The Airport Perspective

Here endeth the school day which theoretically shouldn’t have happened. School terms begin on Tuesdays, so, logic follows that, today being a Monday, we should still be on holidays!!! But alas, it was not to be.

Anyways, we got back from Hong Kong on Sunday morning…I managed to unpack, eat, tidy my room and watch Grey’s Anatomy (Gray’s?) all before the time I normally wake up on a Sunday morning (the trade off was that I didn’t sleep for 24 hours)

So, after a fantastic two weeks, there was too much to summarise (without resorting to an epic poem of sorts…maybe later) so I think I’ll tell it from The Airport Perspective. Keep in mind I may lie a bit, and blend things together which were completely separate, and every so often insert something that has nothing whatsoever to do with airports.

We left from the old Adelaide airport. The “airport waiting lounge thing” consisted of many chairs, with even more people, a small tv playing some kind of soap opera…minus the sound, and a shop which seemingly sold only alcohol and perfume. Desparate for gum to prevent ears from exploding on take off, despite searching high and low, ne’er a gum was found (though there was this perfume called Pi. Oddly, I saw that symbol many times while I was away…hmm…maybe that’s a Bad Wolf thing…heh, maybe that means that I’ll be able to destroy the Daleks…) *cough * anyway, all prepared to leave the shop broken and defeated, from no-where appeared a shop assistant, asking if she “could help with anything.” Words were exchanged. Gum was mentioned. Then. Silence, as she motioned us forward, reached behind the desk, and revealed a drawer full of gum!!! Satisfied, we were successfully able to leave the country with hearing in tact.

Several hours, and “Fantastic Four,” “Bewitched,” “Unleashed” and “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” later, we appeared in Singapore for one night. I promptly experienced: “Falling asleep on bus,” “falling asleep in taxi,” almost “falling asleep in lift”, and finally “falling asleep in hotel.” The next day, having awoken at an appalling hour, we found our way back to the airport, where I promptly got a back massage from some guy trying to sell be a back massager. Then, back to the tv lounge for much “Ed” watching, and getting on plane. After “falling asleep on plane” watched the end of “Unleashed” then did…I don’t remember…

In Hong Kong airport, with much luggage, we were greeted with bottles of water, and two doored lift. After a week of accicentally locking room-mate out of room by putting slidey thing across door and leaving through adjoined room, Disneyland, Shopping, Family and t-shirt logo spotting (My personal favourites were:
“I hate Texas”
“I am a Dog”
“Too much medicine breeds contempt”
“The best wood from TREE” and
“Green Lemon Pig”)
we packed our bags (just typed “bugs”…makes for interesting mental images) off to the airport again it was. For 2.5 hours I: learnt bus routes, met old colleagues of dad, sat under the letter “K,” and read a vast majority of a Terry Pratchett book (“Thief of Time” it was good.) We then met our tour group, got tags, caught a train to the other side of the airport, and bought gum. Plane had no movie (the safety video was acted out by the stewardesses!) I had an apple juice, and managed to break a nail while opening. The irony was: no nail clippers allowed on the plane…we only had hand luggage, and so, no nail clippers full stop!!! Agghh! The snagginess!

At Gui Lin airport we rode many of those flat escalator things, and met the China tour guide and bus driver…after four days (well, 3.25) of boats, tea, the FuBo general, and his sword and arrows (that needs to be explained, not described) mountain climbing, umbrellas, Ellenphants, water shows and being adopted by an American extended family, back to the airport it was…

Firstly, was desparate for toilet, so ran around terminal. Then, while wheeling bags, was cut off by rude other man in other tour group. I’d like to say I said something, but instead, merely scowled heartily in his general direction. Then, while boarding the plane, had yet another man literally breathing down my neck. However, I soon put a stop to that by holding loud exaggerated conversation about (in general of course) how irritating it is when people stand too close. Man moved back for few glorious moments, then: the coughing began.

After that we spent another day in Hong Kong, before it was time to journey back. Arrived in clinical, bleached looking new airport, where arrivals have big scary dominating star wars-esque desks which literally loom, and hold a mysterious metal ledge. Other than that…I have not concludatory sentence…well, I apologise for the 826 wordliness of that…

Now it is back to the school world of tests, exams, homework, and….voting. I just can’t accept that, when tomorrow (or, today, looking at the time) arrives, someone in our year level is going to be Head Girl. We’re so old!!!

<[ - _ - ]> This is some kind of face thing…

The Sham of Hair Products - as September ends

This has been a particularly sporadic week, in most senses. (those being the lesson sense, the schedule sense, the normal sense, and the newspaper sense) But, when we came through it, at the other end lay the glittering thing. (I would have said prize, but when I typed it, it looked weird, so I decided to say thing instead) This will have to be a shorter-than-normal comment because I have to leave in a minute, but I just wanted to share a few thoughts.

1) All this month I’ve been hearing “Wake me up when September ends” by Greenday, and fair enough, it’s been a bit of a busy month. But here’s the thought. Our holidays begin pretty much at the end of September, in which time, all of us sleep deprived high-schooly types will be going to sleep. I just think it’s interesting that we’ve all been listening to a popular song singing about the exact opposite of what it is we want to do…or, if you want to take the symbolic view, maybe the song it completely and utterly correct. We’re “waking up” as it were, from the school term…or not…anyways…

2) Also, shampoo. Firstly, it’s name. Sham. Poo. What’s the meaning of that? Is it some sort of fake crap? Which would make it all the more disturbing that we all rub it into our hair (plural) at regular intervals. Secondly, shampoo hasn’t been around forever. There would have been centuries upon centuries of people who walked around with dirty hair, but it would have been considered normal. I’m just wondering where the turning point happened…when did someone decide: oh, I think I’ll toss some chemicals together and rub it in my hair and remove the waterproof layer, despite the fact that this would be against the social norms…and why did it catch on? Hmm…

Anyways, have great holidays everyone!

And watch Howl's Moving Castle!