Back again - and I failed miserably to update the blog with anything from the worldcon or even much about the Chengdu SF World Convention.

Nor did I update the blog theme and post images from my paintings - all good intentions disolved in a series of parties, beer and the goodness of hanging out with new found friends.

I think that probably sums up the last 2 weeks very well.

I'll write up more detail shortly but suffice to say that Chengdu was the friendliest event I've ever attended - a lot of care went into this, the first of a series of regular cons in China. Highlights for me were meeting the Chinese SF fans, and talking to the writers. Everyone was very accessible and approachable during the 3 days. I wish I'd not rushed off to Japan so quickly, but I'm also pleased I was able to spend that time with my sister.

I promised the organisers to return again at the next event in 2009, and that my Mandarin will not be just translated Cantonese. My mind is still spinning at the contortions I imposed upon it - four languages in two weeks!

Japan was my first WorldCon of course so I was quickly dubbed the Neo and taken under the wing by several regular Con goers. The Aussie/Kiwi mafia was in evidence as we quickly spotted each other's southern accents - much beer ensued. The world being a small place we also worked out that we had several associates in common... mainly broadcast geeks in Sydney. On my return to Hong Kong I found another mutual friend I'd forgotten to mention.

Then to top it off, a Japanese architect I know in Nara/Osaka worked on Sakyo Komatsu's house some 30 years ago. The guest of honor is a well known author in Japan but that connection surprised me all over again. I joked that the world is a small place but that Osaka is a big slope - 大阪.

The last surprise was to learn that my Chinese name - 艾特威 - which is a close sound-alike approximation in Cantonese and Mandarin to my surname and partly to my first name - means in Japanese 'Good Writer'. That has got to bode well for a career as an author.

More details in another post.