Thoughts of an untamed mind.
Ahhh, home sweet home! Back to my old country, my old blog, but hopefully not my old ways... we'll see :P
Got back to Canada a little less than a month ago, and immediately started looking for work. Still haven't found anything, though prospects are somewhat picking up.
I'm in the UK right now, on a very random and last-minute vacation with my family. I'm travelling on borrowed money, and between my parents and MasterCard, the hole of debt seems to only be getting deeper.
I'm giving myself another two weeks in Ottawa when I get home next Tuesday. If nothing shows up by the time Canada Day has come and gone, I'm outta there, off to the big city (AKA Toronto) in search of a career and whatnot... had to happen eventually I guess.
I've also applied for a job as a reporter for the Whtehorse Star. Crazy right? I'm excited, I hope I get it. I''m thinking reporting in the most remote, random locations is going to be my thing: New Zealand, the Yukon... and then maybe Africa? The Rwanda Initiative is still very much at the forefront of my mind. Again, we'll see where the world takes me.
Anyway, I think that's just about it. Just some random musing... it's good to be home :).
New year, new blog!
Hey everyone!
Well, tomorrow's the big day. I'm heading out on my grand adventure and have decided to give my trip its own blog. I'll be back to this one once (if? HA!) I return to Canadian soil, but until then, my new digs are:
http://whykickamoo-cow.blogspot.comThanks for a FANTASTIC new years guys, I couldn't have dreamed of a better send-off :D.
All the best for 2007.
-Megs
How did we survive high school??
Isn't natural selection supposed to take care of these people?? I swear, teenagers are so retarded, often-time I don't understand how we didn't all either kill each other or walk in front of a bus by the age of 17.
Honestly, I just really don't remember ever being this stupid...
Teens transforming disposable cameras into weaponsLast Updated: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 12:11 PM ET
CBC News
Some teenagers are finding a potentially dangerous use for cheap, disposable cameras, turning them into Taser-like weapons.
The modified cameras aren't common but are increasingly being found in school lockers, said Sgt. Tom Farquhar, who is in charge of Edmonton's school resource officer program.
Police consider these devices weapons, he said.
"For something serious like that, we will initiate a charge and the principals are behind us 100 per cent.
"This is a youth that has really crossed the line and is jeopardizing the safety of the school, the teachers in the school and the whole reputation of the school."
seven-minute video available on the internet describes how to make the transformation — by popping out the back and adding a few wires. Other sites also give information on how to make such homemade stun guns.
Matt Roberston, 17, said his friend made one in about five minutes using a camera and a 12-volt battery. He asked his friend to shock him to see what it felt like.
"Your whole body goes stiff," he said. "You fall to the ground and if you have to go to the bathroom, you'll pee yourself. I just wanted to see how much it hurt, and it hurt."
Roberston claims he has been shocked by a police Taser, and the camera version isn't nearly as powerful. But he says they should still be taken seriously.
-30-
Hong Kong = a Go
Things seem to have settled themselves on the Hong Kong front. Basically, there are no flights left, so my options are to spend a two-day lay-over in Hong Kong International Airport, or get out and see the city. I’ve selected option B (the ‘rents have to been told to ‘suck it up’).
Anyway, I talked it over with my oh-so-awesome travel agent, Samantha, and she’s committed to finding me a bunch of day tours that pick me up and drop me off at my hotel. She also confided that she was secretly happy that there were no flights left, because she’s been to HK and felt it was an experience I shouldn’t miss. Like I said, she’s awesome.
Anyway, I haven’t nailed down a game plan just yet, but I have an idea of the types of things I want to see. From what I’ve read, Hong Kong is mainly renown for its culture (amazing markets, and Buddhist temples rest mere kilometres from the city-centre), nightlife, and architecture.
I definitely want to see some of these crazy skyscrapers up close, especially since Hong Kong is known to have as many supremely ugly buildings as it does works of art.
Some of the worst I’ve seen so far:
Peak Tower:
It sits at the top of Victoria Peak, the best look-out in the city. Apparently it holds little more than tourist shops touting cheap merchandise and bad coffee.
Hong Kong Club Building:
The headquarters of an exclusive business and dining club in the heart of the city. The club itself dates back to 1846. Thankfully, the building has only been around since the ‘80s.
…and my personal favourite
Jardine House:The first office tower in Hong Kong, and the tallest building in the former British Crown Colony when it was first finished in 1973. Today it is colourfully known as
the house of a thousand arseholes.
Status Update: New Zealand
The Facts:
1: Friends are shitty, don’t rely on them.
2: Flight Centre may or may not be god, depending on what they tell me tomorrow.
The situation:
My friend Jill was supposed to meet me in Hong Kong for three days at the beginning of my trip. I had a free stop-over, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of such an amazing opportunity. Jill said she couldn’t go when I was originally scheduled to leave (Jan 6, arriving in HK on Jan 8), so I moved my flight up three days in order to accommodate her teaching schedule.
Well, now she can’t go at all. Flights are screwy, and it’s not entirely her fault as I booked my ticket before she had time to look into all the options of getting there and back in the allotted time. Still, quite the shitty situation.
So, when she finally emailed me to say she just didn’t think it would work out, my original thought was "okay, I’ll go by myself." Travelling solo as a woman in a foreign city usually means that one’s vacation needs to be a little more structured (scheduled tours instead of impromptu side-trips, paying extra for a room with a view instead of partying downtown... things like that), but it’s still definitely doable.
So I did my research, found a couple day tour outfits that pick you up and drop you off at your hotel, and figured that as long as I didn’t do anything stupid I’d be OK.
Then I told mom and dad my plan.
Well, they flipped. They flipped to an extent rarely seen by my parents, which is oddly comforting but mostly incredibly annoying. They aren’t "comfortable" with me travelling to a strange city on my own. They "worry" about my safety with no one around to "look out for me." Oh yea, they pulled out the parent-words by the bucket-load.
What to do?
Well, behind Door #1 we have: A BEAUTIFUL THREE DAY TOUR OF HONG KONG!! Your package comes complete with tours of Victoria Peak, Repulse Bay, and the Man Mo Temple. But as a special surprise, we’re throwing in FREE HEART ATTACKS FOR BOTH YOUR PARENTS!!
Uh, Bob, what’s behind door #2?
Well, behind door #2 we have: A THIRTY HOUR FLIGHT TO AUCKLAND!! That’s right folks, get your butt-pads ready because chances are you won’t be able to feel your cheeks by the time you land. As an extra bonus we’re throwing in long lay-overs in airport terminals in gorgeous places YOU CAN’T VISIT!! And your parents can rest easy knowing that instead of wandering around on the ground, you’re shooting through the air in a metal bullet going over 1000km/hour!!!
Well Bobbo, that’s a toughy...
The Decision:
I phoned Flight Centre and asked them how much it would put me out to change my flight and not do the stop-over. If it costs me less than the amount I budgeted for Hong Kong, then I’ll do it. If it’s way more, than I go on my own. If the rents don’t like it, they can foot the bill.
The Good News:
1: I got my visa approved by the embassy, so I’m now officially licensed to work in New Zealand.
2: Regardless of all of this, in approximately a month and a half, I will head out on a journey to the other side of the world for at least the next six months.
The Conclusion:
Shut up Megan. Quit yer damn complaining.
Wow.
So… um… I did it.
I bought my ticket.
I’m going to New Zealand.
Wow.
Details:
The way there…
Flight #1: Toronto – Hong Kong
Departure: January 3, 2007 @ 10:30 p.m.
Arrival: January 5, 2007 @ 7:35 a.m.
Length of flight: 20:05 hours. Holy fuck.
Flight #2: Hong Kong – Auckland
Departure: January 7, 2007 @ 3:35 p.m.
Arrival: January 8, 2007 @ 7:40 a.m.
Length of flight: 11:05 hours. New Zealand is far.
Yea. As you way have noticed, that’s a lot of hours, a lot of days, a lot of plane. Part of it is voluntary, though. I’m flying with Cathay Pacific, one of the top airlines in the world. They’ve only very recently started flying out of Toronto, and as such are offering free stop-overs on any of their long-distance flights. My only stop-over was Hong Kong, and I figured I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the city, especially if it was free! It’s only two days, and I’ll most likely be jet-lagged the whole time, but I’ll be in China, and that’s cool.
At present my flight back is August 15, 2007 (arriving in Toronto on August 16), but I wouldn’t mark the date down on your calendar’s just yet. Another reason why I chose this flight is because they offer free outbound changes, meaning that as long as I wait until after I get there, I can move my flight up or push it back at anytime without penalty. Pretty cool, especially since I have no idea how I’m going to handle being far away and on my own.
I know that from the lack of exclamation marks, it may seem as though I’m not excited, but I am. Like, really freaking excited. Sort of a shocked excited, because I finally understand the incredibly vast difference between talking about something and actually doing it. I’m doing it. I’m going to New Zealand.
Wow.
P.S.
If you're ever bored, check out the blogs of two friends, Kaila and Jill, who are spending a year abroad in Japan with the JET program.
They're in two different parts of the country, and their two very different personalities (Kaila = outgoing party-girl, Jill = very much less-so) make for very different experiences.
Their links are under my "Friends" menu on the sidebar.
Enjoy!
