ZERO
Well, take a look at that, ladies and gents, my subject countdown has finally reached zero. I knew that tomorrow would come. I knew that every tomorrow up until now, all 800 or so that I have counted, would be one less tomorrow until that ultimate tomorrow.
Ten years of dreaming, five years of planning, and three and a half years of saving, and it has come to this moment. In less than twelve hours, I leave this house, not to return until the beginning of December. In less than 24 hours, I will be asleep, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. Within 36 hours, I will stand on American soil...okay, carpet, and beneath that concrete, and who knows what. But you get the idea. Within 36 hours, I will be on the other side of the world.
I have just come in from gazing at the Southern Cross and the Pointers, stars that I won't be able to see from the northern hemisphere. They were the first stars I was taught to recognise, and they have watched over me all my life except for the five weeks I spent in Britain and Europe as a kid - but I never looked up. The brighter of the Pointers is Alpha Centauri, and I look towards it with hope for the human race and I always think "when will we get there"? Soon, I will look up at the heavens and see strange and wonderful new constellations...and perhaps I'll finally be able to see and recognise Draco. =)
There's still a few things I need to do, like backup the desktop and do a preliminary backup of this machine onto my portable HD, and actually pack - though everything I have to pack is ready to be, more or less. Apart from that, I am ready.
For the first time ever, I can say that I am ready to be there with the people I have known as my friends for almost a decade. I have laughed with my friends, I have cried with my friends and cried for my friends, I have given to my friends, I have received from my friends. And now, I will be with my friends. To them, thank you. Thank you so much for making me who I am. Thank you for giving me hope and strength. Thank you for giving me something to live for.
As I don't know if I will update tomorrow before I board on the plane, I will leave you with the musical theme for my trip. Unfortunately, it is not my own, but I have given great thought to it. The first song I had christened as my trip song was So Sad So Lonely by Matchbox Twenty - the hidden song off More Than You Think You Are. It suited me perfectly back when I had plans of doing it alone. But, then, circumstances changed. No longer do I don't want nobody, and no longer does nobody don't want me. I need the company of my friends, because I realised, hey, that's what I'm doing this all for, for them. And then, I found it. It's somewhat an obvious choice, but as I thought deeper about it, I realised I could see myself and place myself in the poignant words. I leave you with the lyrics for Red Hot Chili Peppers' Road Trippin':
Road trippin' with my two favorite allies
Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies
It's time to leave this town, it's time to steal away
Let's go get lost anywhere in the U.S.A.
Let's go get lost, let's go get lost...
Blue you sit so pretty west of the 'One
Sparkle light with yellow icing just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun, just a mirror for the sun
These smiling eyes are just a mirror for...
So much has come before those battles lost and won
This life is shining more forever in the sun
Now let us check our heads and let us check the surf
Staying high and dry's more trouble than it's worth in the sun
Just a mirror for the sun, just a mirror for the sun
These Smiling eyes are just a mirror for...
In Big Sur we take some time to linger on
We three hunky dory's got our snakefinger on
Now let us drink the stars, it's time to steal away
Let's go get lost right here in the U.S.A.
Let's go get lost, let's go get lost...
Blue you sit so pretty west of the 'One
Sparkle light with yellow icing just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun, just a mirror for the sun
These smiling eyes are just a mirror for...
Your smiling eyes are just a mirror for...
It's time for me to drink the stars.
Ten years of dreaming, five years of planning, and three and a half years of saving, and it has come to this moment. In less than twelve hours, I leave this house, not to return until the beginning of December. In less than 24 hours, I will be asleep, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. Within 36 hours, I will stand on American soil...okay, carpet, and beneath that concrete, and who knows what. But you get the idea. Within 36 hours, I will be on the other side of the world.
I have just come in from gazing at the Southern Cross and the Pointers, stars that I won't be able to see from the northern hemisphere. They were the first stars I was taught to recognise, and they have watched over me all my life except for the five weeks I spent in Britain and Europe as a kid - but I never looked up. The brighter of the Pointers is Alpha Centauri, and I look towards it with hope for the human race and I always think "when will we get there"? Soon, I will look up at the heavens and see strange and wonderful new constellations...and perhaps I'll finally be able to see and recognise Draco. =)
There's still a few things I need to do, like backup the desktop and do a preliminary backup of this machine onto my portable HD, and actually pack - though everything I have to pack is ready to be, more or less. Apart from that, I am ready.
For the first time ever, I can say that I am ready to be there with the people I have known as my friends for almost a decade. I have laughed with my friends, I have cried with my friends and cried for my friends, I have given to my friends, I have received from my friends. And now, I will be with my friends. To them, thank you. Thank you so much for making me who I am. Thank you for giving me hope and strength. Thank you for giving me something to live for.
As I don't know if I will update tomorrow before I board on the plane, I will leave you with the musical theme for my trip. Unfortunately, it is not my own, but I have given great thought to it. The first song I had christened as my trip song was So Sad So Lonely by Matchbox Twenty - the hidden song off More Than You Think You Are. It suited me perfectly back when I had plans of doing it alone. But, then, circumstances changed. No longer do I don't want nobody, and no longer does nobody don't want me. I need the company of my friends, because I realised, hey, that's what I'm doing this all for, for them. And then, I found it. It's somewhat an obvious choice, but as I thought deeper about it, I realised I could see myself and place myself in the poignant words. I leave you with the lyrics for Red Hot Chili Peppers' Road Trippin':
Road trippin' with my two favorite allies
Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies
It's time to leave this town, it's time to steal away
Let's go get lost anywhere in the U.S.A.
Let's go get lost, let's go get lost...
Blue you sit so pretty west of the 'One
Sparkle light with yellow icing just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun, just a mirror for the sun
These smiling eyes are just a mirror for...
So much has come before those battles lost and won
This life is shining more forever in the sun
Now let us check our heads and let us check the surf
Staying high and dry's more trouble than it's worth in the sun
Just a mirror for the sun, just a mirror for the sun
These Smiling eyes are just a mirror for...
In Big Sur we take some time to linger on
We three hunky dory's got our snakefinger on
Now let us drink the stars, it's time to steal away
Let's go get lost right here in the U.S.A.
Let's go get lost, let's go get lost...
Blue you sit so pretty west of the 'One
Sparkle light with yellow icing just a mirror for the sun
Just a mirror for the sun, just a mirror for the sun
These smiling eyes are just a mirror for...
Your smiling eyes are just a mirror for...
It's time for me to drink the stars.