Last night, I finally went to Tivoli. Tivoli is one of the amusement parks in Copenhagen. One of the most expensive and well-maintained. After making it through the entrance with the long queues of people buying tickets, I was greeted with a large stage and many benches. And forget not the many restaurants. As I walked further, many small stalls began to appear. They were selling ice-cream, candy floss, pop corn, drinks, slush ice, sweets and so on. Anything that reminds you of a childhood fill with sweetness and fun. And then you have the game stalls. Trying shooting a target, or hitting the weights so hard that the ball hits the bell. Try your hand at throwing balls at targets to smash them. Or just try a hand a Tivoli's jackpot to win some cash. If you are interested in giving yourself a "bodily" memory, have a dragon tattoo spray-painted on you. For the more adventurous, hop on to any of the rides at the park. There is the roller coaster, the ferries-wheel, the train ride through scary places etc.
I tried the Roller coaster. It was purely a 15-second thrill ride. I was standing in the queue for about half an hour before the guy let me through the gantry and onto the hot seat. Then I fumbled with the seat belt and the safety gear for quite a number of seconds before I finally managed to get it right. And there I was, waiting for the engine to start. That few seconds were really amazing, or should I say fascinating. Consciously, you know that the ride is going to begin in a few moments and you wonder how you will react during the exciting moments. That suspense and excitement fills you up so much that every atom in your body gets charged up.
Boom! Here it goes. The coaster ride started with a bang and it went up and down and through the double loops. It was over very soon. Just a short but thrilling 15-second ride. Then I had to go through the gruelling few more seconds to figure out how to get the seat belt off and release the safety gear. My head was in a mess with my adrenaline still pumping. I felt as if I was floating in the air. By the time I figured it out, I was the last to get off the roller coaster. It was so embarassing. The kids were looking at me with the mystified looks on their faces. What is this woman still doing there fumbling with the seat belt?
Well, at least it is over now. But there were some things that I observed while in the queue. Primarily, it is the behaviour of youths. There was this group of youths who were originally queueing behind me. They were talking loudly, smoking like nobody's business and spitting away. Naturally, it made me feel uncomfortable. But I know that they mean no harm. Just youths out to enjoy themselves and thinking that their behaviour makes them stronger. It dawned on me that they have chosen to destroy their body gradually. What caused this? Is it due to democracy and freedom? People here have the freedom to choose how they want to lead their lives (yes for sure) and what they want to do with it. Everyone else has this freedom. But here, they have a larger degree of choice. With easy access to drugs, alcohol and sex, one can choose to lead of life of such till their body stops functioning.
On the other hand, at the other side of the world, while some constitutions are crying out democracy, they are limiting such evils for the public good. Is this real democracy? Or do they have a valid reason to take the extreme move? What do u think?
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