So people seem to actually be reading this thing...

...because a few people over the last few days have said to me, "Oh yeah, I saw on your blog...". So thanks for following guys, I shall endeavour to keep you as in the loop as possible!

Flying out Tuesday now, barring any unforeseen volcanoes, earthquakes or giant plane eating sharks. My bag is (still) packed. I bet you're dying to know what's inside, huh? Well, I'll tell ya, since this is all I'm bringing with me for a year. Anything else I might need I can pick up there, I'm sure.

Clothes

4 nice shirts (with collars and everything)
4 pairs of pants
4 T-shirts
1 pair of shorts
Hub Hoodie (sooo comfy!)
Swimming trunks
My red jacket
2 Towels
Poncho (freshly washed and dried by my wool-washing expert grandmother)
Thai Fishermans pants (for general lounging around)
7 pairs of underwear (including my new Spiderman jocks!)
7 pairs of socks (in actual pairs- what has happened to me?)
Runners

Toiletries
(pretty much none of this stuff can be gotten over there, apparently, and if you do find it, it's ridiculously expensive...)

6 roll-on deodorant sticks (I'm concerned this may not be enough...)
New toothbrush
3 tubes of Sensodyne toothpaste (again, will surely need more...)
2 packs of Mach 3 Razors
Shower gel & Shampoo
Shaving foam & Aftershave
Sunblock

Toys

Nintendo DSi (Keep me entertained on the bus/plane)
Digital Camera
Netbook
MP3 Player
Hard Drive
Bag of cables

Books n stuff

Folder for important travelling paperwork (tickets etc)
Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener
Day to a page diary
A few little posters, photos and trinkets I couldn't leave behind
And of course, my passport!

My checked in stuff weighs less than 20 kilos, would you believe? So on Tuesday, I'm going to lug this big heavy bag to Ennis bus stop, where I will take the 8.25 (AM!) bus to Galway. There's a 45 minute wait, then I'm on the 10.30 Citylink direct to Dublin Airport. I'll wait there for a couple of hours, before getting a plane at 17.00 to Heathrow. There's another wait in Heathrow until 21.00, when I get on the big plane. This flight is 10 hours and 50 minutes, and I have to wait in Incheon airport for three hours for another connecting flight to Daegu. I'll land at 20.15 local time, which in GMT (which my body will still think it is) is 11.15. That's right, AM. Meaning from the moment I set off, until the moment I land, I will have been travelling non stop for 27 hours. I'm sure I'll manage to sleep after that, no matter what my body clock says...

Anyway, unless you hear to the contrary, you can take it for granted that I'm on the plane. Fingers crossed, my next post will be from Korea!

12 days now!

Not even counting in weeks anymore- it gets a little more real every day! Today was a particularly busy. I got the number for my visa application, and booked an interview on Thursday in the Korean Embassy. Also got my tickets emailed to me. I'm leaving on Sunday week, the 18th April- the same day as Maconn Fionn, and the day after the party I had organised. Guess I can't drink *too* much that night, really don't wanna be hungover for a sixteen hour plane journey!
I spent the rest of the day sorting out all my belongings into three piles- bring, bin, and give away. I've loads of stuff to give away if anyone is interested. The clothes were the hardest part though. Throwing away what were admittedly rags, but rags that have been friends of mine for a very long time, was very very tough indeed. My mother was amazed that I could do it at all! It really is amazing, though, the stuff you accumulate that you don't need and never really use. I've a big chest full of the things I just couldn't bear to part with, and this will wait in the attic for me until I get home. The bring pile is very small indeed, and perhaps it's just aswell- I'm only allowed to bring 20 kilos with me.
The other big thing I did was visit the barber. I went in and asked her to make me look really neat. This involved cutting my (not too long, but not short) hair, and shaving my beard. Ouch! I've had that beard for a long time now, and it feels so weird to be without- the breeze blowing across my face, the smooth feel of the skin there. I still think of myself as a man with a beard though- it's just that now it's hidden under my skin. I then went into Boots' and bought rasors, shaving cream, aftershave- the works. If you're going to do something, do it right!
So here we go- 12 days and counting. But you know what? I'm going to wake up tomorrow, and it'll only be eleven! Tempus Fugit, my freinds...