Getting to Beijing

So last year at some point, I believe it was just after watching the world swimming championships in March, I decided that I really wanted to go to the Olympics in Beijing. Well off and on the thought went through my head and I'd look at what I needed to do.
the first thing I wanted to do was buy tickets to events. Well i went on the the official Beijing website to look up details. i found the dates that tickets went on-sale, and so I wrote them in my calendar. Well when I went on the website to purchase tickets, I found out that the first round was only for chinese mainlanders. I thought this was a little odd, but succeeded none the less and waited until the next round. Well when it finally came to the next round, I logged onto the same website and found the same thing. The tickets were only available to Chinese mainlanders. This time I was a little more confused and quite angry. So I decided to find a canadian page that could tell me more information. What they told me was not what I wanted to hear.
It said that tickets for the first round had already been sent out. As I read on further, I realized that I should have come to this Canadian webiste when i first wanted tickets. Tickets had been allotted to specific organizations in each country. The webiste I had been to was only for chinese mainlanders. So basically I was shot out of luck for any good tickets I may have wanted. So I was pretty bitter, but I figured I could just buy scalped tickets, which is what I"ll have to do.
I had also been talking to a few people at work that were thinking about going to the Olympics. They ended up changing their plans. So it came down to me travelling to the olympics in Beijing by myslef without a ticket. This got me a little down and a little confused as to whether I should go. I knew there would be people I would meet, but it's always great to know someone will travel with you. Anyway, I kept looking on the internet, reading and deliberating whether to go or not. But every time I talked to someone I would say I was going.
then it happened, I was talkkng with a group of people and Rico asked if I wanted a partner. I said yes. There it was. That was the push that got the big ball rolling.
So now the ball was rollin. But there was a big hang up for me. I had one page left in my passport. I needed two pages for my chinese visa, and my vietnam visa expires a couple days after I will re-enter the country, which is not really acceptable to Vietnam. However they will have to deal with the last part. I had to deal with the first part. And of course an earlier experience I had made it even more difficult.
You see, in order to get a canadian passport, you need your old passport, birth certificate, two pieces of i.d. and a guarantor
I of course had managed to lose my birth certificate since I came back to vietnam (I believe it got put in the wash because my maid and I failed to search my pockets).
SO... I had to apply for a new birth certificate and have it shipped here before I could even apply for a new passport, before I could even apply for a chinese visa. man alive.
So I sorted the birth cert and my mom sent it here for $60. brutal. Then i went and got my passport sorted and had to pay extra because I didn't have a guarantor (someone who has known me here for 2 years) so I had to include references. But I didn't know anyones phone number and address except for Adam. So I had to guess at Tommy G's address b/c I knew his number. Well they called Adam which was fine, but they couldn't get a hold of Tommy, and his parents were super confused at some random asian girl asking for his cell phone number, so they didn't talk to him. They called me twice and I gave them Camille's number and luckilythat worked out. So now my passport is on its way. Rico and I bought plane tickets, but before we can apply for our chinese visa we need to book a hotel and buy a train ticket out. man alive. it's a battle. let's hope it works out
bye.

very so long time since

Indeed it has been a very long time since I have written a blog. And the only reason I am now writing a blog is due to one Christopher Dundon. You see, chris was searching for Alibaba's phone number online (the awesome Indian restaurant in Vung Tau) and my blog came up. He read it and was telling me last night that he enjoyed it, and that it had been a long time since I wrote. I knew.
However, it is often difficult to find things to write about when you're just living. I mean, every day life really isn't that interesting... or is it?
Things that have happened recently: I saw, for the first time, a man driving a motorbike, holding onto a big piece of glass BY HIM SELF. Usually there is another person on the back holding on to the glass, but he was doing it himself. Utterly, fantastically dangerous.
I did a triathlon. I had been swimming certain mornings just for fitness and to do something in this lazy town. Kristoff had mentioned a long time ago that he would be doing a triathlon in Mui Ne at the beginning of June, and he told me I should do it too. Of course I laughed because I am in no shape whatsoever, and cannot find ambition in this town to get into shape. However a week prior to the event, talk started around the office and I ended up signing up along with a fellow Canadian, Camilla, and planned to travel up with a group of others. Alec, Fiona and I drove up, while Camilla, Kristoff and Mirjam took a taxi. In preparation for the event I had swam a couple mornings, ran a couple evenings, and not biked for over a year. However the event went quite well. Of course I dominated the swim. It was only 250 m, but I got a long way out front. But when I made the transition to the bike, I didn't even know where to go. So I went somewhere slowly, waiting for the next person to show me the way. Well as I ventured on I realized that the way was clearly marked. I pushed on, realizing that 20km is a long way, but eventually made it back to the beach for the run in 6th or 7th place. The run was on the beach, which was awful, especially because I stepped on a purple sea creature that had spikes in it at the very beginning of the run, and had to limp most of the way. However I did not give up my position, and finished in 7th overall, 6th among men. Of course that was the short triathlon. The long one was won by my friend Kristoff. Camilla came 6th amongst girls I believe. So it was a very successful trip. And it was my first triathlon.
The most interesting part of my life, as well as the most frustrating, is my mission to get into China to see the Beijing Olympics. But that's going to have to be another day.