Search Results : ankle

Vibram FiveFingers

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Oct 122012
 

Just before the summer holidays one of my colleagues was wearing these amazing shoes and I asked about it. It was also just around the time that I was reading _Born to Run_ to motivate myself to really get into running. Since I love toe socks (pictured in the _Born to Run_ post), I was totally fascinated by these shoes!

Before my summer accident I had great plans of running outside in Thailand and really getting myself off the treadmill….Then, I was put out of commission for most of the summer, so I decided it was a good time to get these Vibram FiveFinger shoes to retrain my running once I was all healed up.

Therefore, as I was rebuilding up my ankle, I would walk barefoot on the sand along the beach to build up strength in my feet. I tried running barefoot as well for the short distances that I could.

Once we returned to AD, my plans for outside running were put aside as the weather just isn’t great for it. But, I had my new shoes and began using them on the treadmill.

Close
26-Aug-2012 18:29, Apple iPhone 4S, 2.4, 4.28mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 400
View at Picasa
Close
26-Aug-2012 18:29, Apple iPhone 4S, 2.4, 4.28mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 400
View at Picasa
 
Close
26-Aug-2012 18:29, Apple iPhone 4S, 2.4, 4.28mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
View at Picasa
Close
26-Aug-2012 18:30, Apple iPhone 4S, 2.4, 4.28mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 800
View at Picasa
 

I have two pairs. One (the purple ones) I use only for running. The other (black ones) I use around the house or for the yoga and pilates classes I have just started taking (well, have had one class each as they cancelled classes last week, but I AM going back!). πŸ˜€ I LOVE THEM!

They not only make my feet happy, but running is so smooth and relaxed. Although I haven’t really gained a love for running (especially as I’ve recently gotten bored with the treadmill…though I still don’t mind walking forever…), I am at least feeling good with my new running shoes! πŸ˜€

-T

Summer 2012: Phuket, Thailand – 24 more days….

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Jul 302012
 

I’ve been a bit busy with data analysis work rather than pleasure writing the past couple of days.

We have been getting out to the beach for a swim in the waves. Aside from today, the weather has been beautiful; therefore, so has the water! The good news is that the bandages I have are waterproof for the most part. Today, I went without and it was okay, but it seems that my muscles in the knee and ankle are still sore so when the waves hit I have some trouble staying up and such. In a few more days, hopefully, I’ll be ok…(I keep hoping!).

Usually, after we get back from the beach, I jump in the pool for a proper swim to get my exercise in. Who would have thought that I would actually miss ‘walking/running’??? πŸ˜‰ So, the swimming is at least a decent alternative for now.

So, that’s the update for today….Back to analysing for me!

-T πŸ˜€

Summer 2012: Hong Kong – Afternoon Trip to Macau

 General, Meanderings Abroad  No Responses »
Jul 252012
 

Leg update: Β It’s healing and I’m walking almost normally, but it will still be a bit longer before it’s totally back to normal….

After spending the majority of two days in the hotel room, and realizing that we are going to have to get out despite Typhoon Vicente plowing through and my leg being what it is. So, we organized to go on an afternoon tour of Macau. The plan was to catch the noon ferry and arrive in time to pay for the tour at 1:45pm.

Well, we arrived in time catch the noon ferry, except that tickets were sold out on the TurboJet and CotaiJet didn’t have anything either until 3pm. So, when a seemingly crazy Chinese woman offered tickets for the 12:15 ferry for the same price, we went with the flow and followed her to the entrance ensuring that the tickets she was selling were legit. They were.

Once we got through immigration and to the berth, the ferry was further delayed until 12:30. It’s an hour ride to Macau and so our timing for the tour was already cutting it close. The ride was pretty uneventful until the last 10 minutes when the waves kicked up and people all around starting puking into the bags…. Thankfully, we finally arrived, but were much delayed.

By the time we got through Macau immigration it was 2:10pm and the tour had gone on without us….

One of the nice things about Macau is that most of the casinos have free shuttle buses to their hotels. Since the Venetian is a big attraction, we decided to take the shuttle bus there and then think about what to do afterwards. Through the drive, we got to see the city a bit as the Venetian is located on Taipa island, which is connected to Macau via a nice long bridge. So, we spent a couple of hours there walking around, which was fun.

It had mostly stopped raining when we were ready to head back, but R didn’t feel inclined to head into the main square to see St. Andrew’s church remains and the old area. I had seen it when I visited before, but thought he might want to see it. Since he wasn’t into it, we just headed back to Macau and took the ferry back to Kowloon. Thankfully, that trip was totally uneventful and I was able to take a wee nap. πŸ˜‰

My ankle held up pretty well and so we stopped for some dinner, which I didn’t take a picture of (Surprise!) and then we turned in early back at the hotel.

Here are some pics (videos still not working…):

Next »
China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon heading to Macau
Close
China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon heading to Macau24-Jul-2012 21:16, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 100
View at Picasa
Close
24-Jul-2012 21:18, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 80
View at Picasa
Another ferry heading to Macau with a view of Western Kowloon in the background
Close
Another ferry heading to Macau with a view of Western Kowloon in the background24-Jul-2012 21:21, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 80
View at Picasa
 
Arriving at Macau with a view of the Sands hotel and casino
Close
Arriving at Macau with a view of the Sands hotel and casino24-Jul-2012 22:52, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 5.1, 10.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 160
View at Picasa
Taking the free shuttle bus from the Macau Terminal to the Venetian Hotel
Close
Taking the free shuttle bus from the Macau Terminal to the Venetian Hotel24-Jul-2012 23:30, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 4.6, 6.83mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 800
View at Picasa
Macau - through the rain
Close
Macau - through the rain24-Jul-2012 23:35, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200
View at Picasa
 
Macau
Close
Macau24-Jul-2012 23:36, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 320
View at Picasa
Macau (Wynn hotel and casino in the middle)
Close
Macau (Wynn hotel and casino in the middle)24-Jul-2012 23:38, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 500
View at Picasa
Macau
Close
Macau24-Jul-2012 23:40, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 400
View at Picasa
 
Macau - Galaxy hotel and casino (would be pretty in nicer weather...)
Close
Macau - Galaxy hotel and casino (would be pretty in nicer weather...)24-Jul-2012 23:47, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 5.4, 11.43mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 800
View at Picasa
Arriving at the Venetian
Close
Arriving at the Venetian24-Jul-2012 23:49, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 800
View at Picasa
Inside the Venetian on the 3rd floor where all the shops and such are located
Close
Inside the Venetian on the 3rd floor where all the shops and such are located25-Jul-2012 00:09, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 800
View at Picasa
 
Close
25-Jul-2012 00:09, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 800
View at Picasa
Close
25-Jul-2012 00:18, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 5.0, 9.39mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 1250
View at Picasa
Getting a little treat...
Close
Getting a little treat...25-Jul-2012 00:29, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 800
View at Picasa
 
The Venetian hotel lobby
Close
The Venetian hotel lobby25-Jul-2012 01:06, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 800
View at Picasa
Heading back to the ferry terminal
Close
Heading back to the ferry terminal25-Jul-2012 01:30, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 500
View at Picasa
Outside the Venetian
Close
Outside the Venetian25-Jul-2012 01:31, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 250
View at Picasa
 
Next »

Summer 2012: Hong Kong – Day 1 Night 2

 General, Meanderings Abroad  No Responses »
Jul 232012
 

Well… I’d like to post some pics, but I literally haven’t left the hotel room since we arrived – over 24 hours now, I think.

I’m beyond cabin fever stage and into the acceptance that I could probably survive in a jail cell if I had to and didn’t have to worry about surviving the craziness of other jailers. Happy thoughts, right? πŸ˜‰

Mostly, I’ve been convalescing my leg. It was pretty sore and swollen from our trip in and R thought it best to rest up. We had talked about going out to the Night Market, but by the time the hour came to go, he recommended just chilling in the room. So, he went out twice to get food for us and I stayed in doing some work and writing – not all bad.

My injuries are healing and the hospital bandages are off. I’m now doing my own treatments, which was a bit traumatic the first go, but was easier last night. The swelling has gone down since I haven’t been on it much and it seems to stem from the bruising around my ankle, which gets agitated when I walk. The good news is that it does feel better as I write and I was able to walk the four steps to the bathroom with very little pain, which is better than yesterday when I was hopping the four steps instead. πŸ˜€

Sadly, it is raining now as a typhoon passes through. We’re hoping it will pass by quickly so that we can get ourselves out of the room for a bit. We’ll keep our fingers crossed, but with our luck on this trip so far we’re more cynically optimistic than anything else.

Hope for more interesting posts!!!!

-T πŸ˜€

Summer 2012: Phuket, Thailand – one more day to Hong Kong!

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Jul 202012
 

Seriously, cabin fever is setting in. I’m sick of the hotel bed. I want to jump in the swimming pool, go for a walk without pain or limping…. It has only been five days since the accident, but I would like for the healing process to be a little faster, please!

Here’s the story of the accident, by the way.

Each morning I wake up thinking I will be able to walk normally and there had been some miraculous healing overnight. Yeah, so I’m a wishful (wistful) thinker. πŸ˜‰

<sigh> Anyway…I do need to rest up as we are heading to Hong Kong tomorrow for five days and I really need to be able to walk better there since we won’t want to be just hanging out in the hotel room all the time. So, I just need to hang on another couple of days, then I can take off the bandages myself and see how things look. Mostly, it’s just pain in the ankle that makes walking difficult and still a little sore in the knee area. Basically, I should just marvel at the healing powers of the body and accept that it takes time.

Even though I spend most of the day indoors, I did manage to get out to the pool one afternoon, which was a huge relief! We do also go out in the evenings for dinner, so it’s not as if I don’t get out at all.

Plus, the real truth is that I should be working on my Methods chapter anyway…this is the perfect time considering I can’t do much else…but the procrastinator in me denies this truth…. πŸ˜›

Guess I should get to work!

-T πŸ˜€

Sometimes…

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Mar 202012
 

I just want to scream. Or I imagine telling the world what I think of it, which is generally not very positive.

I’m tired of where I work and what I do. It’s a thankless job. It’s an unprofessional and disrespected position. Of course, I know some jobs could be worse, some places of work could be worse, etc. etc. It isn’t the worst that it could be. However, the reality is that I’m not content. It’s a hard balance to figure out what is best as there are a lot of positives to where I’m at, but maybe some separation and time away from everything will give me better perspective. So, we shall see.

In the meantime, I’ll just have to accept the sometimes…

πŸ˜€ -T

 Posted by at 08:15

Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2011 Part 1

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Oct 142011
 

This week was the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) and to ensure that I would actually make it to some films this year, I decided to make my choices based on location rather than on films. The ADFF had a new venue – the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr – with an outdoor screen, which is only about 15 minutes from my place.

Rather than drive through traffic for a half-hour to get to the Marina Mall or Abu Dhabi Theatre venues, it was an easy choice for location. Based on that, the number of films available to attend were limited, which was great for decision-making. πŸ˜€

So, last Friday, R and I headed out to see Stockholm East – a Swedish love story.

It was quite good, though a little too ‘happy-ending’ for my cynical taste. πŸ˜› I really love moments in the film where there could have been drama, like when the heroine goes to the ex-partner’s home to find the hero and though she could have been nasty or rude, she was civil and cooperative. We could still sense her dislike and annoyance with the heroine and the situation, but unlike a Hollywood film, the subtleties of her demeanor and tone said all that needed to be said to express how she felt.

Will write about the other films in coming posts… πŸ™‚

Dubai Day 18

 General, Meanderings Abroad  No Responses »
Sep 012008
 

Ah, the time is flying.

Yesterday was my Ski Dubai day. It is an amazing experience to ski/snowboard in the middle of the desert. I almost forgot that it was actually hot outside. The Ski Dubai slope is located in the Mall of the Emirates, which is a 40 dirham taxi ride from Allan’s apartment. (Can we say incentive to rent/buy a car??).

To ensure that I had the freedom to ski as long as I want, I bought a day pass and then signed up for Discovery snowboarding lessons (pre-beginner). With the day pass I was able to switch to snowboarding after a few hours of skiing. Now, the two-hour pass is 180AED. If you are a pretty good skiier, this is more than enough time. I skied for about 2.5 hours and made close to 30 – 40 runs. They claim to have 5 runs, but from what I could tell there were about three and short still, though challenging and long enough to work on form or race down the slope. Since I haven’t skied in a year or so, it was really nice to be back on the snow again and I like just practicing form and style more than racing down, so it was worth it to pay for the day pass at 300AED (or $30US more).

After about 90 minutes, I took a 45-minute lunch break at the Avanlanche Cafe where they serve a mean hot chocolate, though I skipped the whip cream, M&Ms and marshmallow topping.

It was time to switch to the snowboard after that. So, I did a couple of runs on the shorter slope, but got tired since my last ski run had me biting it hard and my leg got sore…. Once I finished the second run on the board, I took a wee break and then went to meet up for the lesson. The lesson was 160AED for an hour. There were 4 others in my group and we did basic moves to get down the training slope. It wasn’t so hard for me since I had boarded before, but it was good to remind myself of the basic skills required. If I were here a bit longer, I would go regularly and take the different lessons and I think I could actually board down the main slope after a couple more lessons. Still, it is hard, but I didn’t fall hard on the board, which is amazing!

I could have gone again to keep boarding, but by then I had been on the slope for 4 hours and my ankles were sore from the boots, so I called it a day. Financially, it probably would have been cheaper to just have done the 2-hour pass and lesson, but hey now I know and I did have the freedom to go back if I had been up for it. I am getting old as I felt very sore and unable to move much once I got home. Then, I was out for the count before 10pm!

If I were to live here, I would be a regular on the slopes, though. For a couple of hours a day, I’d pay it! Rumor is that they are making an outside slope for the winter months. Should be interesting to see the ocean and desert while skiing!

Until next time,

-T

 Newer Entries
error

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)