Another quick update

Well I am definitely feeling a lot more relaxed and rested than I was this time last week. We are having an absolute ball - lots of walking and getting a little more adventurous with the food we are trying. Al seems to think that before we leave we will be eating like the locals - I don't have the heart to disillusion him !!!!!!

We have been doing the tourist things - going to Sun Yet-San and Chaing Kei-Shek memorials. Tomorrow we are doing a morning tour of the east coast. We went to the west coast (Hsinchu) with Al today - it is very different to Taipei - a bit more space and definitely a lot colder. The temps are down in single figures so it is not the type of weather we are used to - having said that we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves.

We haven't done much in the way of shopping - things are really expensive here so even K has lost interest in the huge shopping malls. Now we are hanging out for Hong Kong as everyone says that is where we should be doing our shopping.

I tried my board shorts on this morning and they still fit which is a good sign - I think it means that at least with all the walking we have been doing, we are walking off the convenience food we have been eating !!!

We are off to the local night market to have dinner and browse around so I will be saying goodbye for today - take care everyone and hope that you are having a great time in the run up to Christmas. Look after yourselves and be as good as you can !!!!

Quick update

Just thought I would pop in and let you know that we are having a fantastic time. Taroko Gorge was just beautiful and reminded Al and I so much of the mountains in the South Island of NZ and Yosemite in USA. The food is another story - I am either going to lose heaps of weight because some of it is just foul and I am not game enough to try out the other stuff or I am going to put on heaps because we are going to be living on Ritz crackers and Oreos !!!!!
We did so much walking in the gorge and today K and I are off to explore on our own - armed with a map and the business card of the hotel - if the worst comes to the worst and we get lost, we will just call a cab and come back to the hotel that way.
There is so much to see here - I don't know how we will fit it all in but we are sure going to give it a try.
I hope you Sydney girls had a wonderful dinner on Saturday - I did think of you. Al managed to convince me that a massage and facial were in order - what a pampering session I had - 3 hours of absolute bliss - it was wonderful and I finally got my reward for getting to goal !!! Although Al didn't know that those two things were what I said I would reward myself with when I got to goal !!!!!
Well I can hear K starting to wake up so we will be off to breakfast (toast and cordial) and then out for the day - take care everyone and have a great week - I know we will be having a fantastic time because there is just so much to see and do here. Be good and look after yourselves !!!

Gain of 0.5kgs over 2 weeks

Well I have to say that I am pretty damn pleased with that gain considering the events of the past two weeks. I was very happy this morning when I woke up, saw a gain on the scale but got dressed and still felt good because my clothes looked good on me. YAY for making friends with my clothes and not letting the scales determine how I was going to feel for the rest of the day !!!! The gain on my scale tonight was actually 2kgs so I was very pleased when the WW weigh-in only showed a gain of 0.5kg !!!!
Kaitlin and I had a good day yesterday. I woke up quite early (6am) especially for a Sunday morning !!! The weather was perfect so I went for a cycle - the first 5kms my legs felt like lead. After that they felt fine but then the pain in my shoulder kicked in and worried me for the rest of the ride. I was at home after about 15kms as I just couldn’t take it anymore. Then we went and did some grocery shopping and came home and started packing for our holiday. Had to pop out to Big W and Target to get Kaitlin some books to take with us to read and then popped in to see my folks after their market before coming home and having some left overs for dinner.
This is the website of the hotel we are staying in at Taroko Gorge (a national park) www.grandformosa-taroko.com.tw - it looks like a really lovely place to stay and the Health Spa looks especially good !!!! Hopefully our money will stretch to me having a treatment while we are there - maybe that could be my Christmas present !!!!

Take care everyone and I would like to wish you all a
VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND EVERYTHING YOU WISH FOR YOURSELF
IN 2006 !

Remember - Christmas is only 1 day - if you are having everyone over to your house - make sure they all take some leftovers with them so that there is less for you to eat on Boxing Day and all the days that follow. While nobody wants to deny themselves everything - make the best choices that you can and get back on track on Boxing Day.

No news is good news

Sorry I haven’t been able to update before now - I just haven’t had a chance. The ultrasound went fine - all organs in good condition. The radiographer said maybe gall stones - told her I didn’t have a gall bladder anymore so don’t think it is that. She said maybe I was still making gall stones but I don’t think that is possible without a gall bladder - does anyone know if this is possible ???
K went off to the physio who has shown her how to tape her knee and given her exercises to strengthen her thigh muscles so will see how she goes. I haven’t heard back from the dr with the results of any of the tests or scans so am going with the theory that no news is good news and trying not to worry about what caused the pain and collapse in the first place.
On the food front I am quite happy with how I am going - while not tracking in any shape, manner or form, I am still sitting at between 63-64kgs and my clothes are still fitting me fine - in fact some of my pants are now a little too big again - maybe I should just throw all the jeans into the wash and shrink them a little before we go !!! I am working very hard on the “Oprah Theory” of making friends with my clothes and not my scales.
I landed up working until about 6.30 last night - there is still so much to do before I leave but I did remind myself that I can only do what I can do.
This morning we got up and took my Mom with to the local mall as my Dad had gone to help my brother with something. Then we dropped her at home with Dad and came home and I got stuck into the garden. Well 3 ½ hours later I had abused every person I know who works for Motorola, anyone who is remotely connected to Motorola and anyone else I could think of !!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I was talking to Al earlier I asked him if his ears had been burning during the afternoon but he said that they hadn’t - I obviously hadn’t muttered loud enough when I was complaining in the garden !!!!!! I landed up having a good cry on the phone to him this evening and then said I was sorry to have moaned so much - he said it was OK because then it felt like he was with us and knew what was going on !!!!! Our garden used to be a low maintenance garden but it is no longer that and I am completely fed up with having to do it all. The grass needs to be cut but we sold our lawn mower just before Al left and didn’t have a chance to buy another one - the edges need to be trimmed - the pool has got heaps of black algae in it that I was trying to brush off but couldn’t - then I found out tonight that there is another steel bristled brush that I should have been using. So, while it was a very productive day - it certainly wasn’t a pleasant day. Plus my back got burnt even though I had put sun block on.
Anyway, the plan for tomorrow is to try to start getting things ready for our holiday - all the cords etc that I need for cameras and phones and the batteries etc etc. Make sure all the washing is done so that if we want to take something it isn’t in the wash basket waiting to be washed !!!!
I had a couple of nights of exercise this week - not as many as I would have liked but given the circumstances, I have tried to make allowances and not beat myself up over it. I am sure that the walking I will be doing in Taiwan and Hong Kong will more than make up for it.
Our weekend in Taroko Gorge has been confirmed and paid for - we leave on Friday lunch time and get back to Taipei on Sunday afternoon. Our flights to and accommodation in HK have been booked and confirmed so that is all done - all that I need to do is get the packing underway.
I hope that you are all having a great weekend - only 22 days until Christmas !!! Take care everyone and look after yourself.

What a day !

Yesterday was a day that was certainly sent to try me. I had to take K to the orthopaedic surgeon about her knee so my folks were going to drop her with me and then maybe come with us for the ride. About 45 minutes before they were due to arrive, I had this dreadful pain in my stomach, felt nauseas and then collapsed at work !!! They called an ambulance but when I came around I told them that my folks were on their way and would take me to the dr. We went off to the ortho first - he said it sounds like there was some inflammation in the knee and referred K for an MRI scan - in Brisbane !! They phoned us in the afternoon to say that we had an 8am appointment for K today so had an early start to make sure we were there in time.
After we were finished with K’s knee I went to the dr who did an ECG and sent me off for blood tests. I haven’t heard anything back from him so presume that it is all OK. After phoning around all the radiology places on the coast - most could only fit me in around Wednesday next week - bugger, if only I had known a week ago I was going to be sick I could have made the appointment in advance - I managed to get an appointment at Nerang at 11.30 so I am just about on my way there now. I did get up at 5am to have some toast for breakfast but I am starving now. I didn’t have a very good sleep - we had so much rain and it was so noisy. I have to go in to work this afternoon - just hope I can stay awake !!! At least I don’t have to work tonight so that is good - mind you I didn’t work last night either and was in bed at about 10.30 - it felt very strange. But then I didn’t sleep much and had to get up early as well. It brought back memories of before we started night filling when I would lie awake for hours each night just trying to get to sleep - I sure don’t miss those nights !
Take care everyone and have a great weekend - I won’t wish you all now as I am sure that I will be back on line at least once more before we leave !