"Adventure is out there!": October 2012

8th - 17th
Dinner originally consisted of my usual family members with Jen as guest. But then Lynh dropped by it became a party of 7. Luckily there was enough food!

Pan-fried, thyme pork chops, with a sweet pear and red onion chutney in a red wine vinegar and sweet potato mash and crunchy fresh green beans on the side. Other, side-main dishes were the honey mustard, rocket, red apple and parmesan salad and creamy pumpkin and garlic penne. Cooked by yours truly! I'm most proud of my chutney, which Vy and ate everyday with tasty cheese and crackers for days :)

Parma with my favourite topping - Pineapples! At Slices, Caroline Springs.

Lazy morning (and extremely indulgent) breakfast at The Coffee Club. A bowl of special K, bran, sultanas, almonds and soy milk usually does the trick.

Double date with Stace & Jam at Mambo's. Three guesses which one is Stacey's.

Soy marinated beef and pork with caramelised onions, with Mum's home

Mum's bowl. They say the Vietnamese love their fresh greens. Love, is an understatement for Mum.

I have the tendency to have out of this world dreams. These were last nights. They both felt cold and dark. Far from any place I would ever be in.

I was running down a dark dirty street, in the late of night, all the thugs were up to their usual no good routines, going about their business. It didn't stop them from giving me curious looks. Why did I look our of breath, why did I look panicked and desperate, they were probably wondering. Who cares, I had to find them. Where were they? There it was, in the old run down theater, it had to be that. I ran towards it and stopped at the front. It was dark inside, abandoned a long time ago, I could tell. I went to turn the door knob, locked. Of course. I balled up my fist and smashed the glass. I reached inside and unlocked the door, I entered, crunching my boots on the broken glass.

Why did he run to this part of town? How would this help? I walked down the hallway, past the lobby. There were a set of winding stairs. I walked towards it and climbed it. It creaked. And creaked. The climb felt forever. Finally I reached the top. There were two doors. One to the left and one to the right. I entered the right door, cautiously. Inside there was nothing, no one. I heard a thump on the wall. I found them. They were just in the next room. I didn't wait. I spun around and quickened my pace, burst open the door, and surely enough there he was. Holding my baby.

"What, the hell, are you thinking?" I asked, slowly, so I wouldn't lose my shit. He put up his hand in defence of his actions, "It was to protect them, you have to understand. You needed to learn how to find them." He was out of his mind. "You came into my house, and took my children from me. I don't know why you did it. I don't even know much about you. But I'm here now, and I'm taking them back." He smiled. "That's all I wanted." He said. Fucking insane. I opened my arms and lowered myself to one knee, he ran over to. My baby. And then I heard something creak behind me. I turned around and saw my older son poke his head out from the room behind the door. There he was. I was wondering where he ...

Suddenly, a whistle blew in the distance. It couldn't be. It was 'the' bus. The one that ran through this side of the state, once, a year. We have to be on it. We need to be on it. I picked up the little one and gestured to the older one to follow. I run, three steps at a time. My older one is slowly following behind, but he can make it, he's fast, I know he can. I see the strange man who took my boys, standing at the top of the stairs looking down. I keep going. The bus will be there for a few minutes and then gone. If i don't make it, its another lost chance of a better life. Keep going!! I run towards it and it gets closer and closer. Finally i reach it, the final passengers are boarding. I get on. I find a two seater. Put my little one down and touch his face. The bus engine rumbles and slowly departs .. Wait. Oh no. As it passes the theater i see my older one just step out from the theater doors ... This bus is a no return ticket. It makes one stop. And that's the final destination. It stops for no one and lets no one off. I watch in slow horror. I have left my first born in oldtown. How. How. How did I do that. I am paralysed. I watch him grow smaller. He's wiping his eyes. He's crying. I came all this way to be even further away from him. I see the stranger run out up to him. He looks at the bus, at me. He puts a hand on his shoulder. What have i done.

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Josh and I. We ran away to an abandoned school building. It was slightly eerie because it was empty and in the dark of night. We climbed the stairs to the third storey and found a room with a bed in it. We laid down and looked up above us. For some reason, there was no ceiling, we were looking at a black sky scattered with stars. It was beautiful. And then we heard sirens. We looked at each other sadly but knowingly. The walls seems to close in as were running to the exit. We made it outside and then ran down the street. There were spotlights in the sky searching for us. We became surrounded by men in black and were cuffed. Two other men were cuffed as well, being pushed along, trailing behind us. We were brought to a roof to,p to be interrogated it seemed. The two other men were Russian. While they started to interrogate us, one of the Russians broke free of his cuffs and pulled out a massive stereo out of nowhere and blasted some kind of music. And then he shouted at the top of his lungs, "WE ARE BORN FREEEE" his voice boomed and echoed through the city streets.