23rd Bout of Randomness

[Vala]

The front room of my house is getting renovated and it's a pain to move all the furniture out.

[mageprincess]

I wound up in hospital again a last weekend (not this one just gone, the weekend before). I had a cold and coughed so much that my gallstone started hurting. I never want to go through that again! There was only one doctor in the emergency room that night; I got there at around 12:30 am Sunday morning and didn't see a doctor until the shift change at 8:30 am! Then they moved me to another hospital anyway!

Then they sent me home anyway because they wouldn't operate on me while I was still recovering from my cold. :/. I have specialist appointment next week.

[Idleness]

Ow, that sounds awful. Hope your cold clears up soon and you can get that gallstone seen to.

[Vala]

May 23, 2016 20:33:26 GMT 10 mageprincess said:

I wound up in hospital again a last weekend (not this one just gone, the weekend before). I had a cold and coughed so much that my gallstone started hurting. I never want to go through that again! There was only one doctor in the emergency room that night; I got there at around 12:30 am Sunday morning and didn't see a doctor until the shift change at 8:30 am! Then they moved me to another hospital anyway!

Then they sent me home anyway because they wouldn't operate on me while I was still recovering from my cold. :/. I have specialist appointment next week.

That sounds awful, I hope you get better soon!

[mageprincess]

Thanks guys, I'm going to see the surgeon Monday morning. So hopefully soon I will actually have the thing taken out!

[Kypriotha]

Best of luck mageprincess!

I am seeing Matilda the Musical tonight and I'm very excited

[Idleness]

Spent a weekend in Auckland for my aunt's birthday. Now I've had enough family time for a year, and enough of Auckland for the next ten years!

[mageprincess]

Went to my surgical consult today, and my surgery is tomorrow!

It was either that or a six week wait. I'm kinda scared though, I've never had surgery before.

[mistrali]

May 30, 2016 20:09:22 GMT 10 mageprincess said:

Went to my surgical consult today, and my surgery is tomorrow!

It was either that or a six week wait. I'm kinda scared though, I've never had surgery before.

Whoa! It's not too scary unless it's major (heart surgery etc.) - all they do is nil by mouth, put you under and go for it. Hopefully it all went well and was less daunting than expected - fingers crossed!

And Idleness, I think we all have those sorts of relatives/places!

[Idleness]

Hah, the family is great, it's just intense when they're all together in a couple of rooms. But Auckland is just... not a place I think I'll ever like very much.

[kitsunerei88]

Everyone: trials suck.

[mistrali]

Jun 1, 2016 15:29:39 GMT 10 Idleness said:

Hah, the family is great, it's just intense when they're all together in a couple of rooms. But Auckland is just... not a place I think I'll ever like very much.

Oh, okay, fair enough. I've never been, but I've heard it's a bit... well, not crowded by Syd/Melb standards, but still quite busy/expensive(?).

[Idleness]

It's sprawling, it's wet and muggy, congested, with crap infrastructure. Abysmal public transport for a city of its size and population, so it's hard to get around without a car, which we didn't have. And yeah, expensive.

[Kypriotha]

Jun 1, 2016 22:53:53 GMT 10 kitsunerei88 said:

Everyone: trials suck.

Yes, yes they do. How much longer do you have to go?


mageprincess, I hope you are recovering well from your surgery

[kitsunerei88]

Jun 2, 2016 21:11:08 GMT 10 Kypriotha said:

Jun 1, 2016 22:53:53 GMT 10 kitsunerei88 said:

Everyone: trials suck.

Yes, yes they do. How much longer do you have to go?

We've been at it since May 16. Sittings end tomorrow, and I think we'll get a day next week, but the remaining 1-2 weeks of trial will go over to next civil sittings in November. Luckily, if we close our case next week (as is the plan), I won't need to attend or do anything in November.

Which is good because I start a new job this month! After I sleep for a week.

[mistrali]

Jun 2, 2016 11:43:11 GMT 10 Idleness said:

It's sprawling, it's wet and muggy, congested, with crap infrastructure. Abysmal public transport for a city of its size and population, so it's hard to get around without a car, which we didn't have. And yeah, expensive.

Ah. Except for the wetness and mugginess, it sounds a lot like Sydney. But yeah, I think NZ's public transport is even worse than ours, so I sympathise with having to take buses and trains everywhere, particularly in the freezing cold.

[Idleness]

Jun 3, 2016 9:21:08 GMT 10 mistrali said:

Ah. Except for the wetness and mugginess, it sounds a lot like Sydney. But yeah, I think NZ's public transport is even worse than ours, so I sympathise with having to take buses and trains everywhere, particularly in the freezing cold.

I think Auckland is our Sydney!

I think it's particularly bad right now because NZ is a bit of a backwater in the middle of nowhere, and Auckland is rightly or wrongly considered our only really international city. So there's an enormous problem right now in that it's the most attractive place for people to find work, while the housing market is going absolutely, stupidly, nuts. You need at least a million dollars to buy a barely serviceable mould-ridden, methamphetamine-contaminated dive at the moment, and rents are rocketing up too. They're actually worried that essential professions where the salaries are capped, like teachers, nurses, police officers, and minimum wage workers such as cleaners and carers, won't be able to afford to live there. And add all that to the crap infrastructure... It's really a failure of successive governments to invest in both Auckland's infrastructure, and also in making sure that the regional cities remain attractive places for people to live and work. The current government is doing something now, by helping the Auckland city council fund a rail link extension (much, much needed), but it's only grudgingly doing so, and only because the problems have come to such a head that to do nothing (as they'd clearly prefer) would lose them some votes.

But meh. I love Wellington. It's like our Melbourne.

[mistrali]

You need at least a million dollars to buy a barely serviceable mould-ridden, methamphetamine-contaminated dive at the moment

Minus this - although we're not far off it - and taking into account the fact that we finally (finally!) have a Liberal state govt and they're doing a lot of work in the north, west and northwest, you pretty much just described Sydney.

Except that I'm not all that sure that Sydney is as culturally bereft as Melburnians non-Sydneysiders like to claim it is. Though the lockout laws haven't helped the nightlife, I suppose.

[mageprincess]

Hi everyone! I'm back!

My surgery went well, although my gallbladder was more messed up than the surgeon thought it would be and I had a bad reaction to the anaesthetic.

I'm healing pretty well and should be back at work middle of next week.

[Idleness]

Glad to hear your surgery went well, mageprincess. Hopefully you'll have a really speedy recovery.

We just had our last public holiday in NZ until October. Though I'm feeling like I would've liked a few more days to sit around and do nothing! Might have to plan some leave for this month or next.

[max]

Exams are a sad, torturous time.

On the bright side I've been loaned my cousin's laptop, as mine broke in March, so internet access at home. Which is nice.

[Seek]

Whoosh. Back after a while Exams ended, but I was busy cleaning up the mess (would you believe how messy a room can get after thesis and exams?) and then I got notified that I was nominated for the painful task of being valedictorian, so now I'm having to repeatedly rewrite speeches and go for (compulsory) speechcraft classes.

Busy busy busy, but hopefully after things clear up, I can swing by GL more!

[kitsunerei88]

Trial did not end, but I ended because my job at the firm conducting the trial ended on Friday! It was only predicted to be a 3 week trial... but it will realistically be closer to 5 weeks. But I don't have to be involved in that because my role was almost entirely prep!

And I moved in with my partner, and my new job (and significant pursuant raise) starts next Monday!

[Kypriotha]

Yay for everyone being back!

mageprincess , glad to hear your surgery went well. Hope you make a full recovery swiftly

Idleness, I am just starting my last (official) long weekend until the last weekend in September. I think they should space the holidays out better, because we have two in a row in September/October! (Though I shouldn't complain too much - I have two long weekends in a row month, since I'm going to Sydney next weekend).

[Idleness]

Just finished planting bulbs in the garden. A little late, but hopefully it won't matter too much. Can't wait for all the daffodils, irises and freesias in the spring.

[Seek]

Back, this time from my grad trip to Korea. Hopefully I can really be more active from here on out, sorry about that! >.<

[Idleness]

I'm glad you're back.

[mistrali]

See, but Seek, you make up for it by writing three times more fic than the rest of us

Seconding Idleness: it's nice to see you back! How was Korea?

[Seek]

Korea was pretty great! Good to be back, too, though Jeju Island's pretty lovely: lots of nature, even if my back problem ruled me out of stuff like climbing Hallasan. I still managed to push my way up to the summit of Seongsan Ilchulbong (which, granted, isn't as high, but the climb is still pretty steep, and the view was great, so I'll take that as a win.) They've lots of awesome lava tubes too: wanted to see the Manjanggul Caves but couldn't in the end, because it was in the wrong direction. Maybe I'll see it one day.

I think I pretty much went to all sorts of terrain: Sangumburi Crater, Micheon Cave (lava tube), Yeongmeori Coast (which is actually a walk down or at the base of a set of lovely cliffs), Seopjikoji (coastal walk too), more cliffs, islands, beaches, Andeok Valley, and even waterfalls (this is the only one on Jeju that flows directly into the ocean.)

Probably less exciting for y'all because I know y'all've got a decent share of nature where you are, but definitely pretty and an eye-opener for a city kid like me! (Also, it was cheap, which was surprising. I spent the most on transport, and even then, I could've saved a lot more on food (as I would've, had I been travelling alone) by just subsisting on a diet of kimbap.)

After that, I went more into the cities, so lots of street markets, with street food and cool stuff. Found a pair of Charmander socks (they have incredibly cute/cool socks and caps, which are also pretty cheap--a dollar for a pair) and got them because apparently I still want to be a Pokemon master and I'm sentimentally attached to my first starter They really got good food though. Oh, oh, and I loved the tea houses! Got some tea back too

Pics not mine, mine are on my mobile and so not with me right now >.< Except for the socks.

^ Just ignore if TMI guys

[mistrali]

I don't know how you Kiwis do it. I feel like I need gloves in my own house and it's only ~16C. I keep having to stick my hands in my pockets and sleeves to keep them warm. Mind you, my house isn't very well insulated, but still.