Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: DAY 672

July 5

1) Today was a phenomenal day - for a variety of reasons. In the morning, Niamh and I walked to school together to meet Prof. Zheng Ying, who was our host as we paid a visit to Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital (苏州科技城医院). This 2 hour visit consisted of us getting a VIP tour of the facilities, including a behind-the-scenes look of the dispensary department, the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) depository etc. We saw a patient undergo acupuncture to treat pain and weakness in her leg, and we even got the opportunity to experience some traditional healing techniques for ourselves! Niamh and I both underwent "cupping" therapy - Niamh on her knees and myself on my back. It was certainly a unique experience for the both of us.

2) After our short visit, we returned to the labs. It was a short evening, as I had to leave before 5pm. It was raining by this time, but Nina and her two friends came to the lab nonetheless. They had just finished their last exam paper, so it was time to celebrate! Accordingly, Nina had found a very nice place to have a wonderful seafood buffet - at the Four Points By Sheraton Hotel(苏州福朋喜来登酒店). Turns out the hotel had an amazing discount - from the usual 218 yuan to a barely believable 130 yuan - almost half-price! Furthermore, we would be seated right next to the lake - a magnificent view in my opinion. Originally, Niamh was meant to follow us, but due to her experiments in the lab she couldn't make it.

3) The seafood buffet was very much similar to the one I had at Kempinski - with one exception - the Durian cake. There are very few types of food which linger on in my mind long after I've had it, but this is one of them. I come from a country where durians are celebrated as the king of all fruits, and this cake (in my humble opinion) could well be the king of all cakes. I've eaten many durian cakes before, where they mostly use durian "essence" or durian cream, which probably contains a pathetic amount of real durian in it. But this was completely different. Thick chunks of durian flesh, mixed together with the sponge cake, enveloped by this out-of-the-world durian caramel sauce - it was the star of the night for me. I only wish I had room for more XD

4) Nina had invited me to watch a movie called "Dying to Survive" (我不是药神). Apparently, there had been small screenings of this movie with rave reviews abound, so everyone was eagerly awaiting its release. Luckily Nina had bought the tickets in advance, as the cinema was packed to the brim. As for the movie, it is based on a true story of a patient who suffered from CML (chronic myelogenous leukemia) who couldn't afford the astronomic price of the cancer medication "Gleevec". He opted to purchase an alternative generic brand from India (which was for all intents and purposes the same drug) for a fraction of the price, and helped thousands more in China to obtain this cheap alternative. He was then jailed for illegal trade, but after a huge public outcry no further charges were pressed and he was released. That's the real story of course, and the movie is an adaptation of this, and wonderfully portrayed if I may say so.

5) At the end of the movie, more than a few tears were shed in the audience, and I can understand why. Anyway, it has been a very, very productive day, and I hope to introduce you to many more in the future. Thanks very much for visiting, and have a nice day. Cheers! :)