August 5, 2005, 1:36am

I'm very health-conscious. Trying to take at least one of these herbal tea every day.

Just done with the straight-leg exercises: 8lb, 15 mins for each leg. All sweat but no pain, finally. I take this as an accomplishment. Hope no accident is to happen in the next few days and I will be able to move on to 9lb then 10.5lb. It's hard work!

This afternoon I applied for an apartment, $460 per month. Need to pay for electricity. It's an unfurnished studio. I fell in love with that little studio right away when I first saw it. I will take it!

Unfortunately, the estate company does't operate on the first-come-first-serve basis. The will rent their places to the "best qualified" person who apply. Sounds awful as I'm only a poor foreign student living on the meagre salary. Anyways, let's see if I can get it.

Met Prof. Scott Miller today to discuss about registration and courses. Really complicated as I can't clash my teaching assistant duties and the classes I'm going to take. Will only be able to learn about my teaching schedule next week.

Have been trying to file a petition to register for a statistics course offered by the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology. (It's a different department. I'm in the Department of Psychology.) I have to explain in great details about my need to take the course as it is designated to students of their own department only. Still more formalities to go before I can overcome those procedures. Well, they're just going to miss an excellent student if they decide not to take me. It's their loss, not mine.

Also, asked about a decal (the permit to park in the campus) if I get a scooter. Well, it's just all about money. So things should work out when I get the social security number and begin to take the driving tests.

Perhaps I should go to the disabilities section of the Dean of Students Office and ask for advice. It feels like I'm referred to go here and there and just don't know actually who's responsible for what. Well, anyways.

I'm used to the sort of "helplessness" to be sent away to here and there. I need to thank the training in the Department of Journalism and Communications (now, School of Journalism and Communications) back in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. It's all about frustrating experiences when I was a student reporter for Varsity. Whatever government department or organization I called for interviews, I faced rejection more often than not. Or they were interviewed but talked nonsense. The deadline for assignments was there and it was tough to find someone who's willing to help.

The lesson was hard to learn but since then, I have mastered the skills and attitudes anyways. Be persistent. Never give up until I find someone. It's just the same for my knees. I was sent to do physiotherapy but it didn't work well, so I go for Chinese medicine. With physiotherapy, I learn the exercises to strengthen my muscles. But I simply won't be able to lift my legs without accupuncture to relieve my pain. The orthopaedics physicians are just useless. Pain killers never kill pain yet the medication ruined my stomach.

The principle is similar. Find at least three parties of different backgrounds to make balanced reporting. With my knee problem, I just have to find the persons with the skills to help and are willing to help. Orthopaedics sucks. Yes, I say that. This is the angle of my reporting. Give me counter-examples in cases of patellofemoral syndrome if you don't agree.

Specialists. They think they're special and professional. Well, at the very best, I only expect them to write me letters for insurance or referral to physiotherapy. What have they done except to give me prescriptions that give me allergy and stomache? And what about an orthopaedic physician who refused to write me a letter? I beg she is illiterate or perhaps only a little better than being completely illiterate. Sucks more.

So, I find the solutions for my knee problems anyways and I adhere to my physiotherapy exercises and diet restrictions (from the Chinese medicine point of view). I'm sure I can tackle most problems that come to me, with persistence and self-discipline.