15degrees and loving it

I played hockey last night. It wasn't so fun because most people who play now are used to playing ice hockey. And ice hockey is very violent. I got hit in the eye with a ball and tripped over. Boo. I'll give it another try and if they're that silly again, I won't bother. They all have great skills too, which is the worst part - if they used their skills to tackle me instead of just bowling me out of the way, it might be fun!

We have a puppy. It's not mine. I don't want anything to do with it. It's about 6 weeks old, will grow to at least the size of a kelpie and will be living in our apartment bathroom. It is currently locked in the second toilet. I hate it. I hate that it's locked inside. I hate that it'll get big, and never be able to run around outside. I hate that it will pooh everywhere, and stink the already too-hot house out. I hate that it was abandoned but I also hate that we have to have it. I wouldn't have let it happen - except I'm leaving in 4 weeks which means it's not my responsibility. I think it would be happier if we took it to the vet to be put down. It'll be loved until it's too big and naughty, because no one's trained it properly. And then what will happen with her?

So I'm beyond even being angry. I'm super disappointed and really sad for the puppy. She'll be loved for now, and that's good.

I looked at jobs again. There's a really cool looking job in Sydney, in the city. I'm starting to get really excited - I'd actually love to be living in Sydney, close to Lai and Philli and I could be friends with Eve again and Tegan might come back, and maybe Ebony will be at uni in Sydney..... And I can drive home more regularly. But rent - OH rent! It will be ENORMOUS! Compared to sunny old Brisbane, anyway.

They're got my resume now, so it's a waiting game. They'd want me to start before Christmas and I said no - hopefully that doesn't affect too much.

Flights to Bayan Ulgii are booked. I'm going to Ulgii during my last week in Mongolia. I'll see glaciers and mountains and eagles. Cool dude. Then I'll get home - around the 6/7 November. Woo! It is exactly 31 days from now, which is still 1/6 of my time here to go by - but it doesn't feel like much. It's going to be a shit fight - leaving work, doing my exit interview (read: more yelling, name calling and bullying) BUT I will be going home at the end of it.

The photos above depict today - it's 15 degrees outside and really beautiful.

Olive oil

Olive oil on your face two nights in a row is too much. My eyelashes keep sticking together and it’s really annoying. I did try olive oil on my hair as well and will report back tomorrow on those results.

More good reasons that I am going home early:

• I no longer get out of bed before 8am, because there’s no reason to
• I’ve run out of meat in my freezer (or, I will have when I leave)
• My gym membership expires on the 1.11.2011 (around when I will leave)
• I fantasise about walking up the aisle in Woolworths
• A glass of cheap wine tastes amazing
• I’ve exhausted Gossip Girl options. I can’t find season 5 to download
• I don’t want to go to the gym any more
• I eat enough for three, just because I’m bored
• I’ve run out of carrot juice face moisturiser

I decided today I’m not doing any more of my project proposal, because I don’t know what else to do. And no one’s going to yell at me about it either. And I’m not doing any more work on my seed database a. because I hate it and b. it’s too much work and there’s no point even starting it. Which leaves me with presentations to do, which I am happy about.

Now I just have to wait until Eznis Airlines (a local Mongolian airline) decide on their fares for November. That’s right. I can’t book my flights to Ulgii because they don’t know when they’re flying. It’s four weeks away. Ridiculous. I’ll wait two more days and if I still can’t book the flights, I’ll have to skip my trip to the west and come home early. Which is secretly what I want to do anyway.

I’m taking last orders for Mongolian things too. I’m not actually bringing anything home that I didn’t bring with me in the first place, with a few exceptions: deel material, Nate’s blanket, a pair of slippers, one hat, one scarf and one painting. I’m not buying things for anyone mainly because there’s not that much to buy, and also because dad took care of that.

I’m pooped. All that working between 11am-4pm, and the olive oil hair mask and Korean curry that I cooked has made me sleepy. It might also be a sugar low, after consuming 5 cupcakes, a large slice/s of carrot cake, two cups of green jelly and four pieces of chocolate.

AFL, cupcakes and olive oil

AFL Grandfinal from Mongolia–Ulaanbaatar

The AFL Grandfinal was on Saturday. My only experience with AFL was at the Gabba, when I lived directly across the road from it. I packed up at what was half time – assuming the two hours and two halves I had suffered through was enough. Turns out it was only half time, and there are four quarters in a game, not two halves.

I rocked up late to the party knowing I didn’t want to suffer through that much football again. Good move. We had a Mongolian made meat pie that was actually pretty good and I got a bit tiddly on a few glasses of white wine. Half way through I pulled out my bag to check my phone for some reason. It was ringing – Nikki called. It was Nikki’s 22nd birthday yesterday and will forever more be known as the day that Nikki got engaged. Big news, so weird receiving it in the midst of an AFL game in Mongolia. But great nonetheless.

The first of every month is no-alcohol day. You can’t buy it anywhere, unless you’ve prepaid for your event. We prepaid and got our game drinks. But no after parties. I was home at 8pm, in bed by 8:30pm. It was great.

I slept in this morning, went shopping at Mercury for some vegies, fruit and cream cheese. I met two of my Mongolian friends – bought them back to my place and we cooked up a storm. They wanted to learn how to bake. So we made cupcakes and a carrot cake. Drank wine, grated carrot.. I passed on the baking know-how. We ate our cake – with extra cream cheese icing.

And then I had a shower. My skin’s drying out with the weather so while I was washing up, the olive oil sitting on the bench was screaming at me…….. Instead of fighting it, I lathered it. All over my face. Initially it was amazing – my face moved with ease. Now I’ve got a very very oily face and I’m not sure what to do with it. Soap will just give me eczema. It was a good idea to start with.