1.
Danni brushed the hair left on the pillow. She collected them in bunches. Effect of chemo 1 became more apparent. Near the top, hair became sparse. Hormone drugs gave her a lovely rosy pink around the cheek. Her face also became a little bit bigger than before.
We chatted a lot. Occasionally Ms. Zhang, a brain tumour patient, would join in our conversation. She just transferred to here for radio therapy following brain surgery. Though surround by her sons, other family members and a full time private care-taker, she felt sad still. Danni cheered her up.
It is a strange feeling knowing although Danni looked absolutely fine now, she will reduce to very fatigue very soon. Poison running in her blood would bring her down very quick.
Danni ate a lot today, knowing she must while able to. Because this self-suggestion on taking in nutrition, she actually put on some weight while on 'holiday'.
Danni called me in the morning requesting two more burns for the breakfast. Then she had soup and a meal for lunch, which equivalents to my portion. Later in the evening a big supper, surprised even the nurse. Out of embarrassment, we justify it, 'don’t overestimate me, I am not going to take all these. There is too much rice they(canteen) gave us.'
2.
I went out to get some pastries in the afternoon. It was raining. As soon as I saw the traffic, I knew it wasn't a good idea as travel concerned, though I would be even sorry if I turned back with empty hands.
The main road outside the hospital was grid-locked in this Saturday afternoon. A two-lane street became a 2 lanes each side street with random roadside parking and random turning vehicles. Nobody was moving, yet everybody trying to make a move.
I was waiting for the bus. The traffic on the road wasn't moving. Lorries, trucks, vans, cars, motorcycles, man-powered rickshaws, battery-powered rickshaws, all sucked on the road. My bus was nowhere to be seemed. It might have to jump on one other's roof top and came to rescue, or raised from a crack on on the road.
Suddenly a 4x4 from opposite direction run towards me, emerged on to the pavement. Instead of making a stop, not uncommon here, it drove on pedestrian pavement for about three length of the vehicle, and then rolled back down the pavement. The driver was sitting in the contract-flow, forced the nose to the intended traffic, and negotiating the way in. The first two vans didn’t buy into this. They simply swivelled off centre a little and drove on. The car behind the van gave it in. Nice, 10 meters advanced, two positions lost. Nobody seemed bothered about this.
Then there were two light trucks pushes each other ahead on the same direction. Then a crackle, a rear view mirror came off from one of the trucks. The black mirror stained on the wet and muddy road and soon run over. It broke, debris flight across the road. Still nobody cared. Not body stop to have a look, not even the victim driver.
This road was purposely organised to one of those specialist bazaar, for stainlessness steel material and products. Industry and private customers could just pull stop at roadside and do a deal.
In fact, being at a Saturday afternoon made the situation even worst. People in business don't take Saturday off while public services do. Had it be a weekday, there would be traffic police managing the traffic at every junction.
On Monday I would verify this, there are uniform policemen every 10 meters or so, on both side of the road, each with a whistle in the mouth, ready to blow any second.
40 minutes later finally got out of this otherwise only 8 minutes drive.
Foshan isn't a big place to travel around. Yet every year more new roads are laid down or widen. The one cross the city center is three lanes each way. So as all new build roads. Yet not a little bit better on the traffic.
There are a few things are flawed I reckon.
City planning is flawed. It seemed that there are such a mentality of 'make everyone see me' on shops. All business regardless a convenient grocery or stainlessness fence workshop, has to have its shop fronts facing the road. So customer are suggested to roadside (random) parking to get what it needs. I dare to say if all these specialist shops moved to an enclosed business park, convenient to parking there would be no hurt to the business.
The mindset of road users. People here got a strange mindset on road use: they never stop, never give way. Traffic congestion means they would try to squeeze through until nowhere to go. Nobody would though 'if I wait 30 seconds, the road would unblock itself'.
The mindset towards other road users. Very hostile. 'If you want to change lane, you better NOT to signal. Nobody would let you in.' So I was told at various occasions. Never turn if on coming vehicle flashing on you, it means 'I am here, get out'. Blast on high pitch horn to signal you fuck off could even came from a wandering car on pedestrian. At one point I had even wanted to hammer a fuckwit passat behind me with my carry bag in hand.
It is this general incompetency made me decided gave up driving here. I would be worry the road rage killed me before I arrive.
The other reason was I couldn't commit to annual driving license audit and driver 're-education'. So i had my driving licence suspended.
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