Sick squeak squawk

I am sick. Not fair :(

Nick has gone out to buy me more drugs- bless him. The drugs I have must be working, because when I speak, the only ones to hear pain are those listening to me. My throat is nicely anaesthetised, but I sound AWFUL. Really awful. I've taken to using mime based sign language instead. Then I look completely stupid, so I've taken to staying in bed.

This is not fair. I think I caught cold at Christmas (when I insisted on wearing my pretty summer dress saved for the day, even though it was the coldest Melbourne Christmas on record). Now, with a New Year's Party at our house tomorrow night, I cannot speak, and I have very little energy. This sucks.

Speaking of NYE, does anyone know the best way to secure a piece of string to a skull? Eh, never mind... I'll explain later.

I'm a-going on the railroads...

My train tickets for Europe just arrived. Yay. Have just realised that, between my Europe plane tickets, my and Jackie's New Zealand plane tickets, and my and Lisa's train tickets, there are an awful lots of expensive pieces of paper floating around my house waiting for me to lose them...

Christmas food babies and postponed giraffes

So that's it. Christmas done. Despite the exhaustion from the insane running around I undertook on Christmas Day (Kew - Ringwood - Moorloobark - Bentleigh via partial diversion to Kew - Berwick - Kew via diversion to Resrvoir), as well as a few Xmasy outings on other days, I had a really good Christmas. It was great to see everyone, some really great presents and lots ( AND LOTS) of delicious food. I swear, after eating Christmas lunch followed in quick succession by Christmas dinner, I looked a little pregnant (with a food baby). Ah well, if you can't pig out at Christmas, when can you?

*sigh* The giraffe job (KidzBodz, teaching health at primary schools) has been postponed. The managers were planning to hire me, then replace me for the term I will be in Europe, but apparantly this was a logistical nightmare. Instead, they have made an employment file for me, and promised that if I contact them when I return from Europe, they will get me work, because they love me. Aw. Hope that happens! I am so keen to do this job - dressing up and singing and dancing for little kids? Sounds AWESOME. *ahem* Sorry, let me just compose myself.

Very happy, because when I booked all my train tickets for Europe last week, I forgot to book my return ticket from Paris - London. The sale on Eurostar was supposed to finish Dec 22, but luckily the website had not been updated (ha ha ha) and on Boxing Day I was able to book my train ticket for the special price :) Yay. So soon my tickets should arrive in the mail. How exciting.

It is only two weeks until I go to New Zealand, and about three months until Europe. Seriously, how jealous are you? This is SO exciting!!!!!!!!!! :) I can't wait. Weeehhhh.-

The desensitisation of the Christmas spirit

Have you noticed that Christmas sneaks up on you? When you were little, there was a real sense of anticipation surrounding Christmas, and all the decorations and advertisements only heightened this feeling. But as the Christmas Creep (in which advertising for Christmas becomes earlier and earlier) advances (soon we'll have Christmas adverts straight after the post-Easter sales finish), I am finding myself immune. I have special built in Christmas blinkers.

Christmas is different when you get older. It's not all about the presents (but they are still fun. Don't stop giving me presents!); it's about seeing your family (and spending a fortune in petrol doing so as you drive all over the city); it's about sharing time, gifts and food with your loved ones (and working out how to cook a turkey!?!); and it's about relaxing after the Christmas rush. Isn't that mad? We find that we need the holiday to relieve ourselves from the insanity pre-empting the holiday!

I suggest that some of this insanity is due to the anaesthetising effect of the Christmas Creep. For months there have been Christmas decorations, Christmas sales, Christmas carols in the stores. For months I have been ignoring them. It was only when I coincidentally watched a Christmas episode of a DVD that I realised Christmas was only two weeks away and I hadn't even put up any decorations. I felt so Scrooge-like! Nick has been feeling Christmas-blinkered in much the same way, except that in his case he hasn't had time to finish his Christmas shopping ( I split gift shopping with my siblings, so we have to find a time when we can all shop together, which leads to pretty good organisation to make it happen, preferably early).

This is the seventh Christmas since Nick and I got together; it's the first Christmas we will share in the same city as each other. We've been planning to have dinner together Christmas Eve, and then see friends or Nick's sister. That said, we hadn't made any tangible plans until we realised Christmas was fairly well upon us, resulting in a mad rush to get food (an enormous turkey roll, what will we do with an enormous turkey roll, how do I cook that anyway?!?) and invite people to spend some time with us. Don't even mention the food I haven't yet bought to take to various family gatherings on Christmas day. For all the blatant "Buy this" lines, I have bought very little at all. I have not thought about Christmas sufficiently to organise myself, and now Christmas is a hassle!

Perhaps the Christmas Creep still works on kids, although I doubt it is very effective. Sure, the aim is to make children nag for gifts and sweets. But Christmas advertising used to also make you excited that Christmas, and the associated celebrations and school holidays, were near. When this starts three months before-hand, anticipation can't last. You become blase. Christmas Creep is ruining the thrilling atmosphere of Christmas, and both encouraging and pandering to the me generation who want everything now. These kids don't fully comprehend the joy of sneaking up to the Christmas tree to try and work out which presents are for you. They've been demanding presents for weeks, and it's become boring.

Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe I am really becoming a 'Bah humbug' kind of person. But, then again, there's a present for me under our 'tree'. It's soft, with a strange harder section I can't work out. Maybe the anticipation of Christmas is still there, after all.

Life is a revolving door

Seriously, what is the deal with revolving doors? I mean those4 elctronic ones which constantly circulate, so you have to get in pace with the door and duck in as it swings by... I am currently temping at a place with a revolving door, but probably 90% of people will walk to the conventional dorrs either side and open them. This got me pondering possible reasons for installing a revolving door:

1/ to discourage terrorist attacks. It's very difficult to burst in brandishing bombs and guns and things when you have to slow down to align your step with the speed of an electronic door. And because they're normally glass, you'll be seen before you can use the element of surprise.

2/ hygiene? Maybe it's better not to touch the doors? I don't know...

3/ you're really busy and don't have time to talk to people, so you have them on high rotation. This way, they're not allowed out of the door, they just call out their greetings as they shuffle past.

4/ to discourage people getting to know each other, by seperating them each into their own door-copartment. This way, when they get to their individual cubicles, they are used to the isolation and don't waste precious work-moments on pointless diversions such as conversation.

5/ as the designer of the door, you are just a nasty eprson who laughs at other people's discomfort; either confusion and panic as they try to enter and exit the door; or nausea as they find it all too much and just keep gong round and round...

6/ it's actually a piece of installation art

7/ the revolving door is a subtle and overlooked artistic metaphor fof life itself, and the neverending inanity we fill our lives with.

Yeah. Deep, huh? I still don't get the point of them.

Concert review(s)

Kylie was spectacular.

Robbie was f*cking awesome.






Oh, ok, I'll say some more. I loved both these shows. People keep asking me which was better, but I think they were such different shows that it's hard to compare.

Kylie was actually A Spectacular (noun, as opposed to adjective)- amazing costumes and dancers and set. You were watching a full stage show, not just a single performer. And the crows were completely flamboyant too, so many people dressed up purty. Kylie's show was emotional because she'd been sick, yada yada, and it was the last of her Homecoming tour in her home town. Aw. Imo and I managed to sneak ourselves up to the stage area for the second half and it was SO MUCH FUN. And I got on the big screen... because I was standing behind flamboyantly dressed people... Still, it seems to be my week for being on screen. Apparently I was on Channel Nine news last Thursday, counting votes.

Robbie's show had the most amazing energy! He is such a performer, the whole time. It was great to jump and shout, and it was such a huge crowd (66,500), so it was fantastic to be a part of. He was also emotional, as he's been touring for 11months or something, and last night was the last show of his world tour. Awesome. My favourite thing about Robbie's music is that it's credible pop music. Robbie is nothing like the boyband stereotype pop singer (even thought he was one, and crows about his boyband past); he's rude, crude and, in his words, 'not a role model.' He's essentially the Anti-Pop. And if a guy like that can write pop music, surely it's fine to like it. He validates his own music. Cool.

Sadly, there was no cross pollination between Robbie's and Kylie's shows (ie either of them gracing the other's concert with their presence), but both of them sang Kids (their duet), Kylie with her sister Dannii (which my sister hated, and my brother loved), and Robbie with a bevvy of backing singers who were not as cool as Kylie.

And that was that. Now I have to work very hard to pay my sister back all the money she lent me to go to these two awesome concerts. *sigh*

Robeeeeeeeeeee

(Yes, also without an i. There is no i in 'eeeeeeeee', is there?!)

Oh my goodness. Now I'm going to Robbie Williams tomorrow night. I owe my sister so much money now... oh dear.

Some might think it ridiculous that I don't have a full time job, and yet am going to two concerts in a row, and have two overseas holidays coming up in the next six months. I would be one of these people. I also find it hilarious. And awesome.

Oh well... after years of living a safe and fairly sedate life, I am taking some financial risks. Good god it's scary! I'll just think of Robbie and Kylie and embrace the warm fuzzy feeling pop music provides. Ahhhh.....

Kyleeeeeeeeee

Weeheeh. I am going to Kylie tonight. I am currently of the opinion that happening upon tickets at the last minute is far more exciting than knowing for months you'll be attending a concert. Shannon had bought tix for a friend to surprise his girlfriend. Surprise was on him- his girlfriend hates Kylie and refused to go. So now I have Kylie tickets on a long term payment plan (thanx Shannon). Weeheeh. I'm particularly excited because I had tickets to her last show before she got sick and cancelled :( But we have awesome tickets, gold 'standing' room (which actually has seating, but we're going to run up and beat all the gay boys to the stage. There will probably be nasty bitch fights. Gay boys fight nasty. Sorry Rob, but you do). Weeheeh.

It'll also be fun to go to work the next morning... oy, starting a three week assignment 9 hours after a pop concert ends. Bad idea.

Madness and mourning

Sometimes I think I may be nuts... (I want NO comments agreeing with that statement please...) I am working 9-5 today, and then hitting the city to work 6-12 recounting votes (Thanks Bracksy). A fourteen hour working day. Yeah, good one Nai. Oh well, all that's on for tomorrow is blood donationin the afternoon, so at least I can sleep in. And then I have two interviews on Friday, so I won't be working then either. Which means today is my only working day this week. Suddenly signing on for fourteen hours work seems financially responsible, not completely insane.

So I've taken to hanging out at the local cemetery. It's not so morbid as it sounds, really. I actually find cemeteries very peaceful, and I love looking at gravestones and stuff. Ok, maybe I'm a little morbid...

I've become fascinated with a huge temple-tomb in the centre of Boroondara/ Kew Cemetery. It is the most amazing tomb I have ever seen- huge columns bearing a massive stained glass arched roof, over a beautiful marble sculpture of the mourned woman, an angel and 'human sorrow'. Poetry and inscriptions in English, Greek and Latin cover the Greek style tomb, two facing mourner's seats, a sundial and a gate. Yet nowhere is the deceased named: all that is listed are her dates of birth, marriage and burial; eerily all falling on January 26, 1867, 1887 and 1897 respectively. I had thought to investigate this site and write a blog about it, but it turns out that, unsurprisingly, someone has already done so. You really should check out this blog, if only for he great pictures of this beautiful structure.

Turns out that Melbourne doctor John Springthorpe commissioned the temple-like structure to mark the passing of his beloved wife, Annie, during childbirth. He spent a huge sum of money casting her image in marble and creatign the surrounding gardens, and the next twenty years of his life actively grieving her passing. You can read more about his obsessive and, frankly, creepy period of mourning in this article from The Age, or get the short of it from this wikipedia entry on the 'Melbourne Taj Mahal'

POSTSCRIPT: I actually worked 17 hours- til 3am! Ugh.

When I was a giraffe

So, I had an interview today for a program called KidzBodz. Do you remember Harold the Giraffe who went around primary schools in the Life Ed Van (when I asked my sister this question, she thought I'd asked if she remembered when I was a giraffe. She doesn't remember when that happened...)? KidzBodz is a little similar- minus the giraffe, sadly, but going to different schools teaching Health Ed stuff. Energetic, fun, set your own hours sort of stuff.

Last minute yesterday I decided to make a slide show of me, as all I knew about the interview was that I'd have fifteen minutes in which to 'sell myself'. Turns out that slap-dash slide show was the best thing I could have done- I have a second interview on Friday, and have been told that I set the bar and no-one else they interviewed matched it, let alone raised it. They also advised me that the Eastern region of Melbourne job was pretty much mine if I wanted it. Woohoo much! So, I'm not counting my chickens, something could go insanely wrong... but I think I'll get an ABN, because I'll need one for this job. Argh!

The interview was out near DFO, so of course I had to go shopping, so I also bought a pair of jeans for not too many $. Yay. And I'm working tomorrow. More yay.

A mish-mash of facts

I feel the need to clarify my working position, as I seem to have confused people. I do not have a job. I was offered a job, accepted it, then thought better of it and quit on the morning of my first day (yeah, they love me there...). I am working temp reception and admin, which means that one of my various temp agencies (I'm with about three hundred now) calls me when they have work. Temp work can vary from a year's work, a month's, a week's or, in most of my recent jobs, a day's. I have worked three days in the last four weeks :(

However, I am enjoying drinking wine on my balcony, a book in hand... I am just cutting into my travel funds to pay for my wine, which is bad.

Considering the threat to my wine supplies, I was hoping to win the enormous kitty in our post-Bond poker game on Friday. Alas, this was not to be. But Nick did win, so he bought me dinner on Saturday. Yay!

Also yay was the fact that we got a few of our friends out to swing dancing at Speigeltent this week. Scatpack, including Nick's and my teachers Noni and Josh, performed, and despite being 37 degrees outside, god only knows how much hotter inside, the afternoon was stacks of fun. Sai has already taken a few swing classes following his previous Sing at Speigel outings with us, and now Paul and Deb are expressing an interest. As a result, we may get a gang together at the CBD location over summer. Yay!

I'm too scared to go outside right now. Last time I was out (a few hours ago) it was supposedly 41 degrees. The smoke haze from the bush fires means there's no direct, piercing sun, but instead the smoke is like a blanket, holding the heat in. It's quite intense, although I imagine it's far worse for the many people affected by the actual fires, not just the smoke.

And to finish on a random note, today I made apple and strawberry pies, and they were yum. That's all!

Selling myself

In interviews, I mean. Have two interviews lined up for next week, which is GOOD :)

The first one is at Deakin, and while it's a permanent role, I won't be insanely overworked like the last permanent job I accepted then changed my mind over. It's only three days a week, which would be GREAT, and I think the $ will be better than stingy international school (VIT).

The next interview is for a program called KidzBodz, which is a teaching program that goes to primary schools and teaches kids about healthy lifestyles- eating, exercise, no drugs, etc. I'd like this one, as it's casual- based on as many schools as I book - and they already know I am going to be away for Term 2, but still gave me an interview. I hope it goes well, it would be lots of fun (they expect you to have drama/ performance experience), and the experience of both working in primary schools and teaching health would be GREAT for my CV.

In other news, tomorrow I am driving to Thomastown to do a reception shift. This is what happens when you only get two days work over four weeks- you become prepared to drive crazy distances for a decent wage. Oh well, at least it'll pay for my 80 meals dinner this week and my ticket to Casino Royale tomorrow night. And my share of the poker kitty afterwards...

Countable nouns: poker chips; plastic soldiers; election ballots

I discovered on Saturday that I'm not bad at poker. At the very least, I'm not bad at poker when the person with many, many chips has to go home and starts betting all in, and others try to bluff to get them. :) I'm probably not the poker queen just yet. I'm also not quite the queen of world domination (I also played Risk for the first time on Saturday), but that was a lot of fun, so I plan to try again at that! I enjoy conquering the world... but the game gets really boring if you get wiped out while plays still going on. Oh well.

I'm also not bad at counting votes. Yesterday I did some work for the Victorian Electoral Commission, counting the data to be given to the data-enterers (of which I neveer had the chance to be a part- there was insufficient workload. Bummer, it would have been good money).

I do not understand why it seems so hard to get temp work right now? It's leading up to xmas, and I am registered with just about every agency you can imagine, but they keep telling me they only have permanent work. It's enough to make a girl look back semi-regretfully at the sucky job she quit at the last minute...

In UPPER news, Nick won Temptation. He's still only got a pen as a prize, but he's coming back next year (while I'm in New Zealand) to win the lot. Right honey? And he was so right to turn down the prize they offered- it was this super fancy shiny big barbecue. Not only did the BBQ look fancy than anything we own, we don't have anywhere to put it. It would fill our whole balcony, although there was a suggestion we could turn the sausages through the window...

I'm also fairly excited about my AP role. Lots of stuff for me to do, most of it the boring admin stuff many would turn their noses up at but hey- it's to do with theatre, so it's THAT much cooler :)

Prioritising

So I made a difficult decision last night: the role at the VIT was looking to be 8.5 to 9 hour working days, with only a half hour lunch break. While I'd be prepared to put in these hours for something I was really passionate about, or for super-duper big bucks, this role represented neither of these.

Considering that the AP role I'm looking at is going to be something I enjoy (theatre), and may require more time than I could have allowed with the long working hours of the VIT role; and considering that I am determined to slot right in to Gen X/Y, and 'work to live' rather than 'live to work', I just rang the dude at VIT and quit. Funnily enough, he didn't sound surprised, just flatly expectant. Nick reckons that's cos he knew he was ripping me off :P

:( Negatives of this decision: I no longer work down the road from Caroline; I won't have guaranteed pay over Christmas, including public holiday pay; I just bought and validated a monthly bloody tram ticket.

:) Positives of this: I just had a bad feeling about this place, and really suspect they were going to work me into the ground; I think I was totally getting ripped off on the salary; I no longer have to feel guilty about quitting a permanent position to go overseas; I won't have to remember not to mention my trip (which is proving most difficult); I will not be working behind a snack machine with tempting chippies, chocolate and Starburst jelly babies; I will earn a better rate working temp than I was going to working full time- realistically sick leave means nothing to me, as I never take time off anyway; I like the flexibility of temp work.

Thanks heavens for small mercies...

Is this a dagger I see before me?

Memo from the Assistant Producer of Macbeth: The Contemporary Rock Opera.

DUDE! I am the afrorementioned AP! What the? I auditioned for a role, was totally nowhere near as good as chicks who still take singing lessons and have performed in pantos and shit in England, but my bogus Theatre resume (all truth, just written so I look awesome) made the producer think I knew heaps of shit and here I am. Woah. I hope I don't cock-up big time.

Oh yeah. It's unpaid. Of course.

But I also start a new job on Friday, as general shitkicker (sorry, Student Services Officer. Whatever) for Victorian Institute of Technology. I hope this was a good idea. At least I'll get paid for Christmas.

Set in Plastic

Well, it's set. I am most definitely going to both Europe and New Zealand next year... unless my credit company recalls my trips.

Yup, today I booked my flights to London (April 4-June 20, I'll be back for a jet-lagged celebration of my 25th birthday), and to New Zealand (January). My credit card is weeping, but I am so excited, I just don't care!

I also have an almost certain job for next year, working for the Victorian Institute of Technology. I feel a little bad, cos it's a permanent role... and I'll have to quit to go to Europe... but it's Europe! And it's a job, which I need. Have another temp job lined up for a few weeks in December, so I may not have to claim myself completely destitute just yet. Oh the irony of having no money, and two overseas flights booked and paid for.

I still haven't worked out the best Eurail pass to get yet... it's SO confusing!

Election putty and gingerbread cookies... that's what our state is made of

Wow. I can't say that last night was a typical Saturday night (well, except for the common factors of dining with Caroline, Rami, Nick and Sai. And bagging out young girls in ridiculously small outfits). Following our trek around Chinatown for Hong Kong cuisine, and a stroll down to Southbank to eat awesome gelati at the Tutto Bene gelato bar, Rami suggested we stroll towards Jeff's Shed.

But no, readers, do not suspect Rami was steering us towards 'Sexpo'. In fact, he was not even hinting at venturing into the 'International Clothing and Textpo'. No. I am almost ashamed to say that I rounded off my big Saturday night with a visit to what we have fondly dubbed 'Elexpo'.

For those of you who missed it, there was a bit of a tiny vote-fest on yesterday in the state of Victoria. Blessed are we that no more will Ted be damaging our retinas with the image of him clad only in budgie smugglers. Blessed am I that I never actually heard him croon Elvis tunes, and merely giggled at pictures of him mid-ridiculous-twist. And blessed were we who ventured into the Shed of Jeff, housing last night the Election 07 Tally Room.

Not only did we receive spiritual blessings in learning of the downfall of the snake-like Ted (I don't like him much...), we were physically rewarded for our devotion to the vote counting: the claymation ads of a purple Victoria being shaped had morphed into Election putty in plastic containers, and edible, purple-iced, gingerbread Victoria cookies. I ate Mildura.

We also got a better stash in the plebs public seating than was received in the guest seating. Oh yes, we were graced with canvas bags proclaiming 150 proud years of Victorian Parliament. These were perfect in which to store our dual purpose Victorian Parliament posters, which served very well as Rami whacking devices (a passing roller blader even chased Rami with one such poster, after Rami pretended to push her down an incline).

And if that weren't all, Rami shared a urinal with Kerry O'Brien, and we all whispered and pointed very surreptitiously as that newsreader from Channel 2 walked past.

So no-one had suggest that I don't know how to have a big Saturday night out! Wooh....

*woot woot*

Just wanted to post and say *woot* cos I am so travelling next year and that's very very cool. And to ensure there will be no repeats of the sucky alone-ness of Indonesia, here are a few travel friends I prepared earlier!

*Jackie* New Zealand in January. Two weeks f*cking around on the South Island, basically. Yeah!

*Lisa* Europe in April - June-ish. Two-three months (depending on when the $ runs out) checking out the beer in the following countries: France; Belgium; Denmark; Germany; Austria; Spain; Portugal; and possibly Italy, depending on when the lovely Kathleen arrives there.

I've been to STA travel today checking out flight prices (not TOO ouchy). And then I applied for loads of temp jobs, cos I need money now. *wheeh* I am going to work out which Eurail pass I should buy. Going overseas! Yeah!

Noisy days and spendy nights

At present, Nick and I are being lulled by the soothing sounds of... a chainsaw. Yeah, props to our real estate agent for letting us know that Jim's Fencing (is there ANY INDUSTRY PIE that Jim DOESN'T have a finger in?) would be popping by to park a big mofo truck or two backing onto our window, leaving piles of palings in front of our balcony and tearing down the fence next to our flat with loud, dangerous power tools.

Because of the general serenity this caused at our humble abode, we headed of to Brunswick St to enjoy tea in a more peaceful surrounding (amazing how constant traffic, trams and idiots going on about how annoying it was that their friend spouted all "Eastern mythicism" pretension when he took drugs could be more calming than our own house...). Running on the tea theme, we also popped into T2, where we were convinced to buy yummy Marakech tea (gunpowder green and lots of mint... tastes like the tea they serve at Morroccan Soup Bar and YUMMY), a special strainer for preparing sensitive green tea, and to whence I shall be retrurning today with my resume. Seriously, apart from a store that also combined chocolate and books, could there be a better place for me to work? Plus I totally don't have a job, so any work is good. Thank god I've got a day's temping tomorrow at Fenton's, where I was working after my Return to Oz.

Anyway, yesterday finished on a Marathon- the Chaddy VIP night, where my sister and I actively shopped (as opposed to pleasant, harmonious browsing) for four hours straight. Kudos to Chaddy for better than usual freebies (three glasses of reasonable white wine, one glass of ordinary red, four packs of cheese and crackers and two donuts. Why buy dinner?), and yay for having basically finished the xmas shopping in impressive bargain hunting style. I also now have an awesome hand luggage case for Europe, as I've come to conclusion that my Flying Purple People Eater (Enormous purple suitcase lugged to Indonesia) really is too Enormous (capitals deliberate) to take to Europe, so I'll be taking my fab new hand luggage and supplementing it with the backpack my nana took to Europe twenty years ago. Vintage. Awesome. Still works fine. They just don't make things they way they used to...

So you think you can dance?

Just enjoyed a most amusing night in Geelong- went to Irish Murphy's (the local Irish pub, complete with high ratio of bogans to normal folk) to watch my friend's friend's band play. The following rare, and rather priceless, specimens were spotted:

Spidey-man: This guy was spotted on a previous evening at the pub readin comics at the bar. When thanked for making room for my friend to get to the bar, he replied, "Don't thank me... thank Spider Man." Loser. Dances in a style somewhat similar to hip hop dancing monkeys.

The Angry Man: Clearly experiencing issues with another male in his territory, The Angry Man states his superiority by stamping his foot and hollering the lyrics to the song being played, while glaring dagger eyes at his foe. This stylised dance ritual is both fascinating and disturbing. Watch from a distance.

Pogo-Stick Man: Has an aversion to having both feet on the floor at once, and thus attempts to keep as much of his bhody in the air at one time as is possible. Jumping on one foot is acceptable. Often spotted with Spidey-Man and Rotund Grotty Thing.

Rotund Grotty Thing: Mating ritual involves barging into females in the vicinity, groping them once they are inebriated, and performing lewd gestures with tongue behind the heads of unsuspecting women. Thoroughly disgusting creature, best avoided, as is too drunk/ stupid to understand directions to somewhere far far away from the female personage being pursued.

Footloose: A grand exhibitionist from the early Bacon Era, Footloose gets groovy in a foot flapping frenzy sometimes reminiscent of Riverdance, sometimes MC Hammer, sometimes a frog in a blender. Hours of quality entertainment.

I love Geelong.

*sigh* ah well

This week has not gone quite to plan!

1) Level 2 of swing dance was TERRIFYING! Turns out we chose to move at a bad time (mid dance sequence), and we will be cowering back in level one for a few weeks longer.

2) Twp job interviews, but no job. Both were for different branches of a temp agency, so I’ll have more people on the look out for work for me, which is good.

3) I was one question short from getting onto Temptation. I’ll just have to try again for my chance to win a ride on mower.

And there have been a few surprises.

1) I got a call from a school in Alice Springs asking if I was still interested in teaching in Northern Territory. I have had my name on the register for so long with no contact, I had forgotten all about it, and never removed myself. But I think I am committed to travel with Lisa. Plus if I move to NT I want Nick to come with me. But I’ll so try for it again, it would be awesome J
2) I am auditioning for a rock opera on Saturday :P It’s probably a bit out of my league, but what the hell. However, they want me to bring a head shot (which I don’t have) and my CV (which I have, but no printer to print it out on). Plus I don’t have any piano music, so I’m just hoping acapella will be ok.

What a weird week.

In between jobs

Ah yes, at the end of today I will once more be 'between jobs'. Well, I decided I wanted a week off anyway, so that's not so bad. It's going to be a combination of relaxation, continued unpacking of boxes (I miss my books, they don't deserve to be all cramped like that, the poor things), job seeking, attempting to write a 50,000 word novel and running around frantically. My schedule for the next week or so:

Saturday: Visit Glenferrie Road, where I have discovered there is an Indonesian Supermarket as well as a bunch of Indo cafes and a bakery (I knew about the bakery). Go figure that I live in an Indonesian hub of Melbourne and never realised. Huh. Also on the schedule for Saturday is visiting Vietnam for pho, preferably without tripe and blood.

Sunday/ Monday: Nothing. How good is that?!

Tuesday: Double swing class, moving us up to Level 2. After a week of no swing, I am excited. Have given up on Spiegel classes, as they work on the theory you have attended no classes at all, including the previous Speigel classes. This means I have learned four super basic Charleston variations. So I'll attend Speigel class next time Scat Pack is performing, just cos they're great to watch. That said, it was fun to discover Gene's family friend Loz from Geelong teaching the most recent Speigel class.

Wednesday: Nothing but an osteo appointment, to which I am looking forward with great anticipation.

Thursday: Nothing but AN AUDITION FOR TEMPTATION! Yup, following in my boyfriend's footsteps (who, incidentally, will tell me nothing about his featuring on Temptation except that I will have to watch on December 1... Oh and that he thinks he made a goose of himself), I will be sitting the quiz to see if I am clever enough to be on that super exciting quiz show. Let's hope, now that I've put it out there in the public realm, that I actually get on... this could be embarrassing.

Friday: Heading back to Geelong, where I will hang out at my old high school. Yah. Cool, huh? *sigh* No, actually, I am speaking to an Indonesian class about my Indonesian trip. Then I'll be hanging out with Jack, checking out her new house (which she owns, not rents. Wooh!), and trying to convince her we should visit her parents for dinner.

(Following) Saturday: Trip #2 to Vietnam. Rice and curries and claypots (oh how I love claypots. Did I mention that my favourite restaurant in Kew, which served the most awesome pork claypot ever, has become a nobby Kew style Chinese restaurant? Complete with Kew decor, Kew prices, and Kew ignore-the-young-customers attitude. *sigh*).

(Following) Sunday: Christmas in November. Family thing to celebrate my Queensland relos visit to Victoria. Normally Queensland is so behind, and yet this year they're a month early for xmas. Unless they're just really late for last xmas... AND, the reason I really went through the whole week... U2!!!!!!!!! Yay! We can redeem our extremely expensive tickets, and sit so close to the stage that we'll be able to smell the B-grade celebrities who get freebie front row tickets!

And that is my life. Hopefully (Following) Monday includes starting a new job.

And they're racing!

Cup Day, 70s day, was plastic, man, plastic. Just wanted to post a few totally disco shots of this gravy party. Thanks for coming, lots of fun, guys! Thanks also to Dom for not throwing his prize, won buying the first place horse (Delta Blues), out of his car window as he had threatened. The shrimp farming paisely elephant door snake now resides at our pad, where we love it.

n.b. 70s lingo lists were posted around the house. You can get your translations here.

Let's go shopping

Hee hee hee. My boyfriend is at Channel Nine Studios right now: possibly winning the jackpot on Sale of the Century (oh, alright, Temptation); possibly just waiting around and hoping he doesn't get put up against a really fast champ; possibly calling the host Larry, although his name is Ed; possibly just drinking their coffee, only to be sent home at the of a day of waiting. Who knows. But he's in there with three changes of clothes, and a weekend's worth of mass Age Superquiz practice under his belt.

Go Nick! Win me that wine fridge (essentially a bar fridge, but how totally borgeouis to have a fridge specifically for wine. I love it)!

Things I currently think are awesome

• Paper clip holders. The one at work is great- it has a hole in the top that is magnetised, so that you tip up the box and the paper clips stick to the edges of the hole for easy access.
• Egg, cheese and Vegemite jaffles. No really. I don’t remember who recommended Vegemite and egg to me; I just remembered I scoffed and swore not to try it. I now regret the time wasted which could have been spent eating these delicious creations.
• ‘Children of Men.’ A friend recommended this movie to me when I’d been back in Australia for less than a week, and had no idea what day it was, let alone what was on at the movies. It is fantastic, one of the best movies I have seen in ages. It left me speechless (THAT’S how powerful I found it!). Set in a dystopian future which seems scarily possible, it looks at fear of ‘the other’ and that we are all the same on some level; that communication goes beyond words, and that without empathy the human race cannot survive.
• Meals without menus. Last night we ate Lao food, which was great, because the restaurant made us a special meal. This meant we had no idea what we were eating, we just tried it. Great fun.
• Eating with my hands. Again a reference to the Lao meal, with sticky rice and dishes made for consumption with the hands. So much fun, and it feels quite natural after my practice in Indonesia.
• Starburst Jelly Babies. So fruity.
• Gmail. With all the insane debate/ rant/ conversations my friends have, I constantly praise my email service which sorts things into conversations, meaning I have 3 active conversations in my inbox, rather than 162 new emails. Makes so much sense (No, I am not being paid by Gmail. But if they offer me money, I WILL accept it).
• Swing dancing. It’s just great fun. I am cut because there is a beginners aerials (where the girl gets thrown in the air, basically) class this weekend, but I am booked in for other things. Yay for swing dance at Spiegeltent, which means more of my friends come along and are considering trying classes. Yay for Nick and I deciding to go up a level to intermediate- this will be in two Tuesdays. Wish us luck.
• Random wine purchases that come good. Enough said.
• Melbourne Cup Day. A day off for horses. I can’t love it enough. I could only love it more if I were being paid.
• My crazy 70s dress for Cup Day. I have decided to shorten it to make it even groovier (if that is possible, it’s so groovy, it is hideous. Literally). I have also come to the realisation that it is HAND MADE. I don’t known if that makes it more or less acceptable to cut up. A vintage, hand made creation. But it only cost five bucks…Chocolate. I sat in the sun yesterday and contemplated how wonderful it is, and how wonderful it makes me feel. Bless.

Present and Future Tense

OK anyone still reading my blog now I'm back in Melbourne- my apologies for complete lack of posting. Originally I blamed Nick for taking the computer on holiday (lucky computer), but he's been back an entire 5 days and I still haven't blogged. I know, slack. I should be poked with sharp sticks. Or something.

So I've been home three weeks. Only three weeks. In some ways it feels like I never actually left. In other ways it feels like I must have been away for years, because everything is weird. I'm sure that will pass. That or I'll just go away again so I have valid reason for feeling like a foreigner...

Plans for this are already in the works. I figure that, as I was supposed to be away until next August anyway, the rest of this year is prime travel time (Hey, I've got non-refundable travel insurance until mid August! Might as well use it). Hence I am planning to hang out in Europe with Lisa from April til June-ish (France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, anywhere else we get around to). If finances permit (which means working like a dog in the hope of this, but ok!), I want to visit New Zealand and WA or NT for a few weeks/ month each. We'll see how we go. I had vague aspriations of spending New Year's in New Zealand, but then Rami suggested having a bouncy castle in his parent's backyard. I really like bouncy castles...

I am back temping, receptionist extraordinaire. I've looked at teaching jobs, but, because it's the end of the year, there isn't much work around. Plenty of ads for next year, but I really only want first term work so I can travel, and most jobs at the moment are full year positions. But I'll keep looking. I'd rather be temping than teaching, but I'd rather be travelling than teaching. Priorities :P

Trying to stave off 'myeh'ness (This is a condition which involves me looking at options for my life- long and short term- and responding with verbal 'myeh' and mental dejection). Hoping to learn a language, or find an Indonesian cooking class, or do a wine tasting course, or, I don't know, write a novel in November. Something that will interest me for longer than my current goldfish attention span.

Cup Day is coming up :) Yay for days off to watch small, brightly coloured men clinging to speeding horses. I have bought an utterly hideous dress for cup day- but don't worry, that's deliberate. Our Cup Day party is 70s themed. Now that's something they don't get in Indonesia- dress ups. *sigh* I KNEW there was a reason I came home! :)

Waktu untuk pulang

(Time to return home)

This was my my final journal entry in Indonesia, written in the plane as we took off.

Day 59. Ultimate. In some ways I wish it wasn't. I'm feeling very weak, like I should have been able to make it longer. I really think I would have gone mad if I'd stayed a year: but the realisation that I can speak ok Indonesian; the knowledge that my students and new friends actually care and will miss me; and the feeling that I would have in some way proven myself make me feel sad to leave. I feel a bit ashamed to be crawling home with my tail between my legs.

I keep telling myself that the circumstances were ridiculous: completely alone; crap house; crap working hours; feeling scared everytime I heard a noise at night; feeling both intensely grateful for any form of friendship, yet frustrated by the over-attention that comes from a relationship with Indonesians (they are INTENSE people, and have no idea about alone time, or privacy or anything). I can't but feel disappointed. I am sad both because I feel bad to have upset so many people, and because I just want a hug from someone I know!

I'm feeling more emotional than I have for most of my trip- barring the first week, of course! I know I'll miss more than my balcony! N.B. Early in my trip, I wrote a list of things I thought I'd miss in Indonesia. The main thing was the balcony near my room, which had an interesting view, and nice breezes.

I am going to most miss the relaxed atmosphere of Indonesia. It is a place where someone is always late, and time is truly elastic; where everything can be rixed by crossing the right person's palm with silver. I am going to miss the complexities of life, paradoxical, really for such a simple lifestyle. People are obsessed with technology, to the point where it was considered 'impossible' for me to not have a mobile; yet people live in squalor. They are fiercely proud of the natural beauty of their country, but destroy it daily, be it through littering or slash and burn farming. It's a country where people do not understand the need for 'alone time', but expect you to live sendiri (alone), and where the locals are both overwhelmingly welcoming and shockingly rude all at once. It's a weird, beautiful, terrible, amazing place. I am definitely coming back here.

So. Back home. Back to the grind, the familiarity, the anonymity on a crowded street, the certainty I am not being fleeced because of my skin colour, nor am I getting special treatment because of it! I actually really can't wait to travel... tapi aku juga senang sekalia untuk pulang! ('but I am very happy to return home'...)

The word 'pulang' means 'to return home', a concept for which we do not have a single word in English. I think this is because we don't regard home as an element central to our being. It's strange, being abroad made me so much more patriotic. I wasn't homesick, but I was so home-proud. At the zoo, the animals I spent most time with were the kangaroos and the cocky, because, you know, we had this deep Australian connection. Yeah...

Self reflection

I wrote this about two weeks into my trip, and I don't think my feelings have changed too much. Anything in italics is a present addition to a six week old journal entry.

Is it possible to find oneself by removing all familiar aspects of one's life? In losing myself in a foreign country, I am hoping to learn who I am at my core. So far I have confirmed (but not newly discovered, I kind of knew these things already):

-I love teaching. I love learning. I love challenging people to think and discover and want to know more. I love spending time with children, and teenagers.

-I am such a people person. I wish I had someone to share my experiences with. It would make them more beautiful than they are. They don't seem fully lived on my own. Having been on my own, I know I can do it alone, but I don't enjoy it. I am independent enough to cope, but I think life should be about enjoyment, not functioning.

-I set myself very high expectations. I expect too much of myself. I need to learn to take baby steps. I need to be realistic. I need to cut myself some slack. It was SO hard to decide to come home, because of my stubborness and self expectation. I thought I could do this, and therefore I was NOT whimping out. I'm still having waves of shame for coming home, even though I know I would have been miserable staying a year.

-I rush too much. I need to relax. Indonesian society is much slower than Australia. I enjoy that.

-I love language. My refuge, when things become difficult, is to read. Now I am a bit more comfortable here, I am revelling in becoming involved in the language. I'd like to study languages when I come home. The need to communicate is an intense part of who I am.

- I am emotional and affectionate. Sometimes this clouds my judgement, but it is a large part of who I am. It makes me generous and friendly. I value these traits in others, I should learn to value them mor ein myself.

-I actually really enjoy travelling. I love the unfamiliarity and unexpected landscapes and situations.

- I love animals. I wanna get me apet! And I want to do more to protect animals and their habitats. This was said because animals are treated really poorly in Indonesia. The zoo at Bukitinggi made me cry- just concrete pits with listless animals at the bottom. Dogs live in tiny cages, or chained in concrete yards. It's really sad.

-I am very fortunate. I have loving friends and family. I do not want for essentials. I have opportunities to travel, to educate myself, to make my own choices. In a first world country, we can forget how valuable these things are. They make a true world of difference.

-I am stronger than I often give myself credit for.

Displaced

Ha, culture shock coming into Singapore, much! My aunt Jenny had booked a hotel room- we were meant to stay together, but the incompetence personified that is British Airways messed that up- and it was pretty fancy :) So I went from lugging a 30kilo suitcase down flights of stairs to having bellboys at my command; from washing with buckets of cold water to a HOT massagehead shower and a swimming pool; from crazy Indo TV to cable in stacks o languages, including Australian TV (Hee hee, 'We could be heroes' is funny...); from no food available during Ramadhan to six restaurants within the hotel, and the most yummy roast duck for dinner. Mmmm.

Wandered the scarily expensive malls on Orchard Rd (HOW can there be so many Guccis and Louis Vittons in one strip???), wondered why Kate Moss seemed so overexposed (I guess Cocaine Chic is the new cool in the modelling world), bought myself a belt because I've lost a bit of weight. Then caught the MRT to the harbour, where I photographed the merlion, repelled the advances of a sleazy Indian guy, and visited the Asian Civilisations Museum, which I think may be the best museum I have visited.

Now I'm home. I'm tired, because I can't sleep on flights and my body aches (lack of sleep and cramped confines, I think). It's nice to be home, but so weird. Things feel familiar, but strange. My house feels EMPTY (but at least it's MY empty house, that's a step up on an empty Indonesian house). I am cold, and I crave rice! Half of my stuff is in boxes, including my clothes suited for today's cool weather, and I MUST have adjusted to the humidity because I am seriously cold. I feel much better when I am talking to people, so I will just have to try and up the socialisation!

Like Dorothy said, there's no place like home. I was starting to like the other place, and I want to see lots more places that are nothing like home. Right now I just want some people to make my house feel like home (a la The Castle :P). And some rice! :)

It's hard to say goodbye...

Wow, it's surprisingly difficult to leave my classes. I've only taught them for two months, two or three classes a week. But I am quite sad to leave them, and many of my students have been genuinely disappointed to see me go. I don't want to blow my own trumpet (oh, ok: toot!), but they didn't react like this when my predecessor left. So I think I was successful in my job. Yay :)

I am also saying goodbye to the idea of working at University Andalas. Positives: it would be great experience; it would look so impressive on a resume; I already know Padang, so it won't be a whole new shock; the support at the uni will be better than here; I will get to see my friends again; the university provides on campus accomodation. Negatives: accomodation is pretty much ALL they provide! That, and a transportation allowance. Yeah, turns out that's why they have teachers who are not trained, it's a stipend position. Blah, forget that. My friend insists she is going to talk to the Dean about it, but I think I'm giving up on that idea.

So today is my last one teaching here. I know my conversation class have a gift for me (Indonesians are so bad at being sneaky), which is sweet. And the staff here were concerned that I wasn't having a farewell party (I invited them down to the cafe where Kenny and I will be swilling cheap beer together after class). My high school friend has been leaving notes under my door saying he'll miss me (sweet, but kinda irritating!), and yesterday I met Ricky's niece, who decided she loved me and kept leaping on me when I said I had to go to work. I've made a surprising impression in only two months. I hadn't realised it, and feel a little bad to be leaving people. But, in the end, the people I love aren't here. So I'll see you all in a few days. Malam, Padang! Sampai nanti!

P.S. I thought Indonesia was giving me a grand old send off- yesterday I wwas completely convinced I had gastro! After two months of being fine and healthy! But I'm ok today, maybe it was a 24hour thing. Phew. That could have been a fun plane trip...

P.P.S. If you've heard about mudslides, they're in Java. It's a different island. And they've been going on for months, they must have gotten worse if they're in international news. They've tried everything to stop them- including inviting psychics to try and quell the spirits of the mud, who are apparently angry that corrupt people are doing bad things in town. Yeah. I love Indonesia!

Opportunities.

OK, so that was a big weekend. I had planned to tell Liena, my boss, on Friday that I was leaving, but she wasn't in. So, Saturday morning, having woken up with an aching jaw from stress related teeth clenching, I decided to head in early and tell her. Well, it went surprising better than expected. Wish I hadn't almost cried- I suck at confrontation. But Liena was pretty good about it- I think she is aware of just how far she was pushing me, maybe she'd expected this?- and even said I can come back to teach for her at a later stage if I'd like. So I guess my chance of getting another job at an EF school is not screwed after all. In fact, Liena says she'd like it if I came back with a friend or Nick- that way she has two teachers at once, and knows they are not lonely. Opportunity #1, return to ESL teaching, and franchising out my friends :)

I have fit in lots of "quick, see it before you go" type activities this weekend. Visited Joko's house and family (this is my high school kid friend), went to the local museum here (which is SO behind the times it is not funny. They have paintings of the solar system, hardly accurate, which nonetheless absolutely wowed Joko), and caught up with several people. I also was a 'mascot'. Ricky's (fiancee of ex-teacher here) friends have a cafe, and during Ramadhan they hold a street stall outside the cafe selling special foods for breaking the fast. The idea was that maybe having a bule would attract more customers. So that's what I did Saturday and Sunday nights. One of my students mentioned in class that he'd seen me, so clearly I DID attract some attention. Opportunity #2, restaurant mascot :P

The funniest thing was when, on Saturday night, Ricky jumped on his bike to take me home. Or at least that was the plan, but the bike thought otherwise. Out of gas. But that's ok, says Ricky, I'll take my friend's bike. Would you believe that it was out of gas too???? He had to get a friend to drive him in his car to the gas station, come back and refill the bike... I was laughing so much.

The third opportunity was presented to me last night, and is by far the most interesting and most likely to appeal to me. Gita, one of my students, studies at the local university's English Faculty. Her teacher is currently employed purely on the basis of being a native speaker, which concerns Gita, as next year they will study drama and poetry. She worries her teacher's lack of teaching experience will be detrimental to the class. And so she mentioned me to her Faculty Head. So the question is, do I want to return to Padang next July and teach in a university? I have always thought I might like to move into University teaching eventually, and having experience would certainly be a drawcard. Plus it might help in getting scholarships to other universities. And at the very least, it would make me look so darn awesome when applying for mere high school teaching jobs!

On the upside, I think the salary would be better than here (the last teacher brought his wife out, so it is generous enough to cover two; this means Nick could come with me, perhaps?), and I believe it includes accomodation, again likely to be better than here. It's also an opportunity to continue advancing my Indonesian skills. But on the downside, it would mean a year away again, and all the things about Padang that had been bothering me- the rudeness, the god damn toilets, etc... What should I do? Help me! I think I will say I am interested enough to find out more, but not enough to commit yet. What do you think?

Indonesia through the senses

So often there is music, especially during Ramadhan. The call to prayer hailing the faithful to the mesjid; a distant boom box; the echo of singing, or late night feasting; the shrill, nasal call of a warung stall holder; the jingle of the ice-cream seller; the horns of the angkot; the faint chant of the Buddhist temple. Silence is rare. It is possible to be engulfed in sound. Although I get lonely, the sounds reminds me that I am surrounded by life. Nothing stops.

I can smell the smoke from rubbish burning and forest fires smouldering on distant islands; the heady aroma of a violent downpour evaporating in the crisp heat. The sweetness of fruit and salty fish combines with sweat and rubbish in the market. During the climb up a mountain over the town, the air clears, sweetens and is scented by flowers and the sea.

Tropics meet squalor and the trappings of modernity. A third world pretending to be developed. Cars cleaned daily shine against dirt roads, rubbish and plant choked ditches, and ramshackle houses. Vibrant flowers and relaxed palms frame and inky sky, and offset brightly painted boats on a softly rolling sea.

Tastes are familiar, yet strange. The taste of the heat in the air. Bready pizza topped with fish and tartare sauce. Melted chocolate and cheese atop grilled banana. Spices and sweetness combining at every meal.

Looking around, I see things so different to Australian society. A family of four share an obek (motorbike). A cat wanders along the beach. A bike crawls past, its sidecar piled twice the height of the rider. A serious face breaks into a smile to greet me. Strangers cross imcomprehensibly busy roads to look at me closer or touch my arm.

Although my stay here has included plenty of problems, there have been really lovely moments, and so many eye-opening experiences. A stranger inviting me to their home to eat; on a later visit his sister, meeting me for the first time, insists on giving me bracelets as a souvenir. I know they are poor, so this would not be a cheap gift for her. A young girl on a nearby street who stops me every day to practice her English gives me a coffee bun. A woman in a warung expresses genuine concern that I do not have a religion, and advises me to enter a religion quickly so God can watch over me.

I am so glad I came here.

I've been thinking...

I've been thinking about articles and men's magazines. No, not those men's magazines (I only read them for the articles), I mean men's mags that actually have articles, like Ralph (Maybe) or Men's Health. Sometimes I think these mags simply publish articles for their potential in pictures. I'm reading an old issue of Men's Health (Refer to previous blog for my desperation for anything in English) and there is an article about employing martial arts strategies in the workplace. Interesting article, but I can't help but think they mostly wanted to do the article (and certainly gave it such a large spread) because of the Matrix style photos they could do of blokes in suits kung fu-ing each other's asses above their workspaces. I seem to recal Nick mentioning he felt some men's mags only did fashion pages so they could send guys to cool locations and show them setting up tents, or skateboarding down a banister or something equally interesting in the photo; the clothes were rarely the focus.

Anyway, that's all. I was reading the article over my dinner, as I broke my fast (yes! 14 hours! I made it! It wasn't that bad, really...), and the thought occurred to me. With no-one to whom to discuss this, I thought I'd float the idea and see if it got any bites...

Puasaku- saya ingin hari ini ada lebih cepat!

Just when you think art cannot sink to depths any lower, you discover another step down. And being so deprived of anything entertainment related in English, I lap it up. Has anyone seen 'Joe Dirt'? Ugh. Don't. Mildly amusing, very Adam Sandler in a not-so-inspired moment. The most interesting thing was discovering I had been right in spotting Kid Rock. No-one does skank quite like him.

And seriously, how did someone become inspired enough to make a 'Bourne' movie? Admittedly I am reading the third book in the series, and the first two may be better, but 'Bourne Ultimatum' is really bad. Badly written, bad storyline, and criminally huge. It eptiomises sequels- quick, let's get another money maker out while the public remembers the title. Robert Ludlum, how dare you deprive me of sleep. I have to get up at 4am!

Yes, I did say I am getting up at 4, not just being woken up. The title of this blog means "My fast- I hope today goes quickly." I am fasting today. Don't worry, this doesn't mean I have taken on Islam. It simply means I am inclined to take on dares. My students insited I should try for at least one day. So today is it. I rose at 4am, ate breakfast, went back to sleep. It's now 11, I am halfway through. I only became hungry maybe half an hour ago, so not bad so far. I am cheating though, as I am drinking water. Partially because I am not used to the climate yet, and secondly because I actually think it's quite dangerous to deliberately dehydrate oneself.

I guess another reason I am fasting is to connect with people here. Ramadhan is quite a private thing- celebration and feasting occurs at the end of the day with family. So if you don't have family, you feel very lonely. Public celebration will not occur until Lebaran, the end of the month. And during the day, people who are fasting are drawn together. So now I am one of them. Makes me feel slightly less alone. Although empty in a whole new way!!!!!

I don't trust the net to last long, it's taken ages to even get this page up. Hope to hear from people. Please :) comments mean a great deal.

Yaa Ramadhan

It is day two of Ramadhan, for those of you not in a muslim country, where you would already be accutely aware of this fact. It's quite odd, even though I was expecting it... the streets are so quiet because of course all restaurants are closed, but many other businesses are as well. The first few days of Ramadhan, and a few days before, are hari libur, holidays. So no school, and again, many businesses decide to close. Anyway, this means I have to eat noodles for lunch, and hope I can find somewhere close-ish to me that is open in the evening. I have discovered Ramdhan also means waking up at about 4am when my muslim neighbours wake up for predawn prayer, fasting and general activity. I swear there was music... I am not appreciating the waking-me-up-even-earlier-than-the-mezzuin aspect of Ramadhan. Ah well.

Transport in Indonesia is so... *interesting*. At times I think I want to get a motorbike, because I really enjoy riding with the wind and all that... but if I were driving it might be scarier. And Melbourne winters might not go so well with a bike. And having taken a half hour bike trip and discovering just how raw your backside feels, I began to appreciate a car so much more...

Amazed, but not surprised, to find myself in the middle of a joke about Indonesian transport on Saturday. "How many people can you fit in an Indonesian bus?" :"One more, one more!" This si true. I think you could comfortably fit ten, and at a stretch 15 people in an angkot. On a trip to Pantai Air Manis (Sweet Water Beach) I swear to you that I was in an angkot with 25 people and the biggest bulk bags of groceries I have ever seen! OHMYGOD! This was NOT the most comfortable trip of my life.

Air Manis itself was quite cool though. The beach is purty, the water is warm and has waves (most beaches I have seen are bay beaches), and we could walk out to Pulau Pisang (Banana Island) at low tide. Sadly, no actual bananas, the island is just shaped like one. There were also some pretty things like a carved wall (which I forgot to take photos of) and a 'rock' that looks like a man praying (it's not really a rock, it's concrete, perhaps built up over the original rock, perhaps not..), which has spurred a legend about a man who didn't respect his mother.

Anyway, I now need to say- damn Dan Brown. I have just read Angels and Demons (there isn't a great range of English writing in Padang), and that man annoys me. I think in many ways, such as characters, and the fact that Langdon seems more like a normal0ish guy, this book is better than The Da Vinci Code. But he still annoys me. And I do NOT need stupid hooks keeping me awake until the wee hours of morning. Damnit, the muezzin will wake me early, I need my sleep, Dan Brown!

Anyway, I have a feeling the net is going to die on me soon, so I'd better try and publish this blog. Two weeks til Melbourne :)

A week of Immigrasi, translasi and broadcast-i...

Wooh. Today I found myself hanging out at Immigrasi, as my boss wants to extend my visa (this is because I haven't told her I am leaving... I'll tell her next week, after I get paid). Immigration is bad enough in Australia, I am led to believe. In Indonesia, where punctuality does not exist, time goes slowly and is considered very flexible. So we arrived at 9.20, filled in forms, and then had to wait a long time (the woman in the office couldn't indicate how long) to see the right person. 45 minutes later, we were in and out in about 5 minutes, with an instruction to return on Friday. Ugh.

So I did the famous thing on Saturday. Ya, me on radio. It was fun. They only played English songs as it was an English program, but I like some Indonesian music too. It's SO energetic, reminding me of the passion of eighties music. The pop is very danceable, and the rock is like Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi in their emotional heydays (which I personally love, being the dork I am). But most is on tape, not CD. I'm hoping to find a few CDs before I return.

I have begun translating Harry Potter 6 from Indonesian to English. I'm about 5 pages in- it is really hard. But it's also HEAPS of fun reading so slowly, because the story is unfolding bit by bit and I am so TENSE to find out what happens next (even though I have read the book in English, I forget the details). Reading it at this excrutiating pace, it is like I am really discovering the story. I don't think I'll finish it before I return, but it's fun anyway.

I am such a seasoned Padang-bule now. I have caught angkot (Tarago mini bus thang) on my own three times (!) and not gotten lost. I get excited when I see a bule, and point at them on the street, because I know they're only turis (tourists). And locals are so surprised at my capacity for chilli (so am I sometimes)- I out-chillied a Minang last week, eating fish. Hmm, actually this seems familiar as I type it, maybe I wrote that in my last blog. Oh well, I'm proud of it. :)

Hmmm, I can't believe the net is holding out so long. Oops, hope I don't jinx it by saying that! Better go and check emails while I still can.

P.S. Things I REALLY miss right now, apart from all of you, of course: western toilets; hot water; showers; decent chocolate; decent tea (I have discovered decent coffee, mercifully, and I LOVE Teh Es, a sweet black tea which you can get bottled, or at roadside stalls with cute cartoon cups); the OC; and my osteopath- someone crack my back, puh-LEASE!

Whinge-la

OKay, this is going to be a gripe, because, damnit, I feel like it. And it's my blog, so if you don't like it... well... come back in a few days, I might be less grumpy.

Ugh. I am so SICK of being hit on, especially when neither the hitter nor the hittee have sufficient language skills to communicate clearly. The internet dude is PISSING me off, but the net here is cheap and relatively quick and its close to home. But he will not BACK OFF about coming to my house, and last night apparently he went to the school to look for me. What part of NO (or TIDAK) does he not understand?

Also, last night I met the fiancee of one of the previous teachers. He has good English, seems nice enough, asked if I wanted to grab dinner on Saturday- but advocated very strongly this was not a date. So I said ok, but now he's called the house today (of course he has the number, because his fiancee lived here) and is asking if I want to get breakfast. No. Go away.

Ugh (again), due to the heat here I am producing SO much oil, I am considering barrelling it and selling it to the Australian government. Yuk, I have to wash my face at least twice a day with oil control face wash. I hate pimples. Gross.

Today I feel sick (not just because I have been thinking about pimples). I don't know why, I didn't eat anything dodgy yesterday- in fact I ate in the fanciest place I've visited since leaving Australia. My conversation class went out for dinner for class, and one of the students (a well off older man) insisted on paying for everyone. But I couldn't lie on my tummy last night, and I still feel queasy now :(

And I hurt. While at first it seemed the heat here was better for my geriatric joints (knees, ankles, hips, shoulders and jaw all ache regularly. sook), this is countered by having to walk everywhere, a million bloody steps and cursed squat toilets. My knees are aching a lot more than they were in Aus. So after this I am going to the pool, and hopefully that will stretch my poor tense muscles.

And I'm tired, for some reason I couldn't sleep. Grump grump grump. I want to go home, and, I don't know, eat breakfast cereal or something, with real milk not UHT, and watch English language TV.

Actually, I really miss crappy Australian TV. I miss sitcoms and dramas where I understand the plotline. Just to prove my emotional stability has been reduced to that of a fifteen year old, yesterday I was listening to the OC soundtrack, and realised that it had soundbites from the series on one of the songs. I was having flashbacks to emotional bits of OC episodes and and almost cried. Loser :) I will justify this by saying it's not just the high emotional tension of the OC that caused my watery eyes, but also because an obsession with the OC was something I shared with Nick, Lisa, Caroline, Shannon and Robbie. Also because it reminds me of teaching in Aus, and weaving plotlines of the OC into spelling tests. And also because Mischa Barton reminds me a lot of my cousin, Rhiannon. And I miss people.

OK. So here's your cue to tell me to buck up- less than four weeks til I'm home. And to accept the male attention as flattering, rather than intrusive, advantageous and frustrating. And to remember that I'm in a cool place, and at least I am not working a job I hate. And that I'll probably miss it all when I come home. Or at the very least, leave me a comment so I know people are still thinking about me!

Atop the tall hill

Wooh! I have finally made it to the 'Create a post' page!

It is said that a trip to Sumatera Barat does not count unless you visit Bukitinggi. So now my trip has been validated :) While my radio stardom has been postponed until next Saturday (and that'll be a fun weekend- early wake up call for radio Saturday, and working Sunday (unpaid) on the EF Spelling Bee, grr), the trip to Bukitinggi (literally Tall Hill) went ahead, and even slightly early as Gita didn't have to work at the radio station. Several angkot (minibus/Torago) trips and a 2.5 hour minibus (yeah, it's just called minibus) ride got us to the Tall Hill. Ironically, I think we crossed a mountain range to get to Bukitinggi... but anyway. The scenery was truly beautiful, and reminded me of why I wanted to visit an area that's off the tourist trail and not a big city. Cities in Indonesia are ugly, even mini cities like Padang. But when you get out a bit, the houses are surrounded by sewah-sewah (wet rice fields), and have gardens, and flow on pools, and it's really interesting and so pretty. The waterfalls and old bridges we passed along the trip over-rode my travel sickness, also staved off by trying to learn the words to the Dangdut (Indo Pop) music played at high volume.

Bukitinggi itself was cold and wet. It rained sporadically while we were there, and I was cold for the first time in Indonesia. I needed an extra blanket at night- I don't even HAVE a blanket in Padang. Bukitinggi is far less humid, and the humidity really traps the heat in Padang. Bukitinggi, a smaller town, has far better traffic control than Padang too! It's a pretty place, all the streets sloping up to the top of the hill, and plenty of hotels and eateries. Had a great noodle soup for breakfast and, more significantly for me, traditional Indonesian kopi hitam, which absolutely kicked ass over the 'cappucino' I was served the day before (3 in 1 coffee, served with a huge spoon of more 3 in 1 on top where the froth would go. Super sweet and utterly revolting). Kopi Hitam is semi-sweet, lightly spiced and YUM.

While it would seem My superstardom had been delayed until the following weekend, no-one had told the people of Bukitinggi. I literally signed at least fifteen autographs (kids doing a school assignment had to get autographs and details from bule) and posed for maybe ten pictures. One girl was so excited she kissed me, most unusual in Indonesia. A guy at the 'cafe' (read bar) we went to also wanted to get to know me, despite the rebuffings of myself, my friend Gita and Andy, Gita's boyfriend. The point when he put his hands on my shoulders and tried to talk into my ear while I tried to move away was simultaneous with the point in time Gita insisted we leave NOW and the point in time several of Andy's friends glared daggers at the guy and moved in as if to hit him. Now in Australia, a sleazy guy grabs your ass. In Indonesia, where Gita and Andy have dated for two years and still don't touch in public, to put your hands on someone, even a bule, like that is completely unacceptable. Poor Gita and Andy were SO apologetic.

We visited the tourist spots; the top of the Japanese Caves, built during Japanese Occupation (couldn't go in, no lights working and the prospoect of snakes, even ular kecil (little snakes), meant I wasn't too disappointed); the clock tower with pointy Minang turrets which features on most Bukitinggi souvenirs; and the Taman Binatang, Zoo, which was the saddest zoo I have ever seen. I was almost in tears that the only orang-hutan (old man of the forest) I am likely to see were sans hutan (forest). In fact, they were sans anything but bars and a dirt floor. Most exhibits were dirt or concrete pits, such as the enclosure for the most miserable kangaroos I have ever seen. I spent a lot of time trying to cheer up my fellow Aussies, the roos and the cocky, to no avail. The only animals who had anywhere near a decent enclosure were the tiger, the lion and some of the apes. Awful.

Anyway, made it back to Padang safe and sound (after having to wait over an hour to get a bus home, and having a baby on the bus home create quite a royal aroma... ugh), having seen the sights, made some new Indonesian friends and enjoyed immensely the hot shower at the hotel (I wash ladelling cold water from a mandi- a big water tub. There is a shower head you can connect to the tap, but it only shoots out about four jets of water. It's more trouble than it's worth).

Yesterday, a policeman tried to hit on me. Of course, working on a tourist visa (illegal? Wah?), I was very polite to him (also polite because he had a clip of bullets on his belt...), while still indicating that no, I didn't want a boyfriend in Padang as well as Australia (they understand I have a boyfriend at home, but the concept that this may prevent me from dating them does not occur to Indonesian men!). And then, as I got up to leave, my chair dug into the sand and I hit the table, and bottles crashed, and his water splashed all over the table, only narrowly missing his immaculate uniform. I'm hoping this means he'll not try to find me again, and not that he'll feel I owe him anpther audience... Oy vey.

Video has not killed the radio star.

Oops, long time, posting neglected. This does NOT mean I am running about having fun. It means the net has been REALLY slow.

Since Kenny and Ipit moved out, it has been so quiet at my house. And I have watched some truly terrible movies. There's an English movie on every night, but the quality is not much to rave about. Normally good guys/ bad guys movies with as much kung fu as possible. They LOVE that here. My kinder kids made puppets, and then started using them to kung fu the other puppets' asses. Go figure.

I feel more harrassed than usual. I went to the top of the mountain to hang out with the monkeys on Sunday, and there were all these boys from Jakarta who kept talking to me, and wouldn't leave me alone (There were also a group of kids who kept climbing trees to show me they were also monkeys, which was cute. And then they'd just sit at my feet and LOOK at me). The kid who took me to his house shows up ALL the time now. The internet operator guy keeps asking if he can come to my house. And yesterday there were hordes of young guys on my way to school, and they kept intercepting me in groups and aggressively trying to get me to stop and talk with them. I have been somewhat short with people as a result of this. Sometimes I just want to pull the curtains on the little glass box that is my life in Asia, and get some damn privacy.

However, my students are still good, and I'm developing friendships with girls my age. Nelly lives around the corner, and has offered to chat with me at weekends- partially to improve her own English, but also as a friend. Moren brought me cake to class last night, which was sweet. And Gita is taking me to Bukittinggi on Saturday, and hung out with me after class last night, eating grilled spicy corn.

Before we go to Bukittinggi though, I am going to be a guest on Gita's radio show. She has an English language show, and I am special guest, yahoo. It's ages since I have been on radio. No really, I've been a special guest before :) I was on SBS radio representing my Indonesian Pop band in high school (although they spoke in FAST INdo, so I understood very little, and just sang for them), and when I did work experience at a community radio station I recorded ads (which was FUN, I'd like to do voice overs... me and every other actor in the world) and chatted on air- it turned out the presenter knew my aunt.

Anyway, so I am well on my way to being an Indonesian selebriti. Everyone knows my name, wants my number and photo (yeah, people take photos on their phones as I walk past), and now I'm on the radio. Next I'm aiming for a hyped up quiz show...

The speed of life

One of the ways you can pick a bule (if their physical non-Indonesionality is not enough) is that they walk much faster than native folk. The Padang locals know it's much easier to conserve energy if you bersantai- relax. You can also pick a new bule by their refusal to take the opelet, speeding mini buses with an incomprehensible coding system to advise their destination (a mixture of colour and number), an entire lack of safety system such as seat belts, and an amazing top speed which is employed as often as possible. As of yesterday I am no longer one of those bule, as I have taken the mini bus TWICE! (wah! More on this later)

Indonesians also LOVE to shorten words. Acronyms (SD= sekolah dasar= elementary school), abbreviations (tak=tidak=no/not, tapi=tetapi=but/ however), compound abbreviations (ibule=ibu+bule=foreign woman), and nicknames. As of yesterday, I now have an Indo nickname, Ami. I'm reading a book called "The Meaning of Tingo," which talks about words/ phrases in other languages for which we have no English equivalent. It's great- Caroline, I think you'd like it, I'll lend it to you in October if you'd like. You are pretty much guaranteed that if there is a compound word, it is Indonesian.

Indonesians also eat quickly. It's an essential function, get it done, no useless chit-chat, and do the next thing on the agenda (probably bersantai). I was again reminded of this at the Embassy function last night- what a weird do. Most Australians I met were actually from Medan, just in town for the official announcement of the Honorary Consul. The Padang Australians seemed very cliquey, or were just tourists. *sigh* But I met a few Indo people from the Universities, including one who did his PhD in Tasmania, and another who runs an Australian Studies course and would like me to come and speak to the class sometime. There was about 45 minutes of milling/ drinking ok wine (better than I was expecting, as tghey don't really do wine in Indonesia)/ meeting the Ambassador and Consul who were both very nice. Then 20 minutes of speeches, in which the official folk were very relaxed and funny and the poor translator (who went to Monash) had to make it much more conservative for her Indo audience. Then half an hour of eating (ok main meal, great deserts), after which most Indonesians vamoosed. And that was that. The hotel was quite nice, batik just means the men wear batik shirts with pants, the women wear dresses with shawls, and most of the Australians look scruffy (except me).

Yesterday I also visited Daerah Miskin- a poor area. Met a kid on the street, he wanted me to meet his German tourist neighbour who speaks English. Miscommunication meant I went miles out of my way in a minibus to this suburban village, where I met most of his extended family, visited his and his sister's homes, discovered the German lady was not home and ate with them, before Joko (the kid) escorted me back home and refused any money for food or the bus. A really interesting and touching experience, to be invited as a stranger into these poor people's homes. Joko is very 'keen' (he said this a lot), and would like to marry an Australian woman when he is older. I told him I'd give him my dictionary when I left, so he could keep learnign English.

Today, Ipit and Kenny will finally move out. Holdups with registration and pay meant they have not been able to do so until now. So I will be a bit more alone, but I have a few friends in my classes, so I will be less lonely than I was earlier in the stint.

Safe trip to Gene, who flies to Doha today (and virtual hug to Sarah who's there already). Lisa, I hope you've made it safely to Paris?? Nick said your plane was delayed. And Nick, enjoy America, I'll see you for your birthday- ok?! The rest of you, enjoy Melbourne :)

Rubbing shoulders with the VIPs

Oh, I forgot to mention this- I am going to a fancy reception at one of the fanciest hotels in Padang :) Yeah, everyone at school is quite awed by me at the moment, because I got a faxed invitation from the Australian Government, inviting me to meet the Australian Ambassador and the Australian Consular or something like that. Anyway, all it means is that I registered with the Australian Embassy, really.

But I am stoked, because I am actually being allowed to go, even though it's during class time. So yay, a holiday from two classes, and making small talk with boring politicians! Woohh....meh.

Yeah, so maybe hanging out with pollies is not my favourite passtime. But I will also meet other Aussies in Padang, and I will see the inside of a fancy hotel, and I will hopefulyl get to eat fancy canapes, AND I will get to see what the hell kind of dress code 'Lounge Suit/ Batik' is...

Kuda Lumping- Crazy Jumping Horse

I love the contradictions of Indonesia. You get the death penalty for bringing in marijuana, and yet there exists the common public (although probably not legally sanctioned) entertainment, Kuda Lumping. This is where a group of (normally) young men take a drug, which sends them into a weird hyper state in which they act a bit like stylised horses and apparently feel no pain.

Having heard about it from Kenny, the other teacher at my school (he's going to try it next time... although that's what he said last week), I got to witness and become involved in this spectacle yesterday. As soon as they see your camera, the Indonesians ferry you to the good photo spots. However, this put me in full view of a Kuda Lumping (one who'd taken the drug), who gestured to me. The Kuda Lumping are supposed to be possessed by spirits I think, so you do what they say. And so I found myself, having seen nothing of the ritual, in the middle of a crowd with a cardboard horse between my legs and being directed to the other end of the square. Happily I didn't have to take any drugs or do anything excet avoid the drugged out 'Kuda', but what a crazy initiation! (Kenny was a bit jealous, as he'd not gotten such special treatment. Then again, he's not a young white girl. I get told almost daily that I am very beautiful, and it is not uncommon for a young man to declare "I like you, Miss". I don't think it's my personality he likes...)

Anyway, the Kuda are washed in flowers and water, then given the drug. They become wild eyed and move in a dance like fashion, strutting with their legs straight, which looks a bit like a horse, and a bit like a rooster. They do all sorts of crazy things, like whipping themselves and being whipped by others, ripping into coconuts with their teeth and fighting each other. One guy bit into a live chicken. Apparently if you are sick in any way they can sense this, and will target you (people in the crowd kept asking if I was sick- I thought it was because I was white, but they were just concerned the Kuda might target me). They are baited and simultaneuously watched over by horsemen, who are dressed and painted meticulously and mounted on the same cardboard horses I rode earlier.

When the drug wears off, the Kuda become woozy. Then they stiffen like a board, and have to be carried off to have water poured on their head. They seem ok later, and advised me that the experience was 'enak'- delicious. It was pretty crazy. I loved being part of the crowd, I felt very much included in the audience, rather than being the spectacle myself. The Indonesian women kept drawing me into the crowd when it was 'dangerous', and the men would draw me to good vantage spots for cameras.

But my favourite part of all this? That one of the Kuda wore a t-shirt emblazoned in English- "Say no to drugs".

A return to solitary confinement??? :(

*sigh* My housemates are hoping to move out tomorrow. I will be alone in an enormous house meant for four. I will NEVER get to the phone before the ringing runs out. *sigh*

Kenny, the other teacher, and his wife Epit got married recently, but The Wicked Witch of EF (school director, henceforth known as WWEF) has been harping at them that school accomodation is for single teachers only. I have been saying to both the couple and WWEF that I would prefer they stayed- they're some of the few English speaking people I know! And I don't want to live alone. But I understand the desire to have your own place. Especially with the WWEF in their ears.

So, if Kenny gets his pay from WWEF today, and she allows them to borrow some furniture (our house is furnished by the school, theirs is of course empty), they will move out tomorrow :( Epit is worried about me being alone, so is insisting I come to a party with her tonight. Mmmmm, I am not great at meeting people when I speak the language, let alone... but I will go. It might be my last human interaction in a while *dramatic sigh* (P.S. I have been teaching soap opera to one of my classes... I think it has spilled into real life... Reading trashy Mills and Boon style novels isn't helping either!)

Stages of development

Ways in which Indonesia is clearly a developing country:
- You can't drink the tapwater. I think it comes from the river and ugh, I have seen the river. I ain't drinking from that. I just have to close my eyes and thing of England (Australia, whatever) when I bathe in it...
- The pavements are almost all terrible, either from tree roots pushing through (due to an obsession with planting tree in the middle of the footpath), general wear and tear or the concrete falling into the drains below, leaving a huge gaping hole. Watch your step.
- The roads are also shocking. Some are dirt, some are tarred, and in general road rules don't exist.
- The power goes off willy-nilly. Somehow, I have not been home when the power shuts off, I seem to be at school (where there is a generator), at the shops or just out. Or asleep. But it means I can't trust how fresh things kept in the fridge are... Nick will sympathise with this :)
- The rubbish. Drains are huge, because they need to be to keep flowing past all the litter. People just drop rubbish where they stand. And yet there is recycling. Go figure. The drains are also full of plants growing in the fertile steaming conditions. Mosquitoes also enjoy the same conditions...
- The lack of cleanliness. My 'maid' cleans my clothes (BY HAND!!!!! Yeah, I'm still not over the fact that I pay a woman a pittance to scrub my clothes on a washing board. *sigh*), but the only other thing she does is sweep the floors. And we only have cold water, so washing dishes can be fun. And of course they're being washed in river water anyway. Don't get me started on the lack of cleanliness through out the city. Oh the aromas...
- Living amongst the animals. If you go a bit further out from the city, people have chickens and goats just a-wandering around. Closer in, there are cats all over the place, and dogs live in concreted front yards, or are giving a 'run' on the street- this involves them being chained to something on the side of the road. Also, someone tried to sell me a random ferret thing when I patted it (for about an australian dollar), and you can buy bunnies and birds and other fun things at the market. Not in cages, just as they are, amongst the bananas and durian (worth about AU$2, Sarah. Cheaper than Doha, but I haven't tired them yet).
- Broadband? What is that? Most internet only works until 11am.
-That people study at University to do accounting, but you know they'll end up doing the books in a cafe... which involves writing down each transaction, and,w ell, that's about it.

Ways in which Indonesia pretends it is not a developing country:
- Shiny SUVs. All the rich people have cars. And they clean them EVERY day.
- Mobiles. Everyone has mobiles. I keep expecting the bums on the street to pull out a mobile with a pink tassel and a chirpy ring tone.
- The clothes. While the traditional older women wear sari like traditional Minang clothes, the young girls wear tight jeans, funky english emblazoned t-shirts and the like. And the jilbob (Muslim headscarf) is SUCH an accesory, the girls wear different ones each day, and some have badges on them, etc.
- The fancy water coolers, which both give out cold and hot water. That's cool :)

Um, I think that's about it... I wanted to make it sound more modern, but I can't think of anything else! This week has been ok, feeling more at home now, had my NAME called out twice on the street (once by Epi, who I live with, once by a student). Usually I am called (in order of prevalence): Miss, Mister, Mrs, Lady, Bu, Friend, Mama or my personal favourite (really, I like this one) My Sister.

Really enjoying my students as I get to know them more and they get to know me- classes have become more relaxed and fun, with lots of chatting. Just slowly converting the chat to Bahasa Inggeris rather than Bahasa Indonesia, that's the challenge! But we're getting there. Miss you all, xxx, thanks for all your comments. Even if I don't have a chance to reply, I am reading and appreciating them all.

Excitement and derision

Today I received the things I had posted to myself- they were untampered with! And while it was exciting to receive them, I had to ask myself 'Why?' Some of this stuff I wanted to have, like little gifts from my sister and stuff for writing back home (although by the time I post them, and then they arrive, I may well be back myself). And I am relieved to have some more books, and my writing notebook with stories I have started and will have time to work on here.

But seriously, WHY did I send so much stuff? I am SUCH a first time traveller (well, I am). I cast a glance of scorn and derision on the version of myself who packed my bags three weeks ago. I could halve it now. Well maybe not, alot of the weight in my bags is medication etc... damn a gastro kit, a year's supply of sunscreen and super mosquito repellant weighs quite a bit. At least when you're at the point that you're throwing out taking out towels to bring the weight down. (Bought myself a fluffy new towel. It was only five bucks. Why did I bring anything, I should have bought it all here!).

So. Now I have lots of stationary and books (yay) but only seven more weeks here (*yay*) to use them. I think I'll be leaving some things behind when I go. Or cramming stacks into my hand luggage (which they don't weigh, and don't restrict for size, even thought they say they will) and posting it from the more reliable Singapore post offices.