An old post...

So -- talk about a new perspective on life. University. The freedom is intoxicating at first, being able to do pretty much whatever you want as long as you have enough guts and willpower to do it. It’s great, but going back to the family? Priceless. Seeing old friends? Invaluable.

The nifty thing I noticed about my travel itinerary is how carefully planned out the journey is – until I get back home to Malaysia. Because I know that even if the flight is delayed by six hours (which it is), my parents will be there to pick me up. If the plane took a detour through Antarctica and arrived a week later, my parents would be there to pick me up. And there is no way I’d miss a flight back to the UK with my parents to drag me out of bed and send me to the airport. Ever reliable.

Anyway, sitting here in the airport burning computer battery time. Looking forward to a really good month. Traveling alone trying to carry four bags with two hands has been hell (if you must know, one bag on the back, one under an arm, and one in each hand was how I did it), but what was really amazing was the random strangers who offered to help me go up and down stairs when it would have taken ages otherwise.

P.S. After check-in its much better, playing my tenor in Malaysia will be WELL worth it now. I love this thing; I think my mom was right when she said I should have gotten a tenor sax for my birthday instead of another alto. It’s like an extension of my voice, the sound in my head comes out so much better even on this cheap ass tenor.

Finally, I have to comment on the Copenhagen talks I suppose. Well, some of it. As expected, the world can’t agree on what to do. They managed to agree that something should be done. ‘Something’ to be defined at a later date. The best line from Obama: “America is leading the charge against climate change with its technologies…” Well – I raised my eyebrows at that. I suppose, to be fair, technologically they might be, but their attitude as a whole is astonishingly indifferent.

Thanks, random strangers and Malaysian awesomeness, see you both soon! ((I told myself two weeks of lepak before two weeks of studying/interspersed with enjoying myself, followed by a week of straight up studying))

Written December 20th, 2009, 20 hours before arrival on Malaysian soil

Whoah...

So a certain Indian Singaporean has been bugging me to update this blog. So I guess I will. The same Singaporean asked what I've been doing with my time in Malaysia, and now it's pretty much the same old stuff I did before I left the first time. Which, I guess, was kind of the point. Only now almost everyone's gone again, and I'm left with the stark reality of studying for exams. That being said, I'm still looking forward to going back to England.

Seeing most of my old teachers (except Craig & Fletcher) was a genuinely interesting experience. It's strange how differently Munro (David?) and O'Day (Shane?) talk to us now. Maybe it was just me not knowing them well enough, but some of their stories and advice... It was a bit out of this world. O'Days suggestion? TRY EVERYTHING! Naturally, I'll be taking it with a grain of salt: His college days sounded fun but unfortunately for me I also have some fairly challenging academic requirements from my parents.

Anyways, one of the recent posts from ANYONE on this place is from Syamira. Who apparently keeps this crap alive still. Her post about 2009 reminded me how different life was just one year ago. MKIS seniors were all in the same routine of getting up and going to school, worrying about high school problems. Now we're all over the world, starting anew. Brigid seems half as studious, Carl knows some Japanese, Greg and Anand are toughing out army life, my sisters working her ass off in uni, and I'm living on my own doing what I want to do 24/7 (or maybe... 20/7). The only constant seems to be Elena, who is always studying.

I'm just glad no ones living in the past. I think we've all managed to move on. Even Danial, Tahnee, and Amirah, who have been sitting around having a six/seven month vacation, all of them are finally going to a new stage in life.

Thanks everyone for a life changing 2009!

P.S. Enjoy the next few years. Anand, I'ma count the months till you get out of NS.