Keep dreaming, it's the only way to go

 I just finished teaching my first Chinese module, the module which I got kicked out of the first time round after 4 lessons. So having unlocked an accomplishment, naturally I've been feeling reflective these few days. Also because a load has been lifted off my shoulders for the time being, so I've got a little more time to spend writing.  I have been thinking about life and my purpose recently. I don't think I ever aspired to be a teacher. There are times when I come back from work feeling sad because I know I didn't teach well. I don't speak like a leader. My voice is too low and not animated enough. But this class made me feel really appreciated. But I always wonder if this appreciation is what I want in life?  I love performing, yet I'm not flamboyant or attention-loving like the personalities online or on TV. I always wonder why I yearn to show off what I can do, yet don't really embrace praises. (Lol this makes me sound so arrogant. I meant, in the pas...

It's a common and even subconscious thing that we do. When someone tells the name of their school, when someone dresses a certain way, when someone tells their job. Our brain naturally starts to make assumptions. But today I am not talking about people, I want to talk about the yoga Teacher Training Certificate (YTTC) accredited by the American Yoga Alliance. Perhaps the name should be changed to something else, because it shouldn't be that easy to become a teacher. In old Indian culture, only the Brahmins could become teachers. (Let's leave the caste system out first.) In out society nowadays, it isn't that easy to get into NIE. You need to pass interviews, have relatively good grades, and they make you do practicums before you are off on your own. There is a basic standard to be met. Yet in the YTTC, anyone can do it and pass. The YTTC has become more of a business making model nowadays. People from all over the world fly to countries with lower cost of living such...

 Ugh so today the police called again and this time I had to go give my statement. Because apparently Classpass had emailed us regarding the incident but we didn't respond (because we actually didn't receive anything). I'm the one in charge of answering emails so they got me in. Time check: It's been almost 2mths since the first call.  So obviously my hubby got really upset again. He doesn't get why the police takes so long to investigate. But the problem is because we don't have a CCTV so it's one person's word against another. I assume the other 2 witnesses (students) didn't want to provide their statement. And for some reason the phone numbers for the 2 students were swapped. Meaning the police called one number thinking it was one person but it ended up being the other. Weird.  Anyway during the statement taking, besides asking about the Classpass email, the investigation officer (different from the last one) made me recount what I knew about the...

I've written about our bad times, and I've written about our good times. But now I wanna list down the reasons I love you, so that I can read it and remind myself during the times I feel like I hate you. Haha.  1. You have the same tastebuds as me. For some reason, you love the same things I love to eat. And that's really not easy to come by because you are Indian and I'm Chinese, and on top of that I'm vegan. You never used to drink the broth produced from boiling cauliflower and potatoes for aloo gobhi, but that was because you never tried it before you met me, and you didn't think it would taste good. But you saw me drinking it and finally gave it a try, and loved it. You gave up dairy, but loved the alternatives I chose, Ikea ice-cream, smoocht ice-cream, V soy, Nutellex, green smoothie with v soy etc. In fact you always love the same parts of the foods we love- the cone of the ikea ice-cream, the crust of our cashew cheesecakes... And you love soft mushy fo...

 As a healthcare worker, I have been given priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine. The simple reason I won't be getting the vaccine is because I am of child-bearing age, and I have access to Chinese medicine knowledge. I am not in the high death risk group, nor am I on the frontlines, and I also have the extra ammunition of TCM. Those in the mainstream will probably think I only believe in fake news or hocus pocus spreading around on the internet and WhatsApp groups since I am a TCM physician (many think that TCM is placebo), but it's also because what I know about TCM is not what the mainstream knows about TCM. It's probably hard to believe, but it's precisely because I don't believe in fake news, so I am also very cautious when dealing with western medicine. There are still many questions I have unanswered, and the high concentrations and potency of western medicine leave less room for error as compared to other forms of alternative medicine. I shall be addressin...

Reading a good book at different stages of your life leaves you with different interpretations and reflections. I felt this after completing the Chinese drama serial 'The imperial doctress'. The first time I watched it I was still doing my bachelor's, this time I have had about a year of clinical experience. I didn't exactly complete it the first time, but this time I completed it, and also felt inspired enough to share my thoughts on the serial. Funny enough though, they're not mainly thoughts regarding TCM, but thoughts about the many other concepts that were portrayed in the serial.  This serial came out in 2016, and is about a minister's daughter who became a female physician and eventually the empress during the Ming dynasty. As with most serials, it's part true part false- the lead actress plays a role that combines two historical figures, one the empress and one the physician. Despite the multiple times  of overdramatic coughing/vomiting of blood by v...

On the 25th of Nov, I was having dinner with my hubby when suddenly he received a call. We weren't in the mood to pick up calls, but it wasn't that unusual- could have been student enquiries, or the clinic that changed his general screening date. He put the call on speaker, it was the police. The lady officer said someone had lodged a complaint against my hubby for making her feel uncomfortable during yoga class, and asked if my hubby could go down at 1030am the next day to record his statement. The rest of the night was wrecked. We had planned to set up one of our apps but I knew that wasn't going to happen that night. I had to go back to work after dinner for a few more hours, but I was too angry to actually concentrate. I just spewed vulgarities for the first time on social media to release some of the steam. I was also worried for my hubby because he started getting stressed and upset. I kept telling him don't worry nothing will happen, before I left for work. I kne...