Trips to the Orthopedist

For my supposedly hamstring pain, I go back and forth thinking if I should visit a chiropractor or a real physician. After two months I decided to visit an orthopedist recommended by my parents.

During my first visit I explained how I think I got myself into this injury and he suggested that I postponed running and in exchange have myself try swimming instead as a recovery exercise. I said yes and since it doesn't get better for over 2 months I request him for an MRI recommendation.

In a short while I booked an MRI session in Abdi Waluyo Hospital and picked up the result two days later.

Abdi Waluyo recommended me to go back to dr. Joserizal, the orthopedist. On my way to the office that morning I read the test result inside the MRI photographs. It is presented in a simple piece of paper.

The piece of paper that changed they way I viewed my life.

(I thought) I have a pulled hamstring!

I have a pulled hamstring.

That’s what I said to everyone who asked whether I would go for a run or not. I was an avid runner for about 4 years and planned on participating in a half marathon in Bali in June this year. I trained like never before. I usually trained 3 times a week top, but ever since I've had my mind on being in a half marathon course, I trained 4 times a week with a rapid increase of mileage.

Early May this year when running would give me pain afterwards and I would have a very slow recovery days. Previously, I would recover after 1 or 2 days, but ever since that incident (which I'm not so sure what) I would have to wait for at least a week to recover from a 5K run. A very frustrating situation for a budding runner like me. I know I may not be the fastest runner, or a runner who have ran marathons and all but this is certainly been the most annoying situation I've had since my “running career” (if I ever had one).

Then came June.

My hamstring feels so much better and I considered to start a slow and short run at the treadmill again. I would walk for 2 miles and close the session with a mile jog. Gosh, I really use the term “jog” here.. hehe.

I've tried so many things to speed up the recovery process. I even bought myself the smart grid foam roller and it really did help after each running session. But the click in my hip bone is still here. It still clicked. I even have inside joke: I couldn't click with a decent man, but at least my hip bone click! Hah! How bout that! My old sarcastic self is baaaaack! If it ever went away.

Then, I decided to visit an Orthopedist. 

Ah... the unusual reasons we cried

Have you ever weep? I rarely weep, but when I did, I usually wept like a baby. I wept like a baby whose candies been taken out by some bully when:

The day I was chosen as PermataBank Union Leader. The situation was pretty much "supportive" of that as so many of my fellow activists were being laid-off. Some for the true reason that they didn't perform well, some merely because they were outspoken (if not loud) of their opinion. I shouldn't have been crying, I should be angry instead.

The sick-sick-sicko King Joffrey beheaded Ned Stark in Game of Thrones' Baelor Episode. It was a rare moment on network television. TV usually tends to make viewers happy, to keep them interested. Yet, Game of Thrones manages to staple me to my seat to watch the rest of the scene till finished. I cried with  Arya Stark as we watch Ned Stark beheaded.

The skinny jeans is on trend since I knew I would never pull it off. I know it's been so long ago and yet it's still here and I'm still not over it. Aaarrhhhh!!!

I got my first running injury like 2.5 months ago. The injury still won't go away. I secretly wish that everyone would stop telling me to do Yoga and mind their own business. You don't know the half of it. You have no idea what I went through so don't act like you do and that Yoga is the answer to all problems. Enough with the Yoga Snobbery. I would do Yoga if my doctor asked me to (and by doctor I mean the ruggedly handsome physician I secretly had a crush on - won't tell). 

I watched A Walk to Remember. Yeah, I know it's a lame movie, but I have to admit on having a big rush on Mandy Moore at one time. Not in her pale state during the movie, but after the movie was released. I think she's hot.

The day Denny Duquette (Grey's Anatomy) died. I cried like a baby, I mean really cried. I am still crying. That episode was pretty much kill my interest in the series. Then Dr. Preston Burke walked out of Grey's Anatomy. He was the only reason I watched it in the first place.

There, I said it. 

Daily Talk Show at The Office

As target gets higher we tend to achieve higher. That is what expected of us, workers that are trying to make ends meet and companies that are thriving for growth. Thank goodness I am blessed with a hardworking - and sometimes when needed - a smart-working team. 

What we don't expect (and cannot stand) are office chatters. Sure, we all love to chat, a little gossip wouldn't hurt also. I sometimes chat with my team, just to relieve tension off work for about 5 minutes. The key is to prevent a work atmosphere that's unpleasant or oppressed. I consider chatting with my team as a morale builder. We usually chat around 10 am, near lunch break and near the end of office hour. Each usually lasted no longer than 10 minutes. 

Around the office, we usually chat after spending many hours sitting in our chairs, WORKING. But lately, the office chatters is just too noisy to bare. 

These chatter have a specific pattern. 

Arrived late at the office. 

Turn on the computer. 

Check their email for about 5 minutes while waiting for their confidante to arrive. 

Chat for about 2 hours and then supposedly "working".

Chat all the way through lunch time. 

Lunch. 

Chat some more till 2.30 pm. 

Say hello to the computer (working) for about 30 minutes.

Chat some more.

Go home earlier than anybody else.

Gee what a happy life they have.

My earphones are always very dependable as chatter-blocker, especially when he's in the next cube. He usually chat on the phone, not too loud actually. But very often his team would come to his desk, working together using his computer, or just to have a chat (surprise-surprise).These chatters always work together, i mean ALL THE TIME.  My team, we can't afford to work on all assignment TOGETHER. Plus, getting my team to complete my work in my computer would be like... WELL.... LIKE I HAVEN'T GOT THE SKILL NOR KNOWLEDGE TO DO MY JOB.  Aside from the noise thing, I mean: REALLY?

Okay, back to the noise thing. The chatter usually clutter next to my desk at my chatter coworker workstation. They can spend at least 4 hours daily sitting, talking and laughing next to my desk. I've had it up to here (my head) with them. I mean: FUCK-OFF.

The day I left my earphones at home is the day I curse and usually ends in me buying another pair of earphones. I now officially own 4 earphones, thank you. But how long can my ear tolerate loud volume, I'm not sure. So I initiate in escalating this to the boss without mentioning any name, wouldn't wanna be recognize as the office tattle-tale. As a result there was a rearrangement of office layout, my team move in with me and he moves out with his team (the other chatters). Now they can live chattily ever after.

My most major homework is my team, keeping their spirit up. Not giving them a chance to question our line of work. We have a lot in hand tasks, that are seem to expand more and more each day. While the chatter can refer to working as: we are very relaxed in our work here compared to our previous employee. Gee that's good. MORE CHATTING, EH?

One of these days I will escalate this thing to my boss and see what he will do, considering he is one of the major chatter himself. 

If this issue remains unresolved, I guess, later I would have to escalate to Human Capital on a larger scale, for the continuity of my team.