Wilson & Week 2

Well, it's Thursday night again (actually it's 2 a.m. early Friday morning but my laptop's still set on M'sian time so it's still 11 p.m. Thursday night - humour me, won't ya?) and here I am, ecstatic that I have no classes tomorrow. Apparently a lot of the other students don't have classes tomorrow either, and spend their Thursday nights out partyin' and stuff.

The week has passed so quickly! It's the 12th of March today (now I'm thinking Aussie-time), and on the 12th of February I was just starting out my journey, boarding a plane and leaving my home for the first time. It's amazing how time passes when you're enjoying yourself. For yes, I have been enjoying myself, and immensely. When I walk back home each evening after class, I can't help but stare around at the scenery in wonder, and to be frank with you, it still hasn't quite sunk in that I'm really here in Aussie-land (as I like to call it). It's been an amazing adventure so far: I've been to Darling Harbour, seen the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge (albeit from afar), taken a ferry, eaten kangaroo, befriended a coconut (more on this later), gotten lost in the middle of Mardi Gras, gone to a bar, downed multiple glasses of wine, lounged on Manly Beach, visited the Glebe Markets, been surrounded by drunken dancing people, fed ducks that weren't quite ducks, dropped a course, and yup, even been late for a lecture!

And about the part where I befriended a coconut: remember that movie where Tom Hanks got stranded on an island? And the only friend he had was Wilson? I had my very own Wilson two days ago. A friend gave me a dried-up old coconut, and I thought he'd make a refreshing drink. But he looked so cute, I decided to keep him for a few hours, and decided to name him Wilson.

Wilson wasn't the talkative type, so I did most of the talking (I didn't mind, he's a good listener). I set him in front of the telly and we watched some shows together in peaceful harmony. Then I got thirsty at about 10.30 p.m., and decided Wilson had to go. So I cut him open (it took three knives to pry him open), but at long last I managed to shake out some juice. Anticipated the refreshing sweetness of coconut water... Got a salty-sour rotten taste of what little juice I shook out and immediately spat it out and spent the rest of the night licking Vegemite to get rid of the taste on my tongue. I threw Wilson into the rubbish dump this morning. Alas, poor Wilson, I knew him well... He was a good friend, while he lasted.

And today I was late for the first time (first time in USyd, that is) to a lecture. What happened was this: I received an email a few days back that my student campus card had arrived, and that I had to collect it from Fisher Library, where the Student Card Centre is located. I still find this strange, as my other friends received their cards in the mail. Why me? Anyway, I went yesterday but the queue was too long and it was nearly time for my lecture, so I left. Today I reached the card collection place at 4.30 p.m. and thought I had ample time because my lecture was only at 5 p.m. so I stood patiently in line. By 4.50 p.m. I still hadn't received my card. By 4.55 p.m. I was waiting for them to locate my card. By 5.00 p.m. I was hiking it as fast as my short legs could carry me all the way to John Woolley Bldg, where my lecture was. I was 10 minutes late. The room was packed full of people, and I ended up having to sit on a chair (very good), but without a table (very bad). So that's how I was late for the first time here in Aussie-land.

But really, as Su-Wen has pointed out, they've given us way too many cards. We're students, not businessmen, and really it's a struggle just trying to keep track of all the cards we now have. Kinda like the proverbial albatross around our necks. There's a card for some club I'm apparently in that qualifies you for certain activities and events (and free food), and then there's a card called the Access Card which enables us to join clubs here and be part of the student body, and then there's another card that lets us claim free issues of The Sydney Morning Herald (the local newspaper) daily, and of course there's my bank card and my student campus card. Way too many cards, I'm sure you'll agree.

Oh, I went to Broadway again today! First I went to K-Mart where I purchased a set of 12 plastic hangers for $3.75, then I went down to Coles and managed to get 2 bottles of pasta sauce for $3 (3 for 2), a 1.25 litre bottle of lemonade for 59 cents, and 6 bars of soap for $1.80 (housebrand so it's super cheap). One of these days I'll take a picture and blog about my pasta collection. I've got enough to last me through winter break (although this morning a staff member told me there'll actually be food available at the dining hall, I might just decide not to pay for the food and just cook my own stuff, since I'll be more free without lectures and all).

So that's it for tonight. Time to sleep sleep sleep in this cool cool cool weather (it's hit a maximum temperature of 22 - 23 degrees Celsius these couple of days), so goodnight people! Cheers!