tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53912912464787721122012-01-03T08:05:19.073+11:00worth writing home aboutmitch fongnoreply@blogger.comBlogger671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-78565471865390503922010-07-12T22:34:00.010+10:002011-04-14T12:08:53.127+10:00

I'm sure it will come as no surprise to hear me say that since I've become accustomed to traveling around mostly by myself, having two incredibly special people with me while I discover a new city makes the experience so much more exciting and memorable.I thought I'd heard so much about Amsterdam, but it still hadn't prepared me for what I found when I got there: Amsterdam just wasn't anything

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-83533898971658257592009-06-05T04:11:00.007+10:002011-01-06T22:23:10.639+11:00

These photos are from so long ago, that I can barely remember what we got up to.bangkok was the first city, many years ago, that I ever travelled to as an adult and without adult supervision, and because of that, it holds a special appeal for me.Where other people find this place to be dirty, and loud, and smelly, for me it's all those things plus a whole lotta fun, and FREEDOM. Maybe someone who

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-74701310517535477102009-05-29T06:12:00.003+10:002010-05-26T06:59:24.536+10:00

Zürich may very well be one of the prettiest cities i have ever visited. that seems like a big statement to make, but i haven't found anyone who disagrees with me.it had been over a year since i was last here in Zürich, and this time i was fortunate enough to meet up with my mate Markus, who i became friends with while we were both living in Sydney, and now he's back living in Zürich.we caught up

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-19687896241093455192009-05-23T06:11:00.005+10:002010-05-25T01:35:19.650+10:00

just a quick little post with my photos from Auckland.i realise this blog is getting crazy out-of-date, considering these images are from when i was in Auckland in May of '09. so now i am officially one year behind myself.which means a i have a whole year's worth of images on back-log, and that thought alone is enough to give me a head-ache and turn me to the bottle.so i'll try for a renewed

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-83309380849721048052009-05-22T06:10:00.004+10:002010-03-23T06:49:36.056+11:00

my first ever visit to Melbourne!I think it's so strange that I first had to move my life to the other side of the world, before I ever visited a city that's just a one-hour plane ride from the town I grew up in.it's not that I had anything against melbourne, or even that I had a lack of interest in it, I guess I just never had enough motivation to go there...until I was sent there.the

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-63108189655820400352009-04-14T02:31:00.003+10:002010-02-19T00:43:53.519+11:00

let me start by saying that i could live in this city. happily.if someone told me i had to pack everything i own and ship myself off to Toronto, Canada, then i really wouldn't mind. it's one of those cities that just feels good. i've never been able to put my finger on what it is about a city that gives it that feeling, but when i find it, i make sure i soak it in.Toronto is the home town of my

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-35617535754881837282009-04-05T13:23:00.003+10:002010-02-17T13:31:16.352+11:00

things i dig, part I(first published April 22nd, 2007)lightning . walking in a foreign country with the sole purpose of getting lost . giving a complete stranger a genuine compliment . the eiffel tower, and the dream of one day seeing it . a hooded jumper . seeing a photo that makes you wish you were in it . seeing a photo that makes you wish you'd taken it . a hot beverage in a massive take-away

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-65943829803442780212009-03-28T07:07:00.008+11:002010-02-05T20:41:40.718+11:00

a refreshingly small journal entry, without the usual overwhelming amount of images!a cultural snack, if you will.it's a small entry because i didn't do too much in accra. anyone who knows me well knows that i don't necessarily possess a massive love for africa - it has nothing to do with race, and everything to do with my own ignorance.many of my colleagues will disagree with me, but of the

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-56538964979162849302009-03-16T02:55:00.008+11:002010-02-04T10:21:10.318+11:00

much of how i feel about this city can be summed up by the fact that i'd like to spend at least 1 - 10 years of my life living here. no, actually that doesn't adequately sum it up at all.i'm incredibly fond of this city. the last time i was here was back in 1998 (?) with Kristen Tomlinson, Sophie Carmichael and Abby Farmer when we were just 16 years old and were here on a school trip.so it was

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-44681783201045958002009-03-13T08:15:00.002+11:002010-02-04T08:32:26.077+11:00

i recently found this list on my myspace page.basically it's pretty self-explanatory, it's just a list of things that i really dig, and things that make me happy.i first published this list on March 21st, 2007, and not everything on the list is still relevant, there's actually quite a few things on this list that could make me very unhappy.but i'm posting it as-is again here for archival

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-47826794181992183292009-03-10T05:44:00.001+11:002010-02-04T09:01:14.633+11:00

so i promised myself that i'd cut down on the amount of writing i did in the lead up to the photos contained in each post. i'm gonna try and stick to that promise.but i do feel the need to say that some of my most favourite people (but definitely definitely not all of them) are contained in this entry.these people make me so incredibly happy, even if i don't get to see them nearly as much as i'd

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-72268099567399618152009-02-09T23:53:00.005+11:002010-01-24T23:57:46.410+11:00

so, my mate Rich kindly advised me the other day that it had been officially longer than one year since i last updated this blog, so i figured that that was definitely a long enough break for me to have had, and now it was time to lift my game and get back to it.i'll probably be keeping the writing to minimum, because as you could imagine, i have a year's worth of photos backlogged that i need to

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-10217238427916976332009-01-18T23:47:00.008+11:002009-06-14T18:20:54.129+10:00

to be given a day off on my birthday, and then sent to the beautifully sunny island of mauritius the very next day, did feel very charmed indeed.mauritius is pretty much a textbook version of island paradise. it's got everything that comes to mind when one thinks of a sun-drenched beach holiday: palm trees, snow white sands and that impossibly clear blue water.admittedly, when i think of my dream

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-28539433656106668292009-01-13T21:07:00.009+11:002009-06-13T21:42:36.784+10:00

i'd been excited about visiting South Africa for a while now, but had always heard varying reports about Johannesburg. Some say it's awesome and a lot of fun, others would say it's boring and dangerous (but danger doesn't sound so boring to me...)but the reports about Cape Town were unanimously positive:"pretty", "friendly", "great food", and my favourite: "you'll get killed in jo'burg, but only

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-85604026475100679342009-01-03T20:43:00.004+11:002009-06-03T22:33:47.872+10:00

before i started this job, i used to boast that i could point to every single country in the world on an unmarked map. "go on, just ask me, i'll point it out. easy"however, it seems this boasting was somewhat premature...given that my confidence in this area was based on the fact that i regularly played a geography game that i thought included all the countries in the world.turns out, it

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-80704571786998864812008-11-28T13:44:00.008+11:002009-05-15T02:23:54.979+10:00

I was going to gush about how magical I find Moscow's Red Square at night, and how even though it is obviously very real, it looks like something that Walt Disney himself has created. But a quick look back on the blog entry I wrote about the last time I was here, showed me that i've already said that.So I won't say it again...but from here on in I will endeavour to have an original thought go

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-43663040404197619072008-11-14T13:28:00.004+11:002009-05-04T04:42:51.658+10:00

(the title of this entry is a line taken from a song by David Hasselhoff...who is a genius, as we all know)Before i visited casablanca, my knowledge of the place wasa) it's in morocco, b) Humphrey Bogart starred in a film called "Casablanca", which is presumably set in this fair city, andc) one of Hugh Hefner's three "wives" gave him two white peacocks for his 80th birthday -- 'One's called "

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-25192428659063268312008-11-10T12:49:00.006+11:002009-04-23T16:30:34.762+10:00

ah yes, hamburg! my favourite of all the places i've visited in Germany (yes, all three of them)it was significantly colder than when i visited last time, in fact it was positively freeeeeezing, which meant there were a lot less people milling about on the streets, and socialising on park benches drinking beer, which is what had made me fall in love with this place last time around.but after

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-49456549102539827472008-11-06T08:39:00.011+11:002009-04-21T00:53:40.320+10:00

(not to be confused with Colombia: the country in South America.nor is it to be confused with Columbo: the American TV detective...this blog is about neither of those two things)ooooh these short little blog entries are a delight -- so easy to post, so few photos!this was my first time to colombo, sri lanka, but there was speculation of bomb threats in the centre of town, a 40-minute bus ride

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-47060837183024716262008-10-11T08:09:00.007+11:002009-04-20T02:30:10.694+10:00

great to be back in sweet sweet Japan! this time it's osaka.last time i was in japan, it was Nagoya, and i've been very much looking to forward to returning to japan and seeing Osaka.japan is always such a fun place to visit because it is just so dramatically different from any other country, and it's culture is so evident, everywhere you go.from what i could tell, a lot of japanese people can

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-44180477825649132322008-08-30T17:47:00.000+10:002009-04-03T18:27:21.132+11:00

note: i got a bit ahead of myself!chronologically speaking (big word, huh?), this post should have actually been posted before the Italy blog entry, but i've become rusty in my old age, so just pretend you read this first, thanks.(not that it makes a lick of difference [why is 'difference' measured in 'licks'?])alright! back in New York City!...and with every single one of my NY-based friends (

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-25211984183377217982008-08-27T03:32:00.008+10:002009-04-05T02:32:43.250+11:00

another set of photos that are incredibly special to me:when i spend so much time travelling around this world by myself, it becomes really really special when i'm given the opportunity to see the world with my mates.and well, i don't need to say anything more about the fact that this time it just happened to be in Paris.Anyone who has met me in the last fifteen minutes (or so) knows exactly what

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-13623308720511979692008-08-10T00:18:00.000+10:002009-04-03T16:21:42.275+11:00

gosh. this post is about eight months overdue -- these photos were taken in August '08 during a two week holiday i shared with natalie throughout italyand i mean, normally i'd love to write something about the wonderful places we visited and the incredible things we saw -- and please don't think for one second that just because i haven't written about them that we didn't visit wonderful places

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-53703297503328230392008-08-06T01:40:00.005+10:002008-11-20T04:35:47.597+11:00

frankfurt is one of those cities that dubs itself as a "business city" -- which seems to be the term used by boring cities to excuse the fact that there's not a whole bunch of interesting things to see and do there. i mean, don't get me wrong, i'm sure there's a lot of business going on in these business cities, i don't think anyone's lying to me...but would it kill them to have something fun

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-1915998983642189882008-07-17T01:28:00.005+10:002008-10-21T01:39:36.064+11:00

ok, so a busy little trip for me -- but i don't think there's such thing as a quiet time in my home city! too many people to catch up with, too many kids to play with, no time for kickin' back and relaxing -- but who'd wanna relax?!first stop is Sydney where it's dinner and a movie to catch up with my good mates Petey and Troy.next morning, it's time to take a flight of a different kind: on a

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-39795296733450478822008-07-13T14:34:00.010+10:002008-10-06T08:41:32.159+11:00

after such an awesome holiday on mykonos, coming back home and going back to work was likely to bring with it a severe case of post-holiday depression, so it felt right that my very next work trip would be one to New York City. Because how can one ever feel down when they're going to NYC!...and not only did i get to be in new york, but i also got to catch up with some great friends while i was

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-53281711895362392362008-06-30T20:06:00.008+10:002009-04-03T22:44:54.028+11:00

mykonos was my first international holiday since joining the company, and what a perfect way to set the standard for the future holidays to come:nine days of island living, with three mates, the beach, our scooters, excessive amounts of alcohol, sunburn & suntan, and countless servings of souvlaki...this holiday was like a nine-day advertisement of what a holiday should look like!it was with a

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-3738712070028092392008-06-25T23:21:00.005+10:002008-08-31T02:53:44.326+10:00

this job is getting toughi mean, it’s not necessarily hard work, (it sure ain’t easy work either), but it’s getting tough just because i’m seeing all these amazing places that i want to become a resident of,and Toronto has just become the newest city to join the long list of places where i want to spend at least one year of my life before settling back down in Australia and raising a massive

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-81077129260919518002008-06-21T03:43:00.001+10:002008-08-07T22:17:12.704+10:00

when i started this job, vienna was the first European city that i ever visited, and of course i had no choice but to blown away by my first European experience -- i was determined to love Europe no matter what i sawso it was nice to get back to vienna, ten months on, after having seen a lot more of Europe, and finding out that i do indeed still love the place -- the people, the food, the

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-39200014002811118582008-05-27T06:06:00.001+10:002008-08-05T22:40:25.376+10:00

now, usually when i visit a city for the first time, i like to speak to the concierge desk at my hotel just to get an idea of what there is to do and to see in their city...and usually it's given me a great headstart on where i should go to see the sights, but Houston was a little different:Mitch: "G'day, I've never been to Houston before, what do you think i should go and do?"Concierge With

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-48081805430460890722008-05-22T05:55:00.004+10:002008-08-05T22:11:31.043+10:00

there have been a few things that i've seen since i started this job, that have made me feel so insignificantly small and inconsequential -- most of those things i've posted photos of or have talked about already on this blog; other things like flying over the gigantic Swiss alps in the cockpit of the plane cannot be truly represented by any photo i take, or any words i put together in a

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-79518725492534531182008-05-16T14:15:00.002+10:002008-07-13T00:47:14.257+10:00

after five previous visits to London, with each of them failed attempts to catch up with my mate Gav, this time i was determined to see him!and it was worth the wait! i hadn't seen Gav for about two long years since we met in Sydney, so i was obviously so stoked to see him! and it was a day of catch-ups, with me also being lucky enough to catch up with my mates Terry and Andy who i haven't seen

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-83129565559836434142008-05-05T14:25:00.008+10:002008-07-11T19:00:03.005+10:00

one of my favourite things about this job is being sent to places that i would probably never think to travel to on my own termsobviously i was never going to go through this life without experiencing paris or new york or london, but it's quite likely that i may have never bought myself a ticket to Moscow -- well, not before i'd ticked off all the other major destinations firstbut i'm totally

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-68310417362926464872008-05-02T03:39:00.004+10:002008-05-31T11:54:53.858+10:00

back in germany!there's a lot to love about germany, from what little i've seen of it -- and i'm looking forward to spending more time here when next i get to spend a holiday here.the food's amazing, the people are great, and for the beer lovers out there, well, German beer has one of the best reputations in the world, no? (or is Oktoberfest just an excuse for men to get completely sloshed and

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-70680302703766110252008-04-28T03:08:00.002+10:002008-07-29T15:53:56.921+10:00

oh yes oh yes!i have a new nephew to welcome to the world!little Charlie William Fong was born on April 27th 2008, or was it 28th -- shit, i was flying at the time he was born, and i never thought to clarify his actually birthday: Uncle of the Year i most certainly am notbut i love the little guy just as much as my other nieces and nephews, he's a right little dude -- and i love how his big bro

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-33621912316481002452008-04-26T02:19:00.004+10:002008-05-08T03:29:39.226+10:00

my first time in germany!!now, let it be known that my knowledge of the german language extends only as far as "mercedes benz" and "three beers please'' -- i can even be so brash as to say "two beers quickly please"so with such limited knowledge, even with a bit of clever substitution, the most i'm going to be able to say is "three mercedes benz quickly please" -- and what good is that gonna do

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-77531770453140351222008-04-21T23:59:00.003+10:002008-05-01T01:42:06.406+10:00

the city that gave birth to david beckham's career -- which subsequently then inspired forty-million kajillion (yes, i counted) bad attempts by metrosexual men all around the world trying to imitate beckham's haircuts! i wonder if manchester even realises what they're responsible for...?maybe i should have shouted from a street corner whilst i was there, just to let the locals know...(hmmm, yes,

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-73528058602951502412008-04-13T08:45:00.003+10:002008-04-30T22:12:59.351+10:00

a relatively small blog entry, but one that's worthy of a mention all the same.london flights seem to be easy enough for me to obtain, so when i found out that Jordan would be in london for a whole month, i thought i'd try my hardest to get another london flight to come back and see him here -- but the Universe and I must be good mates at the moment, because I was handed another london flight

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-14519119410835524102008-04-08T10:40:00.002+10:002008-04-15T20:46:47.169+10:00

new york freakin' city!!!holy crap, how do i write anything about a city that left me speechless?NYC well and truly blew me away, every which way i turned there was something that dropped my jaw, and i can't say it without sounding like a wanker but this city is just so ALIVE! it positively buzzes! (wow, i was right, that did sound dumb)with the world being such a large place, it amazes me how

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-37127542757324257602008-03-23T00:45:00.004+11:002008-04-13T03:21:42.381+10:00

a day filled with:(in no particular order)tommy . green tea . benson the dog . brick lane . an hour or so spent in a bookstore researching my cross-country american road-trip . pumpkin ravioli . the west end . the photographer's gallery . a public announcement at the tube station: "due to a person under the train, there will be no north-bound service on the piccadilly line" . jordan . lucas .

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-47092682027219190292008-03-13T08:08:00.002+11:002008-03-20T23:54:29.477+11:00

back to good ol' London town!after having already seen all the major tourism sights of London last time i was here with my mate Natalie, I was looking forward to a relaxed, laid-back trip to London to visit my hometown-mate Tommy -- without feeling like i had to race around this city trying to see all that it had to offerthis time to London offered a much more interesting view of London: where

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-71411825407256526212008-03-10T07:54:00.002+11:002008-03-20T23:37:10.020+11:00

well, this is like Mitch's "Get in Touch With Your Ancestry" Month: first a trip to China, followed by a trip to Scotland where mum's mum was bornadmittedly Glasgow was cold and wet, but the place was a lot of fun! the people are great, and there was plenty for me to see in the citywhen i told some people i was thinking about catching the train down to Edinburgh to see the castle , they looked at

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-58143992365701405752008-03-03T07:24:00.004+11:002008-04-02T17:27:54.731+11:00

back in china!i swear i cause these people so much confusion: they just don't know what to do with a guy like me who looks like "chinese peoples" but who just shakes his head in confusion when they start rambling at me in their languageshanghai just wasn't what i expected -- well, i don't know exactly what i expected of shanghai, but what i found was an ultra-modern and clean city, with manicured

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-73390037991872945712008-02-17T07:29:00.001+11:002008-03-03T00:41:12.924+11:00

what can i say about this incredible city? Zurich just well and truly blew me out of the water with its beauty, i was so overwhelmed by what an amazing place this is! i mean, don't get me wrong, i was excited to visit Zurich just like i would be excited to visit any european city, but Zurich was just so much more than i expected!beautiful scenery and architecture, and the PEOPLE who went out of

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-13841165824421021732008-02-06T07:14:00.002+11:002008-03-03T00:06:29.589+11:00

Singapore! Home of the Singapore Sling, the Merlion, and one of the best 24hour-a-day food courts that i've ever encountered (though I must admit, my knowledge of 24hour-a-day food courts is quite minimal, but ya gotta give credit where credit's due, people)I was in Singapore during their celebration of Chinese New Year, which meant that shopping was pretty much out of the question: the majority

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-81353649098461648062008-01-27T07:11:00.004+11:002008-03-03T00:06:11.496+11:00

london!!!well, firstly i must apologise for this lengthy delay in my posting updates -- i don't really have any sort of valid excuse, i'll just blame laziness! i promise i'll try not to let it happen ever again!the bad thing about leaving it so long between postings, is that now i have no recollection of what i got up to on my trips that i did a month or so ago, so i'll just post the photos and

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-64404992823443741852008-01-23T00:59:00.000+11:002008-01-27T02:36:12.979+11:00

roma!home of the colosseum, the sistine chapel, and several thousand restaurants serving up some of the finest food i've ever eaten (yes, i did my very best to eat my way through all of them)roma is a major player on the list of the world's most incredible cities -- there's just so much history here and so much to see! luckily i had my running shoes on, because I was racing around this amazing

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-40035977232881171792008-01-22T03:37:00.000+11:002008-01-23T04:20:01.279+11:00

well, you can just send me back to Paris whenever you damn please -- i'll happily go to this amazing city with no hesitations, none whatsoever!Paris greeted me with miserable, rainy weather, and I genuinely had to ask myself whether or not I even minded -- it reminded me of something I once heard my brother say to his son:"maxxis, you can whinge all you like, 'cos I still love you just as much

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-7178021078548903532008-01-16T21:23:00.000+11:002008-01-18T00:05:55.290+11:00

my first time to Africa! and where better to be introduced to Africa than in dar-es-salaam!friendly people, beautiful scenery, and a lifestyle just completely different to anything i've ever experienced before, which i guess is the very basis of travelling...no trips to safari parks unfortunately, i would've loved to have seen some big cats, but i'm sure there's plenty of time for me to get to

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-6334675164071419312008-01-09T23:25:00.001+11:002008-07-29T15:54:18.295+10:00

back in newcastle with the family and friends! (that's Newcastle, Australia -- and not Newcastle, UK, home of the Earl Grey Tea)i'm not really articulate enough to satisfactorily describe how good it was to be back in my home town surrounded by all these amazing people, so if you can just use your own words to tell yourself that i had an incredibly good time, then i'll think that will do just

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-71804967333082256032008-01-09T00:06:00.000+11:002008-01-17T23:34:19.357+11:00

oh gosh, i don't know how many times i'll be physically capable of coming to Sydney with this job -- i never want to sleep in Sydney, i'm scared i'll miss out on something, and so it results in me getting about 12 hours sleep across eight days, and i'm pretty sure my body will just refuse to work any more after that!!but i was absolutely ecstatic to be back in Sydney, and there was no way i was

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-31055910840462019042008-01-05T22:36:00.000+11:002008-01-17T23:34:40.799+11:00

(well, actually it was two nights, but that's not how the song goes...)it had been three years since i'd been to bangkok, and i was so incredibly pumped to be going back there, and even more excited by the fact that i was passing through bangkok on my way to SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA!!!bangkok was just as amazing as i remember it -- loud and crazy and fun fun fun!!!though i'm a little concerned by my

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-49887240086306353042007-12-29T08:19:00.000+11:002008-01-03T09:35:03.356+11:00

back on Australian soil!!as i started walking around Perth, i started getting a little nervous: i really wanted to do Australia proud with the photos i took, because i wanted to be able to show all my non-Aussie friends in Dubai just how great this country is that i've been raving about for the past three monthsbut in the end, it was Australia who did ME proudnow, i would never be able to forget

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-47568306035832165542007-12-25T12:20:00.000+11:002007-12-25T12:31:09.177+11:00

and so this is christmas!!--christmas trees at The Hyatt Regency, Kolkata--to all those of you who are reading this, i wish you only the very best for the christmas and new year season -- i hope you get everything that puts a smile on your face!eat too much food, and drink too much good cheer, and hug your family extra tight, cos i'd give the world to be able to hug mine!and to my family: you're

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-34838071490552290522007-12-23T10:57:00.000+11:002007-12-25T12:14:53.865+11:00

my first time to India!to the city now officially known as "Kolkata" and no longer known as "Calcutta" (i only found that out recently...)india yanked me right out of my comfort zone, just completely picked me up and threw me right out of there -- and i loved it!kolkata is loud, abrasive, smelly, and insanely colourfuli've never witnessed poverty like it-- people showering in the street amongst

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-28993075245877502582007-12-18T04:02:00.000+11:002007-12-18T06:35:28.212+11:00

brazil brazil brazil!!!the birthplace of Ayrton Senna, Gisele Bündchen and approximately 12million beautiful people (and a couple of not-so-beautiful ones too, but they’re everywhere)i had such an awesome time in são paulo: yet another place where a 28-hour stay is just not long enough!and after my shameful efforts in beijing, it was nice to be back to my old self: taking a thousand photos,

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-27215686975530110522007-12-13T08:13:00.000+11:002007-12-13T08:34:40.413+11:00

i have a confession to make:on this trip to beijing, i very nearly became a crew member that i promised myself that i’d never become:one of those crew members who spend the majority of their layover time in their hotel room, they don’t spend a cent of their layover allowance, and they never take any photos.and it’s not so much that i think that what they’re doing is wrong at all – i just don’t

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-37872976152832643212007-12-09T07:00:00.000+11:002007-12-11T23:49:24.385+11:00

what can i say about my first time in the city that i've been dreaming/day-dreaming/fantasising about for the last 10 years?paris absolutely broke my heart with her beauty -- i was dumb-smacked by everything paris offers: the architecture, the people, the food, and that inexplicable buzz that completely blankets this magical cityi'll allow myself to wallow in self-pity for 30 seconds, and that's

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-79250434205352680532007-12-08T09:25:00.000+11:002007-12-08T10:00:14.065+11:00

my first ever trip to Japan!!yet another destination that i was so excited to see appear on my flying schedule, even though i knew so little about it (and still i'm pretty clueless about it, i was too busy eating to learn too much!i've promised myself i'll go back there sometime in the near future and pay less attention to the callings of my stomach (and less attention to the crazy fashions) and

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-64124311583382682322007-11-29T08:18:00.000+11:002007-11-29T09:24:15.978+11:00

sweet sweet milan!!the fashion capital of the world!i was very excited to see this city, and it certainly didn't disappoint! ever since my Grade 2 primary-school teacher taught us how to throw spaghetti against a wall to check that it's cooked properly, i've been desperate to see italyand like with every other destination i've flown to this past month, in italy i was constantly picking my jaw up

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-18715850042227879552007-11-25T03:47:00.000+11:002007-11-25T04:35:38.443+11:00

good ol' kuala lumpur, malaysia!!!the home of Royal Selangor, The Twin Towers, and the delicious laksa!this world continues to fascinate me, i'm continuously overwhelmed with what i see as i scoot about the planetmy adventures in kuala lumpur:walk around exploring at 12:30 at night, as the humidity makes your shirt stick to your back . watch fireworks launch of skyscrapers -- (i still have no

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-78248816394368074662007-11-18T19:38:00.000+11:002007-11-18T20:17:20.917+11:00

athens!the home of Socrates, the Acropolis, the first ever modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and some damn fine cheese pies! (i'm sure the cheese pies have some proper fancy Greek name, but as far as i can tell, if you ask for a cheese pie, they'll know exactly what you're talking about)my adventures in athens: buy a corn-on-the-cob and some roasted chestnuts from a street vendor, only to

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-44806265670947001162007-11-13T09:00:00.000+11:002007-11-15T01:06:16.520+11:00

my first trip to Europe!! beautiful beautiful vienna!and as an extra little treat for me on the momentous occasion, i arrived in vienna on the first day for this season that they had SNOW!so of course, when i'd arrived in vienna, i did my favourite thing to do when visiting a foreign country: walk and walk and walk until i am completely and utterly lost, and then jump in a cab back to my

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-5054836728090778222007-10-21T03:16:00.000+10:002007-10-21T03:33:28.090+10:00

♠ as the title suggests, i've now been in Dubai for one month!♠ nothing major to report with this blog post, just to stop in and let people know that i'm still alive and have a smile on my face -- i'm beginning to feel settled here in Dubai, have met some great people who i'm becoming great friends with♠ in another two weeks time, i will have completed my six-weeks training, and will be taking to

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-4803972698323413872007-10-02T02:47:00.000+10:002007-10-02T03:27:46.266+10:00

♠ ok, so i've now been in Dubai for one week, roaming around trying to do my very best at discovering the city that will be my "base" for the next, well, i don't know how long.as a real rough estimate, i guess i'm here for a fair while anyways♠ after a pretty rough start -- the first few days were so hard, for some reason i couldn't shake the immense feeling of homesickness and was just missing

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-86577935817204942212007-09-20T10:58:00.001+10:002008-07-29T15:54:33.186+10:00

never realised i had so much stuff until i had to make it fit neatly into two bags!...and so it begins, the packing process, the farewell process, the mental-preparation-required-to-shift-oneself-from-one-country-to-an-other process -- and of course, in true mitch fong fashion, i have left absolutely everything right until the day before i fly outprocrastination -- i highly recommend it even as i

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391291246478772112.post-24806187364025335412007-09-05T12:28:00.000+10:002007-09-06T14:57:36.414+10:00

[insert any other language device here that makes me look more worldy and more well-travelled than i actually am]well alright, here we go!welcome to my page!a page that i've set up so that my family and friends can have a one-stop shop to find out where i am in the world and what i'm up to♠ i'll be posting a blog entry from every city that i fly to with my new job as cabin crew -- in the hopes of

mitch fongnoreply@blogger.com0