#NPL

#NPL

Just clicked on the first few entries that I wrote when I just started my NPL. Just lounging around and enjoying the days. One year (and a few months) on, I've still got the luxury of doing so for just about another one week before I head back to official employment. Zoe is lounging behind me taking her morning snooze, and all is well. Who would have known what this year would have brought. Just treasuring these last few days, because scarcity makes it all the more sweet.

Recent news has been happier on the health front. This experience really puts a face to Medicine and illness, one that has been blurred out a little bit more over the past 5 years or so.

I know that next week will be painful in many ways - teething problems and finding my way around work again, learning to leave my baby in the care of someone else and having a little less control over my time. But we gotta do, what we gotta do. No regrets, looking back. And now, looking forward :)

Weeks gone by

I thought time would craaawl by without having any agenda on my daily schedule. But it seems to have flown by! Since SJ started his introductory classes, I've finally had some me time to spend in the mornings. Mornings here always welcome a cool breeze from our 6th floor box house, a nice change from the unrelenting summer sun once afternoon strikes.

Busying myself with doing courses, studying for the coming exam (hilarious exam, more on it another time) and once SJ is done with classes we are usually out and about exploring the city. So in the past week, our afternoons have been filled with visiting the 9/11 memorial, the Met museum, Chinatown shopping etc etc. Taco tuesdays was spent with churchies 3 blocks from home. Over the weekend we had Summer Streets, where they closed off 7 miles of main road for people to run/cycle/blade/skate/walk with fun activities along the way! Wholefoods had a summer camp giving out free organic food :p We hung out with some of SJ's course mates from Argentina and Ethiopia, and then headed to a Jazz music festival in Central Park for Sunday afternoon. Exciting weeks ahead, and I have yet to step into Broadway!

In particular this week we visited the EP launch of a Singaporean girl Tammy Y currently based in NYC (I only found out what an EP launch is for the first time). Young talented musician pursing her dream in the big apple. Way to go! This was followed by some free pizza and happy hour drinks heh.

After 3 weeks of not being able to find anything vaguely spicy in the supermarkets and farmers markets, we found ourselves in East Village at Mamak where we had chicken rendang and pad thai. There, we met Peter from the kitchen who quickly identified our heritage who not just told us where to find these precious birdseye chillis but even gave us a tub full of them (plus belachan and fresh basil and mint leaves) to bring home. Go Mamak!

I've been worried about eating lots of crappy food (pizza, burgers and the likes) so when the opportunity arises, I'm all for going to work out. We've had 3 runs so far here, around W Sq park just outside here and also along the Hudson. In my life I've never run more than 4km at a go but the weather seems to make everything easier! Hope to get fit and not heap on those American pounds during our time here :x Here's an example of a famous shop somewhere in the vicinity. :p

Chillin'

The reason I'm so furiously updating this space is 1) I'm very free and 2) I recently discovered my old blogs! Horror of horrors. Bad writing (still bad) and weird teeny bopper stuff, just for laughs really! As K recently pointed out, our lives are so full of stuff that it's easy to forget. That said, best moments are the moments you never get a chance to capture on camera.

Two weeks in unemployment, what have I been doing? Other than being bogged down my last planned exam of the year that I took yesterday (official holidaying thus begins), have been doing simple things that I've been putting off again and again. Spending time with my mum, my grandma, reading newspapers religiously and actually understanding world news, having quiet breakfasts, sending SJ to work, actually exercising. I must say that I often feel fearful that I'm wasting this time that I have on my hands, but in truth, time spent with loved ones is never wasted and I'm thankful for this chance in this time and season.

My countdown app says 10 days to go :s

Boring photo of regular latte art

Flu is gone and I'm back in action! Went to watch Jurassic World today, reminiscent of the good old Spielberg films, though probably not as good anymore.

Had a bad dream last night that woke me up at 6:20 AM. Mum, dad, 5A and a lot of weird stuff. Maybe more in my next post...

Popping panadols

Haven't taken a day of MC in the past 6 months of shiong postings, 3 months of Neurology, 2 months of back-to-back MICU and 1 month of ED. But alas, I am down with viral URTI and fever 1 week into my leave. I half blame the salted egg crab. Having said that though, with the time that I have on my hands, I went to read up on the pathophysiology of fever, hyperthermia and hyperpyrexia. I can feel my brain slowly rotting away....

There has been much ado about the fairly recent Supreme Court decision to allow same-sex marriages in all 50 states of the USA. Before I say something incriminating and land myself in some freedom-fight, I must say that reading the 103-page court judgement highlights an interesting facet of American culture that I knew, but never experienced first hand. The Majority had submitted 1 written argument (led by Kennedy) while the dissenting 4 each wrote their own judgements. It seemed peculiar to me that there was no response by the Majority to the objections raised by the dissenting, which was put forth with much sarcasm and verve. To be honest, the argument put forth by the Majority, while emotionally charged and persuasive in language, is weak in its legal basis when questioned at its fundamental level. I never thought I would have the patience to plough through such a wordy document, but I'm thankful for a husband who challenges me to look at the case and its facts and drawing my own conclusions instead of taking part in a popularity vote.

If anyone is interested, the 103-page judgement is freely available here.

Day 3

Hung out with my mum, read the news, watched Singapore Dreaming, had breakfast at Pek Kio Market, Bukit Timah Market and Adam Road, bought australian broccoli on sale for 29c/100g, attempted my Grandma's egg with minced meat, went gymming, knitted a scarf and cleaned my house and toilet. 

#justchillin'