So, uh, updates, then...

Yeah, I've been a little slack...

In the past year, the following has happened:

I went to Scotland, to visit Claire in Glasgow and Benn in Edinborough.

I went back to NZ, to see Jungin get maried to Lorraine, and James get married to Viv.

I went to Brugges, at Easter, with Gareth K. That was great, though freezing, and I really enjoyed it. Kind of like a recreated city, except of course that it's not recreated. Crooked cobbled streets, churches, canals... Wonderful. Oh, and the beer and the chocolate...

I went to Paris, and did some of those touristy things you do.

I went to Syria. This was fantastic, friendly, food was awesome, the place was just mind-bogglingly interesting. In Syria I went to Damascus, the world's oldest continuously-inhabited city, to Palmyra, the ruins of the Romanised city once ruled by Zenobia, and to Krak de Chevaliers, a mammoth castle on a mountaintop overlooking the Syrian plain.

I went to Jordan, and was again blown away. In Jordan I floated in the Dead Sea, which was more awesome than can be decsribed, I went to Wadi Rum, the desertscape immortalised in Lawrence of Arabia, and I went to Petra, which was as cool as you'd expect.

I went to Egypt, went swimming in the Nile, saw ancient stuff, and got thoroughly sick of the smell that lingers when thousands of people shuffle through a small, poorly ventilated room every day. The Pyramids are more impressive than you'd think.

I went back to New Zealand, and got a new work visa for the UK. I'm now looking for a job...

I may write this up more fully, or post my photos, but given my track record, don't hold your breath...