I left work at 5:15 pm hoping to get home early. Just before hitting the main road, the radio reported that there was a big accident on the motorway and that the traffic was backed up all the way to the city. Not wanting to sit in traffic for ages, I decided to take the "scenic route" through the suburbs, which was longer but hopefully the traffic moves faster while everyone else tried the motorways....
Big mistake!! Almost everyone decides to avoid the motorway altogether. The traffic was even worse than on the motorway. Cars were virtually stationary. I didn't get home until 7:15 pm.
Argh, Auckland traffic sucks arse!! Unless you're a boy racer or a P user, you can't negotiate your way through packed Auckland traffic. So if you hear word of a big accident on the motorway, stay where you are, don't even try taking alternative routes, don't even go home!
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Calculus Calculus Everywhere
Yesterday I went to the dental hygenist. Apparently I was alerted to A LOT OF BADNESS in my mouth, specifically my teeth, and gums. Behind the teeth was a lot of calculus and what's worse is that it spread all the way under the gums, which cannot be removed by brushing or flossing. Left alone, it leads to gum disease, which leads to your teeth falling out.
I've never been to the hygenist before to have my teeth cleaned, so that explains the badness in my mouth. However my home care has been rather poor. I scantly brush twice a day and I don't take any mouth rinse. My gums are a red colour, which indicates that they are unhealthy, and look like to be receding! They bleed every time I floss or brush hard against the gum.
The whole procedure was rather painful as the hygenist did her thing. She removed most of the calculus, but as I felt a lot of pain and bleed a lot during the procedure she wants me to come back in a fortnight to remove the rest of the calculus and when my gums aren't so tender. Most of the calculus has been removed though.
She advised me to brush for at least four minutes, paying particular attention to the gum line, especially massaging the gums. This will prevent the gums from bleeding too easily or becoming red. She gave me a mouth rinse to use, as well as miniature brushes which are used for those hard-to-reach places that plaque build up in.
From now on I promise to be extra vigilent towards my teeth and gums! I now appreciate the value of proper dental care and will ensure the longevity of my chompers.
I've never been to the hygenist before to have my teeth cleaned, so that explains the badness in my mouth. However my home care has been rather poor. I scantly brush twice a day and I don't take any mouth rinse. My gums are a red colour, which indicates that they are unhealthy, and look like to be receding! They bleed every time I floss or brush hard against the gum.
The whole procedure was rather painful as the hygenist did her thing. She removed most of the calculus, but as I felt a lot of pain and bleed a lot during the procedure she wants me to come back in a fortnight to remove the rest of the calculus and when my gums aren't so tender. Most of the calculus has been removed though.
She advised me to brush for at least four minutes, paying particular attention to the gum line, especially massaging the gums. This will prevent the gums from bleeding too easily or becoming red. She gave me a mouth rinse to use, as well as miniature brushes which are used for those hard-to-reach places that plaque build up in.
From now on I promise to be extra vigilent towards my teeth and gums! I now appreciate the value of proper dental care and will ensure the longevity of my chompers.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Oh the Pain!
This morning I got my wisdom tooth extracted out. Just one, the one on my bottom left. I already had the top left taken out around 4 years ago, but the bottom left didn't come through. So it seems that I'm not going to be eating a hell of a lot today........
Which is pretty bad, since I went on an hour long run very early in the morning and haven't had anything to eat afterwards. I woke up at 5:45 am for this.
At least I have the tooth extracted which I've been meaning to do this year. Unfortunately the dentist needs me to go back next week as I have serious badness on my teeth, something like periodontal disease?? It sounds bad and it looks bad, so I guess I have to take care of my pearly whites more often now!
Which is pretty bad, since I went on an hour long run very early in the morning and haven't had anything to eat afterwards. I woke up at 5:45 am for this.
At least I have the tooth extracted which I've been meaning to do this year. Unfortunately the dentist needs me to go back next week as I have serious badness on my teeth, something like periodontal disease?? It sounds bad and it looks bad, so I guess I have to take care of my pearly whites more often now!
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Learning Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement
I've decided to blog my progress with regards to piano......
Beethoven Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement
This movement I have been meaning to learn for 15 years, after learning the 1st and 2nd movements with relative ease. The third is a difficult beast to learn.
So far, I've taken the piece slowly. I think it's easy to learn the notes, but diffcult to get up to speed in certain places. Changing the melody between the left and right hand is quite difficult as well, especially when playing at speed.
The good thing is that it is quite repetitive in places (arpeggios, melody in different keys), so hopefully that will help the learning.
At the moment I'm working on the melodic section in the middle of the movement where the melody changes hands from right to left. That is the part that keeps tripping me over. Who knows what other trips and traps will be in store......
Slow practice and do it right. Hopefully in a month, I should have this one under my belt, and at last the whole sonata is complete. Woo hoo.
Beethoven Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement
This movement I have been meaning to learn for 15 years, after learning the 1st and 2nd movements with relative ease. The third is a difficult beast to learn.
So far, I've taken the piece slowly. I think it's easy to learn the notes, but diffcult to get up to speed in certain places. Changing the melody between the left and right hand is quite difficult as well, especially when playing at speed.
The good thing is that it is quite repetitive in places (arpeggios, melody in different keys), so hopefully that will help the learning.
At the moment I'm working on the melodic section in the middle of the movement where the melody changes hands from right to left. That is the part that keeps tripping me over. Who knows what other trips and traps will be in store......
Slow practice and do it right. Hopefully in a month, I should have this one under my belt, and at last the whole sonata is complete. Woo hoo.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Fitness Goals
Starting from now, I will endeavour to run 5 times a week in order to train for the upcoming Round the Bays. Even though I am fit, I would still like to improve my running times. The time I got in Round the Bays last year was 41 minutes 15 seconds, and I would definitely like to improve on that time.
I can run in the evenings, but there is an opportunity to run during lunchtimes. However, the tempature during that time of day will probably deter me from training, not to mention the sticky muggy weather, which feels like you're running inside water. There's a nice park near work, and there is Mt Eden which has some walking tracks available.
On the other side of running, I am also setting goals for weight training. I'm still doing the superslow exercises, and I think that it is of great benefit. I'm going to do a Body Composition analysis in a few days, which measures the amount of muscle, fat and water inside your body. The aim is to get an initial reading, and improve on those results, preferably by increasing muscle and decreasing fat, then get another reading to verify any improvements.
Currently I do weights 3 times a week, and go for 100% effort. I'm also conscious of my diet too, such as increased carbs and protein through increased food intake.
All very exciting, yes I know. Hopefully I can get the results I want, but also enjoy the journey along the way. There is a saying in sport, if you want to achieve something, such as better fitness, focus less on the results at the end and concentrate on the journey that you are currently undertaking.
I can run in the evenings, but there is an opportunity to run during lunchtimes. However, the tempature during that time of day will probably deter me from training, not to mention the sticky muggy weather, which feels like you're running inside water. There's a nice park near work, and there is Mt Eden which has some walking tracks available.
On the other side of running, I am also setting goals for weight training. I'm still doing the superslow exercises, and I think that it is of great benefit. I'm going to do a Body Composition analysis in a few days, which measures the amount of muscle, fat and water inside your body. The aim is to get an initial reading, and improve on those results, preferably by increasing muscle and decreasing fat, then get another reading to verify any improvements.
Currently I do weights 3 times a week, and go for 100% effort. I'm also conscious of my diet too, such as increased carbs and protein through increased food intake.
All very exciting, yes I know. Hopefully I can get the results I want, but also enjoy the journey along the way. There is a saying in sport, if you want to achieve something, such as better fitness, focus less on the results at the end and concentrate on the journey that you are currently undertaking.
Orienteering
Yesterday I participated in Orienteering with the Orion social club. The only time I did Orienteering was when I was a kid in primary school. Not wanting to strain myself, I decided to do the medium course, which was 2.5 km long. It took me 29 minutes to complete the course, and it was the 12th best time. Maybe I should have done the long 4.7 km course instead.
Anyways, it was fun, and the view on top of Mt Eden was fantastic. I am interested to take this up even further, maybe participate in more Orienteering events?
Anyways, it was fun, and the view on top of Mt Eden was fantastic. I am interested to take this up even further, maybe participate in more Orienteering events?
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