"pretty much my favourite animal"

"bred for its skills in magic...."

Tomorrow I'm jumping on board the Merlion Express to head down Singapore way ..

The Merlion, for those who are not up-to-date with the latest and greatest in the portmanteau world, is a cross between a mermaid and a lion. As per the norm with pretty much everything in this region, the Merlion has a kick-arse mythology attached to it. Hopefully I will be able to find some ultra-tacky plastic tourist souvenir junk of the Merlion to bring home. Something tells me it shouldn't be too much of a struggle.

I believe that the Merlion is now pretty much my favourite animal, having taken the crown off the Liger. If the Merlion and the Liger had a fight, I wonder who would win....

On another note, I am happy to be leaving Malaysia for a short period of time as I believe the country is trying to KILL ME! The tropical climes have given me a killer ear infection, and the nastiness of Langkawi bungalows has resulted in a rash on my side. I think I have offended the Durian gods or some such equally made up entity, and they are trying to force me out of the country. The upside of all this illness is that I got to see a fine physician by the name of Dr Kwak. Can I get some cheers from my Australians out there! Takes 'going to see the quack' to a whole new level ...

PS - I now struggle to comprehend a pre-wikipedia world.