December 5.. The epic Mud Run!!!

Being held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre- this was one of the venue for the Sydney Olympics 11 years ago... hehehe...

Signed up for this run a few weeks back after my cousin's bf told me about it. So we ended up dragging my cousin into doing it as well. I had so much fun going with my cousin. Didn't really run it as I figured it would be more fun doing it with someone else rather than just myself. And I was right!!

As we signed up rather late, the earlier spots were already full and so, our run started at 2.30 in the afternoon under the blazing hot sun.

It was more of a walk/jog thing and I had so much fun completing it with my cousin sister. She told me to go ahead but I decided to run it with her which made it so much more fun. Crawling in mud, bathing in mud, laughing at each other,  having tiny mud fights with her throughout the race. It's hard to believe that she's 12 years older than me :) It was Epic!! 

Only thing was that I couldn't really jump much at the obstacles due to my ankle. To be honest, ever since that injury, I have been rolling it very often in the past 2-3 months. And this didn't happen after my ankle sprain back in 2006. So yea.. I'm not too sure really how my ankle is right now. Ohh well..... 

So, will I do this Mud run again? Most likely!!!! I mean, how can you say no to having fun and being in a mud bath? My skin felt so smooth after that. Hahahaha!! Free exfoliation! People pay money for mud baths. I pay to have fun and have my mud bath. 2 in 1 combo deal. Heeeheeeheee.... 

So jealousssssss

I have never stayed back in Sydney for Christmas or New Years. This year is my first time. There seem to be a lot more people on the Pyrmont Bridge in Darling Harbour when I walk pass it for this whole month. And all I'm thinking is..."Damnit! All these people must be tourists. Must be on holiday..... Ahhh!! I want to be on holiday!!!!" And then I get really jealous. My point is..... I have no point really. I just wanted to say this. Craving for a holiday too!

Sydney is really into this holiday season. Most of the shopping malls open till 9pm for this whole week. And tomorrow, some malls are open for 40 hours!!! Just for last minute shopping. Crazy! A lot of work Christmas parties are happening at this time of the year too. The number of party cruises then go pass my apartment and blasting music is insane. Nearly every night. Usually it's on some weekends only. I guess I am sorta lucky to soak in all of this without going on a holiday. It's so happening over here.So many activities - Christmas Carols, Santa Parade.... Fireworks on Christmas/Christmas eve and New Year's in Darling Harbour.... and also the massive fireworks at the opera house and harbour bridge. Ahhh!! That's where my taxes are all going towards to!!!!!!!!!! Looking forward to it though :p See my tax money lighting up in nice pretty colours. Haha!

I'm just looking forward towards my 5 day long weekend. Followed by 2 working days.. and then another 4 day long weekend :p Going to make full use out of it. Can't believe 2011 is already coming to an end. This last few days have been going rather slow though. I guess it's because I am counting down:p Other than that, this year has gone by pretty quick. So many things happening, so many changes at the start of the year and then settled down to some stability which I am pretty comfortable in.

Just in case I do not blog before the New Year's... Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!!! ( to my other half, I apologize for not updating that often.. I know how disappointing it can be to check my blog and not see any new post....I dedicate this to you :) Mwahhhhhhh!!!! )

After 1.5 years...

I am finally back in NZ!!!!! for 10 days...

yea yurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Loving every single bit of it! I wish it didn't have to end in 10 days. For now, am gonna cherish every single moment. And hope to make up for lost time.

Paddles up!

As my other half puts it:

Row row row your boat, speedily down the stream....

Had an awesome day today. First dragon boat race ever at the Hawkesbury river at Mooney Mooney, Brooklyn.

The night before (well, you can actually say this whole week), I was pretty excited and looking forward to this weekend. It sort of felt like those swimming days, I always get excited when there's a competition over the weekend. Don't know what excites me. Definitely not the winning because back in those days, I never won a swimming race. And same with dragon boat, I knew we were a social club and heard we've never won. There's so many good teams out there. So yeaa... no idea. Perhaps it's the whole process of it. It's different from netball (though I still really miss this sport a lot!!!). The excitement comes from the thought and hunger of winning. Even when we play weekend social netball, I always wanna win! Lol!

So yea... the whole process of it. From the weekly training sessions down to the race day itself. I've been dragging myself out of bed nearly every Sunday morning since the 5th of June and turn up for training. It's something I actually look forward to. It's my new found substitute for netball. There was a point where I wanted to quit after paddling under the worst condition ever - Windy, wet and cold. Paddling the boat so hard but the water is so choppy, you're going no where. When you have dry skin and you rub your face with salt water, it stings like hell. There have been a few weekends where I would call Lucas up and say I do not want to go for training and go for breakfast instead.... or him calling me up and say he doesn't want to go .... but somehow or rather, we'd make each other go. And then regret later on. But after a few weekends of good paddling conditions and being acknowledged for improving, I started enjoying this sport more. And I have to make myself go because once you stop for a weekend or two, then it feels like the techniques are all gone.

After weeks of stroke corrections, we started focusing on the race starts and race plan few weeks before the race day. Even had an extra training session last Wednesday night after work to practice it. That's when it got exciting for me. And then to the night before where you pack your bags - Sunscreen: Check. Water: Check. Spare clothes: Check. Towel: Check. (Note to self: bring a pack of playing cards next race day!!). And then to the next morning where you wake up early and have a good brekkie - Milo, nutella + peanut butter with crumpets FTW..... yea yurrr!!! And then carpooling to get to the race venue (although last time in swimming, it's mummy/daddy uncle/auntie that drove us there and we'd sleep in the car).

Reached the race venue just after 7.30 and there were already so many cars. I was shocked to see the amount of people and cars. Did not know dragon boat is such a big thing over here. WOW!!!! Got to the waiting area and there were already so many teams that have set up their marquees and tents and have started their warm up. We did the same, set up our marquee (though I was still half awake and all I did was just holding a pole and then voila.... it's up!!!) and then warmed up and get into our seating plan. Mind you, we warmed up on land and not in sea. The only warm up you get in the water is the paddling up to the start line.

Early morning start....

First race is the mixed race. For the mixed team, male paddlers must not exceed 50% of the boat. As we only had 8 girls, we can only have 8 guys. So we were 4 short. Most other teams have 20 all up. I felt the start to the first race was pretty good. I could see on my left that we were matching up to the 2 boats. And then when I turn to my right, I saw this tiny dragon head popping out at the corner of my right eyes. Bloody hell! There was this other team that collided into us!!! What made it annoying is that team just kept paddling and did not stop and move away. And then wham! Another collision. Seriously?? The timing definitely went off. We stopped and got away from them and then started paddling again. In the end, we caught up to one of the boats in front of us that was leading 2 boat lengths ahead of us. I think we came 4th? That felt pretty good. But still annoyed how the other boat went out of their lane and clashed into us and did not even apologized. =_="

Second race is the open team. And since we did not have enough guys either to make a full boat of 20 guys, they had to put us girls in as well. But at least we had a full boat of 20 + drummer + sweeper. Sad thing is, we didn't do too well either. Right at the start line, our boat was slanted and we did not have time to adjust ourselves and then gun went. So we just started paddling and as we were in the outermost lane, the current took us further out to the side and we were pretty much paddling diagonally. No wonder take so long to reach the end!! We came 5th out of 6th in that race. Lol! Coach wasn't too happy. Had a de-brief and he said there were chatters going on at the back even when we were at the starting line. We had to get our minds focus and work as a team. The race does not start in the water but starts right from where we line up in the marshalling area.

Nap time!!!!!

Had an hour break before the third race. Weather was getting hotter. 34 degrees yo! Stretched, rehydrate, and munched on lollies. If only I had playing cards with me, it would have been perfect. Just like the good ol' swimming days :p Third race was another mixed race. Still same positions and 16 paddlers instead of 20. This time, we were more focused, no collisions and the race felt better. We came 4th, but just 0.4 seconds behind the 3rd team and 0.7 seconds behind the 2nd team.

Last and final race was back to the open team. We did a quick warm up together, swinging our arms and bodies side to side, stretch and then off to the boat. I felt pretty pumped up despite being exhausted after the three races. No one said anything but you could feel the positive energy on the boat. Everyone's hyped up for this last and final race of the day. The gun went and off we go. Sneaked a look to my left and we were head to head with the two boats beside us. Was counting the strokes in my head and paddle to the beat of the drum. Went flat towards the end and you could actually feel the whole boat slowed down. Almost came 2nd but ended up with a third. But it was the best race to end with.

According to the coach, we did pretty well for the first race of the season. With a few of us new paddlers and not even full boat we still did alright. Now we just need to get two more girls and we'd make a full mixed team. And more guys to make up 20 on the boat to get a strong open team.

We ended the race with BBQ at a park nearby. Traffic was rather slow on the way back and took almost 1.5 hour to reach the city. Can't complain as I was sleeping most of the way :p Reached home almost 6.

And that's my whole Sunday gone. To think that it's only 4 races, each race only lasting for just over a minute..... I'm exhausted!!!

Looking forward to the season and more races. I can now definitely add dragon boat to my new sport this year :D yea yurrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

All Blacks = World Champions!!!

And so who cares about the 22 million lotto I did not win last Saturday? (yea... i really wanted to get that car with diamond encrusted rims...but i'll just stick to my aim of a toyota corolla now....)

Watching the All Blacks winning the world cup triumphs everything :)

Read my other half's post . So well-written. Made me relive the moment all over again. As you can tell, I am too lazy to blog about it. Don't know what's wrong with me these days, not in the mood to type out a long post.

And so, I will leave you with this video.... makes me feel proud to call myself a 'kiwi' when people ask me where I'm from. Hehehe :p

22 million saturday lotto yo!!

Worked 11 hours today.... 8am - 7 pm... Newest record... Saving up for a car... Seriously, it takes me 45 min max to get to work with a car. With my own two feet and train, it takes me 1.5 hour. And hence, I am now really considering getting one.

On another note, bought my first lotto ticket ever! How exciting! Well, I chipped in $1. The jackpot is 22 million this Saturday. Everyone in the physio department put in $1 to get a ticket. Our chances are like so minute but heck... $1 for the thrill of it ... I think it's already pretty worth it. All of us are talking about how we're gonna spend our 2 million or so each. hahaha! Dream dream dream... buy a house la.. go on a massive holiday la... and best ever.. the whole department resigns!!!!! Bwahahahahhahaha!!! I won't need to get a car anymore.... I'll probably just quit my job so I don't really need one!!

Now wish me luck! Wahahahahahahahaha!!!

am i boring

Weekdays: Work, eat, tv, sleep

Weekends: Eat, Tv, Sleep, Dragonboat

Such is my life now...

Just even the slightest thought...

... can make me feel suffocated ... like i can't breathe.. and a stabbing pain to my chest...

And it's just a thought, not even an action.

Blackmores Half Marathon 2011 - 18 Sept 2011

It was exactly one year since my last half marathon. A year ago, I ran the exact event and completed it in 1 hour 59 mins, 27 secs. It involved a lot of rest stops and I was on the urge of giving up after the first 10km. My pace for the first 10 was pretty darn good but then slowed down by a lot simply because I got bored and I have had enough. I told myself, no more half marathons. 

"And after this race, I think I'm just sticking to shorter 10km runs and target for a sub 50 for now. No more half marathons till I get a new pair of shoes that doesn't give me blisters. And more importantly, till I am mentally stronger and able to drag myself out of the house, put on a shoes and make running as my daily routine. When that time comes, then maybe I will do another half marathon. The thought of doing a full marathon will have to wait." - from last year's post

So, why did I decide to run this half marathon this year? No, I still have not reached my sub50 target for a 10km. But yes, I got a new pair of shoes and it doesn't give me blisters. I felt that I am mentally stronger and able to overcome the boredom of long flat roads. I mentally prepared myself the night before, telling myself I know the route, I know where I'm gonna get bored and I shall not let that get to me. I have my RunKeeper now, which is a pretty darn good app that have accompanied me this year throughout all my runs. It's gonna be different. I am gonna make it. 

And on the top side, work paid for my entry fees. So, why not right? Lol!

And I was way more disciplined this year round. I sort of started training in June. The aim was to do it under 1 hour 55 mins. There's this website called marathonguru.com.au and I tried to follow the training program. It was pretty much train 5 days, rest 2 days of the week. But obviously I did not stick to it. Mine was more like train 2 days, rest 5 days. But still, it was better than last year. On the website, it even update my estimated finish time everyday after I enter my workout summary. I had an estimated time of 1 hour 45 mins! Yea right... i'd be happy with 1 hour 50 mins man.....

I think this was the most prepared race I have ever been. Training went well. I peaked at the end of August. Even managed to taper in the last few weeks before the race. Before this, there was no such thing as tapering to me. It has always been the 'just going to wing it' attitude. But no, not this time. I tapered. I carbo loaded. I slept early. I felt so ready man. 

On the morning of September 18, I woke up and I had the "Yeaa!! this is gonna be my day!" feeling. 1 hour 55 mins here I come!!

Got to the start and had to go to the loo. By the time I took a dump, the race has started. But it didn't bother me seeing that we all have timing tag and the time starts only when we cross the start line. After I crossed the starting line, I was like.. damn!! Had to run pass all these people in front of me. They were going quite slow and I was just using my energy to dodge them. Rolled my ankle a few times but it wasn't too bad. I ran up and along the kerb because not many people ran on it and it was easier to run pass the crowd. 

My pace was 4:33 for first km, 5:00 for the 2nd, 4:44 for the 3rd. I felt good and I knew I won't be able to keep this up for long but the plan was to maintain this pace for as long as I can and then do a nice relaxed pace after for the rest of the race. Ran across the harbour bridge and pass the 3km mark, I was running on top of the kerb and we had to U-turn. So I got down the kerb to make the U-turn and then....... Snapped! Couldn't really stand up and I had to sit down. I was on the urge of pulling out but then all these thoughts.... the effort I put in the last few months... this can't be happening to me. So I told myself.... don't be a wuss, just move on! So I got up, and off I go. 

Could tell that I really slowed down looking at my RunKeeper profile (this app is super amazing i tell you!). 6:08 for the 4th km. Lol!! Tried to speed up but couldn't maintain my pace for long. Especially when running through the botanical garden. Up and down, up and down. Tried to ignore the pain in my feet. Wanted to run landing on the balls of my foot but because of the ankle instability, it was difficult. So I had to just run landing on my heel. My cousin woke up early and met me around the 8-9km mark to snap some photos and cheered me on after I ran out of the Botanical Gardens. Felt so energetic after that and it was nice having a cool breeze coming through as we ran through Phillip Street which was surrounded by tall buildings. It was shady and cool.

I picked up speed after the 10km mark as it was cooling and it was downhill to Circular Quay and the Rocks. I knew what was coming ahead of me. The Hungry Mile aka Hickson Road. That long stretch of unshaded, flat road somewhere around the 13km. I thought if I speed up whilst I can, I can relax a little during the gruesome boring road and take my mind off the km markers and just try to enjoy myself. 

But.... after the 13km mark.... music stopped playing. I looked at my phone and....... it shut down! Great.. just great. It happened once before during my training runs when I ran under the flyover to fish market. No idea why it happens but *sigh*. Apparently when there's no reception, it shuts down. But why does it have to happen during my race??? It never happened when I ran along Hickson Road during my trainings. Why why? so I pulled aside to turn the phone on, turned on the music and tried to restart RunKeeper. Music played but RunKeeper failed. It hanged. Spent like a minute or so trying to get RunKeeper going but the pain in my feet was throbbing and got worst the longer I stay still. And so, I had to just keep running without RunKeeper. I was silly enough not to wear my watch and so I had no idea what my pace was. Frustrated, I just had to keep going.

Just keep going.. just keep going...

It felt like deja vu from last year. I tried to take my mind off the heat, the pain and calculating the distance I have to go. I tried to imagine I was just on my normal training run, imagine I was running along the waters. I stopped at every drinking station to grab water. I saw quite a few runners who stopped because of over-heating or dehydration.      I tried to spot every camera man and smiled at it just to distract myself from everything. Came the last 2 km near the Opera House, the plan was to speed up. I tried but my feet wouldn't let me. The mind wants to but the feet simply just couldn't. The bigger the steps I took, the more pressure I was putting on my foot, the more pain I could feel. I think I only sprinted towards the last 50m and I waved frantically as I ran pass the finishing line. Simply delighted that I finally made it. Had no idea what my time was but I didn't really care then.

Once I passed the finishing line, I stopped and I felt like I couldn't walk anymore. I looked down at my foot and OMG! It was so swollen. Could hardly put any weight on it. Took me awhile to walk to the first aid station to get some ice and bandage. Didn't help with it being up slope at the botanical gardens. Wrapped it up and iced it whilst sitting under the hot sun. Sat out on the grass for more than an hour before I decided to collect my baggage. The walk to the baggage collection area was the most painful walk I ever done. It would have taken a normal person 5-10 mins to reach there but I took almost half an hour to get there. People from the 9km bridge run started coming in and walked pass me (their race started at 9) to collect their baggage. It was quite embarrassing to have everyone staring at me as they walked pass me. They must be wondering how the heck I got my ankle like that in the first place. They were all shaking their head and at the same time, saying "well done" and all I could do was to nod my head and said "thanks". 

After collecting my stuff, I hopped my way up to the recovery area whilst waiting for my cousin to get me. No way was I able to walk back. Got my free massage but it didn't feel as good as last year as my muscles weren't as sore this time round. It was either because I warmed up well in the morning and I'm super awesome or... the pain in my ankle was masking the soreness of my muscles. I'd like to think it was the former :p haha!! 

Rock On!!

Came home, showered and then it was all RICE RICE RICE! Cousin was so nice to cook me a good lunch - smoked salmon with turkish bread + scrambled eggs + garlic mushrooms + roasted tomatoes. Yummy!!! 

Checked my time online and I completed the run in 1 hour 59 min 47 secs at a 5:40 pace. Quite gutted because I didn't meet my target time. My longest training run (16km) averaged at 5:19 pace. I was aiming for a 5:28 pace at least. All the effort training the past few months just did not paid off. I was planning to do a full marathon provided I meet my target. But because of the unfortunate incident at the start, I failed. Sure, there's all the "if only". If only I didn't injure my ankle ... If only the weather was cooler.... If only I think of myself as more awesome and signed up for the A start group instead of B ... (you see, A start group starts earlier and start at the front instead of the back) ... then I need not dodge all the people in front of me ... then I need not run on the kerb... then I wouldn't have....... Ohhhh well.. we all learn from our mistakes yah? I'm all to blame for running up that kerb. 

In case you're interested, ankle is not too well. Dr. sent me for an Xray worrying it might have been an avulsion fracture because of the massive bruising. But you can't tell a fracture in an Xray with all the initial swelling. So no idea if I had a fracture still. I really doubt it's a fracture as I was able to weight bear after the injury. I freaking ran 18km! Unless I didn't initially fracture it... probably tore the ligament initially and then with all the running after, the bone might have been chipped off by the strong deltoid ligament. Have been on bed rest since Monday and given MC for a week. I'm dying of boredom. In a way, I regret running another 18km after rolling my ankle. But in away, I do feel pretty awesome for still completing the race. Call me silly but I blame the endorphins and adrenaline. (btw, parents do not know about this. not planning to tell them as i do not want them to worry or get scolded. but if they do read this... sorry mum and dad!!! i will not do such stupid thing again)

At least I came out of this race stronger and more determined. I am pretty proud of my preparation leading up to this race. I was more disciplined. It was difficult to wake up on Saturday mornings to run or Sunday mornings before dragon boat. Nor was it easy to run at 7pm after a long day of work. But I did it. Gotta actually thank RunKeeper. Seriously, it's like my running buddy. I enjoyed training with it. Screw the finishing time. Screw the ankle. I am going to do one more half marathon next year. And then a full marathon. That's the plan. A full marathon before I turn 25!! 

Finally!!!!

And here's 2 videos of me before and after the finishing line (look out for the crazy woman in a strikingly green top waving her arms frantically. That's me!)

Before Finishing line
After finishing line

HER day

Ok, this is one day late. I'm so ashamed of myself. But this has to be done. Better late than never. Minta maaf ya, separuh saya.

23 years and 1 day ago, this gorgeous baby stepped into this world.

Sorry, I couldn't find any baby photo of you. This is the youngest one of you that I could find on facebook!
Isn't she sooooooooooooo cute??? LOL!! Even that smile look so innocent. She has always been innocent since young. Innocent and... gullible. Ekekekeke....

I have to admit, I am a bit speechless this year. Not knowing what to say because it will be pretty much like a repetition from last year's post or the year before and so on. Because my feelings for her have never changed (ok, this sounds a bit wrong. lol!). Because she has always been there for me... every year, no matter the distance. Her support, her encouragement, her motivation talk, and most of all, her ears (ok, more like eyes) to listen to my rants (more like..reading them...hahaha!!)

Every year, I am just reminded how blessed I am to have this chic here who calls me her other half. There was a point in my life where I was a non-believer in the existence of best friends/friends forever kinda stuff. I used to believe there's such thing that exist when I was like 12/13 but after seeing what distance can do to friendships, I sort of stopped believing in them. Truth to be told, when I left NZ for Sydney, I actually thought.... Right, here it goes again. Farewell to another friendship. But, I was proven wrong. What we had only grew stronger and tighter from then on. Years after years, emails after emails, I find that we are able to share more of our thoughts and secrets easier with each other. Don't you think so, MOH? Hehehe... Not forgetting, making plans for the many years to come. Our DREAMS. Hahahahaha!!!

This post is going nowhere. I feel that it's like one of our emails, no structure. But you know what.. I don't care. Because my other half accepts me for who I am. Bwahahahahahhaa!!!!!!

And so.....

Happy 23rd Birthday My AWESOME, ONE and ONLY, 

Other Half!!

Thanks for being crazy with me :D

And also for being there for me all the time when I need you. All the best for the rest of the year and the years to come. Good luck in your exams in November!!! We'll party hard after that when I see you!! Jacob and Edward date .... and then...... Chocolate boutique!! I just thought of that. That shall be your second present from me. Hahahaha!!!!!

Me heart you long time.. long long time <3

Mwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Ka-Chingggggg$$$$$

Finally got paid :) :)

4.5 hours of that.... obviously i wasn't really doing a good job.. he could still smile when I was attempting an ITB release... well, it's difficult to do it over Skins! anyhuuuuzzzzzzzzzz.............

600 bucks richer :) heeeheeeee :D :D

3 years

Today, marks the 3rd year.

And it's been 9 months since I last saw him.

To be honest, it just felt like any other ordinary day. The thoughts that were building up in me the last few weeks were all questions.

Is the flame still burning? Doesn't really feel like it.

Is there even any sparks? It's really questionable.

Who knows what will happen next year huh?

Maybe we're better off if we............... nevermind...... *sigh*

9:28 p.m. sydney time

and i'm going to bed.

Good night!! *yawns*

On a side note, 1.58kg bag of Reeses Peanut Butter cups was in the gym today. Any food in the gym = physio's consumption. Yummehhhh!!!! My eyes were so big it almost popped out....

After 7 months...

Can't believe I've been in Sydney for 7 months straight. It's the longest I've been here. And for the record, I've been away from Auckland for more than a year now. WOW!!! Been looking forward to this weekend a lot. Sure, I would have been more excited if it was to fly to Auckland but this is gna be awesome too. Flights were so cheap, $97 one way. MUST buy! Ok, my cousin actually bought it for me and say no excuse, I have to go with her. haha!!! So yea.. as much as I enjoy my work, I really needed this break.

I am finally getting a break to get out of Sydney and off to Perth for a weekend to spend with my cousins, their kids, and my 3rd aunty. Excited!! The last time I went to Perth was when I was just a lil 10 year old. Now my cousin's daughter is 11! hahahaha!

Things to do in Perth?
- Visit and stay with aunty and cousins
- Meet up with Pearl - swimming friend back in the days....
- Squeeze in a run... hopefully by the beach, that'd be awesome!!!!
- Sleep ins!!!!!!!
- Shopping maybe? hehehe.. it is afterall... PAY week!!!!

:D :D

Live life to the fullest (2)

So my patient with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis is going home on Monday. Had her for the past 3 weeks.

And gosh! she got me thinking about how I want to live my life.... She's 42 and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was about 30. At such young age, she have already travelled the world, ran up every stairs she came across in Italy, walked the streets of Nepal, climbed Mt. Everest (i think that's like just the base, not to the top) and Machu Picchu... and other mountains I am not familiar with.... Went to the Bahamas ... Went to South Africa and let the locals take her and her sibling out for a night of fun and party not knowing the dangers being a naive 21 year old..... coming back safe and sound but with mum yelling like crazy.... all of these not knowing what was gonna hit her.

She definitely have live life to the fullest at such a young age. And luckily she did before she got diagnosed with MS. She told me how she was glad she did all of these before 'this' all happen. 'This' being the worst attack ever. Now she have no regrets at all. She's seen the world and is contented.

With relapsing-remitting MS, you never know when it will strike you again even after your first attack. The relapses are very unpredictable and is followed by months to years of quiet remission .... without you knowing, WHAM! it can strike again just like that. Many things can happen after an attack. You could lose the sensation in your hands, your feet, you'd get muscle weakness or spasms, an increase in muscle tone, you could develop double vision, you could lose your co-ordination and balance, and can come down to difficulty in initiating a movement. You could pretty much.... not be able to walk despite how hard you try.... And you have to start all over again. Like... Learning to walk....

With this type of MS, you can usually recover fully but some deficits will remain. For example, this lady of mine have loss the sensation and proprioception in her feet. She can't really feel the ground, doesn't really know that she's on the ground till she looks down. She can be stepping on someone's feet and not knowing that she's doing that till she looks. And this is bad because if you can't detect the different surface types, you'd easily lose your balance.

Ok, enough about me explaining what multiple sclerosis is. There's many different types. Google it if you're interested. Google will do a way better job than me explaining this.

Anyway, it has been an eye opener working with this patient aka my 'star pupil' as she puts it. Always so motivated, I usually have to ask her to stop her exercise and not overdo it. It is usually the opposite where I have to ask my other patients to keep going! It was so good to have her sitting next to my other patients in the gym as she motivates them and tell them.. it works! The exercises works! My patients would listen to her and start doing their exercises. I am gonna miss her for that!!!

I really enjoyed my time treating her. I'd take her for walks and she would tell me her travel stories and she would narrate as we walk along the ward. "So here we are in Rome... on your left, you could see the fountain of love...." And when I took her to climb stairs, she'd imagine it's Mt.Everest. My day was never dull I tell you.

I've learnt a lot. Not only how to really find the deficits and treat them specifically. But also... a better idea on how I should live my life. Which is really.... not to hold back and live it to the fullest. Enjoy and make the most out of it. Don't save it for next time before it's too late. You never know what's ahead of you. In her case, being diagnosed with MS. But yea... anything can just be around the corner waiting for you. *touch wood* nothing bad will happen to me ... i'm just saying.... you just never know..... Definitely going to miss her presence. Yes I've admitted and treated many other patients, but I have never felt so satisfied this time. I guess it's more satisfying with neuro patients compared to orthopaedic. Because it's more challenging. Seeing the changes happening slowly but surely. Today was just THE BEST surprise.. not only to her... but to me. She came in, completed 75m during a 6 min walk test with a rollator frame. And this morning, she completed 160m with walking sticks. Double the distance! Test not completely standardized because doctors were walking up and down the corridors this morning doing their ward rounds and hence the distraction. She would have done better. But I'm over the moon with 160m! Wooot woooot!!!!!!

And so... to my other half, Ah Swan, our 25 year old plan will definitely have to go in plan! No backing out. We have to do it. And so is our 30 year old plan..... Hahaha! As long as we complete all those, I'd be contented. Haha!!

Live life to the fullest

Because you will never know what could happen to you next....

Work's great!!!

Despite the run of difficult, demanding patients I have...

I gotta admit... work's still awesome!! Because praises from one or two patients can just make it all better again :)

I got a patient back on a walking stick in 3 weeks when last time, it took her 5 weeks to get back on it. She said I'm the best physio :) And I'm gorgeous and she wants to intro me to her hot cousin (i'm taking that as a compliment. lol!). And she gave me a box of mini cupcakes from The Cupcake Factory the other day (of course, I shared it). 

And there's other patients who wants to matchmake me with their grandsons. Italian men... hmmnnnn.... hahahaha! should I consider? haha! just kidding!

Apart from that, I am very well fed at work. BBQ lunch for staff, pot luck lunch within the allied health department, kitchen staff treating all the staff do a cooked lunch...... ohh god!!! not forgetting the endless chocolates and lollies lying around the physio gym... one of the physio was given 3 boxes of ferero rocher by a patient of hers and it's now on the table for all to share!!!! 

It's no wonder I have to keep up with my running!!! 

Ballet Revolucion

I think I am one of those people who succumbs to TV ads.



If you think that video was impressive, wait till you watch the live performance. Totally mind-blowing. Took my cousin along with me as I have been wanting to treat her to something for quite awhile now. I felt like I was watching So You Think You Can Dance/Step Up live ....... but better! It was a combination of ballet, hip-hop and contemporary - the Cuban way. The sounds span from flamenco and Cuban Jazz to hits by artists such as Enrique Iglesias's Hero, Shakira's Hips Don't Lie, Ricky Martin's She Bangs, Beyonce's Single Ladies, Usher's DJ got us falling in love again, and my favourite, Cee Lo Green's Forget You, because of it's quirkiness and humour. Love it!!! Plus, they had a live band that was playing/singing all these songs and they were pretty good. I was a bit skeptical to buy tickets for the final show in Sydney as performance might lack energy and enthusiasm as the dancers have been performing for few nights in a row.

But my oh my was I wrong! The moment they came on stage, you could tell that they were full of energy and passion. Couldn't keep my eyes off the stage from the very start till the end. Didn't even wanna blink! I have to admit, I couldn't stop staring and the bodies of the male dancers quite a bit... when they had their shirts off. OMG! Hot hot hot!!!!!! nice chiselled bodies... the abs.... aHhhHHHHH!! *screams*

Love the way they ended the show. They 'ended' with a modern ballet dance to Prince's Purple Rain and everyone was calling for an encore. I'd be kinda disappointed if they had really ended it with a ballet and they did not fail to disappoint. They came out again (i'm sure it's all planned....) dancing to more modern hip hop songs, filled with even more buzz than ever. The audiences were all clapping to the beats while they were dancing and the live band did a great job to include the audience. There couldn't be a better closing than this I reckon'. Final show in Sydney - AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

After two weeks, I am still buzzing!!!!

I spent AUD 186.40.... biggest spending ever for 2 hours of entertainment. No regrets :) (of course must have no regrets... it's 186 bucks man! lol!) The joy of earning money ---> spending it!!! We were waving spirit fingers ever since. Haha!!!

Full on weekend!

On Friday, my colleague asked me :" What do you have planned for the weekend?". I answered :"Nothing much. Just staying at home and laze on the couch."

And so I thought...

Decided I NEED to increase my running distance and hence woke up at 6.30 for my run. It was sunny. Did 13.5km. It was freaking cold the whole time - 7 degrees when I left the house, 7 degrees when I got back. I wanted to do 15km but it was just too cold and because I ran a slightly different route, I got tired quicker.

Got home, stretched a little, did some cleaning (by means of cleaning - it's laundry, tidy up my study table and make my bed), showered, and then... the cleaners came!! Weeeee! love it when the cleaners come. Yes people, we get the cleaners to do the rest. They clean the toilets, vacuum the apartment, clean the kitchen, mop the floor, wipe the tables and furnitures. Hehehehe.... spoilt much?

After the cleaners left, went into the city to meet Lucas for brunch as he just finished his night shift. Had har mee!!! What a good treat after my long run. Was meant to get my medical insurance done but realized it's too late by then so.... we went and grab taiwanese dessert after brunch. Went to woolies first to get some cream because it makes the dessert much better! hehehe.....

Got home, and napped. Woke up and had a slight headache and my normal routine began - couch potatoe-ing in front of the tele. Had scrambled eggs and bagels for dinner (because i'm just too lazy).

And this morning, woke up and went for dragon boat. Got home, cousin texted and joined her for dancing at the Sydney Dance Company! Our attempt to get one step closer to being part of Ballet Revolucion (will blog about this soon!)... yeaa right.......  It was good as I really needed to stretch. I only enjoyed the stretching and warm up part. When it came to learning the steps and doing the dance... Ohhh god!!! I felt like a headless chicken running around. Too funny!!!!

Now I'm thinking whether I should go back to doing Yoga because my body is really sore with the running and dragon boating. I mean, I can do the stretches myself but doing it in a group is sooo much better. Ahhhh... but money.... money money..... perhaps I should go start looking for free trials! hahahaha!!

After dance, went to grab groceries. Traffic was surprisingly bad and hence, got home at 5.

And so.... that was my weekend. Pretty full on. So much for wanting to sleep in... working next Saturday. Wooooot!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time flies!

You would think time can't go by any faster....

But..... It will!!!

Working next Saturday (23rd) ... so no sleep-ins if dragon boat is ON on sunday.

Doing nothing the following weekend... sleeping in!!! and dragon boat on sunday....

Working the weekend (6 aug) after that....

Working on a Sunday at City2Surf (14 aug)  the weekend after.... and Shaleeni is coming to Sydney that weekend too!!!

And off to Perth the weekend (18 aug to 21 aug) after that!!!

:D :D :D

And then I will start appreciating my no plans weekends when I get back from Perth ....

Cis!!!!

I need to kick the habit of looking up at other flights a few days after I have bought mine....

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Because now... I can't sleep :S WHyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy???????? why they always turn out to be cheaper than what i paid for???? why la why????? Ish Ish Ish!!!!!!

Msia... negaraku?

Me and Malaysia politics don't mix. Well, just politics in general actually. Recently, there's some issue called the Malaysia Solution. Something to do with Aussie and Msia swapping asylum seekers... Aussie take few thousands of msia's asylum seekers, and swap it for 800 asylum seekers.... or something like that. WTF right? Why would australia wanna do that? I didn't bother reading more. Put it simply, i am plain ignorant.

Despite being a proud Malaysian..... I think I know very little about what's going on.

I still remembered when I went down to Canberra to get my Malaysian police check and I was asked a few questions about Malaysia...

Him: Who is our current prime minister?
Me: *pauses, thinks in head... hmmn.. is it badawi? or wait.. he retired already... i think?* *mutters out* Najib?
Him: What's his full name?
Me: i don't know

Him: What is the rukun negara?
Me: *thinks in head.. wtf is that?* No idea.. I forgotten.

But I am still proud to be a Malaysian...

The past few weeks, there's a lot of people having the Bersih badges on facebook. Being the ignorant me, I did not bother to find out. Must be some sort of trend/awareness thing going on that I can't be bothered to know.

Then.... over the weekend... there were photos being posted on fb.... it looked like some riot going on in malaysia and yellow seems to be the colour....but then there were photos of very young people.. people around my age.. and they look decent... not those who would create trouble.... why they so free meh? go and get in trouble with the police and get shoot by water guns by the police? Nothing else to do??

Mum and dad who were back in malaysia for holiday emailed me and told me about the road close and how they were stuck in the traffic for hours! Ok.... must be something pretty big..... Then I saw similar photos of protesters wearing yellow.... in familiar places.... in Sydney. OMG! there's even protesters in Sydney? Isn't this a Malaysia thing? I still have no idea why it was in Sydney but hmmnn....

The amount I know now is still very minute. All I know is they are protesting for clean votes, no corruption or something like that. But I do not know how all those actions will change things. Hopefully it will? After all those things the people went through.... I wonder if the govt will have the heart to change things?

But really.. honestly.... I do not care. Perhaps it's because I am not there anymore. I don't see how the changes will affect me. It probably will a little seeing that the malaysians in sydney are protesting too? Hmmmn.... But as I said, I am just plain ignorant.

Then I saw this video. And then I wonder..... is the govt. that bad? Can't people solve things through a more civilized way anymore? I am shocked to see what Malaysia have become of. It saddens me to actually watch that video (no, not just because of the terrible english....lol!). Malaysia does not seem appealing to me anymore. Will all these lead to something good? Or will things get even worse and more out of hand? I think.. it's really 50-50.

I am still proud to be a Malaysian.. an ignorant one to all the happenings going on right now....but giving up my citizenship seems more appealing than before now... is there much use in it? I don't see any. I wouldn't want to be involved in whatever is going on .... even if it's for the better....

Note to self

I need to get more weekend work!

So I worked 4.5 hour on a Saturday and the amount I get is equivalent to working a normal 8 hour day. Plus I get $10 meal allowance.

Heeeheee :D

Heh... I guess I must be pretty tired...

I woke up this morning and the sky was bright. I was thinking... ohh! It must be Saturday.. can sleep in...

Then I looked at my phone ... 7.43am... WEDNESDAY ......

WTF!!!!! I jumped out of my bed, pulled down my pants, took off my jumper... and stood there for like 10 seconds...... and then I started walking around my room like a headless chicken (or pant-less person in my case).....

calculating how long it will take me to get to work and how late I will be.... I'm gonna be like SUPER LATE

LOL! I'm still laughing at my initial reaction when I realized I'm definitely going to be late for a work. You see, I usually leave the house at 6.55am!!!

And so, I reached work at 9.15am instead of 8.30.... thank goodness for the time off in lieu policy and i've already stayed back late MANY times so I definitely have made up for it.. haha!!

I'm setting two alarms from now on!!!!

Of Saturday work, Mexican party, dragon boat and wonderful brunch :)

The past two weekends, dragon boat was cancelled. First weekend was because it was raining, second weekend was because they had the end of season party on saturday night and hence no dragon boating the following day. I woke up early on both weekends looking forward to it but only to have received a call from Lucas 15 mins before 9 saying it's not on. Because of that, I thought to myself... hmmnn... i guess it's over. So much for my new sport.

But today, today... it was ON!! I'm so glad I went despite it being freaking 7 degrees this morning. I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I got out of the boat today and wasn't feeling sore in my arms. It was more like my thighs that felt like jelly because I was glueing my legs down on the boat and shifting my weight over my legs. The endurance and timing is not exactly there yet, but in terms of the technique, the coach said I'm getting the basics right already. I won't need to sit at the back of the boat next week! Wooohooooooooo!!!

This weekend have been pretty full on with no sleep in. Woke up yesterday at 6 as I took on a weekend shift at work. It was only half day and it was awesome!! Of all weekends though, they just HAVE to have trackworks going on and hence I had to catch a bus halfway, making me late for work. It was full on seeing patients in the gym but the physio aid brings them in and we need not go to their rooms to get them. All I had to do was show them their exercises. And one of my patient who could barely walk, or even stand last week, walked with me from the gym back to her room ~ 50m!!! So happy!!!!!! OMG!!! It felt just so good man..... I almost not she won't make it la but now i'm starting to see some hope in her to walk again. Ahhhhhhh!!! Plus plus, weekend documentation for the patients is so easy!! Really a no brainer. Just one or two sentences instead of like nearly half a page of weekdays. Wahahahahha! Lovin' it! I'm gna try to get more weekend slots now. Alternate weekend perhaps so I can sleep in on alternate weekends.

After work, went and do some shopping before going to Carlo's place for a Mexican pot luck/party. Drank less this time because dragon boat was confirmed ON! 3 tequila shots and 2 punch.... followed by lots of water. And thank goodness one of his friend, Kyle, who stays north of the bridge have to go back early too as he have soccer the next morning so we left the party at 10-ish to catch the bus then the train. Had quite an interesting conversation with him, who happens to be Ivan's coursemate. Small world huh?

Got home at 11-ish and went to bed at 1. And then woke up early again this morning for dragon boat followed by a good brunch with my cousin - eggs benedict and a large cappucino. Sooo good!!!!! Pretty tired now but it was a productive weekend. But I'm looking forward to next weekend and not do anything and sleep in! Perhaps go for a run as I haven't got time to run this weekend too!

Now i just have to get through this week and finally have my sleep in next Saturday!!!

Ever since I started earning some moolah

I got hooked onto online shopping....

Warning: Cam-whoring ahead

$39 haircut voucher @ Darling Hair, Darling Harbour 
Includes 2 x conditioning treatment, colour, professional style cut, blow dry

This was after the first haircut. Still yet to use the 2nd visit. Will keep it till it almost expire and use it. Had heaps of positive comments on facebook :) This was the most expensive haircut I've paid for ($19.50). My haircuts in NZ was $15 at some hair salon in Panmure or RM 25 in Malaysia. It was $39 well-spent I reckon'. First time colouring my hair too. The comments on facebook made it even more worth it :) 

$15 Imazine Ionic Sports Watch

Bought it because my Timex Ironman watch strap is a bit loose. I think I pressed the metal against something at work and then now it always comes loose. So sad. And so, I bought this simple watch just for the time. Not too sure if all the health benefits is actually true but I just needed a watch. I'm still looking out at 1-day to see if I can get the same timex watch again.

$5.90 Armband for my phone from Ebay

It ended up being $5.90 for two of this armband plus 4 screen protectors for my phone. Was meant to be just one armband and 2 screen protector but somehow they sent the item twice!! Haha! Bonus!!! Not too sure what to do with the extra armband though. Any takers? Got this because I was sick of carrying my phone around with me when I run and have sweat all over it. Only thing is it's a wee bit big for my arm. I had to put it on my right arm because my left arm is slightly smaller. And hence, the NEED to get bigger biceps and triceps! I now not only use RunKeeper on my phone when I run but it doubles as an MP3 player ever since my trusty china-made ipod-shuffle look-alike that has been with me for 4.5 years died on me. And hence, the armband is definitely a good investment.

$20 Compression running tights from Ebay

Loving how the Aussie dollar is stronger than the US dollar. Bought this from Ebay USA. The seller also listed this item on Ebay Australia but the price on Ebay Australia was higher dollar to dollar. And so I bought it from the US website and because Aussie dollar is stronger, I got it even cheaper! Wahahahahaha!! It ain't Skins but I do not know how far off this quality is from Skins but I'm not gonna attempt to compare just yet. Ignorance afterall... is bliss :D Plus, it's Made in Korea so how bad can it be right? With regards to whether it promotes faster recovery and better performance, I have no say in this. I'm not at that level to notice a difference. For what I know, it's keeping me warm initially at the start of my run and does not make me hot later part of my run.

Mother's Day flower bouquet from 1-dayout

Not saying the price just in case my mum reads my blog. Let's just say it's almost the combined value of the other items purchased. But it was delivered right on time on Mother's Day and a mother's love is priceless. And ... the colour is gorgeous!!!!

And then there's food vouchers that I purchased - 3 vouchers to St.Moritz chocolate cafe in Darling Harbour for $15 in total. Used one voucher already when Pei Yun was here and it wasn't impressive at all. 2 hot chocolate drink and churros with chocolate dipping sauce (supposedly worth $26). It was only two sticks of Churros and the chocolate sauce isn't even nice. Sigh... a disappointment. But ohh well.... it's only $5 anyway.  So Ah Swan, I will not take you there when u get here. Hahaha!!! Rather go to St.Churros!

And so, I'm guilty as charged. Made all these purchases in March, April and May. The spending hasn't ended yet though. I'm finding myself spending more on outside food, I bought coffee everyday this week...and I plan to go shopping tomorrow as I want to get myself a pair of black runners for work. My black Bata shoes is dying on me. haha!! And I want comfortable shoes seeing that I am on my feet the whole day.

Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! When will this spending stop?? So much for wanting to save up for a car.....

Another one....

Another earthquake in Christchurch today....

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10731991

Stay strong christchurch!!!! I really wonder when this will all stop..... 

After all the waiting and the spending....

IELTS test: AUD 160
Postage of IELTS application to Malaysia: AUD 48
Health check : AUD 303
Australian police check  + bank cheque + postage: AUD 49.20
Postage fees for NZ police check: AUD 2.50 (i love how you do not need to pay anything to get a NZ police check!!!)
Malaysian police check: AUD 11
Accommodation at Canberra for police check: AUD 93
Academic transcript: AUD 22
Skills assessment: AUD 330
Health insurance: AUD 66.30
Application fees for Australian PR: AUD 2575

Total spending to obtain an australian PR: AUD 3660


To know that the wait is now all over: Priceless :)

Obtaining this PR was by far the most grueling process ever!!! Didn't know there was so much to do, so much to spend, so long to wait. I hope this will be the end of all applications and that I do not need to go through this anymore. I HATE paperwork. I first encountered it when I had to apply for my student exchange to Canada. So many deadlines to meet in such short period of time.

I then had to go through the whole process again for my application to do my masters in Sydney. It is getting the other required documents together, finding a justice of peace part that was such a pain. I thought that will be the last of all paperwork as I do not intend to study anymore after this.

And then...... I had to apply for my physio registration in Australia. So much paperwork as well. And the wait was freaking darn long which affected my job applications. I couldn't get some positions because I didn't have my physiotherapy license yet. I submitted my application way back in November 2010 and only got it at the end of February 2011. I remembered walking into the AHPRA office 6 freaking times to ask about my registration. They claimed that I needed to send in my IELTS results for proof of english but I actually didn't need to because I sent it my NZ high school results. But because my cert said University of Cambridge (i did A levels back in high school), they claimed it's not a school in NZ. Seriously WTF... I was so mad then.

And whilst I was chasing up for my physio registration and also looking for a job, I was also applying for my PR. It all started on jan 14th. The day after I landed in sydney. I had to get all of the above listed ready along with reference letters from my clinical educators before submitting my PR application. I took me 1.5 months to get those documents ready I tell you. A lot of waiting. Waited for the reference letters to come in before I can get my skills assessment done, waited for the skills assessment to be done, waited for my nz and australia police check, travelled far and waited one whole morning for my msian police check, waited for the results of my medical check up.... wait wait wait wait wait. After all those waiting,  I then submitted my application on the 7th of March. And from then on, it was one last final waiting game.

I didn't really mind the final waiting game. I was told a minimum of 3 months from the 21st of March. And hence, I wasn't really waiting. I mean, I will only REALLY start 'waiting' from the 21st of june. That was the plan. My parents and aunt kept on asking me.. when are you getting your PR? Have you heard anything from them yet? I think you should contact them and chase them. When? When? When? That was the part that bugged me. It was like... Hello? It's a minimum of 3 months, so don't ask me yet till that 3 months is over. I will only start chasing them after 3 months because the letter did say - minimum 3 months!

Come 6th of June... I checked my email and Voila! Your visa have been granted!!! I was so shocked to see that. I didn't expect it to be approved so soon. As the email said, minimum 3 months from the 21st of March. No case officer contacted me prior to that or anything. No interview, nothing. It was so unexpected. In a good way of course :) Hehehehe.... and so, I let out a huge sigh of relief.

I feel quite complete right now. Got a job that I'm enjoying and got my PR. I can start making plans now. Holiday plans...before that, I had to put all plans on hold. For the past few months, I felt trapped. Like a prisoner here. Because I had no idea when I can leave the country. Now.. I can!!!!! The only uncertainty is what happens after the 14th of November..... but no biggie right now... I got my PR! I can apply for public hospital jobs if my contract doesn't get renewed.... Wooooohooooooooo!!!!!!

i deprived an old lady from her frame :p

I need to learn cantonese. So there's this old lady in the hospital who only speaks cantonese. she's been in australia for over 20 years but knows hardly any english. it's so bad trying to communicate with her. and because i'm asian, she automatically spoke cantonese to me right away and as i understood a little, i couldn't ignore what she was saying. The few words I know in cantonese is " kay chek di (stand up straight)", "dai bou di (bigger steps)", "cho, hei san, cho, hei san (sit, stand, sit, stand)", " tong ma (is it painful)?", "tak mm tak (can or not)?" .... other than that..... i am pretty much useless. It's been quite ok for the last two weeks as i was able to improve the way she walks and getting her to do the exercises. But today, as I gave her walking sticks instead of a walking frame, she was so reluctant. I wanted to tell her that she has to progress, she has to improve, she can't rely on the walking frame all the time if she wants to get better. But I have NO IDEA how to say that. I tried explaining to her but she doesn't seem to get the idea and kept insisting she wants the walking frame. And so... when she was in the toilet today, I sneaked into her room, took her frame away and replaced it with two walking sticks. So, I pretty much stole a frame from an old lady :S And when she saw me in the afternoon, she asked where's her frame.. and due to my limited cantonese.. i answered "mo zho, ngo mm chi (no more, i don't know) ".... I feel so bad lying to her... she could so tell that i'm lying to her because there's like a few frames lying around the gym when she walked in.. ohhh well...............

I really need to learn cantonese!!!

The wait is over...

My residence visa is granted :) Today :D

Have I found a new sport this year?

So despite my sore calves from my run yesterday, I agreed to trying dragon boating this morning. Afterall, it's my calves that hurt, not my arm. Was dragged by Lucas simply because he didn't want to be the only new one so he called me along.

The place was at Pyrmont just by the waters which is really close to where I stay. 5-10 min walk. Met lucas there at 9.  Lucas's friend who introduced him to dragon boat have really nice looking arms. Hey, I still can stare OK! Lol!! I just appreciate nice bodies, that's all. Hehehe....

There were quite a lot of people there as dragon boating is a team sport. The boat fits 22 people. 20 paddlers, a steerer and a caller. There were 18 people this morning and quite a few new ones so we didn't feel that left out. We were quickly briefed on how to hold the paddle, how it should enter and exit the water and how the body position should be. They didn't overload us with too much information because they know we would forget it anyway once we get into the boat and start paddling.

This sport actually involves more of the shoulders and the torso rather than the arms. The leg position is also very important and it has to be really glued to the ground. Timing is key in this sport because if you're not in sync with the rest, you would actually be creating resistance and also you would be hitting the paddle of the person in front of you (which is what I was doing most of the time.. lol!). We started with long strokes and then later on with fast and short strokes. The caller was like shouting  85%, 95%, 100% in terms of the power we should put in but to me, I find myself pretty much going 100% all the way. Lol! My shoulders and my bum were so sore!!! Halfway through, I was so tired I just took my paddle out of the water and just enjoyed the view. We went around Rozelle Bay and Blackwattle Bay, just under the Anzac Bridge. It was a sunny morning and the view was just awesome. The boat was still moving of course because not like I make any contributions anyway. Haha! The boat probably moved faster without me paddling and creating the resistance. Lol! Towards the end, we did like sprints, i.e. fast and short strokes and omg!!! My whole body was rocking forward and back at one point and I almost flew off my seat because I didn't glue my feet into the ground. Your whole body moves in dragon boating, not just your arms as you use your trunk. OoooOoooO!! perhaps I could get some abs with this sport? Hehehehe.....And also maybe I can get some biceps n triceps too.... I need them ok!! I need to get bigger arms because my arm band keeps sliding down when I run... lol!

I find this sport quite like swimming. For swimming, the angle your arm enters and exit the water is important. The stroke is important. We will forever be corrected with our strokes and it takes lots of time and practice to get it right. Your body position is crucial to maintain streamline and reduce the resistance. Dragon boating is just like this...except it has the timing component and it's a team sport. It is usually done during summer when the weather is warmer and now is actually the end of the season and they are just doing it socially and perhaps getting more people into it.

Would I do it again? For now, it's a yes.....provided Lucas still goes because I do not really know anyone there that well. They are all quite friendly though and we all went for breakfast after. I do not know how long I would stick to it tho but it would be nice to make it a new sport for me this year. Hehehe... It's a good opportunity to get some upper body strength. Arms and back. Good sport to get stronger back muscles too. And.....think lean, toned, muscular arms on me.... hehehehe... I used to have it during my swimming days but now it's no longer there. Well, it is but smaller... lol! My arms are still my favourite part of my body. Hahahaha!!! Yes, I know. I am probably the only girl who wants muscular arms. Just hope it doesn't make my shoulders broader since it does involve the shoulder quite a bit. Plus, it's so near my place and I still can sleep in till 8.30 on Sundays. And... at least my weekends will be a tad more interesting rather than just being a couch potato and running.

So... dragon boating... my new sport this year? Perhaps.. very well perhaps....:p

Looking forward to next weekend!!!

Guilty as charged

It has arrived!!!!! It has arrived!!!!! After 2.5 weeks of waiting..... hehehehe...

Details of my recent online spending will be up soon!!! Oh gosh.. I need to stop myself!!!!!

Friday the 13th!

The very first time I heard of Friday the 13th was back in college. Everyone was so afraid of this day. I think I was too. But then I remembered a lot of good things happened to me on that very day. I can't remember what exactly and I was searching through my old posts and I couldn't find anything about it. I didn't blog about it because it wasn't really a big deal I guess.

On Thursday, the new physio was telling me the following day is Friday the 13th and asked if I was worried and superstitious. And I was like.. nahhhh.. I always have good luck on Friday the 13th. If I recall back, I am always happy on Friday the 13th.

Come Friday, it was my last day working at the two facilities in Wahroonga as I handed over everything to the new physio and return back to Manly and Narraweena next week. The big boss that owns several facilities was there as well as the manager. I wanted to talk to them to tell them what we have done and so to help them with the funding stuff because they don't seem to have a clue on what we have been doing so far. (eventhough I seriously don't give a shit about it) But they shut me off because they were busy with other stuff as they are in quite a big trouble and in some sort of deadline. They freaking LITERALLY slammed the door on me. How rude. I even knocked the door and they opened it and just said "We're busy" and wham!!! I didn't even get to say anything. Far out! It just made me even happier that I'm leaving Wahroonga. I pity the new physio though... he's also in my position.. new grad, international student and awaiting PR and hence not easy to get a job in the public sector.

In the afternoon, we went to the facility next door. The staff there are way friendlier and they even said goodbye to me and thanked me for what I have done in the past 4 weeks. How nice of them. I enjoyed my time there and was a little sad to leave. But what happened this morning with the big boss just pissed me off so much.

So as I was doing the usual, seeing patients and working my miracle hands.... I had a missed call and a voice mail. It was regarding my interview last week and I had to ring back. Did not know if I got it or not but my heart was beating really fast. It was the same feeling I had when I got a call from Lady Davidson Hospital at the start of the year. I called back, and I was told I wasn't successful. And hence, this time, I wasn't putting too high hopes in it. I was telling myself to calm down and expect to get rejected.

I rang back. But he was busy.

So I went to see another patient. Was so happy she finally let me go near her shoulders after 4 weeks!! She felt better after the treatment and she had more range in it.

And then my phone rang....

him: "thank you for coming for the interview last week. unfortunately...*as i heard this, i was shattered....* the permanent full-time position has been taken up" *in my head, great...just.. great....*

him: "However, we would like to offer you a 6 months locum position for now and with a possibility of extending if the staff numbers change and if you perform well"

*screams in my head... WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!*

I asked about the pay...He gave me a number but then and there, I didn't realize it was way less than what I am currently getting. But ... I just accepted the job.

I calculated how much less it was....so much for saving up on a car now. But I was still over the moon. That was how bad I wanted out on my current job. That was how much I wanted this position, this opportunity.

And so, I am now proud to say I am no longer driven by money. I'd trade in money for knowledge. Me crossing my fingers on the 5th and 6th of May paid off. I got what I wanted. The opportunity to learn and grow.

Handed in my resignation letter last night. One more week with the oldies. I would miss them actually. But I am not going to miss how I am being treated by the company. I am not going to miss running around the whole like a crazy woman, seeing 30 patients a day.

One more week of buses, trains and ferries. Soon, it will just be trains and buses. One more week of not learning and soon I will have to start turning on my brain.

Soon... you will hear me ranting about presentations that I will have to prep for. Soon, you will hear me whining about the amount of revision I have to do after work. I'd probably whine about getting less pay but doing more homework.

But... it is for my own good. It is work that is going to help me improve myself as a physiotherapist. I am ready to face the challenges ahead... I have asked for it. And I know... it will pay off. Suffer now and enjoy the rewards later. It's what I call, GOOD suffering. Just like how there's good pain and bad pain. Hehehe...

And so, Friday the 13th... Another good day for me :D woooottttt!!!

Old people are like little kids

I think this is very true. They do not listen and you need to bribe them, praise them, before you can get them to do anything. You sometimes need to trick them so that you can get things done. They are probably even more stubborn than little kids. 

Despite all the negativity, there is one part of them that are like little kids that makes you smile. The bond they create with you in such a short amount of time even though they do not know you that well...

As I walked into my patient's room today... his eyes lit up ...

Patient: You!!!!! I thought you weren't coming back anymore!! Why didn't you come yesterday??

Me: Sorry. I was very busy. I promise I'll see you today and the next two days.

Patient: What about next week?

Me: Next week you will get a new physio. I'm going to a different nursing home next week. 

Patient: No!! Why?? 

Me: Because that's where they put me. Don't worry, the other physio is very good.

Patient: No. You stay, he go...

Me: No no, I can't. He is very good. He'll give you really good massage.

Patient: No, it won't be as good as yours. You stay, he go! I pay you more.

Me: Sorry. I will give you a longer treatment time today and I promise to see you on Thursday and Friday.

Patient: Ok, you PWOMISE!! See you tomowoww....

And then he tries to reach for my hands but because of the limited range he has in his shoulder and the weak strength in his hands, he couldn't. He looked a bit disturbed and sad throughout the treatment. I felt touched... and at that point, I do feel a little sad that I have to leave by the end of this week. Because initially, I was happy I do not need to travel to two different workplaces anymore and can be permanent in one. But now... I am a little sad....

I have a soft spot in my heart for kids... and now, I guess I do have a soft spot for the oldies too :S