Summer Olympics

I organised the summer olympics team at work the day before the game starts. If I didn't do it, then who else will? The boys weren't very organised. I ran up to see the organiser and paid her the required entry fee. Later, I went to see the receptionist to fill out the entry form. After all these running, Thursday ended with the low note of getting ditched by mate for Japanese movie. However, after one hour of misery in bed, I suddenly decided that it's not worth crying for and got out of bed. I ate my lamb chop dinner and slept through the night without waking up for a long time! Wow! The lifting feeling is so great! I can't believe how stressed I was.
A new job had been given to me on Friday. I am so happy that I have something else to do now. I had to make up extra buffers for regenerating the nickel agarose columns on Friday, even though I have made them up Thursday afternoon. By 3:30p.m. in the afternoon, I have packed them up and stored them in the fridge. I will have to carry out the last few steps next Monday. It takes very long for the buffers to run through using only gravitational pull from Earth. These columns don't work very well with added pressure, so I didn't connect them with the peristaltic pump.
The first event for Summer Olympics was rob the nest. Two of the team members had to jump in sacks and collect tennis balls (eggs) from the nest. It was not as easy as it looks! Me and Ai had to synchronise our jump by counting, and I got so tired! It was so much fun, though.
We then moved on to gumboot event. As a farming research facility, we can never get too far away from gumboots! The first part involved four team members walking in gumboots filled with jelly/dish washing liquid. Haha! It was so slippery. We managed to stand up and walk fine, though. Team work was the key. We had to pick up puzzle pieces from the other end and piece them together. Gumboot throwing after sliding through the wet plastic sheet was the second part of the event. It was so much fun! Even though I managed to lose my gumboots twice, and never got them across the goal, I got so wet.
We left the MIRINZ field and got across to Moonhop. Again, you don't have to be tall and strong for this event. I was a pretty good hopper, and the lady who was taller and stronger than me was falling over a lot!
Moving onto the Sensasketch and Genga event, this one is for the geeks and freaks! That's who we are! We managed to reach 30 levels for Genga, and had extra bonus points for using only 1 piece in four levels. Then, it got canceled out by not having two top full levels. I was pretty good at it as well, but Erik was even more daring. He made to 31 levels after the competition had ended.
I was good at guessing from the pictures that the team members drew for Sensasketch. I figured out the bride from the flower and the veil. It was quite funny. I also had two very difficult clues: satellite and Commonwealth Games. I had to draw a Sputnik and Eartch and star so Miel can figure out what it is. Oh, well, and I actually wrote "England" and draw the six rings of Olympics. I will read up what symbol the Commonwealth uses, but I don't think anyone knows!
The pool event proved to be the most strenuous. I couldn't get onto the Lilo at all. Erik and Miel were hogging it. Anyway, I will find out who pushed me into the pool on Monday. You are going to get it! Nah. I am just kidding.
All of us went to have sausage and meat BBQ in the club. Mike, Jeremy and I waited until the prize giving around 8:00p.m. It got really cold. We got the Wooden Spoon (last place), and had consolation prize of 60 dollars DeVice voucher in Innovation Park. It was actually better than nothing! I thought it would be difficult to come first, but easier to come last and achieve my objective. Cool. I am so happy.
I tried to look up something for work today (Saturday), and decided not to do much about it until Monday. There's really no point, I want to ask my boss whether to login to this company website or not.
I have been given this project to use Biacore machine. It is a new technology, and I have to read papers about this. I am going to do a Maxi prep as well. It's all going again! So exciting.

When there's sun there's fun

I have the distinct urge to paste what I have written on Msn Space here, but I don't want to say the same thing in my favourite blogging site.
It is Thursday today, and it is still so warm and summery in New Zealand. I just can't feel sad and cry even though I have written to this nice guy and he said he doesn't want to go to dinner with me this Saturday.
I think God is working on me here: he is watching over me. I am sure that when the right guy comes along, he will take the initiative this time. I am looking forward to that day, and when that day comes, I will jump for joy.
Apart from the rejection, today is actually really good. I have done maximum work and managed to save a person from swearing at the end of the day. The experiment takes 3~4 days and you don't want to lose anything in the end.
I believe he will still be sweet. He just lost a few drops of liquid...and don't blame me if you lose it all. I was just being nice to point out he should be careful.
Erik was typing furiously now. The report is due on 9 March and both he and Anchi are writing and reading a lot. Fortunately, the experiment is almost finished. They will move onto other projects, and fry bigger fishes later. Cool!
Thank God, it's almost Friday!
I am looking forward to this weekend. I have nothing to do but put my feet up and sleep. After getting up at 6 almost everyday in the last few weeks, I am getting the rest I deserve. I have been working hard out.
Still, I think I am beautiful, pretty, and smart. I am not defeated at all. I am a strong person and it shows. I am who I am. I am me.
Keep telling myself that I should get other hobbies. I have been playing piano and cello lately, and writing my novel again. It's great. There's no pressure to read and write thesis anymore. Life should be like this, and if we are packing up everything and moving, then I will be too busy to even think about a boyfriend.
God bless.

Happy Chinese New Year

Hello, everyone. Happy Chinese New Year!
I was so tired last night so didn't stay up until twelve. Gone with the old, and get on with the new this year. I have found myself a job, graduated from university last year, and this year, I am going to take life in a stride. I am older and wiser, and more confident. I love the new me, and this year, I am going to be successful.
Cut the old roses in the morning. I notice that the yellow roses are growing very well on our neighbour's side. We are lucky that our previous owner planted different colour roses in the beginning, and we have planted at least four new ones after we moved here. They are all blooming in the summer sun.
It is very warm today, with temperature soaring into the 30s, I don't think it is a good idea to stay in the sun that long.
I have texted Erik and contacted Anchi about preparing for work tomorrow, and felt down about that. However, the project is in their hands now. I am just the messenger. They will have to take full responsibility themselves.
It is a great day and I look forward to another week of work, fun and happy Hen's Night/Wedding, Kelly! I love her party. It was one of the best party that I have gone to in ages.

Love him or love work

Friday is always a great day to complete everything. This week is almost over! You can hear about Valentine's Day on the radio, in the shops, on TV, and even when you are driving, you can't escape from it! I am a bit tired of all the pink and red decoration, even though I haven't given up on my idealism and romantic notion.
I have been told that I am similar to Charlotte in Sex and the City. She is also my favourite character! I probably identify with her the most because she is so prim and proper, wanting to land a husband and have a family.
The four of us went to Go Vino on Vicky Street after work. I went to Burger Fuel to get dinner, though. I couldn't find the others and was walking up and down four times. Hahahaha! So silly. There must be something wrong with my eyes.
Back up the day a bit. I went to work early to help Erik again on Friday, would like to finish early because weekend is coming up. However, he was not there around seven and I discovered that we forgot to grab the broths. We had to walk all the way down to wash-up (thank God it wasn't completely locked) and carried the buckets up the stairs, then start the experiment.
It is going very well, apart from Erik putting the wrong labels on the solutions.....It's not his fault. I could have made those solutions myself. He seems to be disappearing into thin air today for some reason. Get away from hard physical labour? Or is it just because it is Friday? I hope he is having fun here. Apparently, he is having so much fun he wants to work after his placement finishes. I will have the chance to see him a little bit longer, then. It's those precious minutes just before anyone turns up for work that I treasure. Being there is everything. I care. I don't know whether I care more about work or about this guy. Maybe both in equal amounts.
Anchi ran the gel on Friday and I went in on Saturday to see how pure/impure the proteins are.
They look ok. Two of them needs more work. We have two more batches coming up as well.
Anyway, I will not reveal the details here.
I went to swim in the company pool after 3 as well. The temperature was just right and didn't get too hot. The facility was old, but it's got everything! Showers, seats, kiddie's pool and nice wooden drawers to put your dry clothing in. Cool, huh? I will tell my friends.
Better go do something other than blogging. Get on with my Saturday ritual.

Number 8

I have lost quite a lot of weight, so I had to take my trousers and skirts in. They were size 14, 13, 12, and 10. My size is now 8. I had to sew one pair of jeans after lunch. It was difficult in the beginning, but later it became quite easy. I am happy that I lost the flesh around my tummy, but skirts and trousers falling down my waist are no laughing matter. Lately, I have been wearing belts trying to hold them up. I look ridiculous.
However, I can't fix those size 14 easily. Just have to wait for fuzzyslowmo to come back to use the sewing machine. Looks like I will have to take them in quite a lot. I also managed to sew one button for a new pair of pants, that is size 8. So it is good as new!
I know a lot of girls are losing weight out there. I don't think it is a good thing to eat vegetables or nothing at all. It is not healthy. My secret is to eat 70% of everything, including red meat like beef and lamb. I also eat rice and bread. No drastic dieting for me because it doesn't work long term. I find it easy to keep walking in winter, swimming in summer. I have worked a lot on my waist by doing sit-ups. In the beginning, I had trouble just doing 20 sit-ups, then I can do 50 now. I could do 100 sit-ups in one time, but got quite tired.
Losing weight is great! I like my new body. I will keep exercising.
Haha, getting back to the subject of eating and food, I went to the supermarket with mum. We spent a lot of money buying food. Watermelon, pineapple, mushroom, and even a blueberry muffin! I had half of the muffin this morning. So yummy! I love shopping and cooking food. Who will believe that I can lose weight, eh?
Waitangi Day today. Going back to work tomorrow and looking forward to complete my project once again. It is going so well that I think it may be completed at the end of this week or early next week. I can get back to other project now.
Great summer day. I am staying home tidying up my wardrobe. Probably swim tomorrow because I got the new pool key.