Sunday, August 21, 2011

Hotel nostalgia

I found myself at a strange hotel recently.


Not strange from the perspective of the hotel itself, but rather from a personal perspective.

It was a hotel that I stayed at with my parents when I was about 5 years old. My memories of this place and my trip with the parents continue to colour my thinking about hotels and what it is to go on a trip.

My memories are of a sparkling hotel with service beyond imagination. There were smiling faces everywhere and a uniformed bell boy to take our bags to our rooms.

Things have changed a bit.


It's not the sparkling, brand new hotel it once was (after 20 years, who can blame them?)


But much of the old quirks that I liked such as the inner court yard are still there.

It was a nice walk down memory lane. It was like looking at a faded photo though, it lacked the sharpness and vitality that my memory gave it.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

More nuptial fun

The weddings seem to continue....

It is a constant reminder of the passing of time and that my own childhood is fading fast into my memory. Instead, there is the growing spectre of responsibility looming... the horror of it all.

However, none of that was going to stop me going to the wedding of my old friend Tammy. A wedding, regardless of what implications it may have on those getting married, and regardless of what terror it seems to create in me with thoughts of growing up, is still a fantastic party.

I've known Tammy and her family since I was a kid. Growing up as friends with her brother, I was always welcomed into their home, particularly when I was a starving uni student. Being able to go to her wedding was a great, though I found it a bit odd seeing her all grown up when I had still sharp memories of her as a primary school kid beating me at Nintendo.