Bound for the land of the rising sun

Ok, it's official. My grad trip will be to Japan for some 7 days, from the 20th of June till the 26th. (actually, it'll be on the night of the 19th; early morning flight). Will be headed to Tokyo and Osaka, I think, with my parents. Wasn't with them when they went to book the trip at the recent NATAS fair last weekend. Glanced through the itinerary and there's mention of Disneyland, and some stay at an onsen inn, and a bullet train ride, or something along these lines. Between this sponsored trip and me shelling out some 3 to 4 grand for a backpacking trip to Europe as what I've always thought of, I don't really have a choice. I'm just a poor student after all. If I have some free time and cash at the end of the year, well, who knows? Might just pack a bag or 2 and head north west.

IT Show was crazy on the first day, as usual. Went there with a very heavy messenger bag choked with my laptop and some books, as well as my maestro and squeezed with the crowd to take a look at the stuff they have for sale. As a result, my left shoulder got very painful on the way home last night. Could feel a small lump or something, and it's feeling painful regardless of whether I'm moving it or not. Definitely no Dicota messenger bag for me from now on. Am ordering a large Timbuk2 laptop messenger though, as I'm feeling sick of carrying a plastic bag together with my Dicota to put my notes and trying to squeeze stuff into my Dicota. Let's just say the Timbuk2 can fit enough stuff for a weekend getaway, and leave it at that.

Back to the IT Show. Kinda interested in an ipod classic to replace my zen micro, but don't have the funds for it. Tested the Shure SE530 as well, as I must say it's kinda nice, better than my current UE super.fi 3. But the ear buds fitted on the test "can" don't really fit me, a tad too snug and hard to put on, and I guess that affected the testing quite a bit. Maybe I'm just used to my UEs with the memory wire. Got interested in the UE triple.fi 10 and a portable headphone amp after reading up on Jaben's forum last night as well. But still, I guess I'll listen to my ears, rather than what I read online. Ah well, I'll need deep pockets. These 2 combined will cost more than the ipod classic, at least double to triple the cost of a 80gb, if my estimates are correct. Sigh, me and my (very expensive) tastes for quality gear. Argh... Sometimes I wonder why I have so many diverse interests. Guitar, photography, and sound... Not to mention my video and book collection... I'll have to shelve these aside till I'm more stable financially. Be content, Jon, with what you have now.

Gonna be another busy weekend ahead. Still have to entertain the school's open house tomorrow for about half an hour tomorrow, and then it's down to the SAC to watch a couple of performances and maybe get some autographs from Jack and Rai (still waiting for their album to come out!). Then it's MS and hopefully some study time squeezed in between all this. Sunday will be spent camping in the national library as usual. Hope to be able to finish a decent draft of my literature review by Sunday, and finalise my conceptual frameworks by Monday or Tuesday and send out my surveys and interviews. Praying everything will fall into place smoothly, and I can find the contacts I need. Also for a conducive environment to study and to work on my projects. Praying for my painful left shoulder as well. Do keep me in prayer, my dear reader. God bless!

"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence." Acts 2:28