10th Riding Lesson

Because of uni exams, Christmas jobs and the bad weather over the past month, I just didn't have time to book a riding lesson. But today I finally had some spare time to do what I love most - horse riding! =D

It was a lovely sunny day up at Wandin Riding Academy, and Bart, the school horse I ride, was already there waiting for me. He has got his summer coat and was all shiny! I gave him a carrot to munch on while I groomed him and picked out his hooves. Bart is a 15.2hh (approx 154cm at the withers) gelding. I love him to bits. =D

Did the usual stuff for my lesson. Lots of trotting, both rising and sitting, and also worked on trot to canter transitions, which I find quite difficult. I get tense and the start to bounce all over the place, losing my stirrups and all. LOL! However today I managed to fall off while trying to canter! Landed on my back and had all the breadth knocked out of my body. Was a bit light-headed for a while too, but I was back to normal in an hour or so. Anyhow, it was a great lesson overall.

Now for some photos! Credit to Janey!

I love this pony! ^_^

Sorry about the pic overload! Hope you like them! =D

Quick Pre-exam Update

Taking a short break between my studies to type up a short blog piece. My first exam, Ecology, is tomorrow afternoon! I am trying not to get overly stressed about it, but it should be okay as the exam is worth 40%.

Weather has been crazy lately. One moment it would be freezing cold with heavy rain, then sunshine the next. It makes planning activities outdoors quite frustrating.

I got my first Christmas casual job at David Jones! I will be working in the manchester department (bed linen, towels etc.) at the Bourke Street store in the city. I am excited and a bit nervous - my first shift will be this coming Saturday! =]

Hmm...what else is there? Ooh right, season three of my favourite TV show, Fringe, will premiere this Wednesday night! I've been waiting for ages, as it started two months ago in the US. Grr...so much for fast-tracked! To celebrate, I shall share one of my favourite videos I found on Youtube of the two main characters of the show, Peter and Olivia. I love the song as well!

{Fringe} Peter/Olivia - Boats and Birds

Mid-Semester Break...at last!

Okay okay, even though it is already almost a week into the two-week break, there is still enough time to enjoy it. :)

For the past week, I didn't do much besides catching up on lectures, doing a bit of homework, catching up on sleep and working. But next week, things will get more eventful.

On Monday I am going trail riding with a friend from uni. I can't wait! =D I haven't been on horseback for nearly three weeks and really miss it. We are going on a three hour ride through forests and open plains. Woohoo!

Then on Tuesday afternoon, I have a group interview for David Jones Christmas Casuals. I still need to buy a pair of business pants, as we are required to dress in formal business attire. At night I want to go see 'Despicable Me', so hopefully I can do that too.

I wouldn't be doing anything on Wednesday and Thursday due to work, so the rest of those two days would be used to write up reports and assignments. Oh joy...

That leaves the rest of the week open for anything! =D

Where to draw the line.

Yesterday morning, my Human-Animal Interactions lecture was about using animals for research and scientific purposes. During one part, our lecturer said to picture a line or scale, where you have humans on one end, and bacteria on the other. Starting from the human end, you then would have common mammals (dogs, cats, rabbits etc.), then birds of the class Aves, followed by rats and mice (which are also mammals but grouped separately for this purpose), next is amphibians and reptiles (lizards and frogs etc.), then fish, followed by cephalopods (for example, octopuses and squids) and finally bacteria.

The class was asked to draw the line based on where you would stop feeling empathy and care about the welfare of the animal subject to scientific testing. Obviously, everyone cared about the humans as well as for common mammals. But when it came to rats and mice,about half of the class said they wouldn't be too worried regarding the suffering of these rodents. The number of people raising their hands to show that they will have empathy decreased as we moved along the scale. By the time the end of the scale was reached, no one put up their hands.

As for myself, I drew the line after amphibians. However I am against animal testing unless it is for important medical purposes, and that the animal's suffering is minimized.

Over the centuries, the line have moved further down the scale. As we continue to learn about the physiology of animals and how they behave, I believe the line will keep moving.

What about you? Where on the scale do you think you will draw the line?

A Healthy Meal

Bloggin' while eating my lunch, a toasted foccacia with chicken schnitzel, pineapple and lettuce. Only recently have I 'discovered', well more of got into, as I have known this for ages, creating your own sandwich for lunch.

There is a few places at uni where you can 'make' your own sandwich by choosing the type of bread (normal sliced bread, rolls, baguettes or foccacias), main base (schnitzel, beef, roast chicken, turkey or simply ham etc.), dressing and spreads (mayonnaise, avocado, butter or pesto etc.) and a range of other delicious extras such as cheese, cucumber, lettuce and tomato, salad, sliced eggs, olives, pineapple, beetroot and much more. In winter, a toasted sandwich makes all the difference.

I think this is a much healthier alternative to several other options I normally get, which was muffins, pies and pizzas. Although this custom-made lunch is usually more expensive, it's worth it. For me, no sandwich is complete without a slice of juicy pineapple or two. =P