Bread and water...

...is going to be my diet for the next couple of weeks. Voluntary or not, you can judge for yourself.

It's just a combination of components:

• moving out and having to pay all remaining rent
• moving in and paying the bond
• having to have the place cleaned and spending some on that too
• flying out to the east coast and adding a weekend in Melbourne
• coming up with some extra payment (insurance, phone line transfer etc)
• booking flights to Myanmar (even though they were quite affordable, this is the culprit for the whole mess)
• having a couple of payments a couple of days before I actually get paid and so on...

Broke because of travel? No problem for me.
Broke because of all of it happening at the same time. Not as fun.

Especially because I'll be pretty busy until August and will be able to save some money, which won't matter because it won't be possible to go anywhere.

But, as I said, being broke because of travel is a good kind of a bad thing.
Being broke during the actual travelling will be a bit of an issue.

It'll give it a certain edge. Yes, let's go with that...

So, bread and water (or maybe even tea), here I come!

Just to make all of us drool, here's a photo of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar
(photo by Reuters)

Mladen in the comic world

After pestering her for weeks, Misty was

nice enough to draw a comic that had me in it.

Maybe she just gave up, knowing that I'd keep bugging

her until the end of days, but I really appreciate it.

I love the details in it (like the 272C, my

new bicycle etc), so check it out!

One hundred words: The couple down the road

There's this couple down the road, on my way to and from the train station.

Their front yard is covered partly in grass, partly in brick. Four sprinklers on the lawn, four tyres on the car.

They sit on their porch when I walk back from work. He's usually smoking a cigarette and they're both sipping tea. It's the type of pensioners you imagine going through their photo albums with a wide grin on their face.

Just like it's their ritual to chill out every day, it's mine to give them a little smile.

I'll miss them when I move...

Immaterial boy in a material world

This post reminded me of something that I wanted to write about, but I forgot the idea by the time I got to some pen and paper.

It's sort of a coincidence (or synchronicity, as some call it) that someone or something you're not familiar with reminds you of something. It pretty much has to do with what I wanted to write about: material versus immaterial.

As you might know, Australia is a spenders society and, even though it only has about 22 million people, it influences and is influenced by foreign markets. It's still way behind the US, where (at least I have that feeling) it's all so much about things. People have gotten used to having everything and being ungrateful for every single thing they don't have.

I noticed I changed my habits and it freaked me out. Not that I want to diminish the value of a big house or disregard someone's need for nice things (or, God forbid, turn myself into a martyr of some sort), but I've lived in a room with four doors most of my life, and in a tiny studio for the last couple of years before I moved to Australia.

I didn't get new stuff because there was no room for it. Not that I had money to afford anything anyway, but everything was pondered upon, put on paper, and pros and cons were listed about every single little thing.

It's more about having things handy here. I was really careful with my finances when I got here, and I only got what was really necessary. I got my iPad (party because I use it for work too) and I finally got my bicycle - and that's it. I do get bits and pieces for myself from time to time, but it's pretty much either clothes or something useful for camping, trekking etc. I don't consider buying a couple of books a special luxury, but it still costs money...

On the other hand, you get bombarded by all these ads, discounts, privilege clubs and what not! Buy one, get one free, 80% discounts, free delivery and stuff. I just found myself looking at a set of three Samsonite suitcases, pondering whether I should get the big ones or the small ones...

It's not that expensive - and it's not all about being expensive. Believe me, when you pay so much for food and bare necessities, you don't consider the more pricey stuff expensive. But it's dangerous.

It's just a pair of thongs (it's the Australian name for flip flops, not the other thing that makes you giggle), a bicycle pump, a couple of T-shirts, an Australia tourist guide and similar stuff, but it does add up to the pile.

I'm supposed to pack and move in the next couple of weeks, and I'm afraid I've already piled some stuff up. Okay, it's mostly bedding, kitchenware and stuff I basically need to function normally (if there is such a thing), but still.

I start thinking about times not so long ago, when I would go around with my backpack and my hammock, not needing a tablet, a mobile or a 4G connection; when I camped for weeks in a row, living on nothing but tuna cans and bagels.

I don't know, I'm quite clueless in the moment. Maybe it's too early and maybe one cup of coffee is not enough. And maybe I'm just overreacting and maybe it's all pointless. But I just don't wanna be this guy who needs everything and has everything and wants everything...

Anyway...

P.S. Kramer from Seinfeld just said: Why do we need all this stuff?! ^^

Latest failed post

I had the perfect thing to write about, but (of course) it slipped my mind.

I'm posting a couple of photos from today as atonement.

Perth CBD on a Sunday morning

Fish & Chips in Cervantes, WA

The Pinnacles, formed in a combination of underground chemical processes and the power of the wind

Life geography

This weird feeling of being in a place and feeling good about it.

Not wanting to run away, or to get the taxi to the airport and get the first flight out. Not wanting to shut yourself in your room and plug the phone out. Not wanting to fall asleep and wake up after the winter ends.

When you're sleepy, but in a good way. When you're tired, but only because you had heaps of fun. When you're working long hours, but it's something that fulfils you.

A feeling strange to me. Something I cannot connect with living somewhere. Travelling yes, but living no. It just seems strange that it all works out. You have to work, but you also find time to enjoy yourself. You're super stressed at work, but you meet up with your friends and put it all aside until Monday.

And even simply observing the people around me: people wake up early and go jogging, go to the beach for a swim, go to their physio... People invite you over for dinner, go out and see a movie, want to go to a concert by someone they're never heard.

So relaxed and yet responsible. So laid back and yet organised. So professional and yet so open.

Isn't it amazing how geography changes lives?

After a swim at Porpoise Bay, Rottnest Island, WA

A crazy bunch

As I just started cycling, I'm still building up my courage to just let go and stop over-analyzing (or even simply analyzing). When I see how guys zoom beside me, in the middle of the woods, on crazy tracks upgraded to raise the stakes... A crazy bunch of people.

Reminds me of these:

Missing...

I miss India.

I miss fried potatoes from the always-chirpy street vendor.

Having time for music.

Reading with my feet buried in the sand.

Lying in the hammock until my bones ache.

My evening mint tea.

Staring over the horizon at sunset.

Winding foot paths through coconut-tree filled backyards.

Big-eyed baby buffalos.

A plateful of okra for lunch.

Chatting to local kids using ten words of Kannada I managed to pick up.

Sitting around for so long that the only thing you can do is roll over.

Feeding birds.

Gazing into the Himalaya in the distance.

I miss my friends.

I miss India.

A great day

Yesterday was a great day.

Nothing special happened. Not even remotely. But nothing shitty happened either.

It was what other people must feel like, those who don't ponder upon stuff, who don't overanalyze every single thing that happens in their life, and who don't even care if something does happen anyway.

I often think to myself that my worries are nothing compared to others'. But then again, sometimes the stupidest things seem the most important. It's ridiculous.

It's a paradox.

You feel like shit when you think of it because some people have it so hard. Everyone has it hard, I guess. Perhaps at different times though. Who knows...

And then you have a great day. Nothing special. Just nothing bad.

Full of energy, working on what I need to work on, no pain back, smile on my face, saying hi to everyone, finished work, went home on time, had lunch, chilled out, dozed off, went to bed.

A great day.

Kalamunda by bicycle

I finally got my bike!

It took me a while, I know, but it's a painful process going through all the bikes, offers and components, and finding what I wanted.

Thanks to L from work, my mates G and Douche and some other people who gave me tips - here it is!

We went to Kalamunda National Park for a ride last weekend and, even though I'm bruised and I scratched half of my tan off, I loved it.

Guess what's on for this weekend...

A well-deserved rest after an approximately 15km trail ride

My new love(r)

Post-New Year

Everyone's

kind of sleepy. The

workload is piling up.

The coffee machine is

being repaired.

Help!