Being a Tourist and stuff

Travelled out of UK two days straight.

Monday was my last assignment hand in. Still wrapping my head around the whole being free thing. But I took the time to be free to finally explore a bit of UK’s sights.

Tuesday went to visit Clare and Max up in Colchester. I had that O2 free day out thing, so I redeemed it to visit Colchester Zoo. It was quite big. So much walking everywhere. But the animals were cute and I learned a thing or two. The animals shows from the other zoos I’ve been to were probably more interesting and fun, but it was still an overall good experience.

Meercats! They ran towards us when we came by. All them gathering around the wall we were standing by. Adorable, much.

Then yesterday I went to Thorpe Park with Kevin. We got there just before 2pm and had about three hours there. We got a fast pass ticket and skipped a 50 minute queue straight to the front of Stealth. This ride where you go super fast super fast. Haha. Loved the exhilaration rush.

We went on all these other awesome thrill rides too like the Samurai, Colossus, Saw, Vortex and the Nemesis Inferno. The Vortex really threw my stomach so I went really green after that. But managed to survive the Nemesis Inferno. We got to ride it twice as well because we were the last batch. Kevin said that all the rides were slower than before because they didn’t have a huge crowd to rush through. That’s disappointing, but then with the bigger crowds, the queues will be longer. So beggars can’t be choosers. But I really had fun. Especially with someone that was willing to go on all the rides with me.

On the Samurai. We managed to sneak a camera on. ;)

For dinner we stopped at Clapham Junction, had fish and chips then went to a bar for cocktails. A perfect way to end an awesome day. And I wasn’t too green anymore after getting something proper to eat.

End of an Era

It's my final year in university and I'll be handing in my final assignment on Monday. Then I'll be done with my Bachelors degree and quite possibly done with my education.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about that.

Yes, I am sick of studying. Sick of researching. And sick of writing essays. But then again, I'm also going to miss the free time I have. Because I have so little classes, there are days when I just lay around the house, sleep all day and just rot, in general. It was fine because the next day I could just catch up on work and finish everything before a deadline. But when you're an adult, holding a job, getting paid to keep living, it suddenly implodes on this responsibility on you that I don't know if I'm ready to handle.

Well, the first thing is to actually find a job. And that needs self-motivation, which I'm currently lacking. Sometimes I feel that because I've had such a lucky and pampered life, it makes me feel so settled that I feel no need to over-exceed and improve my current situation. I don't feel the need to go out and find a good job, do well in my essays and try and make contacts because I already have friends, parents that support me and managed to get accepted into a university by just doing what I already do. Is that bad? Does that make me ungrateful and selfish? It probably does.

On the plus side, getting a job will put some routine in my life, which I probably need. It'll stop me from lazing around and doing nothing. It'll actually get me out of the house and interact with people and make some money to take the burden off my parents.

People say I'm smart, kind and funny. Truthfully, I don't think I'm any of those things. Maybe I just need to find some self-confidence which will make me want to get out there and become better.

Sometimes you're afraid to try because you're afraid to fail.

Events time, babyyy

Oh yeaaah! I'm being going to be a busy but happy bee once this stupid dissertation and course assignments are over. Starting 4th of May I'll be free as a bee and to celebrate the ending of my education, I'm going to eat all the good food I can get my hands on, go to all the awesome events I've been only dreaming of going to and visit the UK proper. And then in June I've got GREEEECE. Things are looking good. Now, I just need to find people to go for all these things with.

• 7 May - Michael Woods/Kaskade at Ministry of Sound, London
• 7 May - Silent Nostalgia online store opening event at Graphic Bar
• Before 15 May - 2for1 Thorpe Park, Surrey - You have to redeeem the 2for1 voucher before 23 April 2011!
• Before 20 May - o2 Day Out at Colchester Zoo, Essex
• 20 May - Explosions in the Sky concert at Roundhouse (?)
• 26 May - End of Year Masquerade Ball at Tower Millenium Pier, London
• 6 - 13 June - MotherF*ckingGreece!!
• 18 June - flatmate's degree show
• 21 June - My TWENTY FIRST. omg.
• 1 July - Fly back to Malaysia

Oh, just realised there's a deadmau5 concert on 11 June at Victoria Park. Dammit, I'll be in Greece. But ahh, yea the tickets are £42.00 which even if I'm splurging is WAY out of my price range.

Will I see any of you guys at any of these events? :)

Pray for Japan

On March 11, an earthquake with a resulting tsunami hit Japan resulting in devastating destruction and chaos.

My prayers are with those affected by this unfortunate tragedy.

Few weeks ago, I went to a charity concert held at Mitsukoshi by Taro Hakase, a famous violinist and composer. They split the crowd into two groups so there were two sessions in order to reduce over crowding. I was in the second crowd. Waited outside for about 40 minutes before they switched the crowd. But in the end the wait was totally worth it. Watching him play, you can really see the expression on his face when he plays and the music was really good as well. He held a proper concert the following Friday at Cadogen's Hall for £1 a ticket. But by the time I tried to get tickets, it was completely sold out :(

Here's a short clip of his performance I managed to film. He's really amazing.

Last Friday I went to Shunt in London Bridge to check the place out. (Side note: They are closing the warehouse April 16, so make sure to check it out before then if you want.) My friend told me the place is this wild venue with male strippers with an alternative flavor. But when we arrived, it was more of an open warehouse with a makeshift lounge and a bar set up. On show was also a range of eclectic performances going on. The performances were held on these glass floors upstairs which was quite cool but we only stayed for two. We watched a dance by Masumi Saito also a tribute to Japan. Her movements were strong and at one point I think it looked like she was crying as she danced. It was dark. I couldn't make it out. But it was interesting to watch. The second one we caught was this séance thing called Dead and Buried by Annabel Sings. I don't know. I guess I'm just not "deep" enough to fully understand it.

I'm not the type to ever donate for anything. But I have this time. If you want to help, please donate to your respective bodies of charities. They will overcome this. :)

Was it All Worth It?

You go through life making mistakes and learning from them.

But after it all happens, do you still want things to go back to the way they were?

In the end, what you did and what you got, was it all worth it?

Sometimes I just wish there was an instruction manual to life. I hate this feeling right now. The feeling on not knowing whether what I feel is right or wrong.

Wasting My Life Away

Lately I've been lying around in bed too much.

I guess we can always just blame the fact that I'm ill and a sick person needs her rest. But its beginning to become a very bad habit.

On days when I don't have classes (which is most of my week), I'll stay up till 4am then I sleep till 4pm. And as winter comes, the sun doesn't really stay out long. Meaning I've actually haven't seen the sun in 4 days... hahahah. That sounds quite scary actually. Without seeing day and night pass before me, I lose track of days, of time passing by me. 5pm feels like 8pm, 8pm feels like midnight.. and so on. My parents are paying so much money for me to be in the UK, I should be using my time to the fullest, right?

Its not that I don't want to wake up. It's just too cold to get out of bed. Why would someone leave warmth for a day filled with such uncertainty. It's how I feel in your arms, its why sometimes all I want to do is hug you all day and never let go. I equate warmth and safety and comfort.

I don't know. I'm rambling. I should sleep, then and try and get some work done tomorrow. Even though I don't have classes, I should make something of my life.

Where are you, motivation?

Anger Rant: Protests

On Wednesday I went to the 2010 Demolition Protest on education cuts that are planned to be implemented.

Yeah, I’m all for education being affordable and all for people being given the right to study because of their hard work rather than their wealth, but seriously?! Breaking into Tory HQ, is that the best way to show you even deserve these government grants? Since WHEN has violence ever solved anything. Millions of years of war and we have learned nothing? Students storming into a building and breaking windows and stealing chairs is just reckless, immature and completely uncalled for.

Sure, I completely respect the idea of free speech. People are allowed to protest and show what they believe in, but causing random acts of idiotic violence really gets you no where. WHAT the HELL is going on in your bloody minds?! How were you raised that this protest against education cuts suddenly became this huge rave/bonfire night on who could destroy the most things?
Another thing, how did the police NOT see this coming? There are reckless children/”teenagers” with sign boards and a lot of pent up anger. You pass them straight across the path of the people they are protest against, of course they will do something. If they had foreseen this coming, none of this would have gotten so far.

Supposedly they expected it to be a peaceful protest because its organised by the NUS, but HELLOOOO hormonal teens looking for any area to release their angst. I just don’t understand. No matter how passionate I am about something it would never be in my nature to demolish other people’s property.

God. Are only the riots in Britain so ridiculous? I feel so unnecessarily angry at this. Ugh. Twats.