Christmas wrap-up

So how was everyones' Christmas? Mine was a mixed bag of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Christmas Eve was spent eating like a pig with a relo bash at our place. I then left the bash and headed to St Paul's Castle Hill and ended up staying for both identical services (that's another story in itself). That was fun as all the carols were in a more comfortable lower key than what I'm used to at WS.

Then, after not going to bed 'til 1:30am, I got up at 6:30am to get to church by 7:45 so that we could have a last rehearsal and set up the hall for our WS service. We weren't very happy with the item, but I seem to have only gotten positive feedback about it so far! I also got to meet Joyce in person. Glad you could come and join us! =)


After further pigging out at home for lunch, I then headed to work, and boy did it turn out to be the ultimate shift from hell! It ended up being one emergency after another, starting with a shoulder dystocia, then a two day old going into acute renal failure, then a 10 day old coming from the ED needing to go into phototherapy, then an emergency caesar, then the shift ultimately ending with me going on a transfer with the two day old with kidney problems out to Randwick! I didn't leave work until 12:30am, didn't get to bed til 1:30am, and then had to get up at 7am to get to church by 8am to sing again! Phew! That took me to Boxing Day yesterday. I finally got to chill out and enjoy the rest of Boxing Day with friends out at Fox Studios where we watched The Incredibles. I enjoyed it - very good animation. Pixar are going to have trouble topping that one! This was followed by further chilling out at Tim's and dinner in Burwood at Gasparo.

Today started off with a well deserved sleep-in, then my baby sister somehow managed to con me into taking her shopping - today of all days when all shopaholics and non-shopaholics alike descend on every single nook and cranny available in every single shopping centre in existence to bag any possible bargains during the post-Christmas sales. Who knows why I succumbed!

Shock horror

So for some bizarre reason, I managed to pass church history this semester. What was our lecturer thinking? If I had been marking my exam, I would've failed me!!! I just don't get it! Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I passed, I'm just puzzled as to how, that's all!

Can't be bothered blogging about anything else, so there.

What made Gollum mad
The SMH December 18, 2004 - 9:30AM

"Lord of the Rings character Gollum was paranoid and had a split personality but this was because he probably suffered from vitamin deficiency, anaemia, hyperthyroidism and a metabolic disease called porphyria.

That's the conclusion of a group of British doctors who sift through Gollum's symptoms in a tongue-in-cheek diagnosis published tomorrow in The British Medical Journal.

"Gollum's diet is extremely limited, consisting only of raw fish. Vitamin B-12 deficiency may cause irritability, delusions and paranoia," they say.

"His reduced appetite and loss of hair and weight may be associated with iron deficiency anaemia. He is hypervigilant and does not seem to need much sleep.

"This, accompanied by his bulging eyes and weight loss, suggests hyperthyroidism. Gollum's dislike of sunlight may be induced to the photosensitivity of porphyria. Attacks may be induced by starvation and accompanied by paranoid psychosis."

Porphyria is an inherited disease of the metabolic system.

The "study", headed up by psychiatrist Elizabeth Sampson of the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London, describes Gollum as "a single, 587-year-old hobbit-like male of no fixed abode.

"He has presented with anti-social behaviour, increasing aggression and preoccupied with the 'one ring' ... He has no history of substance misuse, although like many young hobbits, he smoked 'pipe weed' in adolescence."

The diagnosis concludes: "Gollum displays pervasive maladaptive behaviour that has been present since childhood with a persistent disease course.

"His odd interests and spiteful behaviour have led to difficulty in forming friendships and have caused distress to others. He fulfills seven of the nine criteria for schizoid personality disorder." -AFP

Hee hee! I'm off to a friend's house to watch the extended version of RoTK right now, which I managed to pick up last Sunday at K Mart during their 15% off everything sale for around $46. Nice.

La la la, la la la

It's just that time of the year again - just a week out until Christmas! How disgusting is that! How fast did the year fly by? I'm sure time is picking up speed. It's the time of the year that the voice is stretched to its limits too. It's just been non-stop singing since about 3 weeks ago! I am going to be so glad when Boxing Day is over! Oh wait... I'm leading singing on the very second day of next year. HELP! I think my voice just needs a rest. In between all the singing, I managed to get an unpleasant gastro bug during the week, in the form of a temperature and abdo pain, (I knew the food at Bello sucked, but I didn't know it was that bad!) and still make it to a rehearsal, and work, without taking any sickies. Can we just pause time for about a week, so that we can all take a breath please?

Going to be singing at a wedding tomorrow. We have a girls' barber shop sextet happening, in three part harmony, with a violin on the side, accompanied by a piano. The rehearsals have been very trying, to say the least, but yay! Wedding! Finally!!! Then we just have to survive Christmas Day Service item, and the worst of it will be over.

Here's a pic of us after the surprise kitchen tea we threw the bride.


Ok, time to get some sleep so that bags to China aren't visible under eyes in the morning. One can only imagine how much sleep the soon-to-be-married couple are going to get tonight!

My small claim to fame

Awww... they've finished med school, and our department contributed to their medical degree! And now they're all growed up and graduated! I worked with all three triplets whilst I was working in Birthing Unit a year and a half ago. In fact, two of them were present when I delivered my friend's baby in April last year.

The final countdown

...is on! Less than two days to go 'til RoTK Extended 4 disc version comes out! Woohoo! =)

Giving the plastic a good workout

Oh dear. So there's a new Ikea store newly opened around here.

I've now been there twice in two days.

Maybe someone should confiscate my credit card until the year's over?

And my parents' too. My dad said he'd write a letter objecting to the fact that you must walk all the way through all the departments in the store before you get to the checkouts. I think that was their big plan all along, and it's working!

It's all good. I'm reorganising and cleaning out my room. About time!

Mobile pics

Yes, you are reading the posting time correctly. It is indeed 4:03am Adelaide time as I'm posting this. Don't ask why I'm still up! No doubt it'll be much later by the time I actually finish typing! Anyway, here are some pics I took on my mobile whilst on KI.


The view from our deck from our self contained apartment in American River


My room.


Seal Bay, where we got to go down to the beach within about 10m of seals for about 45 minutes.


This little fella was a cutie. Here's some useless info for you: A female seal is always pregnant... and a nonstop milk factory! She is pregnant for 17.5 months, gives birth, then 10 days later, is in heat again and is pregnant again!!!! She feeds the calf for 18 months!!!!! This cycle is repeated over and over again until she dies!!!!!!! Kinda makes you glad you're not a seal, huh!!


A rock shot from The remarkable rocks. A pretty spectacular place. This one kinda looks like a parrot from this angle, huh?




Admiral's Arch. Yup, and there were more seals there too. A fellow tourist who shall remain anonymous was pretty obssessed about them! =)