I Hear There's Trouble in Shangri-La

I Remember You...

Currently making my way from Ho Chi Minh city in the south of Vietnam to Hanoi up in the north from where I will be flying home! Have my flights booked and in 11 or 12 days I will be back to reality. I'm excited and afraid at the same time.

Anyway, currently I am in a small town on the coast of Vietnam called Dalat. Me and Jessie decided rather spur of the moment that we wanted to take motorbikes up the centre of Vietnam. Our plan was to just bus it up the coast on this open ticket that allows us to get on and off wherever and whenever we please but at the moment we are just being dropped off in lots of touristy places that are getting a bit repetitive. So we met some locals today who agreed (for a price!) to take us up the mountains and into the jungles of the Ho Chi Minh trail on motorbike!! It sounds like it will be an absolutely amazing 5 days and a fantastic way to wrap up my trip. We'll be staying in villages of ethnic minority groups and just getting a more "off the beaten track" Vietnamese experience. I've grown to hate that term on this trip, as off the beaten track tends to be what every other traveller tries to do.

I am somewhat relieved that I will be away from the internet for a good 5 days or so! Everywhere I go there seems to be wireless connections and seeing as I had to bring my laptop with me (shipping expenses), I've been going online a lot more than I would have liked to. But at the same time, I am sure my parents are appreciative of the regular updates as to my survival. Sites like facebook make escaping from all that turmoil from the last few months in Shanghai all the more difficult... I'm a bit masochistic when it comes to that whole thing. Which I will go into more detail in when I get the chance. I'm trying to separate it from this trip as much as possible, which is proving more difficult than I expected it to be (and I did expect it to be hard).
But I'm doing well, enjoying myself and collecting more memories than I know what to do with!!

My disappointment in the lack of commitment to this journal since I left for China is unfathomable. I really thought I would fill each day with an exciting and interesting anecdote or adventure. That is exactly how my stay here has been but I think I have been to afraid to try and put it down in words recently for fear of not doing it justice. I always get frustrated with my lack of ability to express myself, both verbally and on paper. It took me this long to realise how ridiculous that is and I just spent the last hour going back through the years of entries in this journal and despite the amount of times I cringed (I have changed a ridiculous amount), I know that this time next year I will regret not having been more faithful to my LJ. Regardless, I am determined to make more of an effort.

I am not even going to bother detailing and the ups and downs of my year abroad so far as it would take days to put it all out there. Suffice to say, it's been one of the most important years of my life so far and that's not an overstatement.
I don't really know how many of my friends are left out there in LiveJournal but for those of you who are still around, I really look forward to getting back in touch with you all.

I'm doing very well here, recently got moved into the upper-intermediate Chinese class (had my first class today) and I know that my free time is probably going to be very limited as I will need to do so much study in order to keep up with it. My language is coming along very well but that doesn't mean that there is still so much further left to go before I can even be considered semi-fluent. I still hope to find the time to continue my travelling and exploring and I've recently committed myself to other things. I joined the gym for example and I've been running two miles every two days, so I am interested to see how that will develop. I have made some amazing friends here. With one of those friends I have planned a trip around South-East Asia when I finish college before Summer. Intend on visiting such countries as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. I especially look forward to spending my 21st birthday on a tropical island in Southern Thailand!
Anyway, these are just a few of the things I have been occupying my time with recently and over the coming weeks I will hopefully get my journal back up to speed.
Class at 8am tomorrow, so I should probably try and head to bed - hope to talk to you all again soon!

I'm really restless these days, I need something to take my mind off of the study I'm not doing.

Who wants to come on an adventure?
Lie under the stars. Watch distant souls glitter. Like ice that burns against our skin. Limited only by the universe.
We can take an endless train journey, running parallel with all the oceans and mountains the world has to offer. Soar through lost valleys and teeming cities.
We can dream of a past that has and could have been - predict a future that will and might not be.

Sorry frankeecymraeg, consider this my retribution.

---

1. List your top five favorite musical artists
2. List your top five favorite songs from each artist.
3. Tag five people to do the same


---

1) Kate Bush (only five songs!?)

a)Running Up That Hill
b)Hello Earth
c)And Dream of Sheep
d)This Woman's Work
e)Nocturne

2) Patrick Wolf

a)Wind in the Wires
b)Tristan
c)Magpie
d)The Stars
e)Teignmouth

3) Bjork

a)Hyperballad
b)Joga
c)Pagan Poetry
d)Unravel
e)Army of Me

4) Stevie Nicks

a)Edge of Seventeen (of course.)
b)Trouble in Shangri-La
c)Planets of the Universe
d)Love Is
e)Rooms on Fire

5) M83

a)Teen Angst
b)Car Chase Terror!
c)Let Men Burn Stars
d)In the Cold I'm Standing
e)Beauties Can Die

----

Five is way too little..

But anyway, I'm not tagging anyone because I always feel bad when someone doesn't tag me and I know some of you feel the same. Feel free to do it if you want!

The Time Is Now

Ok. So maybe only taken last year.. but I just found this photo and it's insane how things have changed. Like they are supposed to, I guess. Everything is more volatile these days.



I miss hanging out with Emily.
And all the others.
Haha, no idea how we got away with being such posers. Especially considering that this kinda "crazy" stuff was what we did on a daily basis for fun in Limerick.

One day... me and my friends are going to save the world. I know it...

Wicked Witchery

In the form of a little greedy fox.
Seriously. I fed it an entire packet of ham before it let me take any photos of it. Which I am not satisfied with at all but she will be back.



( For Fox Sake! )

I can't believe how unafraid of me it was.
I actually could have touched the fox if I wasn't afraid of catching ticks or lice or something.

I can't wait 'til she brings her babies around! She is still quite young but you can guarantee that we will have the entire family in our back garden when she finds a mate.

Are baby foxes called "cubs" or "pups"...? Google seems to be ambivalent on the subject.

I guess this is proof that I'm not wasting away my life on WoW. Probably proof for my own benefit moreso than anyone elses. Although have to say that I am in love with my Blood Elf. Who I actually caved and made a woman. They are just so damn aesthetically pleasing! >_<

Anyways. This is my somewhat rushed version of Magpie by Patrick Wolf. I had a few minutes at home alone while my dad went off somewhere so I decided to do this because I said I would post my version on the Patrick Wolf community.
I'm a bit freaked out by the balance between my voice and the piano. But that's probably just the camera and the fact that it's right next to my (really loud) piano.
The acoustics and grand piano were inifinitely better in the concert hall I was playing in for my exam...
So.. yeah.



Ack. The harmonies are a bit off too...
Oh. And here is the original song for those of you who would actually like to hear the words.. :p
http://www.thelonglonelyleap.com/Tim/Music/Patrick%20Wolf/The%20Magic%20Position/06%20magpie.mp3

I know I said I would go and practise but.. bleh.
I remembered all these random pictures that were taken recently and I am aware that my last one didn't exactly.. work.. so let's try again!

Includes some extremely rubbish pics from the CSS gig...



Me + Prem + Camera = Shoddy Works of posery photography á la this.

( clicky clicky for more... lots more... )

Bring on ELECTRIC PICNIC!!! Is what I say.

Hah - I'm just listening to Patrick Wolf singing Prince's "When Doves Cry" with Charlotte Church on the Charlotte Church Show.. Oh Patrick. Is there anything you won't do??

So yeah, my updates haven't exactly been regular. I guess that's because not much has happened, as usual. Last week was fun, Jessie and Aideen came down and we hung out and went out, got drunk etc etc. And I even think I managed to not fail that Chorale anaylsis exam on Friday. Yay me. Of course, I am probably speaking too soon. I'll try not to think about it...

Only one more week of college! I can't believe it. It's a little scary, how fast this year has gone by. Well, technically, I still have exams in May but this is my last week of lectures. Wow.
I don't feel any different. Should I..?
I have "Spring Break" in April, I am going to have to make some sort of study timetable and adhere to it. Strictly!! This psychology exam will be a complete bitch if I don't go over everything. Although, in fairness, I have been quite good when it comes to attending those lectures. In comparison to most other students anyways. :P

I stayed down in Cork this weekend and did very little of merit. I went to the music dept with Síle today to go over her audition piece for the Irish Youth Choir. It went rather well, it's tough because she has never had any vocal tuition before.
She should get back in though, this is only a formality. I hope.
I don't have to audition again at least.
I have my performance exam in May to freak out about instead.

I wish I could go to bed earlier... I'm going to die of insomnia or something at somepoint.

I recently just made a Last.fm profile and if anyone has a profile themselves and would like to add me as a friend - please do so! :) Here's my profile - http://www.last.fm/user/particle-boy/

Oh.. and ignore the fact that Lindsay Lohan is my apparent top artist... -_- I was listening to her version of Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks and I left the computer without realising that windwos media player was set to repeat the track...
Ahem.

Woah.. it's distressing really, what boredom can produce.
I was probably better off with essays...



( It get's better.. )

Now what to do..?

I cannot for the life of me remember who it was, but someone on my friends list once said that nothing feels better than the adrenaline rush as a deadline swooshes in to meet you. Man, I totally know how you feel..!
I just finished my essay;

"Outline the principle concepts of Attachment Theory.
Discuss with consideration of recent psychological research the debate as to whether child
care has a negative effect on child development."

2417 words. I dont think I have ever been closer to a word max in my life.
Of course, whether what I wrote was actual quality is another matter altogether. I am far too tired to read over it now so I shall just do it before I got to print it out in the computer lab tomorrow.
Well that was that.
Just wanted to gloat! :)

Hey.. I just noticed something weird..
Its 3:20 am here and its pitch black outside.
But the birds are singing.

Ok, this has to epitomise my nerdiness. But ... I just finished Season one of Battlestar Galactica and I WANT MORE!!
I hate being left on such a cliffhanger.
Sharon... I love you.
And how cool is that blonde cylon?
Go her.

Grahaga... Can't think of anything to say.

Gah, mo dhia.
Tá WoW an-Fhrustrachas. I mean... wtf? Taim officially an-shit ar duelling ach nil fhios agam cen fath! Fucking fucking fuck... Cad as an fracking deal!? Mar shampla.. ta mo leibheal fiche mage owned gach duel..

Uh.. Irish? So basically, my mage sucks. No, I suck.. because I can't use him properly. He has all the magey goodness but I keep getting beaten in duels with stupid nerds up to two leves lower then me!! I am annoying and crap.. and I hate it because my lame-ness is fuelling the sad pathetic lives of people who think they are great just because they whooped a noob. Which I am. Look! I'm even using the stupid term noob.
Gah.
It's a vicious world that I cannot escape.
I even devoted an entire entry to it. With Irish! >_<

I also want a pretty robe with a hood. And maybe even a glowy staff.. :(

I'm in Turkey.. Ooh.
The place is quite backwards so I was seriously surprised to find this cafe/bar/thing with Wireless internet access and the guy who works here is really hot and cool and gave me the password to log on!! Woot!!
Turkey is great so far, really different to anywhere else in Europe. The people are really cool. I love going to places with cool people. However, it is absolutely FREEZING here... They are actually expecting snow tomorrow!! Madness. The first snow that this region has had in 20 years according to a bartender here. I'll have photographs and hopefully a proper travel-blog when I get back home.
I'm fighting myself to try and not start up WoW... I tried playing it in the airport and it was all glitchy and there was something not fun about playing it where everyone could see what I was doing. I love having it in the comfort of my own home, with my big squashy chair. God.. I seriously have been desperate to play it again after my first (and scarily, not last) all-nighter a few days ago.. Man. I love it.
Does anyone know the old Baldur's Gate games?? It's like a fully interactive, 3D, alternate reality version of those... and I really LOVED those games... Very unhealthy for me...
I mean, look! Here I am in some exotic country and I am ranting about my yearning for some video game! A sure sign of things to come. *gulp*
I'll give a proper update when I am back in a few days time.
Or when I am stuck in hours long queues in Manchester... :(