The Olympic Flame

The Olympic Torch relay was in Australia on the 24th of April, and Professor Fiona Stanley, who is the chairperson of the Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth (where I work) was scheduled to run as part of the contigent of distinguished Australians invited.

There she was on Thursday morning, No. 27 to run and looking magnificent - all smiles and waving to the 10,000 strong crowd - I gotta say it was a pretty proud moment here in the Perth offices.

The Canberra staff had taken the morning off to take their kids to see the event and despite all the controversy that this torch relay and China hosting the Olympics have garnered so far, watching her and knowing I was counting down to my own Olympic experience in a few short months, I couldn't help but think of that line out of Cool Runnings "I am feeling very Olympic today!"

I know, I'm a sports movie cliche!

I visited the Perth Medical Centre last week for a my usual check up and also to ask a few questions about what inoculations I might need ahead of my visit to China.

Truth be told, I hadn't really expected to have to take anything, I've visited Malaysia on numerous occasions with hardly any problems and I'd like to think I had a pretty hardy constitution, but I'm also a great believer in prevention being better than cure - so if there's a way I can make sure I don't get sick on a holiday, I'm going to investigate it!

The doctor I saw promptly printed up a "Recommendations for travelling to China, People's Republic of on 18/04/2008" which detailed that I would need to come in about a month before I travelled to get jabs for Hepatitis A, Typhoid and Malaria. Yikes!

A necessary pain in the arm I guess...

Counting down to the Olympics! But in the meantime...

I've been looking forward to this for so long, I've almost forgotten what it's like to be overseas.
http://en.beijing2008.cn/

If you know me, you know I enjoy travelling, visiting a foreign culture and immersing myself in the language, the wacky idiosyncrasies of a new place, and just trying to communicate and buy food (you wouldn't think this would be that much of a problem in most English speaking countries, but watch out for alternate realities like Quebec in Canada!)

Anyway, the last time I went overseas was Japan in late 2006; an exquisite holiday, where I bathed naked in the hot springs of Hakone (it's the custom!), attempted to compose gorgeous pictures of autumnal Japan (along with all the other domestic tourists - the Japanese love to tour their own country) and shopped quite a bit on 'cultural artifacts and curios' - translation, I couldn't resist buying a couple of yukatas (light summer kimonos), a parasol, toys, lanterns and kites, culminating with a purchase of an uchikake, a long white formal kimono what I hope to one day grace a suitable wall space. Pretty!

Lord knows what I'll bring back the next time I go to Japan (for I will, I'm fascinated by it's slightly fatalistic, perennially cute and yet altogether mysterious customs and history).

Keep me away from Studio Ghibli!
http://www.studioghibli.net/