just when you thought it was finished

I got an interview in Singapore. Well, not actually an interview. I wrote this letter to the head of GlaxoSmithKline in Singapore and told a fib. I said that I would be there in the middle of August, he replied that while he didn't currently have any jobs, he would love to meet with me. . .in SINGAPORE. . .in the middle of AUGUST. So I then had to buy a ticket to Singapore to meet with a man who cannot offer me any jobs. I may not be so awesome at this job hunting thing as I have just paid $730 AUD for this. However, it turns out that it is cheaper to buy a ticket to Kuala Lumpur. Since I would already be in KL, Ayis and I decided to go to Borneo for 2 weeks and then Singapore for a couple of days. I leave for the airport in about 30 minutes.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

the end of an era

It has now been 11 months since I left responsibility sitting on the couch to go and have a peek at the world. I have seen a lot, I have learned a lot, and I have done a lot. While I am currently unemployed and quite broke, I have absolutely no regrets. I have taken 51 flights in 14 countries and countless number of buses, trains, and very dodgy cars. I turned 28 and walked 300 kms. I took 20.28 Gb of pictures. I was awarded a doctorate. As a homage to the past year of trials and tribulations, I would like to share with y'all some of the things I learned.

-patience can be taught

-spit bubbles are the best way to prevent staring

-wet wipes are an extremely valuable commodity

-Israelis are the worst travellers

-sea lions can move fast on land when chasing your mother

-Communists are the best shoppers

-forgiveness can take awhile

-cocaine is made with gasoline and cement

-seat belts are a luxury

-giraffes regurgitate their food

-burning bodies don't smell

-Germans are the worst poker players

-insurance is a waste of money

-Gin is addictive

-the best food comes from a place where English is not understood and hygiene is questionable

-immune systems are meant to be tested

-the best price is obtained by "physical haggling"

-if you faint you may pee your pants

-kava tastes like dirt

-a bucket is an effective door lock

-Poverty is everywhere

-the oldest panda bear is 25

-men love men in gold spandex ladies' pants

-20/20 cricket doesn't make me want to poke my eyes out

-disparity of wealth is the greatest creator of violence

-Immodium really works

-leopards bite when mating

-miming can get you all the basic necessities

-China is polluted

-stalling the engine in a plane can be alot of fun

-Tienanmen square is the largest public square in the world

-you should always keep your receipt for terracotta warriors

-India is dirty

-penguins are the best snorkeling partners

-tortoises drink water

-information control is the major tool of repression

-all countries use puppy dogs to sell toilet paper


-Mr. Bob Squarepants is the happiest sponge I know

China puts the PING in shopping

It has been a whirlwind of sites and activities in China, but a lack of Internet cafes makes posting a bit difficult. Mom and I have now seen the Great Wall, the terracotta warriors, panda bears, Beijing, shanghai, and a bunch of other small cities that I had never heard of. When I say small cities I mean less than 10 million people. Every city we have been to has at least 5 million and they all have several shopping megaplexes. I have now bought an extra suitcase to lug all the stuff I have bought and I haven't even been to Hong Kong yet. My suitcase contains a terracotta warrior (shhhhh), jade dragons, a chess set, 2 purses, 3 pairs of jeans, and chopsticks. Did I mention that I don't have anywhere to live when I return to Sydney so I have no idea what I am going to do with all of this shit (Gramps, you look very pretty today). Last night, we took the dreaded green train to Chongqing. It lasted 14 hours. The smell of the loo made everyone in our bunk sleep with their shirts over their heads as the smell of our stinky armpits was 10 times more fabulous than the ammonia smell. The train had no A/C so we kept our window open to get fresh air, but we spent the entire night going in and out of tunnels and the noise was deafening. Not happy with Intrepid and their supposed mid-class trip. The night before was fabulous! We went to some culture show about the Tang dynasty which I am sure was interesting but I was just there because the Tang people ate the shit out of dumplings. They were fabulous and this small lady just kept bringing more of them. The pork ones were shaped like little pigs and even had mini tails. They had seafood, shrimp, duck, chicken, and vegetable dumplings. All perfectly bite size. I ate until I thought I was going to be sick (in a good way). In the morning, mom and I rented bicycles and cycled the wall around city of xi'an. You get to ride on top of the wall (it is about street width). It even has a moat all the way around it. Disaster Jean's chain fell off a couple of times, but we were able to fix it. This was very fortunate as the wall is a 14 km square and it would have been a long walk back to the bike hire place. Tomorrow we get on a boat for a 3 day cruise down the Yangzi river. Might pull my hair out from boredom, but we will see.