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…