The more I'm in London, the more I think that I'm in a different country. The weather is still really bloody good and there are so many non English accents popping up everywhere I go. It's only the harsh reminder of how expensive everything is here that convinces me I'm in the right place. Public transport is the most expensive I reckon. I took a £25 train ride from Oxford to London today (yeah, that's pounds, not dollars!)... it's kinda sad too, because I went through the US not spending much but still getting much more in return whereas here I'm just spending money recklessly.
Spending two nights in Oxford with Scott was a lot of fun. His fiancé, Cathy, is really sweet and friendly. The first day was really relaxing, we just walked around Oxford and went sightseeing. The second day, however, was very different. Scott pooled all of his liquor together from previous parties and social gatherings and we played one of the most interesting and deadly drinking games I've ever heard of. It's a two person game. Each person gets two double shot glasses and they have to add any combination of liquor into those shot glasses for the other person to drink. Scott mixed me a very disgusting cocktail of pure; Jägermeister, Tequila and Vodka whereas I gave him; Rum, triple sec and beer. After playing the drinking game we went into the city to buy some overpriced alcohol and to socialise with the Sunday evening alcoholics. It turns out 5 months in the states has given me an amazing tolerance to alcohol because I ended up holding a bucket between Scotty's head while I was just tipsy.
Ok, now here's a story not related to alcohol. Scott and I went 'punting' (kind of like canoeing, but much less efficient) earlier on that day through a nice river. Because I'm physically retarded, I accidentally crashed our boat into a paddock, and instead of just pushing the boat out of the mud, I decided it would be a good idea to walk onto someone else's land bare foot and pet some cows. Scott has a video of me annoying the crap out of a cow by trying to feed it grass followed by a small clip of me giving up and running back onto the boat before I got charged at.
I'm back at Alex's at the moment preparing myself for the journey over to Kiran's. I'm looking forward to it. I haven't seen Kiran in ages. Also, apparently my brother has some reputation with Kiran from the last time they were together. It's going to be my duty to uphold the James family honour and live up to this reputation.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
England
I arrived in Heathrow Airport on the 23rd early in the morning. Acting like a retarded zombie from the flight, I grabbed my bag and sluggishly made my way to the money exchanger where I turned what was left of my American dollars into pounds and Euros. Getting public transport from the airport to my cousin’s place was much easier than I had predicted. The trains, tubes and busses are labelled very well which makes it easy for dumb tourists like me to get around. I suspect one of the main reasons they've put in so much effort into making London so tourist friendly is because the Olympic Games are coming up super soon. In fact, the Olympic Games must have been inspired a lot of national pride because you can easily notice a lot of UK flags scattered throughout the city. Still, there are nowhere near as many flags as Texas. Oh, did I forget to mention that the Texas flag is the only flag in the states which can be elevated to the same height as the American flag? Facts are fun.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, my flight. So yeah, I ended up sitting next to a retired elderly couple which lived in Leeds on the flight. Apparently I must have made a good first impression because they gave me their address and phone number and told me I could crash at their place if I needed to. I'll probably take them up on it assuming I'm not too drunk when I need a place to stay.
Alright, so, I've already stayed at Alex and Vicky's place for 2 nights, Andrews for one night, and I'm currently crashing at Scott's (technically Cathy's) place in Oxford. It's really nice meeting up with my cousins again. Not much has changed. They're all just as I remember them. Whilst I love all my cousins, I've noticed there is a lot of hostility between themselves that is well hidden by transparent, polite greetings.
On my first night here, I got pissed (the good kind of pissed) with Vicky at the local pub. I really like her; she's friendly and very social.
The following day I got drunk (the bad kind of drunk) with Andrew at a club called Aquum. Girls are so much more stuck up in clubs here... I approached a few girls in the club expecting them to be totally amazed by my accent. Instead, I got a very polite 'fuck off vibe' from them. I miss American house parties :(
I've been surviving without internet for a day and a half now. In this time it's really made me speculate on how people used to socialise without the internet. How sad is that, eh?
Overall I enjoy London. The people here are very friendly and the weather is good (not what you'd expect, eh?). I'm particularly looking forward to travelling up north to visit Leeds. I've heard it's more of a young peoples place.
I've found myself sleeping about 10 hours per night and still feeling tired during the day. I'm not sure why though, I should have recovered from jet lag. I think my body must be slowly adjusting to a sugarless diet :p
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, my flight. So yeah, I ended up sitting next to a retired elderly couple which lived in Leeds on the flight. Apparently I must have made a good first impression because they gave me their address and phone number and told me I could crash at their place if I needed to. I'll probably take them up on it assuming I'm not too drunk when I need a place to stay.
Alright, so, I've already stayed at Alex and Vicky's place for 2 nights, Andrews for one night, and I'm currently crashing at Scott's (technically Cathy's) place in Oxford. It's really nice meeting up with my cousins again. Not much has changed. They're all just as I remember them. Whilst I love all my cousins, I've noticed there is a lot of hostility between themselves that is well hidden by transparent, polite greetings.
On my first night here, I got pissed (the good kind of pissed) with Vicky at the local pub. I really like her; she's friendly and very social.
The following day I got drunk (the bad kind of drunk) with Andrew at a club called Aquum. Girls are so much more stuck up in clubs here... I approached a few girls in the club expecting them to be totally amazed by my accent. Instead, I got a very polite 'fuck off vibe' from them. I miss American house parties :(
I've been surviving without internet for a day and a half now. In this time it's really made me speculate on how people used to socialise without the internet. How sad is that, eh?
Overall I enjoy London. The people here are very friendly and the weather is good (not what you'd expect, eh?). I'm particularly looking forward to travelling up north to visit Leeds. I've heard it's more of a young peoples place.
I've found myself sleeping about 10 hours per night and still feeling tired during the day. I'm not sure why though, I should have recovered from jet lag. I think my body must be slowly adjusting to a sugarless diet :p
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Final Goodbyes
Marissa, Irma, Jason, two of Marissa's friends and I went to 6 flags on my last day as a parting gift to trademark my time in America. Whilst I only got to try 2 rides and despite being socially unable to fully fit into Marissa's friend group (not because they were unfriendly, but because I was unequipped to understand their high school jokes/ comments), I still found it a worthwhile and enjoyable experience. One ride, the Freezer, came somewhat close to be as terrifying and invigorating as skydiving. After our small detour to the theme park, we all drove down to the airport to give our final goodbyes. Both Marissa and Irma were so overcome with pure emotion that they were barely able to speak without being drowned in their own tears. I'm pretty sure I noticed a small glint in Jason's eye too. Before I knew it, I was stranded in the waiting room provoking goodbyes and well wishes via mass text while Irma and the gang headed back to 6 Flags to make the most out of their $40 tickets.
The Goodbyes and Well wishes didn't start or end at the Airport. For the last month I've been milking the fact that I'm leaving America as just another way of getting unearned attention. This prolonged goodbye has served me well though because it's given me a chance to say goodbye to some very special friends that I've had here - one of them being Christian - a fantastic friend and (ironically) a fellow atheist.
Oh and before I forget, Marissa's car will be forever scared with crude calculus markings made by me and a friend of hers. I know this will be permanent because I'm certain she'll never get around to washing it :p
Now for the most important bit, the bit where I talk about; (1) How much America has changed my life, (2) How much I've learned and (3) the lasting impressions the US has left on me. Well, (1) I've gotten very unfit and my liver is now just a dead organ floating around in my body. (2) Academically I've learned nothing, but socially I've learned never to pass out with my shoes on. And (3) America and especially Texas is an amazing place filled with the friendliest and most social people. I've lived a different life while I've been here - a life I want to live when I come back home. I've realised that one of the reasons America has been so great is because my outlook and the way I've acted had changed too. I think any country can be amazing if you allow it to be. But before I get carried away with overly dramatic conclusions, I should probably say my trip hasn't ended yet, it's just changed. I can still continue the limbo of binge drinking and not doing any work in Europe. If I can summarise my entire trip to America in in one emoticon it would probably be this - ;')
Now back to the boring intricate details of my day. I watched the movie "love actually" on the plane which I later realised was the worst movie to watch when you're trying to get over the US. Also, I was given an excellent cheese cake which I've only now just realised is incredibly symbolic (read the first post of me in the US).
I'm not going to talk about Europe too much in this post, but I will say I'm excited about seeing my cousins, but not too excited about the hassle of organising myself about their crazy public transport system.
GOODBYE AMERICA! YOU'VE BEEN AWESOME!
The Goodbyes and Well wishes didn't start or end at the Airport. For the last month I've been milking the fact that I'm leaving America as just another way of getting unearned attention. This prolonged goodbye has served me well though because it's given me a chance to say goodbye to some very special friends that I've had here - one of them being Christian - a fantastic friend and (ironically) a fellow atheist.
Oh and before I forget, Marissa's car will be forever scared with crude calculus markings made by me and a friend of hers. I know this will be permanent because I'm certain she'll never get around to washing it :p
Now for the most important bit, the bit where I talk about; (1) How much America has changed my life, (2) How much I've learned and (3) the lasting impressions the US has left on me. Well, (1) I've gotten very unfit and my liver is now just a dead organ floating around in my body. (2) Academically I've learned nothing, but socially I've learned never to pass out with my shoes on. And (3) America and especially Texas is an amazing place filled with the friendliest and most social people. I've lived a different life while I've been here - a life I want to live when I come back home. I've realised that one of the reasons America has been so great is because my outlook and the way I've acted had changed too. I think any country can be amazing if you allow it to be. But before I get carried away with overly dramatic conclusions, I should probably say my trip hasn't ended yet, it's just changed. I can still continue the limbo of binge drinking and not doing any work in Europe. If I can summarise my entire trip to America in in one emoticon it would probably be this - ;')
Now back to the boring intricate details of my day. I watched the movie "love actually" on the plane which I later realised was the worst movie to watch when you're trying to get over the US. Also, I was given an excellent cheese cake which I've only now just realised is incredibly symbolic (read the first post of me in the US).
I'm not going to talk about Europe too much in this post, but I will say I'm excited about seeing my cousins, but not too excited about the hassle of organising myself about their crazy public transport system.
GOODBYE AMERICA! YOU'VE BEEN AWESOME!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Dallas
I started traveling up to Dallas in the evening yesterday. I was super lucky to find Marissa to give me a lift and give me a place to stay until my flight. Words cannot express how great it was to meet her family and go shooting with her Dad. We tried out 3 guns today; a 22 cal rifle, a 9mm semi automatic pistol, and my personal favorite - the 12 gauge semi automatic shotgun! Her granddad lives on a farm with 190 acres (about 1km^2?) of empty ground. I lived a delayed childhood by jumping around on stacks of hay with Marissa's sister! It was great fun!
The drive up was really enjoyable. It was great blasting Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Disturbed at max volume the entire way. Regretfully however, Marissa was caught speeding 85mph in a 70mph zone half way through the trip. Despite that it was kind of awesome to see a policeman approach the car just like policemen depicted in American movies, I feel that stress levels were elevated way too high when we came really close to getting a parking ticket in the same day!
While Marissa is being very nice and friendly around me, I still feel like I'm becoming a bit overbearing for her. I'm going to see if I can buy a bottle of wine for her parents tomorrow - hopefully that will smooth things out a bit.
I might be going to 6 flags tomorrow. It's a world famous theme park that I've been told is 'a must'.
Oh and before I forget, the UT career advising place is useless! Gurr! But at least I ended up talking to Marissa's Dad who has some great contacts in Water Filtration plants around Austin. :)
I need to remind myself to get an English bank account, sim card, and travel back pack once I get to England.
My time in America is almost over...
The drive up was really enjoyable. It was great blasting Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Disturbed at max volume the entire way. Regretfully however, Marissa was caught speeding 85mph in a 70mph zone half way through the trip. Despite that it was kind of awesome to see a policeman approach the car just like policemen depicted in American movies, I feel that stress levels were elevated way too high when we came really close to getting a parking ticket in the same day!
While Marissa is being very nice and friendly around me, I still feel like I'm becoming a bit overbearing for her. I'm going to see if I can buy a bottle of wine for her parents tomorrow - hopefully that will smooth things out a bit.
I might be going to 6 flags tomorrow. It's a world famous theme park that I've been told is 'a must'.
Oh and before I forget, the UT career advising place is useless! Gurr! But at least I ended up talking to Marissa's Dad who has some great contacts in Water Filtration plants around Austin. :)
I need to remind myself to get an English bank account, sim card, and travel back pack once I get to England.
My time in America is almost over...
Saturday, May 19, 2012
suicide
Earlier today I jumped out of a plane 2 miles in the air and free fell 120 MPH vertically downward.
It was only 1 minute of free fall, but I enjoyed and fully experienced every second of it. The adrenalin rush was overwhelming for that 1/2 second you jump out of the plane. I was ordered to keep my hands in and legs tucked, but I trusted the bloke strapped to me from behind enough to abandon all safety precautions. Just for fun, I decided to leave the plane doing the 'superman' - legs and arms fully extended. The feeling of free fall, followed by the visual of plummeting downwards to the ground, mixed with a bunch of spins and back flips was just pure extacy.
The jump was followed by nice cool beer waiting for me at the end. A perfect finish to a perfect day.
I've wanted to see the country side of America quite badly in the last week. Now I found a way to see all the countryside at once :).
My roommate left this morning to San Antonio. Regretfully he didn't say goodbye in person which is quite disappointing but at least he sent me a text saying goodbye.
I'm heading up to Dallas tomorrow. It was a tough decision to move to Dallas this soon. I was very tempted to stay in Austin and experience every last drop of a social life I can siphon from it. But I think it's better to move to Dallas sooner if only just to experience a different city rather than over commit to just Austin - even though 'dead Austin' is still amazing.
Oh yeah, I officially have NO CLEAN CLOTHES. I literally had to do laundry in my underwear as soon as I got back from skydiving. In fact, it's probably done now. :)
It was only 1 minute of free fall, but I enjoyed and fully experienced every second of it. The adrenalin rush was overwhelming for that 1/2 second you jump out of the plane. I was ordered to keep my hands in and legs tucked, but I trusted the bloke strapped to me from behind enough to abandon all safety precautions. Just for fun, I decided to leave the plane doing the 'superman' - legs and arms fully extended. The feeling of free fall, followed by the visual of plummeting downwards to the ground, mixed with a bunch of spins and back flips was just pure extacy.
The jump was followed by nice cool beer waiting for me at the end. A perfect finish to a perfect day.
I've wanted to see the country side of America quite badly in the last week. Now I found a way to see all the countryside at once :).
My roommate left this morning to San Antonio. Regretfully he didn't say goodbye in person which is quite disappointing but at least he sent me a text saying goodbye.
I'm heading up to Dallas tomorrow. It was a tough decision to move to Dallas this soon. I was very tempted to stay in Austin and experience every last drop of a social life I can siphon from it. But I think it's better to move to Dallas sooner if only just to experience a different city rather than over commit to just Austin - even though 'dead Austin' is still amazing.
Oh yeah, I officially have NO CLEAN CLOTHES. I literally had to do laundry in my underwear as soon as I got back from skydiving. In fact, it's probably done now. :)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
final days
So staying at Viveks is pretty cool! He leaves at 8:00am every morning to go study for his PhD qualifying exams while I sleep in till 12:30 and surf around on facebook for a few hours until I have the energy to go outside and complete a 5 minute errand. I got in touch with my Dads friend Al Winchester who lives really close to where we are. He invited both Vivek and I for a BBQ at his place. That's right, free food! I'll try not to resort to overused Australian colloquialisms like "aww, put another shrimp on the barbie will ya?" while I'm there, but I'm not sure if I can control myself. That reminds me, I actually used 'crikey' in a sentence the other day just for fun. I swear I must have warped everyone's perception of Australia into something completely false. For example, Americans here think I have a really strong Australian accent!
I might be going SKY DIVING tomorrow! HOLY CRAP! Marissa has a friend doing Electrical Engineering who has some connection to the sky diving company for some reason (I don't get the connection either). Either way, I think we can find a super cheap deal if we skip out on expensive but mandatory safety equipment. I mean who really needs a spare parachute anyway? I feel kinda bad because a friend of mine, David, just went skydiving so he must think that I'm trying to 1 - up him.
Jonathan can't make it to Austin. I can't say I'm too surprised, but I'm not disappointed in him - I know it's a long way to travel just to see someone you haven't seen in 2 years. I'm glad that he at least put in the effort to get into contact with me and try to make ends meet.
I need to transfer my American dollars into Pounds and Euros in preparation for the final part of my trip. So I'm about to head off to the bank to do that now.
I've finally finished planning my trip to Europe! Well, the basics anyway. Travel and specific timings are still flexible.
I'm planning to travel to Hamilton Pool later on today. Apparently it's a beautiful natural pool that has engraved itself into rock which gives it a very special look. Yes I just made that shit up - I have no idea how it formed the way it did. But none the less, it's quite a touristy destination - so it'll be good to travel there!
Oh yeah, my ex roommate has made it his duty to text me a number every morning which corresponds to how many days I have left in Austin. I think it's a depressingly hilarious idea.
I might be going SKY DIVING tomorrow! HOLY CRAP! Marissa has a friend doing Electrical Engineering who has some connection to the sky diving company for some reason (I don't get the connection either). Either way, I think we can find a super cheap deal if we skip out on expensive but mandatory safety equipment. I mean who really needs a spare parachute anyway? I feel kinda bad because a friend of mine, David, just went skydiving so he must think that I'm trying to 1 - up him.
Jonathan can't make it to Austin. I can't say I'm too surprised, but I'm not disappointed in him - I know it's a long way to travel just to see someone you haven't seen in 2 years. I'm glad that he at least put in the effort to get into contact with me and try to make ends meet.
I need to transfer my American dollars into Pounds and Euros in preparation for the final part of my trip. So I'm about to head off to the bank to do that now.
I've finally finished planning my trip to Europe! Well, the basics anyway. Travel and specific timings are still flexible.
I'm planning to travel to Hamilton Pool later on today. Apparently it's a beautiful natural pool that has engraved itself into rock which gives it a very special look. Yes I just made that shit up - I have no idea how it formed the way it did. But none the less, it's quite a touristy destination - so it'll be good to travel there!
Oh yeah, my ex roommate has made it his duty to text me a number every morning which corresponds to how many days I have left in Austin. I think it's a depressingly hilarious idea.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
A week left to go
Moore Hill is kicking me out at 9am tomorrow morning. I really should be packing up my stuff now but I'm tired and I feel like procrastinating. Fernando has offered to let me crash on the floor in his place and Vivek has offered me to sleep on a bed in a 2 person apartment. I think this is a no-brainer. I'm going to crash with Vivek for a few days - maybe till the 19th, and then I'm going to leave to Dallas. It will be quite interesting cooking for myself for 4 days after 5 months of being spoon fed.
I'm in the process of organizing Europe - but at the moment I have more pressing matters like finishing my American beer flag. I've got to prioritize people!
I'm in the process of organizing Europe - but at the moment I have more pressing matters like finishing my American beer flag. I've got to prioritize people!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Texas Video
I made the final touches on my video. It's now done :)
Unfortunately YouTube wouldn't let me upload the video because it contains music. So I had to save the video onto Facebook.
If you want to see it, just go to my Facebook profile on the 14th May and you should find it :)
Unfortunately YouTube wouldn't let me upload the video because it contains music. So I had to save the video onto Facebook.
If you want to see it, just go to my Facebook profile on the 14th May and you should find it :)
BIG NEWS
BIG NEWS! I bought a new tooth brush and toothpaste!
Also, I finished my last exam today. It's quite a lot off my shoulders. Between gorging on food, relaxing in the hot tub, and taking strolls down to Zilker Park, I've been super stressed about my 1 exam. But to be honest, I only actually started heavily studying for this exam a few days ago. Not all my time has been wasted though! I've got a bit more of Europe organized.
Speaking of wasting time - I've got an Engineering Vibrations report due in 4 hours. Probably should finish that...
Also, I finished my last exam today. It's quite a lot off my shoulders. Between gorging on food, relaxing in the hot tub, and taking strolls down to Zilker Park, I've been super stressed about my 1 exam. But to be honest, I only actually started heavily studying for this exam a few days ago. Not all my time has been wasted though! I've got a bit more of Europe organized.
Speaking of wasting time - I've got an Engineering Vibrations report due in 4 hours. Probably should finish that...
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Injuries
I really hurt my hip about a week ago while running. I had damaged it earlier in the semester doing weights, but it only recently came up again while running. I was doing a loop around the UT stadium and I heard a loud 'pop'. I'm sure it's nothing serious, I bet it just needs some time to heal. But this is really bad timing because the Gym is not open for as long as it used to be during the semester, and I really want to go running to relieve the stress of exams. Ironically this happened while trying out my new running shoes which were purchased for the soul purpose of preventing long term injury...
I'm having my farewell party tonight. This should be fun. I'm going to purchase some alcohol in a few hours.
Jonathan is being quite good in responding to my skype calls and facebook messages. I've really been on his case about whether he's going to come to Texas (in a non annoying way). He says that flights are way too expensive at the moment to fly to Austin and back from Dallas. But he assures me that he's working a shit tonne to afford a super cheap flight. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I honestly feel that he's not going to make it to Austin - it's too late. Yet I'm still complemented that he's putting in the effort to try. Fortunately this doesn't affect my travel plans around Austin/ Dallas before my flight. Either way I was planning to make my way up to Dallas with Marissa.
There is so much organizing to do for Europe. I'm slowly progressing every day that goes past. But there are still small details that need to be hammered down.
10 days to go :(
I'm having my farewell party tonight. This should be fun. I'm going to purchase some alcohol in a few hours.
Jonathan is being quite good in responding to my skype calls and facebook messages. I've really been on his case about whether he's going to come to Texas (in a non annoying way). He says that flights are way too expensive at the moment to fly to Austin and back from Dallas. But he assures me that he's working a shit tonne to afford a super cheap flight. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I honestly feel that he's not going to make it to Austin - it's too late. Yet I'm still complemented that he's putting in the effort to try. Fortunately this doesn't affect my travel plans around Austin/ Dallas before my flight. Either way I was planning to make my way up to Dallas with Marissa.
There is so much organizing to do for Europe. I'm slowly progressing every day that goes past. But there are still small details that need to be hammered down.
10 days to go :(
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Rugby and Football
I was about to study, but then I remembered this funny story which I wanted to write down before I forgot.
Last week I found myself at a formal with a friend of mine in a bar downtown where I knew pretty much no one. I eventually introduced myself to this bloke who also knew no one. We got talking about sports (so cliche, I know), and he asked me whether I played rugby. Of course I said I did because I wanted to live up to the Australian stereotype as much as possible. Little did I know that this guy played professional rugby for UT. My bullshit skills were put to the test when he asked me about; what positions I played, changes in rules over the last few years and different tournaments. Needless to say, within a few minutes he figured out that I had never played rugby in my life and had barely even watched a game...
It's not fair! Americans should stick to playing American sports like American Football and lacrosse! They shouldn't know any other sports! This whole fiasco has made me really start reconsidering whether I should stop claiming to be a professional surfer...
At least the bar had a free bar tab :D
Last week I found myself at a formal with a friend of mine in a bar downtown where I knew pretty much no one. I eventually introduced myself to this bloke who also knew no one. We got talking about sports (so cliche, I know), and he asked me whether I played rugby. Of course I said I did because I wanted to live up to the Australian stereotype as much as possible. Little did I know that this guy played professional rugby for UT. My bullshit skills were put to the test when he asked me about; what positions I played, changes in rules over the last few years and different tournaments. Needless to say, within a few minutes he figured out that I had never played rugby in my life and had barely even watched a game...
It's not fair! Americans should stick to playing American sports like American Football and lacrosse! They shouldn't know any other sports! This whole fiasco has made me really start reconsidering whether I should stop claiming to be a professional surfer...
At least the bar had a free bar tab :D
upcoming events
As usual, I'm planning a farewell party just a few days in advance. But thanks to Facebook and the nature of the event, I think people will still show up. Oh and by 'nature of the event' I don't mean it's my farewell party, I mean quite a bit of alcohol will be supplied. The party is on the 12th which is 2 days before my Engineering vibrations report and my Engineering Mechanics of Solids final. It's probably a bad idea to host a farewell party just prior to my big exams, but a lot of people are leaving right after their exams finish, so I really wanted to make it as early as possible.
While I'm on the topic of ruining futures - a kid named Nick (no one knows his last name..) got run over by a bus earlier in the week. Don't worry he's fine. But there is a youtube video of the event. Needless to say, this kid is now an internet celebrity and a giant hub for creative UT Memes. I think this event is inspiring dozens of young people into thinking that a quick and easy way to gain celebrity status is to risk getting mortally injured by public transportation.
My beer flag is still incomplete! It's been my mission to create an American beer flag out of 170 different coloured beer cans, and while I have easily had more than 170 beers while I've been here, I have not been able to bring them back to my ultra controlling dorm.
While I'm on the topic of Moore Hill, all dorms have decided that at 12:00am no music and no guests are allowed into the dorm. This is awful! I happen to be a huge fan of listening to 'Sail by Awolnation' at max volume at 2:00am. I'm pretty sure they should create a new rule than no BAD music can be played after midnight. I honestly think my dorm-mates like the sound of my obnoxiously loud bass rocking their rooms at night.
Whilst it has been kind of nice to have Moore Hill as a mellow and relaxing space, it's also been incredibly frustrating. I'm a little bit regretful that I didn't get to know Collin (my roommate) as well as I wished I had. I'm not sure who's to blame for that. I'm usually out for most of the day meeting random people or doing different events, but when I come back to the dorm, Collin is always either watching a replay of 'Minecraft' or playing some flashgame. Don't get me wrong! I love computer games! They make the world a better place. But it's been really quite tough to socialize with my roommate when he is always way more interested in the computer screen. Only now do I have a overwhelming sense of sympathy for my mum when she tries to talk to me when I play xbox on the couch. Sorry mum :S
I've got 20 minutes until J2 closes, so I'll make the rest of this post short. I'm running dangerously low on supplies. My toothbrush is broken, I'm out of toothpaste & deodorant and my clothes desperately need washing (even by my standards). But these are all small issues. As of 4 days and 3 hours ago, I officially ran out of Dine in Dollar AND Bevo Bucks - which means I have to pay full price (in real money!) for food at J2, JCL and Kinsolving. The hunt for free food around campus begins...
While I'm on the topic of ruining futures - a kid named Nick (no one knows his last name..) got run over by a bus earlier in the week. Don't worry he's fine. But there is a youtube video of the event. Needless to say, this kid is now an internet celebrity and a giant hub for creative UT Memes. I think this event is inspiring dozens of young people into thinking that a quick and easy way to gain celebrity status is to risk getting mortally injured by public transportation.
My beer flag is still incomplete! It's been my mission to create an American beer flag out of 170 different coloured beer cans, and while I have easily had more than 170 beers while I've been here, I have not been able to bring them back to my ultra controlling dorm.
While I'm on the topic of Moore Hill, all dorms have decided that at 12:00am no music and no guests are allowed into the dorm. This is awful! I happen to be a huge fan of listening to 'Sail by Awolnation' at max volume at 2:00am. I'm pretty sure they should create a new rule than no BAD music can be played after midnight. I honestly think my dorm-mates like the sound of my obnoxiously loud bass rocking their rooms at night.
Whilst it has been kind of nice to have Moore Hill as a mellow and relaxing space, it's also been incredibly frustrating. I'm a little bit regretful that I didn't get to know Collin (my roommate) as well as I wished I had. I'm not sure who's to blame for that. I'm usually out for most of the day meeting random people or doing different events, but when I come back to the dorm, Collin is always either watching a replay of 'Minecraft' or playing some flashgame. Don't get me wrong! I love computer games! They make the world a better place. But it's been really quite tough to socialize with my roommate when he is always way more interested in the computer screen. Only now do I have a overwhelming sense of sympathy for my mum when she tries to talk to me when I play xbox on the couch. Sorry mum :S
I've got 20 minutes until J2 closes, so I'll make the rest of this post short. I'm running dangerously low on supplies. My toothbrush is broken, I'm out of toothpaste & deodorant and my clothes desperately need washing (even by my standards). But these are all small issues. As of 4 days and 3 hours ago, I officially ran out of Dine in Dollar AND Bevo Bucks - which means I have to pay full price (in real money!) for food at J2, JCL and Kinsolving. The hunt for free food around campus begins...
Monday, May 7, 2012
Schoooooollls out for the summer!
Classes ended 3 days ago on Friday and now I'm in 'dead week' - a week dedicated to just pure studying for students. I've got mixed feelings about this event. I'm kind of happy that I no longer have to feel guilty about not attending my philosophy classes, but I'm also disappointed that I can't easily socialize with my classmates. I guess I'm viewing this whole event a little too symbolically.
Oh yeah, Etienne left to go to France yesterday for a holiday. He's going to be there until the 26th which means that I'm not going to see him when he comes back because I'm in London on the 23rd. Vivek is still around though, so I can still chill with him.
Oh and Jonathan contacted me yesterday and today about traveling to Texas. He's pretty indifferent about where he wants to go in Texas which is good because it gives me the flexibility to chose where I want to go. I'm going to look into 'couch surfers' - an online website dedicated to poor hobos who are looking for places to stay for free. Jonathan says he's done it several times before, and it's totally safe.
And lastly, this new version of googleblogger is pretty crap. It can't save spaces, so I can't separate paragraphs. So that's why I've been seeming much more illiterate in the last 2 weeks.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
New Zealand
I was having lunch with the same group of people that I usually have lunch with. But Christine brought one of her friends with her. He was fascinated with Australia, and I was fascinated at his fascination. At one point he asked me whether New Zealand was an English speaking country. Almost crying when I said it was, but I really should have told him that it was a French colony used as a giant warehouse for European Nukes - I have a feeling he would have believed everything I said.
I have a philosophy exam tomorrow. Shiiieeet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)