Drift IV. The Rotten Sneakers

Today

Location: Somewhere in Baltimore, around M&T Stadium

In the dream *today* already started, so I put on old old sneakers from high school, all excited because I'll be playing basketball with old friends. BF rode motorcycle to get me to work - a sexy imaginary way of transportation. When he was telling my coworkers about our weekend, it felt as if we were re-living the weekend again:

Instead of watching the Raven's game in a bar, we went to watch it live. As I was standing in line to get into the stadium, the players were also lining up to go to the field. However, they were all naked, with only their number in big purple 3D font printed onto their back skin. So when one of them turned back and found out I was taking pictures, he yelled "Oye! stop that!", then fed a giraffe some cigarette and set him out to chase me - the giraffe turned into a retired military man with chubby body and brown eyes. I was running as fast as I could in my old old sneakers as he was waltzing behind me - yet I could never outrun him.

Finally he seized me, and put me back to work. He said he liked my shoes, but as a matter of fact they were a rotten pair - and I was deeply ashamed. I opened my eyes and started the real day, deliberately wearing regular ankle boots.

Drift III. The Tree

December 2013

Location: Zhongshan City, Canton

Went out with friends to have dim sum in a city I've only been to once in real life. Old and new friends around (Dandy, Monkey, Alex...), we were enjoying our time. But looking outside the window, we saw many Bangladeshi young men around a big pond. They were working together with incredible strength - probably the impression I got from quietly observing them in reality - but their goal was to tear down a gigantic tree in that dream.

The tree was probably hundreds of years old, gracefully balanced branches, beautiful shed, strong root that extended deep into the ground. But by the time we looked out of the window, the young Bangladeshi lads were already tackling the root. A few of them raised the biggest chunk of root from below the ground (thus formed the 'pond' that used to nest the root); while another suntanned muscular man sat on top of the root, shaking it violently away from the soil it then intensely intertwined with.

All branches of the tree fell. They removed the tree, and we turned back to our dim sum.

TRAVIS

We all live under the same sky

We all will live, we all will die

There is not wrong, there is not right

The circle only has one side

Drift II. Alien Girl Lover

October 2013

Location: Abandoned Planet X

In exile, I needed to choose from a limited number of extremely unlivable planets to settle for the rest of my life. I chose Planet X, with ruins from its previous massive civilization, looking rather like a deserted Guangzhou City, where I spent a few earth years at - a practical joke for myself.

There I met her, an alien girl with sad eyes and porcelain skin that had turquoise metallic luster. She stood atop a mountain, looking down at the ruins of the once bright City of Dreams. I could not take my eyes off her. I loved her so.

Woke up looking for her. Gravity of Earth kept me grounded.

<photo credit: http://www.poetrybyjohnpegg.co.uk/recent-additions/after-the-fall-of-man/>

Drift I. Syria

With the intention to begin this blog with a heavier note, I chose a dream that made me cry awake. But please bear in mind that, although this was just a dream for me, it was the reality for millions.

September 2013

Location: Syria, a half-ruined residential building

I had a baby sister in the dream, and we lived with our mother through the war-torn years. In the morning we woke up to our immense fear: there were soldiers in dark charcoal special suit and black masks downstairs. Before we realized what that meant, they started spreading chemicals in the form of choking mist.

We knew we would die, and my baby sister started to have neurological symptoms. Our only way out was getting away through the dessert, all the way to Egypt and beyond.

Essentially, we had no way out.