Richmond - bigger than you think?

I was very pleased to find out that we have over 14,000 people living in Richmond. I thought that it was pretty cool until someone pointed out that my school in chch had about 2,000 pupils. That means it's only 7 of my old high school! oh dear, at least we can say that we're down to earth...

My cousin Lin and I went to the richmond summer yesterday. This market occurs once a year. Managed to score some bargains at the secondhand book stall. woo hoo!

I'm meeting up with my dear friend Yasmin today. She's young, beautiful, intellegent with a wonderful heart for God. hehehe, almost sounds like a personal.

I'm blogging while in my dining room in Richmond with 3 people in the ajoining kitchen. There are few moments when I'm alone in the house. It's not actually a big thing, quite a pleasant contrast to being home alone in chch. I'm constantly getting interrupted but oh well :)

home sweet home

It's so good to be back in NZ. Just walking into my house. It has a distinctive home smell to it, not stinky, just homely. It's sooo incredible to be back home. It's really late yet I'm not sleepy. There just seems to be a lot that needs doing.

Traveling is fun but it's soooo good to be home. One of the things that I LOVE about traveling is coming home. I appreciate it more everytime :)

hmmm, restlessness. It's 2am but I'm not ready for bed. strange. Oh well. I'm going to sort through my mail now. Maybe that will help.

good bye Hong Kong

It's so sad. I had lots and lots of cool things to write about when I was in HK but I was so busy with all the cool things that I didn't actually have time to write about it. HK was fantastic for so many reasons. The vibe, the ppl, the food, the real coffee, the pampering and just all the fun that is waiting to be had.

For once in my life, I felt like I belonged. You see, there are lots of expats in HK and many of them are asian looking (like myself). I met asians from England, Whales, Canada, Australia, NZ... you get the picture. They were either born in a western country or grew up in one. Proud to see an asian when they looked in the mirror but very aware that they were pretty white on the inside.
On top of this...

There were plenty of Christians that drank. I don't mean drinking til you're drunk, but ones that could appreciate a few drinks. Going out and doing the usual things that I enjoy and being on a similar wavelength to myself. It was great.

Tues- I went to Macau for the day. You actually have to get your passport stamped cos it's an international destination. Different currency too. Sorta funny that my first portugese experience was in Macau, only a 1 hour boa ride from HK.

Hong Kong

I arrived yesterday and I already like this place. Politeness and curteousy seems to be a lot more prevalent here. Aaaand, I can access my blog. Woo hoo.

Kristy lives in the new territory, just north of Hong Kong. The view from her family's 58th floor apartment is spectacular. I will definitely take lots of photos. The building has about 75 floors so that makes the Jaimao Tower seem very unimpressive in comparision. I left my guide and map of Hong Kong at the apartment this morning but that's alright, I think I'll just wonder around near Kristy's work this morning.

Kristy's office is right above a cafe. "Graze Cafe", the company that she works for owns it. I had real coffee this morning. I don't mean starbucks but actual coffee with real milk. Yaaaay, it was a fantastic way to start the day. So now? I'm off to explore my surroundings.

http://hk.bcmagazine.net/hk.bcmagazine.issues/bcmagazine_webissue237/12megabites.html

Shanghai in Style

It's been so long since I last posted. It seems that when there are lots of cool things to blog about, there just isn't anytime to do so.

I spent 3 days with a friend from high school. Dave, he's in China at the mo teaching english. He managed to get a few days off so we could hang out in Shanghai.

 

Day 1.

The markets. Firstly, we went to the biggest market, Chipulu. This experience with Dave, Kenji and Peter was completely different to when I went with mum, Danny and XiaoYi. You see, the second list of people don't stand out in a crowd of chinese ppl (apart from the fact that we're incredibly good looking of course). So... Dave (the tall white boy) and Kenji (the Japanese boy) attracted lots of hagglers. It was horrible!! They kept following us around, trying to take us into certain stores. I hated it! I felt so preyed upon. It was intense and I didn't feel safe at all! It's one of the few times in my life that ever second word it my head was a swear word or some kind of aggressive phase :(  We didn't stay there for as long as we initially planned. There wasn't much that Dave saw anyway so it was no great lost. We didn't have this problem at Jiang market. In between this, we went to Nanjing Rd to have lunch at one of the side restaurants. It was a noodle place where you get to pick and choose the vegetables, meats, meatballs and tofu. It was quite nice and very cheap.

 

Before we left Jiang market, I needed a coat since it was almost evening and I was starting to get cold. This meant that I didn't have to go back to the hotel to get one. I can't say that I do that regularly in NZ. Kenji and Peter left after that since they had dinner plans. Dave and I came across a CD and DVD store. It looked nice so we went inside, down some steps which led to a slightly dodgy looking store. They were selling DVDs for 8 yeun each! pirated ones ofcourse. I checked out the CDs. They were alot more expensive. I'm not certain about whether they were pirated or not.

 

Haagen Daz icrecream was the next stop. Really yummy but definitely western prices.

 

We walked aroung afterwards looking for the mexican restaurant that was in out guide book. It didn't exist. We found a posh looking french restaurant. We decided to share a bottle of wine. Wine is 2-3 times the price of what would be charged in or the rest of the world. They had Montana Pinot Noir that we can get in most NZ supermarkets for about $15 and many restaurants for about $35. They charged $80. We went for an Australian Pinot. They didn't have the tasting notes and our waitre couldn't tell us what each bottle was like. Our choice fortunately turned out to be good and the waiter did an above average job of serving it, better than many NZ restaurants.

 

Day 2.

We walked along the bund river, had brunch at another western restaurant (my chicken and avocado grilled sandwich was fabulous) before crossing the river to explore the other side. We discovered that the observation deck of the Jaimao tower (on the 84th floor) that we wanted to go to would cost us 70 yuen. I called Danny. He gave us the inside info. He told us that we could get onto the 87th floor for free if we went to the bar and restaurant instead. We spent a few hours in the Shanghai historical meusum before browsing in the giant mall. We were waiting for 5pm to arrive which was when the bar in the Jaimao tower ("Cloud 9")would open up. While walking there, Dave observed that I was hungry. He commented that I get quiet just before meal time. So we did a detour. Thai restaurant. It was ok. Their Papaya salad made me happy though. By the time we arrive at Cloud 9, the city lights were out. We enjoyed the 100 million dollar view while sipping on cocktails. Oh the life!

 

We went back to the hotel to freshen up and so I could get more of my money off my brother. The taxi fair was quite expensive. Danny and his 2 flatmates said that the taxi driver probably took us for a detour. We've learnt to always grab the taxi receipts. They suggested where Dave and I could go for a night out on the town. They weren't keen on coming out because they had school the next day and 2 of them were quite sick also.

 

The taxi driver dropped us off. We got the impression that the bar that we wanted was close by. We wandered briefly before deciding to go into a nearby mall to ask for directions. We asked a styly girl at the counter. We told us about a bar at the top of the mall and said she'd take us there. We were treated very well. She gave us her card and said we could contact her whenever we came. Aparrently there was a cover charge but she said we were with her. Then we filled in our names and email addresses before getting a free drink voucher and having 2 people finding us a good table. The place was very popular and way more hip and funky than any bar that Dave's found in China. We had a few drinks (expat prices) and danced the night away. In between that, we had a photographer taking a few pics of us and at one stage, the bar top was lift of fire and there were bar men pouring drinks into people's mouths. Fun Times!!

 

Day 3.

We slept in. We caught the bus to People's square, walked through people's park before finding a flash thai restaurant at the top of a mall. We were hungry and lots trat of how many dishes we ordered. Turned out to be 7 dishes!! It was no surprise that we didn't finish it all. One of the dishes that we ordered was gross so it was really only 6, but still!

 

We went to the Shanghai museum. We had just over an hour since the museum was closing at 5pm. We later went to the foriegn book store so that Dave could get a few novels to read. Then we walking along Nanjing Rd, it was absolutely beautiful. We were grinning from ear to ear that we were hanging out in Shanghai, living a high roller's lifestyle. We enjoyed some yummy desserts and snacks before heading back to the hotel so that Dave could grab his things.

 

We said "see you in Christchurch" to each other and goodbye to 3 fabulous days of our lives

The Circus

We went to see the Shanghai Circus earlier this week. It was incredible!!! There were no animals, just lots of ridiculously talented people doing the most amazing things. I don't even know where to begin. There were women that were as flexible as if they didn't have any bones yet strong enough that they could support other humans being balanced on top of them. There were insane dirt bike stunts, ferrus wheel stunts, a man throwing and catching large clay pots as if they were rubber balls; and much much  more! We were all every impressed. We found it to be more entertaining than the Kung fu show in Beijing (though that was brilliant too).

Sickness

I'm not well at the mo. Wasn't feeling 100% when we were leaving Shanghai and now it's just gotten worse. I'm not doing much today so hopefully one day's rest will put me back on tract. Prayers in general is much appreciated - thanks 

Sleeping Beauties

Mum and Danny had lunch and went straight to sleep. I'm still awake cos I'm tough (and clearly don't need anymore beauty) ;). We got back late last night from our trip to Suzhou and Hanzhou (they're both neighbouring cities to Shanghai). It was lots of fun but very exhausting too. A lot was packed into 2 days. Unfortunately we couldn't book with an english speaking touring agency for these two places, so we booked with a government touring agency instead. It included train tickets, accommodation and tours around the two cities. Hmmm, probably wasn't the best plan. It turned out to be a bit of a rip in some respects. The train ride was pretty terrible (by most ppl's standard). Danny has caught the train to Hanzhou before and he said it was VERY comfortable yet very affordable. He said that the agency must have gotten us VERY cheap train tickets. I wish I can go on some website to bad mouth that agency (and not get in trouble - I don't think they value freedom of speech here) since they would have made a decent profit even if they had gotten us proper tickets!

 

That's the main thing about the trip that I needed to get off my chest. Now that that's over... Suzhou and Hanzhou are both beautiful in their own ways. Suzhou is known to many as the Venice of China. It's a city with many rivers and waterways within it. We saw many Pagodas, went boat riding to capture some of the main attractions of the ciy. We went to another silk factory (much bigger than the one in Beijing). I bought many silk merchandise and learnt that silk doesn't burn (unlike other fabric). We went to many other touristy places before heading off to Hangzhou. We also went to a place that made and sold clay tea pots. One of them was very impressive. when you put a tea cup in a certain spot, the pot automatically pours and then stops when you remove it. No electricity or batteries needed. I didn't buy anything, partly because my budget wouldn't allow me (they were all very expensive), but also cos there was no real need. Danny already brought clay tea pots to NZ when he visited in September.

 

The highlight of Hangzhou would have to be the tea tasting. Tea appreciation in China is like wine appreciation in NZ (and other parts of the world). It is so much better than any asian tea that you can get in NZ! There were many different flower teas also. You place one into a glass, add hot water and watch as the flower expands. It looks beautiful and is drinkable (but expensive!) I loved it. I bought some tea to take back home with me. Mum said that China's dodgy and there is a chance that what I bought isn't what I tasted. She said that her and her friends experienced this when they toured around China last year. I haven't tried any of my teas but I really hope mum's wrong this time.

Chinese Experiences

In China, it seems that "complimentary and alternative medicines" are sorta more mainstream that "conventional" western medicines. It might seem like I'm stating the obvious but when I think of mainstream chinese medicine, I think of the country side and "the old times". I'm in Shanghai where it's very modern and skyscrapers are constantly being built at a ridulous rate (If it was up to the Shanghainese, the Queen St revamp in Auckland would take weeks rather than months/years). This is a part of the world that it definitely up with the play. I think that it's the most modern city in China (at least according to the lonely planet guide).

 

I went to the post office yesterday to send a few postcards to NZ. I excepted it to be similar to every other part of the world that I've been to. Since its just a post office right? Go there, get some stamped, wet the back of the stamp and stick it on. Or if you're fancy like NZ, you can get sticker stamps instead. Once I was at the counter, I was given three stamps for each postcard. While this transaction was taking place, 2 people had entered the building also and decided to wait right next to me. My personal space was being horribly violated by these strangers. I wanted to to turn to them and say "BACK OFF" but I can't speak chinese. Once I paid for all my stamps I was directed to a table to put the stamps on myself. I had no intention of licking the stamps. I think it's gross enough in NZ! At the table, I didn't find anything to moisten my stamps with. Only a big ugly pottle of glue and a well used brush. "No way!" I thought. Yes, that's the norm in China. regardless of whether you're in a big modern city or in a rural town, that's how you put stamps on.

Beijing

I had a fabulous time in the capital city with my family. We definitely did Beijing with style and a good balance of sightseeing, dining, minimal shopping and R&R at the hotel. The sites that we saw included the Great Wall, Tinamen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. We also went and saw a kong fu show. It was very entertaining and contained many of the things in chinese theatre that we wanted to see. It definitely target the tourist (and charged tourist prices) but i still recommend it if you don't plan on seeing many shows in China. It offers the works :) Also, we got to take pictures with the main actors afterwards :)

 

We went out for dinner with Danny's friend Jo one evening. I was so good to catch up with him. He first moved to NZ for study about 8 years previously and Danny was one of the first friends he had. We couldn't quite believe that we'd known each other for that long. Since I was in 7th form and High School doesn't feel like nearly a decade ago... anyway, dinner was absolutely delicious. I finally got to eat real Peking Duck (it puts NZ peking duck to shame!)

 

The hotel did my homesickness some good. We stayed at the China World Hotel which has an international platinum 5 star rating. All the staff (including the cleaners) spoke at least a little bit of english which mum and I were very pleased about (can't  say the same about where we're staying in shanghai though). There were so many western comforts like western beverages aaand my bed was actually comfortable (Chinese beds are like rocks). We started each day with a buffet breaky that consisted of western and eastern cuisine, and plenty of different fruit to choose from. It was devine. There were so many cooked breaky things like waffles, crispy bacon, pancakes. There was also congee and things but since i can get that easily in shanghai, I didn't bother. Anyway, there was just so much variety and best of all, there was real milk! All you in white-people land need to appreciate the milk that we have. It's hard to explain but the milk in China just doesn't taste right.

 

In saying that, there are also many good things in China that you can't get in NZ; like quality Yum Cha, a vast selection of  fresh fruit and veggies, 24-hour everythings (eg. haircut), pretty much a large selection of most things within any budget range. E.g. You can find hundreds of shoes in the under NZ$15 range aaand still, you can do the same if you're looking for shoes in the NZ$300+ range (mind you, you often get the quality that you pay for).

Chinglish

I love this crazy place. everytime you get into a taxi, you're greeted by an recording. First in Mandarin, then in English. "welcome to take my taxi" and there's a sign saying "mental patients or drunkards are prohibited from taking the taxi without guardians", very PC

culture shock

yes, I'm asian and very proud of my asian-ness but all the asian-ness that I've accumulated over the years could not prepare me for China.

I feel like a fresher... I can't speak the language. It's completely alien to me. I've been to countries where I can't speak the language properly before but this is the first time that I'm completely clueless on the dialect. It doesn't help that I look chinese. Everyone starts speaking to me in Mandarin. I'vee learnt to say "I don't understand" in Mandarin. It's going to be hilarious when I meet up with David next month. It'll be a little asian girl and a tall white boy frolicking around china. Everyone will talk to the girl but it'll be the white boy that will be translating to the asian girl! good times! hehehe

Ching is insane. But there is method to it's madness :) firstly, the Land and Transport Safety Authority does not seem to exist here. Aparently there are road rules but you wouldn't survive if you relied on them. Once you understand the unwritten road rules in China, "bad asian drivers" are actually really skilled! It definitely takes alot of skills to do a U-turn on a busy 3-laned road or be part of a highway merge (13 lanes down to 4!). Oh, and with all the chaos, no one wears a seatbelt! Also, pedestrians beware! When the green man appears at a pedestrian crossing, this means "cross at your own risk" whereas the red man means "cross if you want to die!".

We went to the supermarket today. That was an adventure in itself. Will continue to take lots of pictures and will post them up one day when I can teach Pete how to do it. Stay tuned

The great chinese experience

So this is the craziest country ever! i can't access my blog or anyother for that matter. Because somehow, it's a threat? I'm just writing about my adventures. oh well. Peter Sin is such a darling that he's going to post all my blog post for me :) this also means that if there's anything dodgy in it, I take no responsiblity since until I've arrived in Hong Kong.

 

I've been here for 2 days now. I met mum, danny and Xiao Yi (Danny's girlfriend). Her name sounds like Shelly, I'm very to just call her that. Mum arrived at 6am while I arrive at 10am. We pretty much arrived to hit the ground running. We checked into our hotel (which is literally around the corner from Danny's apartment), before getting a 2hour massage. it was sooo cheap. Less than $20 each! Shanghai is a beautiful city. Full of ppl from all different walks of life (lots of asians though).

 

I've experienced some very interesting things while I've been here already. here's a tip, NEVER eat fish in china.I ordered a fish dish last night and was asked to go choose one from the fish tank. I didn't think I'd have too much of a problem with it but when I got there and had to give one a death sentence, it was tough. ... The ugliest, angriest looking one was chosen. The biggest blow came in the form of the bill. 600 yuen which is about NZ$120!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kid you not! Never again.

 

I had shark fin soup on my first night here. yummmmmy :) was expensive but not $120! I don't think I can consider NZ's shark fin soup to be remotely authentic now.

 

I've had two shopping experiences so far. The first was in a mall.Everything was expensive, even the 50% off stuff. They had all the great brands though like DKNY, LV, Prada... even more impressive than houston's galleria. I was looking at a few bras and the lady asked for my size. Xiao Yi translated for me but since it was NZ sizing, the lady asked if she could measure me.

I say "ok".

 

She brings out a tape measure and measures my chest diameter. That's the first step. Pretty harmless... it's what's done in NZ. Then... she grabs my right breast for a split second. I was horrified. "she touched my boobies!!!" Aparently that's how they measure cup size in China! this was in a proper mall wear things cost 100s-1000s of dollars!!!!! at least I won't have to go through that again.

 

My second experience: the market. WHat a baaaargin! Aaaand you can bargin :) anywho, this is a long enough blog. Lunch calls

The holiday begins

I'm in Sydney at the mo. Transitting through for 5.5hours. 2 have already past and I'm yet to be bored. Maybe it's the fact that I've had such an intense week leading up to this trip that I haven't had time to adjust. My majorily exhausting last-week of school finished at 5pm on Friday and from then I had 40 hours to pack, socialise, organise another holiday in January so perhaps doing very little is actually quite refreshing.

So... am I excited about going to Shanghai. The obvious answer is "yes", obviously. But really? am I? You'd think that now I'm in another country, in the middle of my journey that I'd be more energic. I think that it'll finally hit when I actually get into Hong Kong since sydney isn't that different from NZ. 

So, I'm sorry that this isn't more interesting but this post is simply to say that "yes", I will be blogging about my asian adventure. Watch this space ;)

R & R

I'm warm, rested, and well fed. For those that don't know me, this pretty much ensures that I'm happy. I'm done some work for school (which I'm pleased about). Also, I just checked my bank account. I recieved my first pay! Woo hoo! It's pretty exciting. I'm all grown up

Tired

Work is tiring. 6pm-midnight is long especially when you're on your feet the whole time (aaand when you have to get up for school the next morning). I'm feeling a little under the weather today. I've taken the day off so I should be fine by tomorrow. My feet hurt. I'm going to invest in some compfy black shoes for work. I thought that I'd hold out until I've received my first pay check, but alas, it must be done. oh well, enough with the moaning. I guess it makes me appreciate that I'm going to be a doctor some day... :) And having the part time job is helping to teach me how to cope with long hours. Since I'm not on call for Healthcare of the elderly of General Practise, I have a pretty slack timetable (in comparision to 8am-11pm).

I'm suppose to be doing work, school stuff. You know, the kind that is important for my future career. I have no excuses not to. I really don't! Hmmm, I don't want to. very silly, I know. I've got OSCEs next week and so I really should. maybe I should go in search of a motivation tool. Until then... facebook is such a time waster but so tempting.

News

I've got so many great and wonderful things to share. Shame that when this happens, often I'm too busy to blog. silly that
Firstly, on Monday - I finally went to willowbank wildlife reserve and saw kiwis! It's funny how many NZers have never seen a kiwi. We all know what they are and know what they look like. Afterall, the Kiwi is our national bird. But since they're nocturnal creatures, we actually often have to intentionally go looking to find them to actually see a real live one!

Now, here's a story unrelated to birds. There's a point so be patient... After snowboarding last weekend, my shoulders were killing me so I eventually got a massage mid-week. It's what happens when you're crap at snowboarding. Anyway, on my way from getting the massage, I walked into this expensive french reastaurant because they were looking for experienced staff. I thought it's be fun to work in a high class place. Well, I spoke to the owner briefly. She thought that I'd be good for the upstairs which is very ponsy :) had my trial on Monday night. I've got a job so now I'm working at Le bon bolii parttime. They were very impressed that I could carry 3 plates and do silver servicing without being trained. You'd hope that I could do these things after all the waitressing I've done.
Since they're going to keep me upstairs, it means that I need to focus on quality over quantity. Serving wine properly etc.... no need to rush around or any such thing which is great! Oh, there's also the bonus of getting french food too. Mmmmm

I've been sewing this week. I've made a pleated skirt and have nearly finished another skirt too. I'm quite happy with this second skirt because I didn't buy a pattern for it aaand I taught myself how to put a zip on. woo hoo! just need to do the hem then I'm done!

I'm sure that there's more going on in the life of Thida that's worthy of blogging but sleep is vital for survival and sanity. -Bedtime

Another beautiful day

I went on an Ambulance run last night. It was interesting, got to see a few interesting things. I was there from 5.30pm-2am so it was tiring. I'm so glad that I'm not a parametic! There's so much driving involved. It was good to see what they do though.

I slept in til quite late today which meant that I missed the morning. But it's still a gorgeous day now. I don't really have much to say except that I'm going to go now and enjoy the weather

the waiting's over!

it went well people. very well :) MWA!

the wait

It's 40 minutes before my Neuro OSCE. As you can tell, I'm studying very hard at the moment ;)
Oh, it's going to be so good once it's over. HOLIDAYS! woo hoo, I'm excited.

My classmate, not to mention anyone in particular Nick Laing says "this is a typical ASIAN blog". Apparently because of the enthusiasm?! does this mean that whities and darkies are boring and subdued?? I think that he's just silly.

Meanwhile on the topic of silliness, another classmate has just asked me if this is my case report...

So, what are my plans for the holidays? Well, tecnically I don't start my holidays til Saturady since I've got an ambulance run on Saturday night. I'm going to be sewing and hanging out with friends and family. Might go snowboarding again if I get the chance. Oh... there's a very expensive french reataurant that is looking for an experience part time waitress. As a spare of the moment thing, I walked in and enquired. They want to try me out on Monday night. I have mixed feelings about taking the job just that I'm leaving the country in about 2 months. Buut, I've got just over a year to work as a waitress (or other non-doctor positions). After that, it'd be inappropriate for me to do that. WOuldn't be too good if a customer came in and thought "hey, that waitress looks like Dad's doctor at the hospital" lol.

Although it'll probably be a lot of fun, it'll also be time consuming too. Soo... Monday night will be both trial for me as well as a trial for the restaurant.

now...back to the present. I'm in the computer room now where some of my classmates are walking in and out either waiting to examine a patient or has just finished examing a patient. Hmm, interesting times. Better head off now. Wish me luck!

Perspective

I was having a bit of a downer last week. I wasn't too happy or thankful for much. I did not really a good attitude at all until I went to a MAPP meeting on Thursday. What's MAPP?Hmmm, one day I'll explain it properly but til then; tt's this group where med students meet to talk and plan ways to take medical aid to developing nations. Sorta save the world with doing what we can, one human at a time kinda stuff. sounds cheesy (partly cos I've made it sound that way), but it was just the kick in the backside that I needed to remind me of why I'm where I am. Made me realise just how blessed I am to be in my situation.

I've learnt that the little, tiny annoeying things don't really matter. Oooh, I've thought of an analogy. This analogy is pretty much for everyone that it capable of reading this blog. 1- you can read! 2- you have internet access. And besides, I'm sure that there are more wonderful things in your life than this. Anyway... it's like we've been given a silver plater with a selection of over 1000 different delicately hand crafted appetizers. All beautifully created. We try the first few and they're just so delicious. Then after a countless number of treats, we come to one that looks promising, it's just as beautiful as the previous ones we've eaten. We place it in our mouths expectantly. Shocked, we find that it's actually a disguisting morsal that contains a nasty ingredient (e.g. goat cheese - I hate goat cheese!). Now, we can pull a tantrum and through the silver plater away or actually just grab another piece. Surely, it can't get any worse. Chances are, the new peice will wash away that disguisting taste. What I'm trying to say is, embrass life and all it has to offer. Don't throw it away because crap happens. If anything, be thankful for the unpleasant things, makes you appreciate the pleasant more. Stops you from taking good things for granted.

So, how am I doing? I'm very well thanks. Life is great. I'm really enjoying geriactric medicine. Old people (in general) are endearing. They sometimes require a lot of patience but most are absolutely lovely. I'm finding this rotation to be very rewarding. Not to say that I'm going to become a geriatrition but I'm not ruling it out. I guess it's a bonus that I'm enjoying what I'm doing at present.

fun in the snow

I went to Mt Hutt today with Fi and Nick. I'm very sore now, haven't played "count the bruises" yet but the day was definitely worth the aches and pains. It was such a beautiful day. Warm -with a minimal breeze, the sun was out AAND there was fresh powder! I don't know if it can get much better than that!
My snowboarding has improved lots since this morning. It wasn't very good to start off with anyway but it's great to be able to notice an improvement after only 1 day :)
Went out for dinner to an Italian restaurant with a few friends tonight. Good food, great company. So all in all it's been a great day!

All is well - Red wine makes everything better ;)

Hmmm, so apparently there is still a reader out there in blog land - not to mention any names Abbey ;)
I guess that I was a little lonely and a little frustrated during the last blog. But I realise that it's not a good mind set to keep dwelling on. Partly because that's not the attitude to have if i'm to DEVELOP close relationships with ppl. Also, life's too short to be unhappy for too long. It's been an interesting week. Don't know if I've been asking more stupid questions than usual or I'm just noticing it more this week. Oh well, i guess that it's just all part of growing up. I've got to have a few minor imperfections otherwise I'd be just too perfect ;)
It's Simon's birthday today. Who's simon? He's a dear friend of mine since HS. we're all going out, listening to some jazz and just hanging. He's 24 now. Oh my goodness! hmmm, don't know if I'm ready to turn 24.
I'm off to Mt Hutt tomorrow. I've hired a board and boots aaand managed to get some wrist guards thrown in too. The rental dude was nice. it's good to be a girl :D I'm looking forward to a fun filled day on the slopes. Woo hoo!

Thinking out loud

Now that nobody really reads my blog, I feel a since of freedom. I guess partly cos I'm at the bottom and everything else is a bonus. But also, I can write whatever I like and not have to worry about being incredibly boring or negative or whatever.

To be perfectly honest, I've been feeling pretty crappy. I've spent a significant part of my day being annoed! I read the bible briefly before and that helped lots but then I got distracted. (Brief break to read my daily reading). Ok, my mind's a little clearer. It's times like this that I grow in God so I guess that I should be thankful. Hmmm, my negative mindset isn't exactly honoring God but I'm not going to pretend to be happy.

I'm having issues about putting certain ppl in their place. God has blessed me with some wonderful friends. The kind that are loyal, honest, loving, caring and will be there for me come what may. THEN there are others that are my more distant friends. I define close friends as those that have the virtues that I've discribed plus a few more. Some people haven't been blessed with some many dear friends as me. Their standard for close friendship is different. I guess I should stop complaining, show a bit of grace and be more thankful.

Ha! This blog has ended a lot more positively than I had anticipated :)

This is apparently ME!

I took a quiz and this is what I got.

You fit in with: Cool Jock, etc. You fit into the Cool Jock sort of stereotype. You're not only popular, but you also probably have a bunch of good friends who you can see eye-to-eye with.

'What highschool stereotype do you fit in with?' at QuizGalaxy.com

This is somewhat surprising. A part of me likes to think that the test is VERY silly and I really belong with the intellectuals :D

half the year is over

During a ward round this Saturady morning, there was myself, a fellow student, a trainee intern, 2 house surgeons, 2 registras and a consultant (lots of doctors). We were all gathered around a patient's bed. The patient was a little old lady who was very delighted to see me. I got called a "lovely little girl" by this very patient! A little girl??! I'm a grown woman that will be graduating as a a doctor in 2.5 years time. She was completely clueless as to how terrible her comment was. I was mortified and embarrassed :(

I'm half way through 2007. It's gone by so quickly. Apparently I've learnt half the things that I should have for 4rd year. Hmm, here's hoping.

Life has been interesting and challenging at times.

I'm on holiday at the mo. I've got quite a few things to do though
-ethics assignment
-Maori health assignment
-Pathology abstract
plus I'll be welcomed back to school with a couple of tests.

Now, the logical thing for me to do is get some of this out of the way during my holiday. The problem is... Can I be bothered?

I'm off to Wellington next Monday. That's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to catching up with people. I might be a bit of shopping while I'm there. Might.

I'm leaving for Shang hai in 4.5 months from now. I'll be there for just over 3 weeks, then I'll be in hong kong followed by Sydney. I'm be back home by Dec 17th.

I'm still got the whole of January free. I'm thinking of europe. This is my last big opportunity to travel for a month without any strings. After this, i'll still have my 3month elective which is part of our course. I can shoose to go virtually anyway in the world. One of my classmate's in planning on going to Antartica (at Scott base). As much as I'm looking forward to my elective, there'll be responsibilities while I'm away. It won't be all fun and games since I'll be at a hospital for most of the time. Like I said, this summer proper summer break.

Long time, no write

What can I say? You know me, I'm a woman of few words ;)

I know, it's been aaaages! Quite a few things have happened since my last post.
I've become fairly comfortable with the hospital setting. Life's not actually that hectic compared with last year, it's just different. I'm still adapting.

I'm got a housemate now :) Ekta, she's awesome. She's definitely a blessing to have and God's been using the two of us to speak to one another about our relationship with Him. We're both challenging each other in our walk with God in different ways which is fantastic (it's like prep for marriage or something lol).

I went to a Medical Christian conference in Queenstowm a couple of weekends ago. It was great to meet fellow medics around NZ and also catch up with ppl. It was an awesome weekend and a bit of a wake up call. It reminded us all about just how important salvation and God's love actually is. It also asked us to all think of ethics and about support around us.

Life. it's going well. i'm getting back on track with God. It's not that I was completely off target but it's a matter of knowing what matters most. School, it's busy to a degree but I'll do my best not to use "busy" as an excuse. At the end of the day, there's more to life than medicine. One of the desires of my heart is to have a home that is warm, inviting, nurturing, and a place that ppl can come to in order to revitalise. I definitely can't have that if I'm too busy to care :)

I went to Dunedin this weekend for a couple of friends' 21st. It was great to see them both all grown up and great to catch up with ppl too. I really enjoyed it and I've can to appreciate how important good friends really are.

Girl power :)

On Friday evening we had a Med Stein (afterwork drinks) in the common room. I played a bit of pool then for my last game, I found myself playing with Catherine against 2 Trainee Intern guys. We weren't doing that well. i'd sunken 5 of our balls with 2 remaining but it was no use since the boys were on the black ball. I said "well, it was a good game. Catherine and I weren't far off". The boys gave a smile which meant "yeah right".

But is luck has it, the guy missed an easy shot on the black. So it was now Catherine's go. Would she be able to go from sinking no balls to sinking our 2 balls and the black, proving that she had just been "rusty" this whole time? YES!!!! we bet the TIs!! We were overcome with joy and ended up making a bit of a seen. The boys were beaten by 4th year girls! Fun fun

I went to an afternoon conference yesterday. It was all about being "uniquely woman". It was very informative but lots of fun at the same time. I don't know if I can do it justice on this blog but the speakers included a dietian, skin specialist, image consultant and motivational speaker. The conference covered the body, soul and spirit. It challenged us all to understand who we really are and not to let our roles (eg. student, mother) to definite who we are. It motivated us to live life to the fullest and not settle for the ordinary. Pretty much to live the life that we're created for.

Finally went to chruch today, "Evangelical Presbyterian Church". It's quite a small church with a diverse bunch of people. I really enjoyed it and will be going to the girl's bible study tomorrow night. But I'll definitely be checking out lots of churchs before planting my roots down.

restless night

Now, I'm usually a very deep sleeper but last night I woke up about 4 times during the night. I'd been biten by sandflies numerous times while I was in Akaroa and the ichy bites were now at their worst last night. It was horrible :( I know that I'm not suppose to cratch them but it's hard when you wake up to find yourself scratching

At least I don't have to be at the hospital today, otherwise I'm not sure that I'd be able to function at all!

Got a friend's birthday dinner to go to tonight and hopefully I'll be able to meet up with other friends later tonight at sparks in the park


I haven't gone to church since being in Chch but I have been listening to sermons on my laptop. I know that I need fellowship but I think that I'm doing ok at the mo. Will get on to it soon.

Trip to a Marae in Akaroa

So much has happen since I last blogged so I'm not going to bother writing about everything. However, in a nutshell, Jesse came to visit and had a great time then I started clinical.

As part of my course, we had to spend 3 days on a Marae in Akaroa in order to learn about Maori health. I just got back from it. It was amazing! The setting was beautiful and the food was absolutely devine. And most importantly, the whole experience has made me appreciate and respect Maori people so much more. It's been an exhausting few days but I got a lot out of it and really enjoyed myself.

It was such a priveledge of be a part of the marae visit. The tutors that we had were all very passionate about Maori health which made the hole experience so much better. I think that I now have a much better understand about Maori health and feel more confident about treating Maori patients appropriately.

I'm in another internet cafe

I'm reached a new low. I've got Danny to the right of me and Ken (his friend to the left) both playing war craft. In my defence though, I'm blogging instead of being a geek. Blogging's cool and not geeky right? right?

Anyway... life's pretty good. Can't think of any exciting adventures to share with you all. Although, I did have a hot date with Mary! She's my brother's ex-girlfriend's mum. Hmmm, close family, yes. She's lovely.

I haven't started searching for a good church in chch, I kinda slept in on Sunday. We'll get there.

I saw the most adorable dog ever! ok, not quite as cute as Lukey (Em's dog) but still. Danny discribed the dog very well "He looks like a miniture bear". I couldn't help but smile at him and stare. He spotted me and I guess it was like love at first sight or something. He was on the other side of the road and ended up crossing over towards me. So gorgeous. I said hello and started patting him and then chatted with the owner for a bit so that I could spend a bit more time with the dog. He was definitely the highlight of my day. Made me smile :)

Life

In response to Abbey's comment. Yes, life's already pretty exciting but it's going to get even better. I've got my first day in the hospital on wednesday then Jesse will be here for a couple of days THEN I start my clinical training. Woo hoo! How exciting. Real patients!

There is going to be lots of socialising in the first couple of weeks which will be great. I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone and seeing what they all got up to for the summer.

Last night after hanging out with Catherine (movie, dinner then pool), I came back home to find Danny and his friends playing drinking games. I joined in on the festivities. Danny told everyone that his little sister's a good girl. I behaved myself :D We went into town and Danny introduced me to a lot of guys and told them to look after if I was out and any guys were giving me trouble. I had a great night out but I wouldn't be keen to do it on a regular basis.

Hot date

I've got a date with Catherine tonight :) we're going to the movies then out for dinner. should be lots of fun. I haven't seen the girls in months! She lots of fun and I love her (in a heterosexual way of course).

I was in the garden all of yesterday morning. Hmm, I think that I might go back out there later on today if it stops raining. The weeds at my place in chch have grown out of control! Danny asked our neighbour to recommend a gardener to us. The one she suggested was $50 per hour. Over my dead body!!! Even though i wouldn't be the one paying for it, I refuse to allow a loved one to pay that much for someone to pull out weeds. We're looking into other options now but in the meantime, I'll try to do as much as I can.

I've got a week before I start my clinical. Woo hoo! How exciting.

by the sea

I drove back down to Christchurch today. I decided to stop in Kaikoura to eat some Poppy Thai takeaways by the beach. After a very short period of time, seagulls started to join me one by one. I quickly became aware of how many of them there were and decided to move away from the beach. There weren't many humans around and the seagulls didn't seem afraid of me at all! They followed me. When I as about 50m away from my car, some of them started to cirle about 1.5m above me! There were also several seagulls sheaking. I was so frightened! I ran back to my car in one piece but I felt preyed upon :( Seagulls are evil creatures.

Life without the internet

Oh my! I've been without the internet since Thursday. Ok, it hasn't been that long and I have cheated by using my cell phone to check my gmail but still! I suffered ;)

I didn't realise how much I've taken it for granted that I could just use the internet at home. We've got broadband in chch and so there's not much point in me keeping a dial up account in Nelson so... no internet.

How am I able to blog then you may wonder. Well, I couldn't resist temptation any longer. I'm at an internet cafe. I think that I should be able to cope till Tuesday-only 2 more sleeps till then :)

Life in Nelson's been pretty sweet. Hmmm, good food... great company. I can't complain. I've been reading, sleeping, eating and doing a little bit of work at the restaurant when they need me. Today, I went out for breakfast and then watched a movie("Open Season") with my eldest brother and my sister in-law (Bunmy and Gail).

Addiction is not a good thing. I know. Prehaps it's my vice. But hey, it's not interferring with anything important or hurting my relationships so I think that it'll be just fine. It'll cost me 4 whole dollars BUT I think that my bank account will cope.

Christchurch

Hmmm, I came down with my brother to chch Yesterday. My furniture from Dunedin has arrived and I've begun the unpacking. I've got a lot of stuff so will need many days in which to complete it all.

We were in the car together for about 4 hours and managed to speak about lots of deep and meaningful things. The future... philosophy... family... children... business...

One interesting thing though is that he CAN'T imagine me having children. Ok, so I can't imagine it happening anytime soon but it's SLIGHTLY concerning to hear my big brother speak this way. I can definitely picture myself as a REALLY COOL grandma though. Hmmm, one day.

I missed Nelson last night. There's so many more people in our Nelson home than here in chch. I'm driving back up tomorrow morning to stay there for another week. I'll be working for a couple of days but will mainly to doing my own thing. It'll be cool to hang out with my family for that extra week.

Living in chch by myself might get a bit lonely this year. It's a good thing that this house isn't huge.

Titles and Labels

Are you a "non-religious person"? Atheist? Agnostic?

Here's the dictionary definition of an atheist:
"a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings"

Some "atheists" have said to me that it's not that they actively believe that God doesn't exist, it's just that there's not enough evidence to suggest otherwise. But...
"Atheism" is derived from 2 greek words. Alpha = negative theos=God

So, some people have decided that this title is not for them. Instead they have adopted the title of "Agnostic". Again it is derived from 2 greek words. Alpha=negative ginosko=to know
You may be wondering where I'm getting at with this. Well... I discovered yesterday that the Latin equivalent to "agnostic" is actually "ignoramus"!!!!! Hehehe, so perhaps "agnostics" would like to consider a different title

I'm still having fun in Nelson and entertaining myself with various things. Nothing exciting enough for me to share.

Still thinking

hmmm, i haven't written a post in several days now but I assure you that I'm still think. But the problem is writing down things that are blog-able yet interesting. oh well, flag attempting to be interesting. I'll just ramble!

Life's been pretty sweet. I've watched a couple of DVDs, worked for my mum, hang out with family. During my time in Nelson, I've been enjoying good food and great conversations.
.
I must say that I love my family. I really do. They're a great bunch of people. I'm thankful for them and I'm proud of them.

I've got church tomorrow morning which I'm looking forward to. Unfortunately, I haven't been spending much time with God this past week. I could come up with lame excuses but I won't bother. Ok, my mind's a blank canvas now. This is prehaps a good time to end my post and send a bit of time praying to God and listening to Him

20 Questions about 2006

1) Where were you when 2006 began?
I was at "The Cusp". It's a big outdoor event in Nelson

2) What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Hmmm, packing up my room in Dunedin to move to Christchurch. I don't like packing


3) What was your favorite moment of the year?
I had so many great moments. This year has been awesome. Going to the states was definitely a highlight though

4) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were
you?
Oh, on my actual brithday (Sunday 10th September), I was driving down from Christchurch back to Dunedin and I went out for Tepanyaki with Peter (my flatmate and little brother that I've adopted). But my brithday was celebrated numerous times that year. A friend threw a party for me in Christchurch on Saturday night. My lifegroup (bible study group) surprised me on Monday night. 2 guys from church showed up, one with a guitar and the other with a rose and askinging me to dance (long story). Then a birthday dinner later in the week. Good times. Oh, I'm 23

5) Were you in a relationship in 2006?
Yes


6) Did you breakup with anyone in 2006?
Yes - I trusted God even though I didn't fully understand His plans for me.


7) Did you make any new friends in 2006?
Sure did. Lots! Many of them are very dear to me now

9) What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your
memory, and why?
um, can't think of one


9) Did you travel overseas in 2006?
Yes, I went to Australia and America

10) What was the best book you read?
"Can Man Live Without God" by Ravi Zacharias

11) Did you miss anybody in the past year?
Yes quite a few people actaully, but that's ok. It just makes the heart grow fonder right?

12) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2006?
The Prestige - it was enjoyable to watch and it required a bit of thinking

13) What was your favorite song from 2006?
"JUMP" (by the pointer sistes I think) It brings back fond memorys with Abbey. Dancing in her apartment, in her car and just being silly. It's good to be a girl :)

14) Who were you most thankful for in 2006?
God's blessed me with a lot of dear friends that have each played a special role throughout the year. I don't have a favourite :)

15) What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done
before?
I stood in on heart surgery when I was in Tennessee. It was awesome!

16) What was your proudest moment of 2006?
During our last get together for the year with my lifegroup (bible study group) girls. We went out for dinner and bonded one last time before people started heading away. I could see how the girls had grown closer to God and to each other. How they had supported each other throughout the year and genuinely love each other. I felt so proud of them all and proud to be a leader. I was so scared at the begining of the year but God had it all undercontrol. Jess was such a blessing to have and it was great that she co-lead with me in the 2nd semester.

17) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2006?
In Sydney at my Aunt's place. Hmmm - I'd rather not get into it

18) What valuable life lesson did you learned in 2006?
God has everything under control and I need to trust Him more

19) What are your plans for 2007?
I plan to stop being such a slacker and actually do some study in my clinical years. I plan on cutting down on the number of parties that I go to each week as well (1-2 parties per week at most). I'm going to find a good church to set my roots into for the next 3 years.

20) What were you doing when 2006 ended?
I was sitting on a laziboy sofa in Richmond talking on the phone. I was too unwell to go out. It doesn't sound very exciting but I enjoyed myself. i guess that's the main thing right?

Still sick

Being unwell is so BORING. I know, I should go out and rent a DVD or something but I'd rather be out at the beach along with everyone else :( Mum's making me take drugs. I'm not a fan of medicines ay (it's kind of ironic that I'll be going into a profession full of drug pushers) I'm feeling yuck AND I just had a bleeding nose only a few minutes ago. Yes, I KNOW I'm moaning but, a good response to my lamenting right now would be to shower me with sympathy (I'm not too proud to accept such a thing).

The New Year

I didn't go out last night with the girls. They were going into town. I didn't participate in the new year celebration at our restaurant with my family either. Why's that? Well, I was sick. I'm still sick. But that's ok. I don't think that I really missed out on much. To be prefectly honest, I'm over the New Year Celebration thing. Really!

I think that in general, there's too much silliness for just one night. Drunk drivers, drunks in general, young hooligans etc. Like I said, it's the general situation not just the company one chooses to keep. Of course I'm not discribing my family's way of celebrating but it's just things around you really.

"Well, that's not a very happy way of looking at the transition into another year" is prehaps what you're thinking. But I actually have a pretty good attitude to the new year in general. And I think I had a good new year's eve :) I spent a few hours on the phone instead of being out and about. Mum was home before 12:30 so I sat and spoke to her for ages after that too. We reflected on the previous year and commented on what we wanted to acheive in this new one.

So, my big plans for this coming year? Well... for one thing, I'm going to be a clinical student. How exciting! I'm looking forward to it :) I'll most likely be living alone (after Feb) so that's going to be a learning experience. I've got a couple of new year's resolutions but haven't gotten it down on paper yet. I know that this year will be a year of growth and new challenges. Even though I'm not feeling 100% (health-wise) I'm still ready for all the challenges that lie ahead. Bring it on!