kjp

So I've got $350 left on my credit card before I hit my limit - as used up as it has ever been. It's full of China related stuff.

The latest additions to it (today) were travel insurance and a light jumper. I've got a big thick polarfleece when it's very cold (this was sent up recently from Canberra). The new jumper is good for when it's just cool (eg: now in Brisbane and over there), and will pack down well. Nice.

Although I have a sore arm at the moment due to the injections. Anyhow.

Life here has been,.... interesting. The residents of our house have changed, bit of tension for the other people. Also, yesterday's gig was ok, although I didn't play particularly well. Key change?? Oops. [coughs].

Well, I'm far from ecstatic at the moment...

There was no choir last week our conductor was busy with Les Mis put on by the Ignatians (which I'll be seeing next Friday). The actual rehearsal of choir went pretty well - I was singing pretty well, except for just a couple of bits. And it was good having piano accompaniment. However, our conductors life is too busy, and not enough enthusiasm from the people in the choir??, it seems. So, after a couple of weeks break, there'll be a bunch of rehearsals, then a final gig. Unfortunately for me, that gig will most likely be when I'm away in China (last two weeks of September and all of October). And then the regularity of the choir will end/disband or whatever. Unless - we get another conductor, or I think another option that was mentioned was having just a few short series of intense rehersals before a gig (as opposed to continuous rehersals), and having a few gigs a year, I suppose. But I'm not sure how likely that is...???? (or if I understood it correctly).

So this is pretty disappointing for me. :(
(I only joined it reasonably recently, well, mid March).

There are other choirs, of course. And I'll look around after I get back from my trip. But it probably wouldn't be as enjoyable... ??? (pessimistic, I know).

It's very average looking at choir ending from the other perspective. Choir is a great (regular) place (socially). I enjoy being around them all - a great bunch of people.

There's a lot more to this story, well for me there is... Worse.. I can't decide whether I should be posting it up here (been thinking about that for several months now)... But I need to go to bed now, long day tomorrow (on a course). (well that's the excuse for now....) :(

Listening to the same bridge and chorus over and over [[Boys on the Radio]]........ (worried about all the other junk about me). No, not about = close proximity; about = in regards to. (In case you thought it was bad things in Canberra.)

Anyhow, goodnight.

If you want to fly around the world, then just download Google Earth. You need a broadband internet connection; it's pretty sweet really...

So there's quite a bit of doubt in my mind at the moment. I've been figuring out how I will get from Chengdu to Kunming (I have a bit under 3 weeks to do it). One option is to do more travelling and go around the Guilin / Yangshuo region of Guangxi province. Alternatively I can spend more time in Sichuan and Yunnan. Not sure. Not sure.

However, my primary worry at the moment is how I will go. I'll be by myself for 3 weeks (well not really, but you know what I mean). This is not a situation I would normally find myself in - I enjoy being around people most of the time. Will I be able to get around ok?, be able to see sights? / understand what people are saying? / not get my stuff stolen?... etc, etc, etc.......

Worried in Brisbane. As they say.

Having said all this, it's kind of cool finding places where I can go to.

Well last night's do (dinner at a chorister's place), turned out to be a bit longer than expected - getting home at 5am...

The primary cause of which was a very long Monopoly game - hadn't played it in ages. Anyhow it was sped up a bit (500 quid for passing Go, plus able to build houses / hotels without having the full set; but maximum of one house build per turn). The paying more for passing Go apparently slows the game down a bit... Anyhow.

I was the lucky one to have the privilege of purchasing Old Kent Road, which ended up earning me about twelve 1 pound bills. Nice...

According to some monopoly strategy, the best property to get is the railway set (which somewhat surprised me). This is followed by the Orange set, followed by Red (visited relatively more often).

I think a relative of our 3 little friends (that we dispatched a few months) ago is back... Dang.

For the first time in several weeks, choir is on later tonight. Yay.

At the moment I'm pretty darn tired - about to hit the sack. Got up at 4.45 am this morning in Canberra (a lovely chill welcomed me to the day). Anyhow, there'll be more about my wacky adventures down south on this site soon. In the mean time, one of the odder photos I took: the now defunct (former) letterbox.

Stable, sturdy, reliable, weatherproof, with an obvious and easy entry / exit point for letters....

We leave for Canberra in a bit less than an hour.

Quite stupidly, apparently this part of the trip isn't a surprise to a recent returnee to Australia. This may or may not have something to do with an earlier post........