My first month of 2008 was marked by the start of a new writing/research job, the move to a new apartment, a bad cold/fever I couldn't shake for days and the frenzy to get settled in -- after almost three months in Beijing. So far this proved to be my most difficult move, and I couldn't figure out why -- Was it because I don't have a car? Was it because I've become a stranger in my home country? Was it the bad air in Beijing? :) ...

- The new apartment is only 20 minutes away from work, cutting my daily commute by more than two hours. I have a lot more time to eat well and relax now, and I'm slowly setting up this new nest for myself.

- Going through the Chinese hospital system has been a mortifying experience. Not that the doctors are bad, they are some of the top ones in their specialties across the nation. But the lack of privacy and care for individual needs make me want to run away. It's not uncommon for people to come in and out of the room when a patient is seeing the doctor, and in the in-patient areas, rooms with more than one beds are not equipped with curtains to separate the patients. All conversations are open for all to listen, and test results are sometimes left on a counter in the hallway for people to pick up.

There are reasons for all of this. Go to the big hospitals on any given morning and it's a zoo there. People across the country who couldn't get proper care from their home provinces rush to Beijing for accurate diagnosis and excellent treatment, and some doctors could be seeing dozens or even up to a 100 patients in one morning. Some patients get up before dawn to get an appointment with a top doctor at a top hospital. There are not enough resources to put everyone in a separate room and health care professionals can't spare any patient more time because it's simply not doable.

I wonder if I'll get to witness the day when decent health care services are accessible to everyone.

- I've always been proud of my independence, but have to admit that there's no way I could get this far in Beijing without my family. They are always there when I need help and have been amazingly helpful. A close friend also spent a whole day to help me look at apartments and helped me found this current apartment I ended up renting.

- Now on to the many things I still need to do: finding a gym in this area, learning how to drive -- in Beijing, etc. etc. Can't wait for the spring and nicer weather, when I can enjoy the outdoors. 2008 will be a busy year, and this wraps up this entry. ... In haste, January 2008.