The New Year

So I got back on New Year's Day, but I was a little too tired for two days to write anything. Camping was fun, did you know it was a full moon on New Year's Eve? Amazing moon as well.

I don't have a sufficient tan for me to happy, but it's better than nothing I guess.

Me, Timmy and Simon got rather creative with cooking. Instead of the usual uhm, camping fare (sausages, steak, etc), we decided to go for better food, like bolognaise, Thai red curry, flat bread, and even a pie. Fun times indeed.

Thanks to the incessant flooding of Ke$ha on the radio, I now have that song Tik Tok stuck in my head.

So did I make any resolutions? Not really, but I did resolve to get fit. I wonder now how much it will conflict with my desire to still have a grand time with relaxed drinking and all.

The long summer truly begins, since there are few to no public holidays left before the semester starts. Only 8 weeks left. I start gym-ming again on the 11th, but I probably might go back once or twice to gently kickstart the routine this coming week.

Seems like fun, so we'll see how it is. Well, I gotta go and do a little bit of cleaning in my room. It's still a bit of a mess.

Introspection

Before I had noticed, Christmas is already come and gone. The end of the year is fast approaching, and like most people, I turn my thoughts inward in reflection of the year that was.

I always have been, and always will be surprised at how quickly this year passed. You'd think I'd learn to make every moment count, but I still feel like I've wasted time.

This year also marks the end of the fourth years' degrees (with the exceptions of the ones embarking on a post-grad). Some of these fourth years I have come to know well, and they will be sorely missed by me. It's sometimes comforting to go to a fourth year and just start bitching about some project or assignment you hate. Like an elder brother or sister in the adoptive family of Engineering Science really.

If I haven't mentioned it before, Richie, the one hell of a clever bastard that he is, managed to land himself the Rhodes scholarship. Free ride to Oxford for him. Which well, means he will be leaving Auckland as well.

Everyone I've gotten attached to is going away. 'Tis a most sad year.

But hey, not everyone's gone yet. I still have the 3rd years, soon-to-be 4th years.

So, I'm going up north to Otamure Bay (further north from Whangarei) for a few days with Timmy, Simon and Matt Butcher and some of his pals. Beats spending the New Years' in Auckland though. Unless there's a house party someone's throwing, it really isn't fun. I also refuse to do what Danny is and go to the casino. Ridiculous concept if you ask me. I'd rather go for antipasti and tapas. Yep, both of them one after the other.

Did I mention that I've gained a little more mass than the last time? Unfortunately not all of it is muscle, due to my occasional slip-ups with food and training. I'm finally 71 kilos though, and bodyweight-wise, I wouldn't think I would want to gain much more. No more than 5 anyway. Like I worry about my weight anyway. I'm far more worried about lowering my body fat percentage. That reminds me: I should check mine again sometime soon.

Well, gosh, I've certainly rambled on long enough. Maybe I'll update sometime soon.

Now there's no leaving New York...

So Far Around The Bend by The National is still stuck in my head after all these months. It's seriously an awesome song.

Take a bath and get high through an apple

Wanted to cry but you can't when you're laughing

Nobody knows where you are living

Nobody knows where you are

You're so far around the bend

You're so far around the bend

Somehow, I feel somewhat comforted by this.

Ange's Christmas party was yesterday. It was pretty fun, I had a lovely bottle of wine, and made a Niçoise salad. That went well I think, considering that there was none left after. Iain was really tipsy when I got there, which was hilarious. Except for him continuously telling me not to hit on some dude. Yeah... the curious antics from Iain I have to put up with.

Fun times regardless, I'm looking forward to something as exciting for next time, whenever that'll be. I guess I'll head off to bed now. Another day's over already, gosh it's going by quickly isn't it?

Adrift

Much like a hollow log I'm afraid this time. It's not that I'm bored, either. I just can't help but feel my days just stretching out before me, but at the same time I'm rushing towards the horizon. I'm being rather vague and nonsensical again aren't I?

It's like I'm living my days one at a time, but I know time is running out. Problem is, I don't know what's going to happen. I feel like a rat on a sinking ship that found a vast, vast hoard of food. More than I could consume in my lifetime, but the ship do be sinking.

I've probably got to just socialise and get out in the sun more. Make a panna cotta while I'm at it. Yum. Now I'm hungry, at 11.54 PM. Lovely.

I think I'll start touching up on my calligraphy skills (or lack thereof) and buy some lovely Christmas cards. I am feeling very much in the season, and the lack of snow and abundance of sunshine definitely puts things in an unusual-but-welcome perspective. It's wonderful.

Gosh, I'm rather bipolar these days too. I blame gym tiredness. Anyway, off I go. It's time for bed, and I for one am welcoming this.

If you read this Amy...

I was wondering, since I happened across a post of mine from before, and the comments that were in. Did you ever go drinking with them pommies? And you're finished aren't you?

That ends my aside. I've completed 1 week at the gym! My programme goes on for another 5 weeks before a reassessment. If I have mentioned that before, I apologise but I am rather excited about the prospect of gym.

The holidays are slow. I got all my results back though, finally... And I must say I passed this semester with flying colours (ish). 1 A-, 1 A, 2 A+'s, and an A for MEDSCI of all things. The subject that I thought I'd fail. Wow. Not questioning that. Not at all.

I talked to a researcher, one of the (many?) associate professors at the university. This time, as usual, I was fishing for a potential supervisor and a fourth year project that aligned with my interests. It seems I may have finally hit the jackpot, he seems to have a wealth of experiments that align quite closely to the things I am most interested in. I mean, it's not perfect but no one tends to have the exact same field of interest as you, so I'm pretty happy with today.

Jason, or Drake as I've come to call him (including nicknames such as Drak'ems and Drakey) so totally needs to have a birthday party. Me, Ange and Timmy want one. We demand our party. PARTY.... PARTY.... at Drake's house! Haha, but yeah.

I forgot to talk to Richie about catching up with him today. Oops, there's always next week I guess. Did I mention he's the Rhode Scholar for NZ this year? Insane aye? Well, not too suprising with his grasp on issues, intellect and the perfect grade score couldn't hurt either... I'm a little jealous, but really proud too. Dunno whether I should feel proud considering I've only known him for 2 or so years, but I do anyway. Put it down to my fondness for the lad. May the sun always smile on his path.

I'm back!

To those who still follow this blog,

Or if you don't follow it, this blog exists as a memory dump for me too, so it's all good if I go crazy and talk to myself, right?

I've been totally busy over the last few weeks, first with exams, then with the post-exam craziness. Went to the Law Stein, got remarkably drunk (was drinking for 12 hours straight), and had a remarkable hangover. We went down to Thames and climbed the Pinnacles, which was a tramping kinda thing up a mountain (small mount): stayed the night and had a quiet sit and talk with whisky and friends. Then the night we got back, we went for Laserstrike. That was insane. My legs were sore for 2 days after all that.

And I started going to the gym again last Monday. Feels pretty good, knowing that I'm hitting myself again. Now I guess I have to alter my diet slightly for the reduced alcohol and junk food consumption (I am filled with such sorrow at the loss of the former). Should be good though, I look forward to re-accessing myself in 6 weeks.

I'm a little sleepy right now to be honest... I've got to get some sleep, so maybe I'll update soon, hopefully not in another month like before.

Whew

It's certainly been a hectic 2 weeks or so. Getting caught up with lab reports, project work and assignments ain't fun, that's what I can tell you. I'm sure you already know this anyway.

My penultimate year at university is finished (with the exception of exams), and gosh, was it fast. Someone mentioned that they felt like they were losing track of the future. I feel the same too. Even more frightening is the knowledge that some people I know and could always rely on to distract me from the many stresses in university are going.

The Part IV dinner, birthday parties, and the inevitable day of drinking, it's all become a ritual now. I certainly enjoy these little events, and now I lack something to do in the summertime this year. I may graduate late but I don't know, it's become less of an issue for me now.

Did I ever mention this blog called "The Sartorialist"? If I have, I apologise for repeating myself. It's a pretty awesome blog, plus I always find the way people dress themselves inspiring. Not all of them suit my taste (read: the dudes with odd hair and really long t-shirts). Something about that just rubs me the wrong way, but hey. To each their own.

I suppose I should stop procrastinating and study for real. My first exam is next Thursday, which isn't too far away now. I should probably give Richie a ring and have a mean catch-up with him. It's definitely been too long. Well, that's my update for now; and I think it'll be getting a little more sporadic since I'm getting a little busier.

P/S: I injured my rotator cuff muscle (right arm) at the gym, and now it's impeding my upper body workout. My physiotherapist told me to stop doing all upper body workout (at which I gave him this incredulous look). We eventually decided to compromise and go only for machine workouts with very minimal movement, which really sucks. There goes my gains. Ah well. C'est la vie.