(ephemeral) thoughts.: October 2011

There are two things which can be seen from space: 1) The Great Wall of China. 2) The gap between the last time I updated this blog.

I've just realized how long it's been since I last updated. Not that it really matters because only a select few know about this blog, plus, it consists mostly of verbal diarrhea (a word which I can never spell correctly the first time) and bits&pieces I find online that inspire me. As a friend rightly put it, when my brain goes on overload, I like to write it out - hopefully in an attempt to sort it out.

So I guess it's established that I have a lot on my mind now. But now that I'm up to the point of actually writing a post... I can't find the words to accurately and completely describe all that has happened over the last five months.

So four months of summer came and went by. Only 4 items on my to-do list ended up being done - but all those spontaneous hangouts, gatherings and events that I got into last minute made it one of the most unforgettable summers I've had... in my eighteen years.

Then came the end of September - and despite however much I was in denial - I was going to London. For the next four years. Everyone started saying goodbyes, demanding dinners and lunches out, even to the point of offering to send me off at the airport at 5 in the morning - that last week was probably my busiest week for the whole summer. I was completely knackered by the time I had to leave. And then 48 hours before departure, it all came back to me: I hadn't packed, hadn't read any of the recommended book titles; hadn't sorted out accommodation fees; hadn't planned what to do with my parents in the week we were arriving early on....

And so, I arrived in London 23.09.2011 with no plans but all set and ready to take on anything. Well, theoretically at least. In the first week, I nearly got hit by a low-flying pigeon; witnessed a robbery in the daylight where the thug just basically walked into a shop, cut off the security wires and took off with the newest iPhone; got 'pre-freshers flu' as I call it from my Mum's lecturer's wife; picked up a shopping trolley left by my cousin in London and found my way back from South Kensington to Russell Square without using the tube.

Moving in day was surreal. I don't even remember the details of it: just lugging 5 suitcases from the tube to the halls, getting shown round by an extremely enthusiastic hall senior, "unpacking" by taking everything out and dumping them on the table "for later", taking an hour to decide on which side of the room to dibs, getting all excited about the long corkboard (which didn't turn out to be enough for the photos I printed), bumping into Gee like 20 mins after arriving... And then, time just flew.

Literally.

We're now a month into the course and it doesn't feel like that at all. Although not as often as fresher's week, I still go out quite a bit and chill with my hallmates, staying up late at night - sometimes drinking, sometimes not - and feel like I haven't done any studying at all. We joke about how nervewracking it was when we first moved in and how everyone just kind of suddenly got to know each other so well... even making plans for us to rent an apartment to stay together (oh god..) for the next year when we still have 7 months together in the halls yet!

Too many things happened. Too many of them are so noteworthy that I don't even know how to start describing the most 'memorable' ones. Riding round campus hanging on to a firetruck; nearly setting of the fire alarm by making toast; being utterly gluttonous at Fresher's Fair by taking a year's supply of snacks and stationary; events that led to Mr. Milky Milky CocoPops' new name; sailing up and down the Thames 4 times for our inaugural boat trip; "correcting" the name plates of everyone on our floor; losing and finding my wallet in Mayfair; hotpot Chinese-style on the rooftop of a senior's apartment; Ring of Fire and the many card games on our floor; signing up for Bangra - traditional Indian dance for MNight (an annual performance by the Malaysian Society); seeing Robert Winston at the Queen's Lawn (dubbed the suicide tower) and the resulting realization that I'm actually here for real; coming to a conclusion that my side of the room will never be tidy... and many antics that just can't be fit in here without boring the hell out of those who have no idea about what I'm talking about and some that shouldn't be shared on such a public front.

So now I guess it's time to get back to the studying/cooking/looking over notes time before hitting the gym and Funkology classes later!

And a pile of photos' that has been accumulating on my computer...