The Diary of Anne Ku

14 July 2000 Friday

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST

It was like a busy bus terminal, except this was the airport. Southwest Airlines, the airline of the masses. Equality means that you queue twice. Once to check in. Second time to trade your boarding pass for a plastic numbered card. I didn't know about the second time. So I almost didn't get a seat. I was so overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that I lost track of time.

Once on the plane, I managed to get an aisle seat. The very last person to get on the plane arrived after I had settled comfortably into my book. She had a presence about her. All the men looked up. "Hello, guys." The guy in front of me moved to the middle to give her the aisle seat facing me.

It was a three hour flight. I wasn't about to begin a superficial conversation and strain my ears for it. Then she took out a keyboard, about a quarter the size of a normal computer keyboard but with same size keys. She showed it to the guys next to her. I looked up. Intrigued. Curious. Fascinated.

This was how we met. I told her that I was Chinese. She told me about the best dimsum restaurant in Houston and her master sculptor from China. I told her about my passion for piano playing. She told me about her composer/pianist friend. In less than three hours, I had committed myself to seeing her and her friends this weekend.

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.