When the Black Knight left, I was asked to stay on for a few months more, and a few months’ stay I did. Now that those months are coming to an end, I wonder how the higher-ups will release me. What sort of excuses will they avail me? I am not at all excited.

Why she thought coughing openly at my face was a good idea? The world will never know.

The green cushioned beneath my feet as I was walking across its breadth—dress shoes aren’t made for walking ken. A plane ripped through the sky as it ascended above my head, a BA jumbo jet… heading home. How very blue was the sky, not a piece of cloud in sight! I knelt down to feel the grass, dried in the afternoon sun. So I put my bag aside and laid me down.

My eyes shut when a light breeze tickled the tip of my nose. I could have fallen asleep like that. When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was blue. I’d imagine the sun tucked away in the north-west, but I was too lazy to check. You know how sometimes your eyes are so used to seeing different distances, having objects of different depths in the foreground compared to the background, that when you take away everything in the foreground, your eyes go nuts? My depth perception and my visual field was so overwhelmed at that moment that I had trouble positioning myself relative to my surroundings. Yet, I was calm, for in that disorientated state, I felt my LORD’s hand beneath me, suspending me in that elevated sensation. I lifted my right hand with my fingers stretched towards the blue.

I could touch it!

“I could touch it!” I said, laughing, with the One who met me there.

I’ve never really learned to appreciate dance. Come to think of it, it’s rather odd, ’cause I am into figure skating; and there are definitely transferable skills between the two.

Anyways, Lizzie did just fine. Shakes and twirls, twirls and shakes—what’s with that stiff smile? I didn’t pay that much attention to be honest. I was distracted by other dancers, especially the wee ones.

One of those wee lasses really took me by surprise—almost wanted to give her a standing ovation when she was done. I reckon she must be no older than 10. And to call her a wee lass is really an understatement; she was huge for her age. However, when she came out in her tutu, her movement was as elegant as everyone else’s. And though my mind was telling me that I should feel sorry for her toes, what my eyes saw was something entirely different. There was a sense of weightlessness, gravity-defying! She was like a figurine being suspended by an invisible wire from the ceiling. Heavy turned light, it was an almost magical effect. God knows how many hours she had to put into painstaking rehearsals just to be able to achieve that. I applaud her effort.

Tonight, she renewed my respect for ballet.

I was excited, but not as much as him. He got so hyped up that he was running up those steps before I had a chance to even stretch!

When we were near a quarter of the way up, I started feeling drained. I thought I was only hitting a tired point, so I pressed on, breathing a bit harder, expecting the second wind to kick in at any moment. But it didn’t come. I felt like I was losing balance; I was getting dizzy. So I sat down thinking, “What an anti-climax….” I hate quitting, but I hate being carried down even more. So we turned around and went to chill at Lansdale Quay.

Needless to say, it was embarrassing, not as much as I’m surprised though. Am I really that unfit? I’ve been told that it’s all downhill from 30, but I didn’t expect this.

I refuse to be this pathetic. I refuse!

Anyways, phone’s charged; signal’s good. Now, I wait. Hopefully, it’d arrive before half past. I’ve yet to come across a flight from America that arrives on time. How do they get away with it? I mean, if I were as punctual as they are, I would’ve lost all my friends and business contacts!

The windows are fogging up. Tha e fuar! It’s summer isn’t it? Let’s go for a stroll. Hmm… can’t see the stars tonight. I don’t miss the summer stars anyway. Unlike the hunter, the twins, and the bull, who’s kept me company when I’m heading out and coming in, duckie usually shows up only when I’m turning in bed.

Heh, “Duckie,” that’s what she calls Cygnus. It’d be nice to have her back in town. Her first visit to the Big Apple should nae’ve been so horrible. Should’ve gone with her. I still remember that SOS phone call last week: The very frustration in her voice! Still, she wanted to be a good guest despite her crappy host. Good on her.

I wonder if I can grab a cuppa to warm up. Hmm…. Might keep me from my sleep later on though. What time is it? 03:32? You gotta be joking me! What’s going on???

Boards at the terminal says “Delayed.” At least it’s coming.

I need my bed. Let’s sing a song…. My voice is gone, fallen asleep without me.

Can’t she just take a cab? She’s got a whole house of people, bound by blood, yet she called on me (bound by Love. (Sigh…)).

Be strong. Be strong and stay awake! You’re the one she could depend on. It’s for moments like this that you’re alive. Look, patience is stretched, beneath you, like a safety net.

When kinship fails to deliver, Love steps in. 04:40.

Yay! She’s finally home safe and sound, and she bought me a fountain pen as well. I ought to be happy if I weren’t so knackered. “Goodnight” or “Good morning,” I can’t tell, but the hug is real. I felt that.

Once again alone in the car, having 41st all to myself, vanilla in my mirrors, and in front of me, periwinkle, my favourite.

Earlier tonight, Uncle and I were talking about how dead and boring yesterday’s coffeehouse meeting was, considering how excited and full of ideas the teens were after last coffeehouse. Sitting through that meeting was like sitting through the 70th Academy Awards.

Oh! What were Uncle and I doing out tonight? Manned with reflective vests and lit-up batons, we were the high contrast traffic-control duo for Auld Music. Why “High contrast”? Despite the neon vests and that one of us moved much less than the other, you should just focus on body size. (<-Full stop)

(There should’ve been a picture here of me and Po, sparring, but someone kept the picture to herself and would nae send it to me!)

“The secret ingredient is nothing!” ^^