Tuesday 30 July 2013

Dear diary,
  I hadn't been overseas before, though it was something I'd always wanted to do.  You always hear people tell stories about the ancient castles in England, the cathedrals in France, the rain forests of New Zealand, the hot springs. I'm sure you've heard them all before.
    So eventually, I made the decision to bite the bullet and go. It took me months to save up but eventually I had the cash for the flight, the accommodation and enough left over to have a little fun while I was at it.
    The sun was up the day of the flight, and it was hot. My luggage was packed and my affairs were in order. I had organised a friend to look after my goldfish, Kevin and my Siamese ferret, Bruce as obviously I wasn't able to take them with me. I said a teary goodbye and hopped in the cab for an extremely uneventful ride to the airport.
    I was rather uncertain to begin with, never having been on a plane before desperate need to evacuate this mornings fruit loopsmy overpower my excitement. So, right after checking in I dashed to the bathroom. The bathrooms in the airport were strange, I noticed there was a trough in there as I flew into the nearest cubicle. I think my sigh of relief must have echoed right throughout the airport because when I had finished and walked out, everyone was staring at me.
    The staff were nice though, one helped me lock and bar the door to the bathroom while the other put up a string of bright yellow tape saying something about toxic fumes and  that members of the public should not enter at any cost. I thanked them heartily and walked off toward my boarding gate while the fireman with masks and some form of breathing apparatus and set a controlled fire to burn away the part of the bathroom I had used.
    The flight was amazing, the noise, the vibrations of the engines and the food! Without a doubt the best freeze dried peanuts and foil sealed bowl of water I have ever had in my life. You could swear the teabags had only been used two or three times!
    I had to catch a bus and a ferry to the hotel I was staying at, as the cabs available weren't exactly what I would call efficient. No matter, it was wonderful to sit back on the sticky vinyl seats and admire the view through the heat haze, dust and flies.
    Once I had arrived at the hotel, I found my room, deposited my bags and went downstairs to the bar. The staff were wonderful, so polite and always smiling. I'm not so sure about their alcohol though, I went to the bar tender, a short man with a battered straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt and said "Give me your local drink, something strong." and he put a tall glass on the table filled with something that looked like mud. Shrugging, I took a deep swallow, draining the tall glass and placing it on the table. It tasted like mud too!
    Turning back to the three bartenders I attempted to inform him that the beer had gone bad, unfortunately, all that came out was "He mate, give me another one of thoshe!" Smiling he placed another one on the bar. Sadly, the glass must have been much bigger because I was unable to lift this one up without falling off the chair. "Theshe chairsh err defective!" I yelled and fell backwards into the pool behind me.
    The weather was beautiful the next few days. Ripe for snorkeling, for water sports, for fun! Unfortunately on the third day of 'my fun in the water', I was stung by a jellyfish and urinated on by three, quite large men. Evidently, the snorkeling was done, but I was not about to let that ruin my spirits!
    I spent the remainder of my time on that beautiful island relaxing, taking in the sun and enjoying my time in paradise. Needless to say, I was a little sad to board the plane for the long trip home.

 I'll write again soon,
                                     Crystal.

Monday 15 July 2013

Combustion



Memories define, realign, it's convalescence. 
I can be at peace when I'm in your presence. 
But the character format you seem to fit the most,
Is little more than an ambiguous host. 
Just a ghost in a lamp light, shadowed and shaken,
And the relationship won't fit these rules we're breaking. 
So we'll follow this road, how long till the penny drops?
Till the doors to this room, twist, turn,  click and unlock. 

And even though we've been somehow insightfully jealous,
It's only because we want to believe what they tell us. 
How long has it been since this bond was created?
Go on, press the red button, instigate-it. 

Program initiated. 

Memories define, realign, it's an abduction, an obstruction to reconstruction. 
A situation that was painfully free of introduction. 
So where will we stand when it comes to combustion?

Apologies