Moon in Aquarius.

The weather today has been rubbish. Shrouded by shimmering heat and viscous humidity, tormented by a fashionably guilt-provoked decision against switching on the A/C, and bullied by unrelenting rays streaming through west-facing windows (real estate has never been one of my parents' strongest points); I spent most of the afternoon lying supine, a human star against faded chequered cotton sheets, eyes focussed on glowing dust particles frozen in mid-air. When even reading became impossible, all I could do was think.

I have a secret to confess: I believe in astrology. Not that I use it to determine my daily schedule or divine the future, but I do spend a lot of time reading about it on the internet and drawing comparisons with my reality. In many ways, it's like having an online psychotherapist, or a virtual support group.

The first thought that gained form and emerged from the dense fog of my mind, was that sitting for the CFA really won't do much for what I want to do with my life. I have no attraction to the world of finance. The only career option I'd consider which would benefit from studying for the CFA, would be one in ethical investing (and then that's only to make up for all the earth-unfriendly money-hungry evildoings I've been forced into by The Sore).

The second thought was, what the hell is it that I want to do with my life? If I had to answer that, I'd say "travel the world". Then I recalled the hot Scottish architect - in whom I had confided that architecture really was my first choice but then the overwhelming desire to get out of The Sore led me to study economics instead. His response was something trite like "if that's what you really want to do then you should just do it".

But I'm not about to devote another five years of my life to studying for another degree, then starting from scratch all over again. And truth be told, it wasn't architecture per se that appealed to me, it was its implied promise that my work would allow me to create something beautiful. M and S were right - I used to be pretty good at art and stuff back in high school. But I wouldn't consider myself an artist. I haven't got a definitive style, as an individual I'm just not quirky enough, and my childhood hadn't passed the "fucked up" bar that so many other so-called artists' have.

The third thought was, I really REALLY want to move my arse to Aus, possibly for good. Maybe get a job with one of the numerous commodities houses there (although I expect that it would be terribly competitive). But that won't be for a few more years. First, I'll need to save up loads of cash (which becomes quite easy when one gives up luxuries such as "a social life"), gain more experience, get all my traveling desires out of the way, etc etc.

The only logical conclusion now is to wait. Hopefully I can preserve myself well enough in the meantime to look as fresh as a 25-year old once I'm out of it.

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I give up on trying to figure out the lines spacing on this blog. Just take it as me exercising my artistic license to create varying depths of nothingness in between excerpts of my life.

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How bizarre.

Uroplatus (Flat or Leaf-tailed gecko)

In addition to cats and goats, I have a certain fondness for lizards. (I have often thought that they behave a whole lot like cats.) Check out this little bastard, a uroplatus fimbriatus (giant leaf-tailed gecko), taken from from a BBC news article on wildlife hotspots:






According to Wikipedia, all of the species of the Uroplatus genus are found in primary and secondary forests on the island of Madagascar, and some on islands off Madagascar, such as Nosy Be. They are endemic to Madagascar, and found nowhere else on earth.

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Another country to add to the list (including the island of Nosy Be). Given that its first human settlers came from this part of the world, it would almost be like visiting the house of a long (loooong) lost great great great (greeeaaat) grand uncle.

Another One Bites the Dust.

Everybody's leaving. Just today a colleague forked out over $150k as a penalty for terminating his contract with the organisation with three years to go. Another colleague has confided in me that he has received alluring offers from companies willing to pay an increase of 50% over his current salary. No doubt he would be leaving sometime soon too. As B would say, it's a candidate's market. Particularly so for the maritime sector.

What do I do about it? If there was a time for me to seek a new job, this would be it. But I simply cannot bear the thought of forking over a quarter million dollars to the organisation (that's what it would cost now), no matter how attractive the competing offer is. And as long as the exodus continues, the diminishing competition here means that my opportunities in the organisation are improving.

Or am I just afraid of finding out that I'm not wanted out there?

Holidays Make Me Happy :)

I've spent every lunch hour since getting back trawling the internet for information about where I'm travelling to next. (Well, after the planned forays into Teutonia.) I've decided on doing Cambodia (temples, killing fields) and Thailand (beaches, diving) in January, when the weather's supposed to be dry and cool, after the majority of New Year revellers have returned to the Western hemisphere. I'll be carrying over the remaining days of leave from this year to the next, so it means I should still be able to head for Tanzania/Zanzibar at the end of 2009 (the animals would've buggered off to Kenya at that point but that just means I'll have to plan a Kenya trip during migratory season at a later point in my life).

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I've also decided to add the Scottish Highlands to the list of places I want to visit within the next decade. Tedious link: I was reading an article about piracy and the increasing use of armed escorts for merchant ships, noticed a mention about how some private security agencies have employed Gurkhas to meet the demand, wiki-ed Gurkhas to find out why they're so fearsome, read that the British imperialists had included the Gurkhas in their list of "martial races" which were supposedly naturally superior soldiers, noted that the Brits had first taken notice of "martial races" when they observed that Scottish Highlanders fought more bravely than the English (à la Braveheart), looked up the Scottish Highlands and stumbled upon the Lonely Planet entries about them, fell in love with the photos and decided that I must go there within the next few years.

And who knows, I might find a hot architect husband while I'm there.

OR a hot and broody immortal of royal lineage with long dark hair and a sword and a penchant for using said sword to wantonly lop off the heads of other immortals before being engulfed in a bedazzling display of lights that would bring him to his knees. I had the hugest crush on Adrian Paul. Yummy.

My Lungs are Sacks of Phlegm.

This cough is now over a week old and really rather embarrassing during meetings. People look at me as if I'm about to keel over and die, and are afraid of coming too close to me (and from the looks on their faces, queasy about shaking my hand).

Remember how I said that Mt Kinabalu was the last mountain I'd climb? Well, since I'm back at work it means I've been scoping out future travel ideas over lunch (and sometimes, outside of lunch...). And yeah, I'd still really like to give Mt Kilimanjaro a try. Seven days for the ascent and descent, mingling with the cheetahs, then off to the sandy white beaches of Zanzibar. Sounds like a plan for 2009!

(Meanwhile, looks like I have 7.5 days of leave left for this year. I hadn't realised I'd carried over so many from last year. So I'm thinking of a quickie in Thailand in early December 2008 or early January 2009. Koh Phi Phi and Similans maybe. Now that I've become an expert sexpat dodger. Bloody East Europeans. Kinda sad though, it seems like all they want is companionship which they can't get at home. Weird though, since East European chicks are hott. I was at the supermarket the other day and forced to queue behind a trio of stunning East European models. Never felt so hideous in my life.)

Sabah (Kinabalu) - Trip Post 5

That will be the first and LAST mountain I will EVER climb. I have quite possibly had more climbing in those 24 hours than I have ever had in a lifetime. My lungs, already coping with some mysterious persistent and phlegmy cough probably brought on germs from the rented scuba gear, will never forgive me. I, will never forgive me. I will ESPECIALLY not forgive the makers of my fucking camera batteries for failing me AT THE PEAK OF MOUNT KINABALU. I fail to understand why the batteries lasted less than a day when the previous pair lasted for over a week. (I have also kicked myself for hesitating over whether or not to bring spare batteries, and then deciding against it because the zero-point-nothing grams that they weigh would have bogged me down during the climb.)

Flying back to The Sore tomorrow morning. I will miss this place (except the mountain climbing bit). Now I will attempt to stand up without screaming in pain.

Sabah (Kinabalu) - Trip Post 4

ARGH my sinus is still bogged up and I can't tell if my ears are blocked or if I'm now just partially deaf. So yesterday I obtained my Advanced Open Water Diver certificate, woo hoo! The deepest I went was 30m and I don't think I want to do that again. Didn't get nitrogen narcosis (if the ability to write out the alphabet forwards and backwards does indeed prove that), but did feel mildly claustrophobic, kneeling on the sandy bottom with nothing but greenblue all around and the weight of the ocean quite literally on my shoulders.

Visited a pyramid reef (so-named given its pyramid shape emerging from the ocean floor, unattached to any island) on my last dive and was lucky enough to spot a stream (is that the right collective noun?) of barracuda doing the same. They were juvenile ones though, each only about a foot and a half long. Still a pretty specky sight, definitely gotta get a waterproof case for my camera before I go back in the water next.

Will take it easy this weekend. Turns out that the train I was planning to hop on today didn't just break down, but had actually derailed and crashed into the river I was planning to raft on. So I guess I'm not doing that. Will take it easy instead and rest up for the mountain on Monday. Photographs!

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Now that I've got my diving certs, I'm gonna learn to keel sail and pick up a powerboat license. Then buy a yacht (or rather, marry someone who will). Yay!!!

Sabah (Kinabalu) - Trip Post 3

I am gently bobbing up and down, swaying from side to side like seagrass, sound surrounds me in beautiful bursting bubbles... Is it from the one million (seven) dives that I've been on the past three days or a side effect of whatever toxin or venom it was that whichever animal or vegetable decided to inflict upon me in self-defence? Clearly I can't focus on typing, I'll go watch TV instead.

Sabah (Kinabalu) - Trip Post 2.

First dive today. Was amazing, water so clear you didn't have to be in it to see the bottom, fancily-coloured fish swimming in my face, rays skimming over the sandy bottom, rockfish blending in with the coral reefs, puffer fish ballooning as I inadvertently approach them (still haven't got the buoyancy control bit right yet), those eel-like fish with only their heads sticking out of the sand waiting for prey, jellyfish bubbling to the surface that you don't see until it's too late, sea urchins that kinda make you crave some good Japanese...

Bloody tiring though. Headed off for the island (Mamutik) at 9am and was in the water not long after. Broke for lunch at noon, back in the water an hour and a half later, then out again at 4pm. Most difficult bit was taking the mask off 6m underwater, swimming about 20m with my eyes closed, then putting my mask back on again and clearing it of water. That and taking my weight belt off at the bottom and putting it back on again. Everything's just a lot heavier down below. Swallowed so much water I feel like human jerky now. Was glad to leave the island.

Had a very early dinner (massive, really cheap meal at the Eros Ramazotti-lovin' Pizza Hut around the corner) before passing out. But I find you can't sleep for long here - the traffic is constant and very very loud. Got up at 9pm and ended up watching Apocalypto (Oh Mel, why Mel? But it was good. I always felt I should only watch movies where books wouldn't do justice to the script/plot. But blood spurting out of a split skull? Isn't that pushing it a little?). Chatted with a really good-looking James-Bond-like architect whom I'd met a couple of days ago through a really cool Japanese lady who's married with a 7 year old kid yet continues to travel lots and alone. Single travellers rule.

My beer's almost finished (it's so cheap here) and I really should be getting to bed now. More diving tomorrow, and the Open Water exam. Back later.

Sabah (Kinabalu) - Trip Post 1.

To be fair, la Nina has been gracious enough to only pelt me with rain in the evenings, and hadn't ruined my trip at all. Trip-wise, things are going great, so far have survived whitewater rafting with a bunch of crazy overweight Ukrainian parachutist soldiers whose knowledge of the English language were restricted to "lobster", "kangaroo", "bamboo" and "bonsai". They must be naturalists. Spent the entire day in the classroom learning how not to die while diving, and off for my first open water dive tomorrow. Hooray! Tired. Back later.

La Nina...

... is screwing up my holiday plans. Thunderstorms in the afternoon for the next five days. Sigh. I hope they'll be short ones.

I do believe...

...that things are falling into place rather nicely indeed. Approved.

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I'm leeeaaaaaaavvvvvvvviiiiinnnnnnnnnggggggggg on a jet plaaaane...

...in approximately 72 hours. So exciting! But I still haven't ticked off all the items on my shopping list for the trip. Sigh. Stop doing everything at the last minute Earrci! (Even though you do it so well...heh)