Run Forrest, Run!

Today was a pretty slow day. We had a major pub crawl last night (in the process of getting a video and pics done for the blog) and just wanted time today to relax and enjoy life in the slow lane before it picks back up Monday. While it was mainly library time on campus and quick stop at the IGA to pick up some milk and bread, I decided to go for a run.

Now it had been about 2 weeks since my last run (4km) and about a week since my last workout. I've been somewhat slack these last few weeks as student association, post grad association and classes have taken over my life. Luckily the hectic first week of classes are over and I can get back on track with the working out. Speaking of, look out for a blog in the the next day or two about my impression on classes and the education system in Australia.

When I arrived in Australia I had weighed in at 260lbs. At 5'11 I am classified by the BMI chart index as OBESE. However, I could come off as stocky, perhaps big boned? Oh, who am I kidding, I'm fat. Working 50-60 hours a week in the US did not help my health ethic, so I made it a priority to get back on track while down here Australia. Fortunately so far I have dropped close to 20lbs and since my last weigh in (3 weeks ago) stood at 242lbs. This is a huge achievement for myself as I weighed 225 going into WSU in 2004 and would like to get back to that weight and lower.

Tonight I put on my running shoes and decided to just go run. I signed up for a new program called Map My Run as well as downloaded the app for iPhone, as it seemed like the program with the most positive reviews. Needless to say, I ran a 7.10km (4.41mi) in 48:40. Roughly 11 mins a mile and while that's absolutely horrible to a healthy person's standards, that's amazing for me. In the US, I wouldn't dream of even running a block and constantly drove to campus that was merely 10 mins away.

So with that, I hope to be at 230lbs by the time winter rolls around (April-May) and to possibly 210lbs or so by the time August comes through. My ultimate goal is to go sky diving, and at my current weight I would either be paying overweight fees or just denied the option to fly with some companies. I need a catchy motto for this... Something like "Drop the weight and drop out of a plane" or "Double digit goal" (100kg is 220lbs, so 99kg, you get it...). There we go. Stay tuned!

Cheers and 再见！

-H

Varsity Shores

G'day mates!

All moved in to my new place at Varsity Shores and I can say it's far better than Varsity Towers.

To think I was paying MORE to live in a studio apartment and was charged an insane amount for internet and laundry. About the same distance to the university as well.

Varsity Shores is located on the other side of Lake Orr and about a 10 minute walk from Bond Uni. From the street, you can actually see the university. The site consists of about 100 or so units that range from 2 story units to 3 story waterfront properties. There is a pool and rec room but will probably never use it since I work out at Fitness First. I've also noticed there are actual families that live here. While it is definitely suitable for families and kids, I feel bad for them come midnight when the drunks come out (haha). I will probably be spending the rest of my time here at Varsity Shores while in Australia as I don't like moving (even though it's easy when you just have a suitcase).

For Semester 111, I'm living with Thomas (German), Nick (S. Korean) and Chad (Canadian). So quite the diversity of nations that we have. Living with Thomas will be great as I can begin to re-learn and re-use my German as much as possible while at the same time learning Chinese. We'll see how that turns out... Nick just arrived today from Jakarta (visiting family) while the rest of us have been living there for about a week now.

The house (or would it be a duplex?) is two stories with the 1st floor being the entrance and garage with laundry room and Chad's room. The 2nd store leads upstairs to the kitchen and living room as well as Thomas' room, Nick's room and my room. I currently have the master bedroom with own bathroom and share the balcony with Nick who resides next door. Nick and Thomas share the public bathroom. I'll be sure to post a video blog soon of the place so be on the look out!



Cheers and 再见！

-H