Green Zero

    If I were to write a continuation or sequel to 'Twenty-something' it might begin something like this...

The small white ball with its familiar rolling whistle of plastic on hard polished wood strikes the metal rivet and clangs, bounces and jostles into green zero. Twice in a row. Then a third time one spin later.

I joined this game of roulette with eighty New Zealand dollars. I left the table with three thousand. I always cover green zero.

It’s easy to get carried away making money this easy. I tipped the night shift worker of the late night pizza restaurant one hundred dollars for a fifteen dollar takeout. He was playing some old school rap music as I waited for my food and I figured he might like a pair of new trainers.

 As a rule I don’t play roulette. I’m a poker player. But I have a habit of breaking my own rules. I came a lousy third place out of a field of nine in the only game in town. For third place I got that eighty dollars. Then one hour later I’m carrying with me a decent months wages in cash.

Once you’ve had a few successful gambling experiences, the thought of the 9 to 5 twenty days a month bullshit to make the same money seems just that, bullshit. But once you rely upon the fate of a turn of a card or a little white plastic ball, then you’re fucked. I lost most of the three grand over the next two or three nights. I won’t even bother telling you about the time I made and lost eighteen thousand US dollars in one night. I will tell you though, that when you wake up in the morning, you feel sick. Not the kind of sick where you think you are going to vomit, but the kind of sick you feel when hit by a metaphorical bus, sledgehammer or any other large unforgiving object.

As time goes on you get used to the big losses. You become numb to it, you think in terms of buy-ins and chips and money ceases to hold the same value...   

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A novel start

  So I had an idea for a novel and started to write it. The original idea I no longer wish to pursue but I do quite like this start. It think it has the potential to go anywhere. Thoughts? 

Also, what's another word for 'crotch'? I don't think I like that word!  

Chapter One

DING DING DING!

THE TRAIN NOW ARRIVING AT PLATFORM TWO, IS THE SEVEN-FORTY-SEVEN SERVICE TO LONDON WATERLOO, CALLING AT CLAPHAM JUNCTION AND LONDON WATERLOO.

  Alexander Digby stood on the platform edge on the brighter concrete slabs. In the early days of commuting he had figured out the best place to stand to be greeted by the double sliding doors once the train had come to a halt. He had noticed the new concrete slabs every few metres, and had come to the conclusion that they had had to be replaced because of the heavier foot traffic where the doors come to rest. This gave him an advantage in finding a comfortable spot on train. Occasionally this gave him the chance to find a seat too, but they were usually full up this far up the line.
  Today was a good day. There was an empty seat in the middle between a row of three. As he worked his way down the aisle, he saw the faces of the tired commuters either with their heads back and mouths open asleep, glancing over a newspaper, a book, or plugged into headphones and staring at a smart phone. He was being careful not to bash his brown leather side bag into their shoulders. Words were not necessary as he jostled into position to take his seat. Nobody speaks to each other here. It’s almost like it’s forbidden. An unwritten rule of the morning commute. Communicating only through glances and nods.
  He regretted choosing the middle seat. Alex is slim but his shoulders are broad, and he found himself uncomfortably wedged between a large man to his right and a woman who had folded her overcoat over her lap which pushed into his thigh. To get up now would look clumsy, so Alex endured the thirty-seven minute train ride to London Waterloo.
  In his eye line was the blonde woman he saw every morning at the bus stop to the station, and on the platform edge. Today she had boarded at the next set of doors up from him and stood in the aisle. But sometimes they would board together. The only times they have spoken to each other was when the bus was late. It was always a cautious exchange. A simple acknowledgement of the inconvenience. He had wondered what her age might be. He guessed twenty-six or so, a year older than himself.
  One particularly busy morning the commuters were packing onto the train like sardines. On departure the train jolted harder than usual causing the blonde woman to fall back inadvertently pressing her rear into his crotch. She glanced around to apologise and it was the first time they had ever made direct eye contact. Her cheeks turned crimson. A memory Alex had remembered fondly.
  He did think it strange that they had never exchanged more than a few words and wondered if she was ever curious about him. But they respected each other’s privacy knowing that to speak now would mean to speak tomorrow, and the next day and the next. Something neither of them wanted to impose on each other during the morning commute. So mainly they communicated with glances and nods. They were kinder than the glances and nods they gave to the other commuters.
  
  Sound familiar? Thoughts?  

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Interview with a backpacker

South East Asia Backpacker magazine got into touch to interview me about my new book.

  If you're following me on my Facebook author page, you might have already seen this.
  I confess, with the Facebook post, you might have needed a magnifying glass to read as I just posted snaps I took from the print copy of the magazine. But the peeps at South East Asia Backpacker magazine also run a digital version!
  I quickly got my hands on that and after taking a few screen shots and chopping things up in Photoshop, I can now present you with the easier to read post of My first book interview! 

  The interview appeared alongside four other authors for the Places and Faces feature 'Could you write a book about your travels? 
  Myself (Twenty-something), Emily Barr (Backpack), Richard Arthur (I of the Sun), Lucy Cruikshanks (The Trader of Saigon) and Andy Hill (Mystic Fool) were all interviewed by Karen Farini for the September/October 2013 issue of South East Asia Backpacker magazine. Brace yourself! Here's mine... 

 

   So there we have it. Now you know a little more about me and the book. How did I do? Did it make you curious to read? I hope so!


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How to meet people when backpacking alone

 It can be quite daunting for many people to approach a complete stranger. After all you’ve probably grown up being taught not to speak to strangers. It needn’t be like this though. Here are a few tips to help you make some friends:
 The easiest place to meet other backpackers is hostel dorms. You all have your base there and sometimes there are ten people to a room. Backpackers find comfort in the familiar backpacker questions:

Where are you from?

How long are you here for?

Where have you been?

Where are going?

 These questions serve two purposes. The first being to break the ice and give you something to talk about. The second being to establish each other’s timelines. If you are staying for a week and your new friend is leaving in the morning, you might wish to direct your attention to someone who you can meet up with in the coming days. Also if after talking, you both learn you will be in the same place in the future, you can always swap Facebook/email/phone details and arrange to meet them then.
 However, many places you will visit on the backpacking trail won’t always have a hostel set-up. You might find yourself in a room by yourself. If this is the case, introduce yourself to the people staying in the rooms or huts around yours. They might be sitting out on the decking or heading out to the shops. Just say hi. The rest will flow from there. 
 In my experience most backpackers are keen to get to know other backpackers. They, like you, probably want to make some new friends too.

I met these lovely people on a coach to Vang Vieng, Laos.

  

 Another good place to meet other backpackers is on coaches and ferries etc. If you're heading in the same direction, it’s likely you will find someone heading for the same place as you. Just say hi and ask the familiar backpacking questions.
 Be open-minded but trust your instincts. If you get a bad feeling about someone this is probably for a good reason. Something in your unconscious has picked up on something not quite right. Listen to your gut feelings and move on to someone else who you feel comfortable with. 
 Remember to smile. This puts everyone at ease, and just ask if they want to hang out later for a drink or something. Do this a couple of times and you’ll have plenty of friends in no time. 
 As you continue on your journey, paths will cross and become uncrossed. But you’ll always bump into someone you’ve met before, even from one country to the next. 
 Meeting people leads on to meeting more people. You might have left your own country alone, but you’ll rarely be by yourself.

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