Wow, what a day it’s been. I was up at 5am to catch the train to London, where I was supposed to meet with a colleague who was recently working with the same client in Brunei. She had made quite a few contacts within the client, was familiar with their organisation, and was going to spend some time with me to get me up to speed.

So I put on a suit (had to pull off the mothballs, it’s been so long since I’ve worn one!) and trudged up to London. It’s a grey, overcast, miserable day. I was all set to go — the tickets were booked, I had my jabs, I’d done all my background reading. And where do I end up at the end of the day?

That’s right. Right back where I started.

It’s been a busy day, though — I had another appointment in Surrey. Surrey isn’t far from London (about 35 miles) or Canterbury (about 90 miles) but you can’t get directly from one to the other — so it was a case of going into London to come back out again. What should have been a simple journey was a 3+ hour marathon.

In this business, it’s best to have a flexible, relaxed attitude. Consultancy definitely isn’t for those who like to plan well in advance. This (and my aborted Alaskan adventure) just show that, until the contract’s signed, nothing is certain.

I’ve got no idea what’s next for me. But my vacation is only two weeks away, so I’m not worrying too much about it right now!

Well, clients will be clients. At the 11th hour, the client has pulled the funding for the project. It looks like I’m not going to Malaysia after all.

Maybe someplace else exotic? Time will tell…

Alright, I realise that I’m probably asking the impossible here — but does anyone know anything about VOIP? I’m trying to figure out the best way to call back to the US and UK from Malaysia.

I’m considering using VOIPBuster or Skype to call back home. I’ve already bought myself a VOIP handset.

If any of you guys has experience with VOIP, drop me an e-mail or leave a comment here. Thanks!

(If you’ve read this far and are still confused, here’s a definition of VOIP.)

So far I’ve been told that I’m pale and have a double-chin. Glad to see that everyone’s thinking of me.

For those of you who asked, no, it’s not Aude who will be staying in my flat. She’s met the neurotic cats and knows better. One of her friends will do the honours — although I must admit, it wasn’t too hard to find someone who wanted to flat-sit. SAIC set me up with a pretty nice place.

Time for bed — I’ve got to be up at 5:30 tomorrow to meet with a colleague in London who’s just returned from Brunei. Apparently, she’s got all the local knowledge which she’s going to pass on to me.

Just for the record, the pain caused by the Hepatitus A/Typhoid vaccination is slightly worse than the pain caused by the Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Polio vaccination. Call it 6/10 vs. 5/10 on the soreness scale.

Still, there was an outbreak of Typhoid in Malaysia in April 2005, so I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry…

Well, my flights are booked and I’m ready to head off to Miri, Malaysia on Sunday. For those of you who aren’t intimately familiar with Malaysia’s geography (and trust me, I wasn’t before this assignment, either), Miri is located in Sarawak. By all accounts, there isn’t much in Miri besides oil. And oil workers, who like to party.

I’m frantically getting ready, putting everything in place for my extended absence. I spent most of this afternoon getting all my vaccinations updated so that all the nasty Asian bugs can’t get me. I might be invicible now, but I’m also in a little bit of pain. Not my favourite way to spend an afternoon. I had shots in boths arms, so I’m using it as an excuse to let someone else cook dinner tonight.

More importantly, I’ve got my sleeping pills. My flights are booked via Singapore, then onto Kuala Lumpur, then a puddle-jumper onto Miri. I hope to take a sleeping pill and stay unconscious as far as KL.

I haven’t told Daisy and Calypso that I’m going yet, but they’re getting wise. A friend will be living in my place while I’m away, flat-sitting and cat-sitting. I’m hoping to be home about one week every month…

The weather report for Miri is currently predicting sunny weather and temperatures of around 32C/89F. At least I’ll come back with a tan.

Some of you may know that I narrowly avoided being sent to Alaska for several months. I’m not sure if the project in Malaysia is better or worse, but it will certainly be a nicer place to spend time.

Now it’s on to packing…