as the same 7 ft. tall German i met in the Philippines, 2 years ago:

from the philippines (2005, Philippines 4, page 85 in case you're keeping score)

although both our meetings were unplanned, under the duress of various German torture techniques, i did expose to him the location of paradise island while exploring the philippines together. but to independently choose the same year and month to visit and rendezvous on paradise isle is a ko-in-ki-dink beyond reason that only evokes the meddling of el manos de Dios (for those that don't 'hablo espanol', that means 'the mano of Dios').

strangely, a similar turn of events occured years ago. on my first ill-fated backpacking trip through Europe, i met a friend from college at the Florence train station:

Scully in Florence, circa 1998

who i then unexpectedly met 7 years later again in Bangkok but this time, both betrothed and in better physical shape than at college:

Scully (& betrothee) from Bangkok, circa 2005

...god works in mind-bogglingly mysterious ways (i.e. why am i always chunkier than everyone i meet? don't let me get started on my man-boobs!)

while we're on the topic of 'working' in mysterious ways, please enjoy a photo of Gorby and the Chunky Sack playing grab-ass in their children's sized superman uniforms. spandex has known little other stress - both vertically (Gorby) and horizontally (C. Sack) - as great as the stitch-buckling forces put on costumes designed for the gentle curves of 12 year-old, pre-pubescent boys.