I took a sickie...

Last night, TY and I met a few friends for dinner and I was feeling fine, but this morning, I got up aching, my nose was runny and I was running a slight temperature. I took a Panadol Rapid last night and took a Telfast this morning (Telfast because my mouth palette and eyes were itchy - hay fever). Seemed like the Panadol didn't work cause I only got worse with cold-like symptoms. Amazingly the Telfast worked though - no more itchiness. Anyway, I think I got a cold... I even finished up a whole tissue box of 300 pieces from last night to this morning. Thought I take a shower to feel better. Was a little better, but the cold-like symptoms and my fever has returned. Eventually I decided to call in sick to work and am going to see the doc this afternoon. I know I've had the usual hay fever symptoms and slight flu, but I don't think I recall getting quite sick for a while... until now.

Headaches come with dilemmas

I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but I didn't really have much to say... Same stuff that I'm pondering about. The decision whether to move interstate or not.

I just confirmed with Macquarie Uni in Sydney, that if I get in, I would most likely need to do the summer program because I didn't graduate from a related field in my undergraduate. Also the summer program is actually catered for prospective students who want to do the MA Speech Path course in 2009. Defeats all purpose really if I want to do the course in 2008.

As for Sydney Uni, they also have a summer program but they're not very reliable with their responses. They hardly respond and you have to send them multiple emails and they don't put you through to one person, they pass on your message to others.., a bit like playing the telephone game.

People are also advising me against Sydney - congested, messy, people not as helpful, people are very abrupt, difficult to drive around, mad taxi drivers on the roads, living costs is very expensive, uni fees are more ex as well... etc...

If I move up, at least I already know a few people in Sydney, I get to keep my job and I'll already have a housemate - a gal who's gonna do the same course as me. She'll prob be able to get in though because she's been doing some subjects already and has a psych major background.

As for Flinders Uni in Adelaide, since the interview... I've heard nothing. If I get in, it'll be a whole new change and I would imagine it would be tough as I don't know anyone in Adelaide. The good thing is I can start the course immediately - next year 2008.
The bad thing is I can only support myself for a year - uni fees and accomm. Hopefully I'll be able to get a job by then but I really don't want to be working in my final year. One, because it's my final and important year. And two, lots of clinical placements and internships. There's a placement subject as well that allows you to do a 10-month internship with any hospital - even overseas. I might consider Europe (London to be exact) and Singapore - the two places where I can be close to fam and friends and don't have to really worry about getting around or acomm.

If I don't get into any of the unis... I might just stay on in Melb. La Trobe Uni is the only uni offering the course in Melb, but not offering the Masters program next year - the main reason I was looking interstate. Well, they offered me to do two undergraduate speech pathology subjects and if I pass them with a certain grade, I'll be able to credit those subjects for their MA Speech Path course which will be up and running in 2009. So that's another option. That is probably a good thing about staying in Melb - I'll get to stay on in my job and earn more to save up for uni for another year.

Big decisions, lots of choices... it's a head load.

Accommodation is also a big issue. I have a deadline to tell my future housemates here - 7 Dec - whether I am staying on in Melb. But I can only let me know once uni knows... And the unis will prob let me know the first week to second week of Dec. I think if I do not have an answer from the unis by 7 Dec, it's probably fair to tell my future housemates to go ahead with their plans.

I'll still have to move out though... because TY's bro is gonna be staying with him from next year. And if I get accepted into one of the uni courses, then I'll just do my moving end Dec. If I don't get into the unis and decide to stay on in Melb, I might move into my sister's place for a while. I don't think she'd want me to stay on for long either... but anyhow I'll respect her privacy and I'll have to find another housemate.

Adelaide and interview

Went to Adelaide on Sunday and Monday with TY. It was good fun. It was a really nice town with very nice people and good shopping. A pity we couldn't stay longer cause we didn't finish looking at everything. We rented a car and it was so easy to get around - the roads were just so easy to drive on. We explored a bit - went to Port Adelaide to see dolphins (apparently it's a breeding ground for dolphins), but didn't get a chance to see any. We were actually quite late in getting there and the last boat was in about 10 minutes, but we also wanted to check out the markets. So it was a decision between the markets and the boat cruise. We finally decided to check out the markets... unfortunately there wasn't a lot to look at. The food at the markets were really good though. After the markets, we drove to a few dolphin hot spots, but couldn't see any dolphins. =( All was not lost though... It was certainly interesting to see people driving their boats to the hot spots and loading their kayaks/boats out to the river to fish. Even heard the locals checking out each other's boats and talking about fish. Maybe there weren't many dolphins because of the hot weather - it was a burning 38 degrees, but there was a little breeze. And the scenary was so comforting and beautiful that we sat under a tree for about an hour.

Our hotel was really nice and very central. The city was just nice to walk in - even on a weekday. It was comforting and very welcoming, unlike other cities that you have to get used to after a few days.

On Monday, checked out of the hotel and went to my interview. When we got there, the first impression of Flinders University was, it is so big. The interview by the way was held at the Flinders Public Medical Hospital. There was the Flinders Private Hospital next to it as well and it was huge. We actually had to walk quite a distance to get to the interview venue. It was an experience. You saw lots of doctors, ER medical staff, real patients... and you could definitely smell the hospital smell.

Ah yes, the interview - the big issue that you guys are probably dying to know how I went. Well, for starters, my interviewers were running 5 mins late. The correspondent who had been emailing me throughout met me first and told me that they were probably having coffee as they had about 5-6 interviews one after the other and mine was the first one for the day. The interview was supposed to be on the 6th floor, but they changed the venue and brought me down to the 4th floor. At the start of the interview, I think I got a bit excited that before they could mention much, I got straight into it trying to explain why I want to do the course. They then said hang on, we'll let you know how we're going to ask the questions and how it's gonna be like. Haha... They were very nice people and professional speech pathologists who have doctor titles. Anyway, when they viewed my application, they said "Oh wow! Another Victorian..." It seems that a lot of Melburnians in particular are going for the interview and want to do the course in Adelaide. Probably because it isn't offered in Melbourne next year, let alone Victoria. So it was nice to know that others are considering the same thing. The interviewers did advice against part-time or casual work though, but they say it's entirely up to us. They said the course is quite intensive and we shouldn't try to work while doing it. Fair enough.. but I'll prob want to work casually for rent. I have to say the questions asked were really tough. Some were "How do you handle difficult people?" "Name a scenario where you were compassionate" "What is your best strategy for working?" etc etc... I got stuck at some.. but hopefully I cleared them all. The only thing that I got really stuck on was at the end where I think I could have done so much better. At the end, they said "OK, now is your chance to give us 10 minutes of selling yourself and asking questions." I could ask questions - a lot of them, but couldn't really sell myself - well, nothing additional that I could provide at that point that I hadn't already mentioned in my other answers. It's actually so much better thinking and writing down stuff - like now... All those questions, I now have answers for. Maybe after some thought... Oh well, I did good, so now it's wait, wait, wait. They said they'll let me know as soon as they can whether I got into the course of not. I guess if I don't get in, it's kinda telling me, I am not really ready for it yet.

After my interview, we went to the Adelaide Zoo. It was really nice being at the zoo because seeing the animals kinda took my mind off the interview. And we saw quite a few animals. When we got to the Children's Zoo where we could go in and pet the animals, a goat got hungry and chomped at the map TY was holding. Good thing that it chomped off the part we had already seen. But major oops! I thought it was quite funny though because TY was just standing there and we had no idea the goat was eyeing that piece of paper. The only downfall at the zoo was it was really hot and we got there late - we only had about an hour to see everything and by 4:30pm the zoo keepers were taking in all the animals. Also, because it was getting hotter, they had to shade the animals earlier... The very good thing was that because we went late, the admission fee was children's price. How good was that?

After the zoo, we headed back into the city, but almost all the shops were closed. It seemed that the only fashion shop open was Cotton On Body. We stayed there for a bit and started chatting to the shop gals who were originally from Melbourne. It was also cool in the shop especially with the air conditioner blasting near the change rooms. And you guessed right! It was TY's favourite spot in the shop. Hee! But it was really really hot.

Despite the heat, overall, it was a lovable city and we'd definitely love to head back.

Choices, choices...

Just a few days ago, I received an email from Flinders University in Adelaide saying they want to offer me an interview for their Speech Pathology program. I know I've been saying that compared to Sydney and Adelaide, I'd rather do it in Sydney, but now am not sure. Well, I have been praying about it and Adelaide does seem to have a better course structure than Sydney. For instance, I love how they have a PBL (project-based learning) approach - the unis in Sydney do not have that and studying with the work experience alongside it is a definite plus. But along with other good things, internships start immediately in the first year at the Flinders Medical Hospital, it's much cheaper in terms of living, it's a state that is closer to Melb, and because it's such a quiet little town, I'll probably be able to concentrate more on my studies. That's the pros. The cons - well, I won't have my current job and I'll have to find work somewhere in Adelaide to support my rent etc. And finances are a really important thing. My dad was saying that he'll help me out a little bit in terms of finances, but I don't know if I can count on his promise. Unfortunately I have to say he doesn't really keep them very well...

Anyway, I have decided to go for the interview and that would mean I have to go to Adelaide to sit it. So I'm going on one of my off days - 19 Nov to be exact.

The "scary" thing is that I received another email with an attachment from the correspondent who is scheduling these interviews and it mentions what to expect from the interview - three panelists, to treat it like a job interview, 5 questions in 45 minutes with approximately 10 minutes for each answer. Sounds pretty daunting right? And I know I am supposed to be myself and try to show my experience/attributes etc... but I'm thinking that my nerves will overcome me. I think I need to somehow cool my head and not think too much into it, or maybe not prepare tooo much. I think if I prepare too much, I will start thinking about the interview more and may start stressing myself out.

I've never sat a uni interview before, so hopefully it'll all go smoothly and I'll be OK. Pray for me...

The journey to Apollo Bay

The first day we drove up to Apollo Bay was great - the weather was peaceful, sunny, and everyone was heading out for the long weekend from Melbourne. Why the long weekend? 'Cause of the Melbourne Cup. It ends this Tuesday and it's a public holiday for all.

TY and I had never been to Apollo Bay, but after two nights and three days, it really will be a lasting impression and memory. For starters, the town was filled with really nice people and great lookout or scenery points. On the first day, we checked into this really awesome place that was situated high in the mountains and you could basically see almost the whole Apollo Bay town below you including the ocean. The villa we stayed in was spectacular! It had a restaurant right next door to it and we went there for dinner. The mains were really good... just that the oysters were a little disappointing. Well, they did tell us that it wasn't really the season for it and they had to get their oysters from Coffin Bay instead of Geelong, so it tasted a bit funny. TY and I ate about 5 each and nah, we didn't get food poisoning or stomach sickness, so I guess it was alright. After settling in, we decided to explore - visited the lighthouse, did a tour on the glow worms and wanted to see this nearby waterfall (but kinda lost our way a bit).

Speaking of losing our way, on the way from Melbourne to our accommodation, I actually downloaded this map which was supposed to show the quickest bestest route to the place, and we ended up going through this shortcut that told us to turn right after exiting it, but we were supposed to turn left. So we had no idea where we were going for a while until we saw a sign that said "Colac". That was another town in another direction, about half an hour's drive away from Apollo Bay. Also, that little shortcut road (known as Hickeys Cutting) was quite creepy - lots of fog and unseen paths ahead. It looked like it was meant for a four-wheel drive. Oh well... we DID get to our accommodation.

Back to what we did... The glow worm tour was great! Our tour guide, Roy, made it more exciting for us by making us close our eyes and leading down the path. A little slippery and scary, but quite exciting. He also surprised us with some really tall ferns (the size of trees) and showed us a few fallen trees and more... so it wasn't just glow worm info he provided us. This was the first day. The next day, I had a massage for half an hour in the morning and it was so good. What better way to start your morning with a massage and a view of the ocean, sheep roaming around and greenery. After that, we took a little journey to the lighthouse. It was actually drizzling and slightly windy there, but it was a lot of fun. We saw a few koalas on the way too, but they were mostly sleeping in the trees. By the way, the lighthouse visit wasn't just the lighthouse. They had all these other historical information about the people who built the lighthouse and who stayed near the lighthouse. The plaques also spoke of ships and planes, and a pilot that mysteriously went missing. We also saw a war bunker and the old telegraph station where they used to send Morse code. Pretty interesting stuff. Next up, we wanted to do the argo buggy tour, these vehicles that go on water, but because of the bad weather, it was unfortunately cancelled. At the end of our lighthouse tour, we went into town for lunch and wanted to head to a nearby trekking place to check out one of the waterfalls, but the road was pretty treacherous - some twigs and medium-sized branches had fallen and it was just too bumpy and dangerous to drive. I think we even missed the place that leads you to the waterfall lookout. We drove for quite a while, but it was too slippery and wet and so we decided to head back... and on the way back, we saw this little sign that said lookout (I am guessing it's the waterfall... grrr)... Anyway, it was a good thing that we did turn back, because after that, when we returned back to our villa, it started pouring like crazy. It was only about 5pm, but we thought that the heavy rain would subside and we could head out later for dinner... So we stayed in our villa and watched House. The rain though, didn't seem like stopping. It was only getting worse... But we were hungry and had to eat, so at about 9 something, we decided to quickly drive into the town and grab takeaway. Fortunately the pizza shop was open at that time so we got pizza. It was only 15 mins to the Apollo Bay town which wasn't too bad... But I have to say, on the way to town, it was really scary. We had to drive at about 10-12km/h down this trek leading to our villa, and it was steep and covered in really heavy fog. You could hardly see anything with the fog and rain pounding, so we took our time. It wasn't that bad when we headed out - bad, but not that bad. A good thing we got takeaway too because once we returned, the heavy rain became a storm with thicker fog and you couldn't even see the ocean or the town from our windows. Even while we were eating our pizza and watching House, the accommodation we were staying at shook and the wind was howling and things were pounding around outside... At about 4am, we were asleep, but were woken up, because the power had gone out. It came back on after a few hours though. The whole night though, I felt the house shaking. It was a little scary but I was too tired and slept through it. In the morning, when we had to check out and leave, it was still pouring pretty bad. But as we left, it started to clear slightly... Can't believe the storm started from 5pm till 11am the next day when we were to leave.

So on our way home and passing by the town, you could really see the aftermath - huge rocks, the size of a car's wheel were on the roads, including twigs and branches... it was like a hurricane hit the town or something like that. The ocean had turned brown, there were rivers on the roads, flooded caravan parks, flooded driveways, gushing river creeks, a police helicopter that was constantly patrolling the sky... lots were happening. We stopped by the petrol station and even locals were saying this freak storm-like weather is rare, and they were talking about what happened with their neighbours - like cars being washed down the road... Yeah, it was pretty crazy. Lorne was pretty bad too. We heard from the news that a guy died because of a fallen tree. When we got to Torquay, it wasn't so bad, but there was still little damage. Apparently they had to close the roads off to Geelong before because of the storms. We saw news crew at Torquay and we were thinking, if they want to see a news story, they should really head up to Apollo Bay, because that's where all the action is.

Anyway, despite all that, TY and I are glad to have survived it and glad to be back home in Melb, although we'd love to visit Apollo Bay again soon because there's so much more to do up there - of course if there's no storm or freak weather.