Judging a book by its cover...

U know how they say "dont judge a book by its cover"? Well i dont know about u, but i still do sometimes. Especially when it comes to choosing books or wine. What catches my eye about a wine is what the label on the bottle looks like. Sounds bad right? I of all people should know this, but i still fall into this trap.

Well tonight, i brought a bottle of merlot that someone had given me for my b'day last yr to a barbie tonight. I thought it wouldnt be the best wine i'd ever brought, since it looked like a really average bottle. But once i poured it into the glass, took a whiff and taste, it was awesome.

Because of this tonight, i have fallen in love with organic wine. Havent heard of it? Well neither have I, until tonight. I'm a big fan of organic wine now, especially this one, i'll be looking out for it on the shelves.........

Tsunami Terror

It struck me this morning as i picked up the front page of the newspaper the enormity of the situation. I mean, for it to make front page news, it would have to be quite important, right? I remember last nite my dad telling me there was a big earthquake near indonesia, extending to india and thailand. At the time, i was too engrossed in my xbox game, Splinter Cell; Pandora Tommorrow. (Mind u, it is an awesome game requiring much concentration!) I sort of nodded and showed some kind of acknowledgement to him, but inwardly i was cursing the fact he was interrupting my gaming! Doesnt he realise i could die, and i would have to start the level again!?

We hear of disasters on the news all the time. The media covers everything so well nowadays, i dont even take notice of them. But this morning as i read the full story, i realised i know some ppl that are in Phuket and Penang as i type this. Then i read on, realising that Phuket is one of the worst places hit, and the a number killed in Penang. My heart sank a little. My thoughts of the 3 ppl i know there come flooding in, and i pray that they would be safe.

When the bali bombings occured, it was a shocking incident, yet i could not not fully empathise. Now, i can associate the panic and concern that family would have over the ppl in the affected areas. Guys, if u r out there and read this, pls let me know ur ok! :)

Scrooge

I think i'm pretty close to being a xmas scrooge. Dont get me wrong, i dont go saying "bah humbug" to everything and everyone, but i'm really not at all excited about xmas at all. If anything, its an opportunity for me to kick my legs up and chill.

A few of the girls at work are all excited about the day and everything, but i'm not too fussed about it. I dont know if it comes across as me being moody or a scrooge, but xmas just aint a big thing to me!

I mean it is important in the fact that it celebrate's Jesus' birth, but I consider easter a much more important date/time. I think easter is the most important event on the christian calendar, not xmas. People may disagree with me here..... :p

I think back to when i was younger, whether xmas was a big thing then..... I dont believe it was. So maybe that's where my view comes from...... At the end of the day, it seems like most are getting overly excited for what is essentially a long wkend. But i definitely enjoy the excuse to get together with friends and family, laze about with a beer in one hand, food in the other, and watch the boxing day test.

Merry xmas.

Have u ever noticed how...

- In the bank, there are like 8 teller counters...... Have u ever seen more than half the counters manned at one time!? I was at the bank today, and had to wait 30 mins to be served. All the while there were 8 counters, and only THREE people attending. What the heck do we pay all these bloody bank fees for? Where do the million dollar profits that we hear about go to!? Why close at 4pm when it takes u so bloody long to see your customers?

- We live in dangerous times....... the bank i went to had security sliding doors to get INTO the teller counters. So basically the line was facing a door, until the teller inside pushed a button to let u into the area where they were! Talk about HIGH security!

- Courtesy does not exist...... On my drive to work and home, I let about 5 people in front of me How many thank yous did i get? Nil, nada, zilch, zero, none, bugger all.

- kids are maturing sooner....... more so for females, but schoolgirls nowadays look so mature, i have difficulty differentiating them from 15 yr olds or 25 yr olds! Such was the case today in the shopping centre... so many young chicks out today, wonder why..... Oh yeah, its school hols... Woops, that means they must still be at school!....

- some people dont know much about their own job...... i went into a shop, wanting to apply for something. The moment i ask questions outside the square, the guy has got no clue, and starts fishing for answers out of his arse. That annoys me, coz if u dont know, just say so and get me someone who does!

sport & psychology

U know how sometimes u have that unscratchable itch in u, where u just cant wait to get out and get to that itch? Something that has been building up within u, with no sense of resolve? Well one of those itches for me has been the desire to play sport again.

Ever since my injury, i have been incapable to play any sort of sport. In fact, i could barely twist around to reach over to get anything! But after a month of physio, i've been put back on track, and have reached the point where i may resume an active lifestyle once more.

So today i managed to have my 1st swing of the golf club in a LONG time. I must admit that i was quite apprehensive in going to the driving range, as i did not want a recurrence of my injury. So the 1st few swings were definitely very ginger, so tentative that i missed the ball completely! (Much to the amusement of my golfing wannabe companion ;) Then again, i dont know if she was laughing at my golf skill or just me...)

It definitely took awhile to get going, and i started middle-ing the ball more, although in my mind i was constantly thinking i was feeling pain or tightness from my back. This was definitely a case of "mind over matter". The back is fine. Surgery has fixed it. Now i need to get my mind over it. And stop being so scared. Who says sport psych doesnt exist?

Beach or shopping?

Seeing that i didnt start work till 3 in the afternoon, i had a variety of options as to how to spend my half day off today. One was to go to the beach. The other, xmas shopping and errands. I chose the latter. Now i regret that decision.

The shops were packed. And not just packed, but filled with smelly teenagers (sorry to all those nice-smelling teenagers) Finding presents was like trekking thru densr jungle, using my arms as machetes, chopping and fending stray arm-like branches blocking the way. The bright signs vying for your attention simply brings on more confusion, especially an unseasoned shopping campaigner like me. And it was HOT, so going from store to store was taxing..... Xmas carols were ingrained into my brain that i found myself subconsciously humming it by the end of the day. I was drawn to the "sale" signs like a bear to honey, picking and poking at it until my cravings were satisfied.

When i finally got home, i thought,"I could do with a swim about now". Then i realised it was time to go to work, and i had missed my chance. I love going to the beach when its stinkin hot, i love the ability to sweat the instant u step out of the water, just so u can hop back in. And i missed all that so as to mix it with the best of the material world.... sigh.

Reflections

I'm in a kind of a reflective mood today.... I guess it was a lazy sort of a day, where it was a cruisy morning at work, had coffee with a friend in the arvo, got a haircut, went to the physio, then dinner with some friends.... Life just passes by..... has my whole yr walked by me like that? It's kinda hard to explain, but my day sorta just happened. The sun rises, then it sets, and here i am, its dark, & i'm blogging. Just seems like we get so blase about all we do.... I guess as the end of 2004 approaches, we all look back in retrospect to what we have achieved or gained out of the yr, and i guess upon reflection, here are a few moments of 2004 that made it the yr it was for me....

- I cut my hair (for those that remember, it was quite long)
- I hurt my back at basketball
- The pain of my back for 3 mths
- The incapacitated "me" for the majority of this yr!
- My baptism
- Back Surgery
- Progress of my professional career
- starting & continuing lap swimming
- 1 week wonderful whirlwind holiday of Singapore, thanks to gracious hostess... :)
- consolidation of real friendships

I'm sure there'll be more when i have more time to think of it!

Most hated people....

As i was driving to work today, something on the radio got me thinking as to what is the most detested occupation in today's society is. Depending on what kind of person u r, occupations such as policeman come to mind, perhaps even the dentist?? Ppl always rave on about how they HATE the dentist and cant understand how anyone could do it or how they cause constant pain.... How about real moronic bouncers who dont let u in for no good reason? Lollipop men/women that take their sweet ass time in getting off the road! One occupation that is really annoying, but i'll admit is bloody hard work is telemarketers. Even phone sales ppl..... they must get so much abuse from the ppl they call, i dont know how they do it.

But i reckon i've found the one occupation that would be THE MOST HATED. Even more than the dreaded dentist. An occupation that could earn u scorns and hisses from the general public should u reveal yourself. One that u would not be mentioning to impress the ladies. One that could result in violence should it be revealed to its innocent victim.......the multinova cameraman.

multitasking

For those in the know, the Subi Street Party was on over the wkend. The closing of Rokeby Rd and Hay Street added a new dimension to subi i thought...... It was wierd walking on the road meant for cars..... It sorta shifted perspective looking around from the road rather than the footpath!

It was a pretty good setup i thought, and gradually the streets got packed. The music of some of the bands were great, some not so great :) I found it amusing that they chucked the heavy metal band at the far end of the party, away from the masses.... :)

There was free rock climbing, food, drink, rides, games...... kinda like a mini-fair of sorts. And the weather was great for it too! I was tempted into paying 5 bucks to play the popgun game, where i have to shoot rabbits. But I figured that even if i were to hit the maximum number of targets, the prize u get wasnt worth the 5 bucks spent in the 1st place, so i passed..... :p

And of course, what would a party be without animals!? There were the token sheep, lamb, cattle, turkey, chooks and 2 goats. Wot a zoo huh? And the goats were most impressive...... able to multitask the duties of peeing & pooping & eating, ALL at the SAME time. Quite a feat..... I dare u to try it! :)

Killing time

How does one waste a day? Just observe me today. I had practically nothing to do today, had a handful of patients to treat, otherwise i was bored stiff. I really racked my brains as to what i could do to kill time, but i kept drawing a blank.

One option is to go shopping, again! But i thought better of it, especially from my previous blog about this. I also tried sitting around reading my lonely planet, but got pretty bored of it.

One of the advantages of working where i work is the ability to sleep on my workstation. For those who know what i do, my workstation is convertible (in a sense) into a neat package for lying back and having a snooze. Boy that kills time alright, and i didnt realise how tired i was, till i laid back and closed my eyes......

Cheesy

I had a Ham-tuna-cheese sandwich for lunch today. But even that was not as cheesy as wot was on tv tonite. Dancing with the stars was on, and it's the 2nd time i've ever seen it, and it was the finale. For starters, how the heck did Pauline Hanson get into the final 2!? And wot was with the big choreographed dance with Daryl Sommers singing? So not good....... Thank goodness justice prevailed and Bec Cartwright won...... I may have slit my wrists if Pauline won, i think the quality of Australian tv is on the slide......

On the flip side, american tv never fails to entertain. I've never seen a full episode, but i always managed to catch the last few mins of this show called elove. Yes, it follows the trail of 2 internet lovers meeting for the 1st time. They show how they met and communicated over chat rooms, then finally arrange to meet beacause they believe they've met they're true love.

Dont get me wrong, i reckon its sweet and would be awesome for ppl to find their soul mates, lovers, husbands, wives, life partner over the internet, espeically in this day and age. Modern tech allows us to reach millions of ppl around the globe, so eventually dating and romance would have to conform too!

But the stark reality of this show is that from the limited last bits i've seen, none of the couples actually end up together. Admittedly, i havent seen many, but it always seems to end with, "HE/SHE is not exactly what i thought they'd be". In the end, I guess some things never change......

Retail Therapy 2

Femine urges are pervading my masculinity. In other words, i think i'm starting to enjoy shopping.

Today, i had a 3 hour lunch..... havent had one of those in awhile. :) Anywayz, i tot i'd go into carousel to do some shopping for a top hat and cane for the formal on saturday nite. Wot did i end up doing instead? Went into different stores, looking, trying on, buying stuff. Ended up buying stuff, feeling pretty good about it, until on the way back to work, i realised i was supposed to get the gear for the formal. Hmph.

Then just now, got a call from a mate who got invited to Mainpeak's member-only sale. I just HAD TO check out the stuff on sale and the specials. Ended up getting this wicked travel towel and the cool blue carrabina with combo lock.

What's going on!? When has this sudden change hit me? (Or more importantly, what can i do with a blue carrabina with combo lock??) What happened to that typical blokey attititude of having to shop only when necessary? When the underpants are so well-worn that u have to peel if from your epidermis to get new ones on?

Return my manhood please.....

Dot Dot Dot

I just completed one of the longest days i've had in a long, long time, since i returned to work. The day started with being stuck in theatre from 8am till 12pm. Then had patients from 2pm till 6.30pm. I didnt get home till 7pm, then had to shoot off again for BS, which just finished, so here i am at 11pm writing this....... Cant wait for my head to hit that pillow.

I've also discussed with many others who suffer my condidtion (hayfever) whether it has been getting worse. Most ppl i talk to all agree this yr's been the worst ever! My eyes just kill me! It gets so itchy and blurry, it's really annoying. Today, I had to resort to using IV Saline to lubricate my eyes, coz i could barely see what i was doing!! But i got these new Meds from David.... hope it works. :) So girls, dont blame me for not like flowers......... :)

I just found out a couple of friends of mine have been together for 5 yrs. FIVE yrs. I find that amazing. I definitely dont come anywhere near that. In fact, i dont think i've really had any relationship i consider "real" for any substantial period of time really. But looking back, i think i've been quite immature in my thinking, coz i definitely dont feel the same way now!

I've gone away from "let's just keep having fun" to a more mature psyche of "maybe i should start looking for something more serious". I'd like to think that its a sign of me growing up :) Maturity takes time, it's like a piece of good, delicious, juicy fruit.... it takes TIME to ripen and flourish.

Things of Love & Hate

- I love lists. ;)
- Hate pikers
- Like my beef med-rare
- Prefer comfort over fashion
- Love taking photos but not being in them
- Dont mind standing in a queue
- Hate selfish drivers
- Love organisation
- Can stomach most things, but not smells
- Hate lateness
- Love good wine
- Prefer egg yolk runny
- Love travelling
- Love GOOD coffee; there's a difference!
- Hate being bored, always gotta have something to do!
- Hate my dodgy back, but love it when it's an excuse to get u out of something! ;)
- Dont really like suprises
- Love presents! :)
- Prefer not to have a beer gut
- I so dont like lying!!

I tried to top Moocher's effort, but i've fallen 80 short.... Oh well......

We are a multicultural nation

I remember a time when sashimi was taboo, lemon chicken was exotic, curry was for the brave and to have italian was to be "way" out there. My how times have changed.

I had lunch at the subi markets food court, and while i dug into some bavarian food (ie. meat patty, bacon, sauce, salad on a turkish roll), i relished at the thought of eating something from germany. Now whether the meat and produce was from germany i dont know, but it tasted good nonetheless.

What I came to realise was how multicultural australia has become. Despite Pauline Hanson's best efforts, i would have to think australia would have to be one of the MOST multicultural countries in the world! Now i come from a place "considered" to be pro-multicultural, but i think aust. has it all over Singapore.

Now back to the foodcourt..... we had old aussie ladies having asian combination, indian ppl having a kebab, italian ppl having curry, me having bavarian..... At school, i remember when i used to bring my noodles or rice for lunch, and i got the piss taken out of me big time. But then, vegemite sandwiches didnt really appeal to me! Now, it's probably passe, and i reckon my mum would have to be one of the pioneers of using the 'ol thermos flask for storing piping hot noodles which was my lunch! :)

I reckon what migrants have done for this country is phenomenal, such a grand multicultural society is the best gift Australia has ever recieved and given at the same time.

Dopey ramblings

As I put finger to keyboard, I'm a bit apprehensive that all the beautiful writing may suddenly disappear like last time. Well, we'll have to see what will be left by the time i'm finished.....

Anyway, I dont have much to say. I'm feeling really dopey right now, the fact that i had a real long day at work today, small grp straight after which just finished, and i'm pooped. So please excuse me if my words arent too coherent..... So here are some random thoughts floating in me head, similar to what I intended to write last time.....

1) My head is rude. What i mean by this is that my hair has reached a stage where its,"not-short-enough-yet-not-long-enough-to-do-anything". It's in this middle stage, and i'm not sure what to do with it. I'm seriously considering growing it long again, although back then i had more negative feedback than positive. Or go short again. Decisons, decisions....... ;P

2) Rain is good. My car got washed, and washed real good!! :)

3) Love. Tonite really sucked. I know i've had a long day and am tired and all, but when someone actually needed me, i failed to show the love, care and kindness i normally do or should. That should not be the case. Lately, i think i can feel myself having less love for the ppl around me. And it sux coz I'm not normally like this, i dont know wots going on....

4) I've just realised i have fallen out of touch with a lot of ppl. I know a big chunk of the yr was taken up by my back problem, but i feel kinda ashamed by it too.

5) U know life is moving around u when u find out that some friends have moved overseas, some friends are getting married, some friends will be moving out of perth long term to pursue careers, etc., when u talk about kids like they r kids n ur the adult, and the date is 10th nov already!!!

6) The screen is appearing blurry..... I think it's time for me to reach for some zzz..

Pardon the gibberish....

I wrote this great big blog, but all of a sudden it's disappeared...... Just a great way to top off my monday...... :(

And your mission is....??

It's interesting how a bunch of events just happen at the same time in your life. For some reason the past few wks, i've been exposed to various ppl, issues and organisations regarding missions.

For example, i met a bunch of guys that are full time with YWAM, which really opened my eyes to the world of mission work. And it was real encouraging to see these guys with so much passion and motivation for what they do. Then i got hooked up with the healthcare arm of them, medical boomerang, who oraganises mission work for health providers. My cousin is going to India for mission work in Jan 2005. And tonite, i just got back from another meeting with 2 doctors that just came back from 3 mths in India during medical mission work. And there have been a couple of other things that have happened, related to mission work. That the!?

Is God trying to tell me something perhaps? :) I must admit that i have a growing interest to do some mission work next yr, especially hearing all the great stories and testimonies from the ppl around me who have done mission work.

Now i dont think mission work is for everybody and not something u do just coz u "want to do good". I believe its a bit of a calling, and besides, u dont have to go overseas to some 3rd world country to be on a mission..... U can do it right here!

Thursday night, is Reality TV nite!

Thursday nite is my favorite nite to stay in. Mainly coz i work till late and cant be stuffed doing anything afterwards. But also of the great viewing that is on free-to-air tv, if u r into reality tv. Upon reflection, i struggle to remember the time b4 reality tv. I mean, what would we ever do without it!? :)

The lineup of The amazing race, extreme makeover, Next top model & The apprentice 2 tonite was rather entertaining. Especially the amazing race and apprentice 2, where the focus was really on people's inability to get along. Personal catfights were really magnified in tonite's episodes.

As civilised ppl, is it really that difficult to get along? It's so embarassing to watch fellow humans humiliate themselves by petty bickering over "Who's fault it was" for failing a task. The moment one person makes a mistake or does something the other doesnt agree with, the finger comes out, ready to point. Is the option of focusing on the task itself not possible, instead of personal conflicts?

It really opens my eyes to whether i'm too quick to point the finger myself, and perhaps i should consider other ppl's feelings and situation 1st, b4 i act in haste.

It's Official

Yes, I'm officially going backpacking in Jan 05.

I booked and paid for my tickets on the wkend, after 1 night of planning. Compared to the last trip i made to europe 2 yrs ago, there was little to no planning to this one. Maybe coz i've been b4, i've come to realise that too much planning doesnt do much. So basically my travel partner& I just sat down one night, chat about it, surfed the net a bit, and the next day went to book and purchase the tickets. So on the 17th Jan 2005, I am off to London to begin what i believe to be a great adventure.

I'll be doing central and eastern europe this time, as i did western europe last time. We'll be gone about 9 wks in total, maybe more, depending how the money and attitude situation is at the time. I'm actually quite excited about it.

And the money situation is tight. I've spent more in preparation to this trip than i did the last one!! I guess i sorta learnt from last time what to and not to bring, and coz i've been working, i've got a bit more to spend. But with that comes the "OVER-buying".

Basically, i know what i need to survive an european winter. Because of the ability to purchase more gear, i've gone on a bit of a shopping spree to get the best and coolest stuff for travelling. And for those that have travelled, u all know how damn expensive travel gear from those outdoor stores are!!

Oh well, as long as it helps make my trip all that more comfortable and enjoyable, i guess its worth the extra moolah......