Kolkata was good.  Well, the meetings/workshops went well, didn't actually see much of the city.  Think I made it out of the hotel twice ( Read more... )

The scooters! We only saw 5 people on a single scooter twice. 4 people several times. 3 was pretty ubiquitous and 2 not worth mentioning (but when has that ever stopped me?). Hanoi didn't have extensive use of helmets generally and especially on kids. Which is kinda understandable: their heads grow fast, helmets are relatively expensive, they ( Read more... )

Trip was great:

1. Hanoi was beautiful (the old quarter at least, didn't really get very far out of it). I really liked the weathered old narrow multi-story terrace buildings* (although staying on the 6th floor (12 narrow steep flights of stairs) for one late-night-arrival-with-early-morning-departure seemed like a lot of effort). And narrowish ( Read more... )

Java has been...not as productive as hoped.  Although my presentation yesterday went ok and generated some discussion ( Read more... )

The South Pacific tropical islands went ok, was quite productive, but am a bit sad that it's probably my last trip with that project (maybe a Canberra visit in Nov).  Also feel a bit flat or maybe lacking in closure about it, as the other two members of team who went are still there until Thurs (I came back to work on another project).

Tidbits: 

• LOTS ( Read more... )

My new contract (signed last year, is meant to kick in on Monday) was discovered to have been misplaced yesterday.  So have sent new copy off.  If it gets lost again and the company travel insurance doesn't cover me next week and I contract a horrible tropical illness and die i will KICK ASS ( Read more... )

New Zealand
Was good fun.

Yes, went with CIG/Q and did family stuff half the time and travel-relaxing stuff the other half.  We hired a car and drove from Auckland (where we had br/lunch with CIG's little bro and sis-in-law, who drove in from their farm a couple of hours out - we might try and go visit them next time), to Hamilton for a couple of ( Read more... )

Ooh thunder!

I am heroically managing to stay above half the total-novels-read-this-year-mark set by kathrynlinge  and homonculus .  However, I've just discovered a lode of quite-quick-to-read Westerfeld at my local library, and have hopes these will boost me into the 4/7th's range...

Is it sensible to take library books when travelling?

Off to Vanuatu (too early) Monday ( Read more... )

Me not going to Vanuatu in Nov :-(
Maybe Feb, but will believe it when I see it.

1. Went to an "early career researcher" seminar/forum on Monday, and it infected me with a nasty case of status anxiety.  I'm NOT publishing, networking, organizing, committeeing, grant applying, and collecting a complementary set of mentors as I should be.  But that's "as I should be if I want to take a career path like they were assuming everyone ( Read more... )