at the very last page

it appears that i have a very strong recollection of the sixth grade of the primary school these days. one of my favourite habits back then, was to intensively study the geography book. it was a rather dull textbook, with a greyish cover and uninspired pictures of the world, ie the pyramids in egypt, the statue of liberty, the great wall of china, the niagara falls and this kinda stuff.

the last chapter however briefly covered oceania, a remote and, to my imagination, mysterious continent. i still remember the last two pages of the book. on the right-hand page, a violent eruption of a geyser under a glorious sun. on the left-hand page, hilly meadows, green and serene, and a herd of sheeps crossing through, little spots on the deep green scenery. i was captivated by the contadiction of the images and allured by the mystery of a land remote and, seemingly, so different.




years passed by and one evening adrian noticed that i 'd stuck up an ad on the surface of the cupboard. i tore it off a magazine. a dormant volcano and a calm lake spreading throughout the rest of the picture. a very inviting image of the new zealand tourist board...

-nice photo, he said
-nice place to go to, i replied. and you know what? one day i will.


it is a real wonder how time is shaping up our plans, desires and destiny [provided that the latter exists, anyway]. and i really don't know whether i will ever manage to figure this out.

what i know though, is that the plane this morning arrived on time, the weather is warm although quite humid, and i am finally standing here.

at the

very last page

of the

geography book.

[just arrived: ^satellite image of auckland international airport]