Honouring the Spirits, acquireing Luck and reaching the farthest corners of the world...

Maybe I was lucky that I missed my Firefly tour, because the evening that I got in return was an incredible succes! I'd like to think (wonderfully supersticious), that it had something to do with a good luck charm I bought that afternoon in the Central Market. It must have had something to do with it! I was quite disappointed that I missed the tour and a bit cranky about it too, so out of frustration I wrote my last blog and watched some tv. At about seven I went outside to the evening market to see If I could find some nice watches. Later I decided to visit Joanne again at her foodstand and had a deliciuos, specially preperad fried rice, by her husband "Bobby". She tought me some more kantonese and told me about their custom with the "Moon rice cake" Which had a nice history. http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/midfallstory.htm. You can find it here if you're interested. After a very nice evening she invited me to have dinner with her and her family. So we drove to another part of the city and enjoyed a real typical dish. Rice porridge with lots of side dishes to combine it with. It was a strange but nice dish. Joanne gave me as a present a fan

that could also be worn as a hat and she promised to call me when she ever came to holland with her family. The family dropped me of at China Town again where I walked towards my hotel. I walked through a side street of jalan petaling and saw heaps of yellow papers on the street with golden emblems on them. They were burning forests of incence sticks and there were huge tables filled with food, sweets and beer standing right on the middle of the street. There were about twenty drunk asians on the streets inviting me to join their party. They lighted the paper stacks into a great fire and threw so much food into it! They were offering it to the spirits. It was like an asian type of halloween. A group of British joined me in the party.
It was an incredibly fun evening. I was "dumbfounded" by the way the asians were going crazy. A word Karl, a really funny british guy, taught me. I got a tour of the restaurant of one of the party guests since me and the other girls had to go to the bathroom. Suddenly, back at the party, a really tiny asian guy with a charred voice started to play guitar and sing with two little kids next to him. A boy playing the jembe and a girl with a tambourin! Ik was incredibly funny! They sang really corny amercan songs and the man sounded like he had smoked a cigarette every other minute of his life. The little boy who was playing the jembe was so cute. So I grabbed a plate and put two Ringitt in coins on it and placed in in front of them.
At once all the drunk people grabbed their wallets and filled the plate with bills... My good deed for the day! We partied on, on the street, till four. Then the group British left because they had to catch their plane at 9 in the morning to Bali. I had to admit I was a bit jealous! Some of them were going surfing! I walked to my hotel and slept like a rose... Woke up far too late. I forgot my checkout time was 12:00 I woke up at 13:00... because the reception callen if I wanted to extend my stay... Ooops.. :P I packed my bag as fast as I could dumped them at the reception and went out to buy something that could pass for breakfast. The good thing was that, even in that hot climate, they sold grilled chestnuts!! My favorite! So breakfast found. I went to say hi to some friends I made who had I watch store and went inside to grab my bags and take a cab to Kuala Lumpur Sentral and next a bus to the airport. I had to leave far earlier then needed because at four is the time when the evening market starts in the street that I was staying in. That market is so narrow and cramped that I wouldn't have been able to pass with my enourmous bag. So I took a nice nap on the airport. While boarding I met a really nice girl. She was a true Brisbanite! When I told her I was going there too she offered me a ride to city! Unbelievably kind! Her father and best friend came to pick her up and there was one more spot in the car for me. =] They dropped me off at Pim's place, my supervisor of the research I will be conducting on the University of Queensland. I hadn't had one minute of sleep in the plane and when I arrived at Pim's place it was allready eleven in the morning. I's skipped a night. They brought me to my new house. (for the next one and a half month) Where I met my new room mate. A Dutch girl from Amsterdam also called Linda. =] She's really fun! The house where I am staying now is incredibly nice. It even has a pool!! My room is nice and big with lots of closet space =]. Afetr we went to the University where Pim and his grilfriend Kyra showed me around on the campus and in our building. At 2 I went to buy some lunch. After I ate that I was so exhausted that I slept 45 minutes in the sunshine on the gras. After that I opened a bank account here and took the bus home. I unpacked and met with Linda to do the groceries and after I made a Killer carbonara and Linda made a killer salad... We drunk a beer that Linda had brewed herself with it. After dinner I took a shower. Almost fell asleep underneath it and dragged myself to bed. At 21:30 I was vast asleep and I woke up a good 12 hours later...
I raced to the Uni as soon as possible where Pim and I fixed all the administrational ruckous and he explained the possibilities of my internship here. It is going to be incredible! I'll explain the specifics later but the research is going to be so cool and het promised me 2 publications as co-author =]. When that happens I'm on the chart of real researchers!!

I also took care of some necessities. I got an Australian sim card now. So you all can reach me on the following nr. +61415800829.

I'm going home now to eat the leftovers from yesterday and meet Pim, Kyra, Linda and maybe some more later in the city to drink some beers. The prospect of this weekend is also NICE! Maggie, a room mate of Pim and Kyra, soon to be my roommate since I will move there in 1,5 months, asked me to join her and some others to go to an island close by to spend the night there and do some diving on sunday! How cool is that! Can't wait. So about that good luck charm... I think it working quite well for me =]