Week 9 - Hurricanes, drugs & a 2 month review!

Me looking happy with my ticket for the Hurricanes vs Chiefs!

Hey Everybody! As I'm writing this post mid-afternoon, that should tell you all you need to know about the weather here this weekend! (Truly awful - wet & windy)! The event of the week had to be going to watch my first live rugby game on Friday night, though my dealings with a drug company this week at work was very informative! Also realising yesterday was exactly 2 months since I'd been here, made me think a little review of the time so far would be a good thing to share with you all... oh and read on for a great book tip....

The official stadium name...

 THE RUGBY! - So, as the clock struck 5pm On Friday afternoon, I headed to Starbucks to meet my friend Iris, before joining some of my work colleagues for a post-work drink in 'Hawthorns' funky little bar next door to work. A post-work drink was a welcome end to the week, which has been busy for everyone within the team, and a great way to de-stress together. Me & Iris headed off to have a quick look at the Cuba Street 'night Markets' which actually had a bit more going on than last week! Anyway,  after a 'deer (venison) sandwich and a german sausage (insert joke as appropriate), we decided we would join 20,000+ other Wellingtonians and head to the rugby. The official name for the 33,000 seater stadium is the 'Westpac' Stadium, though the locals have affectionally named it 'The Cake Tin'. I think it might be because it's perfectly shaped, and has yellow seats, so does kind of look like a cake tin from the air! You can see from the picture below, to get an idea of the place!

For those non-rugby fans (shhhh.. you have to say that quietly here....) the Hurricanes (in yellow) were the home team, and aren't so good this year... and the Chiefs are at the top of the league, so we were not expecting any big win for the home team. The Hurricane's needed to win this final game of the season to stand any chance of making the playoffs...

The first half was quite exciting with early tries, and a close 18-15 lead at half time. The second half started poorly and the crowd began making their own entertainment by doing mexican waves! Me and Iris watched on hoping for a decent finale!

As the clock ticked down, the Chiefs were leading, though the Hurricanes had a chance to catch up with this kick.... (see video below)

Then with the 80 minutes up, and the Hurricanes needing one more score to win, they kept the ball alive for almost 3 minutes and looked liked they had scored with the last move of the match... It was not clear, if the guy put the ball down, and even the TV referee took almost 2 minutes to decide if the try was scored.... The reaction from the video below, should tell you what happened....

The players shake hands at the end of the game!

DRUGS - I have seen so many events around the city that I have started to think about ways in which 'we' (Mental Health services) could get involved with mainstream events ( as part of a social inclusion agenda - as opposed to using mental health specific services). My main aim was to try and secure funding for some kind of 'Healthy Living' activities or more specifically, the 'Dragon Boat' races later in the year. In the UK, I was really fortunate to get money from a drug company that supplied anti-psycotic drugs... the reason the funding was available, was because many, anti-psychotic drugs have the side effect of weight gain - which is not a good feature to promoting long term drug use.... I thought I'd try the same approach here, and met with an a 'drug rep' (I won't name the company here). I was told that due to 'media intensity & pressures' drug companies were not able to offer financial assistance as it could be interpreted as bribery, or coercion to use their drugs. I was a little skeptical, to be honest, as I think companies like this have a responsibility to support initiatives that counteract the effects of their products. Part of the explanation was given, talked about the fact that many of the drugs available here are obtained from the USA and American Drug companies have strict rules/responsibilities, as they can tried under US law, even off in another country... again I find this difficult to understand the legal stuff. So basically the drug companies would only offer 'approved resources' - booklets related to healthy lifestyles... which I suppose is better than nothing! So, I have to find other ways to get money for my ideas....

2 MONTH REVIEW - Well, yesterday was exactly 2 months since I touched down to this new country, for a new life. I now have an entirely new life, new routine, new places to hang out, and some breathtaking new scenery! What stands out in the 2 months? Well, the fact that I have lost lots of weight is pretty high up on my list, mainly through walking (not driving), going to the gym, and eating less rubbish. Having so many beautiful places to visit is pretty awesome too. I love the fact that I can eat a full lunch for no more than $10 (£5), and the fact I have a bed that folds up/down from the wall! The things I don't love so much are not many, but watching football in the middle of the night isn't great, books are too expensive to buy in paperback form, and the sense that to go anywhere other than Australia requires a lot of effort to plan, time and money is tough to get used to. (Oh the use of American computer spelling really irritates me... you don't spell organisation or realisation with a 'z') Despite these few things, I have no regrets that I moved out here so far, and am enjoying the challenges in both personal and professional roles! 

Oh BOOK TIP: I just finished reading a book called 'Love from both sides' by the author Nick Spalding has had me laughing out loud this week! Now I haven't had chance to consult my regular 'chick-lit' associate (Miss Olivia Vida) but I'm pretty sure this comes under the subject of 'comedy dating' rather than girly book! I do recommend it!

Well, good night from Wellington: 

Regards from New Zealand