Beach shack weekend

I had a great weekend down at the beach. The BF and I borrowed and beach "shack" off a friend. It was really like a modestly understated home. On the beach. It was a lovely warm-up to the coming road-trip next week.

I had a few drinks and got very merry, but just now I checked out the sclerae of my eyes and they are yellowing again at the bottom. This has me concerned about the state of my liver. It was once like that (at the beginning of the year) but I slowly cleared it up with diet. I think this is the warning I need to steer-clear of alcohol which is sad as getting tipsy can be so much fun. Sad face :(

Only a few days left at work too so now is the fun part of making sure my inboxes are clear (the physical one and the email one), my locker is in order and locked (I keep a spare uniform in there so I don't panic if I'm running late back from my holidays), I have all my gear off the ambulances, my draw and files are in order, and that's about it when you're a paramedic - it's quite simple!

Which car?

Currently deciding which car to take up to Byron.

BF's car aka "The Bomb":

• comfortable seats
• can sleep in the back if necessary
• no need to worry if it gets damaged
• the BF can fix it himself if it breaks down
• 
  

My car aka "The Tiny Car":

• aircon
• radio
• recently serviced
• new tyres
• very economical on fuel
• 
  

Hmm... decisions, decisions....

We're waiting to see if the BF gets his new job for which he had an interview this week. Fingers crossed he gets it and that he doesn't start until we're due back form Byron!

NYE 2012

I actually have New Years Eve off this year (and Christmas) so I am planning a road trip to Byron Bay and the Gold Coast.

I managed to find a campsite in Byron Bay for NYE which is virtually impossible this late, but I did it. Finding anything on the GC is another story but I will continue to search.

I'm also looking at the theme parks as the BF is pretty keen. 

As for me, I'm simply picturing myself on white sands and blue water.

"Oooh... two LADY paramedics...!"

"Oooh... two LADY paramedics...!"

I was going to put that in the "Overheard" category but I couldn't be bothered.

I hear this ALL the time when I work with another female paramedic, which is also quite regularly as there is currently 3 females and 1 male at my ambulance station. I feel like saying "Why, yes! I even have my manual driver's licence!" ffs

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Fruitarian life is going great. It is so easy when you get the ball rolling. I say again and again, it is the easiest "diet" I have ever been on. The hardest parts are:

• eating enough fruit calories
• having enough ripe fruit around the house

That's it!

My update (and a long story about manifesting visualisations)

So, where am I at?

I'm back doing 100% high-carb, raw vegan lifestyle and feeling so good for it. It's difficult for the first few days as there is a little detox and water/sodium rebalancing, but I'm on the easy side of it now and find it very easy. I have realised I need a lot more calories than I originally thought as the minimum 2000-2500cal is really just for maintenance, and not for healing and a shift-working medical student that wants to go running and travelling the world person.

Health is my number one priority right now which also, apart from all the fruit, includes getting enough water, sleep, fresh air and sunshine. This can therefore take up a fair few hours of the day. We have been quite busy at work and my personal life is quite full atm therefore my studies haven't been all that they could be this week.

21 Dec 2012 is coming! Have you began to look at what you want to take in to the New World? No, Earth isn't going to blow up! It just is a prediction that it is the end of the Information Age and the beginning of the Enlightenment/Wisdom/Knowledge Age. Now is a good time to start considering what your life would look like if it came from a place of love and harmony.

Vision booking! I have a vision board but I've started a vision book now. Very exciting. I'm super-excited because I know how much they work! I have recently had another manifestation occur....

The Story

In high school there was this girl, DH, who was bullied quite a lot. She came from an under-privileged background, had the thickest glasses, the worst skin and hair, and to top it all of she had this very unattractive voice and she didn't come across too bright. Poor dear. She was an easy target. Unfortunately, although I don't consider myself a bully at all, I got swept along with it at times.

I used to dwell on the people that gave me a hard time at high school. I spent my early twenties using it for motivation to become successful so I could somehow prove something to them or myself, not that I'd ever see most of them again. Although now with Facebook, it is a little motivating again! Mostly now, however, I do things for myself and on my own life's journey without worrying about other people and their opinions.

So, anyway, as I used to dwell on my own tormentors  I one day had an epiphany that I, too, may have been someone else's tormentor  Then I remembered DH. It kinda haunted me for awhile, this idea that I could have been to someone what those horrible girls were to me. Actually, it haunted me for about two years. And about a year-or-so ago I started imagining bumping into DH and having a good ol' chat and somehow me finding a way to apologise for the years of misery I had contributed to her high-school life. In fact, I think I was sort of obsessed with this idea.

Then, at TCM school at the start of the year, there was a girl that sat in the front row. She sounded just like DH! I thought ot myself: "Is that HER?" But she was too young and had a different name. Maybe she changed her name? Maybe it's a sister? I mildly befriended this girl. She was a bit of a mess - her life was all over the shot and she seemed to be stuck in a victim-mentality to the point where ti was extremely frustrating to talk to her. But I persisted and I thought it was some-how righting the wrongs of my past doings.

Then, you wouldn't believe it! Last week I saw DH! Really, I did. I was at the hospital for work. It's a regional hospital about 100+ kms from our old stomping grounds. I heard this woman speaking and then she registered her details at the front counter and gave her full name. "OMG! It's DH!" I exclaimed to my inner self. Holy mackerel! She looked exactly the same, just fatter!

Then the weirdest things happened. I made eye contact with her and I had this sudden, overall feeling of contentedness  like everything was all right  There was no need to talk to DH, no need to apologise for being a stupid teenager. She was fine and living her new life, as was I. That was surprising.

------------
Anyway, that is the story. So be careful what you manifest, what you spend energy and time concentrating on because it will come to you. Perhaps with some delay. I find about 12 months to be a normal delay for this sort of thing.

Tips: don't use negatives such as "I don't want x" because all the universe hears is "x". So, don't say "I don't want to get cancer" instead say "I want to be healthy" etc.

Another tip: be very specific. I always said I wanted to be rich and then one day I was doing an assignment that pointed out that if I lived in Australia I was the top 5% richest people in the world. While that was good perspective in a lot of ways, what I really wanted was enough money to have the lifestyle I wanted without have to work for a wage.

Make sure it is what you really want. Do you really want a man with green eyes, or a man that looks at you with great love....?

Now to visualise and manifest that med school will be easy and enjoyable and that I will learn everything I need to be a knowledgeable and excellent doctor......

(Nb: I tagged this post "spirituality"as I believe getting in touch with one's intuition to be quite spiritual, however there is a lot of science supporting the thought patterns to actualisation relationship... Believe it or not!)

Not a good look?

OVERHEARD NEAR THE AMBULANCE
An on-duty paramedic quickly stops at the local hardware store with the ambulance an in-uniform to buy a shovel for some lovely Spring-time gardening after work. As she walks out of the shop very proud of her purchase (as they had exactly what she was looking for), and with a little skip in her step as she walked to the ambulance she is asked buy a road-worker:

ROAD-WORKER

"Is that for when they don't wake up?"

PARAMEDIC

"We like to bury our mistakes...."

Things are not always as at first they first seem....

OVERHEARD IN THE AMBULANCE
Two Advanced Life Support road crews, one Community Emergency Response Team and one Intensive Care Ambulance were dispatched to a motorcycle versus vehicle accident involving one male patient with a compound (bones sticking out of skin) fracture to the lower leg. The third crew ("<CREW>")arrives on scene and provides the despatcher with a Sitrep ("situation report" aka update of the situation)...

CREW (ON RADIO)

"Despatch from <Crew>"

DESPATCH (ON RADIO)

"Go ahead <Crew>....."

CREW (ON RADIO)

"This is a patient with a broken TOE after falling from a 50cc in a backyard while wearing thongs. Cancel the Intensive Care Ambulance........."

Study addiction

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I think I'm actually addicted to studying. I think this because I've had to cut-back on courses, I continue to study even when I feel sick and have no reason to do so, I study for entertainment, I study in the bath and when I get home from work, and most of all I think it's an addiction because I study even at the cost of my health.

Meanwhile,I'm so happy with the progress I've made in the last two days. Studying without deadlines is a good way to study. I have even made my own YouTube video but I'm not sure I'll post it publicly as I am too fussy and am not happy that I left out the central spinal as a location for grey matter.

Today is all about cranial nerves. This time I want to know them back-to-front. I want to known their origin  tracts, where they emerge (foramans) and where they synapses. I want to know their pathology and lesion locations.

Ok back to it.

The 5th pass theory

I have a theory, which I have shared before, about the 5th-pass idea of learning a new topic. I first heard it from another student while studying for GAMSAT, so it may actually be a real theory that I'm in-advertantly plagirising. Anyhoo, here it is.

When learning a new topic, it takes 5 times of studying that same topic to retain it.

1st pass - brain does not recognise foreign word/idea. Mild confusion and panic sets in
2nd pass - brain recognises it has seen this word/idea before. Not as much panic but still confusion.
3rd pass - brain feels smug - it knows this complicated word.idea. Still doesn't understand it though but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
4th pass - brain begins to get a grip and opens itself up to learning this new word/idea. A vague understanding is achieved.
5th pass - brain begins to consider this word/topic "old hat". Greater understanding is achieved and the information may be manipulated and explained from a different angle.

In med school, you really need to get to at least 6th or 7th pass to be able to answer USMLE-level questions.

Today (and yesterday), I am doing the central nervous system. Here are the resources I have used to get to the point where I'm starting to understand it to the level where I could possible re-draw from memory the tracts and possibly figure out where a lesion may be in relation to the presenting clinical manifestations.

1. School notes
2. Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine - CNS chapter
3. Dr Najeeb lectures
4. Hand Written Tutorials lectures
5. Wikipedia
6. First Aid for the USMLE step 1
7. Googled images of the spinal cord tracts
8. Random YouTube videos that catch my attention
9. YouTube video "Memorise the Parts of the Brain" (my favourite)
10. Residual knowledge

I still have a long way to go!

My journey through medical school - the story so far

Above is a picture of all (except my neuro which is at work) my folders from studying medicine at OUM so far.  I have got them together to go through while on deferral before returning later next year.

I'm not sure why I only have one Endocrine folder. Also, I have not yet done GIT (gastrointestinal) but I have a folder there as I was trying to get ahead with some study between terms previously. I'm not sure what's going on with the "extra clinical lectures" at OUM any more since their course revisal.

So what have I achieved in 2 years at med school? 6 out of 10 of the pre-clinical modules. That's right, I'm only just over a quarter of the way through! Bear in mind that - I'm only doing 3 out of 5 terms per year before deferring, and I began my academic year in March (not January) in 2010.

One of my favourite rules of life is that everything takes twice as long and costs twice as much as initially thought. Med school seems to fit quite nicely into this idea.

The good news is - I'm super-keen now to get back into it. I'm totally motivated and ready to focus on this one degree only!....

Well, I can't blog anymore as I am due back at work from my fatigue break. 

Misogynist

I'm working with The Misogynist today.

Patient: "Is this job hard?"
TM: "Nah. They even let girls do it."

TM: "Have you been sitting in this chair?"
Me: "Yes. Why? Is it too low?"
TM: "Nah. It's just weird."
Me: "Weird?"
TM: "Kinda girly."

OUM update

New MD curriculum chart

Old curriculum chart (my course of study)

So I finally thought "Hey, I should email OUM for an update of my request for deferral" and as I searched my inbox I found a reply from 6 weeks ago! It said my request was approved until 31st August 2013! Yay! This is wonderful news.

My plan is now to revise what I've studied so far, especially neuro as I need to retake that exam (if I stay in the MD program as their cut-off for a pass is much higher than that for the MBBS ie 65 vs 50). I generally need to revise everything as I'll have the OUM in-house end of pre-clinical exam to pass before attempting the USMLE Step 1.

As for IUHS, I still have my application in progress over there so I'll see what happens about that.

I have that motivation for study feeling coming back! So good! Just as I began revising my neuro modules it was as if everything seemed easier.

In other news, Maria (my VA) is doing exceptional work. My business is coming along well. Now the truth will be told as to whether it is at all profitable!

The VA and my grand ideas

My VA, Maria, is really impressing me. She works virtually completely autonomously and does a great job. She gives me good ideas and I really appreciate her work.

It's good to be working towards a business, one that is based on something I really enjoy and can be done REMOTELY (hello, world travel), instead of unless study. And more study. And more study.

But don't worry - I still want to do med, but I don't feel like to HAVE to do med to get where I want to go. That is quite liberating. Interestingly, I still want to do my med degree though. It feels good that I want to do it for me, and there is no stress to get the best USMLE score in order to get a job I want, or a job at all. I will probably get better grades now that I'm not trying lol

Getting a VA (Virtual Assistant)

So my friend put me onto The Four-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris, and one of the main highlights of his book it to outsource your life. This is were a Virtual Assistant (or Online Personal Assistant) comes in.

I love this concept for many reasons. One - I like to live out my "eccentric billionaire fantasies" as suggested by Tim. I now have someone do things for me like find out if the organic shop home delivers. Maybe I'm not that eccentric yet, but give me time. Two - I can pay someone to do the time-consuming things I need to do to get this online business up and running such as research and writing content. Sweet. My VA can also find me a web-developer and do some book-keeping for me should I ever make any money from this. I'm also getting her to manage my Google Calendar and appointments and do errand-type things (online of course) that annoy me.

My VA's name is Maria and she is from the Philippines. Her going rate is $1.39 per hour. I have hired her for 30 hours per week (less than $42). I feel a bit guilty about paying her so low but she told me she is thrilled to have steady full-time employment and can't believe I have included 4 weeks paid annual leave into her contract. I don't think she cared so much that I said her hours were mostly flexible. But dw, I will give her bonuses and pay rises frequently as incentives for performing well (which I expect she will).

I like the book because it talks about Lifestyle Design, something people often overlook, and it was time for me to redesign mine. It also shows you how to set up a remote and fully-automated business online, something I will attempt. I'll keep you posted. I would love to be able to still help people and their health, but do it from any location I choose at whatever time of day I choose etc. This is what I want for my lifestyle.

Other ways my life is now outsourced - I use MyBudget.com.au to look after my bills and budget etc. I haven't found anything as good as them and I'm happy to keep paying the $25 per week. I have also just hired a house cleaner. I have been considering this one for awhile. Firstly, I kinda hate paying for someone to do something that I can do myself, however I have reconsidered that point since reading the book and now realise that, although I don't mind doing housework, not having enough time to do it at times is the source of about 50% of all the stress in my day-to-day life. That is worth $30 per week to remove. I have also found a good cleaner which makes it even better.

Fruitarian

So, I've been fruitarian raw vegan for about 6 weeks or so mow. It's the best thing I've ever done. I feel amazing. I can feel my body healing and my health improving. My BMI is now 23. Whew.

Well, I really can't recommend it more.

Apart from that - well, I'm going through the motions with my Masters (x2) and my application for IUHS, I still have big dreams but really my number 1 priority in my life right now is my health. And I'm learning so much along the way.

Oh photos of the contianer house coming soon....

Dropping out of TCM school

Oh, yeh, I've decided to drop out of TCM school.

I just want to focus on my western medicine degree and the herbal medicine masters and getting my lifestyle back.

The TCM degree is too intensive for what I'm willing to commit to it. It's too much for me to go into school on my days off work and realistically it will be very difficult indeed to hold a practice dual medical degrees.

Anyway, I'm sad to leave my wonderful TCM buddies (I haven't told them yet) and I was really enjoying acupuncture and looking at health in a different perspective, but I want to focus on western.

Road trip!

We just got back from a road trip to Mildura and Broken Hill for 5 days.

The BF asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said sunshine and fresh fruit. Mildura is the "fruit bowl" of Australia and has lovely sunny warm weather this time of the year, unlike my home town.

We were spontaneous with our decision to drive further north to the outback town of Broken Hill. We had a great time there - it was very different indeed.

On return we visited Penny Hills

And Mungo National Park

We managed to source lots of lovely fruit at the farmers market and local stores, although I nearly had a melt-down when I couldn't find any watermelon or green coconuts for a day.

We camped on the Darling Rive which was lovely and got some much-needed sunshine.

Update

Well, the 811rv is going really well indeed. I've now lost 4kg in 4 weeks and lost a BMI point. The hardest thing is eating enough. Pretty much all my symptoms have resolved and I'm pretty much ready to start exercising again.

The BF moved into his container house last week too. We went shopping on the weekend for kitchen cupboard doors and some appliances and looked at bathroom stuff. It looks really good already and I can't wait to put pictures up.

I haven't made it to a number of my TCM classes which is a little worrying but we have a mid-semester break next week so I'm sure I can catch up with most things.

We're planning a road trip this weekend for my birthday! Can't wait!

Being vegan is easy...

...but being raw is harder.

I find being raw vegan, especially on the 80/10/10 is quite easy. I barely get any cravings, but occasionaly I do crave cooked "comfort" food such as bread etc. I rarely crave animal products any more, and if I do, say cheese, I simply think of what it actually is (ie solidified animal secretions) and that turns me off straight away.

I have a day back at work to do and an assignment over due for International Health, so I guess I know what I'm doing today.

Join PCRM's VegRUN! - Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)

Join PCRM's VegRUN! - Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)

The usual

This weekend I'm working so it's the usual of trying to get enough sleep while on call, and doing homework at work while on downtime.

I'm really enjoying this 811rv diet although I didn't eat enough calories yesterday which made me a bit tired but then I quickly tried to eat more fruit before bed which was a bad idea as then I was too awake to sleep. Typical.

I bought the dog two new toys today and he really loves them :)

Card-carrying vegan

I've flicked the switch - I am now 100% vegan for life.

I knew there was something in vegan diets and something in raw diets that made sense. Why wouldn't one be healthier for eating only beautiful fresh fruit and veges?

I went back to raw vegan a few weeks ago now to regain my health (that I lost last year thanks to over-doing it, working shift-work and eating junk). I had tried it a few times this year but it was hard ot stick to.

Well, now I'm doing the 80/10/10rv diet and it's working a treat. No cravings, 2500+ calories a day, it's all good. I think I've been doing it for 3-5 weeks now, not sure.

I haven't had any detox symptoms either, which is weird. Maybe being on-and-off vegan/raw vegan for the past 6 months or so helped a lot. My skin cleared up almost instantly, which is almost annoying as I've spend so much time and effort and money since I was 15 to clear my skin. Geez. But I wont rant about that today. Mind you, each time I had a "slip-up" in the past few weeks my skin would break out and get itchy again, so 100% 80/10/10rv is necessary.

Anyway, as of this week I am 100% vegan, no doubts about it, for life. The health benefits got my onto vegan, but the ethical side of it is keeping me 100%.

I watched a movie called Earthlings. It's free and on YouTube. It's feature-length. Well , it's horrifying and it puts right in your face everything you try to not think about when you consume animal. Yuk. It really  upset me and I wont eat animal ever again. I didn't watch all of it as it goes onto animal as clothing and animal as entertainment (including testing products etc) but I'm already educating myself. I already stay away from leather and silk but now I think wool may have to go too.

I'm undecided about what to do with the leather/wool clothing that I already own.

PS The bi-carb/baking soda works well but you gotta do extra washes, ie if you normally shampoo once, then shampoo twice with bi-carb.

My new shampoo

I'll tell you how it goes

Natural deodorant recipes

I have become slightly obsessed with my coconut oil since purchasing it. I never expected something natural to work much better than a store-bought product containing many ingredients.

I'm now searching for deodorants, soaps, and shampoos to add to my beauty-routine collection.

Here are two recipes for making natural deodorant. With both, you can add essential oils for a scent. These deodorants will not prevent sweating but will kill the odour-causing bacteria.

Coconut oil
2 parts baking soda
2 parts starch (arrow root, corn starch etc)
3 parts coconut oil

Vodka
1 part vodka
1 part water (distilled)

The coconut oil recipe will be solid at room temperature, so you may want to make small "bars", and the vodka recipe is a liquid which you may want to store in a jar and dip a cotton ball into to apply.

Productive day(s)

Well, I just want to tell the whole world how my Chinese Medicine Foundations exam got graded incorrectly and I found myself and extra 20 points on my exam, just by taking the time to go and review it!

It's a pain in the bum at some unis, and some don't allow you to at all which was a major gripe of mine with OUM changing their exams, to review your exam. Well, excuse me for wanting to know what questions I got wrong just in case I ever have a patient with the same complaints but here I am not knowing what I know and what I don't know.

My CM school is quite small, so this week they allow students to drop into the office and have a look at their exams. This is great because you can take notes of where you need to revise so for the rest of the course and career you know what you're doing.

Anyway, I've felt like the biggest dumbass for the past 3 weeks, thinking I only got 51% on my exam! Turns out, I got 71%.Geez. So my final grade for the subject jumped from 64 to 77 or something like that. That's a Credit to a Distinction. I ended up with D's across the board, thank you very much.

Today - just now - I finally submitted my assignment for Herbal Medicine. I quite enjoy this subject on Skin and right now I want to be a dermatologist (if anyone's been following this blog for the past 2  years I've gone from emergency physician, to general practitioner, to paediatrician, to emergency paediatrician, to integrative medicine, and now to dermatology.)

I also saw an advertised job for an alternative health dermatology specialist with a salary range of $80-100k. This is where I'm aiming to hit with a cruisey 9-5 M-F job, not an insane any time of the day or night all weekends and public holidays in any weather job. Of course, if and when I ever become a registered doc I should clear that no worries, but it's good to know my other options in the world of alternative health.  I feel like I need about that much to comfortably pay off my mortgage, to maybe get an investment property (for my retirement), and to take one overseas trip a year (not an expensive one though), and to do be cringing at the thought of bills being higher than expected or stressing because the price of petrol rose 10c. Yes, I am still striving towards a self-sufficient and sustainable life-style.

In 1.5 hours I return back to work. Well, actually I'll probably go in half an hour earlier to get myself organised. I start on-call tonight. Eek. It's difficult coming back. I have to admit, I'm starting to get over the adrenalin rush of paramedics and look forward to the day I am chillin in my clinic. But, I need to go back to work to study - sounds funny. Since having my stressful episode at the beginning of the year, I have been conscientiously practicing only studying at work, and never after work at home and rarely on my days off. This is much healthier and I do a lot of study at work as I know that is my only time to do it. So, I need to go back and get back into it and I'm really looking forward to that aspect of returning to work actually.

Well that's all as I have to go get ready. 

Dream Journal

I thought I'd start a Dream Journal section on here because of them are so weird and I want to record them. Even though dreams are not "real", they are still an interesting part of life and often provides insight into your thoughts patterns and emotions.

So last's night's dream:

I was on my honeymoon with the BF. We stopped off in LA on our way to Mexico. We went out to a bar and met Tom Cruise. He was a little strange but nice enough and we had a few drinks with him and he taught us some sort of bar game.

Later in the night, the BF and I went to leave the bar and walked out to our car in the carpark which was a new model black VW Beetle. We saw in front of us Tom Cruise and his bodyguard in their car, which was a small delivery van. Their battery was flat so we offered a jump-start. All four of us were in the van when I asked the bodyguard to be careful with the jumpstart wires and then he decided it would be funny to electrocute me. I begged him to stop but he kept going until I had to be resuscitated by paramedics.

Analysis:

The BF and I want to go to Mexico and we will probably fly via LA. We're not sure when we're going to go. When we were in Bali we got asked numerous times if we were on our honeymoon. I think it's perhaps because we looked so happy and in love, and because Bali is a popular honeymoon destination.

Tom Cruise has been in the media lately since his split with Katie Holmes. I was reading the front of magazines at the supermarket a few days ago. I wondered to myself how weird he might be in real life. A few weeks ago I was looking up his strange Scientology rant on YouTube out of boredom. I considered how strange it would be to be married to someone like that. I used to think he was really good looking too.

I used to own a new model black VW Beetle and often think about getting a new one again. I don't need a new car but I still think about it some times.

I don't know where the van came from.

A few weeks ago the BF had trouble jumpstarting a car with his battery-powered emergency starter and he said yesterday that he wants a new one for his birthday. When people use them I always get worried they will electrocute themselves. As a paramedic, I know how dangerous electricity can be.

Sometimes when the BF tickles me I ask him to stop and he keeps going. I don't like the feeling of being disempowered and often wonder how horrible it would be for some women to be in a violent relationship.

Coconut oil for hair and skin (and general update)

I bought some raw organic coconut oil from the organic grocers the other day. It's the stuff which is solid at room temperature. I bought it to ?cook with ...even though I'm trying for 100% raw...anyway, I bought it and I used it in my hair as an overnight treatment (well, originally I thought I rinsed it out but it needed shampooing out the next day) and it worked amazing - better than any other salon treatment I've ever used, and I used to be a hairdresser. I tried massaging some into my scalp and it seems to have helped my dandruff for sure.

As I was in the bath, some got onto my skin through it rinsing in the bath water and my skin looks amazing too, so I thought I'd put some just on the dry patches on my face, and they looked and felt amazing too. So I thought I'd put it all over my face and neck last night and I woke up with beautiful skin. So this morning I "washed" my face in the coconut oil and I am loving it. I never have nice skin.

I'm also currently using beetroot as a blush (the fresh stuff, not canned) and I love that too. The mixed blackberry and spirulina powder works good as an eyeliner and ok as a mascara. I got these tips from Megan Elizabeth.

Perhaps my skin is looking so good because I'm at the end of my fives weeks off work, I went to Bali in the sun and surf, or that I've been eating 100% high carb raw vegan for a week (minus one big mishap yesterday afternoon which I'm leaving in the past). Probably all of these combined I'd say.

-----
I've bargained with myself that if I get >1500 words of my assignment written today I'm allowed to go shopping for an outfit to wear this weekend for the BF's birthday. I'm trying to reward myself as bargain for eating well as I can usually study no probs, but on annual leave from work I'm finding it painful to be at the home desk instead of...anything else!

I wouldn't normally buy a brand new outfit for an occasion, especially not form a high street retail store, but the BF requested it so instead of arguing my case I've decided to "let go" of being right and instead by loving.

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Med school update: I've requested a deferral from OUM so I can figure out what I'm doing. I'm still waiting on a letter of recommendation to finally submit my application to IUHS. It's unfortunately all come down to finances. I'm so glad that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel re my finances so it will be a matter of re-grouping and going again. I'm really super-keen, but I can't do what I can't do and I still haven't won the lottery....

I've now purchased the Dr Najeeb videos as they are currently on sale, so I will be doing those at work daily when I go back next week.

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Fitness it on the back-burner right now but I'm hoping it will make a come back soon as the weather improves along with my heath.

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Container house: we have our first one on our land now! Yay! It needs some work but I'm hoping to start semi-living in it shortly when I'm at the BF's farm.

That is all and I better go finish this assignment.

BF's b'day

It's my darling's birthday this weekend so I'm taking him out to Melbourne. VIP tix and lux accom is what my baby deserves.

Here is what I've booked so far:

Hope he likes it...

Raw vegan

Last week of annual leave. Just went to the tax accountants today and not really doing much although I should be studying.

I got some lovely organic groceries I'm so excited about. I also got some raw organic coconut oil. My groceries, excluding the oil, we're about $70 and should last me about 3 or 4 days, so that would be $140 a week for me to eat 100% high carb raw organic. I was hoping for $100 a week but I can afford it right now until I figure out how to organise myself to buy in bulk. For now, I don't mind so much because I'm probably spending the same I would have on my SAD (Standard Australian Diet) due to all the take-away and restaurant food. Also, my health and well-being is certainly worth the investment.

Natural birth control

I've spent multiple consultations with multiple GPs and OBGYNs talking about birth control options as  my body and my mind do not like what we've tried so far.

Lately, I've been using a phone app to help my monitor and use the rhythm method. The problem with the calendar-based or rhythm method is it assumes every woman has the same luteal phase after their period. I got put onto the app by my friend who is trying to conceive.

Natural birth control, or fertility awareness, uses the monitoring of basal body temperature as well as combining calendar method information. Monitoring cervical mucous is another way to help gain more information about what phase of your cycle you are in.

Background info - women produce only one egg per month (ovulate) and that occurs on only one day per month. Conceiving can occur around only 6 days per month as sperm can live for up to five days, thanks to the cervical mucous, and the egg can hang around for about 18 hours after ovulation - this brings a total of only about 6 days per month max. Cervical mucous signs of fertility is when it is of a raw egg-white colour and consistency - this should happen during the 5 days leading up to ovulation. (For more info re cervical mucous see this YouTube video).

If you use your calendar (free iPhone apps available) and monitor your cervical mucous, this alone has a 93% effectiveness - around the same as condoms.

If you monitor your basal temperature and use a calendar, this provides up to 99% effectiveness. Combining all three methods - calendar, cervical mucous, and temperature, will provide a contraception effectiveness of greater than 99% (or if you want to get pregnant, this helps you too).

LadyComp is a great device that  combines a thermometre into a computer calendar that gives you coloured lights for whether you are infertile or fertile (depending what you want).

It feels good to be in control of my own body, to not be taking synthetic hormones, to not be worried about the increased risks of cardio-vascular disease, liver disease, and cancer. To not be gaining weight and losing my mind. My last contraception, Implanon, made me gain 20% of my body weight in less than a year and I'm still stuck with it now.

My question is - why has not one single doctor even briefly referred to these methods in my 19 years of fertility?

Back to reality

I'm back in my routine, although I still have about another two weeks before I return to work. I am, however, back at uni x3 (Chinese Med, Herbal Med, and International Health). I have a total of four subjects this semester. My to-do list is rather lengthy.

I want to go raw vegan again, so I started my morning with banana with coconut and cinnamon and a rose hip and hibiscus tea. I can't wait to buy a Vitamix blender, an Excaliber dehydrator, and a good juicer. Then I should be set. For now I'll have to make do with my crappy juicer, my cheap blender, and no dehydrator. It's a zucchini and tomato with fresh basil and pine nuts salad today, maybe some lemon juice and shredded coconut too and perhaps some spices....mmmm I'm so hungry.

I'd like to buy more organic. Right now after returning from holidays, my funds are a little low, and the nearest organic grocer is 40km away. There are some organic veges in the supermarket near CM school (I thought there were more but I was duped by the plastic "wicker"-style baskets they normally put the organic stuff in which was all in one place but only a few of the baskets had organic veges in them). Anyway, here is a link to the Clean 15 which are the fifteen fruit and veges you don't have to buy organic as they usually contain very low levels of pesticides. This is an American list, but I'd like to think that the foods that don't require pesticides it's fairly universal. Well, the list is a start anyway. There is the partner list, the Dirty Dozen, which lists the worst food i.e. the ones you should only buy organic.

Ok off to make my salad......

Bali Day 8 - 9

(Snorkelling the coral reef at the shore of Amed beach)

Day 8

We sadly had to check out of the elephant safari park and head 3.5 hours north to Amed for our diving course.

We arrived to find our accommodation at Divers Cafe to be fairly basic, but at $30 per night for a beach bungalow, I was happy. The BF wasn't that impressed, but he did have good reason as there was no running water and the front door was locked using a padlock and it didn't really close completely shut.

We arranged our diving course for the next day and got our diving gear organised. We were supposed to have Lash for our instructor, but she sadly informed us she had trouble renewing her instructor licence for the season online and she found us someone else.

In the arvo we got out in the water and snorkelled the reef. The visibility wasn't the best but it was nice to snorkel again after so long (last time was probably Samoa in 2010).

Day 9
Today we got up early and had breakfast before our diving course commenced at 8:30am. Seeing as we had already done the theory of Padi online, we were ready for the practical. We got briefed, geared up, in the water, and then....I didn't like it! Not at all! I felt like my regulator was too resistant, I hated the sensation of my weight belt dragging me down underwater, I was tired and felt stressed, and then I began a downward mental cycle of getting upset with myself and thinking too far ahead about all the underwater skills I needed to achieve (which by that stage I had convinced myself were impossible for me). I spent the day resting and calming  myself and retrying breathing underwater for longer and deeper in the swimming pool. The BF took to it so naturally and did two dives in the ocean. I decided I would need longer to advance to that stage.

I felt like an absolute loser as I was surrounded by scuba divers at Divers Cafe, and me, "The Loser", couldn't even go to the deep end of the swimming pool. Everyone else looked so tanned and toned and happy, and I was pale and chubby and sad. Blah. I am, however, resolved to conquering this fear of...drowning...but for me it will take longer than a day. The BF said quite rightly that I got through the theory easily and quickly and he got through the practical easily. So, we can't all be good at everything all the time and we should try and do things we are not good at as well as the ones we are. I wasn't good at this at all.

The BF completed his last dive at about 3:30pm and after that he said "I want to go back to Kuta and get out of here and stay someone really nice for our last night in Bali" so we promptly packed, checked-out, and took a 3.5 hour taxi ride to Ayana Resort in Jimbaran. He had a massive headache so some water, electrolyte drink, a bit of a spew, and some acupressure and massage from me the student doctor of Chinese Medicine, as well as a nap in the taxi, made him feel a lot better by the time we got to Ayana.

Bali Day 7

(Elephant Safari Park Lodge, Taro)

Day 7

We travelled from Ubud to Taro early to go to the Elephant Safari Park and Lodge. This place is owned and run by an Aussie ex-pat and his Balinese family. The elephants have been rescued from a sort of pound in Sumatra from where they are native but are in conflict with the local farmers. 

This park is absolutely amazing. Well, it's as good as you can have animals like this in captivity I think. The one-on-one relationship with the elephants and their individual mahouts is remarkable. 

In the photo above is one of the elephants in her "bedroom". They are chained during the night so they don't roam around everywhere and are left with plenty of food at night and then again in the morning for breakfast before their day starts. Elephants eat an astonishing 250kg of food a day! And are vegetarian!

Each elephant has individual skills. Some do the treks, some do tricks like soccer, and some paint! I had my t-shirt painted by a very talented elephant named Ramona. We also got to wash Ramona with a hose and scrubbing brush which was such a memorable experience.

I'd recommend this place to anyone.

We stayed in the budget room which was about $250 per night. You can simply visit the park but I would recommend staying there as the trekking and entrance fee etc sets you back about $75 per person anyway, and you get breakfast included with the room. The more expensive rooms overlook the park, although ours still had a lovely view over rice paddies.

We caught our elephant "chauffeur" from pre-dinner drinks to dinner. The more expensive rooms have a chauffeur service from the rooms to dinner. 

Bali Day 3-6

(Mt Batur)

Day 3

Oh so happy to be getting the hell out of Kuta. That place is friggin insane. 

We got a taxi from our hotel to take us to Ubud. Along the way we stopped at some silver smiths, a batik weaving and painting place and a wood carving place to see some traditional artisans. The BF bought two handmade kites, which you see everywhere in Bali, traditionally used to scare birds from the rice fields.

We stayed at Villa Mandi in Ubud, which I can certainly recommend. It only has 4 self-contained villas with a lovely infinity pool overlooking the rice paddies. It is a short drive or about 20 min walk to Ubud central and is far enough away to be quiet. For $40 per night, it was as steal.

We had dinner and lunch the next day at an indian restaurant located just in front of the accommodation. It was a 3-story bamboo structure which was pretty cool in itself. It over-looked the rice fields and coconut trees and was had a 3-course dinner and the local Bintang beer for a total of about $20 for the tow of us!

Day 4

I insisted that we have a rest day. I had been pretty flat-out leading up to the trip, and hadn't quite normalised from the flight. Even though the flight was during the day, it really took it out of me. I could feel my tonsillitis symptoms flaring up and started to feel quite achy. So, we just went down to the market early in the morning to have a look and try some local delicacies, and I picked up some cloves to chew on (they are good for tummy-bugs i.e. intestinal parasites) jus in case that was part of my problem. WE went back to the accom for the arvo and chilled by the pool. I drank my Veuve Cliquot that the BF had bought Duty Free for our anniversary. At night we went into Ubud to see a traditional dance at the Palace.

The BF discovered he had lost his atm card! He had all our spending money (well, most of it) so this was indeed a set back. After one internet banking to get us back on the road, we went to bed early before our 2.30am start the next day.

Day 5

Today was hiking Mount Batur. At about 1700m from sea level, we hiked the last 500m or so, but it took a good 2 hours. Some of it was steep and difficult and some would be described as a rock-scramble. The Europeans that had all the gear and obviously hike frequently put us to shame, but we made it eventually. I was also dry-reaching the first hour or so and started to panic about getting tonsillitis. At the peak we watched the sunrise and had boiled eggs and banana for breakfast. Then we walked around some other craters and generally were in awe of being on an active volcano. The steam rising from small pits was amazing.

Afterwards we had a buffet lunch from another location looking back at the mountain and we couldn't believe how far we had hiked. I enjoyed it so much I'd like to do more hiking.

The BF wanted to stop at a Lewat coffee place, although I'm quite against using animals in this way as the Civets are kept in small cages to produce the coffee. I did try it though, and was not exactly impressed with the taste so I can say it's not worth it more multiple reasons. The lemon tea was beautiful and I must find some of it here at home.

We also stopped to look at terraced rice fields and I picked up my one of only two souvenirs which was a cow bone calved into a intricate detail of traditional Balinese style.

Day 6

I'm having trouble recalling what we did this day! Day 4, 5 and 6 are a bit blended into one-another. We did finish the evening at XL Lounge which had great food and cocktails and we spent about $100 which was a lot for Bali but a really great night. We also stopped for a massage on the way home.

Edit: I remember! We went to Bali Safari and Marine Park. It was pretty good. We got to cuddle a baby orangutang and ride a camel. We saw a white tiger and watched a really good musical production.

Bali Day 1-2

The most relaxing ride at Waterbom - "The Lazy River"

The first two days in Bali we spent in Legian, which is basically Kuta beach - the most touristy place in the whole of Bali.

Day 1

Our flight was long and there was no entertainment available, so we were SO glad we downloaded some movies onto my iPad to watch. We watched The Artist and My Week With Marilyn, played some poker and listened to some tunes.

On arrival to Bali I was exhausted already. I had read about the "Porters" in the Denpasar airport that collect your bags for you and carry them to your taxi for a tip. I forgot and when we arrived we weren't sure where we were going so the Porters must have seen us and targeted us straight away. As soon as they picked up our bags I was like "Damn it". The BF thought they were Customs as they had these official uniforms on. I only saw a small "Porter" badge on one guy and then I remembered what it said in Lonely Planet (and also I have had similar experiences elsewhere, especially in Kathmandu). They took us only so far, about 20m, and I stepped in and said thanks but that's enough, here's RP5000 each, which is equivalent to 50c. They weren't happy but I was firm. We found the correct 'metered" taxi place and at least avoided getting ripped off a second time at the airport. We were kicking ourselves in the taxi for getting duped as soon as we landed in Bali, but we were a lot more vigilant for the rest of the trip and avoided the same problem one the return trip.

We arrived to our hotel - I had printed out the address and map and as we used the suggested pre-paid taxi from the airport we got to our destination, The Legian 101, without little hassle. But... once we got to check-in the hotel they informed us that there was some issue with the rooms flooding and we were being transferred to another hotel. Not happy. The other hotel was the same star rating but completely different to what I had wanted for our first night in Bali, which was modern facilities and a view overlooking Kuta Beach. Our new hotel was called White Rose and was spookily close to Ground Zero from the 2002 Bali Bombings, which happened all to recently in my mind. Our room was a twin instead of a double and was quite shit. The pool was ok, the location ok, and the buffet breakfast quite good. I had a mini-anxiety moment thinking about being blown-up by terrorists so my darling BF helped me by pointing out that none would blow-up the crappy dolphin fountain we were staring at by the side of the pool.

(The photo doesn't quite highlight how tacky this fountain was)

We took a 20 min stroll down to Kuta Beach for the sunset only to be so disappointed by the massive crowds down there. We took a taxi back to The Legian 101 and claimed our complimentary meal for the hassle of being transferred hotels. It was quite nice.

(The rooftop restaurant/bar and pool at Legian 101)

Day 2

My over-excited BF was so keen to go to Waterbom waterpark, so we went first-thing in the morning. I had pre-warned him I wasn't keen to do all the scariest rides, so he was happy that I went on four or five of the tamer rides, then took a massage while he went on all the others. He did this crazy water-slide that begins by you being dropped and free-falling a few stories and reaching a max velocity of 80km/hr. Yeh, I preferred the massage. Just watching him do it got my heart-rate up higher than his (I took his pulse afterwards). He said it was so fast with so much water flying everywhere that you can't really absorb what's happening.

That night we had some traditional Balinese photos done (on my request) then a nice seafood dinner. I can't eat much meat after being on a meat-reduced diet for so long (I'm keen to go back raw vegan now I'm home, but more on that in another post). I was happy to have the rice and veges and one prawn but thats about it. The BF got his first experience of lobster and crab.

We took a pony-and-cart ride home.

Bali

Well I'm just back from Bali and we had a great time. We got to do, see, and eat plenty.

In the following posts I will recap the 10 days....

(The above photo is from a traditional dance we saw at Ubud Palace)

Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet - it must be the world's best and most loved travel guide.

So, when I first began travelling the book The Beach came out. So I read it. It was perfect for that time of my life. I wasn't going to Thailand (that time), but I was going into the travelling culture.

So, anyway, the protagonist, Richard, disses Lonely Planet for changing the way travellers move around and for affecting the travelling experience. Travellers today continue to diss LP as they do touristy destinations, but touristy destinations are popular for a reason, as too is LP.

As far as travel guides go, it is really hard to go past Lonely Planet (no, I do not work for them, but yes, I would love to). I use them all the time, and when I lived in Samoa for two months, I looked at a few travel guides towards the end of my stay (that belonged to other travellers) and everything that was in LP was spot-on and I wished I had known about from the get-go. It was exactly what advice I would have given to other travellers.

Ever since then, I rely on them with more...reliance....than ever before. When I start dreaming of another adventure, I buy the LP guide for that destination. Too bad their website leaves a lot to be desired, and I rely more on TripAdvisor as my on-line peer-reviewed source of information.

My LP collection is my favourite book collection, ok after my medical book collection, and takes up almost an entire shelf on the book case I have in the "reading" corner dedicated solely to books on travel and adventure.

SouthEast Asia on a Shoestring is one trip I've wanted to do for awhile. "If I'm going to Bali, then I'm going to do it backpackers-style," I thought. Island-hoping was high on my original agenda. This has now been replaced with scuba diving and volcano trekking. Nonetheless, I can't wait to check out a few of the budget-end recommendations in my book in Bali.

Next - I already have the Mexico LP, but I still need the Mongolia one and perhaps an African one for next year. Or maybe a Tasmania/Australia one for later this year....

"One must always plan their next holiday before embarking on their current one" - CJ.

Packing - what I'm taking

Here's my list (and it's considerably longer than my BF's)....

Documentation and electrical

1. Passport, documents (including tickets!), wallet (with cards, cash and ID), diary (organiser)
2. Sunglasses (not doc or elec but just as essential)
3. Phone and charger 
4. iPad and charger (with movies and books on it!)
5. Good camera, longer lens, and charger (with SD card in it)
6. Underwater camera and charger
7. Travel adapter
8. Lonely Planet - post to follow.....

Toiletries

1. Toiletries - minimum makeup, toothbrush, tooth paste, small container of purple-toner for my hair, hair ties, bobby-pins
2. Survival kit - panadol and nurofen, immodium and senna, bandaids, anti-septic lotion and Travel Calm (anit-pain, anti-too fast, anti-too slow, anti-puke, anti-bleed, anti-septic)
3. More survival - eye mask, eye plugs for too loud, ear plugs for pressure
4. ?travel pillow (may not make the final cut)

Underwear and footwear

1. Under wear - 4 pairs panties, 3 bras, 2 pairs of socks - all in delicates/laundry bag x2 (one for dirty and one for clean) - you can use hotel hand-soap of need-be
2. Thongs x2 pairs (off-road sandle-type and comfy/pretty type)
3. Runners x1 pair (for early morning jogs and hiking volcanoes!)

Specialty-gear

1. 1x set running outfit - knee-length running tights, sports bra 
2. Swim wear - 1x bikini, ?1x one-piece (for diving)
3. Scarves - another tough one to minimalist - may favourite travel accessory - prob 2
4. Bad weather gear - multi-purpose rain jacket and ear-warming head-band
5. Fancy purifying water bottle

Tops

1. Singlets! - about 3 or 4
2. T-shirts! - about 2 or 3
3. Shirts! - about 2
4. Cooler wear top - 1x cardigan

Bottoms

1. Jeans! A must-have in any situation at any time! Im taking the pair that does casual and dressy.
2. Cargo pant - comfy and roll-up into shorts.
3. Skirts - difficult here because I love them - prob will cut-back to 2 - shorter and longer
4. Dress - one stretchy-maxi and one sari-wrap
5. Sarong - don't have one right now! WTF!? First Bali purchase....

Other accessories - none! Only the jewellery I'm wearing.

Books etc - none - only whats in the iPad and the Lonely Planet. I always imagine myself reading a book by the ocean/pool but it never happens.

Let's see if this fits in my suitcase or if I need to do my halving rule!

Packing - my tips

I leave for Bali in 2 sleeps - so it's time to pack (we leave early on Friday morning).

I'm not as well-travelled as all the other people on my Tibet trip, but perhaps am one of the most well-travelled of my friends and I like to think I have got packing down to a bit of a fine art. All those years out bush in the Army probably helped a little too to remember to take things you may need but not those you won't and definitely no more than is worth lugging around.

Here are my top tips for packing:

1. Pack no more than you can carry on your own and for distances further than your front door to your car in your driveway. Hotel lobbies themselves can be surprisingly long, there may be some steps, or your taxi may have to stop around the corner. It is so embarrassing as a female to not be able to carry your own shit - you're basically saying to the world "I expect you to carry my shit for me." Not cool. Ok, so you may not be able to lift your bag onto the top of the bus yourself, but you should be able to lift your own carry-on bag into the overhead locker on your own.
2. Hybrid-luggage. The ones with wheels and back-pack straps. So many times I am SO glad to have both options. So many times people say "I wish I brought a bag like yours." Unless you are really, seriously planning on doing an over-night trek where you porter your bags yourself or it's a difficult trek for your porter, or you are a contestant on The Amazing Race, you seriously want to consider the wheels. Conversely, don't go for just the wheels and pathetic little handle. The only exceptions are if you are getting valet parking for your BMW at the Paris Hilton and want to look amazing rolling your matching luggage into the First Class line at the airport (and you don't mind looking like a try-hard).
3. Carry-on bags and check-in luggage does not have to be the maximum possible size and weight allowed. Seriously, people. I also love skipping the baggage collection at the other terminal and saving $30-100 on my check-in luggage allowance, but know the different between being thrifty and a total tight-arse that is ruining the experience for everyone else by taking-over the whole aircraft over-head locker and taking 30 minutes to get organised. It is ok not to put anything in the overhead locker as well, you know. Consider a small handbag or laptop bag that goes at your feet. It should be enough for your iPad, phone, wallet, passport and toothbrush. I keep my boarding pass in my pocket. You need it at least 3 or 4 times and I find it hard to imagine someone stealing my identity on a flight without my knowledge (seeing as we would be sharing the same seat). Have you ever stopped to realise that if everyone took their maximum size carry-on luggage that it wouldn't actually all fit up there? The dimensions just don't add up. Go smaller than maximum.
4. Lay out what you want to take with you and then halve it. This is my golden rule and it always works. Inversely, budget how much money and time you will need then double it.
5. Always leave room in your bag until your final leg of the journey. We all know that nothing friggin fits back in properly as soon as it comes out at the first hotel room. And don't forget if you "wear" all your bulky clothes on the plane, you will have to wear them anytime you need to pack your bags. Not worth it - leave space. If you don't easily have enough space, re-pack. It feels SO good to pack to come home and have AIR in the top of your bag. No stress = more enjoyment.
6. Keep at least one pen on you at all times. This is for filling out the immigration and customs cards they give you at the most inconvenient places and times, and for other pen-requiring occasions.
7. You don't need to convert your entire life-savings into foreign currency (and does anyone actually used travellers cheques any more?) The only times I've had slight, minor issues were where there was still at least one ATM in the major city that took my card, or a store/hotel that was willing to let me withdraw cash for a fee or purchase. Mind you, I've only been to Europe, Asia, South Pacific and Australia and I have a VISA. It may be worth having a second option like Cirrus or MasterCard but I've always gotten away with VISA. Worst-case scenario - you go back to the airport (where you landed) and get cash from there. A few hundred in US dollars or Euro can be very handy. I recommend having at least some cash. I normally take about $200 USD (or Australian) and buy something small at the arrival airport and get my change in the local currency, or withdraw from the ATM at the arrival airport in the local currency, OR if those two options fail I then proceed to the currency exchange counter. Whatever you end up going with, you can easily Google ahead of time and find out how difficult it's gonna be. Oh, and check with your bank re overseas transaction fees. My bank charges nothing but I heard many charge up to $20 per transaction! Oh, and the flight might not have cash/credit services so it's good to have both available on you.
8. Passport, visas, immunisations, medical/travel insurance, regular medications  - do I really have to spell these out? Didn't think so. Months ahead, people. My rule is: if you're not responsible enough to get these organised in time, then you're not responsible enough to travel to a foreign country without direct adult supervision. Google what immunisations you need and don't expect your GP to know and to care to tell you when you require your boosters. Also, they can be a few hundred dollars if you need them all, so again, if you can't afford your immunisations then you probably can't afford to travel overseas. Even to Bali.
9. Itineraries and hotel vouchers etc - my life has been so much easier ever since I bought a book with plastic A4 pockets in them for all my printed-out tickets and hotel reservations etc. It keeps them nice and are easier to find. They slip easily into my handbag no worries and win I rock-up at the counter I know what the hell is going on and have the written confirmation to prove it, even in the most jet-lagged state. Also, make two or three copies of your itinerary and leave them with your housemate/mum/someone responsible that can help you in a bind. Your travel agent can be that person too (if you have one), and in fact this is one of the best reasons to use a travel agent in my opinion. Photocopy your passport or take a photo of the details on your phone and email to yourself so you have the details if you lose it. A copy with Mum is ideal.
10. Converter-plug-adapter-thingy. They're a fortune at the airport and can be difficult to source overseas (or simply time-wasting to source). A lot of hotels have them, but my motto is to be self-reliant. Just get one that is a multi-adapter and be done with it for life. A surge protecter for "sensitive" items such as laptops, iPads, phones etc may be a good idea. Also, the voltage OS may be different to home and your battery might not like it! If your gear is super-dooper expensive, you may want to look into this a little more. As for me, I'm happy to charge without transformers or surge-protecters. In my opinion, stuff doesn't outlast it's battery these days anyway.
11. Toiletries - don't be a princess. Seriously. You can't live without your 4-step facial routine for 10 days? You really want to spend an hour every morning on your holiday straightening your hair before you get it all dusty, sweaty, and pool-drenched later that day? You can't just use bobby-pins? Ok, this one is up to you, but I'd personally rather not carry 5kgs worth of over-priced crap that doesn't even work anyway and is only guaranteed to leak all over your clothes. (for exceptions see number 2). Ok, if your face is super-sensistive and NEEDS a sunscreen moisturiser with zinc and SPF30+ hypoallergenic cruelty-free organic then go head. Personally, I'd rather just use the hotel stuff or pay $1 for something from the local supermarket when I arrive. Exceptions - those paper-like soaps and shampoos etc made for travelling and not leaking that are about $3 each and are tiny, and I occasional take a toner for my blonde hair as I hate it when it goes yellow. As for makeup - take the basics, girl-friend. Think - overnight stay's worth.
12. Baby-wipes - these are my ultimate toiletry exceptions (along with tooth brush and tooth paste). People tease me at the beginning of the journey for them but always want some eventually. I don't know what it is about travel but it makes you really sticky. Take them in your handbag. Take them everywhere.
13. Feminine products (tampons etc) - BYO. I've explained why in previous posts, but in a nutshell, you may be surprised at the varying degrees of feminine product habits around the world and the non-availability of female-orientated items. This may go for other things we take for granted in some parts of the world such as condoms and womens' lib.
14. Apart from your regular medications, I always take - basic analgesia (panadol, nurofen), Immodium (anti-diarrheal), bandaids,  and sometimes herbal antiemetics (anti-nausea, such as Travel Calm - esp if going by boat or if prone to motion-sickness). Sometimes I take some other gear seeing as I'm a paramedic and would hate to be without it in an emergency. You may want to consider an antiseptic for bad cuts/scrapes. Save Immodium for emergencies such as really bad diarrhoea or if you're about to board a plane/bus. One bout of the runs isn't gonna kill ya and you're body if removing the bad bacteria, quickly, for a reasons. Inversely, you may want to take some anti-consitpation meds such as Senna. There's nothing like the stress of travelling, the poor access to decent food, and the use of Immodium to bind you up. Carry these in your handbag cause when you need them, you really need them urgently, and you will always need them the times they are stowed away in your check-in luggage.
15. Check what you can and cannot pack in your carry-on and check-in luggage. It varies in different countries but is EASY to find out from the people that you booked to fly with. Forget trying to carry on-board any sort of liquid >100mL in Australia (except for duty-free liquor of <1L). Also, don't be the fool that forgets their nail-scissors in their toiletry bag and has to unpack everything in security. Embarrassing. Oh, while I'm at it, big belt buckles, and sort of shoe with a platform or big heel (metal re-enforced) big jewellery, or coins - get them off your person before walking through the darn metal-detector. Don't wear those shoes to the airport - it's stupid (and another reason why the "Oh I'll just wear all my bulky items on the plane" is a bad idea).

If you've read all that, then congratulations. Next I will talk about what I am actually packing...

Gone scuba....

Just on annual leave from work hanging with the BF, doing our online PADI course to go scuba diving in Bali, packing for Bali, giving the BF a hair and beard cut (!) and going to watch Ted at the cinema tonight. Also been feeding his animals on his farm and generally doing not much of anything. Love holidays....

Countdown to Bali

I've had a few days off work and I am so in holiday mood. I've signed up for the online theory for the PADI scuba diving Open Water course but I so can't be bothered! That's not like me at all! I might do a bit here at the tv on my iPad. So, basically, I'm trying to just rest and get organized before going overseas.

Studies

I've started studying a Master Health Science (Herbal Medicine). It's basically Western Herbal Medicine, i.e. herbal medicine but not Chinese herbal medicine or Ayurvedic herbal medicine etc.

Because I began mid-year, I've started with the research subject and an elective. The unit does trimesters (great concept) abut only does the first two per year (strange). So, anyway, I'm off and running in Herbal Medicine.

I am claiming a credit for the research subject and that leaves me with the elective only this year. I chose a dermatological one which is quite interesting and I figured it might be good for my medical studies as the pre-clinical units skim over dermatology yet it is one of the most common complaints of patients presenting to their primary health care practitioner. I also believe the skin reflects whats happening internally. So far, I'm three weeks ahead already (after one week of term) and I've begun my first assignment (not due for 4 more weeks but I hope to have most of it down before Bali).

The Master of International Health begins in two weeks time (along with Chinese Medicine). I'm only doing one subject, mainly to keep things ticking-over, but also because it's a research subject which can be difficult, slightly boring, but also this subject is very similar to ones in both the Herbal Medicine and Chinese Medicine courses (so I can get credits). There's about another 3 research subjects remaining in my International Health course including a project. The subject I'm doing next semester I was enrolling in but withdrew last year, so I still have the notes for it so I've begun studying for that already and I've currently 2 weeks ahead.

And, Chinese Medicine. I downloaded the Manual of Acupuncture by Deadman (what a name) from iTunes. It was only $39 and the hard copy text book is $135, so I will try and get away with just the app for now and borrowing the hardcopy from the school's library. It has tutorial videos embedded in it too. It is so exciting getting into acupuncture. I was also doing some additional reading about Substance P and how they think acupuncture works. I have begun reading some of the basic introductory stuff in Deadman about Cun measurements and angle of needle insertion. There is SO much in that book it's slightly overwhelming. No wonder most courses do either acupuncture of herbal medicine but not both. I'm only doing two subjects next semester as I gained credits for the others.

Western medicine - I will be doing self-directed study of Dr Najeeb's lectures. My goal is to work my way through and makes notes of all of them. I haven't found anything else that meets my requirements which is I seriously need to refresh my basic sciences, and I need to do it at a foundations level and not just a revision level. I intend to do these before going back to Western med school. I'm hoping this course, and getting a bit more on-top of my finances, will alleviate a lot of the stress I found going to med school. So far, I've begun with the free lectures on his website and if I get through them I'll start the full course which is about $400 for two years access.

Well, that's my update on my studies. I'm technically only doing 4 subjects right now, so with my ability to practically study full-time at work, this shouldn't be too difficult.

Subjects this half of 2012:

1. Acupucnture 1 (CM)
2. Chinese Medicine Diagnosis (CM)
3. Current Issues in Skin Biology (HM)
4. Research and Evaluation Methods in International Health (IH)

Additional:

1. Dr Najeeb lectures (WM)

What to do between study periods

So I'm in between study periods of my Chinese Medicine and International Health courses, and I am likely deferring med school until the new year. Today is my first day of annual leave from work. I go to Bali in a week, so what to do until then?

Apart from obviously catching up with sleep and friends, I real like to get organised between study periods. This really helps alleviate stress - both now and when I go back to study.

Today, I've began organising my study room. I'm going through the cupboard which is the most packed cupboard in my house (besides the pantry). I houses my stamp collection, my craft projects currently 'in progress", recycled bubbles wrap and wrapping paper for who-knows-when, two sets of Chess pieces, the uniforms I never wear and some other clothes I hardly ever wear and don't want them in my wardrobe (formal dresses and the like), pictures and certificates that need framing or are in a broken frame, and some other random stuff I didn't even know was in there!

Also, I've cleaned my Mac screen, keyboard and mouse so they look good-as-new. Walls are getting a wash and then eventually I'm hoping to slightly re-arrange the furniture. I hope the change will be stimulating and I've since obtained a second desk for the BF so he can study when he's at mine. At the moment, the desk configuration could be more optimal.

That's about it.

I've also marked in my diary the due dates and term dates for what I know now (I have all the term dates but now all the assignment dates).

Ready to roll again in two weeks time!

Changes I've noticed

Recently, I've noticed a change in my behaviour that really inspires me; it only takes two glasses of wine to get drunk and I struggle to drink beyond that, even when drunk I still crave and order salad or veges, I now consider tofu to be a special treat food, I look forward to my days off so I can go for a long run, the mornings I'm really tired from work I crave a peppermint tea as a pick me up, the caffeine in green tea is so strong I have beam ate sure I only drink one or two cups a day and before 3pm, and in my dream last night I coached Ellen Degeneres how to let go of old hurt by sending love and forgiveness to her tormentors. Lol I'm really craving a green juice right now but I'm still on-call and I have an hour to get in some exercise. I have my peppermint tea.....

Professional student

I'm a professional student, I've decided. It's official.

Today - paged to one patient. Job took about an hour. Rest of day - studying. I do love it. Is it possible to be addicted to studying? I guess that's what professional students are. I always considered them people who liked living off Austudy. Not me - I NEED the full-time wage.

Today I will get about 10 hours study done if it's an average day. That's the equivalent of a week's worth for one unit and that'll be the MIH subject today (research) and the MHSc (adv dermatology) one tomorrow, or more likely both spread out over the weekend with a dash of MD revision (neurology) and CM pre-reading (acupuncture), oh and paramedic revision too.

Currently enrolled in the following courses of study simultaneously:

• Doctor of Medicine - full time alternating terms
• Bachelor of Health Science (Chinese Medicine) - part time - two subjects only this semester thanks to credits
• Master of International Health - part time on-line - on subject only this semester (due to bored with this course so trying to slowly finish it)
• Master of Health Science (Herbal Medicine) - part time on-line - one subject only this semester thanks to credit

Mad?

I love it.

Except my back hurts from sitting. Think I need a fit-ball to sit on.

My future is in my hands

Despite the title, this isn't an update on which med school I've chosen to go with.

I had my palms read by a girl at TCM school. Turns out my suspicions were confirmed and there are a number of people with extraordinary talents in my class.

So apparently my palm(s) says something like - my career has completely changed from what I began out as (a hairdresser to paramedic/med student - confirmed), the person I am with now or just started seeing I will be with for life. I will have one or two children and possibly one is adopted. I will have a solid career in my current path but much later in life I will change course again but I will still use everything I have learnt from my current course.

Also, I will make changes to my health in the future which will provide me good health for the rest of my life.

I can deal with that.

another person in my class is a little bit psychic and I wanted to know about my Spirit Guide(s) and she said I had heaps and they were all good. I asked about the child one I felt I sensed once and she said it's an old soul and from a past life I lost a child. She then said in regards to West vs East that her spirit guides said I was to "swim in it". lol Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in it. But, yes, full immersion is a good way to describe my relationship with health care and study.