Sydney 2014

I don't update here anymore because I have another blog on aisyahrower.com but I realised that I have to be a bit more careful of what I say there just because 1. I paid for the site 2. I'm assuming more people read that one 3. I can't talk about my personal life there, can I? Maybe I can. Maybe I should. But so far, I've been ranting, complaining, whining, I sound like an awful, miserable being. But that is how my life has been recently. Can't be that bad right?

Anyhoos, here I am again, dying to write because I miss writing crap, things that go unnoticed or don't matter. Where its okay to have a seplling eorror or a grammatical mistakes.

Life in Sydney, as I mentioned before in my other blog (wah, now its like a competition between the two aye about who gets to be filled up with more interesting and latest news- GOD, is my life so boring I start arguing and comparing with myself?), yes so life here has been pretty boring. I don't know why I enjoyed my stay in Sydney last year more than I did this year. And I think I've found the root of the problem- training. Recently, because of the stupid rib injury and all (yes, I was out of the boat for a miserable 3 weeks), I just started to get on the boat again, starting to do things like drills working on my technique which was so horrendous if I was my coach, I'd throw a show at myself and rather stay in bed then to see such rowing! But thankfully, he was patient enough to wait until the 10k was over before heading to work. (I make an amazing coach, I know.)

But let's not talk about rowing here. Since anything about rowing you can go to aisyahrower.com (eh, like promoting my page only).

Also, I refuse to talk about my single life because there are so many better, happier, amazing things out there to talk about! Like how I spent my weekend in Newcastle which is about a 1.5hrs drive from Sydney. So, my friend from SMU, whom I haven't met since I was in uni (gasp!) was over in Sydney so I thought of doing a roadtrip and a good company would be really nice so he said okay and there we were, with a rented car, a last minute accommodation at some beachside backpackers hostel and no plans of where to go what to see and do whatsoever. It turned out to be pretty fun! Newcastle was gorgeous! Despite the nasty winds and the chilly weather, the stretches of beaches were amazeballs. It was such a waste it was too cold to lie down on the beach or swim in one of the ocean baths. So we ended up just viewing, appreciating and walking around, wondering how blessed Australia is with all these gorgeous places.

Before we went back to Sydney, we stopped by Hunter Valley. It was a last minute plan which we almost bailed out on because it was an hours drive inland from Newcastle which would add on to the time we get back to Sydney. But there was no rush to get back to Sydney so to Hunter Valley we went, where I drove most of the time and my co-driver was having a good nap.

And my goodness, Hunter Valley is beautiful. No sand, no sea, but thankfully there was some sunshine which warmed up the chilly weather. Acres and acres of lush greenery, really pretty cottages made into little shops with names you can almost eat like Hunter Valley Chocolate Factory and Cheese Factory. As I'm not a fan of weird, Tupperware-smelling cheese, I bought a gelato. HAHAHA. So anti-climax. I did try a Viking Blue Cheese though, whatever that meant.

So most of the days in Sydney are spent literally on my bed. Rolling around under the warm blankets in the middle of the afternoon. Life is good, you say. Yea. Life is good here thinking about being back in Singapore, having to work everyday of your life, after done with training, only to face the shitnits that people at work give you or even those at home, having to bear the heat, sweating the moment you step out of the airconditioned room, having to squeeze yourself in between the hundred thousand other commuters on the train each day. I don't miss all of those. But I do miss having dinner with my family and friends, having spending time with them, going out with them, talking to people I know instead of having to muster up enough courage to make new friends which can be really draining sometimes. I do eat dinner with my foster parents here, but its not the same as back at home. Food is great here, but the company just feels different and you just can't replace your family with anyone else. I miss going out with people, it feels great to be travelling alone and discovering new places but sometimes it sucks to ask yourself if you look good in this dress or that, no one to argue with you on where to have dinner and to sit in a café alone. You can even wear the same clothes 3 times in a row and absolutely noone will notice! WAH SAD LIFE.

Hahahaha. I'll be fine, I know it. It's just another 21 days till I get my ass back home anyway. And then there's a race in Marina (which will be so exciting as it would be the SEA Games 2015 venue!) and who knows, I'll be somewhere else around the world for another month or so. That's my life, I guess. So better if I just deal with it rather than fight it and end up being the miserable one.

I guess I should be grateful to have understanding employees who are willing to let go of me for a few months and still want me back at work (I hope) and the opportunity to be staying in another country and training full-time, although alone. There's a hundred other things out there for me to be thankful about! So I should BE GRATEFUL and stop complaining. #TellingMyselfThatForTheHundrethTime

I am grateful. Always am.

Like how its been 6 months since the Games and people still want to interview me and feature me. Sometimes they can be tiring (but they haven't bothered me since I'm here, though) but I try not too get too involved in the scene or else I might be distracted and that would put a big cross on my coaches's faces which you wouldn't want. But sometimes I would go back to reading what people write about me and it serves to remind me about how f*d up my life was last year, having to train and work and having no funding, using my own pocket money to travel but eventually, I did it. So I have things better in many ways now.

Taa.