It's been nearly a week, so let me tell you about JET orientation.
On Sunday afternoon I took the train down to King's Cross from Edinburgh, a numbness-inducing five hours. From there it was a good hour on the Piccadilly line towards Rayner's Lane, followed by a further twenty minutes on the shaky Metropolitan line to Uxbridge, out in the wilderness. From Uxbridge station it was a good twenty minute walk down to the south, plus that again of me walking back and forth trying to get into Forth Brunel University. The campus itself is very pretty, like a tiny city all off on its own. It had everything a nervous new employee could want.
Except... one thing. But we'll get back to that.
Anyway, I arrived at about 9pm, sweaty and tired and hungry, and checked in to one of the student dorms for my two nights. Though I was nervous about the prospect of finding food, I was delighted to find a small group of fellow new JETs in my exact position. Chips, pub, and a great evening of happy conversation.
Up the next morning at 7am for breakfast (courtesy of EJEF) and then down to work at the breakfast table filling in my visa form. Yes, yes, I should have done it sooner, but it was the same for so many. All you need is a few little addresses and passport details and your good to go. Unfortunately... there was one little thing that I couldn't just write down, and that was a passport-size photo. No problem, I said to myself, it's a University! Passport photos a-plenty!
Oh, how wrong I was.
There was one machine in the whole University, the WHOLE THING! It was in the library building. And it was out of order.
9am comes around and registration begins. After thirty minutes of waiting in line I get to the front, where the kind young man behind the desk informs me that without a photo they can't process my visa and, I put together in my brain, no visa means no job. And they ship those things off as soon as orientation officially begins... less than an hour's time.
I'll tell you now, this story has a happy ending.
So, panic-stricken and furious, I ran my way to the University bus stop on the edge of the campus. And, after waiting fifteen minutes for a bus that should arrive once every ten, I flagged down a taxi and was off to Uxbridge Station near which, my phone informed me, I would find the photo booths I sought. The drive was mercifully short, the driver taking some crazy back routes I didn't know were there, and when I arrived I made a dash for the shopping center. Phone web told me the best place to look was the WH Smith's in The Chimes, so that's where I went. Only it took me a few minutes before I discovered that The Chimes doesn't HAVE A WH SMITH!! Load of rubbish.
On my way out I passed a photo shop, one of those ones that develop your photos and all that. I wasn't sure if it was the right sort of place, but at least I could ask. And then all my fears drifted away as I passed by a small desk for customer use, at which three well-suited individuals were clearly at work sticking passport-sized photos onto visa forms. One turned round to me and asked 'Oh, are you on JET as well?'.
They had a taxi waiting, so after buying my photos and sticking them down (and stashing the rest in my wallet, may such an event never occur again) we hitched the taxi all the way back to Brunel, where we discovered that, with a good fifteen minutes left on the registration clock, we were home free. Registration over I practically danced my way out of the building to where my friends were waiting, rapping in my pride, told my story, bent down to re-tie my shoelaces and pulled the tongue right out of my shoe. Right out. Still haven't fixed that.
Compared to the rest of the two-say orientation, that was easily the most interesting thing that happened. I have all the flight details and information on Japan's education system written down, but I won't bore you with them. Rest assured, everything's in place. Even the Japanese language classes were a doddle, with your's truly getting placed into the top group from the start, and though having Kawai-sensei bearing down on every last mistake we made was truly exhausting. It was nice to know, though, that there'd be no formal testing done on our abilities, just real-world application that'd be the real test.
I made a lot of good friends at JET Orientation. It's clear we're all of the same mind, with the same goals and same ideals. We're all just as nervous, and just as excited, and I look forward to working with each one of you.
Train home on Tuesday afternoon, and then up next morning to greet Stephanie at the station. Since then the two of us haven't been doing anything very interesting. She's been on Portal 2 (beautiful, beautiful game) and I've been, y'know, writing this sorta thing, and together we've been watching a ton of movies and playing Dragon Quest 9. Don't take Seth Green's word for it, it's really good! Single-player, I'd imagine, would grow old kinda fast, but when teaming up with others, as we've done, it's unparalleled. Gorgeous game, that.
I'll sign off here. Thanks for reading.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Saturday, 2 July 2011
End of Line
And so, with all the pomp of a brass band in Princes Street gardens, I graduated.
The ceremony was as tedious as one might expect, and many have no doubt experienced, with applause obliged for every last graduate of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. The dean seemed particularly tired of the whole thing, ours being his ninth this week. But it was well worth doing, for the closure of a whole four years of study at least. And at most, for many of my classmates, for the chance to get within five feet of Maggie Cheung.
Photographs taken, gowns returned and goodbyes exchanged, there was a reception down at the Japanese department in which I was dramatically reminded of how much sake affects me, followed by a nice trip to the pub with beloved Stephy and a dinner with the parents at Vittoria on George IV Bridge. Sleep came not long later, head still buzzing with the frantic activity of the day now behind me. It was all a bit much by the end, my poor body couldn't handle it. Maybe this'll qualify me for the role of "character of weak constitution", a role that turns up in every anime known to man.
I just want to say, these last four years have made me the man I am today, and that's something I can't take the credit for. I want to thank J4, you lovely lot, for sticking together so valiantly, and the staff as well, for putting up with me when I just didn't get it or insisted on making my example sentences zombie-themed. Thanks also to those at Doshisha who helped me along, even though I turned up to class hung over a couple of times, and for really pushing me to find my limits and stick at them. Level 3 Class 52, you rock as well. Thanks to everyone at AASoc and GEAS who gave me respite amidst a tumultuous final year, and an especially big thanks to Team Uberlask for forcing me out of my shell over the past four years. Many, many thanks to St Paul's and St Georges, without whom I'd no doubt have given up long ago, and to the student group, for giving me a place to talk. Thanks to Connor; thanks to Natasha; thanks to my parents; thanks to Andy; thanks to Stephy; thanks to God. I couldn't have done a thing if it weren't for each one of you.
Now, that's the soppy bit out of the way.
Where do things go from here? Well, today is my last free day for a few days, tomorrow afternoon sending me London-ward and, for a short while, away from Stephy. There I'll book into a hotel and sleep until early morning, when I'll train it to Brunel University for JET UK Orientation, two days of frantic note-taking and questioning, and more than likely a bit of sitting around and not knowing what to do with myself. No doubt much of what we'll hear we'll be hearing again in a few weeks in Kobe itself, when the city council does its own induction week. Tuesday afternoon it'll be back to Leicester, and back at long last to a PC that can run Portal 2. Oh, I cannot wait. Then it's nothing but packing, really, and gathering up as much energy as I can before the big move on July 30th.
Everyone is asking me the same question: Do you feel any different? Hopefully by broadcasting my answer on the world wide web you lot'll stop. No, I don't feel any different. I don't feel like a beautiful butterfly, emerging into daylight from the transformational embrace of a chrysalis. I don't feel like the end of an era has come, and things will never be the same again. I don't feel like not a student. Give it time, and maybe I will, but for now JET just feels a little too much like a second year (or several) abroad for it to really count as a life transition. I'm certainly not going to stop liking gunpla and Pokemon and start liking The Economist and mocha lattes just because a grey-haired man hit me on the head with a medieval bonnet. You hear me?
And on that note, video games.
It's been a week of up and down for Swan-gamerdom. Since returning from Leicester I've been smashing my way through the final few bosses of Final Fantasy III on the DS, and thoroughly enjoying myself. The final line-up is Dark Knight, Magus, Ninja and Devout, for those keeping track. But now that I've finally set my feet on the cold, hard floor of the Crystal Tower I've found myself at a nigh-unscalable wall.
Okay, people who care about plots skip the next paragraph, but I really have to get this stupid thing off my chest.
For you see, to complete the game I have to make my way through the Crystal Tower, which takes a while, knocking out enemies as I go, so I can reach some magic mirror thing at the top and get cursed. Then there's a lengthy (unskippable) cutscene where all the NPCs I've ever met decide to come help me out of my rut, and I can progress to the World of Darkness and fight Xande, the final boss. Or so I thought. Xande, it turns out, is not even an appetizer. He's the gum you chew on the way to the restaurant, spat aside before you even open the door. So one pointlessly easy fight later the real final boss turns up and kills me. Just, wipes me out. Another lengthy (unskippable) cutscene where some wizards bring me back to life and I'm ready to try again, but first I have to travel to the four corners of the World of Darkness and free the age-old Warriors of Darkness from their crystals, defeating four very powerful final-stage bosses and their infinite hordes along the way. Then, and only then, can I fight the final boss and have a chance of winning, but what a slim chance it is! I get pummeled into a thousand pieces and have to reload the game. Where from? The entrance to the Crystal. Flipping. Tower. All that hour's worth of work down the pan! Didn't SE think that maybe someone'd be so pathetic that they'd need a measly save point at some stage between the overworld and the final boss?! Because I'M that pathetic! It's just ridiculous, and has put me off playing for a good while.
Okay, guys, you can come back in now.
So instead I decided on finishing off Future Cop: LAPD, a beloved classic downloaded from the notorious Playstation Network. This stellar game is just what I needed for wearing away a bit of gamer fury: ridiculous violence and overpowered robots. Though it's harder than I remember it, I breezed through stages 1-5. Now it's 6, the penultimate level, and suddenly I've hit a snag. For you see, the level doesn't appear to want to play any sounds for me. Not a one. It's silent, in a way I don't remember the original being silent. Don't worry, you surely tell me, sound is only one facet of the Future Cop prism. But that's before you find that defeating the boss causes the game to crash. That's right, it crashes! I simply cannot complete this level, it's impossible! And after everything I did for you, LAPD...
Two down, my gamer's soul was in need of a bit of comforting. And when Steph and I decided to buy each other graduation presents in the form of Dragon Quest IX on the DS (which offers full co-op multiplayer from about hour three onwards) that's just what I got. We're not far yet, still scratching the surface of what the game is capable of, but so far I'm absolutely loving it. The fights come alive in ways FF3 couldn't even dream of, and there is a level of charm and friendliness that is rarely seen these days. The use of language to characterise people and places is especially impressive, and I have more than a few times found myself laughing out loud at some of the lines the townsfolk come out with. Add to that a polished class system and a nice system of levelling, and I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Bleach fumes from the bathroom are giving me a headache, so I'm just gonna hurry up and stop now. Any questions, send 'em in. Oh, and Steph and I will be off to see Transformers in a little while, so look forward to news from that.
Thanks for reading.
The ceremony was as tedious as one might expect, and many have no doubt experienced, with applause obliged for every last graduate of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. The dean seemed particularly tired of the whole thing, ours being his ninth this week. But it was well worth doing, for the closure of a whole four years of study at least. And at most, for many of my classmates, for the chance to get within five feet of Maggie Cheung.
Photographs taken, gowns returned and goodbyes exchanged, there was a reception down at the Japanese department in which I was dramatically reminded of how much sake affects me, followed by a nice trip to the pub with beloved Stephy and a dinner with the parents at Vittoria on George IV Bridge. Sleep came not long later, head still buzzing with the frantic activity of the day now behind me. It was all a bit much by the end, my poor body couldn't handle it. Maybe this'll qualify me for the role of "character of weak constitution", a role that turns up in every anime known to man.
I just want to say, these last four years have made me the man I am today, and that's something I can't take the credit for. I want to thank J4, you lovely lot, for sticking together so valiantly, and the staff as well, for putting up with me when I just didn't get it or insisted on making my example sentences zombie-themed. Thanks also to those at Doshisha who helped me along, even though I turned up to class hung over a couple of times, and for really pushing me to find my limits and stick at them. Level 3 Class 52, you rock as well. Thanks to everyone at AASoc and GEAS who gave me respite amidst a tumultuous final year, and an especially big thanks to Team Uberlask for forcing me out of my shell over the past four years. Many, many thanks to St Paul's and St Georges, without whom I'd no doubt have given up long ago, and to the student group, for giving me a place to talk. Thanks to Connor; thanks to Natasha; thanks to my parents; thanks to Andy; thanks to Stephy; thanks to God. I couldn't have done a thing if it weren't for each one of you.
Now, that's the soppy bit out of the way.
Where do things go from here? Well, today is my last free day for a few days, tomorrow afternoon sending me London-ward and, for a short while, away from Stephy. There I'll book into a hotel and sleep until early morning, when I'll train it to Brunel University for JET UK Orientation, two days of frantic note-taking and questioning, and more than likely a bit of sitting around and not knowing what to do with myself. No doubt much of what we'll hear we'll be hearing again in a few weeks in Kobe itself, when the city council does its own induction week. Tuesday afternoon it'll be back to Leicester, and back at long last to a PC that can run Portal 2. Oh, I cannot wait. Then it's nothing but packing, really, and gathering up as much energy as I can before the big move on July 30th.
Everyone is asking me the same question: Do you feel any different? Hopefully by broadcasting my answer on the world wide web you lot'll stop. No, I don't feel any different. I don't feel like a beautiful butterfly, emerging into daylight from the transformational embrace of a chrysalis. I don't feel like the end of an era has come, and things will never be the same again. I don't feel like not a student. Give it time, and maybe I will, but for now JET just feels a little too much like a second year (or several) abroad for it to really count as a life transition. I'm certainly not going to stop liking gunpla and Pokemon and start liking The Economist and mocha lattes just because a grey-haired man hit me on the head with a medieval bonnet. You hear me?
And on that note, video games.
It's been a week of up and down for Swan-gamerdom. Since returning from Leicester I've been smashing my way through the final few bosses of Final Fantasy III on the DS, and thoroughly enjoying myself. The final line-up is Dark Knight, Magus, Ninja and Devout, for those keeping track. But now that I've finally set my feet on the cold, hard floor of the Crystal Tower I've found myself at a nigh-unscalable wall.
Okay, people who care about plots skip the next paragraph, but I really have to get this stupid thing off my chest.
For you see, to complete the game I have to make my way through the Crystal Tower, which takes a while, knocking out enemies as I go, so I can reach some magic mirror thing at the top and get cursed. Then there's a lengthy (unskippable) cutscene where all the NPCs I've ever met decide to come help me out of my rut, and I can progress to the World of Darkness and fight Xande, the final boss. Or so I thought. Xande, it turns out, is not even an appetizer. He's the gum you chew on the way to the restaurant, spat aside before you even open the door. So one pointlessly easy fight later the real final boss turns up and kills me. Just, wipes me out. Another lengthy (unskippable) cutscene where some wizards bring me back to life and I'm ready to try again, but first I have to travel to the four corners of the World of Darkness and free the age-old Warriors of Darkness from their crystals, defeating four very powerful final-stage bosses and their infinite hordes along the way. Then, and only then, can I fight the final boss and have a chance of winning, but what a slim chance it is! I get pummeled into a thousand pieces and have to reload the game. Where from? The entrance to the Crystal. Flipping. Tower. All that hour's worth of work down the pan! Didn't SE think that maybe someone'd be so pathetic that they'd need a measly save point at some stage between the overworld and the final boss?! Because I'M that pathetic! It's just ridiculous, and has put me off playing for a good while.
Okay, guys, you can come back in now.
So instead I decided on finishing off Future Cop: LAPD, a beloved classic downloaded from the notorious Playstation Network. This stellar game is just what I needed for wearing away a bit of gamer fury: ridiculous violence and overpowered robots. Though it's harder than I remember it, I breezed through stages 1-5. Now it's 6, the penultimate level, and suddenly I've hit a snag. For you see, the level doesn't appear to want to play any sounds for me. Not a one. It's silent, in a way I don't remember the original being silent. Don't worry, you surely tell me, sound is only one facet of the Future Cop prism. But that's before you find that defeating the boss causes the game to crash. That's right, it crashes! I simply cannot complete this level, it's impossible! And after everything I did for you, LAPD...
Two down, my gamer's soul was in need of a bit of comforting. And when Steph and I decided to buy each other graduation presents in the form of Dragon Quest IX on the DS (which offers full co-op multiplayer from about hour three onwards) that's just what I got. We're not far yet, still scratching the surface of what the game is capable of, but so far I'm absolutely loving it. The fights come alive in ways FF3 couldn't even dream of, and there is a level of charm and friendliness that is rarely seen these days. The use of language to characterise people and places is especially impressive, and I have more than a few times found myself laughing out loud at some of the lines the townsfolk come out with. Add to that a polished class system and a nice system of levelling, and I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Bleach fumes from the bathroom are giving me a headache, so I'm just gonna hurry up and stop now. Any questions, send 'em in. Oh, and Steph and I will be off to see Transformers in a little while, so look forward to news from that.
Thanks for reading.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Late Afternoon
Ooft, that was a whole month there. Was just updating a user profile and realised I hadn't touched this poor blog for quite some time. Where on earth did all that time go?
Oh, that's right, exams.
So it's all over now. Japanese was, surprisingly, not much of a problem, with all three exams proving strenuous but doable. Advanced Writing was especially lethal, with three hours of kanji and de-aru form rotting my brain out of my skull. Seemed to do alright, though. Linguistics was my bigger worry, being the lesser in terms of how good I am at it, but with so much reciting of old handouts I made myself sick the two days themselves went by with surprising ease. Did well there, too.
And that's it. That's my degree. If you're interested, it's a 2:1 I came out with, which I am thrilled with. I'll save the mushy acceptance speech for graduation proper, but I'll just say a big thanks to everyone, and congratulations to my fellow PPLS and J4 graduands.
So what's been going on since the end of school work? Well, JET's been a big part of life lately. After some truly nerve-wrecking deadlines to be met, everything's in and processed, and now my job is just to wait for placement. With Japan being in the state it is (here's to you, Japan) doing anything administrative is a tricky business, so I may be waiting a little while yet. But with orientation down in London on the 3rd July, time's of the essence. I have no problems with waiting, though, it's like my primary skill. I'm a level 47 waiter. Oh, wait, 'waiter' is already a word...
Relaxation, then, means video games! I've got three more games under the 'games I've completed' belt now: Riviera, a GBA J-RPG remake on the PSP (that was a lot of letters), which was pretty decent and well-made but ultimately without the epic finale that it deserved; Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes, for the J-PS2, for which I mean I did all the campaigns for it; and along with ally of justice Scorpio Dynasty Warriors 6 on the PC is also done. Sima Yi, I salute you. Next in line appears to be Dragonball: Advance Adventure on the GBA, a loaned game, which I should be able to finish off pretty soon. But I still find myself drawn to old uncompletables, namely Pokemon White (training a team to take down my girlfriend) and Elona. Also bought myself the game Terraria a little while back, which is proving to be quite excellent. What distances it from Minecraft, though, is it's sense of logical progression: get your copper tools, then silver, then gold, then kill some bosses until you've killed everything and acquired everything. What lets the game down is that this does feel like all there is to it, and right now I feel close to the end. There's a castle with an old guy who's actually a giant skeleton that one-shots you if you let the sun come up, and I'll be needing some help to get that thing killed. But then it's just strip-mine the castle and I'm done. There's not quite the same level of enthusiasm for just building dumb stuff like there is in Minecraft, which is a shame. That aside, if the staff can get multiplayer a little more stable when playing with people intercontinentally that'll be one MASSIVE point in the game's favour.
I was gonna go read in the Meadows today, but the weather's turned (again) and now I'd rather stay indoors and level up Gennes my elven gun-archer. She's pretty good, but for someone with Incredible Luck she doesn't half get a bum deal of mutations. Broken legs, colour-blindness, 'hasky' voice... Tch. Bring on the Potions of Evolution, I say; seven-league boots can wait.
Looking forward to tomorrow. I'll unfortunately not be able to attend the welcoming of Ps and Gs' three new members of staff at 5 as I'll be doing something far more important: making myself egg-shaped and sane-ifying rampant 1940s misogynists with knives for hands. That's... the misogynists who have knife hands, not me using them to sane-ify them. That'd just be stupid.
I tell you what, I've really been getting into Hatsune Miku lately. I remember first listening to some Vocaloid stuff a few years ago and not being fussed, but these days I'm all about the synthetic voice music! I like that it's a person's voice, but actually an instrument. Supercell's stuff in particular is just ace. I'd love to get my hands on Vocaloid 2 at some point; I'm sure I'd be far too thick to make anything resembling a song, but I'd like to try. Oh, I also listened to Orusuban by Bump of Chicken for the first time in ages yesterday, and found I understood way more of it than last time, and that it's a hilarious song.
Thing that's it. Going out food-shopping now. Let's see... pasta, tomato puree, potatoes, juice, mince, toothpaste, lettuce... I think that's it. Oh, onions and garlic. There we go. Quite a list, bag's gonna be heavy on the return journey.
Thanks for reading.
Oh, that's right, exams.
So it's all over now. Japanese was, surprisingly, not much of a problem, with all three exams proving strenuous but doable. Advanced Writing was especially lethal, with three hours of kanji and de-aru form rotting my brain out of my skull. Seemed to do alright, though. Linguistics was my bigger worry, being the lesser in terms of how good I am at it, but with so much reciting of old handouts I made myself sick the two days themselves went by with surprising ease. Did well there, too.
And that's it. That's my degree. If you're interested, it's a 2:1 I came out with, which I am thrilled with. I'll save the mushy acceptance speech for graduation proper, but I'll just say a big thanks to everyone, and congratulations to my fellow PPLS and J4 graduands.
So what's been going on since the end of school work? Well, JET's been a big part of life lately. After some truly nerve-wrecking deadlines to be met, everything's in and processed, and now my job is just to wait for placement. With Japan being in the state it is (here's to you, Japan) doing anything administrative is a tricky business, so I may be waiting a little while yet. But with orientation down in London on the 3rd July, time's of the essence. I have no problems with waiting, though, it's like my primary skill. I'm a level 47 waiter. Oh, wait, 'waiter' is already a word...
Relaxation, then, means video games! I've got three more games under the 'games I've completed' belt now: Riviera, a GBA J-RPG remake on the PSP (that was a lot of letters), which was pretty decent and well-made but ultimately without the epic finale that it deserved; Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes, for the J-PS2, for which I mean I did all the campaigns for it; and along with ally of justice Scorpio Dynasty Warriors 6 on the PC is also done. Sima Yi, I salute you. Next in line appears to be Dragonball: Advance Adventure on the GBA, a loaned game, which I should be able to finish off pretty soon. But I still find myself drawn to old uncompletables, namely Pokemon White (training a team to take down my girlfriend) and Elona. Also bought myself the game Terraria a little while back, which is proving to be quite excellent. What distances it from Minecraft, though, is it's sense of logical progression: get your copper tools, then silver, then gold, then kill some bosses until you've killed everything and acquired everything. What lets the game down is that this does feel like all there is to it, and right now I feel close to the end. There's a castle with an old guy who's actually a giant skeleton that one-shots you if you let the sun come up, and I'll be needing some help to get that thing killed. But then it's just strip-mine the castle and I'm done. There's not quite the same level of enthusiasm for just building dumb stuff like there is in Minecraft, which is a shame. That aside, if the staff can get multiplayer a little more stable when playing with people intercontinentally that'll be one MASSIVE point in the game's favour.
I was gonna go read in the Meadows today, but the weather's turned (again) and now I'd rather stay indoors and level up Gennes my elven gun-archer. She's pretty good, but for someone with Incredible Luck she doesn't half get a bum deal of mutations. Broken legs, colour-blindness, 'hasky' voice... Tch. Bring on the Potions of Evolution, I say; seven-league boots can wait.
Looking forward to tomorrow. I'll unfortunately not be able to attend the welcoming of Ps and Gs' three new members of staff at 5 as I'll be doing something far more important: making myself egg-shaped and sane-ifying rampant 1940s misogynists with knives for hands. That's... the misogynists who have knife hands, not me using them to sane-ify them. That'd just be stupid.
I tell you what, I've really been getting into Hatsune Miku lately. I remember first listening to some Vocaloid stuff a few years ago and not being fussed, but these days I'm all about the synthetic voice music! I like that it's a person's voice, but actually an instrument. Supercell's stuff in particular is just ace. I'd love to get my hands on Vocaloid 2 at some point; I'm sure I'd be far too thick to make anything resembling a song, but I'd like to try. Oh, I also listened to Orusuban by Bump of Chicken for the first time in ages yesterday, and found I understood way more of it than last time, and that it's a hilarious song.
Thing that's it. Going out food-shopping now. Let's see... pasta, tomato puree, potatoes, juice, mince, toothpaste, lettuce... I think that's it. Oh, onions and garlic. There we go. Quite a list, bag's gonna be heavy on the return journey.
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Fukiyose Life (Part 3)
Late again, I know.
It's been over a week now, best I caught everyone up on what's been going on.
This time I'm sat alone in front of the Icelandair desk waiting for a reasonable time to check in. I'd give it another hour. Should be enough time to go over a whole week of Hawaii, right? In a bit of a downer right now, though, so sorry if that clouds things.
First things first. Last week was spent on the Big Island, so called because it's name is actually Hawaii, like the state, so they needed a codename to keep things from getting confusing. It looks a little bit like an island that a fantasy writer would come up with: two cities warring for the prize of being the biggest, yet separated by a bunch of volcanoes. Our travels took us to the east side, the city of Hilo, and the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
I'm sure most of you will have already delved through the photos on Facebook, so will probably already have a pretty good idea of what we've been seeing. Needless to say, the national park has a ton of stuff to see, and was well worth the money. Our accomodation was the bombastically named Volcano Inn, one of many establishments that make full use of the fact that they are both in a town called Volcano and also at the base of a volcano. The place was really great, run by a cheery staff who were all about the free hot chocolate. Not that the weather really owed itself to heated beverages, but it was nice to at least have the offer. We were there two nights.
Day one saw us exploring the sulphur pits on the north edge of the park. Packed sulphur from the magma deep under the surface builds up before breaking out in deep, narrow, yellow vents of hot gas. As anyone who's lived near a quarry, for example, will tell you, there's nothing dangerous about sulphur, it's just when it mixes with the air (creating sulphur dioxide) that it becomes lethal. Rest assured we were informed well in advance of the directions of these clouds. From there we took the car back down the path towards the entrance, and then round again towards the first volcano proper. 'Iki' is a long-dead volcano crater that has solidified, allowing tourists to walk on the surface of the ancient lava pools. Needless to say, we didn't need convincing. The big problem with the walk along Iki was the two mile hike through blazing sun to get there which, though spectacular, did not help us get far along the crater proper, with its zero sun cover. A fantastic experience, but by the end of it we were ready to call it for the day.
Dinner was a big pizza. Good stuff.
That evening we decided to throw caution to the wind and seek out some real, running lava. The visitor's center kindly informed us that running lava was most likely in the plains at the south of the park, best viewed after dark. So, at 8pm, we arrived at the lava slopes, some cheap torches in hand, and were once again kindly told that no lava had been really flowing for a couple of months now. This was a little disappointing, but being one of the few visitors that night save a small coach party (who were British), the attendant on duty that night (who was British) was kind enough to allow me (who was British) and Steph to walk about on the solid lava. It was far grainier than the lava from twenty years ago we'd seen earlier that day, like sand or something, and had twisted itself into braid-like strips that were hollow and broke at the touch. Here and there were small objects, girders and tools, that had been enveloped in the surprise flow. Attendant Alex told us that this was the resting place of the third house of a friend of his, the previous two also having succumb to lava attacks. Quite a story-starter, I suggested, but probably not very kind of the wallet. Though we didn't see any lava (save the red glow that appeared when Alex poured some water down one of the cracks, see Facebook), the starry sky really was spectacular, and we both agreed that it was a night well-spent.
That night I was attacked by some truly immense itching on the sunburn on my back, and slept little.
Day two saw us finishing off the park with something called a lava tube, a cave formed by the lava and then left. It was little more than a normal cave, visually, but the thought that it was solid lava all around us was something else. Afterwards, Steph pointed to a narrow black line leading up the map to the top of the eversoslightly smaller of the two volcanoes, and declared that she wanted to drive that. Having nothing else left for the day, off we went. Maps can be very deceptive, you know. Short lines can signify grand stretched of open highway, the likes of which we found ourselves hurtling down for a good anxious hour. After that, passing through a good few miles of solid construction work, we moved away from the tarmac road and took to a narrow dirt track which pointed towards the top of Mauna Loa. Packed dirt quickly became unstable and broken with potholes, driving conditions rapidly decreased. For a good hour and a half the two of us drove, all alone amidst a sea of black, charred rubble, the heat of the sun, uncovered from the clouds now below us, beating down. The sight of Mauna Kea in the distance was breathtaking, but did little to step our anxiety. It was not until we passed a kindly old couple on the road, who informed us we were nearly there, that we started being able to take it easy. We took a few minutes to enjoy the view at the top before turning around and, petrol now shockingly low, made our way home.
Dinner at a cheap Chinese restaurant, flight home.
That was the Big Island. Though majestic and relatively untouched, it is not a place I would like to live. Its undeveloped-ness is a great holiday destination, but little more.
Monday again, and Steph spent a productive day in class while I... hmm, actually can't remember what I did on Monday. Probably rested from the trip, that sounds about right. Now, Tuesday was one of Steph's busy days, leaving me with a good handful of hours to entertain myself, so I decided to take something of a leap of faith and wander Oahu. The, uh, more urbany bits of it, at any rate. I ended up west-bound on South Kings Street for a couple of hours, before giving the Pokemon a spot of training in the Honolulu Police Department's park area, and heading back. Met Steph for a quick lunch before she was off again, and then so was I. Turns out I had not been far off a 'Gamestop', the big game-selling chain of the US that I had high hopes for, considering they were willing to hand out Jirachis not so long ago. I followed the same route part of the way before arriving at Ala Moana shopping center, looking at games for a mere minute before realising I was out of time I heading back. Not so interesting.
On Wednesday our big thing was seeing Sucker Punch with Erin. General consensus was that it was better than it could have been, but also left a lot to be desired. I liked the idea, but didn't so much like the sorta distance between dream events and real world events, on both planes. I would have liked to have seen more characters from more 'earthly' plains making appearances amidst fantasy battles and train hijackings. Needless to say, the whole thing did look very impressive, and I can't say I was bored through any of it. Home for some home-made pasta, and then sleep.
Oh hey, I haven't talked about my hostel yet!
So, Steph's landpeople like to be nuisances and as a result I was unable to stay with her. The second week of Hawaii, therefore, I was in a hostel literally just at the end of the road, called something like 'Student House' or something. It was cheap, though it was my first time in a shared room thing like that since primary school field trips. Gave a couple of Japanese guys a surprise by being able to talk to them. So yeah, not a bad place, and got some decent sleep there.
Thursday was another busy day, so it was much a repeat of Tuesday. This time I made for a closer Gamestop, a mere twenty minute walk, and ended up with a copy of Riviera: The Promised Land on the PSP which I'd heard good things about. Though I'm a little disappointed that my party's ever-so slightly bland (and quite considerably gender-biased), I do love the choice they give between English and Japanese voice acting. And it's a fun system, and has so far given me quite a lot of entertainment. Also picked up a copy of the Diablo II box set that was on offer on a mere whim, which I haven't played yet. You only live once.
Okay, NOW I'm at gate S13, waiting for the boarding to start. I've been reliably told it'll be about 35 minutes, so I'd better hurry.
Been watching Gurren Lagann with Steph lately in the evenings. I still shed tears at that first Giga Drill Breaker every single time. I think Steph quite likes it as well, though she openly admits that mecha's not really her thing. Can't see how it can't be everyone's thing, personally, not when such genre exemplars as Gurren Lagann exist! It's just so... so full of, like, emotion and stuff. You FEEL it more than watch it, y'know? Yeah.
Thursday night was the last night in the hostel. I was glad to see the back of it, despite what I just said about it being half-decent; staying with friends over staying in hostels every single time. Though I guess it depends on which friends. Friday.. ah geez, this is why I needed Steph here to fill in the blanks in my memory... Well, at SOME point we went off down to Waikiki again for our hotel room. A really nice place, kinda like they all have been, with THE best bed I have EVER slept in. It was like a big ol' marshmallow, without the worrying risidual stickiness. I'm sure we must have done something else too, though... Maybe I'll edit that bit in later when someone (hint) fills me in.
Anyway, Saturday.
Oh yeah, Denny's sucks. I know, you can't go into it expecting a whole lot, but it's no good for working on a time budget. This is last Monday I'm talking about now, by the way, when Steph was forced to skip class 'cos Denny can't make a bleedin' omelette fast enough.
In comparison: Saturday 'morning' was spent in IHOP, the 'International House of Pancakes', the big contendor for Denny's. I had another omelette, which was nicer, with a side of cheesecake-flavour pancakes, i.e. they have cream cheese and strawberry on them. Pretty good stuff, but really hard going towards the end. Midori, our host, was super-nice, though, which was more than enough to rank it above the D. Left full to bursting at about 3, then it was back to the hotel for a quick break before setting off to the main event.
A bus to Ala Moana and it was time for some souvenir shopping. That's right, readers, maybe souvenirs for yoooou. I still owed a certain someone a Mother's Day present at the very le- ah, uh, hah, no, you didn't hear that. My bag is now pretty stuffed thanks to my flipping goodwill, you guys better be happy with what you get. Along the way we also picked up something called a Cinnabon, a big fudge-filled cinnamon roll which was simply superb though a nightmare to eat cleanly. This ridiculous foray of items in tow, we headed off to the cinema for a film, this time Source Code. I for one was very impressed with it; it was a perfect film to go into not knowing what to expect. All I knew was it was about a solider who wakes up in someone else's body, making everything else a superb surprise. The idea behind it really hit a chord with me, and sometimes with films that's all it takes. It was all a bit, I dunno, mainstream sci-fi action towards the end for my liking, and the music stood out as being poorly chosen, something I NEVER pick up on, but I would recommend it to anyone who, I dunno, liked Deja Vu. Dinner was Old Spaghetti, which we had to take home (and subsequently leave in the hotel room after we locked up).
Sunday, the last day, was spent at the zoo. Can't think of many places I'd rather be than a zoo. Honolulu Zoo was pretty good, all in all, though a lot of it was under reconstruction which made a few enclosures look a little small. I decided Secretary Birds are some of my favorite animals, they're dead cool. Check the pictures (not up just yet) for more.
And then I left. And now here I am.
...
Something better come along soon to cheer me the heck up 'cos I currently feel pretty rubbish. Heading home is for once no thing to look forward to, with the only things on offer there are flipping revision meetings and long days in my room hunched over a pad of flipping lined paper. Oh, and fretting over JET, that comes up there too. It was truly wonderful to be able to set aside my stress for a couple of weeks, I really, REALLY needed this trip, but coming back to my hectic final-year life is like returning to the front line after some R&R. It sucks.
Oh, and Mits, 55? Really? Have I done something to insult you? Psych even gave my 63, and I expected to do worse there! Tch... The sad thing is I'm not even wholly sure I care anymore, and I just. I'm told by my most reliable of sources that that's healthy for a final-year student, but it still sucks to feel like you're failing.
Okay, that's it, I'm back in the flat. Connor and I are on Dynasty, helping to catch my breath a little. Think cooking tonight is out of the question.
Got one last thing to say, before I go. I was told before boarding that the last flight would be stopping in Manchester, which was fine. I was not aware of what this actually entailed, however. You see, after docking in Manchester Airport, still sitting in my seat I was told that, as one heading on to Glasgow I should stick around and wait for the others to get off first. Not five minutes later, the aisles full of Manchester-bound folk, a Mancunian voice over the tannoy told us that in fact we should be doing the opposite, and in fact I should be up by the front of the current queue. And so, pushing as politely as I could, I and my fellow Glasgow travellers made our way off the plane. Now here's the really funny bit. After disembarking and following the signs through the labyrinth that is Manchester Airport, we found ourselves at security, where our bags were scanned once again. This is the THIRD time Icelandair have scanned my luggage for the same flight. What this means, then, is that the only illicit materials Manchester are likely to find are the ones available for purchase in the Icelandair Saga Catelogue... After scanning for the fifth time that day, I was ushered over to a new gate where we waited for an hour (an HOUR!) before bording the SAME
FLIPPING
AEROPLANE
WE HAD JUST
GOTTEN
OFF!!
Our SEATS hadn't even changed!!
What was the POINT?! We'd be going through borders at Glasgow, so we could have just stayed on the flipping plane!! Why?!
Urgh.
That's it. A couple of hours later and I'm home and well. Tired, mind, but well. And getting a bit hungry, but that can wait. Time for a good, British chippy tonight.
Closing remarks? Hawaii is good. Worth a visit if it's ever convenient. Could just be because the most wonderful human being alive lives there, that I like it so much, but that's reason enough for me.
That's it.
Thanks for reading.
It's been over a week now, best I caught everyone up on what's been going on.
This time I'm sat alone in front of the Icelandair desk waiting for a reasonable time to check in. I'd give it another hour. Should be enough time to go over a whole week of Hawaii, right? In a bit of a downer right now, though, so sorry if that clouds things.
First things first. Last week was spent on the Big Island, so called because it's name is actually Hawaii, like the state, so they needed a codename to keep things from getting confusing. It looks a little bit like an island that a fantasy writer would come up with: two cities warring for the prize of being the biggest, yet separated by a bunch of volcanoes. Our travels took us to the east side, the city of Hilo, and the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
I'm sure most of you will have already delved through the photos on Facebook, so will probably already have a pretty good idea of what we've been seeing. Needless to say, the national park has a ton of stuff to see, and was well worth the money. Our accomodation was the bombastically named Volcano Inn, one of many establishments that make full use of the fact that they are both in a town called Volcano and also at the base of a volcano. The place was really great, run by a cheery staff who were all about the free hot chocolate. Not that the weather really owed itself to heated beverages, but it was nice to at least have the offer. We were there two nights.
Day one saw us exploring the sulphur pits on the north edge of the park. Packed sulphur from the magma deep under the surface builds up before breaking out in deep, narrow, yellow vents of hot gas. As anyone who's lived near a quarry, for example, will tell you, there's nothing dangerous about sulphur, it's just when it mixes with the air (creating sulphur dioxide) that it becomes lethal. Rest assured we were informed well in advance of the directions of these clouds. From there we took the car back down the path towards the entrance, and then round again towards the first volcano proper. 'Iki' is a long-dead volcano crater that has solidified, allowing tourists to walk on the surface of the ancient lava pools. Needless to say, we didn't need convincing. The big problem with the walk along Iki was the two mile hike through blazing sun to get there which, though spectacular, did not help us get far along the crater proper, with its zero sun cover. A fantastic experience, but by the end of it we were ready to call it for the day.
Dinner was a big pizza. Good stuff.
That evening we decided to throw caution to the wind and seek out some real, running lava. The visitor's center kindly informed us that running lava was most likely in the plains at the south of the park, best viewed after dark. So, at 8pm, we arrived at the lava slopes, some cheap torches in hand, and were once again kindly told that no lava had been really flowing for a couple of months now. This was a little disappointing, but being one of the few visitors that night save a small coach party (who were British), the attendant on duty that night (who was British) was kind enough to allow me (who was British) and Steph to walk about on the solid lava. It was far grainier than the lava from twenty years ago we'd seen earlier that day, like sand or something, and had twisted itself into braid-like strips that were hollow and broke at the touch. Here and there were small objects, girders and tools, that had been enveloped in the surprise flow. Attendant Alex told us that this was the resting place of the third house of a friend of his, the previous two also having succumb to lava attacks. Quite a story-starter, I suggested, but probably not very kind of the wallet. Though we didn't see any lava (save the red glow that appeared when Alex poured some water down one of the cracks, see Facebook), the starry sky really was spectacular, and we both agreed that it was a night well-spent.
That night I was attacked by some truly immense itching on the sunburn on my back, and slept little.
Day two saw us finishing off the park with something called a lava tube, a cave formed by the lava and then left. It was little more than a normal cave, visually, but the thought that it was solid lava all around us was something else. Afterwards, Steph pointed to a narrow black line leading up the map to the top of the eversoslightly smaller of the two volcanoes, and declared that she wanted to drive that. Having nothing else left for the day, off we went. Maps can be very deceptive, you know. Short lines can signify grand stretched of open highway, the likes of which we found ourselves hurtling down for a good anxious hour. After that, passing through a good few miles of solid construction work, we moved away from the tarmac road and took to a narrow dirt track which pointed towards the top of Mauna Loa. Packed dirt quickly became unstable and broken with potholes, driving conditions rapidly decreased. For a good hour and a half the two of us drove, all alone amidst a sea of black, charred rubble, the heat of the sun, uncovered from the clouds now below us, beating down. The sight of Mauna Kea in the distance was breathtaking, but did little to step our anxiety. It was not until we passed a kindly old couple on the road, who informed us we were nearly there, that we started being able to take it easy. We took a few minutes to enjoy the view at the top before turning around and, petrol now shockingly low, made our way home.
Dinner at a cheap Chinese restaurant, flight home.
That was the Big Island. Though majestic and relatively untouched, it is not a place I would like to live. Its undeveloped-ness is a great holiday destination, but little more.
Monday again, and Steph spent a productive day in class while I... hmm, actually can't remember what I did on Monday. Probably rested from the trip, that sounds about right. Now, Tuesday was one of Steph's busy days, leaving me with a good handful of hours to entertain myself, so I decided to take something of a leap of faith and wander Oahu. The, uh, more urbany bits of it, at any rate. I ended up west-bound on South Kings Street for a couple of hours, before giving the Pokemon a spot of training in the Honolulu Police Department's park area, and heading back. Met Steph for a quick lunch before she was off again, and then so was I. Turns out I had not been far off a 'Gamestop', the big game-selling chain of the US that I had high hopes for, considering they were willing to hand out Jirachis not so long ago. I followed the same route part of the way before arriving at Ala Moana shopping center, looking at games for a mere minute before realising I was out of time I heading back. Not so interesting.
On Wednesday our big thing was seeing Sucker Punch with Erin. General consensus was that it was better than it could have been, but also left a lot to be desired. I liked the idea, but didn't so much like the sorta distance between dream events and real world events, on both planes. I would have liked to have seen more characters from more 'earthly' plains making appearances amidst fantasy battles and train hijackings. Needless to say, the whole thing did look very impressive, and I can't say I was bored through any of it. Home for some home-made pasta, and then sleep.
Oh hey, I haven't talked about my hostel yet!
So, Steph's landpeople like to be nuisances and as a result I was unable to stay with her. The second week of Hawaii, therefore, I was in a hostel literally just at the end of the road, called something like 'Student House' or something. It was cheap, though it was my first time in a shared room thing like that since primary school field trips. Gave a couple of Japanese guys a surprise by being able to talk to them. So yeah, not a bad place, and got some decent sleep there.
Thursday was another busy day, so it was much a repeat of Tuesday. This time I made for a closer Gamestop, a mere twenty minute walk, and ended up with a copy of Riviera: The Promised Land on the PSP which I'd heard good things about. Though I'm a little disappointed that my party's ever-so slightly bland (and quite considerably gender-biased), I do love the choice they give between English and Japanese voice acting. And it's a fun system, and has so far given me quite a lot of entertainment. Also picked up a copy of the Diablo II box set that was on offer on a mere whim, which I haven't played yet. You only live once.
Okay, NOW I'm at gate S13, waiting for the boarding to start. I've been reliably told it'll be about 35 minutes, so I'd better hurry.
Been watching Gurren Lagann with Steph lately in the evenings. I still shed tears at that first Giga Drill Breaker every single time. I think Steph quite likes it as well, though she openly admits that mecha's not really her thing. Can't see how it can't be everyone's thing, personally, not when such genre exemplars as Gurren Lagann exist! It's just so... so full of, like, emotion and stuff. You FEEL it more than watch it, y'know? Yeah.
Thursday night was the last night in the hostel. I was glad to see the back of it, despite what I just said about it being half-decent; staying with friends over staying in hostels every single time. Though I guess it depends on which friends. Friday.. ah geez, this is why I needed Steph here to fill in the blanks in my memory... Well, at SOME point we went off down to Waikiki again for our hotel room. A really nice place, kinda like they all have been, with THE best bed I have EVER slept in. It was like a big ol' marshmallow, without the worrying risidual stickiness. I'm sure we must have done something else too, though... Maybe I'll edit that bit in later when someone (hint) fills me in.
Anyway, Saturday.
Oh yeah, Denny's sucks. I know, you can't go into it expecting a whole lot, but it's no good for working on a time budget. This is last Monday I'm talking about now, by the way, when Steph was forced to skip class 'cos Denny can't make a bleedin' omelette fast enough.
In comparison: Saturday 'morning' was spent in IHOP, the 'International House of Pancakes', the big contendor for Denny's. I had another omelette, which was nicer, with a side of cheesecake-flavour pancakes, i.e. they have cream cheese and strawberry on them. Pretty good stuff, but really hard going towards the end. Midori, our host, was super-nice, though, which was more than enough to rank it above the D. Left full to bursting at about 3, then it was back to the hotel for a quick break before setting off to the main event.
A bus to Ala Moana and it was time for some souvenir shopping. That's right, readers, maybe souvenirs for yoooou. I still owed a certain someone a Mother's Day present at the very le- ah, uh, hah, no, you didn't hear that. My bag is now pretty stuffed thanks to my flipping goodwill, you guys better be happy with what you get. Along the way we also picked up something called a Cinnabon, a big fudge-filled cinnamon roll which was simply superb though a nightmare to eat cleanly. This ridiculous foray of items in tow, we headed off to the cinema for a film, this time Source Code. I for one was very impressed with it; it was a perfect film to go into not knowing what to expect. All I knew was it was about a solider who wakes up in someone else's body, making everything else a superb surprise. The idea behind it really hit a chord with me, and sometimes with films that's all it takes. It was all a bit, I dunno, mainstream sci-fi action towards the end for my liking, and the music stood out as being poorly chosen, something I NEVER pick up on, but I would recommend it to anyone who, I dunno, liked Deja Vu. Dinner was Old Spaghetti, which we had to take home (and subsequently leave in the hotel room after we locked up).
Sunday, the last day, was spent at the zoo. Can't think of many places I'd rather be than a zoo. Honolulu Zoo was pretty good, all in all, though a lot of it was under reconstruction which made a few enclosures look a little small. I decided Secretary Birds are some of my favorite animals, they're dead cool. Check the pictures (not up just yet) for more.
And then I left. And now here I am.
...
Something better come along soon to cheer me the heck up 'cos I currently feel pretty rubbish. Heading home is for once no thing to look forward to, with the only things on offer there are flipping revision meetings and long days in my room hunched over a pad of flipping lined paper. Oh, and fretting over JET, that comes up there too. It was truly wonderful to be able to set aside my stress for a couple of weeks, I really, REALLY needed this trip, but coming back to my hectic final-year life is like returning to the front line after some R&R. It sucks.
Oh, and Mits, 55? Really? Have I done something to insult you? Psych even gave my 63, and I expected to do worse there! Tch... The sad thing is I'm not even wholly sure I care anymore, and I just. I'm told by my most reliable of sources that that's healthy for a final-year student, but it still sucks to feel like you're failing.
Okay, that's it, I'm back in the flat. Connor and I are on Dynasty, helping to catch my breath a little. Think cooking tonight is out of the question.
Got one last thing to say, before I go. I was told before boarding that the last flight would be stopping in Manchester, which was fine. I was not aware of what this actually entailed, however. You see, after docking in Manchester Airport, still sitting in my seat I was told that, as one heading on to Glasgow I should stick around and wait for the others to get off first. Not five minutes later, the aisles full of Manchester-bound folk, a Mancunian voice over the tannoy told us that in fact we should be doing the opposite, and in fact I should be up by the front of the current queue. And so, pushing as politely as I could, I and my fellow Glasgow travellers made our way off the plane. Now here's the really funny bit. After disembarking and following the signs through the labyrinth that is Manchester Airport, we found ourselves at security, where our bags were scanned once again. This is the THIRD time Icelandair have scanned my luggage for the same flight. What this means, then, is that the only illicit materials Manchester are likely to find are the ones available for purchase in the Icelandair Saga Catelogue... After scanning for the fifth time that day, I was ushered over to a new gate where we waited for an hour (an HOUR!) before bording the SAME
FLIPPING
AEROPLANE
WE HAD JUST
GOTTEN
OFF!!
Our SEATS hadn't even changed!!
What was the POINT?! We'd be going through borders at Glasgow, so we could have just stayed on the flipping plane!! Why?!
Urgh.
That's it. A couple of hours later and I'm home and well. Tired, mind, but well. And getting a bit hungry, but that can wait. Time for a good, British chippy tonight.
Closing remarks? Hawaii is good. Worth a visit if it's ever convenient. Could just be because the most wonderful human being alive lives there, that I like it so much, but that's reason enough for me.
That's it.
Thanks for reading.
Friday, 1 April 2011
Fukiyose Life (Part 2)
It's 12pm. Steph's sitting next to me working on her homework for a class she has in about an hour. She does not seem to be enjoying it. The two of us have just returned from a two-day stay in a hotel in Waikiki, a coastal entertainment district on Oahu. This evening we'll be flying off to the "Big Island" to see volcanic lava and stuff.
I am, quite simply, exhausted.
It'a not even just because I've been up to so much over the last few days, not just because circumstances have meant that 7am starts every day are effectively necessary, something I thought I had left behind with the end of 4th year term time. It's not even because the sun never stops shining, burning my back off, and sucking the life out of me like I was some kind of reverse-Venusaur. But Hawaii, for all its smiley laid-back-ness, is an exhausting place to be. Everything's so big and vibrant, there's nowhere to hide from it. Even the people are all larger-than-life, making even simple day-to-day encounters really draining.
And it doesn't stop here.
Don't worry, I'm not complaining. As you're about to find out, I've been having a great deal of fun, and the sacrifice of energy for that cause is fine. I just wish we had more time so we could recover between crammed-in events, Steph especially who still has classes to attend.
Well, I'll leave that alone for now. Here's what's been happening.
Entered into Honolulu Airport at 7.30pm, quite exhausted. Also felt a bit sick off of some cheesy crisps we'd bought as a plane snack. Got a taxi to Steph's place, the sky already pitch black, and dumped off a bunch of my stuff, before heading out again to see Steph's friend Erin, at whose house we would be spending the night. It was late by the time we got there, and after a quick introduction we all went off to bed.
Awoken at 6.30 so Erin and her flatmate K-... Kaley? Is that it? I'm sorry... But yeah, so the two of them could head off to their horrendously early classes. We parted ways at the busstop, Steph and I heading back to the house for a sit-down. After she'd gotten her things together, she set off to class herself while I sat around trying to pull together some semblance of energy, writing last time's blog and playing more Macross ("Bomber!!"). She returned some 2.5 hours later to fetch me, and we went to Hawaii Uni together to get lunch. They have this great place called 'Godiver's', all veggie stuff at cheap prices. Superb. Then a quick tour of campus before I headed home, Steph having another class to got to. Manoa campus is pretty sweet, some really massive trees around. There was this one tree, looked like a whole lot of trees put together. And this other one had, like, human skin. Pretty crazy stuff. Also the birds there are really quite cute. Didn't get any photos, the camera was on the fritz, but I'll be back soon to get some.
Steph returned at 4 to do her homework, me still just sorta sitting around and killing Vajura. Oh, also turns out I got bit, like, a bunch of times the other night. Really annoying, though I guess it was inevitable. We set off again at around 7 to catch the bus to Waikiki, meeting Erin en route. Not a great state of mind to be meeting friends in, mine, and it was a fair while before I woke up enough to actually formulate a decent conversation. We ate too much, then returned to Erin's to half-watch Scott Pilgrim, the two ladies not knowing a good film when they see it. I tell you, falling asleep during the fight with Todd, inconceivable!
Another 6.30 start the next morning, me feeling pretty rotten, which was unfortunate as it was Steph's birthday. After an all-to brief nap at Steph's, we set off back to campus so Steph could go to class and I could do her homework. No kidding. Aren't I great. Steph had two further classes that day, so when I was done with the 'hawk' and 'nightjar' I proceeded to finish Macross Ultimate Frontier. Gave that Macross Galaxy a run for its money, and enjoyed me some credits. In between the last two we met up with Jessie for lunch at Godiver's and to watch a small boy fail at eating a cracker for about 20 minutes. After parting ways with Jessie, we went off down to the athletics hall to rent out some snorkel gear. 'Least, we would have, only they had moved the rental shop and it took us a good half an hour under the scorching sun to locate it. Got to see more of campus, though; who'd have thought American football pitches were so small. Lugging our gear back, we stopped by the canteen for veggie burgers and ESPN basketball, and then homeward bound once more. There we packed, until about 8pm, Steph assuring me that we'd have time for food, and we set off for Waikiki.
The hotel was quite nice, all in all. Everything you could want, including sufficient cleanliness. Dumping out stuff we got another bus even further out to a 24 hour WalMart on the edge of the district to pick up food and swimming costumes. Can you see a theme emerging? Next was food, but catastrophically our planned food court dinner had become unavailable, it now getting close to 10pm. Collapsing internally, we returned to the hotel district and, after trying a couple more places that turned out to be shut, we happened upon a Round Table sports bar which did pizza until late. Never been more thankful of pizza in my life. Hotel, sleep.
Now, Thursday is where everything really kicked off, it being the first day Pete did something touristy. But seriously, two construction sights outside our hotel window? What idiot thought up? Way to wake me up at 7am with a pneumatic drill, Hawaii. Anyway, snorkels in tow, we hopped on an early bus to a place called Hanauma Bay, a nature reserve that lets you swim in it. Steph and co had been here not so long ago, and highly recommended it, and it was easily the most aquatic thing I'd done in the last decade, so I was up for it. After a ten minute video about not stepping on the coral or touching the fish, we set off.
Oh! I just remembered something that happened Wednesday night, on the topic of seeing animals. Just off Steph's street, we totally saw a massive centipede. It was easily the most disgusting lifeform I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. It was just... just urgh! All those little legs, those hideous feelers... Vibrant memories of a Youtube video of one of those guys eating a whole snake... U-Uuuurgh!! Horrendous little thing! The pizza guy passing by told us it was easily the biggest he'd ever seen, a good foot and a half, and informed us that getting bitten was not pleasant. I took his word for it before we moved on. Centipedes... Why, Lord?
But yeah, turns out snorkelling takes some getting used to. I spent a good few hours with salt water up my nose, trying frantically to remember my seven-year-old self's snorkel lessons. Whole lung-fulls of water. However, I did slowly get used to it again, and it was totally worth the effort. Big fish, bigger than my face, whole schools of little yellow fish, all not minding at all the clumsy oafs in the water around them. There were a bunch of big blue fish like that mnemonically impaired thing off of Finding Nemo, name escapes me. It was really something, cute little guys all over the place. The way we all got buffeted by the waves as one was quite moving, no pun intended. But that, great though it really was, didn't compare to what I saw next. Towards the end of our stint in the water, I totally saw a sea turtle! A real one, a live one! Just swimming about in front of my face! Nearly collided with me before I spotted it! I love sea turtles, mossy little guys that they are. He kept coming up for air, little head bobbing above the waves while I followed. He was barely an inch away, I could have easily reached out and shook his hand were I not a goody two-shoes who follows the rules. But yeah, a sea turtle, seriously immense.
But now I have a nasty sunburn on my back. Like, all over it. Stings to the touch. Quite annoying. Worth it, but annoying.
That's all so far. All we've done today is get time-wasted by Denny's so Steph missed her class, and I totally annihilated Pokemon Champion Adek. Feel the might of Metagross, Champion! Not feeling too good today, but hopefully I'll recover in time for the flight tonight. Seriously want a lazy night in one of these days. Now, it may look like I've not been really doing the whole tourist thing this holiday so far, just bumming around playing video games. But I assure you, readers, it's been really great so far to experience Steph's life for myself. Seeing her school, her home, has been something I couldn't replace.
Just sucks I gotta use a hostel starting next week.
Thanks for reading.
P.S. Yogurtland really, really rules.
I am, quite simply, exhausted.
It'a not even just because I've been up to so much over the last few days, not just because circumstances have meant that 7am starts every day are effectively necessary, something I thought I had left behind with the end of 4th year term time. It's not even because the sun never stops shining, burning my back off, and sucking the life out of me like I was some kind of reverse-Venusaur. But Hawaii, for all its smiley laid-back-ness, is an exhausting place to be. Everything's so big and vibrant, there's nowhere to hide from it. Even the people are all larger-than-life, making even simple day-to-day encounters really draining.
And it doesn't stop here.
Don't worry, I'm not complaining. As you're about to find out, I've been having a great deal of fun, and the sacrifice of energy for that cause is fine. I just wish we had more time so we could recover between crammed-in events, Steph especially who still has classes to attend.
Well, I'll leave that alone for now. Here's what's been happening.
Entered into Honolulu Airport at 7.30pm, quite exhausted. Also felt a bit sick off of some cheesy crisps we'd bought as a plane snack. Got a taxi to Steph's place, the sky already pitch black, and dumped off a bunch of my stuff, before heading out again to see Steph's friend Erin, at whose house we would be spending the night. It was late by the time we got there, and after a quick introduction we all went off to bed.
Awoken at 6.30 so Erin and her flatmate K-... Kaley? Is that it? I'm sorry... But yeah, so the two of them could head off to their horrendously early classes. We parted ways at the busstop, Steph and I heading back to the house for a sit-down. After she'd gotten her things together, she set off to class herself while I sat around trying to pull together some semblance of energy, writing last time's blog and playing more Macross ("Bomber!!"). She returned some 2.5 hours later to fetch me, and we went to Hawaii Uni together to get lunch. They have this great place called 'Godiver's', all veggie stuff at cheap prices. Superb. Then a quick tour of campus before I headed home, Steph having another class to got to. Manoa campus is pretty sweet, some really massive trees around. There was this one tree, looked like a whole lot of trees put together. And this other one had, like, human skin. Pretty crazy stuff. Also the birds there are really quite cute. Didn't get any photos, the camera was on the fritz, but I'll be back soon to get some.
Steph returned at 4 to do her homework, me still just sorta sitting around and killing Vajura. Oh, also turns out I got bit, like, a bunch of times the other night. Really annoying, though I guess it was inevitable. We set off again at around 7 to catch the bus to Waikiki, meeting Erin en route. Not a great state of mind to be meeting friends in, mine, and it was a fair while before I woke up enough to actually formulate a decent conversation. We ate too much, then returned to Erin's to half-watch Scott Pilgrim, the two ladies not knowing a good film when they see it. I tell you, falling asleep during the fight with Todd, inconceivable!
Another 6.30 start the next morning, me feeling pretty rotten, which was unfortunate as it was Steph's birthday. After an all-to brief nap at Steph's, we set off back to campus so Steph could go to class and I could do her homework. No kidding. Aren't I great. Steph had two further classes that day, so when I was done with the 'hawk' and 'nightjar' I proceeded to finish Macross Ultimate Frontier. Gave that Macross Galaxy a run for its money, and enjoyed me some credits. In between the last two we met up with Jessie for lunch at Godiver's and to watch a small boy fail at eating a cracker for about 20 minutes. After parting ways with Jessie, we went off down to the athletics hall to rent out some snorkel gear. 'Least, we would have, only they had moved the rental shop and it took us a good half an hour under the scorching sun to locate it. Got to see more of campus, though; who'd have thought American football pitches were so small. Lugging our gear back, we stopped by the canteen for veggie burgers and ESPN basketball, and then homeward bound once more. There we packed, until about 8pm, Steph assuring me that we'd have time for food, and we set off for Waikiki.
The hotel was quite nice, all in all. Everything you could want, including sufficient cleanliness. Dumping out stuff we got another bus even further out to a 24 hour WalMart on the edge of the district to pick up food and swimming costumes. Can you see a theme emerging? Next was food, but catastrophically our planned food court dinner had become unavailable, it now getting close to 10pm. Collapsing internally, we returned to the hotel district and, after trying a couple more places that turned out to be shut, we happened upon a Round Table sports bar which did pizza until late. Never been more thankful of pizza in my life. Hotel, sleep.
Now, Thursday is where everything really kicked off, it being the first day Pete did something touristy. But seriously, two construction sights outside our hotel window? What idiot thought up? Way to wake me up at 7am with a pneumatic drill, Hawaii. Anyway, snorkels in tow, we hopped on an early bus to a place called Hanauma Bay, a nature reserve that lets you swim in it. Steph and co had been here not so long ago, and highly recommended it, and it was easily the most aquatic thing I'd done in the last decade, so I was up for it. After a ten minute video about not stepping on the coral or touching the fish, we set off.
Oh! I just remembered something that happened Wednesday night, on the topic of seeing animals. Just off Steph's street, we totally saw a massive centipede. It was easily the most disgusting lifeform I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. It was just... just urgh! All those little legs, those hideous feelers... Vibrant memories of a Youtube video of one of those guys eating a whole snake... U-Uuuurgh!! Horrendous little thing! The pizza guy passing by told us it was easily the biggest he'd ever seen, a good foot and a half, and informed us that getting bitten was not pleasant. I took his word for it before we moved on. Centipedes... Why, Lord?
But yeah, turns out snorkelling takes some getting used to. I spent a good few hours with salt water up my nose, trying frantically to remember my seven-year-old self's snorkel lessons. Whole lung-fulls of water. However, I did slowly get used to it again, and it was totally worth the effort. Big fish, bigger than my face, whole schools of little yellow fish, all not minding at all the clumsy oafs in the water around them. There were a bunch of big blue fish like that mnemonically impaired thing off of Finding Nemo, name escapes me. It was really something, cute little guys all over the place. The way we all got buffeted by the waves as one was quite moving, no pun intended. But that, great though it really was, didn't compare to what I saw next. Towards the end of our stint in the water, I totally saw a sea turtle! A real one, a live one! Just swimming about in front of my face! Nearly collided with me before I spotted it! I love sea turtles, mossy little guys that they are. He kept coming up for air, little head bobbing above the waves while I followed. He was barely an inch away, I could have easily reached out and shook his hand were I not a goody two-shoes who follows the rules. But yeah, a sea turtle, seriously immense.
But now I have a nasty sunburn on my back. Like, all over it. Stings to the touch. Quite annoying. Worth it, but annoying.
That's all so far. All we've done today is get time-wasted by Denny's so Steph missed her class, and I totally annihilated Pokemon Champion Adek. Feel the might of Metagross, Champion! Not feeling too good today, but hopefully I'll recover in time for the flight tonight. Seriously want a lazy night in one of these days. Now, it may look like I've not been really doing the whole tourist thing this holiday so far, just bumming around playing video games. But I assure you, readers, it's been really great so far to experience Steph's life for myself. Seeing her school, her home, has been something I couldn't replace.
Just sucks I gotta use a hostel starting next week.
Thanks for reading.
P.S. Yogurtland really, really rules.
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Fukiyose Life (Part 1)
It's 9am. I am sitting in Steph's room in Manoa, Hawaii, with the sun coming in through the window. She's not here just now, she's at class until about 12, but has lent me the use of her room until she returns. It's up to me to not get spotted, as being in a resident's room without them around is against the rules.
It's about time I let you know what's been happening.
This is part one, covering Seattle. Hawaii comes later. It's for organisation purposes.
A certain someone told me that if you take the number 66 bus from Paisley Gilmour Street, Glasgow, you can't get to the airport. A certain someone would be very wrong. They may also want to know you could take the 500. It was my first proper time in Glasgow, but I didn't exactly stick around to see the sights. I wanted as much time as I could so I wouldn't be late for the flight at 1.30. And so, much to my happiness, I arrived at 11.30. Great, eh?
Ever heard of an ESTA form? If you're going to America for less than 90 days and don't have a visa (or a desire to get one) you need this $14 form which permits you to travel freely. Information to be included is name, contact details, passport number and place of stay for the first night. Simple enough, but quite important. It's because of this that the travel company I booked with sent me a link to the online version of the form a good month in advance. Good show on them.
If only they hadn't lost the thing.
That's right. I arrive at the Icelandair desk with what I think is everything I need, and when asked for the ESTA form that I have not done yet according to the computer there was little I could do but seethe inside. First Shall-Remain-Nameless Travel charge me £100 pointlessly for my tickets, only to reduce the price again the next day, but then they go and, I dunno, EAT my flipping visa waver form! It's not the fact that I had to pay another $14 for another form, nor the fact that I was struggling for time once the whole thing had been sorted (my passport wouldn't go into the system because apparently it's a freak 11-year one) but the fact that all this could have been avoided had they just been a LITTLE more careful REALLY gets to me. Nameless Travel, sleep with one eye open from now on.
Got on the plane no problem after that. The 2 hours to Iceland passed without event: I spent the whole time dozing in my seat. And 2 hours isn't that long, really, not when you compare it to flipping 8. I'd love to show you the 3 pictures I have of the bleak, lifeless land around Reykjavik Airport (unexpectedly, Iceland looks just as I expected), I don't have an adapter for my Micro SD, and until Steph gets back and I can ask if she has one I can't get my photos off the camera. May not, for that matter, until I get home. Well, you'll just have to wait.
8 hours of flight then passed from Iceland to Seattle. Much to my surprise, the film Inception was one of the many on offer, a film I'd never seen before but been itching to. Turns out it's really great. And you know the surprising thing? There's a fair amount of dudes getting shot or stabbed or blown up, but there's no sex and no drugs. Now, I'm no prude, but that's quite a refreshing thing to see: a successful film without anything unsightly, something many other films seem to... Oh wait, what if there WAS sex and so on but it got taken out of the aero-edit? Hm, I wonder. Steph was mentioning the other day that there are a load of films (citing a bunch of Adam Sandlers) that are better in the air that on the ground, without any of the ridiculous, immature humour. Well, whatever. Inception seemed like a long film when I saw it, so unless it's meant to be a REALLY long film I don't see where they could have added extra things. It was also a really great film.
Steph was waiting at SeaTac International when I arrived. That place is a flipping maze, nearly got lost. And American border guards, though I'm sure well-meaning, are well scary. There was also a distinctly disproportionate number of staff to deal with US and Canadian citizens off a flight that went from Oslo to Glasgow to Reykjavik to Seattle than maybe there should have been. That was one terminally long queue.
We took a long look around the city at night before heading back to her home in Gold Bar, and got some Italian food at a place that was open to 11pm. I never seem to be able to remember that American portions are quite different from British ones, but thankfully I was able to take home most of my aubergine spaghetti thing and have it for breakfast yesterday. Everyone was asleep when we arrived, and I soon followed.
The next day I awoke at 11.30am for a breakfast of pancakes. Finally met the parents, who are really great. No guys, I'm not just saying that. I was blown away by how easy Steph's parents were to get along with and talk to. Like to think I fitted in pretty good. Late awakenings invariably lead to late starts to the day, and Steph and I set off to see her high school buddies a little later than would have been sensible. It being Steph's birthday tomorrow, the lot of us went off to a cupcake shop to celebrate, before doing a bit of a tour of the local sights. Guess what 'Granite Falls' is famous for. Also drove past Steph's old house in 'Indian Summer Park', which has apparently changed quite a bit. After stopping by the grocery store for plane food, we drove off to meet Steph's grandfather in the home a short drive away. It was good to meet Granddad Deivert, and I hope to do so again soon. Then it was off to wash the car and a brief trip up the side of a mountain before turning back on account of it being too dark. And this is what really showed off Seattle's scenery. It's a really great place; not too hot and not too cold, and with mountains literally all over the place. There are some really excellent views to be, uh, viewed, many of which you will see once I get my adapter. Driving up a mountain road, pitch-black save for the headlights of our car, with fog rolling in great sheets off the road underneath us, all to the chorus of frogs in the bushes to both sides, was a really haunting experience. It was EXACTLY like being Harry Mason in the Wii Silent Hill game, sitting in a car and talking to someone perfectly happily whilst you as a player watch the shadows nervously for signs of monsters. Really phenomenal place. We arrived home at around 8.30pm, and then it was straight off to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Again, too much food. And that was without the birthday pie when we got home. This country will make a porker out of me...
Early start the next day for our flight. Unlike getting into the country, travelling around inside it was pretty simple. Got myself AIT'd, watch this space for whether I'll get myself some super powers. Come on, laser eyes. Seattle to LA was uneventful, another short flight compared to the latter connection. Tried to sleep as best I could, but was ultimately unable to. Why break the habit of a lifetime? LAX was nicer than I remembered, maybe because we spent the whole time inside and out of the smoggy heat. The flight to Hawaii took a lot more time.
Now, let me tell you, American Airlines seems to be run by a bunch of very lonely people. Did you know they don't allow kissing on a plane? An 8 hour flight next to Steph, and no kissing? Ridiculous. 'There are children on board', admittedly, but then why-oh-why does that allow for the flipping pilot across from us to drink himself into a whiskey-fueled sickness, eh?! Why not chastise Captain Drunkard too, eh?! Wanna raise a nation of alcoholics, American Airlines?! Tch, load of rubbish.
Fortunately they showed The Kings Speech, another film I'd been itching to see, which is also really excellent, and the rest of the time went by with Steph asleep and me rekindling my love of Macross Ultimate Frontier. That Macross Plus punk cannot die quick enough.
Arrived in Honolulu at 7.30pm, it already dark. But that, guys, is a story for next time.
Thanks for reading.
It's about time I let you know what's been happening.
This is part one, covering Seattle. Hawaii comes later. It's for organisation purposes.
A certain someone told me that if you take the number 66 bus from Paisley Gilmour Street, Glasgow, you can't get to the airport. A certain someone would be very wrong. They may also want to know you could take the 500. It was my first proper time in Glasgow, but I didn't exactly stick around to see the sights. I wanted as much time as I could so I wouldn't be late for the flight at 1.30. And so, much to my happiness, I arrived at 11.30. Great, eh?
Ever heard of an ESTA form? If you're going to America for less than 90 days and don't have a visa (or a desire to get one) you need this $14 form which permits you to travel freely. Information to be included is name, contact details, passport number and place of stay for the first night. Simple enough, but quite important. It's because of this that the travel company I booked with sent me a link to the online version of the form a good month in advance. Good show on them.
If only they hadn't lost the thing.
That's right. I arrive at the Icelandair desk with what I think is everything I need, and when asked for the ESTA form that I have not done yet according to the computer there was little I could do but seethe inside. First Shall-Remain-Nameless Travel charge me £100 pointlessly for my tickets, only to reduce the price again the next day, but then they go and, I dunno, EAT my flipping visa waver form! It's not the fact that I had to pay another $14 for another form, nor the fact that I was struggling for time once the whole thing had been sorted (my passport wouldn't go into the system because apparently it's a freak 11-year one) but the fact that all this could have been avoided had they just been a LITTLE more careful REALLY gets to me. Nameless Travel, sleep with one eye open from now on.
Got on the plane no problem after that. The 2 hours to Iceland passed without event: I spent the whole time dozing in my seat. And 2 hours isn't that long, really, not when you compare it to flipping 8. I'd love to show you the 3 pictures I have of the bleak, lifeless land around Reykjavik Airport (unexpectedly, Iceland looks just as I expected), I don't have an adapter for my Micro SD, and until Steph gets back and I can ask if she has one I can't get my photos off the camera. May not, for that matter, until I get home. Well, you'll just have to wait.
8 hours of flight then passed from Iceland to Seattle. Much to my surprise, the film Inception was one of the many on offer, a film I'd never seen before but been itching to. Turns out it's really great. And you know the surprising thing? There's a fair amount of dudes getting shot or stabbed or blown up, but there's no sex and no drugs. Now, I'm no prude, but that's quite a refreshing thing to see: a successful film without anything unsightly, something many other films seem to... Oh wait, what if there WAS sex and so on but it got taken out of the aero-edit? Hm, I wonder. Steph was mentioning the other day that there are a load of films (citing a bunch of Adam Sandlers) that are better in the air that on the ground, without any of the ridiculous, immature humour. Well, whatever. Inception seemed like a long film when I saw it, so unless it's meant to be a REALLY long film I don't see where they could have added extra things. It was also a really great film.
Steph was waiting at SeaTac International when I arrived. That place is a flipping maze, nearly got lost. And American border guards, though I'm sure well-meaning, are well scary. There was also a distinctly disproportionate number of staff to deal with US and Canadian citizens off a flight that went from Oslo to Glasgow to Reykjavik to Seattle than maybe there should have been. That was one terminally long queue.
We took a long look around the city at night before heading back to her home in Gold Bar, and got some Italian food at a place that was open to 11pm. I never seem to be able to remember that American portions are quite different from British ones, but thankfully I was able to take home most of my aubergine spaghetti thing and have it for breakfast yesterday. Everyone was asleep when we arrived, and I soon followed.
The next day I awoke at 11.30am for a breakfast of pancakes. Finally met the parents, who are really great. No guys, I'm not just saying that. I was blown away by how easy Steph's parents were to get along with and talk to. Like to think I fitted in pretty good. Late awakenings invariably lead to late starts to the day, and Steph and I set off to see her high school buddies a little later than would have been sensible. It being Steph's birthday tomorrow, the lot of us went off to a cupcake shop to celebrate, before doing a bit of a tour of the local sights. Guess what 'Granite Falls' is famous for. Also drove past Steph's old house in 'Indian Summer Park', which has apparently changed quite a bit. After stopping by the grocery store for plane food, we drove off to meet Steph's grandfather in the home a short drive away. It was good to meet Granddad Deivert, and I hope to do so again soon. Then it was off to wash the car and a brief trip up the side of a mountain before turning back on account of it being too dark. And this is what really showed off Seattle's scenery. It's a really great place; not too hot and not too cold, and with mountains literally all over the place. There are some really excellent views to be, uh, viewed, many of which you will see once I get my adapter. Driving up a mountain road, pitch-black save for the headlights of our car, with fog rolling in great sheets off the road underneath us, all to the chorus of frogs in the bushes to both sides, was a really haunting experience. It was EXACTLY like being Harry Mason in the Wii Silent Hill game, sitting in a car and talking to someone perfectly happily whilst you as a player watch the shadows nervously for signs of monsters. Really phenomenal place. We arrived home at around 8.30pm, and then it was straight off to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Again, too much food. And that was without the birthday pie when we got home. This country will make a porker out of me...
Early start the next day for our flight. Unlike getting into the country, travelling around inside it was pretty simple. Got myself AIT'd, watch this space for whether I'll get myself some super powers. Come on, laser eyes. Seattle to LA was uneventful, another short flight compared to the latter connection. Tried to sleep as best I could, but was ultimately unable to. Why break the habit of a lifetime? LAX was nicer than I remembered, maybe because we spent the whole time inside and out of the smoggy heat. The flight to Hawaii took a lot more time.
Now, let me tell you, American Airlines seems to be run by a bunch of very lonely people. Did you know they don't allow kissing on a plane? An 8 hour flight next to Steph, and no kissing? Ridiculous. 'There are children on board', admittedly, but then why-oh-why does that allow for the flipping pilot across from us to drink himself into a whiskey-fueled sickness, eh?! Why not chastise Captain Drunkard too, eh?! Wanna raise a nation of alcoholics, American Airlines?! Tch, load of rubbish.
Fortunately they showed The Kings Speech, another film I'd been itching to see, which is also really excellent, and the rest of the time went by with Steph asleep and me rekindling my love of Macross Ultimate Frontier. That Macross Plus punk cannot die quick enough.
Arrived in Honolulu at 7.30pm, it already dark. But that, guys, is a story for next time.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)