I’ve had several requests to confirm that I’m alive. Are you alive? I think so. pinch Yup. Good! For those of you who want more information, read on. Please forgive any rough edges; it is past 3:00 a.m., and I’m rather tired. I have now joined the JAFA ranks, i.e., Just Another Very Aucklander. What can I say? I’m worse than a statistic. While I love the countryside, I prefer city life, and Gisborne was very rural. As you can tell from this belated entry, my journey back was several months ago, so I’ll recap only a few stories.

Gisborne = Roseburg. For those of you reading from Oregon, and in particular Ashland, you know what I’m talking about. For those of you who don’t know about Roseburg, let me explain. My time in Auckland was drawing to a close — I had managed to use an internet connection from McDonald’s so was able to get online for free — but who wants to work from McDonald’s? I had an itch to go and play in the ocean, so when Friday came I departed. Nigel and Tina went to Taupo and dropped me off at the bus station at 7:00 a.m. or some similarly ungodly time. Problem was (and I didn’t make this apparent) — I was up until 3 a.m. working. I also had a New Zealand dial-up account, so I was able to sort of get online if there is …

Bus travel had never been so comfortable. The photos in my gallery provide proof: every seat had a small screen showing movies and music selections. The five- or six-hour journey flew by. I arrived in Singapore with no money and no map. Expecting to be dropped in a central location, I instead found myself outside a hotel on the edge of the city. I hired a taxi to take me to several hotels on my list, stopped at an ATM to pay the driver, and tried to check in. Unfortunately, all the private rooms were booked, but space was available in a backpackers’ room, with a private room promised for the following night. That suited me, especially at $7.50 USD a night. In the end, I stayed in the large shared room …

Ahh. New Zealand coffee must be of a new variety — mimicking Sweden, the coffee is roasted dark and bold. Just the way I like it. Glancing out the window a flurry of rain hits the people walking around, all darting for cover like little ants. Realising how thoroughly the internet has become part of my life, I feel as though half my time is spent searching for the next affordable hotspot.

Upon arriving in New Zealand, my uncle met me at the airport and, after teasing me for trying to get into the wrong side of the car (I was still getting used to that), we took off. The flight was overnight and the final three hours were rather bumpy, so I was quite tired. We had dinner, chatted for some time, and I fell asleep. The bed was warm and comfortable, and it was my first experience with an electric blanket. I have fallen in love. As I learned bits of family slang from my cousin, I began to realise how alike my father and uncle are. Their mannerisms are remarkably similar: the way they talk and the way they use their hands. Apparently, the way I talk and use my hands also reminds my aunt Tina of my …

I slowly glance out of the 15th-storey window of my hotel and take in the aura of the Petronas Towers. The sky is slightly overcast, and the weather is perfect here in Kuala Lumpur, but the perfection doesn’t end there. Before leaving Korea, I probably shortened my life with stress. My flight left at 11:35 a.m., so I planned to catch the 8:30 a.m. bus to the airport. The ride takes about 45 minutes, which would leave me plenty of time to find my gate. One of my close friends passed away a few months ago, and I have brought some of his ashes with me. As a promise to his mother, I am leaving a pinch in the ground at each place I visit. After leaving the hotel, I had to buy batteries and find a suitable place. …

My last day in Korea. Wow. I am still not sure what to think. Seoul had so much happening, but few obvious tourist attractions. People were kind and formal in a way I was still trying to understand, and the history felt deeper than I could grasp in one visit. Korea had been a personal adventure, although not a typical one. Thinking back over the last week, I was beginning to realise that perhaps Korea wasn’t only about exploring another culture, but also about exploring myself.

Korea, Korea, Korea. It is raining again, but Korea has been filled with many bright moments. I have been here for several days now and am finally becoming used to the climate, the people, and especially the food. On my first day, I decided to get lost; this is seemingly a tradition in every city I enter. So, with a subway map in hand, but no map of the city, I jumped on the subway, rode for 45 minutes, got off, and wandered around. One thing I didn’t realise is that, in Korea, if you want to get lost — or even if you don’t — you get lost. I stayed mainly near the major streets because I needed to meet Amara at some point and couldn’t spend three hours looking for a subway station. I ate some bread, a moped …

Trouble seems to surround me when I drink Hennessy. I’ll upload the pictures as soon as I get them off my computer, but let me tell you: it will be a while before I drink that again. Most of you know how rarely I drink, or at least how often I try not to. On Saturday we lounged around and eventually headed to Los Angeles and Hollywood. My friend Todd, the tallest of our group, had a connection at a new and up-and-coming club called Vanguard. We first got dressed up and went for sushi. Pav bought a bottle of Hennessy, which we finished quickly at the table. Hennessy and sushi? I don’t recommend it. After dinner we went to the club, where Todd whispered the name of someone who worked there, and we …

Today we wandered through the hills above Santa Barbara, exploring a maze of valleys before reaching the top of one. As we looked over the city, we talked about the “good old days.” A concrete pillar stood nearby. After climbing onto it, Ben said, “I bet I could throw the football to Pav.” Both Ben and Pav had played football in high school, while I had been learning how to use Red Hat Linux 5.2.