nemo and friends

i have but a moment right now... meeting some people to chow down on some well deserved thai food.  did my second dive today and, to be honest, i wasnt really looking forward to it.  to start, i was totally lacking confidence.  melodie (a friend i met thru trav buddy - success story to come) and i did our first dive yesterday, and it was ok, but i didn't feel very comfortable.  and waiting on the boat for the other divers in the midst of a storm sparked a very pukey reaction from both mel and i.  while i was losing my cookies in the bathroom, mel was wading next to the boat to free herself from its tosses.  i looked over the edge and mel was surrounded by HUNDREDS of fish - who had come round to gobble up her vomit... yum.  today was shaky at first.  when we reached the ocean floor at about 8 meters, i had a full on panic attack and signaled to our dreamy instructor, matthew, that i wanted to resurface. instead of giving me an easy out - matt swam until he was inches from my face and, with simple hand motions and unbreaking eye contact, calmed me in a way nobody has ever been able to do.  after that - cake.  we did a 40 minute, 12 meter dive and OHMYGOD, it was awesome... the visibility was shit, and the most exciting marine life we saw were two clown fish - but i felt so at ease, so entranced by my new ability to experience a part of nature that so few people are privvy to.  ok, am late... will write more soon.