So today, I woke at 11:45 (when my mom woke me up). Never has my mom let me oversleep like this before (and I feel like I haven't slept 'til this late before). It was really humid since my mom had opened the windows (that's what we do -- we air condition at night and open the windows during the mornings. And then if we're home during the afternoons, we turn the AC back on).
Anyways, my mom saved me half a steamed bun (饅頭) for a mini breakfast (but it actually became an addition to my lunch, haha). And then I ate some Muesli grains (which comprise o some oats, nuts, and raisins. Yum) and was happy with this for lunch.
And then it got sweltering in the afternoon, yuck. And so I did some more typing amidst my dying-in-the-heat.
And then we left at 3:30 for acupuncture (for me) and got there at about 4:00. He said that my body was not as hot as before, but my lungs are (apparently) a little bad off right now. So he told me to get some more Chinese medicine and to get more sleep. And also to avoid "hot air" (熱氣) foods. (熱氣 describes food that is "hot" for the body; generally, this refers to oily foods, deep-fried foods, certain fruits, and lots of junk foods. Chinese medical practice dictates that one should try to find a balance in the body, so having too much "heat"or "wetness" in the body is bad for you. More on this later, I promise.)
And then he did acupuncture. So I was on the cot thing. And then my mom was like, "It hurts. He's very skilled -- better than the one we had in Boston. But it hurts a lot." Now, I had been bracing myself because I had done acupuncture before. It hadn't really hurt much. I mean, the getting-the-needle-into-the-ligament/tendon hurt a bit, especially when the acupuncturist turns the needle. But it wasn't too bad.
But then my mom scared me with this, so the doctor was like, "Relax. It'll be fine."
And then my mom goes, "Haha. I'm just kidding."
I was like, >:[ !!! I mean, seriously. Don't scare me like that please!
Anyways, he poked me with the needle a few times, and it wasn't bad. I was tense because of what Mom had said, but it was pretty good. My left ring finger immediately felt lighter when he acupunctured the tendon(?).
And then he also poked the top of my left foot (my first time hearing of acupuncture on the feet. But I guess it makes sense). And so my foot felt really cool (temperature-wise), which was like, Um... Is that normal? And he was like, "It's getting rid of the 'wind' (I don't know how to explain Chinese medical practice to you, but it really works. Like, legit... For me, at least.) in your body. That's why it feels a bit colder than the rest of your body."
The whole thing was pretty cool because he was done within three minutes. (Never have I ever had such a short session.) And we were off at 4:20.
I love acupuncture, which probs. sounds really masochistic. But the fact is that it doesn't really hurt (and when it does, it's very short-lived). And I find that it really helps. So I really like it, and I trust it even though I get a bit nervous every time someone approaches me with a needle.
Anyways, we then had a bit of Vietnamese food for (late) afternoon tea (下午茶)/(early) dinner. I had Thai noodles (at a Viatnamese restaurant?) with bean sprouts and thin chicken strips (雞線); with my meal, I added some money for a side dish of Viatnamese rice-paper rolls and a drink made of coconut milk with nata de coco and small pearl tapioca (西米露; "sai mai lo") (imagine tapioca pearls (波霸, "boba" OR 珍珠, "pearl")... but really small). I liked everything I ordered because I love small pearl tapioca, nata de coca, Viatnamese rice-paper rolls, and Viatnamese noodles (the soup is always really good, and I really love bean sprouts and cilantro).
My mom ordered a tuna sandwich (remember -- they gave us the menu for afternoon tea, so this was like a set meal) with almond milk. My brother ordered pork in "ho fun" rice noodles with Ovaltine.
(My meal needed extra money because the rice-paper rolls were an additional side dish -- y'know, the kind that's cheaper than the menu price because it's ordered with a set lunch. And then my drink was a "special", so it cost a little -- although it was also like the rice-paper, which were at a "discount".)
And then we all shared fried soft-shell crabs. It was deep-fried (I usually avoid deep-fried foods, but I had decided to let it all out this summer. So when I get back to America, it's so a fruits-and-veggies regimen for me) and served with hot peppers. It was really good. (I wish you were here, Cec. I thought of you as we ate this, and we all thought of you when we ate boiled prawn (八隻蝦? Is that the right term?) last night.)
All was yummy.
Anyways, after the meal, we went in search for some egg cakes (雞蛋仔; "egg kids") and Hong Kong waffles. (格仔餅 ("grid-child cake/cracker") is the formal name, but my mom called it something else. She used the word that means "hold (with chopsticks)" (Cec, help me out here) and "cake/cracker" (餅). Together, it means something similar to "cake/cracker that encases something".)
Anyways, we first stopped to get some tofu with tapioca peals/boba (the abovementioned 波霸 or 珍珠) because LilBro was complaining about how his tongue hurt. (He can't handle spicy foods. See, my family has ranks in spice-tolerance. My sister and brother are tied at 0. My dad's a 3. I'm a 4. My mom's a 6.5 or 7. This is all on a (HAPPY) 0 - 5 (BURN) scale, that is.)
And we also bought some yums (steamed glutinous powder(?) cakes) here.
And then we bought the egg cakes and HK waffle. The egg cakes brought back lots of fond memories, and I vaguley felt reminded of something as I ate some of the waffle (which had peanut butter, margarine, and sugar in it). The waffle was really flavorful because of the margarine (my mom had already asked for little margarine, but there was still quite a bit when I bit into it), but I think it would have been just as well with more peanut butter and less margarine (because I'm not really used to butter-like spreads. I grew up not using this, so it kinda bugs me when I see butter slabs on food).
And then we got back home at about 7. We watched news, and fell asleep after a little bit. But then I got up, and my mom and I ran did some running in place. (We want to run outside at the nearby track, but my brother scares us off each time with his "There are a lot of mosquitos out there, 'yknow..." Thanks, LilBro...)
And then I took a shower and got to blogging.
So that was my day. :) Pretty average, but nice.
On a side note, the campaign for eco-friendly shopping began today. In Hong Kong, every time you need a plastic bag at (say) the supermarket, you pay 50 cents. This has been advertised for a long time, so people had already begun bringing reusable bags since June (the frail-looking ones that feel like rough cloth?). Anyways, I think it's a good plan. I mean, it makes sense. And reusable bags are easy to fold up, so it's not too cumbersome to carry around (the ones I've been using are pretty good, at least).
Anyways, love.
June 8
12:46 (My posts always take at least an hour. WTG, man...)
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