Updates

So, some updates - I have had my injections, had my final final going away party (which was awesome, as were the others), and am more or less packed and ready to go. I bought new shoes, and crappy Penny's stuff to wear and have far too many books to bring. Woohoo!

In other news, I will not now be featured on any RTE radio programmes while I'm away! :-( but sure meh; not even I like the sound of my own voice. I'm sure you'll all live without me.

In a destination update, I think I may be skipping South Korea, due to a) expense, b) time and c) not actually wanting to see a whole lot there and wanting to see other places more. Instead I will probably head from Tokyo, straight to Hong Kong, mostly in the hopes that I will meet a psychic and absolutely pissed Dakota Fanning, spouting hilarious abusive nonsense! From there I'll probably head down to Cambodia, but no decisions on that just yet. I may just flip a coin at some point. We'll see!

Other than that, Sinead has revealed that me and the Money will be brought in to her school (where she teaches English to Secondary level students) as a sort of show and tell day . . . "Oooh, look at the white people!" In case you haven't noticed, I'm probably going to get in some kind of trouble over there.

Speaking of which, apparently, I'm not allowed swim in Japan! Or roll up my sleeves! Tattoos are very taboo over there, so if I want to swim/go a lot of places, I have to keep my arms covered, or else everyone will think I'm yakuza (which means "gangster"). Further, tattoos are unclean and make water impure. This should be an experience!

I haven't really much else to say, other than to bring up one of my favourite stories about the Spartans. It was mentioned on QI (gotta love Dave) earlier today.

Now, I know a lot of people think the Spartans were just a bunch of marauding facists (if you bother to think of them as anything at all) but personally I believe that's a tad unfair. Certainly they were racists and slavers, but then the Athenians had slaves too . . .

Anyway, when Philip II of Macedon (bad guy) was trying to conquer/unify Greece, he sent a message to the Spartans saying - "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city."

The Spartans sent back a single word as a reply - "If"

Philip never invaded Sparta. His son, Colin Farrell, also possibly had him killed. If he didn't, Tomb Raider was definitely involved.

Also, it is from the Spartans, and particularly incidents like this, that we get the word, laconic (as in of Lacedaemon). Nothing much else to report.

Going to hit the hay and get ready for my last day in Ireland for awhile!