move on, young man - there is nothing to tell here...

Ok.  I am not one to be considered the strong silent type... I generally fail miserably on both accounts - my mouth oftentimes getting me into more trouble than Dick Cheney at a hunting convention, and my girly arms...well, they speak for themselves.  Yet, since being home in Toronto, Canada (over a month and a half already!), I, John Di Tecco, for the first time in my life, have found myself at a loss for words.

I was poking around on the net this evening as I have been suffering from insomnia (it is now almost 3am actually) - and I noticed that my friend Ethan had recently posted a blog entry on his blog.  Neither Ethan, David or myself have written much since returning to our native lands, so I had to check it out.  As it turns out, one of his local staff had posted a Beijing retrospective on Youtube that summarized Ethan's Games time experience - that has not happened to, or for me - and to be honest and admit to my own guilt - I have not even corresponded with Amy, Queen or Crystal (my team) since being home.  I just can't bring myself to do it for some reason.  Just as I have been unable to blog.  Am I just trying to hold on to what is past?  Not admit to it being truly over? I am not so sure.

I am not going to apologize for not blogging - the walking cliche in me since returning from Tibet says "living for yourself is not the same as being selfish" - (something that is easily said, but up to this point, I now realize, very hard for me to do and something I am consciously working on). I will say, however, that the amount of genuine interest, if not 'firm' encouragement regarding my blog that many of you have expressed (repeatedly!) to me over the last month has been both surprising and amazing to me.  I am happy to hear that many of you enjoyed my ramblings, rantings and musings...I had not written in ages before Beijing and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it, so thanks for coming along for the ride.

Anycrap, I digress - surprise, surprise! Back to me not blogging.  Trust me, on countless nights I have logged into my blog with the full intention of summarizing my trip, filling in any blanks in my travels or simply relating something random that popped into my head about my experience. No lie - with this crazy bout of insomnia that I am going through- I had time.  If I could hunt down obscure techno remixes of the Scooby Doo theme on limewire, could confirm that Ketchup did, in fact, originate in China as I have told so many people, as well as google what stars shared my same birthday (sadly, the most exciting being Matty and Kara - The twins of John and Kate plus 8 fame), and once again, attempted to get past the first 10 pages of Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude for the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th time...I had time to blog. For some reason, however, every time I tried to will my fingers to pound something out on my keyboard, I was unable to do so.  And I still can't really.

Here is why:  I have no idea how to piece together what I went through in a coherent, easy-to-follow framework - also, if I am being completely honest - another thing I am working on - some things I just don't want to share. My experience finally travelling again, the way I love to travel, and reconnecting with myself are just that, my experiences.  Experiences that I hold dear and close to me - there really is no way to explain it all away.  

I definitely love answering questions that people ask, or providing an anecdote when the occasion arises, but when a friend of mine sits me down and says: "Tell me about your trip" it is the kiss of death.  All I find myself replying is "it was amazing!"  I have thought long and hard about this as I had not been this perplexed since I was 6 and was attempting to figure out the Caramilk secret...

My time in Asia was just that, amazing - but it is done.  It is a chapter closed.  Since being home I spent my first month, partying and reconnecting with old friends - in a haze really - pretending I was 20 again and living on a beach in Cancun during perpetual spring break... but that is another story - one who's gaps and holes may never be recovered.... 

I then went to Vancouver for a long weekend and met up with friends from China - Julia, Trevor and Leslie - David (who I travelled Asia with) even came up from Chicago.  I have to admit that I was a little reticent to go at first.  I wondered if it would be like removing a scab that just healed over and pouring salt and lemon juice in it.  These were amazing people that I had an intense experience with, one that not many others would understand.  Would going back and meeting up with them outside the original context ruin everything?  Would I discover that they were all boobs?  I went anyway and I was really glad I did.  We made new memories and forged even stronger friendships - (it also helped that the weather was a balmy 20 degrees and sunny where it had plummeted below zero in Toronto!).

The last two weeks have been me organizing and purging tons of excess stuff out of my apartment.  I have accepted a full time job starting Dec 1 - (for the love of Dolly Parton it is 9 to 5!)... and the funny thing is... I have not once freaked out about it... my wandering feet want to stay put for a while.  Don't get me wrong, travelling is in my blood and I will always go off exploring...just not any time soon. Things with me are good and I may be truly happy - sure I will undoubtedly be bitching come December 7th after my first week of full time work!  

So alas, faithful reader - I fear tales of Asian adventures have come to an end... I just don't have any more in me to tell... at least not now... For fear of sounding all Jo Jo's psychic alliance on you - a new phase has begun for me and there is no looking back and getting stuck in the past.  Johnny D will trudge willingly into his uncertain future (and the first thing he will confront is his penchant for talking in the third person).  

One thing I have truly rediscovered is my love of writing and words in general.  I am a nerd people! So, I have decided to continue blogging - and I was going to start fresh - a whole new blog - but I have decided that I want my blog to just be random events and insights from my day to day life.  And since I have been home, I have discovered that we North Americans have some pretty wacked out practices ourselves!  Have I not told you about the comings and goings of the Starbucks Cartel?  Oh there is so much to talk about my friends...  We can't point the finger at other cultures such as Asia if we are not willing to turn the microscope on ourselves... so that is what I am going to do... get out my lab coat and dissect humanity... Hence, Cultural Exceptions is still a fitting title and will stay.  So check it out if you feel like it... same bat channel...stay tuned!

In the meantime, while I revamp and get material for my new Cultural Exceptions Canadian edition - if you need entertainment - turn your attention to my friend Leigh's blog... she has made me laugh and wet my pants with her musings all throughout my insomnia... so enjoy.  A link to her blog is on my blog list - or, for those of you who are rediculously and wonderfully technophobic (Aunt Tanya and Rose) - I will put the link right here... just click on it.... www.leighnats.blogspot.com

For those of you who feel slighted or ripped off because you did not get a tale of travel... tough bundados as we used to say... but I will leave you with a few pretty pics of my trip that you have not seen yet... make up your own story - hopefully you will be inspired to start a blog of your own...

   

Golden Buddhas at the top of Emai Shan Mountain

Emai Sahn Mountain... AKA WHERE MONKEYS ATTACK!!! (they are not nice people! and my new arch nemeses...you may think it beneath me to target an entirely different species, but they are now on my same level of loathing as birds!  Birds poop....

MONKEYS PEE!  Look closely, they don't get the saying "cheeky monkey" for nothing! This one tried using me for target practice but I was out of range just in time!  Evil Bastards!

We hiked this mountain for 2 days and slept in a monastery - It was grueling! That's me!  Like the CN Tower climb times 10 million - no joke 8 hours a day for 2 days... all stairs!

At a park in Leshan, China -  Couples in love and just married come there and inscribe their names on a padlock and throw away the key to symbolize their unbreakable bond... there were thousands of them... even the cynic in me found it slightly romantic.... slightly.

It's China - you wanted to see pandas

Buddhist statue in Bangkok, Thailand

Palace adornments - Bangkok, Thailand

The Palace - Bangkok, Thailand

The view of the beach and Gulf of Thailand from my beach front bungalow - time to put my feet up... Koh Samed, Thailand

This was actually taken by me, of me, at the top of our hike up the great wall - but the sweat, confusion on my face and sheer joy of accomplishment somehow reflect how I feel about this blog of my travels being done!  I accomplished what I set out to do... now onto something else...