wednesday is anzac day...

meaning that over here in Aussie, its a HOLIDAY!

yeah, which means that I have a whole day to rest and relax... and i am doing so right now... which is why I am taking the time to write this entry about my sightseeing stint last weekend. but before that, some reflections on this day that the Aussies celebrate nationwide.

"ANZAC Day - 25 April - marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as Anzacs, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.

One of the traditions of ANZAC Day is the 'gunfire breakfast' (coffee with rum added), which occurs shortly after many dawn ceremonies.

During the 1920s, ANZAC Day became established as a national day of commemoration for the 60,000 Australians and 18,000 New Zealanders who died during the war. The first year in which all the States observed some form of public holiday together on ANZAC Day was 1927. By the mid-1930s all the rituals we today associate with the day - dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, reunions, sly two-up games - were firmly established as part of ANZAC Day culture. With the coming of the Second World War, ANZAC Day became a day on which to commemorate the lives of Australians lost in that war as well, and in subsequent years the meaning of the day has been further broadened to include Australians killed in all the military operations in which Australia has been involved. ANZAC Day was first commemorated at the Australian War Memorial in 1942, but due to government orders preventing large public gatherings in case of Japanese air attack, it was a small affair and was neither a march nor a memorial service. ANZAC Day has been annually commemorated at the Australian War Memorial ever since.

Australians and New Zealanders recognise 25 April as an occasion of national commemoration. Commemorative services are held at dawn, the time of the original landing, across the nation. Later in the day ex-servicemen and women meet and join in marches through the major cities and many smaller centers. Commemorative ceremonies are held at war memorials around the country. It is a day when Australians and New Zealanders reflect on the many different meanings of war." - Wikipedia.

Yeah, so all of that is true. The coverage on TV for this day was immense with all channels running various commentaries on the dawn services and the marches happening all over Aussie. I wanted to pay a visit, but hell, it starts at 4 am in the morning. And given the rainy weather here lately, I was much more inclined to stay in bed and watch the proceedings from the TV. so no pictures there from me on ANZAC Day.

But of course there are pictures of other places I have visited.

Last Sunday was a mad trip down to Chinatown, the Asian or Paddy's Market, The Fish Market, ANZAC Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, and the Rocks Market. It was almost entirely covered on foot, which is a mean feat for me, given how I hate walking. But fortunately, the need to save money pushed me along. Although my feet hurt like hell after the walk, I actually thoroughly enjoyed myself. The two people accompanying me are Xiaowei, a friend from NYP who happened to be in Sydney, and her cousin Diana. So it was, the three musketeers took their day trip out into the Sydney attractions...

diana to the left, and xiaowei to the right.

first stop - Chinatown and the Asian Market, which is quite like Singapore's Chinatown and Geylang. haha.

saw this really cute car along the way, and cannot resist taking a picture.

walked down to the sydney fish market, for the freshest catches of the day.

took this photo to prove to my supervisor that i went there; she made the exact same action as you see in the picture when instructing me to visit this shop.

inside the fish market - a seafood lover's galore. shops upon shops of seafood, seafood and more seafood.

good seafood is not cheap. so we had to settle for the simplest fare - fish and chips. which was just as good and filling.

my first proper meal in a week.

see the birds guarding the parasols? haha. opportunistic, they are. lucky for us, there were babies on patrol... literally babies running all over the place to chase the birds away. so they did not come to steal our food.

a long view of the jetty-side benches... and the ANZAC bridge in the background.

ANZAC bridge close up.

buskers at circular quay, where you get off to visit the famous opera house. these were funky buskers, blowing the aboriginal didgeridoo to hip-hop tunes. it was really cool. pity i did not buy the cd, because i did not think it would have the same effect.

sydney harbour bridge. also one of the attractions there. there were actually people climbing on top of the bridge. but it takes you 3 hours for the complete tour. and sets you back about $100 AUD. so i decided to just admire the view from afar.

walking down the harbour towards the famed destination.

and here i am!!! opera house in the background... and yea, its quite breathtaking. not only because its really an architectural delight, but because the wind was blistering cold.

i don't know what building this is, but the flags are soooo pretty. haha.

getting closer...

some pubs along the harbour. gave me an idea of where the inspiration for the esplanade came from.
souvenir stalls along the way.

decided to rest a while on the steps of the sydney opera house, and just take in the sights.

seagulls were again in abundance. look at how fat and healthy they are.

the memorial in front of the entrance, detailing the design of the SOH.


but of all things to photograph, i had to take a picture of the high-tech and artsy toilet. there was light for the toilet rolls, and the sinks, well, were not really sinks. hahaha. really cool.
the Sydney Opera House - just magnificent.

walking up to the Rocks, opposite of the SOH.

more buskers -this time a contortionist who could speak her way into getting people to contribute for her act. it was really something that she had pat down, in the box.

then went down to the Rocks, and that was a shopping heaven. saw a lot of things that would make beautiful gifts for people back home. so if any of you looking at this, this is where you'd most probably be getting your gift from.

a glass maker. he and his partner makes the most beautiful glass sculptures. which are expensive. hahaha.

and that was the end of the camera trip.
I took so many pictures that my camera ran out of space and batteries. Haha.

so that's the update for now.

more, you say? yeah, i will get more done, the next few weeks.

cheers!

End of first week

Well, *blink blink*, one week is gone!
Time really flies when you least expect it… or time just moves along and you get consumed by it. However way you look at it, time just moves whether you like it or not.

Anyways, the first week at the hospital was really a non-event. Monday I met up with my supervisor, and got a brief walkabout of the hospital. And immediately attended ward conferences. Then on Tuesday I went for my home visit, and wrote the home assessment report. And attended more ward conferences and inter-departmental meetings. Wednesday, I saw my first patient, and documented for the first time. I also got my pager on Wednesday. Thursday, I went for my second home visit, and wrote the report for that. Met up with another patient later on in the day, and did some documentation. Friday, discussed learning objectives with my supervisor over coffee outside the hospital during hours, and did my first initial interview with a new patient. And Friday we ended early ‘cos my sup had to leave early.

Yeah, that in a nutshell was the first week. The words my sup used to describe the weeks to come were that we would “cruise along”. Which seemed to bode well, if you ask me. We sort of explored our expectations of each other and of the placements. I think it would not get too hard for me to be able to do well and live up to the expectations of the placement. I just need to be more proactive in my ways, I mean, given that this is a western culture that I am living in, I cannot be quiet or submissive or more deferring to authority… we are all equals here, and I need to show that I am capable of standing up for what I believe in, and in fighting for the rights of my patients. Haha. I sound so idealistic. But hey, we are all allowed to dream aren’t we?

I shan’t discuss much about the culture here yet… because I don’t feel that one week is enough to talk about much. But it will come.

It’s Saturday, and I just went out for dinner with my supervisor. That's Cindy to the left, and Lesley to the right. Cindy is my sup, and Lesley is my colleague at work in the OT department at St Vincent's.

Tomorrow is another day out to the tourist attractions with a friend that somehow managed to meet up with me here. So will post peektures as I get them. Looking forward to it.

random sights of sydney

living in sydney is almost like living down bugis street. you see rows of shophouses and yet not far along, you see the tall business buildings. but they are all somehow fit. i dunno how else to say it. just see for yourself.

and i think sydney has such nice air. although the locals say that they have felt better. but just look at the sky. its really, really clear.

more random sights.

and this is where i return to show you all the pictures i took.

food junkie

well, this is for those of you who are worried about me and my diet here. let's just say that proper food is kind of difficult to find, but i somehow make do with what i can. and given my experience in the army, and in sri lanka, i really don't think that i will die. haha. of malnutrition that is. here is a picture of the kind of stores i have in my room, just to sustain myself.



yeah for the undiscerning eye, what i have in the picture is, left to right: breakfast shakes, cream cheese, mineral water, mee goreng instant, canned tuna, hot chocolate mix, salmon, muesli bars, and salad. yeah and that should sustain me like for about 4-5 days?

i try to eat out in the weekends just to get real food in. but i manage somehow during the week on these food. so not too bad really.

hotel then, hotel now

yeah, so you guys saw the pictures of the previous hotel.

well, really, its not so bad if you were here in person. I guess if you were out of the hotel for the most part of the day, which my room mates were, it really would not matter so much... because its really like a bed for the night kinda arrangement. And truthfully the most basic facilities are in place, so i can't really complain.

but with regards to my need to use the computer at night, and to have personal space to work, i guess better accommodations were needed. so i moved to this quaint little location just at the end of oxford street (where the notorious GLBT pride makes their rounds), called Sullivan's Hotel.

and boy am i enjoying the stay here (but of course not the cash drain).

the white building to the left is sullivan's hotel. there is a bookstore to the right, where i get discounts. cool huh?

entrance to sullivan's. its almost like an exclusive apartment. only that it is a hotel. haha.

imagine living like this in singapore.

its a good $99 AUD a night, and that's after the discounted price they decided to give me, since I plan on staying long. so it better be worth it.

well, i am glad to say that it is worth it.

here are some benefits of the room.

1) my very own space (no sharing with 3 other strangers!).
2) en suite bathroom (no sharing with the rest of the people on the level!!!).
3) a tv, which i must say plays good programmes to watch, and in-house movies to boot (seen shrek, lord of the rings, borat again!)
4) my personal cupboard and shelves and hangers (no more wrinkled clothes!)
5) an iron and ironing board (for those i manage to wrinkle up anyways!)
6) a personal desk (i can set up the lappie and do work there)
7) a queen sized bed, 4 pillows (ah... sleep is good)
8) air-conditioning (i can freeze my bum off, and its my choice!)
9) a radio (i listen to arab stations... i am serious)
10) a fridge (i cram it with food. lots of food.)
11) room service (can't do without it)
12) laundry service (self-service as it is, i can do without wearing the same clothes for a week).

two views of the room.

yeah... at least i can be independent and safe here.

yups... although i am still considering moving out if i find a cheaper place, i think that the amenities here are too good to give up. and mom and dad already gave permission to stay here. and they dun mind. so what say you? haha...