Kuala Lumpur is familiar to me, yet each time I go back I do something unique. My layover this time was a mere 16 hours, enough to go into the city, visit some sights, and start adjusting to the jet lag of crossing to the other side of the world. The LCCT is located an hour from KL Sentral, with frequent buses running between the two. My trip brought me to KL Sentral just after breakfast time, and I was hungry after choosing not to buy food on the AirAsia flight. I walked out of the main train station looking for curry, one of my fondest memories of Kuala Lumpur and something I seek every time I transit through. Just around the corner I found a busy restaurant and ordered roti with curry. Then another. Then a …

Because it was Saturday, the Nelson market was in full swing. I am not usually a market person, but this one was relaxing. Many markets sell whichever gadgets and trinkets are popular at the time; this one felt more authentic. The honey, artwork, jewellery, and food were distinctly local. The sun was also intense. Before arriving in New Zealand, I had read about different sunscreen formulations after learning a difficult lesson at a cricket match. For the market, I applied and reapplied sunscreen containing zinc oxide and other ultraviolet filters. I avoided getting burnt, although many people around me had already developed red necks.

One of my earliest memories of New Zealand was staying in a cabin in Abel Tasman National Park. On this trip, I was lucky enough to drive to the park, catch a water taxi to Torrent Bay, and hike the 12-13 km back to where I had parked. Although I never found the cabin, I had a great walk, and the pictures speak for themselves. One of the best parts of the hike happened before I even left. I had a short list of travel items I needed but could never find at the right price. One was a tiny collapsible backpack to use as a daypack. Just before leaving, I stepped into an outdoor shop and found exactly that. After trying it on, I knew immediately that I should buy it. It worked well on the trail, and I looked forward …

Europe 2011 Day 1 It had been almost seven years since I last went to Europe, so with nearly 40 days of paid leave accrued, it seemed like a good time to take a few weeks off. I had also just finished a PhD, so the break felt like a well-deserved reward. While planning my trip, I realised that my dad and Cathy would be in New Zealand around the time we were considering leaving. I arranged to visit them first, then take advantage of a good AirAsia fare to Paris.

Six months ago, I purchased a new bike. I cycled frequently when I was younger, but had not ridden for about eight years. In fact, I had done relatively little physical activity during that period. The new bike changed that. When I lived in the Blue Mountains, I rode the Oaks, a 25-kilometre fire road, several times. Anderson’s Trail is a longer 35-kilometre route that connects to it, and I had been meaning to try it. Fortunately, a colleague invited me on a ride; I would have become hopelessly lost on my own.

I decided it was time to take a vacation. There was a problem, however: I was under a lot of pressure to finish school-related work. Is it possible to take a vacation without taking a vacation? I came up with the idea of flying to Perth over the Easter long weekend and then catching the Indian Pacific back to Sydney. On April 22, I caught an early-evening Qantas flight to Perth and took a taxi to my guesthouse. Although tired from the flight, or perhaps from the two beers I had with dinner, I decided to explore the CBD. The lights were blazing and, despite it being the start of Easter weekend, plenty of people were out. Perth appeared more diverse than I had anticipated, with a strong Asian influence. Many …

I’ve recently returned from a short trip home, and I had a wonderful time. I had the opportunity to visit family and friends, eat plenty of delicious food, and generally relax. I reduced the amount of old belongings stored under the house by 80% and gave away all my old books, which are archived on Goodreads.

You may have just read that I recently duct-taped my own walking treadmill. While driving home, I realised a reward might encourage me to keep going instead of simply crawling into bed with my laptop. Sydney’s winter is coming, and while it is not as cold as back home, it is colder than you might think. My house also seems to provide very little insulation (is reverse insulation possible?), so it can fall to 5-8 degrees Celsius inside.

There are a few problems with modern life, especially for an office worker, most notably the sedentary lifestyle that comes with it. The last few years have been the most inactive of my life; I joked today about barely having a bruise or shedding a drop of blood since arriving in Sydney. Although I’ve never been a serious athlete, I was in decent enough shape at university to know that I’m now heading down a slippery slope. The clearest warning sign came when my dress pants started becoming too tight at the waist. Since I only dry-clean them, I can’t even blame the washing machine. They were also tailored during a trip to Bangkok, so I can’t claim they were tight to begin with.