Everyone seems incredulous I am able to get 5 consecutive weeks off work, and still have managed to go for several holidays in the past year. It's because of a twin-headed serpent known as the mandatory no-pay leave and the mandatory common leave day that tend to rear its bawdy heads when the levels in our collective coffers head south.
Those, coupled with working public holidays and hence, amassing more days off, mean I had the luxury of planning my impending sojourn months in advance. Alas! I'm heading Down Under as my gold continues to diminish. It will, hopefully, begin to pile up after my return since it appears the serpent has been banished (for now).
At dinner with a friend and her other half a couple of days ago, I said I was going on holiday alone. (Although technically, only half of it is alone.)
Friend's husband .. (with a whiff of distaste) Why are you going alone?
Friend .. What better way to meet desirable backpacking foreign guys?
Me ........ (with disbelieve) Desirable???
Friend .. Okay, okay, what better way to meet [deleted] backpacking foreign guys then ...
Me ........ (smugly) Oh yes, what better way to meet a handsome Frenchman?
Her husband's a French whom she met on her travels. He claims to be handsome. In our conversations, the person I'm going to elope with tends to be a handsome Frenchman, even though my preferences veer regional.
In any case, I've armed myself with the relevant travel guide. Or rather, a few city maps photocopied from a travel guide picked up at the library. Also checked out 3 books of fiction, one of which is the first half of a Chinese novel 《兄弟》. It's making the trip with me and thus, will be overdue by the time it gets back. Yes, even with that great NLB invention called Renewing Your Books Online.
Other pre-flight preparations:
!P > YAWN ... tomorrow must get up early so can sleep on plane
aL > wa... what time ur flight
!P > 9.55pm
aL > get up early?
!P > yah, so i will tired by then. cause the flight is not that long so i got to sleep fast. see?
aL > ... sleep ... fast ...? speed sleep?
!P > YEAH!
aL > d'logic
You're all welcome to use it while I'm gone.
