The one thing that I missed most is food. It was only when I got to Wellcome to pick stuffs to cook and eat did I realize that most things here are ‘made in China.’ Chinese characters are inscribed on all packaging – be it Tide or Dreyers or Smirnoff.
The first meal that I had was at McDonald’s — crispy chicken sandwich with lettuce. When I asked for salt to go with my fries, I had to scribble the word down. The next day, I had pasta from DeliFrance for lunch and Taiwan sausage for dinner. The beef bolognese tasted like Frenchified Chinese noodles while the sausage were reminiscent of longanisa from Cebu. Who wouldn’t go hungry for adobo and ginisang sitaw? How about steaming hot sinigang na bangus? I miss food so much and the yaya (who prepares the food). Hahaha!

After a day of playing the dutiful wife role, am pulling my hair out. I can’t continue picking up after the hubby’s discarded shoes and socks and shirts and cups and coins for the rest of the week. And the most mortifying realization is: I CANNOT COOK RICE. I am a rice-eating person and it was such a horrifying ordeal to find myself in the kitchen with no rice-cooker. Can a microwave do the job? I put one cup rice and one cup water over very low heat and kept my eyes on the stove for the next 30 or so minutes. It was a gratifying success only to be crushed by Jude’s: “it’s non-stick pot, so you’ll never have burnt rice.” So much for being a gracious wife.

On my first day, Jude made me walk from Wan Chai to Central. We traipsed past labyrinthine malls and banks for half an hour. And all because he knew no other way to get there. This is Hong Kong, with the most evolved subway transport system and yet we walk. Men and their sense of direction.

The night of the New Year’s eve, my cough and cold has gone worse. There was no way we could go to Victoria Harbour to join in the revelry. We went down to a Chinese Drugstore to get medicine. The pharmacist gave me some cough syrup but I insisted on Ambroxol. She said I take the two together and gave me the dosages. My head was splitting and I couldn’t hear clearly so I just nodded. When I got home I read the instruction and took 2 tablespoonfuls of the bitter green liquid. For some moment, my perception became so sharp and vivid like am on some altered state of consciousness then drowsiness hit me. I was in a peaceful coma for the next 12 hours. I woke up at some time past 12 on January 1. I got up to heat some water and read the instruction on the box again – it says 2 teaspoons!

What a way to start a year. High on some Chinese cough syrup. Happy new year to all. Be safe.