Goodbye Long Weekend

Well - the long weekend is over for us here in Melbourne, and I have to say, I'm kinda glad.


When you have no family around, holidays can be really boring!! Other than going to church a few times, it was a very uneventful weekend.


Although - today we went on a search for cheap cadbury Cream Eggs. We went to a few supermarkets and picked up some other easter candy, but no cream eggs in sight...finally after a couple of hours of walking around we went to Kmart for a last ditch effort...

And there, sitting on the shelf, calling my name was probably the last cream eggs in Melbourne...a 6 pack of them!!!

So the walking...alllll the walking, was well worth it!!

We hope you all had a great Easter - and we missed you...4 and a half months!!!

Thank Goodness

So I had a blood test on Monday and got the results yesterday - everything is a-ok!!

The Vitamin B-12 levels are better then good, and the immunity to Hep B was good as well. I fully expected that I was going to have to get another Hep B injection yesterday, so was pleasantly surprised to find out that I didn't! Although I will get both levels checked again in three months time, just to make sure.

Well it's Good Friday today, and we really don't have anything planned this weekend. Other than going to the service today and then easter vigil tomorrow night.

Hope you all have a good weekend!

Scrabble?!

I think I've played two games of scrabble in my life (not including speed scrabble). This is partly due to my mothers obsession with the game!

When we lived in Fort St. John she used to play with Joanne, it felt like they played every night, but that's probably an exaggeration. Then when we moved back to Abbotsford her and Caren played all the time - and because I didn't like being stuck at home (and couldn't drive at the time) I would go along and watch them play, or hang out with her boys, or do homework or something.

Anyways, that, coupled with the fact that I'm not the greatest with words, led me to have a great dislike for the game.

Until scrabbulous! (on facebook). Now I'm semi-obsesses.

But I still won't play a live game, for a few reasons:

1. I love the facebook dictionary - you just type in any word and it tells you whether it's valid or not


2. With one click of a button you can see all the valid 2-letter words (although my mom has this, as well as 3-letter words, at her disposal)


3. I can move the tiles around on the board brainstorming without my opposition seeing my tiles

I'm currently playing one game against Dan, and I won't be playing another one!

And mom, no, I won't play you - I prefer to have a chance against my opponents!

oh yah

Also - I recently found blogs of old friends of mine - so I've updated my links if you feel like perusing :)

Heat Wave

Conor and I had just been talking about the fact that this summer did not feel as unbearable as the last. I felt like the biggest improvement for me was that I'm at the bookshop now where there's air conditioning as opposed to HOT Sumo Salad with no air-con. BUT that wouldn't really affect Conor's experience of the heat in any ways. Any-who, a cool change had come in the last couple weeks which was kinda exciting until yesterday!! All of the sudden we had probably 36 degree weather and looking at the forecast, this is what I see:

Fri (today) high of 40
Sat high of 30
Sun high of 36
Mon high of 36
Tues high of 36

The worst part is the evenings/night...it's sooo hard to sleep in this stuffy little apartment with no air movement (even though we have the fan on all night). But I guess we'll have to tough it out...or move the bed into the living room where there's a bit more air circulation.

Anyways, other than this heat wave not too much exciting is happening - although we have been up to a few things.

On Friday the institute had their grad commencement, some of our friends were graduating so that was nice to attend. On Saturday the group that we will be helping lead at World Youth Day were doing a letter box drop and then going to mass and having a BBQ - so we met up with them for the mass and BBQ. On Sunday we went out for drinks and food with our friend Anne who finished up her studies before Christmas and has been back in Brisbane - but she came down for her graduation. It was really nice to see her again!

Tonight, thanks to our AMAZING customers at the coffee shop, we're going out for drinks! It's not customary to tip in Australia - but alot of bars and coffeeshops with have a tip jar on the counter so that if people feel inclined, they can tip. There's some people at the cafe that will put their change from their coffee in the tipjar every day...sometimes its 10 cents, other times it's 2 dollars. It's great...when we went for our Christmas Party all of our food and drinks (LOTS of drinks) was paid for in that years tips. And we already have enough now in March to go out for drinks.

Update on the vit b12 thing...I have one more blood test on Monday and PRAY that my B12 is up to normal - that would be the best! Also it would be cool that if that Hep B vaccination I had has already made me immune, because then I won't have to get another one.

Ode to Monica

Our friend Monica got offered a job in London and will be leaving in just over a month...I will miss her :(


This is for you, Mon...

Answer key

Here is the answer key - the true or false is in red, and then there's an explanation of the answers for those who are interested :)

You can also leave a comment with your score out of 25 for fun!!

Ting, you got 13/25!! Just over 50% - good job, guy!!

1. Menstruation is the most important event in a woman's menstrual cycle. False - The most important event is the release of an ovum from the ovaries. This creates the possibility of new life. The release of the ovarian hormones, during egg maturation and after the release of the ovum, controls events in the uterus and the cervix and determines when menstruation occurs.


2. In most women, menstruation occurs every 28 days. False - The length of the menstrual cycle of most women is irregular. Menstrual cycles normally vary from 25 to 38 days in length.


3. A woman is born with all the ova (eggs) she will ever have. True - A baby girl's ovaries have about 1-2 million eggs when she is born. That is all she will ever have - she will not develop any more eggs.


4. Sperm need cervical mucus to survive more than two or three hours. True - The type of mucus which is secreted from the cervix, when oestrogen is released from the developing egg follicle, is needed for the sperm to survive in the cervix.


5. Genital intercourse can bring about ovulation in women. False - The timing of ovulation is determined by the releases of a hormone (FSH) from the brain which causes a gradual maturation of the eggs over a period of several days. Final release of the egg is caused by the release of luteinising hormone (LH) from the brain. The LH surge is a response to the build-up of ovarian hormones as the egg follicle reaches maturity. In humans the process of egg maturation and the release of the egg is not determined by sexual intercourse.


6. A woman can still get pregnant even if the man withdraws before ejaculation. True - A small amount of semen is normally visible from an early stage of male arousal prior to ejaculation and is capable of resulting in pregnancy. Withdrawal is not an effective means of avoiding pregnancy.


7. Pregnancy can occur with genital contact without penetration. True - If some semen is in contact with fertile-type mucus at the vulva then pregnancy may occur without penetration.


8. A women cannot become pregnant the first time she has sexual intercourse. False - If a woman is in the fertile phase of her cycle, pregnancy can occur when she has first genital intercourse or even genital contact.


9. Usually, only one ovum (egg) will ovulate during a woman's menstrual cycle.True - If more than one egg ovulates, both eggs will ovulate within the same 24 hour period, because ovulation is precisely controlled by the hormones. Non-identical twins are produced when eggs are fertilised in the same ovulatory cycle.


10. Ovulation occurs on only one day in each menstrual cycle. True - A woman does not ovulate today and then again a week later in the same cycle. The ovarian hormones have a feedback effect on the brain. Follicle stimulating hormone from the brain shuts down when an egg matures and ovulation occurs.


11. Ovulation is the release of an ovum (egg) from the ovary. True - When the egg is released from the ovary, it enters the fallopian tube where fertilisation may occur if sperm are present.


12. Men normally develop thousands of new sperm every day. True - Men normally develop thousands of sperm every day from puberty to death.


13. Women are fertile because they can have babies; therefore men are not fertile. False - Normally men are constantly developing sperm. They are capable of causing pregnancy with every act of genital intercourse. Strictly fertility is a state that pertains to couples. A couple may be infertile through factors affecting either the man or the woman or both.


14. A woman can get pregnant any time she has genital intercourse during the menstrual cycle. False - A woman can become pregnant only if she has genital intercourse during the possibly fertile time when there is cervical mucus capable of carrying the sperm - that is, on the day of, and the days just prior to ovulation. The fertile phase can begin almost any time of the cycle, but is marked by the presence of cervical mucus.


15. Ovulation occurs on the fourteenth day of each menstrual cycle. False - Ovulation occurs between 11 and 16 days before menstruation no matter what the length of the cycle is.


16. The reproductive hormones in men are secreted at relatively constant levels from puberty to death. True - In men, the hormones from the pituitary gland in the brain and from the testes are secreted at a relatively constant level from puberty to death.


17. Life begins when the embryo is implanted in the uterus. False - Life beings when the first cell is formed which is normally capable of developing to human maturity with no further addition other than nourishment and a favorable environment. Implantation is a developmental stage that occurs after several days of maturing of the embryo when many cells have formed and the formation of the structures that will later form organs has commenced.


18. Menstrual cycle and menstrual period have the same meaning. False - The menstrual cycle begins the first day of menstrual bleeding and ends the day before the next menstrual bleed begins. The menstrual period is the menstrual bleeding. Now that we know more about the cycle, it is probably more accurate to refer to the ovulatory cycle which, if pregnancy does not occur, finishes with the beginning of the menstrual bleed.


19. The sex of the baby is determined by the sex chromosomes in the mother's egg. False - The sex of the baby is determined by the sex chromosome of the sperm which penetrates the egg. Men normally have an X chromosome and a Y chromosome, when sperm are formed they have only one sex chromosome, either and X or a Y. If the sperm has a Y chromosome then the baby will be a boy. If it has an X chromosome the baby will be a girl.


20. Fertilisation occurs when the sperm penetrates the ovum. True - Life begins when the first cell is formed when the sperm and the egg unite. That happens when the contents of the head of the sperm are released into the egg. That can occur as early as 6 hours after sexual intercourse and is called fertilisation.


21. Conception takes place in the ovary. False - Conception or fertilisation normally takes place in the fallopian tube.


22. Ovulation is normally followed by menstruation within 11-16 days. True - The day of ovulation is variable, and it is normally preceded by cervical mucus. But menstruation is determined by when ovulation occurs and normally follows about two weeks (11-16 days) after ovulation.


23. After ovulation the ovum may live for several days in the woman's body prior to being fertilised. False - The unfertilised ovum (egg) only lives for a very short period, not longer than 24 hours.


24. Women are able to detect when ovulation occurs. True - The changes in the cervical mucus around the time of ovulation indicate to the woman firstly that ovulation is approaching. The character of the mucus changes in response to the hormones released as the egg follicle matures and then bursts and the egg is released - ovulation. Around the time of ovulation the woman will notice a slippery sensation at the vulva. After ovulation there is an abrupt change from the slipperiness to dryness or stickiness.


25. Cervical mucus may be present every day of the cycle. False - In some woman there may be secretions from the vagina present throughout the cycle, but cervical mucus is only evident at the vulva when the ovarian hormones are released as the eggs mature, which is normally only a few days in the cycle. Women are able to learn to distinguish between vaginal secretions and the cervical mucus.

Test Yourself

This is a little test of your knowledge of fertility

I'll post the answers tomorrow

True of False:

1. Menstruation is the most important event in a woman's menstrual cycle.
2. In most women, menstruation occurs every 28 days.
3. A woman is born with all the ova (eggs) she will ever have.
4. Sperm need cervical mucus to survive more than two or three hours.
5. Genital intercourse can bring about ovulation in women.
6. A woman can still get pregnant even if the man withdraws before ejaculation.
7. Pregnancy can occur with genital contact without penetration.
8. A women cannot become pregnant the first time she has sexual intercourse.
9. Usually, only one ovum (egg) will ovulate during a woman's menstrual cycle.
10. Ovulation occurs on only one day in each menstrual cycle.
11. Ovulation is the release of an ovum (egg) from the ovary.
12. Men normally develop thousands of new sperm every day.
13. Women are fertile because they can have babies; therefore men are not fertile.
14. A woman can get pregnant any time she has genital intercourse during the menstrual cycle.
15. Ovulation occurs on the fourteenth day of each menstrual cycle.
16. The reproductive hormones in men are secreted at relatively constant levels from puberty to death.
17. Life begins when the embryo is implanted in the uterus.
18. Menstrual cycle and menstrual period have the same meaning.
19. The sex of the baby is determined by the sex chromosomes in the mother's egg.
20. Fertilisation occurs when the sperm penetrates the ovum.
21. Conception takes place in the ovary.
22. Ovulation is normally followed by menstruation within 11-16 days.
23. After ovulation the ovum may live for several days in the woman's body prior to being fertilised.
24. Women are able to detect when ovulation occurs.
25. Cervical mucus may be present every day of the cycle.