Someone posted a photo of the Coldplay concert on the fb, Sunday night. It is never a good idea to be online before you go to sleep. (And here i am a week later at 3:42am)It dizzies up the brain. The picture was the ANZ stadium. 50 000 people with light up wristbands twinkling in the blue. "Look at the stars, see how they shine for you..." In an instant, i was catapulted back to 2002, i was in that bar in Laos the night before taking the 20hr bus journey back to Hanoi. I was alone of course. I was tired from 2 months of overland travel. There were three really buff Israeli boys milling around the bar. I had learnt to recognise them, always together, always having the greatest time as if there were brothers for one last night. They asked me to play doubles at pool. Thank God Ben had taught me how to play. I never wanted to be one of those girls who was crap at pool and giggled at ever shot about how crap they were. I agreed, they seemed nice enough.
It was the WORST table i had ever played on. Someone had clearly taken steel wool and scrubbed it down something savage. It was like playing on a lawn. The balls rolled in drunken meanderings. We laughed but persisted. The new game was the miracle of actually sinking a ball.
"Yellow" started to play on the sound system and i remember the barman turned it up. We sang, delighted that we all knew it. I was trying to sink those balls and my eyes were welling up. I was thinking of home. I didn't want to go home but i was homesick, for my friends, for one disappearing friend mostly. "You're skin, oh, yeah you're skin and bones, turning into to something beautiful..." I couldn't believe how far i had travelled alone. I new i'd never travel with friends and i knew i couldn't postpone my life waiting for friends to come with me. I had to go alone. There were too many times when it just wasn't right, not having anyone to share it with.
We sang that song LOUD and when it was over, i watched them embrace. Turned out they were catching that bus the next day too. One of them gave me a pill. You could buy valium at a chemist in Laos. In a tiny plastic bag with a gold twist tie.
The bus carried tourists but only to subsidise locals it seemed. I stupidly chose a window seat with a long bench in front of it. I guess i thought i could stretch my legs out on it and be quite comfortable. WRONG. Loads of farmers piled on and the bench seat was taken. I had imprisoned my legs to about 15cm leg room.
It's true, look how they shine for you, look how they shine for you
It was the WORST table i had ever played on. Someone had clearly taken steel wool and scrubbed it down something savage. It was like playing on a lawn. The balls rolled in drunken meanderings. We laughed but persisted. The new game was the miracle of actually sinking a ball.
"Yellow" started to play on the sound system and i remember the barman turned it up. We sang, delighted that we all knew it. I was trying to sink those balls and my eyes were welling up. I was thinking of home. I didn't want to go home but i was homesick, for my friends, for one disappearing friend mostly. "You're skin, oh, yeah you're skin and bones, turning into to something beautiful..." I couldn't believe how far i had travelled alone. I new i'd never travel with friends and i knew i couldn't postpone my life waiting for friends to come with me. I had to go alone. There were too many times when it just wasn't right, not having anyone to share it with.
We sang that song LOUD and when it was over, i watched them embrace. Turned out they were catching that bus the next day too. One of them gave me a pill. You could buy valium at a chemist in Laos. In a tiny plastic bag with a gold twist tie.
The bus carried tourists but only to subsidise locals it seemed. I stupidly chose a window seat with a long bench in front of it. I guess i thought i could stretch my legs out on it and be quite comfortable. WRONG. Loads of farmers piled on and the bench seat was taken. I had imprisoned my legs to about 15cm leg room.
It's true, look how they shine for you, look how they shine for you
