Man, Where's My Car? #dreamdiary 212

I’ve parked my car for the day in a multi-storey car park. It was up on the second floor alongside other cars and I couldn’t see any signs saying that access was restricted for the day. But when I returned to the site, the whole building was sealed off with barrier fencing and white sheeting saying that the sign was closed for maintenance. I’d understood if this was for an emergency but this seemed to be for scheduled work as there was no-one around working. I started to get annoyed as the parking ticket would expire soon. I decided to go through the adjacent shopping centre to see if I could enter the building from the other end. At least if I could get to my car I might be able to unbolt the fence from the inside. I head through some double doors and there’s an armed guard in riot gear stood in the corridor by the lift.

Wednesday Club #dreamdiary 211

I’m on a night out at a club. There’s a group of us in designer suits with a few happy fillies and I’m not the designated driver tonight. The club is one of those large spaces that’s designed for the weather. It takes ages to get to the bar. It’s at the end of a long corridor of shrubbery. I think about ordering a beer then think that this place is a bit more designer so I have a mojito instead and it comes in a tumbler layered up like rainbows. I’m vaguely aware that someone thinks that I owe them money but I’ve already paid them off. I just hope that they can remember. At least I can take them on if necessary. We ascend a metal staircase to a rooftop garden where I see a group of shops opposite. I feel like I have to hit those at some point.

Indian Odyssey #dreamdiary 210

I’m in an Indian city. There’s much to explore. We’ve just had our breakfast and we’re exploring an old library. There’s a vertical concrete cone that just goes down below, at the bottom is a giant ceramic vase. It looks as if it’s a set-up for a video game and that I should attempt to slide down the cone to see what’s inside. Adjacent to this is a staircase for an ancient library. Inside, we buy souvenir mugs which aren’t wrapped but placed into a plastic bag. We ascend the stairs to see a balcony of colour. It’s the rooftops of a modern marketplace, of which there are beautiful decorations adorned and painted with idols of the Hindu gods. I drop my carrier bag in amazement. I peer inside and one of the mugs is smashed into pieces. There’s not much I can do about that other than purchase another one on the way back. We spend the rest of the afternoon browsing souvenir shops and restaurant menus.

Floresta Apartments

A nice but busy place to stay, but at times it was a bit of a battery farm. Reception was clean but we could have been aided by a second receptionist to check us in. Our room was surprisingly spacious and comfortable, but it took us a while to open the prison-style steel door. We were lucky enough to have a sea view, but our ground floor patio didn’t seem to be fenced off. The wi-fi was also limited during busy periods. We had just enough time to take dinner on arrival where protective staff patrol the area and are more concerned with guarding tableware and cleaning rather than welcoming newcomers and explaining how everything works. It’s touch and go on how hot the food is depending on when they brought out the trough, but there’s a microwave at the end to reheat your mound if desired. There’s also restaurant theme nights with cuisine from aro7nd the world as well as regular staples to cater for everyone. The pool was beautiful but it’s a shame that people reserve their sunbeds before breakfast, and as we didn’t do this on the first day we missed out. The bar is small but service is quick and most of the cocktails are pre-prepared in large plastic bottles. The pool bar food, although limited, is cooked fresh to order. There’s a great variety of evening entertainment which we tried to keep our younger party members awake so that we could see it. And there’s also a daytime activity programme for both adults and kids, though the mini golf seems to be a rushed addition. We’d probably stay again for the peaceful convenient location and amenities but might go half board instead to enjoy more of the island.

Backend of a Heist #dreamdiary 209

I’m at a social club on a motorbike. I’ve had to buy tickets for my mother who wants to attend a charity quiz night. On the way home, I notice two teenagers on the dual carriageway who are also on motorbikes racing each other. I decide to catch up with them to see if I can beat them. There’s something happening as a lorry has pulled onto the hard shoulder and two cars are coming at me on the wrong side of the road. Once I’ve got around the hazards, I accelerate where the wind somehow catches up with me and lifts me up, and I manage to land in an adjacent field. My belongings are scattered about a bit, and I notice that the police have arrived to pick up bits of paper. Upon examining them, I realise that they’re £20 notes. I try and cram some into my wallet, then when I’m spotted gathering them up, I bring the ones that I’m holding in sight over to the police officer. 

Is life in the UK as bad as people are saying? I've heard of so much negativity about it, and I don't know why. Some people make it sound like hell and keep claiming that the UK has become just like a third-world country.

It depends upon who you talk to. Inflation is never-ending which makes it hard for independent businesses to thrive. We’re on an island which relies on a lot of imports including food because the global market is cheaper than the cost of creating our products. People who have seen all of these problems evolve over the years are naturally going to compare it to how things were. There’s a lot more people and there’s the same number of resources. Too many different people are trying to make changes and it’s not working out. There’s a lot of people struggling to cope with rates rising. But it’s not exactly a war-torn country. Some people are still able to do very well out of it. People can get stuff paid by the taxpayer, especially if they’ve made it across by boat and have a family. But there’s still some beautiful and unique places to see.

Next Year Fail @jdvance

Is this guy serious or is this guy just going along for the comical journey and filling in the important bits that his boss leaves behind? Is he supporting a project or leading it? It’s not clear when he’s lounging around on a sofa talking to a radio host. Does his boss know what he’s getting up to? Or is he subtly waiting for him to make a mistake so that he can step in? It seems like that he’s the man in charge of making it happen. The trouble is that the video is heavily edited so that you can’t get the full context. It’s as if he’s being made to look like an indecisive slacker. But he recognises the lack of power in people’s lives and wants to do something about it. But you’ve got to take the power away from someone else who’s not going to like it.