Tristram Zedex Eighty One

To improve his Chinese writing Tom, who is studying the language here in Beijing, has started to write a daily diary. He showed me an entry. I understood it all except for one word. No, sorry, I meant to say I didn’t understand any of it except for one word, and that was my name, […]

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I’ve got a new article up at Rooster Talk. It’s brief and to the point and says that, basically, what British general elections need to sex themselves up is private jets and helicopters. Read it here.

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It took me coming to the Communist People’s Republic of China to see it, but it’s true: money CAN buy you happiness. Or at least that’s what the Chinese think. It can certainly buy you relative happiness; like the joy that became me when I invested 129RMB (9 quid) in a brand spanking new coat […]

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China is known for it’s freedom of speech the way Iraq is known for it’s political stability. So it was with a certain amount of panic that I reacted when the customs card on my flight to Beijing asked me if I had about my person ‘any political materials that are against the public good […]

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My atheism and lapsed Catholicism, has left me with a fear of death, the consequence of an acquired absence of belief in a tangible heaven. Driving through the South Island I was, as I’m sure many were, upset by the early demise of talented actor Heath Ledger. His intense performance in Ang Lee’s moving romantic […]

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In Alex Garland’s 1996 novel The Beach, a trippy tale of backpackers looking for paradise and finding themselves in an island Utopia turned hellish nightmare, the central character tells the reader he doesn’t take photos because the resulting collection of images ultimately replaces the actual emotional travel experience in your memory. Or something like that. […]

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My name is Aidan, and I have a problem. (Quiet applause). I’m an addict. (More quiet applause). But it’s not alcohol, drugs or prescription medicine that I’m hooked on. It’s the United States presidential elections and boy, if I don’t get some primary stats in my veins quick, I might explode. (Yet more quiet applause. […]

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What’s the most expensive sandwich you’ve ever eaten? I don’t think I’ve ever forked out much more than what you pay at Subway for a 12 incher. Until today that is. As part of my adventure through continents, cultures and cuisines, the new figure for my most expensive sandwich ever stands at  $220AUD, or about 101GBP, depending on
the exchange rate. Below is a breakdown of the content of my sandwich.
INGREDIENTS:
Ham (cost: $1.27NZ).
Ranch salad (cost: $2.20NZ).
Wholemeal bread ($1.15NZ).
Margarine ($2.20NZ).
So what’s the secret ingredient? The $215 […]

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