The LambCutlet Disorganisation

The above statement may not be 100% true and/or contain nuts… something like that anyway! :D & :P

Have been taking a little break regarding doing “touristy things” in Hong Kong and finally got round to doing various updates that were on the back-burner due to lack of fast, cheap Internet access. Now that I staying at my uncle’s, the connection is certainly fast though weekends are a little flakey due to the other few million users stressing Hong Kong Broadband Network’s infrastructure as it’s the holidays!

It has been a bit of a shock to learn that to date, I’ve taken over 2200 photographs since the start of this trip exactly 2 months ago, leaving Blighty on the 28th of June! The 8.5GiB worth of data took quite a while to upload even on a fast connection and once I’ve got round to captioning them all, I promise quite a Photogasm™… oooh eer! ;) Since there will be lots of new stuff in the gallery in the nearish future, I’ve already rejigged stuff a bit so if things look a bit b0rked, force a refresh in whatever browser you may be using please. :D

On the 30th of August, the various domains hosted on this server will also be changing their IP addresses so things may be unavailable for an hour or so whilst the updated DNS records propagate through the Internet. TTL has been set low already so if you’re still not able to access the site come September, I suggest you shout at your ISPs Helpdesk and tell them to sort their act out… Got that? ;)

Ah the joys of being utterly disconnected from the Internet for a whole week or somesuch! :P Have made it safely to Hong Kong without receiving “The Inquisition” from either the Singaporean or Hong Kong immigration authorities, unlike from a certain United States of America. The week long stay in Singapore was a welcome financial rest-bite as cost of living for the whole week including hotel was only about €200! However I somehow managed to stay in Geylang, Singapore’s district of good food (there’s about 10 streets worth of food stalls and restaurants) and vice (I can’t recall the number of times I got offered massages, quite certainly with extras and services from working girls, with their pimps nearby). Now I’m in Hong Kong where things will be a bit cheaper still, though with less vice, probably.

Anyhoo, for those of you a bit more on the ball about Sinitic Culture would be aware it’s the 7th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, otherwise known as 鬼月 (Ghost Month). Today is also the 15th day of the 7th month, meaning it’s 盂蘭節 (Festival of the liberation from suffering) otherwise known as 中元節 (Festival of the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month) yet again. For Westerners whom are more acquainted with the speech of Queen Lizzy, will better know this as the “Hungry Ghosts Festival”. :P

The Gates of Hell are open during the entirity of the 7th month and the 15th is when forces of the Underworld are at their peak. I’ve already helped my aunt (uncle’s wife) in helping burn some candles, joss sticks and joss paper the night before, namely the 14th day of the 7th month. The heavens were trying to thwart such activities as since my arrival 2 days before (17th of August), Hong Kong has been inundated with bursts of very heavy showers. Nothing quite like visiting the sub-tropics in the mid-summer! ;)

That’s all from me for now, need to get back to my uncle’s for some dinner and another attempt to get their cable Internet to work properly. :D

This post in an automagical post, written at 09:20 UTC on 2nd of August, 2005.

Those familiar with Google Earth and scouted the territory of Hong Kong will know what I’m nagging about! Anyhoo… I should once again be aboard a Singapore Airlines jet off to Hong Kong, returning to the territory pretty much exactly half a year after I last visited. Both my maternal aunt and uncle had phoned home to Blighty whilst I was away when I checked up on father. He did just about manage to convey the fact I was travelling once again and somewhere in Australia.

So decided to make use of my cheap phone credit and popped a quick phone call to my uncle’s house, where I was greeted by my middle cousin Cheuk Yi, whom now actually recognises my voice and not think it’s some random stranger calling their number! In any case, looks like I’ll be staying with family for this long stop as my maternal grandmother has already threatened to twist my ears off if I start wasting money on staying at hostels/guesthouses/hotels when home is just fine!

I would conceed staying with family would save at least £750 for the 40 nights give or take a bit, which come to think of it sounds utterly extortionate when converted to Hong Kong Dollars… all 10 000 of them! I’ll keep my ten grand thank-you very much!

This post in an automagical post, written at 09:12 UTC on 2nd of August, 2005.

Assuming nothing catastrophic has occured, I shall now be on my flight on Singapore Airlines from Melbourne to the little city state in Asia that is the Republic of Singapore! Being as close to slap bang on the equator as a small country can be, I’m going to have to get used to sweltering tropical heat once again having been sufficiently chilled and wearing un-seasonably heavy clothing (I spent a week in Hawaii!) during my time in the land down under that is Australia…

A new month yet again and I head off to Alice Springs tomorrow. Alas I will only being flying on Virgin Blue out-bound as their only return flight to Melbourne is a few hours after my flight off to Singapore… not too clever. So for the return leg, I’ll actually be flying with Qantas, Australia’s national carrier. A blessing in disguise as it was actually cheaper than Virgin Blue’s fare! Hurray for me! :D