Monday 31 December 2012

The world spins madly on...

:) I've been thinking this for a while, but I figured it's one of those end-of-year sort of things. This has been a year of going back. To places mostly. Places I hadn't been to in a while. The while being anything from a year to half a dozen!

I find, that sort of thing does more than just bring back memories. It also gives one pause. Visions of what was and is, side by side. I guess that's the downside of reflecting on things, possibly a bit too much? Oh well, at least some of the time, you get the chance to go do things you missed that last time.


Take Ushaka Marine World for instance. Somehow, I'd never made the walk up the beach from where we were staying back in '08. This time, however, we spent a rather splendid Christmas Day afternoon exploring parts of what turned out to be a fairly crazy maze! The dolphins were definitely the best part!

When it comes to boats though, it's been a bit too much moving, too many all-too-brief acquaintances. And way too much time in dock :(. But I suppose that's what set me on the re-visiting frenzy. One thing leads to another, one might say :). Who knows what's next?


And on that note, here's wishing for all those things I don't even know I'm looking for. More last minute plans, maybe lighting up new bits of the map this time. In short, the sort of things that go into the makings of a good year. :)

Currently: waiting for a plan to come together... again
Listening to: The Weepies - World spins madly on

Friday 21 December 2012

Rewind


As far as unexpected things go, I imagine showing up at Pier 107 for lunch ranks pretty high. Assuming one isn't from Durban. Showing up after a gap of four years and knowing exactly what you're going to have, well, that's just plain showing off I guess :).

After the crazy break I'd had, a peaceful interlude before what promises to be an even crazier trip was much appreciated, and in fact, much needed! So I was thankful for the half day we got in a beach-front hotel upon arriving in Durban.

I was toying with the idea of a quick swim before thinking better of it and settling for a lazy amble up and down the beach, complete with a chocolate covered ice-cream cone, a quick dash into the roaring water and a rather fun ride.

Since then it's been back to work. On yet another new boat. At least this one's kinda new for real. At only a bit over two years old, it's the newest one I've been on yet! Unfortunately, landing up on a boat for the first time while it;s in dry-dock isn't the best way to gather a proper first impression...


Still, there's time enough to make a proper acquaintance. Or so one hopes. I guess after spending less than six months on successive boats, taking such things for granted would qualify as premature :). But, seeing how the world didn't end, anything is possible ;).



Currently: can't wait to get back afloat
Listening to: Rihanna - Half of me

Monday 17 December 2012

Another day another sunset

So that's it then. Curtains on what has been, in retrospect, a pretty hectic break. I seem to have left the endless roads a long way in the past. Wouldn't mind hopping behind the wheel again. Unfortunately, that isn't going to happen any time soon.


Next stop Durban. It's been almost exactly four years, so I'm a little curious to see what's changed with the passage of time. To be honest there's a somewhat more personal aspect to my curiosity, although admittedly that has nothing to do with the city.

Durban had marked an end of a period of relative peace and quiet that I'd unfortunately mistaken for boredom. The years since then have been, well... I'm a big believer in symmetry, mostly when it means there's a chance that things might calm down a bit :). Then again, you never know who might be listening, so I'll just keep my wishing to myself, my eyes open and my ears peeled :P.

--
Had been planning on watching Life of Pi for a while. Took someone's suggestion and actually went for a 3D IMAX screening. I must say, I was impressed :). The movie wasn't half bad either. But even though it's been years since I'd read the book, I had this distinct feeling that there was more look and less feel to this rendering.


Right, packing's done, but with several hours to go before I need to leave, there's enough time for one last sunset on the old lake side.

Currently: tying up the loose ends
Listening to: Taylor Swift - 22

Thursday 13 December 2012

For better or for worse...


This has been one hell of a break :). And there's still one weekend to go. I've missed meeting a lot of people. I will miss some more before it's all done. But there are more I've met. After years, in some cases. To top it all off, I've managed a little bit of closure. 

Despite everything, something I planned for a full year in advance, actually worked out. Well, I suppose planned is a rather strong word :). Hoped for is probably more accurate. Either way, in some vague and possibly irrational way, it seems that all the choices weren't upside down, that there's still some sense to things.

The wedding of the year, no doubt! And what an occasion it turned out to be :). Excitement, suspense, even a touch of intrigue (for all the wrong reasons, actually, but hey, it all turned out okay, so :P). Then there was the first bit of choreography I've been a part of in the best part of eight years. I'd almost forgotten how much fun that was. Or how nervous it's always made me, going up on stage :).


Some images are just to stay forever. And others remind you of things you will never forget. I guess there is really something to the whole everafter thing :). That's the thing with weddings, the eternal hope of a beginning. The end of one era and the beginning of another.
 


But one must not forget the rides on the twisting tarmac. Under the burning midday sun, or through trailing night lights. Or the cold blue pool. Or all the bits that blurred into a happy haze :D.
--
So that was one part of it. Then there was the visa that has been a constant thorn in the side. Like one of those things you keep throwing away, but it keeps coming back, and every time, with a little more garbage in tow. Till finally, someone tells you that the visa you've been obsessing about for the last three weeks is one you don't need! Only, now you need to rescue your passport.

Like I said, break's not over yet.

Currently: making sense of nothing
Listening to: Taylor Swift - I knew you were trouble

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Flights of fantasy

Fingertips riding the wind. Faint currents of a wind that's not really there. It's floating them up, then again swooping them down.

Snatches of different moments, frozen in time, and then dissolving. Sometimes into another moment, sometimes into the darkness of the surrounding night. It's funny how one thing can remind you of another, seemingly completely unrelated. Except for some minor accidental likeness.

Riding in a cab late at night on the streets of Bombay again. I guess it's a cliché, but the more things change, the more they stay the same. Some memories are here to last.

Currently: wondering
Listening to: Rihanna - Right now (ft. David Guetta)