So this is a bit of a long one because it's been a while since I last posted and thought I'd update you with what's been going on (although it won't be too much different from other weeks). It's alright though because it'll become more of an interesting read as of next week as I have finally booked and will be off to the East Coast for 3 weeks ..... exciting!!!!
It seems like such a long time ago now but Saturday 7th I went to Mel's 90s Housewarming Party (a girl from work). In preparation for this I spent all of Saturday wandering down Chapel Street trying to find something to wear, which resulted in buying a checked shirt and going for the grunge sort of look haha! It was such a good night, with a lot of alcohol consumed and it was really nice to socialise and go out with all the people from work! As I've said before, everyone is so friendly and I seem to get along with them all really well (especially when they are all older than me). I also met someone who was my age and goes to VU which was quite good. They've already said about going out to their student nights which would be fun and also provide the opportunity to meet more people of a similar age.
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| Cian, Roddy and Wei From Work At Mel's Party |
At work last week (beginning of the 9th) I was pretty much doing the same as the last couple of weeks helping James out with training for those in the middle of the study, assisting with the post-tests for those that had just finished - analysing bloods, and helping out with those that were just starting - first training and muscle biopsy session. It actually turned out to be a busy week with early starts and 5.30am alarms most days.
The altitude hotel study has also started now and involves 2 people continuously living in a little hotel/apartment at the uni for a period (about 3 weeks). Because they are on campus 24/7 we have to take it in turns to do the night shift and be on call incase something were to go wrong. So Wednesday 11th was my turn and I had to sleep in the little control room for the night and wake up every 4 hours to record the O2, CO2 and altitude levels. I had been warned what the control room was like and it lived up to its expectations - noisy and warm!!! You could say it wasn't one of the best nights sleep I've had, but I guess some sleep is better than no sleep!
On Friday we had our usual Friday seminar followed by drinks in the bar. There was a good turn out, which meant we had a fair few to drink and ended up staying a while. Thanks to Brad, (who buys me a 6th pint half an hour before leaving when I already have a full pint) I end up leaving a little bit tipsy!!! I had already planned to go ice skating with Darcy (friend I met at Mel's the week before) and his flat in Docklands. Brilliant, as if I'm not bad enough at ice-skating as it is, I'm tipsy too!!! There was 6 of us that went in the end and it was good to meet more people, who were also really friendly! I actually had a lot of fun and even managed to stay on my feet the whole time, but I wouldn't quite call myself a pro yet!!!
The next day (Saturday 14th) I had to go into work to cover the day shift 8-5 for the altitude hotel. The day wasn't too bad, I went into the hotel to give the guys a bit of company for a bit and ended up being stuck talking to one guy for about 2 hours about the English culture, which followed by him cooking me some Indian sweet potato pie. I did not like it at all (I mean I don't like Indian food anyway) but had to pretend to like it to be polite, it was an interesting experience and one that amused many of the guys in the office,.
This last week at work has again been pretty similar to the past few weeks mostly helping James out with training for his study, but bit quiet other than that. Most of his guys are in the middle of their training, so this has just been running their Wingate sessions and getting involved in a few myself! For those of you that have forgot, or not read the other blogs, a Wingate is a maximal 30 second sprint against a load which is a percentage of your body weight! The guys in the study start with 4 sprints and progress up to 6, each with a 4 minute rest. I just do 5 sprints with a 4 minute rest between each once a week, that's hard enough and I can feel the benefit of it because I recon I am running quicker (no more Penelope pitstop for me Dad!!!).
This weekend (Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd) was pretty chilled out. I brought a road bike, which will now be my new form of public transport so just went to pick it up on Saturday. On Sunday
Ben (friend on placement from Bath) was in Melbourne so I met up with him and his friends on what was a lovely sunny day and went for a stroll along the river and then down to St Kilda to the beach for a walk along the pier and a drink on the beach front. It was really nice to meet up with him, first person I've seen since being here and was good to catch up and see what he's been up to and how he's getting on with placement. In the evening I had to head into work because it was my turn again to cover the evening shift and spend the night at the altitude hotel. I actually got a pretty good sleep so wasn't too bad and also was able to FaceTime mum and dad which was nice seen as I hadn't spoken to them in a while.
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| New Road Bike |
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| Ben Comes To Melbourne |
Other than that, not much else has been going on. The weather has been so-so, warm most days but a bit overcast (well I say it's warm, the true Aussie's don't think so). I know summer is coming though and just around the corner and I cannot wait!!! It's even more exciting knowing in 2 weeks I will be sunning it up in Queensland and the Gold Coast and then hopefully when I return to Melbourne towards the end of October we will have completely hit summer and it will be 30+ days from there on!!!
I have finally taken some pictures of the apartment for you all to see too, along with the beautiful view from our balcony and some gorgeous sunsets we get to see. Jess has now traded places with me and gone to Essex for 3 months to study so it is just me and Jasmine left but we get along really well and I really like it there.
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| Front Of The Apartment |
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| Gym and Pool In Apartment |
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| Open Lounge Kitchen, Living Room and Dining Room |
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| Messy Bedroom |
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| Awesome View Of Albert Park, Port Philip Bay and The Sea From Our Apartment |
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| Little Balcony |
Well I did say it was going to be a long one, but that just about brings you up to speed. When I go travelling I will blog everyday because I have a busy 3 weeks planned so will have a lot to tell you about where I have been, what I have been doing and the adventures and thrills I've experienced.
Missing all of you back home xxxxx
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