Supersize me..... PLEASE!

I met up with some ppl for dinner the other nite. So what u say? I mean, that's what thousands of ppl do all the time! It's part of our social structure, to go out for a meal that someone cooks for u and u enjoy the company of the ppl that are there.

So that's what that nite was, i saw it as an opportunity to catch up with some ppl i havent in awhile. I never heard of the place we were to meet for the meal, but sounded like a nice enough place. Just a casual place with good food and good company.

It was great seeing everyone, but the place was a bit of a disappointment. It was one of those posh places that was all quiet, no atmosphere, whose dishes resembled one peanut on a serving platter. The menu, or lack of, was a choice of 2 fixed menus. A restaurant with only 2 choices!? Are u serious??

Anyway, i made my choice (out of 2) and went on to undergo gastronomical suffering 6 times. Yes, there were 6 courses all up, all the size of a wonton/meatball on a giant white ceramic plate. I must admit the food was very nice and tasty, but making u suffer between each course was not fun. I mean, it takes ONE bite and chew and swallow to finish one course, and just as u are ready to take another bite, there's nothing left! Hence i had to treat each tasty morsel with great delicacy, and preserve it as long as possible. Its like eating an M&M with a fork and knife.

Definitely my 1st and last time there, it may have been tasty, but until they introduce a supersized menu, i think i'll stick with Nando's half chicken and chips extra hot combo thanks.

Fox Footy Interactive

There is a huge hype about Sport interactive coverage offered by foxtel digital, where u can choose what angle and player stats show up on the screen while u watch the big game. Well for the 1st time i actually tried it out for the Geelong vs Hawthorn game.....

Firstly, you'd think they'd get a better game with interactive coverage. I mean, its not exactly the most thrilling teams playing. Secondly, i dont think there's enough cameras on the ground, coz u effectively only have 4 views to choose from. And u cant choose 2 or 3 to show at a time, it must be 4 or 1. So i guess i was disappointed in the lack of freedom of navigation.

The BEST part of it was the audio. U could choose standard, stadium or umpires. If u havent already guessed, u can choose standard commentary, stadium noise or the mic'd up umpires. The best one is the umpire one, coz u get to hear every grunt and comment of the umpire, which is quite amusing at times. Especially when they bounce the ball! :)

Overall, i give it an 8/10..... :)

Fair thee fairwell

One of my good mates will be leaving the beautiful state of WA in a few days, off to pursue further adventures in the great "never never land". I appreciate the invite to go along, but i dont think my back would've handled the bumpy gravel roads of the outback, nor would it enjoy sleeping on the hard ground in a tent.

I remember the yr when i was stuck 600km out of perth and he was about 300 km from me, yet we looked out for each other. Sometimes its nice to have a mate give u a call every now and then to let u know someone cares. We can easily underestimate the value of a good friendship.

So the wkend began with the going-away dinner, and it was nice to be able to send him off and at the same time catch up with some ppl i havent seen in awhile. Its funny how it takes someone LEAVING in order to catch up with ppl that are already here.

Looking Forward

We started talkin seriously about our forthcoming trip to europe the other day for the 1st time since we decided to go. We'd put off planning it for awhile mainly coz of my bad back, where i havent been in the mood to plan stuff plus i didnt know if i would be able to go anyway. But all that's behind us now, and we are definitely hitting Euro in 2005!

I'll admit i got pretty excited in the beginning when we were on the net, looking up places to stay and types of train tickets, etc. All the photos of places looked great, and even brought up great memories of my previous trip 2 yrs ago. Then when it came to the nitty gritty bit of getting info, it started to become a chore. Surfing thru a multitude of webpage after webpage to find the best prices, most convenient times, etc started to put me off. It got to a stage where i felt like stopping and just rocking up in the middle of Poland and going from there. Being the person i am, i cannot do that, its my curse.... there has to be SOME planning. i feel like saying, "it'll be right!" and just head over without any planning or structure.

The Purists out there will say just get a ticket over there and let it go from there. I somewhat agree, but i like some degree of security of at least a bed for the 1st night i'm in a foreign country. After that, once settled and we got our bearings, i'm happy to "go with the flow". I forgot just how much work there is to be done b4 leaving, and how much work I did have to do b4 my previous european trip. Thank goodness i've still got a few mths to get my act together.

Even thinkin about it now is getting me amped.... :)

What kind of lover are YOU?

This blog deserves an A+++ for effort and looks alone. I even like the background music that goes with it! :) But check out the entries about what letter your name starts with....

I dont know where she got her info from or how credible the references are, nonetheless its quite amusing to find out what kind of lover you are here...

Weekend Bliss

The weekend was pretty good i thought..... I guess mainly due to what was achieved over that period. Firstly, the mighty West Coast triumphed over the Dockers, an event i wished i could've attended but nonetheless shared the joy of their win. I liked what John Worsfold said about bragging rights, its childish but this win was great coz its a win regardless of the opposition! But beating Fremantle at their home game makes it that much sweeter...... :)

Secondly, i watched one of the best premier league matches i've ever seen, (no Al, not the spurs) Arsenal's come from behind win over 'boro. I must admit my heart was in my mouth when they were 3-1 down, but the next 4 goals were nearly as sweet as the Eagles' win over the dockers.

Thirdly, I visited Riverview church for the 1st time after hearing all the hype and must admit its most impressive. We'd been talkin about going to different churches since mine has streamlined all 3 services, and now i've finally started. After coming back to perth, i thought subi was big, but Riverview just blew me away. And the sound system was the bomb! The acoustics in the hall and the whole setup was phenomenal, i walked feeling like i was going into a rock concert, with the lights dimmed, music blaring, performers performing. I did feel a bit lost amongst such a large congregation, but it was most definitely an eye-opener. But is this me? Probably not.

Games Fever

I've never been huge on the olympics or the commonwealth games, etc, but for some reason this time around i'm really getting into it. Not being able to move and do much may have something to do with it, but i'm really enjoying the fervour, tension and excitement the Olympic games brings. Its kinda cool to have 2 channels showing it too, so if u dont like one event, u can always try the other. If SBS & 7 arent showing anything of interest, then i can switch to the Eurosports channel which has all live scores while giving a 24-7 coverage of ALL sport in the world. Ahh.... how great is the armchair life?

I have been feeling like quite the sloth though, getting up at midday, watching the Games and combating with the xbox, and watchin the excitement the games bring into the wee hours of the night. I guess the recent weather patterns dont allow me to do otherwise, but it sux to feel so useless.

They say time flies when you're having fun. I've never thought much of it, but i cannot believe i only have 1 wk to go b4 i have to return to work. I never thought i'd say this, but i dont wanna go back!!!! :( Upon reflection, its kinda sad that so much of our lives revolve around working, all to earn this thing called money, in order to do the things we like. And in the times we dont work, we all whinge about how tired we are from work or how we hate work, etc.... Does it ever end? I know in my time off, i've come to appreciate the times i DONT have to work, and perhaps start thinkin that there's a heck of a lot more to life than just WORK....

Empathy

I've always believed that in my profession, empathy is a key quality in becoming successful. There's nothing worse than lying in a submissive position while someone thoroughly inspects what some may consider to be a private orifice of the human body. The occasional grunt of approval or disapproval, passing body odour or plain discomfort seems to be part and parcel of a visit to the dentist.

Well today i had my 1st taste (pardon the pun) of what ppl complain about when visiting the dentist. I went in for a checkup and clean and she picked up some staining in the grooves of my teeth. So i came back today to get them cleaned out and sealed. Its similar to a filling but not quite. Thankfully, i didnt need a needle, but proceeded to sandblast my teeth and fill it.

I'll admit, it wasnt the most pleasant experience of my life, but it certainly wasnt the worst. Its either my dentist is exceptionally good or the majority of ppl are paranoid and hypochondriacs.

But i am thankful for the experience, its made me aware that opening my mouth for extended preiods of time sux, pain when in such a submissive position would not go down well, dental materials taste awful, your lips dry out a LOT during the procedure & it gets pretty boring down there. I think I'm a better person for it, and i believe i can go forth and service the general public better now, because i have experienced it firsthand, then ever before.... :)

A few good things...

One of the good things my current condition has allowed me to do is to watch the Olympics. In the past, i've only had a passing interest in it, but now i really am watching it. (who says there's nothing good on tv?) Just ONE whinge about the coverage...... channel 7 just cutting to ads whenever THEY feel like it! It just pissed me off when i'm watching the athletes do their thing mid-air then suddenly i see McDonald's flash past the finish line. What the...???

I spend today recovering from the wkend, not that i had a huge, huge one, just that its the 1st wkend i actually had things to do and was out most of the time. Going from NO activity to this was suprisingly exerting, but the back has pulled up suprisingly well, especially after the dental dinner where we didnt get back till 3am, and had to get up at 10am the next morning. The dental dinner was a great nite, as it always is, but i left feeling this was to be my LAST. I guess after going for the past 7 yrs, its about time to call it quits. Especially when u know only a small handful of ppl, having a good time with total strangers is difficult for me. ;)

Another good thing is the start of the english premier league (carn the gunners!), and what looks like the west coast eagles starting to actually play! All on perfect digital quality coverage..... :)

The Royal Throne

I was chatting to someone over msn just now, and eventually being blokes, the topic of conversation took a dive and turned to toilets. We were discussing the different types of toilets, with seat warmers etc, and the almighty Bidet came up. Anyway, freakishly i found this, the ultimate throne with bidet function. The site is self-explanatory. Its just that when i found the site, it was so hilarious, i had to share it with all..... (please note the catchcry at the end, in red)

Sometimes i'm so sick i scare myself. I apologise to all those who are offended. ;P

To go or not to go...

Today was a difficult day for me. I'm currently under a self-imposed ban preventing me from going or doing anything this wk. If u refer to my previous post, i wanna get my back better, so i'm not takin any risks, even tho i feel ok. Dan also complains of boredom. I feel your pain brother!! Such are the consequences however, and all i can say is thank goodness for foxtel digital! :) (I am not being paid by them, but i should, shouldnt I??)

Amongst all this sadness is a tinge of hope..... i bit the bullet and agreed to going to the Dental Dinner this sat nite. I um'd and ah'd about it, mainly coz of my ban, but coz it will be the graduation dinner of 2 good mates, i decided to go. So its the 1st time in a long time i get to don the appropriate attire for an evening out, but i got a feeling i wont be able to last very long :P

The dental dinner has always been a great nite to me. Being a typical uni do, we all know what to expect, but i have been going for the past 2 yrs as a graduate now, and its funny how your perspective changes. Its kinda like when u were at high school, then returning to school to say hi to past teachers. Its more so here, coz u "socialise" with your past lecturers and tutors who are now also your peers and colleagues, and in some cases, competition.

The aftermath of the dinner is also quite entertaining, as the gossip of "who got with who" or "someone spewed in the pot plants" starts around the place, even getting out onto us grads.... I wouldnt be suprised if my back becomes a topic for gossip, even though i'm a relative unknown. Hard to believe i know, but these ppl would latch onto anything for a bit of goss.....

Digital Revolution

The Digital Revolution is here....

Its amazing how the marketing and advertising ppl can make this sound like the biggest thing since sliced bread. And for all those suckers that fall for it, wot would make u want to pay around 80 bucks a mth for a whole bunch of channels u probably wont get to watch anyway??

Well as of today, I am one of those suckers, and I think the above comments are totally irrelevant. Despite my initial skepticism, i am quite amazed at foxtel digital. The 1st thing u notice is the dramatic improvement in picture quality. No i'm serious, u can ACUTALLY see a difference. I guess the sound quality is better too, but to me, u crank up the volume and quality increases also.

The multitude of channels is a bonus too, for while i was not big on the existing channels i had b4, there are new ones that definitely take my interest, namely the travel doco and food channels. (Something of interest is always on)

So overall how wld i rate it? I think if u r stuck at home like i am, foxtel digital can easily relieve the stresses associated with being homebound. The set-top box is really sleek and cool looking, which is a plus :) Price-wise, i'm not too impressed with, but with the lack of competition in the market, what do u expect? VERDICT: if u can afford it, go for it, coz once its there, u will use it and say goodbye to commercial tv.......

jinx

Now that everyone knows about my back, (it feels like the most famous back in the world) ppl have been constantly asking me "howz the back going?" And believe u, me i really appreciate the concern and ppl's well-wishes. I may be getting a little tired answering the same question over and over again, but as i said, i really appreciate everyone's concern.

However, one of the reasons i dont say too much about it is coz its taking its own sweet time to heal. In the beginning after surgery, the effect was immediate, and i got real excited. Recovery went quite rapidly for the 1st 2 wks, but now for some reason it has started to plateau. Wot i mean by this is that i went from 0% to 70% in the space of a couple of wks, and now into the 3rd wk, i'm stuggling to go any higher. To add to this, by opposite leg is starting to feel a bit funny as well, which is scaring me a little, coz i'm afraid to find out if now my other sciatic nerve is affected. I'm probably getting a bit paranoid, and I'm sure that's not the case, but after what i've been thru, i dont want it again.

So that's why i dont talk too much or sound too enthusiastic/opimistic about my recovery, just in case i jinx it....

More dribble

I've been told that i can be quite an obervant person. I notice things that most "normal" ppl wouldnt see and care about. The same applies tonight. I was lying on the sofa in a daze, watchin the TV, as u do, and Rove was interviewing Linda Evangelista. (wipe drool from mouth)

As he was wrapping the interview up, he laughed for some reason, and i noticed a nice sized projectile spit launch itself from his lips in Linda's direction. It only happened in a split second, but nonetheless my trained eye could pick it up. Linda was very nice to pretend to ignore it.

Then i flipped to the other channel where talking footy was on, and the same thing happened! Terry Wallace let fly with a HUGE one, which landed on his jacket sleeve and stayed there shimmering! I was like," eeeeww!"

I dont know if i should be proud of my observational power or not, or maybe this boredom of mine is really getting to me that i have resorted to talking about spit.

Soaps

I'm not ashamed to admit it, but i do watch neighbours. This goes back to the days when i lived in the bush, with nothing but ABC, GWN & WIN television to entertain me.

What does concern me is how i can get so involved in the show. For some reason, i can get really worked up just watching some of the characters and the things they do. Most wouldn't really consider neighbours to be oscar-winning material but then what is it that does this to me? Like, how can Jack be so stupid? That Izzy may be pretty, but what a decieving bitch!

If u think about it, thats the way all soapies are! Totally B-grade stuff, yet it pulls huge audiences. So why are soapies are so addictive? But at least i havent sunk as low as to watch daytime soaps like the bold and the beautiful, etc.

Maybe its just me.......

Just a dreamer...

One thing i've always been jealous of others is their ability to remember their dreams. I cannot for the life of me remember what i was dreaming about. I remember at school whenever the topic came up, i could never add to the conversations. Even tho i knew i had an awesome dream, the moment i woke up, its like," Hey, what the..."

Today is a classic. I KNOW i was having an awesome dream, coz i didnt want to wake up. U know when u r having a great dream when there are little "events" built into the dream sequence to wake u up, but u choose to ignore it. Now i remember choosing to ignore these signs so i can keep on dreaming, but eventually i had to succumb and wake up. Not happy.

What was it that woke me up? The bloody telephone. Now most would say thats ok, as it may be an important phone call. I guess they're right in saying that, but what if it were a call to confirm my appointment at the dentist?

Timewarp

Even though at the time after my operation, I was told that i'd have 6 wks off to recover, i thought that's a bloody long time. What on earth am i gonna do for 6 wks, especially when i cant sit up let alone move around!? Next thing i know, i'm feelin heaps better with 3 wks having whizzed by, and only 3 more wks b4 i have to return to work! (That last thought kinda depresses me a bit.)

Another thing that can be quite dangerous in terms of misplaced time is the almighty xbox. If there's one thing to have when home-bound, this is it. The starship enterprise may lay claim warping thru space, but when it comes to warping time (or wasting it) its hard to go past the xbox. And the best game? FIFA 2004, totally addictive and great with 4 players........ :) Gotta love Bill Gates and Microsoft huh?

Update

While i am trying to suss how to properly set this up, i might as well give an update as to wots been goin down. I know i havent been in touch with many of yous, but there has been a reason for that.

Since about Feb this year, i've been having a few back problems. Initially it felt like i was just pulling up sore from basketball every sunday, which is pretty normal i thought. Then one day, this soreness didnt go away, hung around and hung around until recently. It actually worsened since then, where i moved from semi-mobile to totally immobile and in a fair bit of pain. Actually, i can break out of my macho man shell and say its the worst pain i've ever experienced. I've sprained, twisted, and broken things, but nothing beats this.

So 4 mths of going in and out of doctors' surgeries, CT scan places and finally a neurosurgeon, i was finally diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in my spine that will not heal itself. (well duh.) Surgery was not the only solution, but with the amt of pain i've been thru, i just wanted it fixed.

So its 3 wks since the surgery, and boy do i feel great. Far from 100%, but much better. I can actually sleep without pain and do my number 1's and 2's in peace. I still find myself doing things i shouldnt, but its hard when i feels so good! I've been advised a 6wk recovery period, where i am supposed to do no physical activity and just lie on my back till i am fully healed.

Hence u can see my source of boredom. I am stuck for 6 wks, and not supposed to lift a finger. I've since been reaquainted with this thing called the internet, and reading blogs, so why not start one too! I guess one may say i would've had plenty of time to think, so let the thoughts flow! Also, it would be a good way of journaling my upcoming trip to europe in jan 2005!

I still cant drive too far, run or do much at all. Am starting to go out for short periods, but i can see the end of the road now, and it looks all clear from here................... :)

And so it begins

Every great story has a beginning, and though i dont know how great this story will turn out, i have succumbed to the ever-popular hobby of sitting in front of an illuminated box, journaling little bits of my life, and possibly other people's too!

Let it begin......

(ok, what do i do now?)