I love people. This morning on the bus a small African chap got on. He walked over to my seat. There was a spare seat next to me. He said to me, "Can we share?" I said, "Of course," and almost died from cuteness overload. A few stops later a really old woman got on. He offered her his seat, but she didn't hear and sat down in another one. So he tried offering his seat to another person, but they didn't want it. So he sat down next to me again. Made my morning.

I went to see King Arthur in my break yesterday. I can't put my finger on exactly what was wrong with it, but it felt kind of B-grade. Everything was a little bit tacky. And all the acting was a little bit dodge. Some parts of it were interesting. The whole Pelagius-Rome-human rights-freedom-collapse of an empire stuff that Arthur was thinking about was interesting.

The part that struck me the most was this fight between the Woads and Arthur's knights. The Woads spent several minutes of the film hemming the knights in the forest by shooting arrows with barbed-wire ropes into trees, making a kind of big barbed-wire fence. It took ages, and they had to shoot heaps of arrows all over the place to finally get them to stop running. But when they did, Merlin blew some horn which meant that they weren't supposed to kill Arthur. So they all walked off. I really felt sorry for all the people who'd climbed up those trees. And for the people who'd prepared all the barbed-wire arrows. And for those who had to go pull all the arrows out of the trees, and put them back up. That must have taken ages.

I'm reading a book at the moment called The Rhythm Section. I don't like it much, but apparently it was recommended by The Economist, so I must be wrong.

It's all about terrorism and this girl who becomes a secret agent because her parents die and she gets depressed and then gets sick of being a prostitute. The interesting thing is that the big plot at the end of it is about a suicide hijacking. She's got to try and stop it by infiltrating this Muslim terrorist organisation. The plan is for 5 suicide hijackers to hijack a plane flying out of Italy or Greece, and fly it into Manhattan in New York. The organisation is funded by wealthy Arab oil families, and the guy who runs it trained in one of Osama bin Laden's camps.

I checked the date on the book, and it was published in 1999. That's pretty amazing I reckon. I wonder if Osama (or whoever did the bombing) read the book and got the idea from there. This guy here noticed it too.

You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat.

Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), when asked to describe radio

Grandma and I went out for coffee and lunch today. It was great fun. We hung out in her room for a while and listened to old guitar tapes. I found her favourite tape, which she'd thought she'd lost. She was pretty happy about that. It was a good tape.

Then we had Danes coffee in Wahroonga which was yummy as all get out. Grandma told me stories about all sorts of fun things. She has so many cool stories, and manages to remember which ones she's told me and which ones she hasn't.

I love Goretex. Thanks to Goretex, after my long walk the other day through the freezing, windy, rainy sounds I've only got a little cold, instead of a really bad cold.

I went ice hiking today. And man oh man, was it one of the best things ever. At the end we did this super duper ice cave, I was almost peeing my pants it was so groovy.....well actually I was almost peeing my pants with worry that it would fall in on us because it was so huge. It was sooo huge.

And the walking was fun and not too hard. And the weather was perfect and sunny and just the right warm. I didn't get blisters at all. The boots were actually really comfortable. Although they were leather which was gross.

We slid through this cool ice hole too and almost got jammed. And I took lots of photos, except my film ran out.

And it was so good. I can't describe how much fun running around exploring ice is. Not that it was proper proper exploring because there were 10 of us in a big queue, but it was still great.

I want to do it all over again.

Oh my god. I'm blogging from a bus. It's an old red bus that I don't reckon drives so good any more. And it's filled with TFT screens and the lovely tunes of Jack Jones. And it's cheaper. All the other stupid internet places are crap. I've often thought it was funny that dingy little cafes in the middle of some impoverished Latin American country can have better internet (faster, nicer, and better keyboards) that spruced up joints in the middle of Sydney. Or in this case at the foot of the glacier. Which reminds me.

Oh and it's next to a trend musicky looking place too. With laid back musicky sorts of people who I reckon secretly also know a heap about computers.

It seems a shame to waste my $2. It costs $2 for only 15 minutes in most places in New Zealand. Normally my time runs out way before I'm finished. But this one seems to go and go and go. So I thought I'd make another post, instead of doing the sensible thing and going to bed.

I'm going for an ice hike tomorrow. Maybe. If there's enough space. And if I've got enough money, I might do a heli-hike. It's one of those things I never in my life I'd have enough money to do. But I haven't spent very much so far, so I could.

Oop. Have to post it. The count down has started.

Ha......haha....wait for it....NOW!

I had the best veggie burger of my life tonight. I sat in the car and ate it with Vanilla Coke. It was so saucy and floppy. Just like I remember hamburgers being when I was a non-veggie kid. It wasn't strictly speaking vegan, but so so yummy. I love sitting in the car and eating fast food. It's one of my favourite pass times.

Lots of walking. My legs hurt to the shithouse. I bought lots of chocolate even though I don't like chocolate, just in case I felt like chocolate on the walk. And boy did I feel like chocolate. I was totally buggered about 10 minutes after I left camp this morning. So I half a block of chocolate. I think that might have been too much. I ran and danced and sang for about half an hour through the mud and rain and slime. I ran so much I almost mudslid off the edge. And this was some edge. It when way, way down.

I definitely like sounds. After "We like the moon" they are funnest thing so far about New Zealand. Except they make your legs hurt a lot. I walked 45km or something. Thanks to my chocolate I got to the end early. The boat people had told me to go as fast as I could because they were worried I'd be late for the boat. As it turned out I was 4 hours early. So I ended up walking another 7-8km down the road to hitch a ride. Eventually I nice Israeli lad picked me up and dropped me right at my car. He thinks that big wall in Israel is a bad idea, and he told me that there isn't much difference between ancient and modern Hebrew. I was impressed.

New Zealanders are so friendly. All these Outward Bound folk on the track chatted to me. And the boat captain offered to let me stay in his house after talking to me for only 15 minutes. And on the way to main hitching road this afternoon, this woman stopped and gave me a lift even though I didn't have my thumb out at all.

It was such a pretty walk.

So pretty. Yes.

Now I'm using up my internet time. I could go and read Jem's blog. She sounds sad. I'm a bit sad too. It might be a chocolate down. I could just leave and start my drive to the other coast. Wow. My schedule is so on schedule. Not like me at all. It's all thanks to that Israeli lad.

I should have stayed in this hostel. It's cheaper, the internet is better, and the people that run it seem a bit nicer. The other guy wasn't un-nice. But he seemed a bit preoccupied with making money.

That's all.

Bah. Stupid QMA exam and stupid social science. But I guess it could have been worse.

========================================================

Session Course Title Result

S1 ACCT1501 Accounting & Financial Mgt 1A....76 DN S1 ECON1101 Microeconomics 1.................82 DN S1 ECON1202 Quantitative Methods A...........65 CR

S1 SLSP1000 Social Science & Policy..........68 CR

Term WAM: 72.750 Overall WAM: 72.750 Undergraduate Provisional Academic Standing : Good Standing

7pm seems so late at night when you're travelling by yourself. I can't think of anything else to do. Travellers in hostels can be so unfriendly. I was just in the supermarket. And two of the people staying in my place where there. We must have passed each other about 10 times. But neither of them made eye contact. Eventually I said something, and he laughed awkwardly. So that was good.

The next 5 days are going to be crazy go nuts. Two day walk tomorrow and the day after. Then driving to a lake for more walking. Then doing an ice walk on the other side of the country. Then driving back up, and coming across to Christchurch again. There'll be lots of driving and early mornings I reckon. It will be great.

Wellington is great. I've loved it heaps. Kate's family have been way nice to me, and I've bummed in her and Andrew's house for four nights. And we've watched so much West Wing. I feel like the characters are part of my family. I watched my 13th episode this morning. Just wonderful.

I was going to go to the communist cafe. But I don't think I'll have time sadly. This morning has gone too fast. I don't really want to leave. Although I'm a bit excited about trying to climb a glacier. That would be tops.

I don't know if it's the highlight of my trip, but it's very close.

About to get on a plane to New Zealand. It seems much scarier than it really is. New Zealand probably isn't in the least bit scary.

I hate them I hate them I hate them.

The flight from Sydney to Christchurch at 11:30pm that I was just getting ready to catch, actually left at 6:10pm. Bugger eh.

Update: I have to buy another flight which will cost $241. Dear me. I'm very silly. This single flight is $20 more than what I'd paid for the whole return ticket originally. And I have to pay the $70 airport tax again, even though I didn't even get to the airport. Bummy airport tax.

I spent today playing with Tom in Westfield. We both love Westfield. Actually, I think almost everyone loves Westfield. I shopped like crazy. More than I think I've ever shopped in one day. Amazing. Mostly stuff for New Zealand, but also a Win32 Python book and a live Jeff Buckley CD (which I'm listening to now). Sometimes I think that John Mayer is the sexiest man in the world, and then I put on a Jeff Buckley CD and completely forget about John Mayer.

I bought:

• Jeff Buckley CD
• gloves
• Python book
• walking shoes for $22.95
• long thermal underpants (Tom bought some too)

Good fun.

Last night I went to Coles Express in Kings Cross to get some batteries for my mini-torch. And while I was dottering around trying to find them (they were right out the front in the end) I found a label on those signs at the start of an aisle that said "Picnic Needs". It was an aisle full of paper plates and plastic cups. It made me laugh a lot then, and I expect it will continue to make me laugh for a good while yet. I'm laughing now. No one else seems to think it's very funny that you'd call paper plates a Picnic Need. You could have "Picnic Accessories".

I have to tell Jem.

I think it's funny because of the way people throw around the word need. Spiritual needs and relationship needs and financial needs. Need is kind of a silly word full stop. You can say "I need water for my baby that isn't infected with dengue fever." Or you could say "I need a new car because this one is starting to rust." It's very versatile.

How do you tell someone you love, lust after, crush after or are curious about, that you can't see them because you think it's bad for your marriage? Should you tell them the reason? Should you stop seeing them at all, or just cross your fingers and hope you don't end up crashing your marriage? Jane asked me last night what I'd do if I was married and found myself attracted to one of my friends. In theory, I would like there to be a good conversation that could be had with the friend that could leave them with understanding, with having opened up any of those proverbial floodgates. The gates like what get opened up in films all the time, when people let slip that Something More is going on with a friend. That would be all good and fine, except I don't think that conversation exists. In fact, I reckon the closest to best conversation is probably one that leaves one or more people in limbo. And I reckon that might be saying you can't see someone, but not telling them why.

How good would it be if they developed anti-viagara. Not the this is anything to do with libido, but something that made you asexual just long enough to have a cup of coffee with a friend you'd otherwise be really attracted to. Except attraction doesn't work like that does it. Most of the adultery takes place in your head, when the person isn't even there.

Maybe it's enough to let them guess why. And hope that they are respectful enough not to ask you to confirm it.

I reckon that most of the solution is not be to "positively charged" to begin with. To not ping back at all. It's boring, but probably a pretty good way of never even getting the opportunity to have an affair.

Still not sure what I would do if someone asked me why I couldn't see them.

I guess the alternative is to just stop ringing them. Is that more or less nasty?

I wondered into Balmain yesterday to play with David from Bradfield. I had a tops time. David is one of the few people you meet that really tries to develop the relationships he has with people. It's hard work, and I admire him for it.

We went and spent lots of money on posh Balmain lunch, delicious Belgian beer, inner-city pool tables, and coffee.

After that I got to see Jai at church. I love Jai. And Mil did her story. I love Mil. And Jane was our team leader. I love Jane. And Rough Edges was the best. I love Rough Edges too, because it asks so little and gives so much.

burp Peter Hollingworth is my hero. I read some stuff about him back when we were all trying to eat his intestines on national TV, and he had a big, good ABC interview on the radio last night. I just sat in the car outside the church and listened. I haven't felt so inspired by someone who wasn't Jesus in a long time. And he's all the more inspiring, because his perspective is already so close to mine, so all the things I want to do feel less cynical and out of tune. He's 69/70 and is passionate, and naive, and hopeful, and thoughtful, and angry, and gentle and wonderfully real. I think the biggest problem with him being Governor-General was that he said it how it was, not how it should be.

If you type "Peter Hollingworth 68" into Google, the top hit is "Hollingworth denies rape claim". I hate the media.

If there is anyone I think I want to emulate, now and when I'm old, it is that man.

My hands smell like pizza. Pizza from David's goodbye dinner. Was a fun dinner. And tops pizza.

Jem and I were going to have Notburger burgers when we got home. But I think we're too tired.

I went to the Amnesty Society dinner tonight. It was tops. Nice people, nice food and cheap wine. After, I thought I might meet Andy for a film, but he was too tired. So I went and saw Spiderman 2. I liked it. It was good.

My hands smell funny and I don't know why.

And this new keyboard and mouse I got for the new computer, but have stolen for the time being, is totally yummy. So tactile.

How good are hippos.

Speaking of hippos, why does all the tennis on TV seem to use U2 in the breaks these days?