Tuesday 31 October 2006

Nothing exciting lately...

Just realised I haven't blogged for ages! A friend from church asked me recently what I had done over the past 2 weeks that was exciting and I had really struggled to come up with anything!

So, she convinced me to go out with a group of friends from church after dinner on Sunday night. We went to the Shangri-La Hotel for Sugar hit, a dessert promotion as part of October's Good Food Month. Had this chocolate layered mousse thing with raspberry something or other in a shot glass. Was really nice! But rather sweet...duh!?! Had a glass of red dessert wine, which was really nice and sweet. Had to fight the urge to scull the whole glass in one go!

Got home around 11:30pm and man it was hard getting up Monday morning at 6am! But worth it I have to say...

I really shouldn't use being tired as an excuse not to go out I've realised. To do so is the path to the old and boring side...

Monday 23 October 2006

My diagnosis...the travel bug!

It's been almost a month since returning from Cairns and I've diagnosed myself with the travel bug:

Name:
travellococcus buggis

Epidemiology:
Young people generally, no matter how cash strapped. Especially prevalent in those who have recently returned from travelling.

Pathology:
Lodges itself in patient's subconsciousness and multiplies, creating continuous yearning for travelling.

Clinical features:
Patient spends countless hours pouring over travel magazines, travel guides, browsing online travel websites, visiting travel agencies...etc. Exaggerated features in Asian patients who have tendencies to accept nothing but the CHEAPEST deal!

Management:
Book patient's airfares, arrange accommodation, car hire and activities, and transfer them urgently to the nearest airport. Organise annual leave +/- ADOs for patient.

Someone please cure me!!!

Sunday 15 October 2006

Too busy to pee...

Wow!!! Can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I got back from Cairns and since my last blog! Time flies but I haven't really been having much fun...

Surgery at Campbelltown has been super-duper-not-even-time-to-pee busy since coming back! Out of the three surgical teams, I've been averaging a patient load of double the amount of the other two teams put together! Hit a peak of 27 patients mid week which is reminiscent of my days doing aged care at Bankstown where that was almost the norm. Had surgery every single day last week which equals heaps of new patients, less time to do ward work, and leaving work late =( On top of that I had to work yesterday, thus cutting my precious weekend by half! Not to mention I had to assist in surgery until 11pm last night...

I guess I can't complain. The surgical registrars at Campbelltown have to work 36 hr shifts 1 in 4 days. That's crazy man!!! Now why on earth would anyone wanna do surgery?!?!

Oh well...GP land here I come hehehe =)

Sunday 1 October 2006

Cairns was AWESOME!

Just got back from a 1 week holiday in Cairns with family and a cousin! Had an awesome time over the 8 days and 7 nights we spent there! Here's a quick summary:

Day 1 - Arrived in Cairns, picked up rental car and checked in at 2 bedroom apartment. Then went for scenic walk called the "Red Arrow Walk" near Cairns Botanical Gardens during which we enjoyed views of Cairns city, Double Island off Palm Cove and the inviting aquamarine waters of the Coral Sea. Then headed to the Esplanade for a walk before going grocery shopping at the local Coles to stock up on snacks!

Day 2 - Took a scenic cable car ride up to the village of Kuranda on the Atherton Tablelands. Enjoyed 2 stops along the way up and walks along rainforest boardwalks, one offering views of the spectacular Barron Falls. Reached Kuranda and visited the local markets there, the Koala Sanctuary and enjoyed some local made icecream! Then took the scenic railway back down to Cairns.

Day 3 - Went on a day cruise to the outer Great Barrier Reef. Wasn't the best of days to visit the reef as it was overcast threatening rain and rather windy, meaning choppy waters and a bumpy catamaran ride! That in turn resulted in myself, my bro and cousin puking for the most part of the day unfortunately limiting our enjoyment of one of the modern wonders of the world! Did manage to go snorkelling though and once I got the hang of it - how to breathe in and out of the tube through my mouth (sounds easier than it is...!) - I was able to enjoy spotting various fish out of Finding Nemo and other reef marine life! Also tried scuba diving but got down to a measly 1 metre below the surface when panic gripped me and I gave the thumbs up to my diving instructor signalling I wanted to surface! So yeah...maybe scuba diving isn't for me!

Day 4 - Went on a self-drive around the Atherton Tablelands. Visited towns like Mareeba (the coffee capital of Australia), Atherton (once populated by Chinese goldminers!), and scenic waterfalls along the Millaa Millaa waterfall circuit. Alot of driving but all in all a nice day!

Day 5 - Went on another cruise (hehehe - you think once would've been enough eh!) to Green Island on what was a much better day. The catamaran we went on this time was also bigger and the water alot calmer so trip was thankfully puke free! Enjoyed the resort facilities at Green Island and the warm clear blue/green waters! Went on a glass-bottom boat ride and an eco tour around the Island.

Day 6 - Went on a self-drive up to Port Douglas (the retreat for many celebrities), the spectacular Mossman Gorge, and across the Daintree River to visit the Daintree Rainforest! Again a lot of driving but very scenic for most of the way along the coastal road up from Cairns!

Day 7 - Visited Rusty's Markets in Cairns before heading up to Wangetti (halfway between Port Douglas and Cairns) to Hartley's Creek Crocodile Adventure Park. Really enjoyed the afternoon program on offer including the crocodile farming talk, snake show, boat cruise, crocodile attack show, cassowary feeding and koala feeding. Took some awesome photos and videos of crocs - crikey!

Day 8 - Visited the Outback Opal Mine centre and then the scenic Palm Cove where we found some beach chairs along the beach owned by one of the resorts and relaxed on them enjoying the cool breeze and spectacular views! Then spent the afternoon hunting for a nice place to have mud crabs, found one that looked decent but then were disappointed that they weren't actually as good as the ones we get back in Sydney. Oh well...! Caught the last flight home and got back to Sydney around 10pm!

And that's about it!

The whole week went quick but at the same time my whole 2 weeks annual leave felt like a long relaxing break!

I think I can now face the 8 or so weeks until my next week of leave...!