Interlude

If your life was a story, what is the title of your current chapter?

I recently came across this question whilst spending some of my far too abundant time online. Using some of my other time I also started listening to audio books a few weeks ago. I've never actually listened to audio books before but I found it as an awesome way to manage to get through more of the books I want to read faster. I'm sure at least some of you will understand the relationship between books I own/want to read and books I actually manage to read. Please see the very scientific graph below illustrating this relationship:

As this graph demonstrates the exponential amount of books that I want to read quickly out paces the linear amount of books that I am able to read, and this dear bibliophiles is clearly quite an issue.

So back to audio books. This effectively doubles my reading ability and also provided both excellent amusement as my cycles got longer and music no longer was making the cut, and also excellent motivation to get back on the bike to find out what is happening. So I started listening to Patrick Rothfuss' "The Kingkiller Chronicles" whilst reading Steven Erikson's "Malazan Book of the Fallen".

Let's start with the Malazan series. Click here to get yourself started or support your local bookstore!

This is an epic fantasy series of ten volumes and is a complete series. And for anyone out there who doesn't enjoy reading fantasy series themselves, having a complete series, especially if that series also happens to be awesome! The fact that there are also five further novellas, six canonical novels by the Malazan Universe co-creator Ian Cameron Esslemont, two further incomplete follow-on trilogies, and a yet to be published extensive guide to the series just makes the Malazan Universe even more exciting knowing that I'm going to be able to enjoy it for years to come. I've been reading these books for a few months now based on the recommendation of a friend and they are fantastic. There are a huge number of diverse characters that you get to know slowly and whilst the plot build-up of each book can be a little bit slow to begin with, the picture that is painted using this process produces an absolutely amazing climatic end of each book that has you reading longer into the night with each chapter and excited to start the next in the series.

And now The Kingkiller Chronicle. First one here or go peruse the shelves at your local book store!

I do actually have the physical copies of these books as well, even though I'm listening to the audio books. But I also have most of the physical copies of my e-books as well. I love books! Books books books! One word that won't lose meaning no matter how many times you repeat it!

I was introduced to this series whilst perusing the shelves of Elizabeth's Bookshop in Perth. It was heavily recommended to me by one of the staff of the store upon seeing the hearty pile of books I had placed on the counter to purchase. She was so enthusiastic about it I excitedly agreed to start the series. Over to the shelves we went, only to find the second book in the series... I was physically deflated upon not finding this book as I really wanted to read it after the recommendation. And so I went into the store regularly for months hoping it would come back in. For anyone who's not lived in Western Australia, books can be rather hard to come by and insanely expensive to boot, plus I enjoyed this book store and was happy to give them my custom. But every time I went looking, every time I was let down. But I eventually managed to track it down once I returned to the UK, and thankfully it was worth the wait!

The Kingkiller Chronicle is a fantasy trilogy of which two of the volumes are so far released. There is also one released and unreleased novella and one novel on different characters from the books and a further trilogy from the same universe planned. These books are a story of two threads: the first is of the 'present' day protagonist Kvothe (pronounced nearly the same as "quothe") and the other is of Kvothe's life story told in the first person narrative. It is presented in the form of him telling his autobiography to the character Chronicler with each book representing one day of the story telling. It is full of action, suspense and evokes plenty of empathy, allowing you to really get into the book. I have loved every word of this book including every word of character and plot development and I have moved on to listening at many other times besides cycling as I can't stay away from it.

And this book is what brings me to my chapter. Within the Kingkiller books, when we are with Kvothe in the 'present' day, the chapters are title 'Interlude'. Don't worry I won't actually reveal any spoilers. At this point in time in the books Kvothe is laying low, he is not his normal self and he is doing very little. And this is the point I find myself at now myself.

I came back to the UK in May and finished travelling around the end of August with a couple of very slow weeks in June applying for jobs as well. I spent my time applying for dozens of jobs, received a handful of replies and got one offer exactly two months ago in another stroke of serendipity. Two months! And I still don't have a start date. I can't do a huge amount with my time as unfortunately I don't have an income and money makes the world go around as much as anyone may hate that sentiment. If nothing else, petrol costs money. So I find myself waiting around, going slowly crazy, getting increasingly irritated with the state of the economy and human resource departments and not quite slowly dwindling my remaining savings on Christmas errands and getting out of the house enough to not go insane. So here's hoping to a rapid resolution of the seemingly convoluted hiring process. Apparently choosing to leave the country at all is a big negative check mark on the CV... Who would have thought in 2014?

So anyway, if anyone else wants to share your current chapter then feel free to comment below! I would love to hear your stories.

Until the next time.

The Motley Crew

It's less than 2 weeks until the adventure begins! Today was the first day back in work after a few weeks off where I had to, rather suddenly, pack all my belongings, organise my life to be shipped back to the UK and then to move out of my flat, all this the week before I was to head back to the UK to surprise my family for Christmas day. My oldest brother knew I was turning up, and originally he was to pick me up on the Saturday, but circumstances changed and had to head back a few days earlier and so I was then going to turn up on my mum's doorstep on the evening of Christmas day. Between my older brother and I, we predicted precisely what the other three were going to say:

Mum screamed "Oh my god!" - but that was an easy one;

Oliver said: "What are you doing here?" - don't worry, not quite as unloving as it seems - there was intonation involved!;

and Nick said: "Look it's a hobo." - sarcastically commenting on my magnificent, man-tastique new beard (yes there was plenty of facial hair jealousy involved), but again, not quite as unloving as it seems.

So this was me Facebook-ed a few moments after arrival:

But after that initial excitement I spent a very nice couple weeks at home and occasional trip out to see other friends and family.

But, now onto my initial reason for this post - sorry got distracted reminiscing about my holidays already, the introduction to myself and my lovely travelling partners! *Pause for dramatic effect and time for gasping/applause* Here we go! Please excuse the descriptions - just trying to provide some context (and relative to myself as it is my blog).

Tom (portraying myself): I am a 26 year old technology, adventure and food enthusiast. My hobbies include climbing, cycling, hiking, SCUBA diving and baking to name a few, but when I'm not running around I love to sit and read fantasy, sci-fi and popular science books (not all inclusive). I'm always on the run and always looking to experience something new, but I am a caring, loyal geek at heart.

Kim (as the beautiful girlfriend): Kim is a 22 year old qualified physiotherapist (they say you're only as old as the girl you're dating) who born and raised in Perth WA, but grew up travelling all over the world. In her spare time, Kim loves to spend time playing basketball, boxing, generally running around and teaching aerial silks and trapeze - this coincidentally is where we met. Kim quit her job late in 2013 to start travelling the world as well, and I am lucky enough to have her agree to join me on my adventures! Check out her blog here: This is me: Nothing more, nothing less!

Sam (fulfilling the role of Kim's twin sister): Sam is the older of her and Kim by a few minutes. However, it is widely agreed that this was because Kim booted her out of the womb after stealing many of her nutrients in-utero (Sam is the slightly smaller of the twins). Sam is also a qualified physiotherapist and also teaches aerials silks and trapeze, and whilst these two are very close and similar in a scary number of ways - Sam is very much her own 'special' person (just kidding Sam!). 

and Zoe (the far more travelled friend and resident expert (hopefully anyway)): Zoe is a 25 year old qualified mathematician, who decided that she would (rather wisely some might say), go teach English in China for a year after graduating. Having finished that last July, she has since spent the past 5 months or so working her way across SE Asia down towards Australia to join us across the continent. I have known Zoe for many years as our mum's were very good friends when they were young. Outside of travelling all over the world and being generally pretty awesome, Zoe also loves dance hip-hop and break dance - ending up in some fairly contorted positions.

Clockwise, from top left - Tom, Kim, Sam, Zoe

So I guess that kind of connects all of us four, we all have hobbies that would make the general onlooker wince in pain.

and together we make the...

>INSERT NAME HERE<

Well that needs to be decided, seeing as we aren't all in the same country yet - but feel free to give suggestions and input!

Over the next 3 months or so, we will travel around Australia and New Zealand. The rough plan is to drive up the west coast of Australia to Exmouth and back over February, drive along the southern coast and up the east coast over March and then explore the north and south island of New Zealand over April - hopefully getting some motorcycles involved in there somewhere (particularly NZ).

Come May, Australia boots me out of the country and Kim, Sam and I will be heading back to the UK to start tackling that part of the globe (here motorcycles will definitely be involved!)

So stay tuned for more updates! I can't wait for it to begin!