Explosive events

Quite a few things have happened over the past few days, chief of which is my return to the Land of Perpetual Rainfall of the Depressive-Type. And I figured I'd jot my thoughts down in little digestible bits, to prevent a diarrhoea of comments and thoughts that might prove to be a little unwieldy to follow.

• Graduation was on Weds. I have to say it wasn't the most pleasant of events, 'cause we had to endure the typical English weather of a constant pouring, and the university folks didn't actually have the foresight (or weren't bothered) to provide a marquee or tent of some sort for the parents, friends and graduands.
  
  
  
  




• Received my 'scroll' from Chris Patten, who's the chancellor for both Oxford and it's less glamorous counterpart, Newcastle Uni. Took the usual pics, and professional ones as well where I'm sure I was grinning like an idiot. But the outward smiles and the hearty laughter just served to mask my true feelings (which were reflected by the rain) at the thought that my Sweetie wasn't around to share this moment with me, and heck, I'm been missing her like MAD since I got back. But here's hoping that there'll be an MRCP graduation ceremony which she'll be able to attend.







• London won the Olympic 2012 bid on the same day, and the day after (which happened to be the day the G8 summit at Gleneagles was officially opened), a number of bombs (4, I think) exploded throughout London. So far, about 50 have died and 700 wounded. One of the Al-Qaeda-linked groups have claimed responsibility, but it's a little bit premature to lay the blame on anyone in particular. I hope it's not them, 'cause something as stupid and unnecessary like this only serves to stoke hatred against the perpetrators.
• Our good friend CT has managed to sprain her leg, leaving her mobility rather impaired. After hours of worry and concern (since she was in London), she returned home yesterday to be bullied and made-fun-of by yours truly and the other housemates. All in good nature, of course. I even managed to postpone her bedtime by falling asleep on her bed.
• One of the worst things I could wish upon anyone is to spend a day shopping with my mum and sister. The fickleness, the languishing... it's like going to the shops with the typical girl you read about in books. At any given hour, I'd have this urge to knock my head against the wall, especially when the songs played at the a shop has ran its loop. Sweetie and I both enjoy shopping, but I thank God, the moon, the sun, the stars and any other object that has been accorded deity-like status that we not only have similar tastes, but similar shopping habits as well.




• That brings me to my next point - for those who think I'm rather calm and patient, you ought to try and do something silly or stupid or extremely annoying when I've been deprived of sleep. Chances are, you'll be snapped at, at the very least. I have this feeling that my level of tolerance has been decreasing lately, but here's hoping that it ain't that bad...




• The family went to Durham and the Metrocentre yesterday. Weather's been lovely since graduation day (unsurprisingly), and today we're off to the Lake District, Carlisle (although I've been trying to convince them that there's nothing much to see there) and on to Glasgow. Plan to go up the Lochs during the weekend, spend Monday at Edin and return to Newcastle by Monday night. Main reason I thought we'd cover Scotland was 'cause my parents have only been up to the Lake District, and have never been to Scotland.




• My parents actually got married in England approx. 30 years ago, and it's funny (both funny-weird and funny-ha-ha) to see them walking around like newly-weds, hand in hand and smiling and laughing and reminiscing about the past. My dad even bought a ring for my mum and there was a little ceremony in the room where he placed the ring on her finger. I guess I'm happy that their love for each other is still strong after all these years, but it's still kinda odd watching it!




• My appetite's finally back, and the nasty-looking throat is back to its normal appearance. The preceeding couple of days prior to my departure saw me stuffing myself at various places e.g. Chilli's on my last night with Sweetie, Armijn and Zareen. Oh, and Sweetie and I had some lovely chinese food over at Spring Garden at KLCC. Only regret was the crispy duck we packed was left behind on the floor of Dome by yours truly, and Sweetie wasn't able to have her snack that night. Not to mention it was akin to leaving RM40 on the floor...




• Also had a filling meal at Pani's with the family (gave them a treat for graduation), and Reem's family hosted a little get-together on Weds night as well. Caught up with Nadeem, Hanel, Nav and met a couple of Reem's other childhood friends. Only downside was the fact that we were severely jetlagged, and were literally nodding off by 9-1opm. Well, I was anyway... in fact, I've been so busy that last night was the first time I had 8 hours of sleep, and I know for a fact that I'm going to sleep like a log when my parents and Rina fly back in a few days.
• Finally, I've fallen in love with the Ford Focus I've rented. It's so amazingly comfy and quiet, and the ride's as graceful as you'd expect from a car of its standard or more. Only complaint I might have is that it's a little slow in changing gears, but it's probably a safe thing 'cause I'm pretty darn sure that I've been breaking a few speed limits ever since I was back home.

Am off to shower now. It's going to be a long day of driving and chattering and playing the role of a tourist guide, and thankfully I've got a few cans of Red Bull to help me along the way. As well as my Sweetie, that's probably all I need. Oh, and mum's curry as well!