Hello readers!
I've received news that my little blog is now shared with a lot more people thanks to Expats Blog. Cool! They are looking for YOUR review of THIS blog, so please click that Expats Blog link and tell them what you think. Interestingly, Expats Blog was listed as one of 10 Travel Web Sites Worth Bookmarking according to The New York Times' travel page. So, I guess this means I'll have a little more traffic heading my way. Yay!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Mt. Saint Bathans
This past weekend, I joined up with four members of the University of Otago Tramping Club for a getaway. Where did we head this time? Why, Mt. Saint Bathans in Central Otago via Oteake Conservation Park, of course!
It's lambing season in New Zealand and so the countryside is filled with white fluff on four legs scampering about other sheep. They are so cute! I'd much rather watch baby sheep frolicking in pastures to pass the time in the car then the typical car ride games (I believe "20 Questions" was a popular choice on the trip to Curio Bay). Much to my delight, we also passed by these "Oreo" cows, too!
Saturday was an easy day. We left Dunedin at 10am, drove a little while, then took a right turn onto a dirt road. Penzy's car, "Scoobie," navigated through six fords before we reached one that just couldn't be conquered.
There wasn't enough time to make it to the summit, return to the hut to pick up the rest of our gear, cross 13 rivers and finally reach the car before the sun went down. Instead, we had a leisurely lunch and snapped a few photos before turning back.
Once we were out of the snow, we caught a glimpse of a few geckos - the first time I've seen them in New Zealand!
All in all, it was a really fun weekend. Penzy, Cleo, Asbjorn, Ryan and myself had some good laughs - mainly because Asbjorn had a thing for randomly blurting out lyrics to 80s/90s tunes. When I think about the best way to spend $35, this is hands down a better option than staying in Dunedin and going drinking/dancing in the Octagon on a Saturday night. $35 would get me three or four drinks and what would I have to show for that? I strongly encourage University of Otago students to join the Tramping Club so that they can see New Zealand on a tight budget. I can't always guarantee you'll be tramping with a Norwegian who sings Michael Jackson songs on the top of a mountain, but I can say for certain the views are top notch and conquering those climbs is such a rush!
It's lambing season in New Zealand and so the countryside is filled with white fluff on four legs scampering about other sheep. They are so cute! I'd much rather watch baby sheep frolicking in pastures to pass the time in the car then the typical car ride games (I believe "20 Questions" was a popular choice on the trip to Curio Bay). Much to my delight, we also passed by these "Oreo" cows, too!
Saturday was an easy day. We left Dunedin at 10am, drove a little while, then took a right turn onto a dirt road. Penzy's car, "Scoobie," navigated through six fords before we reached one that just couldn't be conquered.
An unanimous decision was made to park the car, have some lunch, and head to the hut. Luckily, we had these road signs to help us remember where we left the car:
One thing I love about tramping is everyone's ability to shrug off the little things, like using a Croc as a cheese platter:
Like I said, it was an easy day - we didn't have to leave early and the 8k track (just shy of 6 miles) was flat.
But, we had a few obstacles between us and the hut. Thirteen obstacles to be exact.
It seemed as soon as our feet dried off...
...it was time to cross another river.
And, another river...
The weather was quite interesting - it was windy and it hailed on and off. It made for an interesting sky!
We reached Boundary Creek Hut with plenty of daylight to burn. We used this as an opportunity to get the wood burner nice and hot so that our tramping boots would dry out and spent the rest of the time chillaxing. I read a paper on an ACT-based weight loss program, as only a good postgrad would do!
Photo credit: Asbjørn Knutsen Romstøl
Sunday morning began with a 6:30am wake up groan and some muesli. Then we were off to the Mt. St. Bathans summit.
We walked roughly 18 miles on Sunday, but didn't make it to the summit. Regardless, it was still a pleasant hike!
We brought snowshoes and used them through a few dodgy sections. I was happy to put the skills I learned a little while back to some use! For the most part, though, we walked through the snow with no issues.
Photo credit: Cleo Davie-Martin
Photo credit: Cleo Davie-Martin
There wasn't enough time to make it to the summit, return to the hut to pick up the rest of our gear, cross 13 rivers and finally reach the car before the sun went down. Instead, we had a leisurely lunch and snapped a few photos before turning back.
Best photo that I've ever taken!
Photo credit: Ryan Newell
The trip back to the hut was pretty fun because the ice and snow were a little melted. We were able to slide on our heels down some of the steep sections.
All in all, it was a really fun weekend. Penzy, Cleo, Asbjorn, Ryan and myself had some good laughs - mainly because Asbjorn had a thing for randomly blurting out lyrics to 80s/90s tunes. When I think about the best way to spend $35, this is hands down a better option than staying in Dunedin and going drinking/dancing in the Octagon on a Saturday night. $35 would get me three or four drinks and what would I have to show for that? I strongly encourage University of Otago students to join the Tramping Club so that they can see New Zealand on a tight budget. I can't always guarantee you'll be tramping with a Norwegian who sings Michael Jackson songs on the top of a mountain, but I can say for certain the views are top notch and conquering those climbs is such a rush!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
6-Month PhD Progress Report
Today, I met with both supervisors and a convener to discuss my progress. The meeting didn't start so well because my computer wasn't connecting to our network printer, which meant I didn't have copies of my self-report and I forgot the document that we were supposed to sit down and fill in together. Oops!
My supervisors said that my progress so far is "fair" - just above "unsatisfactory" and just below "good". I'm definitely disappointed in myself. I've borrowed $25,000 to fund this year's tuition and living expenses, moved away from family and friends to live on the other side of the world, and allowed relationships to fall apart to pursue this PhD. No one wants to be told her progress is only "fair" after all that! But, the bright side is that I still have 2.5 years to get my act together and get some awesome stuff done.
To date, I've survived my first nationwide mailed survey of mid-age New Zealand women: the 3-year survey is complete. We had just over 1,000 respondents and our response rate was just shy of 80%. Also, the intervention development is in its infancy. We've begun analyzing the predictors of weight gain to target in the intervention; I began looking into the pros and cons of using a free program where I'm in charge of content and design versus using a web developer for creating the intervention website; and, I've contacted researchers who've shared materials from their interventions with me so that I can possibly adapt their content for my intervention. So, I'm happy with what I've done so far.
Aside from the research, a noticeable theme to my blog topics has been tramping. I think this is where people get the impression that I'm having too much fun and, hence, why my progress is only fair. But, if that is the case, so be it! New Zealand is too beautiful to leave unexplored. If my progress has been hindered by hiking majestic mountains then I will happily accept ho-hum reviews! I still can't get over the breathtaking landscapes here. Even on a clear night, I've found myself looking up and thinking Wow, this is amazing! How'd I get so lucky to be here?! I'd be a fool if I allowed myself to be chained to my desk 24/7 when I can be doing this:
What are my plans for the future? Well, for starters, I better get plugging away on that intervention! I will also finish a manuscript that I started back in...March. Then, maybe writing up a thesis chapter or two should go on my "to do" list, and, heck, sitting down to analyze our 3-year data some more wouldn't be so bad, right? So, it's been a combination of needing to get all this work done plus simply not being ready to go back to New York, for a variety of reasons, that I've decided to put off a trip home. I think I'll be in a better position to try for a visit some time in July.
Many thanks to everyone who helped me get this far into my PhD journey - my supervisors who have reassured me that my quantity and quality of work will keep on improving, my friends who have reminded me that I'm missed (particularly the ones who've taken time out of their busy lives to send me warm loving from home - a.k.a. cards and care packages), and my family who have reminded me that I'm not only missed, but loved a whole bunch. My mom, in particular, has been a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope.
Now that I'm fired up, I better redirect my energy into thesis-related business rather than venting. ☺
My supervisors said that my progress so far is "fair" - just above "unsatisfactory" and just below "good". I'm definitely disappointed in myself. I've borrowed $25,000 to fund this year's tuition and living expenses, moved away from family and friends to live on the other side of the world, and allowed relationships to fall apart to pursue this PhD. No one wants to be told her progress is only "fair" after all that! But, the bright side is that I still have 2.5 years to get my act together and get some awesome stuff done.
To date, I've survived my first nationwide mailed survey of mid-age New Zealand women: the 3-year survey is complete. We had just over 1,000 respondents and our response rate was just shy of 80%. Also, the intervention development is in its infancy. We've begun analyzing the predictors of weight gain to target in the intervention; I began looking into the pros and cons of using a free program where I'm in charge of content and design versus using a web developer for creating the intervention website; and, I've contacted researchers who've shared materials from their interventions with me so that I can possibly adapt their content for my intervention. So, I'm happy with what I've done so far.
Aside from the research, a noticeable theme to my blog topics has been tramping. I think this is where people get the impression that I'm having too much fun and, hence, why my progress is only fair. But, if that is the case, so be it! New Zealand is too beautiful to leave unexplored. If my progress has been hindered by hiking majestic mountains then I will happily accept ho-hum reviews! I still can't get over the breathtaking landscapes here. Even on a clear night, I've found myself looking up and thinking Wow, this is amazing! How'd I get so lucky to be here?! I'd be a fool if I allowed myself to be chained to my desk 24/7 when I can be doing this:
Yes, that's a photo of me from this past weekend's tramping expedition to Mt. Saint Bathans.
Photo credit: Asbjørn Knutsen Romstøl
What are my plans for the future? Well, for starters, I better get plugging away on that intervention! I will also finish a manuscript that I started back in...March. Then, maybe writing up a thesis chapter or two should go on my "to do" list, and, heck, sitting down to analyze our 3-year data some more wouldn't be so bad, right? So, it's been a combination of needing to get all this work done plus simply not being ready to go back to New York, for a variety of reasons, that I've decided to put off a trip home. I think I'll be in a better position to try for a visit some time in July.
Many thanks to everyone who helped me get this far into my PhD journey - my supervisors who have reassured me that my quantity and quality of work will keep on improving, my friends who have reminded me that I'm missed (particularly the ones who've taken time out of their busy lives to send me warm loving from home - a.k.a. cards and care packages), and my family who have reminded me that I'm not only missed, but loved a whole bunch. My mom, in particular, has been a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope.
Now that I'm fired up, I better redirect my energy into thesis-related business rather than venting. ☺
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