Apa khabar? Khabar baik...

Listening to: Kembali (Anggun)
"Jalan masuh jauh yang harus aku tempuh, dan harus aku cuba meraih asa, cita & cinta"

Just thought I should post something on my blog so it doesn't look as if I've gone missing or something ^^

Still around folks, still around. Just haven't had the time, and more precisely, the mood to blog, due to this and that, and that and this.

It'll change though. It should anyway. After the 27th.

That's the day I'm sitting for the most important exam of my life. Nothing like that kind of hard-hitting statement to get me into full exam prep mode eh?

As always, I'll do the best I can. Hoping that my best is good enough.

***

Funny weather we've had today in London. Started out rainy and windy (as forecasted by the Met). Then it abated and the sun came out in full force, only for the wind to bring the clouds back and gloom up the place. Ugh.

Looked the same in Paris but nothing was gonna stop FedEx from securing his maiden French title after such a long wait. Me the ever hopeful fan, prayed and crossed my fingers pretty much from start to finish, except for 15 minutes late in the second set when my computer and BBC's website weren't communicating, which resulted in me missing the tie-breaker. You don't want to know how many times I've cursed in that 15 minutes.

You have to pity Soderling though. Playing at a stadium where 99.9% of the crowd wanted you to lose before the match even started is disheartening. Still, I think he has lots to be proud of. Reaching the finals in Roland Garros is no mean feat, and knocking Nadal and Gonzales out of the championships en route to the final deserves an extra applaud.

And I'm sure a million merci beaucoups from the champion himself for that favour, no doubt. =P

***

Okie doke, so much scramblings for now. Gotta head back to books...

Actually, bed would probably be more appropriate considering it's Monday tomorrow and it's now close to 11pm.

"So long, farewell, auf widersehen, goodnight", and lights out!

And oh, before I sign off, here's a recent picture of moi...

Fine, dandy, and loving her new fringe :p

Irish Medical Dictionary

Artery: The study of paintings

Bacteria: Back door to cafeteria

Barium: What doctors do when patients die

Benign: What you be, after you be eight

Caesarean Section: A neighbourhood in Rome

Catscan: Searching for Kitty

Cauterize: Made eye contact with her

Colic: A sheep dog

Coma: A punctuation mark

Dilate: To live long

Enema: Not a friend

Fester: Quicker than someone else

Fibula: A small lie

Impotent: Distinguished, well known

Labour Pain: Getting hurt at work

Medical Staff: A Doctor's cane

Morbid: A higher offer

Nitrates: Cheaper than day rates

Node: I knew it

Outpatient: A person who has fainted

Pelvis: Second cousin to Elvis

Post Operative: A letter carrier

Recovery Room: Place to do upholstery

Rectum: Nearly killed him

Secretion: Hiding something

Seizure: Roman emperor

Tablet: A small table

Terminal Illness: Getting sick at the airport

Tumour: One plus one more

Urine: Opposite of you're out


Haha, I had a good laugh. Hope you did too!!! ^^

Thanks M.

Hard Times

To: Miss Tan

Subject: Online Saver rate change

Date: 20 Mar 2009

Message:

The Bank of England have reduced the Base Rate by 0.50% to 0.50%. Following this, we have changed the rate of interest you earn on your Online Saver account from 0.75% AER to 0.25% AER, 0.25% gross variable. The new rate is effective from 20 March 2009.The Online Saver is designed for people with longer term savings goals - as you won't receive any interest on the full balance in any calendar month you make a withdrawal.Our Online Bonus Saver account may suit you better (Simply go to the 'Savings' tab and select 'Online Bonus Saver'). However, please remember that if you transfer any funds out of your Online Saver this will count as a withdrawal from your Online Saver and no interest will be payable on that account in that month.

Thank you for saving with HSBC.


Hard times people, hard times.

Flavour of the Month

I just read my sister's offline messages to me on MSN. Apparently she thinks I went too far with my previous post (on Mr Cutie Pie). Too far on the insanity scale that is.

Well in case you TOO think I've lost the plot, let me reassure you that it was merely a crush. No more, but certainly no less either!

^^

Come on, it happens to the best of us...

 

Anyway Yan, I'm glad. It shows you've got your head (tightly) screwed on.

*clears throat*

Ooh, just some photos of yours truly [taken during Jeff's trip to London recently], of which I was (some sort of) a tour guide. It was a nice walk along the embankment indeed...we'll try Cheyne Walk the next time eh buddy?

Actually, something rather interesting happened at the restaurant when we were having lunch. Kinda involved a cute German guy....oh well, enough of my boy-craziness.

 

Don't mean to boast but I love this picture to bits. I didn't know photography skills are intrinsic to me!

Have You Read...?

Stole this from someone's Facebook tag. Apparently it's the 100 must-read books. Or something like that.

1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.
2a) Add a '-' to the ones you HATE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading


1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X+++
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (bought it but yet to read...Option 4, let's # it)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte *
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee #
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens X
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott X+++
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (that will take me yearsss...)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier X
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger *
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger*
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot *
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (I doubt I'd ever read it, and I'm inclined to blame the movie for it)
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens *
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy *
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky *
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck #
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll X
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens X
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen X- (in bold)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen X
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini *
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen X+
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens *
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt *
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold X+
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas *
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding X+++
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens * (can you believe that I have not read the book yet?)
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens #
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker *
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro *
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom *
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle X+++
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton X+++ (my fav as a kid!!!)
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery X
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas *
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl X
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo *

No excuse for not knowing what to do on in my spare time!

He

He was there right from the start. Holding her hand. Stroking her head. Kissing her softly as she winces in pain. Her tower of strength.

He was there in her hour of need. He kept her company when she was alone. And afraid. In this foreign place. He was there, from morning to dawn.

He made sure she was comfortable. He brought her flowers. And books and magazines to take her mind off it. He checks that she's not hungry, or thirsty. He tells her jokes that made her laugh. He updates her family, his family, and their friends. He flew all the way just to be with her, for her, and stand by her.

***

In case you think this is just another one of my daydreams, it's not.

She's real. He's real. It's real.

A 25 yr old doctor was admitted to Casualty at our neighbouring hospital for sudden onset of chest pain over the weekend. It was suspected to be a heart attack and she's now at the our hospital for further investigations.

He was here since her admission on Monday. Never leaving her bedside. Always around.

It's one of the things I look forward to when I go to the ward everyday (that, and my cutie pie Registrar). The sight of them gives me hope and renews my faith. Hope that love exists. Faith that such a 'he' exists.

***

Speaking of my cutie pie registrar, boy have I got news for you!

I was speaking to a patient yesterday, and he curiously asked about my nationality, after failing miserably to locate me based on my 'elusive' accent. I proudly told him my country of origin (as always) and he said the surgeon who operated on him is Malaysian too.

Anyway, don't know why I thought that was news-worthy, but it came up in my conversation with my colleague this afternoon as we were walking back to our office. I told her what I found out, and she said one of the cardiology registrars is Malaysian as well.

No prizes for guessing who....

YES YES, MR CUTIE PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

***

My colleague: "Oh really? Mr DS is Malaysian? Aww, lovely. Oh you know what? One of the cardio registrars is Malaysian as well. Oh I can't remember his name...[me prompting with some hints]. Yeah, that's the one! Oh he's sweet. Really nice. *jokingly suggests to me* Hmm, now that you know, maybe you can get to know him better. If you're single haha. You never know."

I approached him once on a Friday evening a long long time ago (har-har, good guess but it wasn't to ask him out). I had a burning question about the heart and who better to ask than the cute doctor I have a crush on...sorry. The competent doctor who specialises in that field.

Me: "Hi, sorry to trouble you, but can I ask you a question please"? [heart racing, palms sweating, thank God not slurring]

He: "Yup, wassup?" [seriously, he said wassup. No kidding. Ohhhh this guy is kewl...]

Me: "blah blah blah, I'm doing an audit on pacemakers blah blah blah, what is the reason for xyz blah blah blah"

He: "yada yada yada...empirical [good choice of word]...yada yada yada...dogma [lagi good choice of word]..." er, the rest was a blur.

Bottomline: He's cool, approachable, not arrogant, speaks blardi good English.

Just saw J's message. "Have I stalked him on Facebook?" Yes but to no avail. Which is good, coz that means he's not a Facebook guy, which is MY kind of guy.

The Bachs, Brahms and Beethovens of tomorrow

Listening to: Dreaming of You (Selena)

"If you looked in my eyes, would you see what's inside, would you even care?"

Myself, Chet Wei and her friend David were out at the Royal Overseas League (nicely located behind the Ritz) tonight to support our ex-classmate Shuenda in the ROSL Annual Music Competition.

Shuenda deservingly got himself into the Keyboard Section Finals, beating 30 other hopefuls en route to tonight's grand finale, competing against 5 other contestants. There were 2 South Africans, a Taiwanese, an Australian (who looks like the teenage version of Josh Groban), a Maple Leafian (sorry, Canadian) and last but not least a MALAYSIAN!!! Ben Schoemann (the guy from SA) was crowned the overall winner but personally I thought Shuenda's choice of songs (and rendition too, of course) were better. All biasness aside.

The 6 of them were uniquely magnificent in their own way. Yours truly may not have a discerning ear in music but the 30 minute performance (from each) were really enthralling. Sure enough, Munny yawned and fought to keep her eyes open, but that wasn't attributed to the recitals. The harmonious tunes were simply so serene that she was (almost) lulled into sleep.

Yeah you laugh. You would too if you had gone there straight after work, and had less than 6 hours sleep the night before trying to rush an audit report.

Oh well, at least it's done.

And I guess as a reward for all my (last minute) hardwork, I managed to see my favourite (cutie pie) Registrar on the ward today.

*ALL SMILES*

Think Alex Yoong but with spiky hair, the same soft spokenness but wayyy cuter. Hopefully no beauty pagaent wife and adorable son....
And I thought I was only susceptible to what my sis and her bunch of pals call Rories...

Dreaming of you

Listening to: Dreams (Fleetwood Mac)

"listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness...like a heartbeat.. drives you mad"

I don't know if it's stress, coincidence or just plain randomness, but I've been having dreams about my colleague for the last couple of nights.

THREE nights in a row to be exact. Bizarre innit?

I can't remember when and what and how (naturally), but I am sure he was in it.

Is someone trying to tell me something?

I'm a little afraid of going to bed tonight. Because if I do dream of him again I think I'll have bruises in the morning. All for pinching myself too hard.

Please dream-spinner, don't freak me out.

Home & Away

16 days (away) and I didn't recognise my room in South Parade.

I find it amusing actually. How I could forget the landscape of this tiny little shoebox that I've been inhabiting since July. How I responded when I entered the room. As if seeing it for the first time. Me thinking, "hmm, this isn't so bad". As opposed to "oh no, not again".

Amazing what a 2-week break (home) can do.

It was a good form of absence too (I believe) as far as work is concerned. I probably have more colleagues chat me up today than I ever do in a week. "So how's your holiday?" "Did you have a good time?" "Aww, Malaysia must be lovely". "Bet you didn't want to come back to this horrible weather."

"Too short". "Obviously". "Without a doubt". "More than you think".

I saw an aeroplane flew above me as I was walking back from work. At least 36 hours has passed since I left (home).

I'm away, but I left my heart there.

2000+9

Sourced from bbc.co.uk

A little smile,
A word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near,
A little gift from one held dear,
Best wishes for the coming year.

Fireworks in London
(check out 4:19-4:22...it was like the stars were raining down on London...defo my favourite and most memorable segment of the entire fireworks display)

Last night's ringing in of the new year at Westminster Bridge was in some ways a reminder to myself that...

a) if I could survive standing for 2 hours at freezing point, I can survive anything

b) time doesn't stop and

c) nothing lasts forever, or is ever as bad as it seems

Special thanks to Kevin for making me cry with his super-hot tom yam, and for being nuts enough to want to do this :)

So, where to next new year's eve?

Auckland looks promising, Sydney is - and has always been - spectacular, Hong Kong blows me away, but I think it may just be New Year, New York?

Old is (not) Gold?

Listening to: We're Young and Beautiful (Carrie Underwood)

"Cause a time will come, when I'm not so young, and beautiful"

Hope you all had a marvellous break?!

Yes, I hear you. I want more (too). If only eh... :(

Anyway, new year's day is just round the corner. It'll be 2009 before you know it peeps!!!

As much as I didn't want to go back to work, I nonetheless had to (in spite of the mood-sinking Monday blues that I had last night *pouts*).

But then maybe the big guy up there took pity on me, for it was a pretty relaxing day at the office today. Most likely because we've discharged about 75% of the inpatients last week (for Christmas), so the hospital is currently quite empty, which is not necessarily a bad thing...

Took in a prescription from an outpatient while serving on the hatch today and went about our usual set of questions (somewhat intrusive but hey that's protocol for you) - drug allergies, concurrent medication, any exemptions etc.

When I asked about his current medication, he said "Ohhhhh, a lot", and showed me a print out.

To be fair, it was ONLY 2 pages of FP10 repeat script. Tops 15 items. It's not really that massive a list...

"You are so lucky you don't have all these problem(s). You are young."

Er, thanks uncle. I have my fair share of problems but still, thanks.

I went and got his medication dispensed, and 5 minutes later, I handed it to his wife, reiterating the instructions and gave her some general counselling.

"Aww, thank you so much. Bless, such a sweet girl. You take it easy okay while you're young. Not like us, old." She shook her head slightly as she bent down to pick up her bag, and gave me a wistful smile before she turned and headed for the exit.

You know what. I don't think I want to be old(er) anymore. Maybe what I REALLY want is to be wiser...

System Down

Listening to: Talk Show On Mute (Incubus)

"I hate to say it but you're so much more endearing with the sound turned off"

This is probably the worse bout of illness I've had.

And it's only bloody laryngitis...

I can afford to laugh at it right now, but the last couple of days have been hell. Not being able to speak (having lost my voice completely) was the worse punishment one could ever have. And I'm not even a chatterbox!

Went to the GP for some antibiotics and I hope (with fingers crossed) I'll be ok for work next week.

Munny needs a good anti-virus cover...come on white blood cells, DO YOUR THING!!!

Bel-Feirste

Listening to: Big Girls Don't Cry
"and I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket,

but I gotta get a move on with my life"

Funny how my favourite cities in the UK almost always start with a B - Brighton, Birmingham, Belfast...Blackpool?

Haha, we'll see about that last one.

Anyway, I was at the Norn Iron capital over the weekend for some escapade.

I didn't think I'd remember much of the place since it was more than half a year ago that I was last there, but some things don't change.

That fast anyway.

Belfast City Airport is for one WAYYYYYY nicer than "the other airport". Nope, I still can't bring myself to mention its name in full...the pain of having my pepper spray confiscated is still too much to bear. I certainly wouldn't wish my worst enemy the kind of trauma I went through in May...all for carrying a mace which in all honesty was used strictly for self-defence purposes!

Ok, to cut the long story short, I was stopped by the security folks at Belfast International Airport (prior to my flight back to Cardiff ) for having on me a device deemed illegal in the UK (hey, don't look at me like that...I REALLY didn't know!). Blah blah blah, they called the police, they rampas-ed my mace, took down some details and I was let free. No harm done but I was emotionally scarred, to say the very least :)

Thank God this recent trip was hassle-free. Otherwise Belfast would be on my B-list - B for BLACK!

A big shout-out goes to Mark, to whom I owe a great deal, not only for his time but also for his effort in ensuring that I had a marvellous time in the city, despite how short it was.

London awaits you, Mr Belfast!

Three and Twenty

Yo peeps!!!

Yup, you don't have to say, I know. It's been a while since you've heard anything from yours truly. My bad my bad.

Well, it's not as if I have been over the top busy, but busy enough to not have time to blog (if that makes sense). But yeah, something has to be done about my work-life balance though that's for sure.

Anywayyyy, all is good. I'm fine. Alive and kicking.

In fact I turned 23 on Saturday! I had a good birthday, thanks for all your well wishes, greetings, emails, and presents. You guys really made my day!

Special thanks to sister dearest for her hand-made card, sent all the way from home (sweet home). Yanny, you're the best! Sister and draw-er, haha.

Righteo folks, more updates soon, I promise. Watch this space!

Simply Red

We won 6-0 (yay!)

What can I say...

...but that the kids sunk Sheffield United.

Glory glory ARSENAL!!!

Met up with Rehma for the first time since graduation. Can't believe it's been 2 months since we packed out bags and left Cardiff. Dear dear.

She contacted me last week about this Carling Cup 3rd round match, and seeing tickets were only a tenner, I'd be a fool to say no.

Especially when it's held at the Emirates!

And what a jubilant evening it was :)

Speaking of Cardiff, we weren't the only ones with some sorta connection to the place. Aaron James Ramsey does too. Particularly since he's a Welshman!

AJR signed for Arsenal a couple of months ago and I made a mental note to myself then that I'm gonna check him out as soon as this season starts and whey-hey, he's managed to impress (me).

On the pitch [and off] :) :)

One of Wales' finest exports...hee-hee-hee!

Le Blues

My colleague Brian and I and a friend went to support our 'local team' last night.

Was at Stamford Bridge to watch their Champions League match against Bordeaux, which the Blues comfortably won 4-0.

Managed to get tickets for the game as they were on general sale, otherwise fat chance. Must say the turn out was way better than I had expected. The stadium was about 95% full, which is a considerable attendance.

We were seated 6th row from the pitch, just behind the goal mouth, slightly to the right, few feet away from the supporters of the visiting team. The whole night they were singing their hearts out (in French no less), much to the amusement of the locals, who responded (typically) by singing sarky football songs, one of which include "why the f**ing hell do you eat snails".

HA-HA-HA!!!

I have to say Chelsea are looking rather invicible atm. Helming the EPL standings and showing commanding presence in the UCL, they look the better team heading into Sunday's cracker match against MU. My money is on them!

Ok, before you pick the GUN up and shoot me, nah I haven't jumped ship. I'm still with them :)

COME ON ARSENAL!!!!!!!

• 

The reason why I put these 2 photos up is to highlight the difference btwn how girls take photos, and how boys take photos.

*nods*

Yeah, I know.

Charlotte and Paul

I was over at HR last week to sort out some payroll issues (oh btw, I got my first pay cheque two Fridays ago. Do try to feel excited for me!)

Anyway, while waiting for the ever so helpful HR officer to meet me, I wandered around the reception area and saw a leaflet - printed on good quality glossy paper in sexy black ink - bearing nothing but a website address and the eye-catching "10% discount for NHS staff."

Intrigued, I took one home and checked it out.

Turned out that PAUL was actually a French pattiserie and they have a cafe on King's Road, which is 5 mins from here, at which - according to Friday's edition of the London paper - Sienna Miller was spotted.

Now, I've been asked (quite frequently by friends who find it 'delightful' that I'm staying at South Ken) if I've seen any celebs since moving here. The answer is sadly, no. I may be very good at identifying celebs in mags and things but it's a different ball game trying to spot them minus the glamour and make up. Hmm, come to think of it, maybe I've walked past Hugh Grant or some Chelsea footie players without even knowing!

Nah, don't get too flustered. Someone on my floor apparently knows David Beckham well (from his Manchester days) so hold your squeak (with bated breath) until I get full confirmation, which would be tomorrow *hands rubbing with glee*

Hehehehe...

Anyway...

My friend SF came down to London last weekend. I trust he had a fulfilling shopping spree at Oxford Street, but other than that, we didn't get up to much over the weekend except going out and sitting at a tiny little park opposite the hospital, walking around Sloane Square (admiring Tiffany's and Chanel from the window sill a la Holly Golightly - err, that would be me rather than him), running a House marathon, and being acquainted to Charlotte, courtesy of Paul.

I told SF about this French pattiserie when he came on Friday, and I believe it was kismet that we came across one while checking out King's Road on Sunday.

We both thought it was a sign,
That the treat was meant to be.
And so we did not (bother to) resist,
I hereby present Charlotte Frais to thee.

...and the 2 (sad) people who were nuts enough to take a picture with her!!!

So, what do I think of Charlotte?

Fragrant, sweet and mood-lifting.

Agreed, Paul?

Notting Hill Carnival

Howdy howdy folks?

Yes, it's been a while since I've last done anything with my blog...had too much cocktail made from the following concoction...

50% Laziness

50% poor time management skills

100% procrastination

Woops...:(

Anyway, I am fully settled in the city (which a friend humourously calls the "Big Smoke"). For those not in the know, I am doing my pre-registration training with RBH. Glancing at my calendar, I realise that come tomorrow, I would be entering the 5th week of my programme...wah! It seems like it was only yesterday that I was having jitters about starting work and entering the real world as a fresh-faced undergrad!

Yikes...

Aug 25th is a bank holiday in the UK, so it was a particularly long weekend for some. Moi initially had plans to go to the Scottish capital on Saturday for the Fringe Festival but due to some unforeseen circumstances (in which a friend had to stay home due to a family emergency), Edinburgh was a no-go.

Was majorly disappointed but instead of staying home and sulked the whole time, Anneke and I went and checked out the annual Notting Hill Carnival at well, Notting Hill.

With  A

It's a weekend-long celebration in honour of the Afro-Caribbean community in London. Great food, groovy music and joyful atmosphere - everything that's truly reflective of the West Indies. It was nice seeing a sizeable crowd turn up for what I've been told is the second largest street parade of its kind after Rio. What beats watching dazzling colours of costume parade and rhythmic sounds of steel music come alive on the streets eh?

To borrow the latest ice-cream flavour by Ben & Jerry's, it seriously was Jamaican Me Crazy!

A colourful eye-opening experience

To quote Ini Kamoze..."Excuse me Mr Officer, still love you like that!"

Start Of Something New

Heart don't fail me now
Courage don't desert me
Don't turn back now that we're here
People always say life is full of choices
No one ever mentions fear
Or how the world can seem so long
Or how the world can seem so vast
Courage see me through
Heart I'm trusting you
On this journey...to the past future

-Aaliyah-

Race for Life

Michelle and I did a charity race for Cancer Research UK today.

It's a women's only event, organised annually to help raise the awareness of breast cancer, and in due course, increase funds for the organisation's activities.

The race started at 11 this morning at Bute Park, which is just outside Aberdare Hall. I actually didn't know anything about RFL until about a month ago, when Michy said she was doing a charity run and asked if I was interested. Always up for some adrenaline rush and things for a good cause, I agreed.

Not wanting to suffer the embarrassment of finishing last, we did some training sessions at Bute Park over the last couple of weeks, just to familiarise ourselves with the route and also to have a rough idea of our fitness levels, which, needless to say, fell into the category of DANGEROUSLY UNFIT!

But although we weren't (at all) serious in our training sessions, I was surprised that we actually finished the 5km run around Bute Park in just under 40 minutes. I know it's not a record-breaking, Olympic-winning time, but still, we exerted ourselves and actually RAN! So even if you're not going to give me a pat on the back, I WILL!

And already did =P

I can't begin to count how many times during the race that I felt like giving up and walk instead (which one is allowed to do, fortunately), but I forced myself to keep running, because I know if I ever stop, I'd be too comfortable to want to start running again. Granted, there were times when we had to slow down because of the masses ahead of us (8000 odd participants showed up for the race, which is pretty incredible), but I think did well enough to not give in to my selfish and weak urges!

As I was saying to my family and a couple of people who knew I was racing today, I almost passed out after crossing the finishing line, but you know, the personal satisfaction in knowing that I've challenged myself to the max and yet came out on top is indescribable.

So much so I'm seriously thinking about the London (half) marathon next year!

Ok Munny, one step at a time...

Still standing...but our knees looked like they were ready to cave in, any second then!

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!