Finished, Done, Over, Complete, Final!

You get the idea, right?  I am DONE!  Finished!  It’s over.  Six years of uni; undergrad, honours and masters.  OVER(!!!)  I have no words!

Mr. J took me out to celebrate, dinner at La Scala, followed by The Inbetweeners movie.  J had steak, surprise surprise!  Which he said was awesome.  And I had spaghetti with tiger prawns.  We finished with a shared dessert – Chocogasm.  Indulgent.  Great food, great company   I was a slacker, and totally forgot to get my photo skills going 

Totally ready to get my relax on now   But today I have to do some major packing!  Driving to Sydney tomorrow, spending some quality time with my family, then NZ on Saturday!  Perfect timing and totally ready for it!

Also planning to smash out a job application today.  Although ideally I would like a couple of months off, there haven’t been many jobs out there recently, so gotta give it a go.  And then, I will forget all responsibility and bring on holiday mode!

Exciting!

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It’s time

So many things to say!

I finished and submitted my masters thesis!!!!!!!!!!!!  I had a month extension, but I pushed really hard over the last couple of weeks and only used one(!) day of my extension.  So stoked.  One BIG step towards completion.  Now I only have a presentation, panel interviews x 2, and paperwork!  It is definitely starting to feel more real now.

After six years, I am ready!

So what now?

I think that it is time to start looking after myself.  I am back to exercising 5+ times per week.  I am week 2 into p90x (after accidentally starting p90x+).  And while focussing on getting back on track health-wise, it is time to get started on the job hunt!

Look out for my November goals very soon!  And maybe even an October review

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Getting there

It is Mr. Js birthday today(!)  We are heading out tonight for Steak, but only the best steak in Canberra – Kingsley’s Steakhouse.  I will try my very best to take pictures, even though I am iphoneless at the moment (10 more days max!!!!).  Expect to see a birthday/Kingsleys/night off post with pictures for once!

It will be nice to take the night off to just relax, well as much as I can relax right now 

About today, I hit a little bump, or a setback… thesis is still coming along, just a bit slower than I would like.  Just small edits that take way too long(!)  Anyway, because of editing/writing, and my mid-placement review this morning (another stressor ha!), and Mr. J’s birthday, I wasn’t sure if I would have to re-schedule p90x day two (yup p90x day one done yesterday!).

I probably could have done more work today if I hadn’t worked out, but hey, I want to make it a priority again.

>> So day one, Core Synergistics, it was okay.  And today, day TWO, done!  Cardio X, also ok.  I would have liked more cardio, for longer (only 14mins vigorous), but I am still sweaty!

I am still not monitoring my intake, but I have decided that beginning November, it will be official – I am gonna bring it(!)  [p90x style]

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Another Update

Still pushing through with my thesis… ugh(!)  Intro, method & results drafted and now done, so on to … (cue scary music) … the discussion.  I’ve started doing all the major formatting, so I am hoping to knock the whole thing over in the next couple of days.  Totally over it.  I was excited to have some of it done, but then it hit home that I am up to the worst bit!!  Anyway, enough whining, I am almost there 

On to more exciting things.  Over the last couple of days I decided to give p90x a go.

In my excitement, and confusion, I actually started doing p90x+  Which unbeknownst to me is for graduates of p90x.  Yep – oops!!  Three days, three workouts – Total Body, Interval and Kenpo.  I was pretty sore yesterday, but it is easing now.  I thought it was pretty good, Interval was hardcore, crazy-crazy hardcore, but in a good way   Kenpo I wasn’t so keen on…

Anyway, after my confusion     I have decided to start again (bummer!) and go with p90x straight, the lean version.  The only thing that is holding me back, is not having a chin up bar… but I have decided to manage without it for now.   So tomorrow, I start with Core Synergistics – Day one of 90!

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The Final Stretch

I am really under the pump. With course work done, placement stuff is well on its way, but the thesis haunts me(!)

I am in the final stretch, but even that fact is not pushing me as much as I need it to.  I need my draft to be ready next week.  So, it is going to be a long week, and even longer weekend.  But hopefully, once the draft is done, I will have more time for other things …

I cannot wait to write my very last post about the depressing, boring drudgery of University.  Soon, soon, my friends   

I am starting to get excited about November.  With the bulk of the work out of the way, I will have more time to dedicate to getting fit and losing those last few kilos.  Even though it will be hard for me, I am going to take new measurements, weigh in, and body fat % – and have a month of daily exercise, and daily clean eating.

Ok, time to get writing…!

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Motivate Me

So, after a week off exercise, well actually 2 weeks at reduced exercise…     I got the bug again today.

I don’t know if it was the 9hrs of sleep last night;  The extension I was granted for my thesis;  The realisation that my cruise holiday is only 2 months away;  Or perhaps that my body knows that enough is enough (overeating much?).

I want to complete, as soon as possible, but not at the detriment of my body.  Plus pass/fail generally means = chill the f*** out.  Not that telling myself that has really changed anything(!) 

So, despite the stress, I gave week 1 of Jillian Michael’s Ripped in 30 DVD.  I was pretty surprised, the cardio was intense.  Amazing how quickly you adjust to routine, I am quite happy doing 30 Day Shred Level 3 now, but level 1 for Ripped?  It was tough.

Anyway, back to the point of this post – motivation.  Today, I had a heap of it.  Editing my goals, changing up my calendar.  Yep, I can totally exercise every day.  Why not see what I can achieve – really commit to Ripped in 30.  30 days straight, totally doable!  Ha!

Doesn’t take much for my what I ‘want’ to do, to overwhelm what I will realistically “do”.  Still, I don’t like to throw it away… you never know, right.  I could shock myself and actually get to where I want to be(!)  Not all that realistic with 6 years of study coming to an end over the next month.  Maybe next month…

But still, I hope.  I am going to take it one day at a time.  And hopefully find some motivation for my thesis, — the quicker it’s done the sooner I can work toward the goals that I am actually interested in(!)

 

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The Weekender

It was a long weekend… and not in a good way.  Well it really is a long weekend, but I had lots of work to do, so it was extra long(!)

Saturday began with a run/walk – c25k week 1, run 2.  Yep, I haven’t been keeping up with it according to the program schedule.  But I did the same routine as Tuesday last week – 5 minute warm up, 1 minute run, 1.5 minute walk (x8) and 5 minute cool down.  I think it might have been a tiny bit easier than Tuesday, and it was raining and miserable.  So I was pretty pleased I knocked it over.

Then came the dramas.  We haven’t had internet for a week or so, which is frustrating, but not manageable as I have internet on my phone.  But, Saturday, my laptop decided to stop charging – it had been playing up for a couple of weeks, but if the cord was positioned just right, it was okay.  But, this was the case no longer – and I was freaking out.  With the last of the battery, I tried to back up my laptop, but it cut out before it finished.  I was pretty sure it was a laptop issue, not a cord issue (making things pretty complicated).  And on top of that, my laptop has a statistical program on it that I need for my thesis, which costs $$$ and I didn’t have another copy.  The laptop is rented so could easily get a loaner,  but doesn’t solve the program problem.

Anyway, you get the point – I was freaking out.  3 weeks till deadline, I did not need it.

So hoping for the best, Mr. J took a distressed me holding on to my laptop as if it were life or death, to Harvey Norman.  The computer guy tried an adaptor thingy, and success, it still charged – so it is just a cord issue.  After a few attempts he found one in stock that matched mine, and … disaster averted.

He asks, are your assignments due – and I was like errr… “THESIS” … the relief was pretty crazy.

So a long story short -  no excuses now, back to work I go 

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Celebrate

Step on Wednesday night, I was feeling pretty average, but I still made it.

Thursday was a full day of classes – my last ever(!)  So Mr. J took me out for dinner at Banana Leaf (best curry) and dessert at Koko Black, icecream plate.  It was an indulgent evening, but well worth it    Last class ever – EVER!!

Friday I had supervision in the morning, then … it was time for some relaxation.  Hello, facial.  Plus I spent a bit too much money at L’Occitane and HairWarehouse on myself – new shampoo/conditioner, moisturiser, cleanser, etc etc   

I wish the celebrating could continue, but I have a hard few weeks ahead of me… I am seriously counting it down.

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Off the Wagon?

Back on the cold & flu tabs…

Feel like I’ve really fallen off the fitness wagon.  Just feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the academic related work I have going on at the moment.  I suppose that three days off doesn’t really constitute falling off the wagon – but my nutrition related goals have certainly taken a massive hit.  My goals for September were largely focused on getting my nutrition in check, and so far, my focus on it has been pretty non-existent.  Plus, I haven’t weighed in for three weeks.

So not really liking where I am at, at the moment.

In other news, the good news is    that I made it to the gym yesterday, in an attempt to break out of this slump.  My usual Wednesday = Step.  Still feeling the slump this morning though.

Does anyone use Fitocracy?  I like the concept, the competitiveness   I am giving it a go, but so far it is just another place to have to log activity(!)

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Another Day Off

Totally feeling less than awesome today.  I left work early, I think the ear infection/congestion/whatever it is, that was trying to get me last week is back with a vengeance.

I bit the bullet and got some cold & flu tabs, not that I feel like I have a cold, but apparently it will ease the tension in my head/face(!)  Um yeah, I think that is called congestion 

I had planned to still get some exercise/activity in, but my head got progressively worse as time went on.  Perhaps a sign to rest, but I don’t wanna(!)  Need to get my exercise in, I don’t like taking two days off in a row.  Now for the rest of the week I can’t skip a day -  I hate going backwards.

Had a pretty lazy afternoon, did a bit of work, got some groceries and made a yummy dinner… pineapple thai rice curry thing. YUM.  Eaten while watching Breaking Bad.  Love it(!)

But after dinner, I got an email from my research supervisor – so that meant some hardcore work.  I have officially decided that statistics is just not my thing 

Dessert – hazelnut and milk Lindt balls

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