married) and everyone agreed for it to be held on the sunday before actual wedding day.

过大礼 - groom's preparation

1. 22 boxes teo chew biscuits
2. ang bao in replacement of pig trotters
3. si dian jin
4. 2 bottles liquor
5. dragon phoenix candles 
6. oranges

过大礼 - bride's preparation

1. 2 bottles orange juice in return for liquor
2. dowry consisting of prosperity lamps, descendant set (baby bath tub, mug, potty, tray, basin), tea set, dining set, mug set, sewing kit (needles, thread, measuring tape, scissors), essential items (jewellery box, handkerchief, bath/face towel, bedroom slipper, fan, mirror, comb, wooden clog, ruler, face powder), bedding set

Wedding Banquet
there will be 2 separate banquets for bride and groom families. my parents requested for 3 tables at orchid country club, exclusive of 3 pax of vegetarian (my parents and cousin-in-law) and future parents-in-law requested for 3 tables at 天国.

Actual Day
both sets of parents are not fussy about auspicious timings or to follow strict traditions and hence, we have the privilege of sleeping in a little longer. *beams* dear will be coming to my place to fetch the bride between 0700 - 0730 and targeting to reach his place by 0930. 

it was a pleasant meet-up for both families. as dear's parents were leaving, there was a small commotion along the corridor. they forgot to ask one of the most important detail - pin jin (bride price). i turned and asked my parents who are standing at the door bluntly. totally not surprised by my dad's answer - 随意.

11 April - Dad's Birthday

bought durian cake and mini puffs at four seasons nex for a change as they were having promotion for their puffs. mum seemed to like the cake and mini puffs more than dad. *grins*

countdown to wedding day : 207