A new year, a new start. That's the popular refrain, anyway, but I don't believe it happens. I'm not trying to say that people never change; on the contrary, people are in constant flux and every day we experience things and have interactions with others that leave an impression on us. But I've never seen anyone decide that they will better themselves in some specific way - usually by swearing off a vice or two - from the first of January that hasn't forgotten al...

The first week's a holiday. That's how long I and my companion and confidant Mitchell allowed ourselves to adjust to the climate, gather a bit of local geography, and let the Aussie sun start to strip some of the reflective lustre from our Colgate-white skins. We'd done the holidaymaker stuff, seen the sights and taken photographs, eaten some kangaroos, spent time on the beach and gotten a generous dose of the Pacific Ocean lodged in our sinuses. Five out of seve...

Cast your mind back to the tenth of December. Back in England it was Human Rights Day, so it's ironic that we were spending it in China. Specifically, we were in the departure lounge of Shanghai airport waiting for our connecting flight to Sydney. By we I mean not only my friend and road dog Mitchell, but all the English-speaking passengers waiting for the next leg of the trip to Australia, for we had all grouped together, hoping that our pooled intellects could ...