We walked out of the small haridressers at the top of the town and headed back towards home. My companion, Adeline, having not been in England long, marvelled at the environment around us.
"I love leaves on the ground," she said, a look of wonder on her face. "In Singapore the pavements are cleared every morning."
I laugh slightly, but not at her. A leaf-strewn ground is so common a sight to me that I have long forgotten the sense of amazement from witnessing the scene. We continue up the road, the journey feeling almost like stepping though time. Most of the houses on the route were built before air conditioning became a common feature.
"I love the houses with chimneys," she said. "It is hot in Singapore so we don't need fires."
Seeing someone react with such awe to surroundings that to me seemed so familiar, having lived there all my life, was an unusual experience, though still enjoyable. My favourite moment however came as my parents were driving us around the island, showing us some of the sights. As we drove past the fields she was surprised to see the sheep and cows grazing. I was curious as to why this would amaze anyone, and was told that in Singapore the only sheep and cows lived in a zoo.
Romantic Epic self
I loved you, so I wrote my will across the sky in stars.
I would slay a dragon to rescue you, unfortunately St.George and his friends beat me to it.
When I stare into your eyes, and see my reflection,
I wish it was you I saw every morning
And not the plain boring mirror hanging on my wall.
I dream of being a ruler of some far off land,
Of having you as my queen. But then I think
"What do I need a kingdom for? Or riches beyond my
Wildest dreams? You are better than anything."
Then I remember that night you lost my lottery ticket
Which won the jackpot.
I used to read those love poems of old,
Where women were like goddesses and men worshipped them,
And wonder what happened to women like that.
All writing this has made me realise is that
I should have said yes to the other girl that day.
I very rarely break the rules, but there was one occasion on which I accidentally broke them, not realising till after I had left the place I visited, too late to correct my mistake. This is the story of the day I and my ex-girlfriend Alex got into Carisbrooke Castle without paying, unintentionally, and were not stopped at any point. That day she felt ill, the heat was unbearable and she had drunk little or no water, resulting in her being in an incredibly bad mood that day. In an attempt to cheer her up, unaware of the cause of her temper, I offered to take her for a walk around the nearby castle.
Why at no point it had crossed my mind that we had to pay to enter the castle I do not know, beyond not having planned to enter the castle when we originally set off up the steep hill to the position of the fortification. Managing to pass through the entrance into the castle unchallenged we began to walk around, taking in the view of the old buildings that formed the museum within the castle.
Realising that her mood had not improved I sat her down, and soon discovered that she had not drunk enough water and was suffering from dehydration. Moments later I unintenionally discovered a way to cheer her up, thanks at least partly to something she suggested. As we sat on a bench she spied her ex-boyfriend nearby, and decided that we should attempt to make him jealous. We shared a kiss just as his mother happened to look round the corner of a building and spotted us, before vanishing again. This might not have dealt with her headache but she was certainly feeling far happier afterwards. |
Submission Name: Referral piece 1
