My crystal ball...

In my future, as long as my shrinking wallet does not betray me, I am seeing a trip to China. Since I'm doing it alone, as far as I know (if anyone wants to join me, speak now!), I've decided on a tour package to:

Beijing, the emperors' city (3 nights/4 days)
Xian & the great terra cotta army (2 nights/3 days)
Guilin, the scenic Li River, & Yangshuo (2 nights/3 days)
Hangzhou, Marco Polo's favorite city (2 nights/3 days)
Shanghai, the amazing city (2 nights/3 days)

I just have to make sure the finances are all in order, and then I can start booking. The plan is to go from August 15th - August 28th, so I'll be working a couple of weeks in the beginning of August to save up a bit more money.

Also in my future, I found out today, is Wolfson College at Cambridge. For those of you who, like me, have no clue about the English old school system, the college in which you are placed basically determines your social circle and living quarters. Wolfson is a new college, compared to the likes of Kings and Trinity, but is supposedly the most "cosmopolitan" of the colleges, one of the most international, and it is also geared toward graduate students. Coming from Tokyo and being that I think the town of Cambridge itself is enough "college" for me, I think a cosmopolitan and international atmosphere will be perfect for me. For the past year, I've also been hanging out with people 5-10 years older than I am, so the graduate living shouldn't bother me either. My research supervisor is also placed at this college, so that should be convenient, and he assured me it is a great place to be. So tally ho, off I go to Wolfson!