Google has coded this awesome website where you can make your own movie using Google Docs. I made one here:
http://goo.gl/HMpIzj
In other news I'm getting closer to planning my trip to Europe and Asia. I've payed the deposit for Everest and I'm probably going to book my flights to Indonesia tomorrow. I'm a little concerned about going to Sumatra to climb Mt. Kerinci because there are no registered companies that organize the 4 day hike for you. Instead tourists are forced to contact individual guides to walk them up the mountain. Whilst my experience of living in Indonesia has led me to believe that locals are very trustworthy and friendly, I'm still very scared of arriving in Padang Airport with nobody there to meet us.
Also, I have two new roommates now! There's so much to mention that I'll have to leave this for another massive post next time. Spoiler: they're German and Italian just like the last crew.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Tough Mudder
I ran a 19 kilometer obstacle course today called Tough Mudder. It was awesome! It wasn't too crowded and it was very challenging. A lot of the early obstacles were super easy - just climbing over walls or walking through mud. But by the end I was pushed to the limit with 3 obstacles. One of them - called 'Leap of Faith' - featured an old fashioned Navy net that had its lowest end elevated to about 2m above your head and and about 4m in front of you. But the hardest part wasn't jumping and reaching the lowest rung of the net. The hardest part was climbing the net using only your upper body strength.
Another obstacle was a essentially a manlyafied version of monkey bars. You had to swing from suspended ring to suspended ring to get from one side to the other. Sadly this was the only obstacle I didn't make :( - hardly anyone did. The rings were widely spaced that it was impossible to gather the momentum to swing to the next ring. Your only hope was to do it in one go - practically jumping through the air and hoping to get the grip and angle necessary to grab the next ring.
The last obstacle was what many may have perceived to be the easiest, yet ironically was the hardest. All you had to do was run in a straight line trying to dodge dangling electrodes. There were so may that it was impossible to dodge all the electrodes so I just decided to sprint through. Half way through the pit I thought it was a piece of cake, I could barely feel a thing, and I thought to myself if there was any chance of me being stung it wouldn't sting more than one of those prank electric pens you can get for $10. Then it hit me. It was as if Zues himself punched me in the heart. The jolt forced me to jump into the air like a rag doll and shout out the worlds "AHHHHHHHHH!! FUCK!!" at the top of my lungs. It retrospect it was actually quite funny because there were a bunch of kids spectating this final obstacle by the finish line. At the time though, I was only focused on the giant surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins which made me leap out of the pit straight through the finish line like a badass.
Another obstacle was a essentially a manlyafied version of monkey bars. You had to swing from suspended ring to suspended ring to get from one side to the other. Sadly this was the only obstacle I didn't make :( - hardly anyone did. The rings were widely spaced that it was impossible to gather the momentum to swing to the next ring. Your only hope was to do it in one go - practically jumping through the air and hoping to get the grip and angle necessary to grab the next ring.
The last obstacle was what many may have perceived to be the easiest, yet ironically was the hardest. All you had to do was run in a straight line trying to dodge dangling electrodes. There were so may that it was impossible to dodge all the electrodes so I just decided to sprint through. Half way through the pit I thought it was a piece of cake, I could barely feel a thing, and I thought to myself if there was any chance of me being stung it wouldn't sting more than one of those prank electric pens you can get for $10. Then it hit me. It was as if Zues himself punched me in the heart. The jolt forced me to jump into the air like a rag doll and shout out the worlds "AHHHHHHHHH!! FUCK!!" at the top of my lungs. It retrospect it was actually quite funny because there were a bunch of kids spectating this final obstacle by the finish line. At the time though, I was only focused on the giant surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins which made me leap out of the pit straight through the finish line like a badass.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Molly
On November 10th at 4:30pm we put Molly down. Our dog was born in 1997 so she was 17 years old - a very old age for a Labrador. Within the last year she had a seizure and was diagnosed with a liver tumor. For far too long we have been fighting nature by trying to keep her going with medication and scrupulous care & support. By the end though, despite my Mum and Dad taking care of her with undying passion, she had lost control of her legs, could barely see, hear, move or even go to the bathroom.
Over the last 17 years she'd developed quite a unique character. Here are a few things that made her special:
1) She never needed a leash. Even when she was a puppy with boundless energy she would always come sprinting back to us.
2) At first she hated swimming, but like the trooper she was, she learned to dive into the water and swim with the fishes. She always tried to catch the fish she saw in the water. Even though she was very smart I don't think she ever learned that bouncing around through the waves actually reduced her chances of catching a fish.
3) Whilst she had many names including; santoh, moless, poodle, smooshie, smooshie poodle, smooshie poodle pie etc etc, she would respond enthusiastically to any name said in a high enough pitch.
4) She hated almost all other dogs but loved my Mum and Dad more than anything - and that includes schmackos doggy treats.
5) She once jumped out of a moving boat to try and swim with dolphins in the middle of the ocean.
6) Molly had a minor fear of cats ever since she was attacked by one in Jakarta
7) We used to go on beach trips to Sambolo in Indonesia. My brother and I would use her as a pillow for the long car ride down. Although we were always there for at least 3 days, she would exhaust all her energy running around on the first 2 days and spend the last day completely motionless in the car waiting for us to drive her home.
8) Towards the end, she would sleep with her tongue lazily protruding from her mouth. Somehow it made her even more cute.
On her last day I was both glad and disappointed to see that Molly was relatively vibrant. I was glad because I knew her last day would be a happy one and because I knew we were putting her down before she mentally and physically deteriorated any further. But I was also disappointed because I had this nagging emotional voice in the back of my head yelling at me saying "she can go on a bit longer!". Reason won in the end. She had a full life and died peacefully right next to the people she loved.
RIP Molly. I'll never forget you.
Over the last 17 years she'd developed quite a unique character. Here are a few things that made her special:
1) She never needed a leash. Even when she was a puppy with boundless energy she would always come sprinting back to us.
2) At first she hated swimming, but like the trooper she was, she learned to dive into the water and swim with the fishes. She always tried to catch the fish she saw in the water. Even though she was very smart I don't think she ever learned that bouncing around through the waves actually reduced her chances of catching a fish.
3) Whilst she had many names including; santoh, moless, poodle, smooshie, smooshie poodle, smooshie poodle pie etc etc, she would respond enthusiastically to any name said in a high enough pitch.
4) She hated almost all other dogs but loved my Mum and Dad more than anything - and that includes schmackos doggy treats.
5) She once jumped out of a moving boat to try and swim with dolphins in the middle of the ocean.
6) Molly had a minor fear of cats ever since she was attacked by one in Jakarta
7) We used to go on beach trips to Sambolo in Indonesia. My brother and I would use her as a pillow for the long car ride down. Although we were always there for at least 3 days, she would exhaust all her energy running around on the first 2 days and spend the last day completely motionless in the car waiting for us to drive her home.
8) Towards the end, she would sleep with her tongue lazily protruding from her mouth. Somehow it made her even more cute.
On her last day I was both glad and disappointed to see that Molly was relatively vibrant. I was glad because I knew her last day would be a happy one and because I knew we were putting her down before she mentally and physically deteriorated any further. But I was also disappointed because I had this nagging emotional voice in the back of my head yelling at me saying "she can go on a bit longer!". Reason won in the end. She had a full life and died peacefully right next to the people she loved.
RIP Molly. I'll never forget you.
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