Sometimes I Have to Pinch Myself

We have it good in Australia. It's a fantastic country and I will eventually return there. I'm proud of my culture and heritage and don't hesitate to share it with people and share the idiosyncrasies I'm a part of.

But notice how I said 'eventually'. Sometimes I have to pinch myself, because moving overseas has opened my eyes to so much more.

In a good way? You betcha. I've been here almost exactly four months. It's been a bit of a jump and not without its ups and downs. But am I better off? I've learned more about myself and my capabilities in four months here than the last year I've spent in Australia.

I don't begrudge that fact, I more or less appreciate it for what it is. I was talking to a bit of a mentor of mine around this time last year about opportunities and heading overseas and he said it's good to wait. I could have done this as a school-leaver or graduate, but would I have had the same open and receptive attitude, the same appreciation to what I have now? I don't think so. I was a very different person from 18-22 to what I am now.

Oh listen to me, I visit three countries in SE Asia and all of a sudden I'm worldly and have all this omniscience and insight. That's not it at all! It's just made me more thankful for the experiences I've had, friends I've made both home and abroad, and very appreciative of my background and family.

I guess that's the hardest part about doing this on my own. I do miss my friends and wish I could share my experiences with them. And knowing that the rest of my immediate family are all back in my hometown enjoying life eats at me inside, but I know this is all part of the process - and I think next time I see them they'll be blown away by my affection for them.

Eventually though.

I'll be right back, I have a world to see.

You've Come a Long Way, Baby

We've come a long long way together

Through the hard times and the good

I have to celebrate you baby

I have to praise you like i should

-- Praise You, Fatboy Slim

----

Not the most profound lyrics unleashed on man, but certainly resonating with me at the moment. Things continue to astound me about this place, and I have a raft of visitors coming through in the coming months for me to look forward to.

After a hiatus while life got crazy, the Masters is commencing again, I start in two days and am looking forward to tucking into some academic endeavour. Not biting off too much, just one subject, but it should help keep my mind sharp. The subject is Writing History and while history is not my strong suit, I am eager to learn and apply myself.

The Marshwah Project has been a good laugh, with my foray into video logging providing some entertainment for myself and others. I think initially I was gunning for a new video every 3-4 days, but this is a shade ambitious for a number of reasons.

1. I have a day job and will be studying again very soon
2. The production elements of the task takes longer than I anticipated, with the whole rigmarole taking a good few hours
3. Being the complete narcissist that I am, I need to acknowledge that me talking about just anything doesn't really make the cut - I need engaging material and I think it's quality over quantity

Having said that however, I'm enjoying it quite a lot and one a week should keep me out of trouble. The feedback has been amusing too, it's ranged from "go Marshy!" to "GTFO" to a tongue-lashing from one of my old friends who is resoundingly anti-digital (in good humour though). We'll see if the novelty wears off or if it continues to prosper.

Probably need to lose the headset though, I'll do that when I get a new computer!

So previously I mentioned that I'm not drinking for two months, and if you know me well you might be surprised to read that I haven't caved yet! It's been 15 days without a drink.

To be honest, I haven't missed it as much as I thought. The culture is a bit different in Singapore and despite being out and being offered free drinks on several occasions, I haven't felt the need. Alcohol's main allure for a lot of people is the lowering of inhibitions and relaxant effect - I'm a very uninhibited person anyway so it's not really affecting my enjoyment. Add to this, my head's feeling much, much clearer. I feel like the guy in Limitless.

But there's more to it than that, I've commenced The Couch-to-5k Running Plan and have completed my first week. I've had this program recommended to me several times over the years, but have always essentially ignored it because I don't like the clumsiness of time-based running ie. Run for 60 seconds, walk for 90 seconds etc. But with my new open and fog-free mind, I discovered a set of podcasts that counts the time for me.

The music sounds like what would happen if you froze 50 kilos of frozen tripe and spun it around in a cement mixer, but its utility is unquestionable.

It also has the added bonus of reinvigorating the RUN FOR COVER MOTHERFUCKER Facebook fan page which has received a deluge of spam-like weather updates.

There's a lot to pleased with this year and I have an inkling things are only going to get better.

A New Frontier

Back in November, I mentioned how impressed I was with the potential of Vlogging on audiences. You could get your message across, convey more humour, and generate a lot of attention.

As I love doing all of these things, I didn't let the hit of inspiration just wither away and die. I had a day off today, and spent most of it polishing my new product and preparing to unleash it on the world.

The time has come for me to enter the world of Video Logging, otherwise known as vlogging. And I don't mind my first attempt. Rather than blather about it, I'd prefer to just see how it goes, or maybe you should see how it goes...

What does this mean for my current blog? Nothing at the moment, but it'll be fun to see how it goes.

Some Thoughts and a Personal Challenge

Been a while since I blogged. My apologies. The past few weekends and work have been semi-crazy. For the weekends in good ways, and for work in bad ways. But the ship's righted itself now, and I'm blogging from a happy - and clear-headed place - on this rainy Saturday in Sinagpore.

But more on that later.

I saw a dear friend off the other night, he was here for six weeks for work. While that's the official reason, I think the universe conspired to have someone close to me here while I settled in. The fact he was staying just two blocks away from my apartment for the majority confirms this suspicion.

The move here has been nothing short of unbelievable, and to have someone here to basically hold my hand while I settle and be a vessel for bouncing thoughts and feelings off has been a privilege. Plus we had some bloody good times. The one that springs to memory the most was when two other friends were in town for Thailand. Two bottles of Bacardi, an amazing venue, classic tunes, and three great friends. For those of you who didn't read the constant praise we were all heaping on the night via Facebook here's the summary:

• Sensational weather
• Magical company
• Glorious food
• At least two power-spews
• Diving in the adjacent pool to the sounds of Missing
• Lost keys
• Many, many laughs

A top five experience for sure.

But I alluded to being clear-headed on a Saturday. What gives? Well in my latest "I'm Gonna" (let's face it, I have a lot of projects that I never quite fully see through) is that I'm not drinking for two months.

What's provoked this? A desire to lose weight and get the metabolism on track. I just hope it goes better than my last effort. Add to this, in two months from yesterday (when I started) it's my 28th birthday. A pretty good milestone and reward to strive for.

So that's that. I'm not drinking. Had my first test last night when I rocked out to the tunes of James Zabiela at Zouk. Personally the night was a privilege and I didn't really need the assistance of alcohol, but the test came when my two friends hit the d-floor with jugs of some concoction and basically tried pouring it down my throat! I fortunately didn't cave, it would be a really piss-poor effort only lasting less than 24 hours. Besides, the natural energy in the room was more than enough.

Lastly, I have some good news on that other project I used to always blog about: my writing. I've resumed my Masters of Writing and commence my next unit on the 30th May. I couldn't be more excited. Life was pretty crazy the past 8-9 months, hence the postponement, but now that things are back on track I can't wait to further my education.

And that'll do for now.

I'm Back

Zing. I wish I had a typewriter. You know that satisfying 'Ting' sound it makes after completing a new line? That's how I feel at the moment. Like a 'Ting'.

What the hell am I talking about? It's that project I started almost two years ago. That thing called a book that I was interested in writing. The one that I'd done a large slab of, and then had wiled away time with excuses and blocks. I was literally stuck. And now I'm unstuck.

I've studied writing literature, in fact, according to my course convenor, I should be eligible for an exemption and have my Graduate Certificate in Writing soon. They tell you that 'writer's block' is a myth. That the white page can be overcome, that it's just a case of working through it with rigour and exercise.

All of that might be true, but when you're writing about yourself and the colourful life you've lived, certain sensitivities come to fruition that impede progress. It was these sensitivities that prevented me from going any further with my tale, and it's languished as a result. Part of me knew that moving here might give the creative juices a creative kick-start, I just didn't know it would come after having a shit of a day on my least favourite day of the week.

It's not like I was struck by a lightning bolt, I have been investing a lot of thought on how to attack my life's subject matter and translate it into the rest of the book since I came here, but I think the long weekend helped significantly. Typically I'd be socialising almost exhaustively on a holiday weekend, but this weekend was filled with introspection and enjoying my own company.

Then today, a quote from a dear friend of mine popped into my head and gave me the kick in the pants I needed. It encapsulated everything I was about and gave me license to invoke the key-typing fingers of fury again.

What's the quote?

I guess you'll have to read the book to find out. But I promise it will be finished.

Initial Observations about Singapore: Part 1

I've had this germinating in my head for a while. I'm making it a Part 1 as I'm sure there'll be future occurrences that will continue to astound and confound me.

1. It's fucking hot
   The first thing I thought before coming here was that 30-degree days everyday would be some sort of paradise, after all, some of the best days I've had in Australia have been around this temperature. But I didn't factor in the humidity. Looking at a cloudy sky and sweating your dick off is not an ideal situation. Especially when it happens every day without fail.
2. People get bored here
   Not much of an observation, hey? People get bored everywhere. But I get asked of locals - what do you do with your spare time? With the insinuation that there is nothing to do here. I counter with something along the lines of: between travelling around, having people visit you, games of FIFA on my XBox360, playing online poker, drinking at the various bars, eating at the many food destinations, shopping for essentials, writing, and dealing with my addiction to Facebook... what spare time? I'd be doing the same thing in Sydney!
3. Banter is non-existentWhat do I mean by banter? The usual chit-chat you'd exchange around the office or in a cab. Talking shit. I am built for this, my whole day revolves around lackadaisical observations that are perceived as cool stories and yet this doesn't really happen here. My first trip in a cab I launched into a somewhat bland note that the weather was different here to Australia. Normally that would generate all sorts of colourful expressions from a cab driver. Not here.
   "You're not from here are you?"
   "No."
   Silence. The same applies in the office, but I'm threatening to circumvent that with much yelling across the room of late.
4. They love their food
   You don't just sit down and have a drink with these people. As a matter of fact I can't remember a session I've had where this has happened. You sit down, order a drink, and all of a sudden someone remembers it's compulsory to have food with your drink. Of course, silly me. I'm not really pooh-poohing it, it's just something that's taken some adjusting to. Some of the best drinking sessions I've had have been at places like Strattons. And there you need to be very drunk to order the food.

So there you have four quasi-negative points about Singapore and where I'm living now. Am I loving it? Yes. A change is indeed a holiday and while I'm still dumbstruck by some of the concepts I'm wrapping my head around, I wouldn't have it any other way. Work's been challenging, but I have to keep reminding myself that this would be the case with any new job I was starting. Let alone in another country.

Feeling the Beat

So I'm listening to Gabriel & Dresden fresh from a Skype call with my Mum. I always wondered why travellers would tout its virtues, but I'm a fresh convert. Being able to see and hear people makes a world of difference to how you cope abroad, and my only complaint is that I can't think of everything I want to say when time aligns. I was a phone whore back in Australia, and I'm barely getting my fix here!

Last post I was acknowledging my homesickness, and it was probably an accurate reflection of one of the lows I was experiencing. While I love to post, brag, and share as much as I can while I'm here, I am guilty of putting a positive spin on things a bit much, and I think acknowledging the challenge of being far away from friends and family was cathartic in a way.

Fortunately, I've been lucky enough to get a chance to see two of my besties in Chiang Mai. At relatively short notice I jumped on a plane and visited a magical city that my friends have been raving about. The trip was short, sweet, and envy-inducing. As much as I love my job, the networking and what I do, part of me wishes I could just kick back and revel in the work-from-home lifestyle my friends enjoy. It was a pretty magical experience for me in amongst all the drinking and food, and I'll definitely return.

But I have to get some more travel out of the way first! On another whim I booked flights and accommodation to Kuala Lumpur. I have the travel bug and I have it bad. The advice I received once I arrived in Singapore was to get as much travel in as I could, and I've certainly looked to maintain that.

Another friend is in town now! Unfortunately he works seven days a week while he is here, but it's bloody good to have a dinner buddy in tow that lets you debrief. The other night we had beers, frog, dumplings and shredded pork. And he queried why I was grinning so much - pretty happy to have a visitor was my answer. It really doesn't get much better.

Now that I'm a bit more settled here, I'm looking to resume my Masters. It's been on the back-burner for a while now, and I'm keen to resume as I've got the itch. Hopefully that will result in taking the book off the shelf and finishing it off too.

I just hit a wall. It was a big, big weekend with two nights of heavy boozing, and I'll be thankful for some rest. I'll tell you the rest later ;-)