Obligatory New Years Post #3

The arrival of a new year marks the arrival of yet another obligatory New Years post.  Being an epic year with the majority of it spent in New Zealand, 2014 was by far the quickest year of my life.

Things I Did:

  • Moved to New Zealand
  • Got my first speeding ticket (about time really…)
  • Went bungy jumping
  • Went skydiving
  • Walked around an active volcano
  • Flew in a helicopter
  • Saw a real live kiwi
  • Pet a giraffe, red panda, dingo and kangaroo
  • Encountered more rainbows than I have in the last 10 years
  • Went horseback riding for the first time
  • Climbed a glacier
  • Moved flats 3 times
  • Drove in New Zealand (on the opposite side of the road!)
  • Applied to the Australian Ultrasound Board
  • Explored Hobbiton

Places I Went:

  • All around New Zealand

Goals for 2014

The usual “be a better person, drink less alcohol, get healthier” goals with the addition of:

  • Become a registered sonographer in Australia
  • Obtain an Australian work visa
  • Become certified in scuba diving
  • Talk to more strangers

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I’m excited for 2015.  It’s already started out fabulously, and there are so many things I’m looking forward to.

Here’s to a year of health, adventure and happiness<3

What To Eat?

When it comes to what foods to buy, cook and eat, I’m confused.

It seems that there’s always a new article being published about foods – and they’re all contradictory to each other.  I’ve read that wheat and grains are bad, modern wheat isn’t what it used to be, but really it’s fine and it’s just those with gluten intolerances that should avoid it.  Dairy products should be banned, unless it’s yogurt or skim milk, but full fat milk is supposedly less processed.  I should eat more protein and adopt a more “paleo” diet, yet the increase in diet protein will end up leading to an earlier death.  I should eat breakfast every day within 1/2 hour to and hour of waking, but my body is “cleansing” from 4am to 10am, so really I should hold off on having breakfast until mid morning.  I should avoid sugar like the plague and use substitutes instead, but oh wait, those substitutes are even more unhealthy for you and will cause more health problems.  Take vitamins and supplements, get all of your nutrients through food only, avoid caffeine yet drink plenty of green tea.  Make sure you drink at least 64 ounces of water a day, yet too much water can be toxic.  I think at some point almost every food has been linked to an increased risk of cancer or disease of some kind.

Then there’s the never ending list of different diets.  Atkins, paleo, mediterranean, 5:2, eating for your blood type etc etc.  I know that some diets are created for medical reasons rather than weight loss, but there’s still so many it’s mind boggling.

One of the worst parts is how much of a market there is on the top of all of the confusion.  There’s always a new book to read that will lead to revelations, a powder, mix or supplement that will cause amazing results, a new weight loss product that doesn’t even involve you to move, or your favourite actor advocating promoting a lifestyle change program.

It’s all absurd.  It makes actually figuring out what a healthy, balanced diet is near impossible.  I just don’t know what’s good for me anymore.

The Countdown Is On

17 weeks until I leave New Zealand for Asia.  That is 119 days.  119 days to get myself in gear and figure out my lifestyle.

I’ve been monitoring my weight for the past few months, and aside from fluctuating between 2 kilos, I’ve stayed the exact same.  To be honest, it’s not overly surprising that I haven’t succeeded with my goals.  I talk myself out of exercise, I binge on food that I know is unhealthy, and I don’t always make the best decicions.  I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been at 66kg, or 168 pounds.

This October I’m really making an effort to change what I see on the scale and in the mirror.  I’ve set up my calender with set gym days, I’m recording what exercise I’ve done and what junk I eat, and I’m weighing in every Monday.  Updates will come on my progress.

Travels

After too long of a silence I’m back with two trips to talk about.

Hastings, Napier and Havelock North
Taking a well deserved friday off work, I rented a car and took off for a three day weekend of perfect weather.  I could have just driven the entire trip with the beautiful scenery of hills, mountains, farms and of course, sheep.

Hastings

Hastings was just a stop along the road to Napier, so I tried to make as much of the time I had there as I could.

  • Rush Monroe’s Ice Cream Shop: Known to be 100% natural New Zealand made ice cream I knew I had to try it – and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.  I can honestly say it was some of the best ice cream I’ve had in a really long time.  Definitely worth every calorie.
  • Art Gallery:  While on the smaller side for an art gallery (at least from my experiences), it was an enjoyable little jaunt through the collections.  My absolute favourite was this closed off room full of square painted canvases that were full of glitter.  Unfornuately, I didn’t note the name of the artist.

Napier

Napier was my main destination of the trip.  While I knew it was off season there, I underestimated how off season it was.  There were very little people out and about, and the vineyards were bare.  There were no grapes, no buds, no changing leaves.  Despite these findings, I still had a wonderful time, and I will definitely go back in peak season to see the vineyards in their glory and to take a good look around.

  • Bluff Hill Lookout: Located at the top of a narrow practically one way (that’s supposed to be for both directions of traffic) road this gem looks out over the water and the town.  With a little garden, benches and grass it’s a wonderful place to watch the sunset, or just relax and collect your thoughts.
  • Aquarium:  I never used to be an aquarium type of person, but ever since going to the one in Vancouver I feel like I have to go to every one I come across.  Although this one was a much smaller scale aquarium, it did not disappoint.  My absolute favourite part of the experience was the blue penguins.  They were small, cute, and so quirky.  I wanted nothing more than to pick them up and cuddle them.
  • Wine Tour: No trip to Napier is complete without a trip to at least one winery, and rather than drink and drive, I thought I’d do a wine tour – my first one.  The company I chose was “Vince’s World of Wine”, run by none other than Vince himself.  On the tour was just me and a middle aged Japanese woman who barely spoke, so it was more of a low key event, but fun none the less.  We went to five different wineries and tried more than our share of delicious wines.  If I do end up going back I would love to try another tour – this time in tourist season.
  • Accommodation: YHA Napier
    • Price: $23 a night
    • Location: Waterfront, near the CBD, aquarium, i-Site etc
    • Comments: I would stay here again.  The facilities were clean, warm and the staff was incredibly helpful.

I know I haven’t mentioned anything about the Art Deco identity of Napier and Hastings, but if truth be told, I really didn’t take the time to walk around and appreciate it.  Sure I took notice of a few choice buildings while on little walks, or while driving, but I know there is a lot I missed out on (yet another reason to return).  The experience was also somewhat dampened by the fact that there would be this lovely art deco building in wonderful condition – with a fast food restaurant as an occupant.  I was expecting more of the Art Deco theme in the stops, but I maybe I just wasn’t looking in the right places.

Havelock North

Of my three main stops, Havelock North was my favourite.  Just driving through made me think that if I was rich and wanted to settle down, raise a family and be a stay at home mom, Havelock North would be the place I’d do it in.

  • Te Mata Peak: Clearly I didn’t do enough research on this location before venturing here.  I thought it was just a lookout and nothing more.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  There were multiple car parks, a variety of walking and biking trails, and one of the most amazing views I’ve come across yet in New Zealand.  No matter which direction I looked I was in awe.  I could have spent all day wandering around the trails, or just staring out at everything there was to see.  If I go back to Napier, I’ll definitely be returning here as well.

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Castlepoint, Greytown, Carterton and Masterton

The weekend of the 4 M’s – Maddy, Martha, Mirte and Meg – renting a car, and having a grand old girls weekend.  Honestly, with these girls I could have gone anywhere and enjoyed myself.  A great thing about this road trip was that I didn’t plan it, I just went along for the ride.  Aside from the attractions we went to see, my favourite part of this trip was picking up pizzas, wine, cheese and crackers and heading back to our accommodations where we ate, drank and played heads up for hours.  Oh, learning about the Dutch version of Santa Claus was rather entertaining as well.

  • Castlepoint:  It seems like every trip I take I find another place to add to my “favourite places in New Zealand” list, and with this trip Castlepoint was the newest addition.  Featuring a lighthouse, rocky cliffs, beach, ocean and a view of the surrounding town, Castlepoint is yet another place I could just spend the day taking in the atmosphere.Fotor0821212540
  • Fell Locomotive Museum:  Filled with history, models and real trains, this little gem is probably overlooked quite often.
  • Stonehenge Aotearoa: Located in the Wairarapa this manmade beauty is definitely unique.  I had an absolutely fabulous time looking around at the “henge”, testing out its acoustic properties and watching the frolicking sheep on the other side of the fence.
  • Silver Stream Railway: Picturesque and historical, this spot offers a 15 minute or so return trip on a steam engine locomotive – not something you get the chance to do everyday.  Although the facility was over run with children and the view isn’t spectacular, it was a still a new experience.
  • Accommodation: Tiffin Hill – Treetops Studio
    • Details: Fully furnished apartment complete with kitchenette, amazing views, and access to the back paddock where there is a friendly cow and a few sheep.  The owners are wonderful, friendly and ready with suggestions of what to see and do in the area.
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Side note: Greytown wins for the creepiest statue.  It is of Marilyn Monroe, and it has eyelashes.
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#100HappyDays – Day 50

Today marks the halfway point of my #100happydays challenge.

Has it been difficult finding something for every day? Not at all.  I’ve easily managed to find something each day that has made me happy, even if it is only temporarily.

The real question is, what have I learned about myself?

13 of my days were based on food, caffeinated beverages or alcohol, which may have made me happy in the moment, but in all reality, the majority of it is not part of a healthy lifestyle (especially the alcohol and chocolate part), and left me feeling melancholy afterwards.  The majority of the other 37 were focused around live music, art performances, cooking and travel – all of which I already knew I enjoyed.

My goal for the next 50 days is to discover new things I enjoy, and to not include food/drink unless it’s absolutely spectacular, I made it myself, or it was homecooked by a friend.

South Island 10 Day Trip

Over the Easter and Anzac holidays I went on a fabulous 10 day trip through the South Island.  Since writing about everything would take far too long, here are the highlights.

Starting point: Wellington Airport
Since arriving in Wellington I’ve heard so many horror stories about flying into or out of the local airport due to turbulence, wind, rain etc.  I had only flown into Wellington once before (which was a beautiful day), so I couldn’t relate – until this flight to Christchurch.  This had to be one of the bumpiest flights I have ever experienced, but I had a great time.  I wasn’t terrified of the turbulence or scared we were going to go down, I just enjoyed the ride and swayed with the plane as it rocked.  I think the guy beside me thought I was insane.

Next Stop: Invercargill
The next day we drove  from Christchurch to Invercargill.  This drive was rather uneventful, but we did stop at an absolutely wonderful restaurant in Dunedin called Capers (I recommend it to anyone and everyone), listened to some Beethoven, and rocked out to some Beatles.

First Adventure: Stewart Island

Now I have to admit, when we first arrived in Stewart Island I wasn’t overly impressed.  Before I left though, I was in love.  The first day we spent walking through the bush, checking into our awesome hotel rooms (one of the best sleeps I’ve had in a long time), and browsing the local shops.
It was the first night that made me swoon.  We booked a night cruise to a separate part of the island to do a kiwi tour (spot kiwis in the wild).  The boat departed at dusk, so we spent the first half of the cruise watching a gorgeous sunset while Mollymawk’s followed/circled our boat.  Once on the island we spotted 3 live wild kiwis (with the help of our trusty guide).  While seeing kiwis in their natural habitat was a near once in a lifetime experience (a good portion of locals have never seen one outside of a wild life reserve), it was the sky that amazed me the most.  As we walked along the beach looking for hungry kiwis the sky started to clear – it was one of the most star filled skies I’ve ever seen, with shooting stars and everything.  This is where I fell in love; I could have stood there for hours just looking up.

The next day we took a little cruise over to Ulva island for bird watching.  The beaches were beautiful, birds were plentiful and the weather was absolutely wonderful.  I could have stayed on this little island all day, but we had a 4pm flight to catch.

The plane was the tiniest I have ever seen.  It consisted of 5 rows of benches (which were fur lined), and that was it.  Even the pilot was on a bench, and a passenger got to sit next to him.  We took off and landed on grass, but we flew close to the ground (relative to other aircrafts) the entire time which made for quite the view.  Once we landed it was off to Queenstown.

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Queenstown

Queenstown was amazing.  The hostel I stayed at (Queenstown Adventurer) was the absolute best hostel I’ve ever been to.  The staff were friendly and informative, the other guests were welcoming, and it honestly felt more like home after a day then my flat in Wellington did after 3 months.  While in Queenstown I disovered Mathias The Piano Man (seriously, check him out), I went bungee jumping (see previous post) as well as jetboating, rode the gondola up to the top and did the luge, ate a Fergburger, took a trip to Milford Sound, and went horseback riding in Glenorchy.

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While I felt the Milford Sound trip was over rated (mainly due to weather and my company), horseback riding was absolutely amazing.  This was the first time I had really ever been (all times before I got to walk in a circle on a horse…yipee), and oh how I wish I had gotten into it as a child.  We rode past movie locations of Lord of the Rings, Wolverine, and Lovely Bones among others.  I’m not usually one to “ooo” and “aww” over mountains, but these were gorgeous set against the riverbeds and treelines.  Every new view was breathtaking – especially when you’re on a horse.

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Homeward Bound

My flight back to Wellington was the most beautiful flight I have ever experienced.  The sun was rising as we flew over mountain ranges where clouds were going in and out.  I wish I could have fimed it, but the few pictures I managed to take with my phone will have to suffice.

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I also refer to this as the trip of rainbows.  Throughout the ten days I saw at least five rainbows, which is more than I’ve seen in the last few years.  Apparently rainbows make me really happy.

Facing Fears

I did it.

I faced one of my largest fears – bungee jumping.

I face one of my largest fears – bungee jumping – and survived.

I always said that I was going to bungee jump in New Zealand.  I felt like it was a right of passage, especially since New Zealand is bungee’s birth place.  What I didn’t realize is that everything about it terrifie(s)(d) me.  Just the thought of what the experience would be like brought on adrenaline spikes and near panic attacks.  The day of the jump I was constantly near tears.  Harnassing up I kept asking if someone else could go first, I wanted to see it done.  Looking down from the ledge I wanted to back up and run away.  Jumping off of the ledge I let out a scream of absolute terror…that turned into a “WOO”.

I have to give the guys at the top credit, they didn’t coddle me, they told me that if it doesn’t seem like a good idea now, it’s not going to seem like a good idea in 5 minutes.  Once at the ledge he told me the bridge in the distance was my goal, to aim for it, he was going to count to three and then I was going to jump.  Amazingly, he counted to three, I bent my knees and went for it.

The guys at the bottom I absolutely adored.  I know it’s their job, but they just genuinely seemed to care.  Paddling the boat towards me they first asked if I was okay, then informed me that I screamed extremely loud (which made me giggle. I’m sure that if there was a “loudest scream of the day” award, I would have won it).  Next they helped me out of the harness and continued to talk me through everything.  I wanted to hug them, but that may have just been the adrenaline.

The jump itself was amazing.  I can’t say that I absorbed the view, but falling through the air was such an amazing, yet indescribable, feeling that was over much too quickly.  Springing back up wasn’t rough like I imagined either, it was just fun – along with the swinging back and forth.

Now for the big question: Would I do it again?  To be honest, I’m not sure.  I want to say “yes, in a heartbeat”, but the fact is that I’m fairly certain I actually emotionally traumatized myself going through with it, and I’m not ready to handle that again any time soon.  Maybe in a few months to a year?

Do I regret it? Absolutely not.  Once my feet left that platform I loved every second of it, and wanted to do it again (for about five minutes).

Location: Kawarau Bridge (the world’s first commercial bungee jump), Queenstown
Height: 43m
Price: $180 NZD

Worth it? Definitely.

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Look Up

The other morning as I was waiting for the shuttle bus outside of the hospital I did what the majority of people with mobile devices do nowadays – I jumped into the world of my phone.  The one moment I looked up (while I was waiting for something to load), I noticed a cab infront of me with an elderly man in it and thought to myself “what a cute little old man”.  Moments later I was distracted from my little world by the sound of a motorbike driving up infront of the cab.  The first thing the rider does after getting off of the bike is rush to the elderly man who was struggling to get out of the cab and into the hospital.  Next, the rider runs into the hospital, tells the front desk he needs a wheelchair, then runs back out to kindly help the man towards the doors (continuously reassuring him there’s no rush as he tries to shuffle as quickly as he can) while a hospital volunteer brings out the requested chair.  It was such an amazing random act of kindness – and I just stood there.  I don’t even know how long it would have been before I noticed the struggling man I hadn’t given a second thought to.  Want to know what’s even worse? One of my first thoughts as I saw them bringing out the wheelchair was that I should take a picture to post on instagram as my 100happyday “random acts of kindness make me happy” post of the day (which I didn’t actually do).  By the time I actually considered moving and trying to help, the man was already in the wheelchair.

I’m not sure when I became so self absorbed, but it has to change.  The amount of time I spend glued to my cellphone/laptop is ridiculous and unnecessary.  I should be more observant and interactive with the world around me.  It’s really no surprise that I haven’t met many people in Wellington, or that I find it so difficult to interact with people my own age.  This video has been circulating around facebook, and now I’m sending it out to wordpress as well.  The first line (as well as the rest of it) rings so true

“I have 422 friends, yet I’m lonely”.

Please spread the word.

10 Step Plan

Back in January 2012 (6 months before graduation) I wrote a post in my livejournal that went like this:

“Graduation AKA Convocation

The thought of it has always terrified me because I didn’t have a plan for after University. I have no interest in losing my student status and becoming a “working professional”. However, now that have a basic plan I am looking forward to the inevitable.

Step 1: Work at becoming good at my career
Step 2: Write physics ARDMS exam in February
Step 3: Apply at Guelph General and other hospitals/clinics
Step 4: Complete required competencies
Step 5: Start working in a DI department
Step 6: Apply for a HPC visa
Step 7: Write/Pass CARDUP and ARDMS registry exams
Step 8: Apply for Ancestry Visa
Step 9: Get a job in the UK
Step 10: Move to the UK

Nice and simple…right?”

 

The crazy part? Almost exactly 2 years later, I completed this 10 step plan – except I chose Working Holiday Visa and New Zealand rather than the UK.

Go me.