so where do i start?
the past (how many hours?) have somehow melded all together, and i no longer have any concept of time. its all just a haze of light and dark, taking breaths and letting them out, one dream scene after the next.

the first plane flight from adelaide was long and tiring, 8 hours, the longest ive ever taken. we half watched movies, tried to peer out windows, complained when the people in front of us (us by which i mean me :P) couldnt seem to understand that putting their seat back so far meant i was going to kick them cause i dont have any room for my legs (wtf??), reading, and generally being uncomfortable.

HK looked awesome from the window of the plane. all bright lights shining in snake paths up dark mountains and a radioactive purple night sky. i changed hurridly, desperately wanting a shower, swapped coins, and cursed when most of the restaurants were clkosed. eventually though we ate noodles in a deserted chrome glass and white-light cafe upstairs, was so tired all the fluro colours were swimming together with all my other senses and every face around me looked unhuman. fell asleep on the plane about ten minutes after takeoff for london, and didnt wake till three of the twelve hours later, and slept fitfully again. watched the matrix, sweeny todd, and the simpsons, bnut mostly the sky. the view from the window over europe was astounding. we were above the clouds, just flesh in metal and atmosphere, a giant cloudcotton blanket floating beneath us and only the curve of the earth underneath us. we raced the dawn across the sky, and it caught up with us as we passed russia, the sun finally appearing out of the pink and blue haze somewhere around berlin, making the roofs of the factories below us like mirrors in the patchwork.
we reached heathrow at 6.30am, got into central london about nine, and checked in at ten, where i had the worst shower experiance EVER. (dont ask. or ask, and i might tell you. :P)

wandering around, this area of london is a lot like melbourne. (were staying at the generator hostel. we saw some of camden, but thats the only place i know. :P) it has that same random quirkiness, but somehow more class. the old buildings give the place character, even soot stained as they are, it somehow makes it more appealing to the imagination. theres a lot of little random parks, hobby stores, plants hanging all over the walls, cobblestones embedded in the tarmac, long tan coats, tall jeans and neat hair, and businesswomen wearing docs and tartan. saw one old punk with washed out apathy and sunken eyes, and one young punk in a nervous haste and a spiral tattoo on his neck, and lots of well-dressed welshman and tourists from all over. we had lunch through a little red doorway, offering FRESH loosely-asian buffet all you can eat for £5.50 (and sitting in an orange room full of lovely plastic plants, lamps and mirrors, i ate ALL the pineapple and sweet redbean balls i could :D) and visited the british museum, which had an AMAZING exhibition on the history of american printmaking, from the Ashcan School to abstract experssionism. (coincidently, what my last uni essay was about, haha!)
the highlight of the day; seeing a REAL LIFE JACKON POLLOCK WORK UP CLOSE IN THE FLESH.
it was amazing. reproductions sure look cool, but theres no way to feel the energy. his madness was pouring out of those shapes, those random black lines that had meaning inside his vivion, every stroke halfplanned in a frenzy of instant abstreaction, emotion pushing inside to get out, contorting itself past loops and squares to a map of thoughts, of neurons connecting and psychosis spiralling. it was intenseand incredible, and for the first time in about a year and a half i was actually INSPIRED in the things i love. i sketched replicas of genius work, i took down names and artists and notes on time and period and influences, and half lines of poetry found in the prints. i have pamphlets and passion and as cliche as this sounds this is just the beginning of reawakening something i thought was lost forever. arts not dead, it was behind the couch the whole time. :P

tomorrow we get on the bus and start the tour proper.
its going to be long an intense, and my bodys confused. its only 4pm here, but somehow i feel like its midnight. might actually be around that time, back there in adelaide.
i miss everyone heaps already, wandering around camden gemma was threre, luke was in the airport while collecting luggage, skellett on the underground train into the city, the young punk looked like rob, i saw a 171 bus and thought of jess, saw a 168 and thought of home and kittens and my purpleblack bedspread and plants in the windows.

not sure how much time i'll have in the next few days, but will try to keep in touch with everyone.
much love to all, and hope youre all doing okay out there, half a world away.
MWAH
XX