Thursday comp: 2-4-2
On Thursday I drove to work, because I had planned to stay around that area until basketball, and maybe even catch a movie within that time. There was no court, and so no one was around, but it was pretty busy for me.
At close to 1pm I left to meet DC at the jails. They now have a ticketing system for lawyers, which is ridiculous. You might see another lawyer there half the time, and even then it's only one or two others, so why the hell would you need a ticketing system to keep track of the queue???
Nothing really eventuated in the conference, but I just really don't like it when DC says something to the client in order to advance his own self interest, like playing a bigger role in the case. The advice I gave was also inconsistent with DC's. The client said he really wanted a family member to be called as a witness, and DC basically said if he wanted to then he should. I said that he shouldn't, because it really didn't add anything and also I didn't want to see a family member being exposed to xx by RM.
After the conference we parted ways, and I drove to a nearby shopping centre to get something to eat. I ended up choosing a kebab from a kebab store. As I sat outside eating and watching the nice fountains flowing with water, I thought about how location was everything, no matter how good or bad you were. I mean, this shop had friendly service, price was average, taste was pretty good, and they even put extra meat in it (which was too much for me as I didn't finish it), yet they were located at this remote shooping centre which no one really goes to because it's in the middle of a highway.
After my kebab I went back to my car and used my laptop for a bit. The cinema close by had Year One at 6:30pm, so I decided to wait for that. I must admit the devil did talk to me a bit.
You can go to the casino and back. You know, win $25 and come back, you got plenty of time.
Fuck that, I ain't driving all the way out there and back, you think petrol's cheap? And besides, at the service my car did 5,000 less kilometres than expected, so I'm gonna try to keep that up.
I ended up taking a nap in the back of my car. I woke up with about 20 minutes to go before the movie started, but then didn't feel like it anymore. Instead, I went for a walk to check out the Nike and Addidas factory outlets nearby. As I was looking through some of the stuff, a thought occurred to me.
Man what the fuck, all this has no use to you anymore - you can't play ball.
It was a little sad, but true. Why buy more basketball jerseys, shorts and shoes if you can't play the sport anymore? It had become such a habit to just check these things out.
After checking out both stores I still had plenty of time left.
Hey let's go around driving on dodgy roads!!!
And with that, I went for a drive. Decided to try and find that brothel I went to once, with no intent of going inside. Just wanted to see it for the thrill of it. I drove around and around trying to find it and then gave up. Once I was back on the main road I decided to give the next turn a try and found it on that street. It was really, really discreet. You really couldn't tell what it was, and it really didn't stand out yet it managed to say it was open for those who knew.
I then went to that really cheap computer factory outlet place, hoping that cheap LCD monitor would still be there but nup. They had signs everywhere saying a spindle of DVDs were only $15 which was pretty good. I was tempted to buy it and then thought "wait a minute, what do I need that many blank DVDs for?"
I did end up buying some speakers for $9, because the ones I have at home are kinda wonky and you have to adjust the volume button to make sure sound comes out of both speakers.
It was finally time for the game so I drove there. I got there first and watched the games a bit, then Roger and Carter and his friends arrived and I spoke with Roger a bit. Mike didn't come because he was sick and Geoff wouldn't give him a lift fearing that Mike would pass on whatever he had to him, and Abi was in another state.
I told Fat Pat about my knee. He didn't seem to show much concern but I know that's just the way he is. He's quiet like me and keeps everything inside.
We played the Random team, and I didn't think we'd win because they're pretty good. But turns out they were missing some players and one of them was coaching. Guess he was injured too.
I drew up an offensive play which I saw a team execute beforehand, which had Carter posting up down low, point guard would give it to Fat Pat in the corner who kicks it in to Carter and then cuts towards him along the base. It worked once or twice, but we can't do that everytime.
I was really proud of Dunnycan at one stage when he took his time and directed everyone where to go.
To my surprise we managed to stay in the game. Geoff shared the ball a bit more but he still had lapses where he'd try to go one on one and then lose the ball.
With about four minutes to go and down by three, I took Geoff off, presumably for good. What I didn't like was him having a mini-hissy fit and changing into his street clothes. Even though he might be off for good, you never know what could happen - someone can get fouled out and he might have to go back in. It's that type of inexperience that annoys me.
Unfortunately from that point on we went downhill as the other team ran away with the lead and the game. I really couldn't explain it. Maybe it was me taking Geoff off. He is just too much of a double edged sword. He can score, but he can also lose the ball. I don't know what to do with him.
After the game I really wanted to talk to Fat Pat about the game, because I didn't want him to get into another one of those "oh we're gonna lose anyway so what's the point" state of mind. But Fab was talking to me about work, and once I turned to Fat Pat to talk about the game and I think Fab got the point. A little rude I know, but at that moment the game was more important that work gossip.
When I got home I couldn't wait so I tried the new speakers. They look pretty slick, but sound isn't as good as I thought. Guess you get what you pay for.
Knee Day
Able to wake up late on Friday because I had the appointment with the knee surgeon. It was lucky I left about 45 minutes beforehand, because I had a bit of trouble navigating through the hospital. I eventually found it and walked into a small suite with other people waiting, just like my regular doctor. And also just like my regular doctor, this dude was behind schedule. I got there on time and there were about four people who went before me. I had to wait 45 minutes.
I watched as one after another were called in. This dude must be raking it in. I mean, I'm gonna pay him $190 for him to see me for about 10-20 minutes. That's more expensive than a hooker.
I sat there with a sniffling nose. There was an old couple to my left. The wife found something interesting in a magazine and told her husband to read it. He read it and then handed it back. She said there was more and tried to give it to him, but he chucked it back. She laughed it off. Is marriage really like that? I'm sure I'd be annoyed too at that age and after that amount of time being married, but I couldn't help but think that I'd secretly appreciate someone wanting to do good for me.
To my right was a father and daughter pair. I wonder which one of them were injured.
Some guy came in who seemed like a bit of a funny idiot. He came without his referral letter, and straight away went to the toilet.
I was pretty nervous and excited when I was called. No shaking hands or anything, the doctor just led me to his consultation room. He asked how long ago the injury happened, and then asked me to lie down on the bench. He bent my right leg to see how the knee reacted, and then did the same to my left. He said it was a complete tear.
He took a look at the MRI scans and showed me the tear. I couldn't make much of what I saw.
He had all these knee joint models on his desk and showed me one of them, and pointed to a flabby rubber stub which was the ligament I had torn. He asked about the stability of it and I said at first there were times when it was unstable, but now it was pretty stable although sometimes there were aches and awkwardness when I turned corners.
He said it was still early days and said I should give it a month to see if I can strengthen it by doing knee exercises (like cycling and rowing). If I can, then I won't need surgery and I can play basketball, but the question was always going to be how stable it was. If I can't, then I'd have to have a knee reconstruction (which sounds pretty bad) and if I did that then I won't be able to play basketball for six months after that, and he said that was why they called it a season ending injury. I was glad he didn't say "career ending injury".
He gave me some information booklet on the knee joint and surgery and with that he walked me out and I went to the reception to pay my $190 and made an appointment to see him in four weeks.
I was glad I was outta there but at the same time I felt like I didn't get as much value as I should've.
I called GS and went back to work. When I got there, only Rom Rom and her team were there. They asked me out to lunch which I thought was a bit weird, but I declined because I had so much stuff to do for the rest of the afternoon. I had to amend the audio and transcripts of calls, and then at about 4pm I crossed the road to give the other side the CD.
I kept looking at the court building in fear of them closing, and then I did see the revolving doors stop.
Uh oh.
I went back to the building and knocked on the door. Not surprisingly, the guy didn't want to let me back in, and I kept saying I still had all my stuff upstairs, and he rudely said to me "alright I'll give you two minutes". It really didn't make much sense to me - I'm allowed to stay there till 5pm, but I can't go in if they close before that.
I couldn't help but feel a bit shitty with that guy. I see him a lot and we're always polite and say hi to eachother. It was just another reminder that the world can turn into an ugly place rather quickly.
I quickly packed up all my stuff and then went back out to give the CD to the other side. After that I caught the train back to the city. I went to GS' office to drop off something, had a quick chat, then organised to meet Twish for coffee.
I knew I shouldn't because it might give her false hope, but I hadn't seen her all week and I felt like talking to someone. I felt like talking to someone about my knee.
We ended up going to a cafe where we had pizza, even though I knew I was gonna meet Malay and Trevor later for dinner. As we walked thee she asked me why I wasn't there in the morning and I told her I was at the doctor's. She said "oh is this for your basketball?" in what I deemed to be a patronising tone. I guess that'll be another reason why I can never choose her because she doesn't seem to understand how important basketball is to me. Even though I feel a bit distanced from it now, it still remains to be the greatest part of my life.
We talked about work mostly. She asked me what I was doing on the weekend and I didn't give much out, and she said she had to go to this stupid birthday party where people were required to go as cartoon characters. Maybe it's just me, but I keep getting the feeling she wants to meet up on the weekend.
I found conversation to be dying and then she suggested we leave, and we crossed the road and parted. I caught the bus home, replaced my suit with a jumper and left to meet Malay and Trevor.
I was a bit excited at seeing Trevor after all these years. I saw him standing at the bus stop. Immediately, I realised he hadn't changed much. He came over to me and shook my hand.
"Hi, I heard you're a lawyer now, I'm still unemployed."
Ummm...ok.
We did a bit of catching up while waiting for Malay. I noticed he had aged considerably. I wouldn't say he lacked social skills, but he'd say things that you wouldn't expect. I suppose if I had to compare him with anyone it would be Spawn.
Malay finally arrived and I ended up choosing a Malaysian restaurant nearby. Maybe it was a bad choice because the service wasn't really that great. They seemed reluctant to show us our table, and moments after we sat down, they came to us three times asking if we were ready to order.
Ummm...maybe we would be if you left us the fuck alone to read the menu?
Even though I had already eaten, I wasn't discouraged from eating and even finished my meal. Over dinner we mainly talked about primary school. Trevor has a really good memory of it. I can barely remember anything, and same with Malay.
We talked about work. I suppose like anyone who hasn't had much experience in the workforce, he sorta looked up to me, but I tried to show him the reality of it and tell him to do whatever it was that made him happy, almost close to saying that he shouldn't do everything just because his parents tell him to.
I think that apart from his genetically based 'problems', a lot of how he is today has to do with how his mother treated him. I remember that they were really strict with him. What is the point of (s)mothering your child and not letting him experience life on his own? Sure, you can stop him saying the F word at home, but he's gonna hear it outside, and it's just a part of life. Just let him go out there and make friends, make mistakes and learn.
But I guess his parents have always had this set of expectations for him, probably for him to be a doctor like his father. Instead of asking him what he wanted to do, they told him what he should do. And now he's like this.
He even admitted to us that he was in depression because he couldn't find a job. I felt sorry for him, but at the same time I didn't want to become his saviour or anything. I had my own problems.
I sorta shouted dinner. When we went to pay I just told malay I had it, but he chucked in $10 so I wouldn't have to use both $50's. Trevor was a bit embarassed because he only had $10 and we told him not to worry.
We walked back to the bus stop and I parted ways with him as I headed back home.
First day of Pre-hab
Yes, I made that term up. I think.
This morning I got to the gym 10 minutes after it opened, intent on getting on the bike to train up my knee.
Usually I go upstairs, but I spotted a room full of bikes when I came out from the change rooms and thought I'd give them a go, unsure of whether there'd be bikes upstairs. I checked the time table on the wall to make sure there weren't any classes.
I awkwardly hopped on one at the back of the room and started peddling slowly. After a few minutes I noticed a guy at the front on a bike propped up on a stage.
Hmmm...he's not an instructor is he?
Soon, he spoke into his microphone, turned the lights off, the music on, and the class began.
What da f...
He said something about the next hour and I just told myself to get through it, with the main priority of protecting my knee. I was interested to see how they could make a class out of mere cycling, and turns out there are quite a number of variations. He'd make us slow down, speed up, stand up, sit down, sit back and stuff.
It was a bit hard for me to stand and sit while peddling at first, but I got used to it towards the end. I just thought it was funny how everyone was pedding madly while I was just cruising because I didn't want to hurt my knee. I was a bit afraid of the instructor picking me out and telling me to push it. I was pretty sure he could see me, because even though the lights were out, they had these neon sort of lights on which make white things glow in the dark, and I was wearing an almost completely white outfit.
Although the instructor must be given kudos for being so into it, I thought at times it was kinda stupid.
"YEEEAAAAHHH - PUSH IT!!!"
I'm cruising.
"GOOOOO CRRRAAAAAAAAAZY!!!"
I'm cruising.
"WE'RE GOING UP THE HILL, FASTER, PUSH IT!!!!!!"
I'm cruising.
The only bits I followed were the standing and sitting bits, but other than that, I cruised most of the time. People were actually sweating, and I was only getting warm. There were a few hot chicks in there, so it's a bit of an incentive to go next time.
There was one song which I thought was particularly appropriate. Don't know what it was but it had the lyrics "these are mysterious times". Mysterious times indeed. I don't know whether I'll get that job, and I don't know whether I'll have knee surgery.
As I peddled I kept focusing on how this was all very important, because if I can strengthen my knee then I can get back to bball and avoid surgery. I pictured myself as an NBA player behind the scenes trying to get back into shape.
I got a bit annoyed at the instruct when he kept saying "FIIVE MORE MINUTES TO GO!!!" like twenty times. Fucking hell.
After that I went upstairs and did a bit of weights before grabbing some orange juice and a pack of chips from the super market.
I went back home, made breakfast and watched Seinfeld, then headed out to the markets. I mainly went to see if I could bump into that girl, but on the way I figured that buying one of Rod's leather bags would be a great present for DC.
I liked the atmosphere of the place, but there wasn't too much that interested me. I finally saw Rod and we did a bit of catching up. I met his mother too who seems like a nice woman, and I can see where he gets all his life's understanding from. His mother went off to lunch and Rod invited me to sit behind his stall.
Not long after, people started coming from everywhere. This one hot chick ended up buying one of his bags, and a gay Asian guy was trying to decide between two bags. One person thought I worked there and asked me how much one of them were, lol.
I was surprised at how much the bags were. I thought they'd be around $20-30, so you can imagine my shock when Rod told me they were going for like $105. I only had $10 in my wallet, and seeing how busy he was, I promised him I'd come back next week to get the bag.
I saw his mother as I walked back towards the main road and had a short chat with her. We talked a bit about Nom, because obviously Rod had told her about our experiences there. She said one thing that stuck in my mind: "how can she make other people happy if she's not happy?"
I think I'll pair this with Abby's "those who aren't loved never learn to love" line.
I spent the next few minutes wondering if I was happy, and whether I was able to pass on happiness to others.
The devil got the better of me as I headed to the casino. I withdrew $400 and played a few spins, walking away with a $285 gain. Great, that will cover DC's present.
I hung around a while because I put my ticket in the barrel for the $50,000 draw. I was pretty sure I wouldn't get picked, but it was exciting waiting for it anyway. Some guy got picked and ended up winning like $3,000. God, if that was me it'd take care of a big part of my credit card debt.
Shuing had called, so I called him back. He invited me out to dinner and bolowing tonight, but was a bit vague as to who was going so I said I'd call him back. I later sent a message declining.
I went to Myer to look for a business shirt. I have lost one or two white ones, due to damage, or just plain lost it. One of them was a really nice one too, so that's a shame. I set out to get that exact same one, and found it at $60. It was a bit steep for me but I got it anyway.
I also went to JB's to check out their movies and ended up getting Babel. I went to the food court and had fish and chips.
All that cycling and walking around the city today really has my knee tired.
At close to 1pm I left to meet DC at the jails. They now have a ticketing system for lawyers, which is ridiculous. You might see another lawyer there half the time, and even then it's only one or two others, so why the hell would you need a ticketing system to keep track of the queue???
Nothing really eventuated in the conference, but I just really don't like it when DC says something to the client in order to advance his own self interest, like playing a bigger role in the case. The advice I gave was also inconsistent with DC's. The client said he really wanted a family member to be called as a witness, and DC basically said if he wanted to then he should. I said that he shouldn't, because it really didn't add anything and also I didn't want to see a family member being exposed to xx by RM.
After the conference we parted ways, and I drove to a nearby shopping centre to get something to eat. I ended up choosing a kebab from a kebab store. As I sat outside eating and watching the nice fountains flowing with water, I thought about how location was everything, no matter how good or bad you were. I mean, this shop had friendly service, price was average, taste was pretty good, and they even put extra meat in it (which was too much for me as I didn't finish it), yet they were located at this remote shooping centre which no one really goes to because it's in the middle of a highway.
After my kebab I went back to my car and used my laptop for a bit. The cinema close by had Year One at 6:30pm, so I decided to wait for that. I must admit the devil did talk to me a bit.
You can go to the casino and back. You know, win $25 and come back, you got plenty of time.
Fuck that, I ain't driving all the way out there and back, you think petrol's cheap? And besides, at the service my car did 5,000 less kilometres than expected, so I'm gonna try to keep that up.
I ended up taking a nap in the back of my car. I woke up with about 20 minutes to go before the movie started, but then didn't feel like it anymore. Instead, I went for a walk to check out the Nike and Addidas factory outlets nearby. As I was looking through some of the stuff, a thought occurred to me.
Man what the fuck, all this has no use to you anymore - you can't play ball.
It was a little sad, but true. Why buy more basketball jerseys, shorts and shoes if you can't play the sport anymore? It had become such a habit to just check these things out.
After checking out both stores I still had plenty of time left.
Hey let's go around driving on dodgy roads!!!
And with that, I went for a drive. Decided to try and find that brothel I went to once, with no intent of going inside. Just wanted to see it for the thrill of it. I drove around and around trying to find it and then gave up. Once I was back on the main road I decided to give the next turn a try and found it on that street. It was really, really discreet. You really couldn't tell what it was, and it really didn't stand out yet it managed to say it was open for those who knew.
I then went to that really cheap computer factory outlet place, hoping that cheap LCD monitor would still be there but nup. They had signs everywhere saying a spindle of DVDs were only $15 which was pretty good. I was tempted to buy it and then thought "wait a minute, what do I need that many blank DVDs for?"
I did end up buying some speakers for $9, because the ones I have at home are kinda wonky and you have to adjust the volume button to make sure sound comes out of both speakers.
It was finally time for the game so I drove there. I got there first and watched the games a bit, then Roger and Carter and his friends arrived and I spoke with Roger a bit. Mike didn't come because he was sick and Geoff wouldn't give him a lift fearing that Mike would pass on whatever he had to him, and Abi was in another state.
I told Fat Pat about my knee. He didn't seem to show much concern but I know that's just the way he is. He's quiet like me and keeps everything inside.
We played the Random team, and I didn't think we'd win because they're pretty good. But turns out they were missing some players and one of them was coaching. Guess he was injured too.
I drew up an offensive play which I saw a team execute beforehand, which had Carter posting up down low, point guard would give it to Fat Pat in the corner who kicks it in to Carter and then cuts towards him along the base. It worked once or twice, but we can't do that everytime.
I was really proud of Dunnycan at one stage when he took his time and directed everyone where to go.
To my surprise we managed to stay in the game. Geoff shared the ball a bit more but he still had lapses where he'd try to go one on one and then lose the ball.
With about four minutes to go and down by three, I took Geoff off, presumably for good. What I didn't like was him having a mini-hissy fit and changing into his street clothes. Even though he might be off for good, you never know what could happen - someone can get fouled out and he might have to go back in. It's that type of inexperience that annoys me.
Unfortunately from that point on we went downhill as the other team ran away with the lead and the game. I really couldn't explain it. Maybe it was me taking Geoff off. He is just too much of a double edged sword. He can score, but he can also lose the ball. I don't know what to do with him.
After the game I really wanted to talk to Fat Pat about the game, because I didn't want him to get into another one of those "oh we're gonna lose anyway so what's the point" state of mind. But Fab was talking to me about work, and once I turned to Fat Pat to talk about the game and I think Fab got the point. A little rude I know, but at that moment the game was more important that work gossip.
When I got home I couldn't wait so I tried the new speakers. They look pretty slick, but sound isn't as good as I thought. Guess you get what you pay for.
Knee Day
Able to wake up late on Friday because I had the appointment with the knee surgeon. It was lucky I left about 45 minutes beforehand, because I had a bit of trouble navigating through the hospital. I eventually found it and walked into a small suite with other people waiting, just like my regular doctor. And also just like my regular doctor, this dude was behind schedule. I got there on time and there were about four people who went before me. I had to wait 45 minutes.
I watched as one after another were called in. This dude must be raking it in. I mean, I'm gonna pay him $190 for him to see me for about 10-20 minutes. That's more expensive than a hooker.
I sat there with a sniffling nose. There was an old couple to my left. The wife found something interesting in a magazine and told her husband to read it. He read it and then handed it back. She said there was more and tried to give it to him, but he chucked it back. She laughed it off. Is marriage really like that? I'm sure I'd be annoyed too at that age and after that amount of time being married, but I couldn't help but think that I'd secretly appreciate someone wanting to do good for me.
To my right was a father and daughter pair. I wonder which one of them were injured.
Some guy came in who seemed like a bit of a funny idiot. He came without his referral letter, and straight away went to the toilet.
I was pretty nervous and excited when I was called. No shaking hands or anything, the doctor just led me to his consultation room. He asked how long ago the injury happened, and then asked me to lie down on the bench. He bent my right leg to see how the knee reacted, and then did the same to my left. He said it was a complete tear.
He took a look at the MRI scans and showed me the tear. I couldn't make much of what I saw.
He had all these knee joint models on his desk and showed me one of them, and pointed to a flabby rubber stub which was the ligament I had torn. He asked about the stability of it and I said at first there were times when it was unstable, but now it was pretty stable although sometimes there were aches and awkwardness when I turned corners.
He said it was still early days and said I should give it a month to see if I can strengthen it by doing knee exercises (like cycling and rowing). If I can, then I won't need surgery and I can play basketball, but the question was always going to be how stable it was. If I can't, then I'd have to have a knee reconstruction (which sounds pretty bad) and if I did that then I won't be able to play basketball for six months after that, and he said that was why they called it a season ending injury. I was glad he didn't say "career ending injury".
He gave me some information booklet on the knee joint and surgery and with that he walked me out and I went to the reception to pay my $190 and made an appointment to see him in four weeks.
I was glad I was outta there but at the same time I felt like I didn't get as much value as I should've.
I called GS and went back to work. When I got there, only Rom Rom and her team were there. They asked me out to lunch which I thought was a bit weird, but I declined because I had so much stuff to do for the rest of the afternoon. I had to amend the audio and transcripts of calls, and then at about 4pm I crossed the road to give the other side the CD.
I kept looking at the court building in fear of them closing, and then I did see the revolving doors stop.
Uh oh.
I went back to the building and knocked on the door. Not surprisingly, the guy didn't want to let me back in, and I kept saying I still had all my stuff upstairs, and he rudely said to me "alright I'll give you two minutes". It really didn't make much sense to me - I'm allowed to stay there till 5pm, but I can't go in if they close before that.
I couldn't help but feel a bit shitty with that guy. I see him a lot and we're always polite and say hi to eachother. It was just another reminder that the world can turn into an ugly place rather quickly.
I quickly packed up all my stuff and then went back out to give the CD to the other side. After that I caught the train back to the city. I went to GS' office to drop off something, had a quick chat, then organised to meet Twish for coffee.
I knew I shouldn't because it might give her false hope, but I hadn't seen her all week and I felt like talking to someone. I felt like talking to someone about my knee.
We ended up going to a cafe where we had pizza, even though I knew I was gonna meet Malay and Trevor later for dinner. As we walked thee she asked me why I wasn't there in the morning and I told her I was at the doctor's. She said "oh is this for your basketball?" in what I deemed to be a patronising tone. I guess that'll be another reason why I can never choose her because she doesn't seem to understand how important basketball is to me. Even though I feel a bit distanced from it now, it still remains to be the greatest part of my life.
We talked about work mostly. She asked me what I was doing on the weekend and I didn't give much out, and she said she had to go to this stupid birthday party where people were required to go as cartoon characters. Maybe it's just me, but I keep getting the feeling she wants to meet up on the weekend.
I found conversation to be dying and then she suggested we leave, and we crossed the road and parted. I caught the bus home, replaced my suit with a jumper and left to meet Malay and Trevor.
I was a bit excited at seeing Trevor after all these years. I saw him standing at the bus stop. Immediately, I realised he hadn't changed much. He came over to me and shook my hand.
"Hi, I heard you're a lawyer now, I'm still unemployed."
Ummm...ok.
We did a bit of catching up while waiting for Malay. I noticed he had aged considerably. I wouldn't say he lacked social skills, but he'd say things that you wouldn't expect. I suppose if I had to compare him with anyone it would be Spawn.
Malay finally arrived and I ended up choosing a Malaysian restaurant nearby. Maybe it was a bad choice because the service wasn't really that great. They seemed reluctant to show us our table, and moments after we sat down, they came to us three times asking if we were ready to order.
Ummm...maybe we would be if you left us the fuck alone to read the menu?
Even though I had already eaten, I wasn't discouraged from eating and even finished my meal. Over dinner we mainly talked about primary school. Trevor has a really good memory of it. I can barely remember anything, and same with Malay.
We talked about work. I suppose like anyone who hasn't had much experience in the workforce, he sorta looked up to me, but I tried to show him the reality of it and tell him to do whatever it was that made him happy, almost close to saying that he shouldn't do everything just because his parents tell him to.
I think that apart from his genetically based 'problems', a lot of how he is today has to do with how his mother treated him. I remember that they were really strict with him. What is the point of (s)mothering your child and not letting him experience life on his own? Sure, you can stop him saying the F word at home, but he's gonna hear it outside, and it's just a part of life. Just let him go out there and make friends, make mistakes and learn.
But I guess his parents have always had this set of expectations for him, probably for him to be a doctor like his father. Instead of asking him what he wanted to do, they told him what he should do. And now he's like this.
He even admitted to us that he was in depression because he couldn't find a job. I felt sorry for him, but at the same time I didn't want to become his saviour or anything. I had my own problems.
I sorta shouted dinner. When we went to pay I just told malay I had it, but he chucked in $10 so I wouldn't have to use both $50's. Trevor was a bit embarassed because he only had $10 and we told him not to worry.
We walked back to the bus stop and I parted ways with him as I headed back home.
First day of Pre-hab
Yes, I made that term up. I think.
This morning I got to the gym 10 minutes after it opened, intent on getting on the bike to train up my knee.
Usually I go upstairs, but I spotted a room full of bikes when I came out from the change rooms and thought I'd give them a go, unsure of whether there'd be bikes upstairs. I checked the time table on the wall to make sure there weren't any classes.
I awkwardly hopped on one at the back of the room and started peddling slowly. After a few minutes I noticed a guy at the front on a bike propped up on a stage.
Hmmm...he's not an instructor is he?
Soon, he spoke into his microphone, turned the lights off, the music on, and the class began.
What da f...
He said something about the next hour and I just told myself to get through it, with the main priority of protecting my knee. I was interested to see how they could make a class out of mere cycling, and turns out there are quite a number of variations. He'd make us slow down, speed up, stand up, sit down, sit back and stuff.
It was a bit hard for me to stand and sit while peddling at first, but I got used to it towards the end. I just thought it was funny how everyone was pedding madly while I was just cruising because I didn't want to hurt my knee. I was a bit afraid of the instructor picking me out and telling me to push it. I was pretty sure he could see me, because even though the lights were out, they had these neon sort of lights on which make white things glow in the dark, and I was wearing an almost completely white outfit.
Although the instructor must be given kudos for being so into it, I thought at times it was kinda stupid.
"YEEEAAAAHHH - PUSH IT!!!"
I'm cruising.
"GOOOOO CRRRAAAAAAAAAZY!!!"
I'm cruising.
"WE'RE GOING UP THE HILL, FASTER, PUSH IT!!!!!!"
I'm cruising.
The only bits I followed were the standing and sitting bits, but other than that, I cruised most of the time. People were actually sweating, and I was only getting warm. There were a few hot chicks in there, so it's a bit of an incentive to go next time.
There was one song which I thought was particularly appropriate. Don't know what it was but it had the lyrics "these are mysterious times". Mysterious times indeed. I don't know whether I'll get that job, and I don't know whether I'll have knee surgery.
As I peddled I kept focusing on how this was all very important, because if I can strengthen my knee then I can get back to bball and avoid surgery. I pictured myself as an NBA player behind the scenes trying to get back into shape.
I got a bit annoyed at the instruct when he kept saying "FIIVE MORE MINUTES TO GO!!!" like twenty times. Fucking hell.
After that I went upstairs and did a bit of weights before grabbing some orange juice and a pack of chips from the super market.
I went back home, made breakfast and watched Seinfeld, then headed out to the markets. I mainly went to see if I could bump into that girl, but on the way I figured that buying one of Rod's leather bags would be a great present for DC.
I liked the atmosphere of the place, but there wasn't too much that interested me. I finally saw Rod and we did a bit of catching up. I met his mother too who seems like a nice woman, and I can see where he gets all his life's understanding from. His mother went off to lunch and Rod invited me to sit behind his stall.
Not long after, people started coming from everywhere. This one hot chick ended up buying one of his bags, and a gay Asian guy was trying to decide between two bags. One person thought I worked there and asked me how much one of them were, lol.
I was surprised at how much the bags were. I thought they'd be around $20-30, so you can imagine my shock when Rod told me they were going for like $105. I only had $10 in my wallet, and seeing how busy he was, I promised him I'd come back next week to get the bag.
I saw his mother as I walked back towards the main road and had a short chat with her. We talked a bit about Nom, because obviously Rod had told her about our experiences there. She said one thing that stuck in my mind: "how can she make other people happy if she's not happy?"
I think I'll pair this with Abby's "those who aren't loved never learn to love" line.
I spent the next few minutes wondering if I was happy, and whether I was able to pass on happiness to others.
The devil got the better of me as I headed to the casino. I withdrew $400 and played a few spins, walking away with a $285 gain. Great, that will cover DC's present.
I hung around a while because I put my ticket in the barrel for the $50,000 draw. I was pretty sure I wouldn't get picked, but it was exciting waiting for it anyway. Some guy got picked and ended up winning like $3,000. God, if that was me it'd take care of a big part of my credit card debt.
Shuing had called, so I called him back. He invited me out to dinner and bolowing tonight, but was a bit vague as to who was going so I said I'd call him back. I later sent a message declining.
I went to Myer to look for a business shirt. I have lost one or two white ones, due to damage, or just plain lost it. One of them was a really nice one too, so that's a shame. I set out to get that exact same one, and found it at $60. It was a bit steep for me but I got it anyway.
I also went to JB's to check out their movies and ended up getting Babel. I went to the food court and had fish and chips.
All that cycling and walking around the city today really has my knee tired.
posted by toey | 17:56
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