24 June 2001 – As I relax on our tiny balcony over-water, I look out to a visual symphony of colors. The clear water is low allowing coral tips to protrude into the air. In spots the coral looks like fat sponges and oddly shaped pumice stones. The lighter coral tends to blend with the white sand, while newer, brighter coral, in shades of orange and brown, grows atop the aged. Fish of every sort and size swim in and out of the crevices – white fish with black stripes, orange ones, which look like overgrown gold fish, black jumping fish, orange nosed with black-backed fish, and spotted fish in a rainbow of colors. Several early morning people in snorkel masks and fins move slowly in the waist deep water observing this natural beauty. All quite something to behold as I sit here sipping instant coffee laced with super-sweet condensed milk. Far off I hear a mother laughing with children.

Later in the day while walking the pebble and stone laden beach, I looked around at the Tahitian and French women, mostly topless, sunning themselves. I had a revelation: boobies are not round. Women’s breasts look more like teardrops than round melons. Almost all, no matter how big or small, droop a bit and they are never completely perky and round unless on a young woman. Haven’t wishful male painters perpetuated the round notion over centuries?

Also, I began to wonder if a woman wearing a bikini top is sexier in a top-less environment than a bare breasted woman, since the top-wearing female leaves something to the imagination. One might even wonder if her breasts are round.