Packed with POMs
What a day!I rushed to the office this morning, rushed to finish most of the work, rushed down town, rushed my lunch, rushed to find a gift for Jon and Kim, rushed to pay and gift-wrap it in pretty looking paper and tie it up with an even prettier ribbon before rushing back to pack.
Looking at my wristwatch, I found that two whole hours had passed. It seems somewhat like a timewarp while shopping, when one steps in a store for 'a couple of minutes' to 'grab something', then an hour passes without so much as a blink. So while my taxi sped through traffic, I made a mental note of items and clothing to bring for a warm winter wedding in Brisbane.
Three hours later, I walked towards a sparse check-in counter with half-expectant ticketing attendents. As there was hardly anyone lining up, it looked like another half-booked flight. "Oh goodie!" I thought. That's why I make it a point on checking in earlier than usual.
It's a habit of mine to request an aisle-seat away from everyone. Nothing extraordinary about this other than me wanting space to stretch out, get up, move around without having to cut across someone else. I've been lucky on a few occasions where I've had an entire aisle-wing to sleep on. So turning up early certainly has its advantages.
Assurances only go so far though. When time came for me to board, I found to my horror that passengers from another flight were transferred over to mine. The airline I have flown with on many occasions, had decided to pack in as many people as possible. My plan to relax comfortably before sleeping on this overnight flight was literally sucked out the airlock.
Planting my ass onto my seat, I was enveloped on both sides by elderly British nationals who were also heading down to the former British colony. As they were travelling as part of a tour, they began talking across me. Yakking about this, that and the peculiar things they'd seen, I nodded my head attempting not to disappear between them. It was only when they talked about "tossing broccoli at one another" that I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
At this, only one of two thing can happen. They could either react by including me in their conversation or make an extra effort at ignoring me. Catching my reaction, the lady on my right burst out laughing when I replied that broccoli could be bounced off the kitchen walls. However that kind of brievity was short-lived and our geriatric ex-colonials were tired from their connecting flight. As such, I had only a little more than two hours worth of conversation before dinner was served.
Turning over and wrapping themselves up in their blankets, I was thankfully left to myself for most of the night. After watching Vin Deasel flex himself in The Protector, I doubted that I would get much sleep with a little over four adjusted hours left till we touched down.
Closing my eyes, I thought of the mundane left after taking off from Changi. I thought of the times when I truely felt free, when I realized that nothing under the heavens could touch me. I also thought of my first lover, who passed away many years earlier. I remembered how my subsequent girlfriends would try living up to her. Imagine that, trying to live up to a memory.
Life wasn't fair then. It still isn't fair now.
posted by Teutoburg @ 2:07 AM
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