Mortgage

I went into Melbourne this morning to see the mortgage broker about my current home loan etc.  It all went very well, things are looking good, and I'm happy with where I'm at financially in that respect.  I'm not over-stretched, it's a sensible sized loan and the capital growth in my town in going good.  The broker couldn't quite believe what I pay in med school tuition fees every month.  He said "Is it what you really want to do?" lol  When I asked about a second investment property, he suggested I probably wait until I finish med school but that I could revisit the idea again next year.  Sensible.

I got my Kindle today too, so that is very exciting. I'm hoping to put my travel guides on it.  I suppose I'll have to get the Lonely Planet's again.  I hope the Kindle doesn't freeze in Tibet or melt in Taiwan.  But it is a lot lighter than five lonely planets in my backpack.

Today I got my first free trial of the French newspaper Le Monde.  The article said:  "On the 16th of June five french soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan.  This month 17 french soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan which is as many as were killed for the whole of 2010."  I had to Google translate about 20% of the words.  I like this method of trying to learn French.  I got the idea from doing a GAMSAT prep course and the lecturer telling English-as-a-Second-Language students to read the newspaper every day.

I'm thinking I might do a francophone trip next year.  Maybe by then I'll be better.  I was thinking world trip next year, so maybe a francophone world-trip.  Here's my proposed itenary (not in order):

• France
• Rwanda
• Seychelles/Madagascar
• Haiti
• New Caledonia/Vanuatu/French Polynesia
• French Canada

I just finally paid for my airfare to Nepal yesterday.  I'm going via Hong Kong now, and seeing as I'm so close to Taiwan, and had 4 days spare, I decided to add in another leg of the journey.  I have wanted to go to Taiwan ever since I saw how much some parts looks like Pandora from Avatar.

I then have one night in HK (on my birthday!) and then 3 in Kathmandu before starting my fortnight in Tibet.  After that it's a week in Bhutan ended with a rest night in Kathmandu (hello hot water!) before a very long trip home.  That is in 7 weeks from now!!  Exciting!  Oh I can't wait....

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Study - just chugging along.  Getting through my Davidson's quite well, but about a day behind on the case study revision.  Not too stressed yet.  Life isn't throwing me any nasty surpises right now.  I have a few days off work.

Life is good.