The growing project on the wall..

From that to this...

And it's still growing!

Irene..

Irene's visiting tomorrow.. and now, nyc is nothing but a ghost town.. Pretty eerie and it does feel like a scene taken out of I am Legend even though it is still the calm before the storm!

Even the usual westside highway is so deserted! Just a couple of cabs driving by every now and then...

Being in Midtown Manhattan, we are under zone B, thus are not affected by the mandatory evacuation issued. That is as long as irene remains as a category 1 storm. Once she escalates to category 2 (which is highly unlikely), we would have to get our butts out of here. Well, thankfully, the shelters are pet friendly, so at least Sam would have a safe shelter over his head should that happen. I guess we are in a pretty good shape as of now. We are pretty well stocked up and have sufficient food (and alot of yummy snacks) to tide over the storm. And yes, I am well stocked up on pinkberry and diet coke... My comfort food~ And of course, not forgetting some booze and alcohol to keep us sane should our windows break!

Honestly, I do think everyone is over reacting. It's probably going to be nothing more than a huge thunderstorm that might lead to some flooding (which would almost not affect us since we are on the 32nd floor.) But till it arrives, we won't really know.

Fingers are crossed for now.. till tomorrow!

Back Pain... (Part 2)

I was tempted to skip the consultation today. Well, after all, most of the pain went away over the weekend. (at least I was able to bend to wear my socks.) After thinking about how much more naggng I am going get from Mr Lim and my mom, I decided to go ahead with it.

Headed over to NUH and waited almost 1/2 hour for a parking space. -_-" (It's time for NUH to expand their carpark.) Best of all, I chose the wrong carpark and ended up having to walk a good 10 mins to get to the correct clinic and of course, I was already late for my appointment. Since I was afterall referred from GP, I ended up paying private rate and didn't have to wait more than 10 mins before my turn. (Sigh, $$ does help, doesn't it..)

The consultant was pretty cute and really nice. Did some routine checks and then, dropped the bomb on me. He suspected that it might be a slipped disc. (0_0).. and recommended for me to go for an MRI. He went on to explain about the condition and added that I should avoid strenuous physical exercise (My heart sank~ no bball?!) and that he will be referring me to his colleague who is the spine specialist (My heart sank again.. no more cute doctor?!)..

Sigh... what a day.. While I was waiting for the nurse to fix up an appointment for me to do my MRI, I wasn't very worried about my condition, more concerned if it means that I need to retire from Bball. Nooooooooooo...

Anyway, NUH's next slot for MRI was in August and Paragon's was tmr morning (Can't afford so much time off from work la.. ), so I settled for MRI at Raffles Hospital (Again..). The nurse briefly explained the procedure and highlighted the cost. A MRI cost $750 w/o GST. (My heart sank for the 3rd time.. wtf~~). Thank god for insurance...

MRI was a pretty unique experience. It probably most resembled lying in a white lit coffin that was buried in a construction site. Really noisy and cramp, and of course, my size didn't help. LOL. While, I'm sure glad I ain't that claustrophobic and even managed to fall asleep amidst the loud banging and bright light. Anyway, the report was out within an hour (Really cool, came in the format of a CD and three X-ray films with 16 scans on each film. I'll definitely keep it for keepsake. =P) and while I did not quite understand the terms used (Do doctors speak english?), it appeared that I might not have had a slipped disc afterall (phew~), more of a Degenerative Disc Disease.

Of course, I went back to google again and found that the symptoms was amazingly accurate. Things like severe pain that comes and goes and pain that goes away when I'm doing sports (does it mean I can continue to play ball?) were exactly what I have been experiencing.

Sigh, nonetheless, guess I will just have to wait till the next appointment with the consultant before I can get any conclusion.

=/

Bball this friday?

Back Pain.. (Part 1)

So, I have had a nagging back pain (primarily on my right hip) for the past couple of months.. Didn't take it to heart much since the pain lasted no longer than a couple of hours and wasn't really disruptive. I simply made a mental note to see a doctor someday. Since the pain came and went, I didn't think much of it and didn't get around seeing the doc. Sigh, the pain did become worst eventually and I finally decided to take some timeout from work to visit the clinic nearby...

Well, no surprises, the GP wasn't able to come up with any conclusion and sent me for an X-ray at Raffles Hospital. Took two hours time off and got Mr Lim to send me to the hospital.(I was barely able to walk, not to mention that bending down and wearing my socks nearly killed me. I was actually tempted to walk out barefooted.) Waited almost 2 hours for my X-ray and result and of course, no fracture was detected on my hip.

Crawled to work the next day with the X-ray result and saw a different GP from the same clinic. Well, his conclusion was that my hip is fine and it's most likely just muscle ache. Honestly, I wasn't quite convinced. I mean, I have experienced muscle aches all my life, but the pain this time round is different. Well, the GP then recommended me to visit a orthopedic specialist for a more detailed diagnosis. Sigh, why not.. so, I fixed up for an appointment with a consultant in NUH on tues.

The two visits to the clinic and the x-ray cost me a whooping $80 bucks. The funny thing was, there was a 10% discount for OCBC cards for the medical fees. (wth..) oh well, at least I get a discount..

Meanwhile, I went back to google about Hip injuries and the common symptoms. Sigh, seems like the majority of people suffering from the symptoms are aged 55 and above. Diaoz~

Oh well, shall see what the doc says...

Updates...

I probably really should be sleeping right now. After all, I've to get up at 6.30am tomorrow just to get to work. Whatever, I need to blog. I really need to blog. LOL.

Here's a summary of how my life went for the past 2 weeks.

1. Trip to Zim
Flew 12 hours to Zurich, nearly died on the plane as usual, because of the constant shaking and turbulence on the plane. Sigh, don't think I'll ever get over my dislike for plane rides. Didn't help that there weren't any cute guys in my vicinity. Sux. Finally caught Zim after a whooping 15hours of travelling, which included flight transit at zurich to geneva, a bloody ex cup of green tea that cost $5.20! But I guess it was all worth it. Just seeing him.

Spent 10 days in Europe. Besides Geneva, we hopped over to Paris and a french village called Annecy (Heard of it? LOL, I never did till then.). Paris is totally overrated. Didn't enjoy it as much I thought I would. Headed over to Montreux on my own. Nice little town. More details later.

2. My New Job
I'm extremely pleased with my new job so far. Started on monday, so it's officially day 3. Firstly, I'm posted to the place of my dreams and secondly, it's OFFICE hours. So from now on, KeY is officially available on weekends! Of cos, I've to do OT on weekends and night shifts occasionally, but still, at least, I'm not obliged to do it every single week! Best of all, I'm currently attached to a great trainer who's really teaching me the ropes of the job and it's really beneficial. At least I get to learn what I need gradually instead of simply being thrown into the woods to fend for myself. Really an encouraging start. In addition, it seems like my big bosses are nice as well. I'm really confident that this is going to be a great place to work. Thanks ChaiHong for the great introduction! ^_^

That's about it for now. Updates for switzerland will definitely come about this time, since I'll be free on weekends... Muahahahahahha....

Stuck @ Nacli...

Not really in a blogging mood recently. Guess that explains the lag in entries...

Hm.. anyway, just a simple update.. KeY is currently stuck @ NACLI (some ulu place off pasir panjang road) for induction and will be stuck there till the end of next week. Oh well, it really isn't as bad as it sounds. Met lotsa fun people who are a bomb to hang out with... (of cos, to bully and to gossip with lah.. =P) and most of the activities are either brainless (just stone and pretend to listen to talks) or fun (which is a PERFECT fit with KeY's personality..). So, guess i'll survive...

Set a new record for my life.. slept only 9 hours in 3 days! (no thanks to gossiping sessions) LOL.. oh well, when there's fun, who needs sleep....

Okie.. time to start packing for another week of in camp training..

til then...