Erg, I'm so frustrated with my work and not knowing when exactly our biggest meeting of the whole year is going to be. Basically all I know is that it could be any time in the second half of april or the whole month of May. The reason that this is so frustrating is because that is exactly the time that I want to go to Italy with friends. The plan is to rent a Villa in Tuscany and have all sorts of glamourous vespa riding, winery touring fun. But, I'm going to have to just stick it out and hope for the best, and meanwhile concentrate on my HUGE trip this week!!!

I'm heading to Bali and Hong Kong!!! I've been carrying my travel books around all day at work making everyone so jealous by showing them all the pretty pictures and practicing certain Indonesian phrases. I have discovered that not only are Cockfights common as part of traditional ceremonies but also it is unwise to tell a balinese person that you are 30 and unmarried, since they will automatically assume that there is something severely wrong with your personality. Likewise, it is unwise to tell them that you are an atheist as they will automatically assume you are a communist as well. Here are some usefull phrases out of the Lonely Planet: Bali.

How are you?__________Apa kabar?

I'm fine._____________Kabar baik.

What's your name?_____Siapa nama anda?

My name is Julie._____Nama saya Julie.

Are you married?______Sudah kawin?

Not yet.______________Belum.

How old are you?______Berapa umur anda?

I'm 24 years old._____Umur saya dua pulah empat tahun.

What is this?_________Apa ini?

A large green fruit
with a hard, spiky
exterior and a
horrific stench.______Durian.

These are all very important things to know and I will be studying them along with many more words on the plane ride over.

Here are a couple of the pictures from my Lonely Planet guide



Are you drooling yet?