More Travel Prep

Today I got my first round of vaccinations for Hep A. This was a step I shouldn't have had to worry about since I got this back in 2006 before my Eurotrip, but lazy 'ol me never went back to get the second required shot a few months later and so my immunity ran out.

(Note to self: DON'T FORGET TO DO THIS AGAIN.)

I also picked up my first batch of meds for E.coli and a prescription for my malaria medication as well. Who would have thought traveling halfway across the world required so much planning? ;)

Another big step was taken this afternoon as well, while doing some internet work at my local Starbucks. (I still don't have internet at home, so besides my iPhone this place is my connectivity hub for the next few months)...I booked my first hostel of the trip!! :O

Since I'll be in Japan during the peak cherry-blossom viewing period, I didn't want to arrive and find I would have to sleep in a city park! Apparently the best spots for viewing are actually around Osaka so I guess I should probably solidify my schedule so I can book those hostel nights as well.

Good News, Bad News...

The good news is the LOST season premiere was awesomely brain-melting in the way it balanced it's entertainment value and the way in which it answered some questions while creating many more new ones!

The bad news is my girlfriend got a brand-new job as a teacher and had to unfortunately cancel her trip to Japan with me. Well I suppose that is both good news AND bad news because she gets to do her dream job now, after a long long wait.

So I guess I should change the title of this entry to Good News, Bad News and Good News Again.

But I'm not going to. Partly because I'm lazy, and partly because it would spoil the surprise of the second bit of good news. It's like a little twist ending! How very LOSTian of me.....

The Beginning of the End...

I can't believe the day is already here. The last season of the greatest show in TV history (sorry Mr. Seinfeld, but you've been replaced) airs tonight and my emotions are a bit mixed at the moment. I'm excited because ever since I downloaded that leaked Pilot episode screener way back in the summer of 2004, and began my pilgrimage to indoctrinate all of my friends and family on the awesomeness that is L O S T, I have been yearning to find the answers to all my questions. What is the island? Why were these people 'chosen'? Who exactly are Jacob and Richard? (and now of course the mysterious Man in Black?) Is Ben really one of the good guys? Will any of the survivors find redemption? Why is Hurley so awesome?

But now that I am on the verge of finding my own 'redemption' from the countless hours I have spent watching and re-watching this program I find myself growing increasingly worried. Not worried that the writers won't answer all the questions that have been raised mind you; I for one would love to leave Smokey a mystery forever. I am more concerned that the answers provided won't live up to my expectations created by 5 wonderful years of thought-provoking television.

I suppose that's the nature of the beast however. Doesn't the saying go, "it's not the destination but the journey"? I can't think of any other creative vehicle in modern history that has created as many intelligent and passionate fans that Lost has, and I couldn't be happier that I was in it since the beginning and could go along for the ride.

Thanks to all the writers, producers and actors for keeping me completely absorbed and entertained with your story.

Namaste, and good luck.

A Few Changes...

...might be coming to this blog in the coming months. You see, I have been 'planning' on doing another big backpacking trip to Asia for years; ever since I got back from my trip through Europe actually. Well the day has finally come: April 9, 2010 I fly from Edmonton to Tokyo to start a 5 month adventure through 12 countries. My rough itinerary is looking like this:
Japan, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, India and Nepal!

So anyways, back to the changes. I plan on using this site as a place to dump ideas, stories, photos and everything else that comes up during the planning of and the trip itself.

Oh right, I almost forgot: With the exception of Japan (and my lovely girlfriend) I will be travelling alone for the majority of the trip. So I just thought I would open up an invitation to the blogsphere to come and join me in exploring temples, riding elephants, relaxing on pristine beaches and everything else that makes Asia so amazing!

Plastic > Paper

When it comes to a container for bagels at least. I woke up this morning eagerly anticipating my breakfast bagel only to be sorely (literally) disappointed to find my last bagel had turned rock hard while sleeping in it's Walmart paper bag home overnight. Normally I don't buy my baked goods at Walmart, but I was rushed last week and they didn't look too bad (note: they were).

But stubborn old me, I still craved that bagel and cream cheese for breakfast, so I pulled out my trusty Miracle Blade III and attempted to cut that brick in half. I figured, if this knife can apparently cut a shoe in half then surely a tough bit of dough should be no challenge! How naive...

...now I have a nice-sized gash on my 'mouse' finger which does not make it easy to waste time blogging here at work. Oh and the bagel? Still in one piece, however it now lives in the garbage can.

When I am President of Canada

First of all, yes I know Canada doesn't have a President. I say 'When I'm President' because obviously I would never get voted into power, and would therefore have to create my own leadership role somewhat sneakily. The details of which are far too complex to get into here, but suffice to say the wheels are in motion as we speak.

I actually think about this often; the small tweaks and changes I would make to the everyday portion of society today that would make life so much easier. One of the first changes I would make would be the immediate removal of all perpendicular parking spaces. How did these ever make any sense? And it's not like changing over to the "angled lines" model of parking lot parking would decrease the amount of spaces available by more than one or two spots. Those one or two spots of 'lost' parking revenue would be more than made up for by the significant savings in time and effort spent by parkers of, what I like to call the 'official vehicle of Alberta', trucks and SUVs who struggle to fit their rides 90 degrees to the road on which they're driving.

And just think retail bigwigs: happier drivers entering your stores more often than not equals more purchases made in your stores! It's win-win! If you're still not convinced, I welcome you to witness this phenomenon at work in the parking lot of one of North America's largest retailers: Costco. Yes that's right, the company that is built upon needless over-spending currently employs the great 'angled lines' parking model in their parking lots. You gotta admit, if it didn't make sense economically then Costco of all places certainly wouldn't be using it, now would they?

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a 20L container of ketchup to load into the back of my truck. Only $4.59 at Costco!

Favorite Song This Minute...

...is Leave a Light On by The Wooden Sky. Thanks to the girlfriend for getting me hooked!

Favorite Song This Minute...

I love this time of year. I love the decorations and the crowded malls and smells of fresh baked goodies everywhere I go. I love buying presents and watching the classic Christmas movies and getting together with old friends and family. I even love the ridiculously cold weather!

But maybe my favorite thing about the Christmas is the music. Why is it that Christmas has spawned countless songs and carols that are updated and remastered every year while I can count on one hand the number of songs written for other holidays? I think it's because deep down everybody loves the feeling you get when you hear one of those timeless classics. Every year I put on one of my Christmas mix CD's while I put up the Christmas Tree and the decorations, and let the memories of Christmases long long ago come flooding back.

This year, with the stresses that come with growing up and getting older mixed in with the typical holiday hustle, those warm feelings of community and family were never more welcomed. I've never been very good at choosing my favorite Christmas song (much like picking a favorite movie) but the song that has hit another level with me this year has to be "2000 Miles" by Coldplay. Kinda makes me want to curl up under a blanket by the fire with someone special.

In case I don't get the chance to say it before the big day,

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I hate big life decisions!

Why do they have to be so hard? Take one of my current problems for instance:

I need a new cell phone plan, but the company I'm currently with (Rogers) doesn't seem to want to let me out of my existing plan a mere two months early so I can switch to a better one. So of course this angers me and makes me think about straying to a rival company (Telus perhaps), but they don't offer the phone I want. (iPhone) But they DO offer special bundle pricing if I package a cellphone plan with their internet plan (which I also need to buy soon). Oh ok, well then maybe I can compare this NEW price with Rogers' package deals...oh no wait, they don't have an internet service! >:(

Sometimes I think it would be easier to just move to an island somewhere and forget all these stresses...

-20 degrees? Really?

Is that any sort of "Welcome Home" after a week spent in the 30 degree sun-soaked Caribbean? I don't think so! Oh, and the foot of snow everywhere was a nice touch.

Actually I should be in a much worse mood, but I did the one thing today that no amount of cold and snow can ruin - I set up my brand new Christmas tree at the condo! It's starting to actually look like a home over there instead of just a jobsite. Hopefully I can be fully in there this week.

So anyways, back to the vacation. It was sort of last minute, and was definitely a far cry from the 'typical' holiday I take with the family but it was certainly much-needed. Of course my Dad never seems to be able to just do nothing on these relaxing trips, so we spent 3 of our 7 days sight-seeing the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, Coba and Tulum. This is something that I've wanted to do for a long time now however, so I didn't complain too much. (Not like the entire wasted morning spent at a time-share meeting on our third day there, but that's another matter...)

All I can say is, Wow. I was thoroughly impressed with Chichen Itza, mainly because the tourguide we were booked with was Mayan AND he studied the city and Mayan culture in college. There were some points during his tour that he was actually on the verge of breaking down while trying to share a little bit of his culture with us. You could tell how much it meant to him that us 'Northerners' spent our hardearned money to come to his country to learn about his people - sometimes you just get lucky and meet the perfect person in the perfect place I suppose.

I'll post a link to my photos as soon as I get them uploaded but don't hold your breath...between getting ready for Christmas and still uploading my last New York photos (go Yankees!) it could be a little while! :/