In Chaing Mai, at a bar called the Garden near the Sunday Walking Street, we had beer and listened to a singer called Cherry Lee. She was very good, to the point that I even made a note of her web address on my phone. Have a listen!
Some weeks later, I showed some photos around at work, including this one:
Cherry Lee
When he saw it, my friend Steve said, “what?! I know this girl!” It turns out she’s his friend’s sister. I accused him of knowing all the Chinese people in the world (he also knows an ex-flatmate of mine, completely coincidentally). By the end of the afternoon everyone involved (me, Steve, the singer and her brother) were all talking about it on Twitter.
Michael Jennings joined in, pointing out that this sort of thing happens a lot when you travel enough, especially with people who know people you know, and that you remember it more when you’re abroad.
So thinking about it, it’s not quite a huge coincidence. I know quite a few people, and they know lots of people. People in my social circle obviously share similar interests, do similar things and go to similar places. It would be odd if I didn’t bump into them occasionally. If I’d bumped into Cherry Lee in London it wouldn’t have been so remarkable, and this was a bar where lots of tourists go all the time.
But it’s still cool when it happens. And Steve does know all the Chinese people in at least the Southeast of England.
Once again, proving the Kevin Bacon “six-degrees” of separation theorem to be correct and rapidly approaching the infallibility of E=MCsqrd & a-qrd+b-sqrd=c-sqrd. Or 1+1=2 (using base 10)