Happy birthday

To my super forgetful, perennially messy apartment mate, Joanna, who constantly brightens everyone's day with her constant cheerfulness, sweet smile, laughter, and penchant for lame jokes. =P Happy birthday!!

Oh, and just because i found this funny photo of you.. =P (that's what u get for hiding behind doors and trying to scare me... haha). At least, you should be glad i didn't put up your 'wedding' photo with Sheanee. =P

Uni days are over..

I had my last uni class yesterday. And it is indeed a poignant moment. It seems only a while ago when i arrived in Melbourne for the first time, totally alien to this foreign land. How fast 3.5 years have flown by. I've relished every moment of that time. I've made lots of friends, had lots of fun, and i doubt anything is going to better our uni years.

Sigh. It hasn't really sunk in yet. But I'm still sad. I guess it's time to move on and look to the future. And be optimistic even though the mere thought of having to work 40 hour weeks for the next 30 years sounds sufficiently daunting...

Weekend in the Sun

Took advantage of the relatively warm weather over the weekend. Started off with a picnic lunch on Saturday at St. Kilda beach. Lunch constituted of Wicked Wings, homemade sushi, and a lovely cake which Ah Ma baked. Then spent the rest of the afternoon mucking around in the sand, playing catch, throwing Frisbees, and kicking a football around. Here are some random photos...

Jumping in mid-air

Human pyramid

Pretending to be a beach bum

Trying to throw Omega into the sea

Random pose

Dead jellyfish in the sea

Had ice cream in 7 apples, then left at around 5pm to go to Kee Hong's BBQ party at the poolside in Verve. As there's already been 5 other blog posts written in relation to this, i'll refrain from repeating them. Nevertheless, wishing you a happy birthday! Played poker and watched football till 4am, and by the time i got back i had been out for 18 hours straight.

On Sunday, went to Williamstown in the evening for a BBQ dinner. Amidst the pestering of flies, had a nice meal by the seaside. First time i've been to Williamstown, and i must say, i really like this place. A quaint little town away from the hustle and bustle of the city which presents a nice quiet getaway - and it's just a 15 min drive from the city. The beach is really nice too, perhaps better than St. Kilda's. And as it's a reclaimed man-made beach, it has a very gentle gradient and tapers off gradually into the ocean. One can wade out some 100 feet into the sea and still only have the waves lapping at your waist.

Preparing the barbie

Playing DS whilst waiting for the food to cook

My 3rd meal of chicken wings in 2 days

Burger patties

Moonlight dip in the ocean - water was freezing!

In should be more careful...

Yesterday, i sliced my hand on a can lid. The result was a gaping wound exposing the flesh. [Warning: Some gruesome photos follows.. So if you hate gore, morbid sights or if blood scares you, don't scroll down]

The cut... which dripped blood all over the place.. in my kitchen, in the lift, in the waiting room..


Anyway, went to a 24 hour clinic on Sydney road to get it checked and the receptionist bluntly said "I'm sorry, we don't do stitches here." I mean, which doctor doesn't know how to perform such a simple procedure?? I'm guessing it probably had more to do with her getting up and getting ready to go home a few minutes later.. =(

So i went to RMH, which i must say is beset by inefficiencies and poor management. I thought only such travesties occured in Malaysia, little did i know Australia faces the same problem. The triage nurse took almost 30 mins just to process me, and i had to wait another 5 hours before i could even see a doctor. Ended up leaving the hospital at 4am!! Though probably much better off than other countries, Australia's public healthcare system seriously still needs a revamp. I would imagine something as simple as eliminating or reducing understaffing would greatly reduce waiting times and the millions of dollars lost annually due to lost productivity caused by waiting in lines. Not to mention reducing the pain, anger, stress and anxiety of everyone waiting.

Had a tetanus jab, and the doctor first poured lots of alcohol and rubbed vigorously, until the wound which had already started to clot started bleeding heavily again. He then has prod and poke the raw wound with his forceps. The doctor tried to use a Steristrip, some super adhesive tape to pull the skin together to close the wound, but he tried twice to no avail. So had to resort to stitches. And to prepare for the stitching he has to inject and administer the local anaesthetic right into the open wound. Not once of twice, but FIVE times from all angles. Cringe. I'm not particularly fond of needles, and i kept pulling my hand away when the needle came near. But after the first one went in, i realised it wasn't too bad. Anyway, ended up with 3 stitches. Though i think the 3rd one on the right was unecessary, only because he didn't do a good job with the middle stitch.

Okay, i know these pictures are a bit gross and gory, but it isn't too bad a cut. And i've had many friends thinking i lost my hand or my finger, or chopped off a huge chunk of flesh. Fortunately, it's nothing that close to being that dramatic. Just a superficial cut that needed stitches to pull it close. It hurts a little, but i can still hold a pen and write. Though i think i'll improve my left-sided dexterity in the meantime by having to use my left hand to brush my teeth, etc.

Btw, a big thank you to Mel and Cliff who brought me there and waited the entire time. And Phaik Yee, Hung, and Kai Yau, who came along later, even if there was the side hidden agenda of having a multiplayer Nintendo DS gaming session in the waiting room. Having a couple of NDS there to play Worms or Mario Kart really helped while the time away (though i'm not sure the other ppl in the waiting room who had to endure our shrieks and laughter necessarily agreed). Haha. Thanx guys, really appreciate it. And the few who called or msged your concern too.

The Hourglass Diet

Erwin's post a while ago on why polar bears have a layer of fat (which actually didn't really make sense), and Su Ann's subsequent comment got me thinking. Not to mention the fact that i've had so many female friends who are in totally perfect shape complaining to me that they're "fat" or want to lose weight...

So the question is, why is there such a burgeoning tendency for girls nowadays to want to lose weight and go on diets, when medically they are in the normal weight range? Well, these stats may be from the US, but isn't is disturbing to hear that half of girls aged 10 have started dieting, and that 80% of 13-year olds have tried to lose weight?

I guess the mass media has conditioned everyone and skewed our perception of the ideal figure. It portrays thin as infinitely more beautiful than fat. And it doesn't help when Hollywood and fashion shows are jumping on the bandwagon. There comes a point when bones start sticking out of skeletal frames that it only serves to make them look malnourished and sick. Not elegant, not hot, not beautiful, nor attractive.

Take for instance the epitome of Hollywood dieting fads gone overboard, Nicole Richie.

True, this may be one of her least flattering photos, but there is no reason in the world for her to lose weight to such an extent. So much so that all it serves is to make her look gaunt, jaded, unhealthy, and look double her 26 years of age. And she even went to the extent of sending out this invitation to her friends, which though she later claimed was in jest, it's still pretty galling. Read the 2nd last paragraph.

Another A-list celebrity who's defending herself against claims of anorexia is Kiera Knightly, which though she must be commended for at least speaking out against such things, showing up at the red carpet looking like this doesn't help much in dispelling the rumours.
A pity, considering Kiera used to be hot and stunning and at least not as waifish-thin
And there is definitely a problem when there are models who strut down the catwalk looking like this. It's even more disturbing that such size 0 models are capable of commanding the attention of magazine readers worldwide, as simple deduction dictates that there has to be a considerable demand for these type of models to continue to ply their trade.

Maybe some of you have seen this video before, but it might actually explain the obsession with losing weight - it's all in the mind!

So my point is this. Forget the Atkins Diet, the Macrobiotic Diet, Weight Watchers, or the countless other fads out there. If you're healthy and not overweight, there's no need to constantly worry about your weight or check the weighing scales every morning. If you suddenly find that you're able to pinch a little fat around your waist, or if you realise that u gained a few pounds, be happy. There are more than 800 million starving who would be more than willing to take your place.

In fact, i think I should start my own diet, called the Hourglass Diet. The goal would be somewhere along the lines of 36-28-36. Curves are in, not skin and bones. Think Beyonce, or even Jenifer Hudson. Haha. Sadly, i doubt there's even a remote chance of this diet taking off..=(

Btw, beauty is all about perception, and in places like Africa where food is scarce, society values the extremely obese, as it reflects prosperity....

(Okay, that was just a random thought, and i realise some ppl might opine differently and have things to say. But oh well, it's just an opinion.)




On another note, congratulations to Malaysia's first "Angkasawan" in space. It's interesting to note that they had the foresight to find solutions to having to kneel down and face Mecca when praying. Would have been a bit of a challenge otherwise. haha.

The 24 hour computer lab has been my 2nd home the past week,
Two 10000 word assignments due in 3 days,
Means that i've watched the sunrise twice while in uni,
More than 24 hours yesterday,
And prob. a 100 over then entire week,
Finally, i bid farewell to the worse assignment ever!
A marketing assignment that has become the hatred of everyone,
An assignment of 13,000 words,
An assignment so thick that no stapler could bind.
And all that effort, for a miserable 30%.

Being in the comp. lab for so long,
I've noticed things that I've never noticed before,
I noticed that the cleaner begins work at 3am,
I noticed that there is a surprisingly large number of ppl,
Still in the computer lab at 7am in the morning,
I realise that when I don't get enough sleep
I can't remember which floor I live on,
I realise that productivity comes in cycles,
Which ebbs and wanes,
As eyelids get droopier,
And that checking Facebook and MSNing whoever's awake at that time,
Is the only form of relief,
I realise that I'm the most productive under stress,
I notice that stress causes hunger,
I've realised that a simple section which looks simple enough,
Takes ages to complete!
I've realised that when the outline says 4,000 words,
They were only joking,
And that printing out the assignment 5 mins before it is due,
Is not exactly the best thing for the heart.
I realised that strangers can be brought together,
By a common despise of the lecturer,
And that there will be much to say,
When the QoT survey comes around,
I realise that choosing marketing as an elective,
Was not the smartest thing to do,
I realise that lecturers which are brilliant,
Are not necessarily the best lecturers.