Not that I want to brag or anything, but I totally rule when it comes to emails. Some of the stuff I've written to mates and friends, even people I hardly know or even like, is, to be blunt, Pulitzer material. I often imagine the scene when someone sees my name pop up in their inbox. Their eyes lighting up. Their instant reaction to stop whatever they were doing, maybe even gather some friends around, and bask in the wonder of whatever crap I've spat out onto the page. I even imagine a little ray of sunshine just peering in the window, giving the room that warm kodachrome like glow, making them feel happy, special, content. So I had a brainwave. Why bother re-writing things I've written to people for the blog... why not just copy, cut, paste an email conversation I had with a mate in Shanghai, VERBATIM, into the Nomads and make you ALL feel special. A little piece of the rainbow you can all share. And don't worry, there's always enough love to go round. So, straight from the horses mouth, live and uncut, in an email conversation spanning almost the entire globe, I bring you "RE: Ni Hao"!
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> so where are you ? are doing ok? I sense that you be a bit unsure if
> you have made a good decision? Forgeddaboudit. I wake up to that every
> day in a hotel in china as I wait for the driver who speaks no english
> to pick me up to drive to a factory next to a jail where we have no
> running water and I am sharing an Internet connection with an other.
> you my friend have as you identified moved outside a comfort zone -
> and this adds to your character at all times whilst testing it to the
> utmost.
>
> tell me a story?
>
> I can fly there for 1300 AUD . Cheap. and it is only 12 hours from
> shanghai.... happy days.
>
> I have so many pirate dvds so let em know if I can send you some.
>
> take care and all that.
>
>
> -t.
>
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You know what? When you don't have a computer, emailing people is a complete nightmare. It's like a chore. I write about 10 and then I start sending people really lame one line emails that are neither funny nor interesting. Consider these few lines the email equivalent of War And Peace. Am angling to get a computer soon but there is an issue with the new Intel macs and software so as usual everything is a pain in the arse.
I can only imagine what you are going through in China, but then again you do thrive in this stuff. You know what though, I've been absolutely kicking myself that we didn't do more/any trips to tropical islands when we all lived in oz. Travel to me has been a foreign concept (no pun intended), but soon I'll be popping over to Norland, then France, then Spain and hopefully the concept will be a little less foreign. You know what, I think i might just copy and paste this entire email as my next blog entry. Might take out the swearing though. Which will be weird to people who are reading this because they'll be all like "what swearing?" Wow, I think I might be making internet history as the first person to pen a "concept blog". Concept albums though - name me a good one. You'll say Streets "A Grand Don't Come For Free", but now that I am in London I fail to see how any of that geezer stuff is possible since the whole place is full of bloody Aussies and Kiwis. Noted that I am part of the polution not the solution, but at least I don't sound like Steve Irwin and spend all my time downing Fosters in the Walkabout. Ok so I went in there once for Anzac Day but that's surely a get out of jail free card? Is it un-Australian not to get emotional about Anzac Day? A few Aussies I've spoken to said they went to Gallipoli and teared up - thing is I really love Pide and Turkish Delight so I'm a bit conflicted.
Hey Trev I wonder if you'll read this on my blog before you read it in your inbox? Send me more pictures of decapitated pigs heads in Shanghai street markets.
Chris
ps - Is there an anti-Chinatown over there? Let me know, send photos.
