Monday, 29 September 2014

Travelling home

Today is a great day to travel!! Sure it's going to be a long trip but at the end of it is home -- Australia. It's been 2 and a half years and I have missed it alot.

Here's hoping the beer does not have strawberries or bananas and Fosters is not mentioned at every opportunity or the bloomin onion or outback restaurant.

Here's to hoping that the statement you wouldn't understand because your foreign is not mentioned again......

Whereas these are all said tongue in cheek, if they are mentioned every day it grinds on you after a while so much so that you revert back into your shell just so that you don't have to hear it anymore.

I miss the landscape and weather of home. So here's to hoping the weather is great......

I've missed my friends and being able to call......

And I've missed the opportunity to just be a normal human being who doesn't have time lines or deadlines........

Joanne Harris once wrote:

"I let it go. It's like swimming against the current. It exhausts you. After a while, whoever you are, you just have to let go, and the river brings you home."

Wednesday, 24 September 2014

Bittersweet

Today is really bittersweet for me.....At school we had phi zeta which is a research day held at LSU each year. This year a decision was made to present three posters on my research. My projects came to fruition today and we collected 2nd prize for therapeutic plasma exchange. We entered just to participate and came away with a win. This has been a project that has consumed me for the last year. When I collected the initial data I would spend most of my weekends and weeknights doing therapeutic plasma exchange on patients and blood samples.
Now you say, what's the significance? Why bitter sweet ? Well I guess it's because it's been a labor of love and now I hate to leave it all behind........

I really love this quote and it really typifies how I have felt my entire career with regards to veterinary medicine:
"He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist."

Francis of Assisi

Sunday, 21 September 2014

First day.....

I will always remember my first job as a vet. To say it was a disaster is an understatement. I remember it so well because it was at that time my father was diagnosed with melanoma.

I started in February after some down time from university. Eleanor and I had decided to do the long distance thing and I was moving to a town of 3000 people which had 2 pubs and one supermarket.

It was mixed animal which, I thought at the time, was my dream job.

My first large animal call was with a recent graduate. He rolled in to work at 900 after a weekend in Sydney. He was hungover and looked like crap.

We got the call at 930 and Shannon and I headed out to look at a horse which was lame. Once there Shannon decided that he was so hung over that he needed a hangover helper. He proceeded to take a bottle of Finadyne and put a drop into his orange juice guaranteeing me that this would either cure him or kill him. It did neither.

So this was veterinary medicine,

The rest of the day was fairly unremarkable except for the last call of the day. A euthanasia that I had to do. It was a cat with a squamous cell carcinoma of the face. He had stopped eating and his mum had struggled with the decision to euthanize him. The only thing that came to mind at that time was James Herriot:

"The dog did not move as the needle was inserted, and, as the barbiturate began to flow into the vein, the anxious expression left his face and the muscles began to relax. By the time the injection was finished, the breathing has stopped."

Now before anyone comments I know it was a cat.........



Friday, 19 September 2014

Life

I am always in bewildered awe of new life coming into the world. The thought that we can bring such a precious entity into the world and that these babies grow, and with our love and attention become people, that not only look up to and respect us, but also grow into people that we love respect and admire is amazing. 
Today marks a very special day for me. I became an uncle for the third time. My sister gave birth in the wee hours this morning to a very special little girl Kiara Elena weighing 2816 G. She is just 46 cm long. 


To my darling new niece. I'm sorry I can't be there to greet you in person. All I have to offer is this Irish blessing. 

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back. 
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
 The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
 May god hold you in the palm of his hand.

May god be with you and bless you,
May you see your children's children
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings, 
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the rays of the sun fall upon your home,
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you, 
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

Sunday, 14 September 2014

The trip

So looking back on the last 2 years I've seen that i have not shared alot of what I've seen or even experienced over here. Whereas there are very few photos I have alot of great memories of some of the places I've been and the great food that I've tried.
Although I have to say I've missed home, meat pies sausage rolls and of course the lamb roast. There is such a dichotomy between here and home. So here are a few of the things that I have seen and thoroughly loved doing since I've been here.....








 I know it's not much but unfortunately the loss of my camera since I've been over here and some other unfortunate circumstances have left me with these few images but also with unforgettable memories............

Oscar Wilde once wrote:
" Memory is the diary we all carry about with us"


Friday, 12 September 2014

Homeward bound

Well, it's 2 weeks until I go home. I have loved some of the comments I have received since I announced that I was coming home. "It's so far. I just couldn't do that"......Always a little interesting.......

Most people always have shown an interest in Oz especially when they heard the accent. Usually there are a gamete of questions like "Why Baton rouge? Why America ? Your country is beautiful. Why would you ever want to come here?? Etcetcetc.

In truth this has been for the most part a great experience. I have truly enjoyed my time here. The south has a charm to it that I can't quite explain or for that matter put my finger on. Something about old school manners and the ma'am and sir when addressing you elders that just appeals.

I have essentially missed home. I'm looking forward to catching up with friends especially when I get back.....Of course when catching up with people it has to be accompanied with good wine, beer, food and coffee. Okay, so I'm not much on coffee alot of the time........That and the thoughts of seeing the familiar surroundings of home are making me smile a little.....

Sarah Dessen once wrote:

 "Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who you loved were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go."


Monday, 8 September 2014

Home

Home is where the heart is. Home is where we grew up, and the experiences that we've had whilst growing up. Home is full of memories, smells and feelings.

I'm coming home. Booked, signed sealed and delivered !!. At the end of September I will fly out. It's been 2 and a bit years since I left and I'm so looking forward to home.......

TS Elliot once wrote:
"Home is where one starts from"

Saturday, 6 September 2014

Strength of character

Strength of character for me defines a person. Essentially it is a sum of all the attributes, such as honesty, loyalty, integrity etc. that makes a person who they are. For me it is a measure of my self worth and has allowed me cope with setbacks when the tide has turned against me and to continue on upwards in the face of life's obstacles.

It's also allowed me, although difficult at times, to favour reason over pure emotion but at the same time has allowed me to face adversity head on and take a chance in life. It has also helped me to accept in life the things that I cannot change because they are beyond my control.

My strength has given me a voice and the ability to speak up and not let others influence or dictate decisions that I make.

Something that I continue and must continue to work at is to focus on the positives in life and spare little times for the negatives.

Finally strength of character has helped me to oppose fatalism and allowed me to recognize that I am responsible for my own destiny. Ultimately I make the decisions that either make my life better or worse because at the end of the day destiny is blind and deaf; it will neither hear nor regard us.

My final words, above all else it is important not to let anyone undermine your strength of character and also to appreciate others that have had a positive influence in  your life.

A quote from Billy Graham:

"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost...."

Thursday, 4 September 2014

Stuck

For me to be stuck is to be caught almost in a limbo. I have been this way for sometime now. I can't move forward and I can't move backward......

I would like to think of myself as passionate, genuine and loyal, but I have been questioned of late with regards to these qualities that I value in life. I don't believe in infidelity and I do believe in being honest with your partner........My previous relationships have been brought into question because they are over........Again, they ended for a reason.....Two people have got the right to grow apart, simple as that. The way they began, were and then ended made me who I am. And do I regret them, absolutely not. Now do I have times where I question what happened in them. Of course, everyone does........

As well, I do believe in spending quality time with the person you want to be with. Is it a crime to want to be seen in public together at functions or maybe even travel together.....?? I think not.......Sure you can look at it as an insecure person who doesn't trust the other and is wanting to spend time with them for that reason. But I prefer to think of it as spending time with and doing things with the person that you have chosen to share your life with. Personally I think if the former is the way a person is thinking then there is something seriously wrong and that is not only unhealthy but dysfunctional........Nothing is going to fix that..........

So now I'm stuck......Stuck between someone who has bought into question everything that I value and have valued and moving forward in life and continuing to address life with the values that I have held so close all my life......

Truth about it is everyone has there own set of values and moral standards in life. The way they choose to behave in life is up to them. But I want to live life without the hesitation of the would of, should of, and could of...........

I was text the other day after my last blog that I should "practice what I preach".......I think I do.........

Here's one that I thought that I would never quote: Walt Disney......

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

Tuesday, 2 September 2014

"Hell Yes"


I read this article recently that made me sit up and think.......
 
Think about this for a moment: Why would you ever choose to be with someone who is not excited to be with you?
An area of dating that has always been of a concern is that when one persons feelings are ambiguous or one person has stronger feelings than the other. It's something that is real and has the potential to cause problems in the future if not now. 
 
The law states that when you want to get involved with someone new, in whatever capacity, they must inspire you to say “Hell Yes” in order for you to proceed with them.
The Law of “Hell Yes or No” also states that when you want to get involved with someone new, in whatever capacity, THEY must respond with a “Hell Yes” in order for you to proceed with them.
This law implies that both parties must be enthusiastic about the prospect of one another’s company.
Why? Because attractive, non-needy, high self-worth people don’t have time for people who they are not excited to be with and who are not excited to be with them.
The tangible benefits for adopting this are that you are:
  1. No longer strung along by people who aren’t that into you. End all of the headaches. End the wishing and hoping. End the disappoint and anger that inevitably follows. Start practicing self-respect. Become the rejector, not the rejected.
  2. The consent issues are instantly resolved. If someone is playing games with you, playing hard to get, or pressuring you into doing something you’re unsure about, your answer is now easy. Or as I often like to say in regards to dating, “If you have to ask, then that’s your answer.”
  3. Establishing strong personal boundaries and enforcing them. Maintaining strong boundaries not only makes one more confident and attractive, but also helps you to preserve your sanity in the long-run.
  4. Always knowing where you stand with the other person. Since you’re now freeing up so much time and energy from people you’re not that into, and people who are not that into you, you now find yourself perpetually in interactions where people’s intentions are clear and enthusiastic.
This Law is universal. It can be applied to every aspect of your life
Jamie Paolinetti once wrote:
 "Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations our possibilities become limitless."