hopefully summarized summary update
i've been reading other people's blogs regularly but haven't blogged in my own and today of all days finally thought better do it. think i was partly inspired by k's point form blog. i'll copy her and do point form too, hopefully in some kind of organisation.
(better try to do categories in chronological order)
1. placement in June.
week 1 was boring n slow. week 2 onwards picked up cos of proactively asking all the other staff to take me along if they had interesting patients/assessments. went well and final evaluation is glowing. flatting with a couple in a small version of our house was very nice too. my first flatting experience! went so well. we got along perfectly with common interests, could talk, same age group, similar experiences of travelling/studying. had our own space but interacted well and just enough. NO fights over tv remote or chores. i tried to leave as small a footprint as i could (which i do anyway) and they said i was their best tenant ever! we became friends and there're definitely plans for them to come stay with us next time round1
2. lik coming up to auckland.
went well, we stayed 2 nights in waitakere then moved to waterfront apartments on prince's wharf. luxury living for the week before our wedding. lots of shopping, meals at the hilton hotel, our neighbour, a big spa session before the wedding. very relaxing and weather was great, apartment was warm and very well done up
3. wedding
went beautifully. just us, two requisite witnesses, organist, priest and photographer. in a tiny chapel that couldn't have comfortably held many more people so it didn't seem so empty. a tiny historic chapel with dark wood inside. morning started with decadent long slow breakfast at hilton, then spa opposite us, then off to the church, then photo taking around town (was drizzly) then tapas and wine at a fantastic place in ponsonby. got a package from old friends in sg at the tapas bar and was so touched. they sent me tiffany pearl bracelet! felt so grown up heh. and so touched. and missed them so much! missed everyone who couldn't have been there but that upped my motivation to plan a party next year here.
4. road trip
left auckland the next morning, drove to taupo where we stayed across the lake (allegedly the area of sg) from the township in a lovely holiday village. then two nights later off to the middle of nowhere in martinborough perched on a hill overlooking vast expanses of land and a river and mountains in the distance in a designer bach. could see the entire night sky full of stars when we arrived late that night through the massive windows/glass walls. in the morning that same view transformed into landscape could be seen from bed/bathroom! almost like an open concept bath/shower i'd like one day. then wellington for a bit more big city life/culture then flew back here to dunedin.
5. school
started for a week. on thurs felt like 3-4 weeks already had passed. interesting subjects this sem especially social anthropology (taught by french butchy prof), inquiry (how to critique research), one module about design, as in product/environment design and how it enables/disables people, a longitudinal placement one afternoon a week, etc. will be fun! got more half days this sem too.
6. garden
teenage leeks outside doing well, i dug up my first organically grown carrot from seed! was very exciting indeed esp since it turned out better looking than i expected given the stony soil (they grow twisted and forked when they meet a stone in the ground, and we have many in that bit of the garden). my savoy cabbages also doing well though will take a while more to br big enough to eat. the apples weren't wasted cos though the tree was bare of leaves and the apples had all turned yellow (overripe) by time we got home from the trip the birds especially some blackbirds seem to like them and they come very tentatively when they can't see me (like, when i'm hiding behind the curtain watching from the lounge) and peck on the fallen apples. other birds (tui maybe?) are feeding on the nectar of the pink rhododendrons in the front which is really wang so everytime we come home there is a huge flurry and like maybe 5-6 tiny birds hastily fly away cos they aren't tame. i'm going to set up some food for them out back too with seeds to complement the nectar/fruit.
7. house
finally got the energy audit guy to come in, we'll have a better insulated house soon! and plans to do up the kitchen too, my first new kitchen, so exciting! never thought i'd get the chance to say what i want in my kitchen! (lately more inspired to start thinking again about efficient/eco design cos two of my lecturers (married) are building an energy efficient house from scratch including making 2000 mud bricks themselves! he brought one into class yesterday. incredible.) still, we have limitations cos of not changing the structure and too much of the layout. i enjoy living here and i love our park-like garden but i also look forward to a fully efficient well planned house that takes into account all aspects of the environment, orientation, sun direction, wind direction etc.
too long now gonna finish here. photos maybe later!
(better try to do categories in chronological order)
1. placement in June.
week 1 was boring n slow. week 2 onwards picked up cos of proactively asking all the other staff to take me along if they had interesting patients/assessments. went well and final evaluation is glowing. flatting with a couple in a small version of our house was very nice too. my first flatting experience! went so well. we got along perfectly with common interests, could talk, same age group, similar experiences of travelling/studying. had our own space but interacted well and just enough. NO fights over tv remote or chores. i tried to leave as small a footprint as i could (which i do anyway) and they said i was their best tenant ever! we became friends and there're definitely plans for them to come stay with us next time round1
2. lik coming up to auckland.
went well, we stayed 2 nights in waitakere then moved to waterfront apartments on prince's wharf. luxury living for the week before our wedding. lots of shopping, meals at the hilton hotel, our neighbour, a big spa session before the wedding. very relaxing and weather was great, apartment was warm and very well done up
3. wedding
went beautifully. just us, two requisite witnesses, organist, priest and photographer. in a tiny chapel that couldn't have comfortably held many more people so it didn't seem so empty. a tiny historic chapel with dark wood inside. morning started with decadent long slow breakfast at hilton, then spa opposite us, then off to the church, then photo taking around town (was drizzly) then tapas and wine at a fantastic place in ponsonby. got a package from old friends in sg at the tapas bar and was so touched. they sent me tiffany pearl bracelet! felt so grown up heh. and so touched. and missed them so much! missed everyone who couldn't have been there but that upped my motivation to plan a party next year here.
4. road trip
left auckland the next morning, drove to taupo where we stayed across the lake (allegedly the area of sg) from the township in a lovely holiday village. then two nights later off to the middle of nowhere in martinborough perched on a hill overlooking vast expanses of land and a river and mountains in the distance in a designer bach. could see the entire night sky full of stars when we arrived late that night through the massive windows/glass walls. in the morning that same view transformed into landscape could be seen from bed/bathroom! almost like an open concept bath/shower i'd like one day. then wellington for a bit more big city life/culture then flew back here to dunedin.
5. school
started for a week. on thurs felt like 3-4 weeks already had passed. interesting subjects this sem especially social anthropology (taught by french butchy prof), inquiry (how to critique research), one module about design, as in product/environment design and how it enables/disables people, a longitudinal placement one afternoon a week, etc. will be fun! got more half days this sem too.
6. garden
teenage leeks outside doing well, i dug up my first organically grown carrot from seed! was very exciting indeed esp since it turned out better looking than i expected given the stony soil (they grow twisted and forked when they meet a stone in the ground, and we have many in that bit of the garden). my savoy cabbages also doing well though will take a while more to br big enough to eat. the apples weren't wasted cos though the tree was bare of leaves and the apples had all turned yellow (overripe) by time we got home from the trip the birds especially some blackbirds seem to like them and they come very tentatively when they can't see me (like, when i'm hiding behind the curtain watching from the lounge) and peck on the fallen apples. other birds (tui maybe?) are feeding on the nectar of the pink rhododendrons in the front which is really wang so everytime we come home there is a huge flurry and like maybe 5-6 tiny birds hastily fly away cos they aren't tame. i'm going to set up some food for them out back too with seeds to complement the nectar/fruit.
7. house
finally got the energy audit guy to come in, we'll have a better insulated house soon! and plans to do up the kitchen too, my first new kitchen, so exciting! never thought i'd get the chance to say what i want in my kitchen! (lately more inspired to start thinking again about efficient/eco design cos two of my lecturers (married) are building an energy efficient house from scratch including making 2000 mud bricks themselves! he brought one into class yesterday. incredible.) still, we have limitations cos of not changing the structure and too much of the layout. i enjoy living here and i love our park-like garden but i also look forward to a fully efficient well planned house that takes into account all aspects of the environment, orientation, sun direction, wind direction etc.
too long now gonna finish here. photos maybe later!