Category Archives: MOT

Chinese Doctor

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To those who googled for ‘chinese doctor’ please read here how I ended up in hospital because of the herbal treatment, it took me three months to recover and I’m lucky to be alive; it caused a serious liver failure! Feel free to email me if you have any questions about this, the address is on the right.

I had a lot to organise and buy today, MvdM. is throwing his birthday party at Holland Park tomorrow where we’re supposed to have a champagne picnic followed by the unveiling of the Moet Mirage.

A cloud of moving light the size of a football pitch will be launched into the skies over Holland Park to mark the opening of London Fashion Week. London-based architect and artist Usman Haque will create the undulating installation from a thousand helium-filled balloons containing sensors and lights. It will be constructed on site next to the Holland Park Opera House and released as a plume into the sky as darkness falls on Sunday 16 September.

The commission is the idea of Fashion Week sponsor Moët & Chandon and takes its inspiration from the fashions of the 18th century, when Moët champagne was first imported into Britain. Moët will create a 21st century pleasure garden, including a carousel and banquet, in Holland Park for a party with 350 famous names from the world of fashion the same night.

The weather seems to be good and even warmer than today so it will be fun! I bought wine and will prepare some canapé [tiny wraps with smoked salmon, creme cheese and fresh dill] tomorrow morning. I better not forget to bring my camera because it will be a spectacle!

In the morning I went to the post office to collect a package, a record that I ordered a while ago. I then went to Spitalfields to get a voucher for MvdM. at All Saints, then to Atlantis, my favourite supplier to get some brushes for my aunt and an A3 folder to store some of my artwork to keep it neat. And then to Lakeside to buy groceries, a CD and a design magazine that I need to read to familiarise myself with English design and media. I had a look at some books but the only one they had in their computer system about freelancing seemed to have disappeared, all the others were either on accounting or starting up a business [business plans, funding etc.] and way too specialised. So I guess I will order something through Amazon.

While at Lakeside I decided to see a Chinese doctor since they have a branch there and I wanted a free consultation to see what was going on with my liver. What was supposed to be a ten minutes consultation turned into an hour altogether while getting acupuncture done. I have been to a Chinese doctor before when I was still living in the Lowlands and they’ve treated me twice for a period of about six months where I had to drink herbal tea twice a day to clean the liver. It was good because the first time I tried, the symptoms were gone for almost three years, second time was good as well but I had to stop at some point and never finished the treatment.

This time is different because they will treat me with a combination of the herbal tea and acupuncture. I never liked the idea of acupuncture although I’m not scared of needles I just never liked it. The doctor told me what was wrong, some things were just a confirmation of what I already know but it was good to hear. She also told me some new things which were kind of surprising but it all made perfect sense. She decided to do the acupuncture straight away and while I had to lie down for half an hour she prepared the tea bags for me. It’s a herbal tea that will have to brew for an hour, it will be strong and extremely bitter. I had it before and I really don’t like the taste of it. I had a choice though between pills and tea but since the tea seems to be more effective I was willing to give it another try.

The acupuncture needles caused a weird sensation, they went in by two centimetres and it wasn’t that bad to be honest, not what I expected. But after half an hour you can’t move, it starts to hurt. I tried to move one leg at some point and was in pain, also my left arm started to hurt and my right arm right after that. I couldn’t move it at all, it seemed paralysed which was quite weird and if I tried to move it it was again causing pain. After half an hour the doctor took the needles out and her assistant came in to tell me about the expenses. I knew this was going to be quite expensive [it was in the Lowlands] but she came up with a really really good discount [500 pounds less] so I couldn’t refuse: I will have to pay for the tea but I will get the acupuncture for free. It means I will have to have the acupuncture done once a week for the next 20 weeks and in the meantime drink the herbal tea.

The doctor told me I should look after myself, yes it’s expensive but it’s worth it, she said you’re beautiful you deserve this and you’ll have to take good care of your health. Which was a very nice thing to say and I felt flattered. She didn’t speak English very well but the smile on her face was genuine… So I signed up for this course and paid the money up front. I will have to cut down on certain things, no shrimps, one coffee a day and no alcohol *hehe*. I will skip tomorrow and start drinking the tea on Monday. She also promised me that once the problem is dealt with it won’t come back… I hope she’s right because this has been bothering me for years and become worse over the last two to three years, if it takes 5 months to heal and won’t come back, then it has been worth it!

Although I still have sore spots on my arms and legs and I’m dealing with side effects [headache] I have to say, I felt kinda desperate lately but today has definitely given me hope and will be another step in getting my confidence back…

The room

Needles in legs

Needle in left arm

Needle in right arm

Still smiling but it did hurt…

Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine [TCM] has existed for over 4000 years and is a comprehensive medical system with its own principles, diagnostic methods and therapies. TCM views the body as an organic whole with a network of meridians connecting and coordinating the internal organs, Qi (vital energy) blood, body fluids, muscles, bones, tendons and the skin.

TCM also holds as its central belief that health in all parts of the body is due to the relative balance of Yin and Yang. Yin-Yang theory forms the basis of TCM’s holistic approach to health and disease and also offers practical guidance in the prevention and management of diseases. The aim of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture is to regulate the meridians or channels of the body to unblock the stagnation of Qi, as it believes that disease is caused by these energy blockages within the body.

The channels are related to the internal organs, which if out of balance is another important factor in the cause of disease. Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture are used to correct this imbalance. Chinese Medicine is therefore a truly holistic form of medicine, aiming at treatment of the whole body rather than just the symptoms.

Maid Of Honor

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It’s Wednesday and I’m still feeling tired and drained, I think I haven’t had enough sleep last week; going to bed late and getting up early. I have a cold since Monday, I’m trying to fight it: I don’t need another sinus infection right now, that would be bad timing, but I feel dizzy, I’ve got cotton balls in my head, a runny nose and I seem to fall asleep all day long so hopefully it won’t get any worse…

I was fine until Sunday evening at the airport; we were waiting to get on the plane, waiting in line like cattle in a confinement barn. And of course there was the usual delay, this time about half an hour. There was a strong draft right on the back of my head and there was no way to escape it: I knew I would catch a cold. So here I am fighting the invisible intruders with lots of sleep and rest. I basically fall asleep whenever I sit on the couch and watch some TV. I can’t keep my eyes open, weird isn’t it?
Anyway, I promised some people an update so here it is, from what I can remember still… ;)

Saturday:
Early start, CH. had to go to the hairdresser to have her make-up and hair done. G., a friend of CH. came over and started to decorate the front door. I got up, made coffee and wrote a post on here. I had about two hours to get ready and dressed. CH. would be back at 11.30 and I had to be ready by then because I had help her change into her wedding dress. We had tried it on yesterday and I had a serious struggle with the zipper of her bustiere [basque] I was afraid to pull it since it could break, but it went smooth and quick on Saturday, no problems at all. When she was ready I checked the dress and to my surprise I saw something white in between the two layers of fabric, it was quite big [about 12 cm] and made of thick paper… it turned out to be the price tag! The people of the store where she bought her dress forgot to remove it, plain neglect isn’t it?

The carriage came to collect the couple at 13.00 and off they went, to the park to have their photos taken. We were expected at the church which was about 10 minutes drive from CH.’s place. From here it’s all a blur… The ceremony was performed by a government-sanctioned secular officiant, and took about 45 minutes to an hour. She addressed to the maids of honor and told us the reasons why CH. and TH. had chosen us to be their witnesses. CH. had chosen me, TH. had chosen J. It was a bit emotional to me especially when I was told that I was responsible for bringing them together as a couple [which I did]. Also the fact that I had designed their wedding invitation was mentioned. After the ceremony, J. and I had to sign the marriage licence; two of them and the register. Then it was time for champagne…

There was a reception after half an hour and the wedding cake was cut; a delicious cake! I’ve been talking with ex colleagues, friends, CH.’s family, my ex boss and his wife, friends of CH. and some other people. We had to leave a bit earlier because we were expected at this B&B up north. It took us about 45 minutes to get there by car. The lady of the house had to tell us the usual stuff that’s been told when you’re staying at a B&B but it had to be done so by the time she was finished showing me around it was after 18.00 already and we still had to change and get ready. We were supposed to be at the pub at 18.00 for dinner… It didn’t take long to get there though, CH. and TH. were late too, unfortunately their black cab broke down on the highway… We had dinner with 24 other guests, it was a great meal, I had all the food that I couldn’t have or didn’t have in the UK. *mmmmmmmmmm*

The party started after dinner till early in the morning and I had a great time dancing and making a total fool of myself [just like everyone else!]. It was a typical ‘Amsterdam’ party/reception with the type of music you can hear in the Dutch pubs; Dutch artists and Dutch songs. Hilarious! Although I didn’t know the lyrics so I couldn’t sing along like all the other people, I still had fun… We took a friend J. home to her B&B; she had no clue who she was, where she was or if she was being abducted by aliens, although she did kiss me goodnight at the front door, she must have recognised me all of a sudden… We walked home to our own B&B where I crashed completely as soon as I put my head on the pillow.

Sunday:
Got up at 08.30 and was ready for breakfast at 09.00. Ready… just not awake yet. Breakfast was lovely and I had some of my favourite Dutch things again like: beschuit and komijne- or Leidschekaas and ontbijtkoek [An Ontbijtkoek is a Dutch spiced cake. Rye is its most important ingredient, coloring the cake a lightish brown. It is often spiced with cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and is occasionally served on a slice of bread. Mostly however, this “breakfast cake” is used in the morning with a little butter on top of a slice]. After breakfast I had to reorganise my suitcase; I had to give some stuff to AS. because my case was probably too full and too heavy.

We left about half an hour later and drove back to Amsterdam to meet up with DM. where we spent most of the afternoon. We also went for a walk in the forest [Amsterdams Bos] before we drove to Schiphol Airport. We wanted to be there early because of the bombs that were found in London and the one in Glasgow [security checks at Schiphol]. We arrived in the UK at 22.30 and got the train at 22.55, we came home around midnight. I was totally knackered!!! But it has been a great week!!!

Some pictures: