The Diary of Anne Ku

7 July 2000 Friday

AWAY FROM HOME

Being away from everything such as when I am travelling allows me to reflect upon my life. I am displaced as I am not surrounded by what is familiar. Yet it frees up time and space for me - no longer burdened by the routine.

Why can't I be happy to stay put? Most people have one home. Why do I need an infinite number? Have I got the cuckoo's nest syndrome?

When I check into a hotel, I usually give the front desk a hard time. It's like a Chinese person going to a restaurant. Instead of asking for the menu or being given the set menu of the day, she starts a dialogue. What's the freshest catch of the day? Have you got any mange tout? Which chef is on duty? So I usually fire off questions like "How full is the hotel?" "Do you have a corner room on a high non-smoking floor?" "I don't want an adjoining door because it might be a noisy neighbour." "Since I'm staying for so long, can you give me a quiet room with a view?" "Do I get points for this?"

Once I get to my room, I take a quick survey to make sure I've got my money's worth. It's not unusual for me to change to another room if some attribute is missing or deficient.

All this banter and fuss is really to get to know my temporary home. For being away from home, one tends to get homesick nevertheless.

yesterday

tomorrow

20 August 2000

I had jotted down my thoughts of the day during my travels. Now that I've FINALLY unpacked and cleaned up my room, I found these notes. So I will now "back-fill" my on-line diary.