The Sydney diet

This is supper time. 3 triple chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk. Tonight there are strawberries because there were 2 left overs. I am trying to clear the fridge before moving and they happen to look pretty with biscuits. The cookies have been warmed to chewiness in the oven. So it oozes with chocolate.

Fills the stomache to comfort levels; a general self satisfaction, (like the shrink would say, think about the time when you were happiest) so you are ready to go to sleep.

I dont think I am eating any more or less than before. It is cold but I think i have compensated that with my milk guzzling ways; full cream, not low fat. I have a small bowl of cereal with milk and glass of hot chocolate before bed. there are 2 cups of cafe au lait in the day.

I used to do a banana strawberry milk shake after a run. But because I dont have a blender here (yet), I do a banana strawberry with cream. I have been having pasta mostly. And rolls. dont ask me why I fell in love with the rolls here. You warm them up and stuff them with egg mayo or chilli tuna. Side salad and crisps. Easy.

I have a ripe avocado and I found gula melaka at the asian supermarket. I will attempt the seven sensation avocado mousse dessert.

Parking

I like the Chatswood Fitness First because it has a pool. The really big bummer is that parking in this area is real lousy. At the club you get 2 hours free. How can you get a real workout in 2 hours? It took 10 minutes to find a parking space. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and 1 hour body pump. I spoke to the membership consultant about transferring my membership here from singapore. I did not have time to dab sweat off my neck and I had to pay $6 because I was 10 minutes past the 2 hours.

There is are 3 hour free parking space at the shopping center. a short walk away but not quite condusive when its dark and cold.

There is also a dodgy 2 hour place free with any purchase but so narrow ramps I have bitter thoughts about what happened.

I havent even started about Delhi Road, the winding one lane route that goes through a nature reserve. For sure I will be confident about taking my parents to the Blue mountains by November. Good practice.

There is another club closer to my office. Free unlimited parking. But to get there you go into a very busy road. Jammed up by 5pm going up hill. And I keep missing the turn and then I have to go around 3km. This road is full of booby traps.

So I am adrenalined rushed even before I lace up.

I have another round of road familiarising when I move to my new place this weekend. The route so far looks pleasant enough, if you avoid the jam. One learns to change the body clock.

The time adjustment

Life in Sydney, i think, revolves around traffic. Unless you work and live in the city, I reckon you'd practically be trapped in your own home if you dont have a car. Everything is so far away. Civilisation sometimes start 1km away from where you live.

At my workplace you can start early and leave early. or come late and work late. You practically work around the traffic. Its a better way to do because then you dont get stressed up unneccesarily. For me getting stuck in traffic on an upslope is my number one fear, imagine you see a whole field of red lights as you approach an uphill. How many hill starts would that be??

So avoid.

I would like to do the start early option. because At some point I want to join a running group that starts in the wee hours of the morning. The early start of a day is probably normal too, judging from teh number of early morning classes at fitness first. Pilates at 630?????

And the bridge run starts at 630 so I am trying to get my body clock adjusted for that, although I dont know how I will deal with the cold. I cannot be running in my usual adidas running T right?

So far its not hard to go to bed early. I dont know if its the cold or I am actually more tired than I care to admit but I wilt as early as 8 pm, especially after gym. I think i am stressed out by the driving. But I will still get up about 2 and then spend an hour awake before being able to sleep again.

So far the running is getting back on track. I shall not be ambitious trying to train for a full marathon in 50 days while trying to settle myself. But Sydney half marathon here i come!!!