1001 Foods You Must Try Before You Die

The pluses of moving away is that you get gifts like this: 1001 Foods You Must Try Before You Die. One of my pre-departure gifts is this wonderful book of literally a thousand and one items of epicurean delights from all over the world. This is a lifetime project in the making, as I imagine not every well-heeled soul can lay claim to half of it. Scanning through it, I've found a fair amount of treats I have tried myself, and am missing a lot more. A lot.

Consider balut, tinapang bangus and bagnet. There's calamansi somewhere in the list. And though I really have no time to wonder and ponder over what's inside the book, it has made me excited. And I wonder if I can live up to this list with this impending move. It will help. It will be another country in the passport. It will be another few years of exciting treats. Thank you Claudette, thank you Kristine. Wonderful gift. Wonderful!

Right now: I am busy packing my things. Sifting through things I may not need both at home and in the office. Giving away a few important and miniscule treasures to friends and loved ones who will put them to good use. At the back of my head I keep thinking: what will the food be like in a place called Bundoora?

Leaving exactly a week from today. I will start telling you what it's like in a week or two as soon as I settle down. For now, it is an unsightly mess: the excitement and agitation of transitions; of sifting through the dust and discovering that my heart did find a home in all this mess.