27/03/2008

Thieves

Today's local paper reported a petty crime incident. Mr. Kuang, a retired factory worker found his wallet was moving away against gravity when shopping in an open market. The thief used a pair tweezers. He bravely clutched the thief by the arm. The thief spun off and escaped. But Mr. Kuang followed, and caught him and his mate in a shock.

The paper described Mr. Kuang a 'very health, high spirit and voice sounded old man voice sounded as rich as a temple bell (a way to praise one has lot of positive 'Chi').

He told the reporter 'this is no big deal. He had been practising Kong-Fu for many years. He had been fighting thieves on a bus. He still regretted to have them escaped.

The unlucky pair were held at market administration office awaiting police arrival. A member of management staff ask the paper to remind the general public 'please keep your belonging safe when visit this market.' He then concluded, if everyone acted bravely like Mr. Kuang, it will very effectively defeat the uprising petty criminal activities in the area.

I almost became a victim of such.

Was not so busy a time in the afternoon, I had done the shopping and was about to board a bus back to the hospital. Felt there was an irregular crowded from behind, a short guy in purple t-shirt tried to overtake me. He didn't really overtake me, but pushed his way ahead and boxed me to the left.

On the landing area, a chap in pale t-shirt was fiddling his wallet to make the bus fare. Another chap beside him, boarded the bus before I did, has no intention to pay the fare or to move inside the carriage. The corner immediately became very crowded. I felt the push from back again.

Not able to get closer to electronic ticket card reader, I stepped aside. The pale shirt guy was still fiddling. The bus driver lost his patient and asked him to step aside. Pale shirt and the other two didn't. Instead, they stepped off the bus.

In retrospective, I am pretty sure I may loss the iPod or this PDA, what I use to blog during the day, had I not broke out from the crowd. It just didn’t make any sense one would get off the bus for not finding the correct fare. It made even less sense the other two stepped off too, why would they got on initially if not for a ride.

Slimy suckers.

Mind your own business
Wasn't able to focus to read on the bus. A couple sitting in front was doing all sort of things like love birds would do in the public yet more. I tried hard to hold back telling the boy to hold his popped lips from slurping over the girl's spotted face. It just looked disgusting.

Hua
Hua was happy all around. Today is her last day in the hospital. She had done all her treatment. Blood, Doppler Sonography Scan all indicated she was fit for being discharged.

'I won't want to say 'see you', not here the least,' she said, ‘lets say goodbye’.

Hua asked me to buy a bag of loft yesterday for her. She wanted to treat her 4 years old daughter. I happily obliged.

'I said the bread here tasted better than those from our shabby little town.'

Hua and her husband run a little stale in a farm products market selling rice before she became ill. Every morning, they off-load a few hundred kilograms of rice then lifted it over staircases to 1st floor where their stale is. Every evening they packed up the unsold ones and went home. A job from 5 am to 7 pm.

'I am just happy if could make a hundred or two yuan (about 10-15 pounds) a day.'

'I am not sure if I could keep this (rice business) going any longer.' I can't help him to lift the weight anymore.'

I suggested hiring a labour to help out.

'It would be very early in the morning. Nobody of that sort would be around. Even if I could find someone, I wouldn't want to spend the money on that. It just eats into the profit.'

Nowadays the family relied on the husband's taxi to make ends met.


Danni recovered more. Thought fragile and slept through the morning, she actually wanted to eat some solid food. To our delight, she almost finished her lunch and supper ration.

It was almost superstition to have food consumption as the indicator to her health. I would be happy and excited only if she would like to eat.

Dr Li and nurse Ms Xie satisfied with Danni's physical appearance. She would have a blood test tomorrow. If scores high, she will be allowed home.

Then what Ms Xie said struck a chord. She reminded us this only the beginning. Radiotherapy around ENT area would severely damage digest tunnel - throat and delicate taste pallet. During the course it will gradually deteriorated until 'eating like swallowing glass debris.' In extreme case, one would have to restore to local anaesthetic to be able to eat.

It is a long way down.