all the days are hurryin' by, when you're in love, my, how they fly...

so after singapore, johannesburg OR Tambo airport is completely different.

singapore offered great quality service (from food to transit hotels) for a very reasonable, almost cheap, price.
the airport is huge. you could never be bored there. they have some activity you can partake in at all hours. from video games to food to transit hotels to physical games to... the list honestly goes on and on. i was at the transit hotel, which offered 6 hours for USD$20. this gave me access to internet, a gym, shower, all you can eat snacks, and a very comfortable lounge. did i mention how safe singapore is, and how amazing the place is?

johannesburg's airport, on the other hand, is a place i would prefer not to be stuck at for 12 hours (unlike singapore). i checked out the transit hotel, which offered a package for USD$12o. that was the only service they offered. what did that 120 dollars give me?

a bed.

i asked the reception lady if she would pay that money if she was in my position. she said yes. of course it might have been a smartass question on my part (she didn't look too happy in general), but honestly? can anyone call BS?

so i'm at a cafe overlooking the OR Tambo runway and gates. the african morning is beautiful, and i feel like i got the better end of whatever deal. i'm at this news cafe and i think i've befriende the waitress. of course, it's hit and miss at this airport too. it's sad -- the mentality you should have for service in africa should not be too high. you really need to be chill. which isn't a bad quality. but you have to wonder... what a shocker it will be for the whole world for world cup. cynical, i know. but seriously.

but boy, do i love the african sky. i can't help but look up, whether it's sunny or not. during the dry season, it's this big gaping blue, hypnotic. you feel consumed by it. and there's a sense of belonging. and during the rainy season, the gray rain clouds... there's something more dramatic than anywhere else. and take a breath of zambian air. oh me oh my. how some things never change. and how i wish some things never would.

much as i say that i probably will never find myself living in africa ever again, people are right in saying that there will always be a part that will always be longing and will always belong.

is it bad that at some point everyday, i sing "i'm on a boat?"

andrew mcmahon -- please make another album that was as good as "everything in transit." i need something that was as moving as "bruised." and as rocking as "mixed tape."

alter bridge -- is "broken wings" the best song you'll ever make? not that i'm complaining, but still...

boys like girls -- is it bad that i enjoy listening to you?

linkin park -- what happened to you?

mars volta, coheed and cambria -- i wish i could memorize all your lyrics.

owl city -- the more i listen to you, the more you grow on me.

thirsty merc -- where are you?

breaking benjamin -- new album. next concert? count me in.

sick puppies concert aug 19th. loft. let's go!

so much good music... :D

pooped

so...

i think i'm about ready to head back.

two of the three days since i've been in japan have involved trips to different doctors:
- at the dentist, i got two of my wisdom teeth taken out
-at the ENT (ears nose throat) i got a tube and saline solution shoved up my nose
-went to the dermatologist today (that wasn't so bad)

tomorrow, i'm going to the doctors for asthma medications...

all in all, it's been a very relaxing time though (surprisingly).
been sleeping plenty. and reading.

not a whole lot of exercising...

sigh.

travels...

it's been a pretty long few days.

my exams ended a week ago. i was glad that dsp is over, i managed to be 6 points above average and got a B in the class. thank god. organic chemistry on the other hand was a bit of a bummer. i'm pretty sure i ended with a B in that too, even though i feel like i've put a lot more effort into the class than to end up with something less than an A. i feel like it's been a general upward trend this entire semester -- going from 54, 80, 78, 81, 97... i walked out of the final exam feeling like i was lucky to maintain a B in the class. i felt a little cheated i guess. i wasn't sure how else i could have studied better for that final. i got an 84 on the final i found out (which means that i did pass the class with a B). but still... after all that...

and for a change, my parents understood i actually studied my butt off, and that a B was good. thank goodness.

so after tuesday, i got to hang out with phil in orlando, which was awesome. their family is so awesome. got back to atl after that on friday, had to figure out how to move into north ave (whole fiasco about not being able to move in, blah blah blah) because the south building isnt' even remotely ready for people (paint jobs not done etc. etc.). so i got to move the majority of my stuff to the south hall director's office. glad that worked out, and he was cool with that... so got that all done by saturday, which was when i was leaving.

so saturday night, our flight got delayed by an hour and a half -- the flight was fine, but it meant that we missed our 7:55 pm flight back to zambia in south africa -- which was the last flight that day. so we had to try and get the 6:30 am flight back the next day. the problem with this is that we had to get back to the airport at 4:30 in the morning. if it was just that, there would be no problem. but we were initially promised that we had a seat on that morning flight, and then we got back at 4:30 only to be told we didn't. so it flip flopped, and that was NOT what we wanted to hear that early in the morning... especially with my brother and dad around.

so. got back a little later than expected. burned most of the day back sleeping. so i had one real full day in zambia. and it was pretty quiet. i don't think a lot of people were back -- especially some of my best friends -- so i didn't really bother.

so now, i'm en route to to japan to see my grandparents. i'm the last two hours of my 18 hour layover in singapore. which has been very relaxing (my mom got me a decent priced one night reservation at a hotel, so that made this a whole lot easier). and the food was good too. i got to the airport a couple hours ago. they had this really cool trampoline basketball bungie thing going on, where you had two people attached to a bungie cord vest thingie, and they basically had to tug at each other to shoot in the other's hoop (we had one minute). i got to try it out, and i had a significant weight advantage to my opponent... i was leading 2-0 until the balloon-basket thing started to shake too much, and i was too nervous to jump... so i tied 2-2. i just stopped shaking, it took a lot, surprisingly.

actually, eddie -- i was thinking how it would be a pretty epic battle between you and me. maybe? it would be hilarious, seeing as we're about the same size (you're lighter now, but hey, i'm working on getting there too :) )

anyway, off to japan.

i need to write more often so i don't have all these novels...