Two.
Orientation can be hilarious at times. This morning we were told to don our academic gowns (these long, flowing Harry Potter-like robes), for a formal breakfast (in the same style as the formal dinners we have weekly). So at 7AM we were strolling out of the college in fancy shirts and dresses. After walking around the suburb for half an hour, everyone was like, "Dang, where are they taking us?!" Oh, my high heels caned. Eventually we realised that we were walking in one big circle... and then there was that oily smell of McDonald's hanging over us... Yes, we had been led to the McDonald's that's only a hundred metres away from Mannix. Darn you, college committee! So there were approximately a hundred college kids, looking prim and proper in gowns, chowing down on hotcakes and hashbrowns. So much for formal breakfast.
I'm surprised that we haven't been arrested for being a public nuisance yet. I'm sure shops could have called the cops on us by now, if they lacked a sense of humour. In McDonald's, the committee was blasting 'Eagle Rock' through speakers. Just like how Art vs. Science's 'Parlez-vous français' is a call to take off your shirt, 'Eagle Rock' is the song in which you are to take off your pants. (Not that I'd do that, personally. But they've played it before at the parties here, and it's disturbing.) Anyway, so they were playing it, and one of the committee members actually did drop his pants, right in the middle of McDonald's. Wow, he wasn't even drunk. I'm sure that's a crime, indecent exposure and all that jazz. College is insane.
Ben, who is a... let's call it effeminate... committee member, was laughing about what he said to someone after dinner, because it unfortunately sounded inappropriate: "Are there any custard stains on my back?" Oh dear...
I had a great time at the beach yesterday. I believe it was called Mornington Beach. You could stare into the distance and see the sky meet the sea in the horizon. You don't get that in Singapore because of the ships, and in Tassie there are always hills. I love gazing at the gentle curve of the Earth. The sand was somewhat coarse, but I wasn't complaining. The college took us to the beach at midday, so we were all baking in the sun. Usually beaches aren't my thing, because I know enough to avoid exposure to the sun (hate tans), and I don't like getting into the water (hate getting dirty). Today, however, I had bothered to dip myself into a vat of sunscreen earlier, and I had my swimming costume on, so I got right into it. I didn't get a tan, yay for SPF 30 sunblock! And the water was moderately clear, and there wasn't anything floating in it. Despite how cold the water was, it was a pleasant experience. I spent the rest of my time checking out the playground, or having a nap in the sun, and I had a fantastic time.
I've met some people who I'd earnestly like to get to know better. Last night, during dinner, I was sitting next to Angela and chatting with her. Right after dinner, she asked me to follow her, and she took me to the music room. She played the piano for me. She's says she's "only Grade 8", but I was impressed all the same. She kept saying, in a nervous voice, "I hope I'm not boring you!" And I'd grin and tell her that there was no way I was bored. It was fascinating that she was showing me this. She liked to play fast, happy tunes. When she was playing, I had this huge urge to look at my watch though. That's commonly accepted as a sign that you'd rather be somewhere else, but that's not what I had on my mind. I thought the moment was special, and I was trying to figure out a way of stretching it out, that's all. After that, she taught me a duet, and we played together. It was fun. I went back to her room; the walls were adorned with photographs of her with friends. She quoted something for me, "I don't know whether you've changed me for the better, but you've changed me for good." Thoughtful play on the word 'good'.
The day before that, when I was dangling my legs over the side of the balcony during another Mannix party, I started conversing with Pip. I told her to tell me about herself, and she genuinely told me about her life. She asked me whether I'd had any boyfriends in high school, and I smiled coyly. While we were talking, we discovered that we had a scary amount in common (including what I found out through Facebook - she has the same birthday as me!!) She confessed that she'd been craving a conversation like this, and I pointed to a patch of grass across the street and admitted that I'd rather be lying on the lawn, staring at the stars, than here at the party. She pulled me back to her room, and she opened her bar fridge to show me the medication she takes for a condition she has had her whole life. She hadn't told anyone else in Mannix yet. So I sat there and listened to her describe her battle against illness and pesky doctors. Yesterday, when I was hanging out in her room, she suddenly announced that she should 'stab herself'. I was amused yet confused until I realised she was referring to her daily injection. She warmed the vial against her body for a couple of minutes before perching herself on the side of the bed and preparing the syringe. I was fidgeting the whole time, because injections make me feel uncomfortable. She told me that one day, she accidentally flicked the syringe forward, and it landed straight in her foot. Apparently that didn't hurt or bleed at all; she was just surprised by how upright it ended up. Anyway, so I watched her jab her leg. I've never seen anyone inject the leg before. Pip commented that she doesn't understand why doctors do it in the arm; the leg is less painful. News to me.
I met up with some Monash medicine friends who don't live in a college. It's literally amazing how much better prepared I am for university than them. It's only been four days, and I already know heaps of people, both in my course (80 med students out of 300 are from Mannix) and outside of my course. I know lots of places at Monash, I know the area better, and it's super convenient for me to travel right across the road, back to my room, between lectures. Apparently Mannix people tend to bunch together, so hey, now I'm part of a semi-exclusive gang. It's immensely helpful, and it's still only been less than a week!
I'm going bowling later, at Chadstone, the nearby ridiculously huge shopping mall. The Borders inside Chadstone occupies three storeys. Yes, it's that awesome. It must be bigger than or the same size as VivoCity. I'd rather go bowling tonight than visit Nott, the Monash nightclub, or Dooleys, the nearby Irish bar. I haven't seen either of those yet, but I will over the next year, I'm sure.
My room is bare. I couldn't bring over any decorative items; I had more important things to pack. On the first afternoon I was in Mannix, I lay on the bed and felt incredibly isolated and lonely. Now I'm fine, though. I would say that I never decorate rooms, ever. I'm quite practical in general. But yes, I was studying Angela's photos, and I lamented that I was never the type to put up photographs. I feel that I'm never blissfully happy and emotionally complete in photographs, no matter how much I'm beaming at the camera. Sure, I'm often having fun, but fun isn't always emotionally fulfilling. There's always someone else I'm missing, and some other place and time that I'm thinking of. I don't want to put up photos that remind me of something I've lost, or a relationship I can't repair, or a period in time that I'll never relive. I feel like grieving when I look at photos. At any rate, much like how one can overplay a favourite song, I don't want to display photographs, just in case I lose the ability to feel emotions when I stare at the pictures.
I've got to take a group photo now! I like being in photos, clearly, haha. I don't know why. I just like staring at my past-self and laughing at the naivety. Or maybe it's just another way to express character.
Toodles.
I'm surprised that we haven't been arrested for being a public nuisance yet. I'm sure shops could have called the cops on us by now, if they lacked a sense of humour. In McDonald's, the committee was blasting 'Eagle Rock' through speakers. Just like how Art vs. Science's 'Parlez-vous français' is a call to take off your shirt, 'Eagle Rock' is the song in which you are to take off your pants. (Not that I'd do that, personally. But they've played it before at the parties here, and it's disturbing.) Anyway, so they were playing it, and one of the committee members actually did drop his pants, right in the middle of McDonald's. Wow, he wasn't even drunk. I'm sure that's a crime, indecent exposure and all that jazz. College is insane.
Ben, who is a... let's call it effeminate... committee member, was laughing about what he said to someone after dinner, because it unfortunately sounded inappropriate: "Are there any custard stains on my back?" Oh dear...
I had a great time at the beach yesterday. I believe it was called Mornington Beach. You could stare into the distance and see the sky meet the sea in the horizon. You don't get that in Singapore because of the ships, and in Tassie there are always hills. I love gazing at the gentle curve of the Earth. The sand was somewhat coarse, but I wasn't complaining. The college took us to the beach at midday, so we were all baking in the sun. Usually beaches aren't my thing, because I know enough to avoid exposure to the sun (hate tans), and I don't like getting into the water (hate getting dirty). Today, however, I had bothered to dip myself into a vat of sunscreen earlier, and I had my swimming costume on, so I got right into it. I didn't get a tan, yay for SPF 30 sunblock! And the water was moderately clear, and there wasn't anything floating in it. Despite how cold the water was, it was a pleasant experience. I spent the rest of my time checking out the playground, or having a nap in the sun, and I had a fantastic time.
I've met some people who I'd earnestly like to get to know better. Last night, during dinner, I was sitting next to Angela and chatting with her. Right after dinner, she asked me to follow her, and she took me to the music room. She played the piano for me. She's says she's "only Grade 8", but I was impressed all the same. She kept saying, in a nervous voice, "I hope I'm not boring you!" And I'd grin and tell her that there was no way I was bored. It was fascinating that she was showing me this. She liked to play fast, happy tunes. When she was playing, I had this huge urge to look at my watch though. That's commonly accepted as a sign that you'd rather be somewhere else, but that's not what I had on my mind. I thought the moment was special, and I was trying to figure out a way of stretching it out, that's all. After that, she taught me a duet, and we played together. It was fun. I went back to her room; the walls were adorned with photographs of her with friends. She quoted something for me, "I don't know whether you've changed me for the better, but you've changed me for good." Thoughtful play on the word 'good'.
The day before that, when I was dangling my legs over the side of the balcony during another Mannix party, I started conversing with Pip. I told her to tell me about herself, and she genuinely told me about her life. She asked me whether I'd had any boyfriends in high school, and I smiled coyly. While we were talking, we discovered that we had a scary amount in common (including what I found out through Facebook - she has the same birthday as me!!) She confessed that she'd been craving a conversation like this, and I pointed to a patch of grass across the street and admitted that I'd rather be lying on the lawn, staring at the stars, than here at the party. She pulled me back to her room, and she opened her bar fridge to show me the medication she takes for a condition she has had her whole life. She hadn't told anyone else in Mannix yet. So I sat there and listened to her describe her battle against illness and pesky doctors. Yesterday, when I was hanging out in her room, she suddenly announced that she should 'stab herself'. I was amused yet confused until I realised she was referring to her daily injection. She warmed the vial against her body for a couple of minutes before perching herself on the side of the bed and preparing the syringe. I was fidgeting the whole time, because injections make me feel uncomfortable. She told me that one day, she accidentally flicked the syringe forward, and it landed straight in her foot. Apparently that didn't hurt or bleed at all; she was just surprised by how upright it ended up. Anyway, so I watched her jab her leg. I've never seen anyone inject the leg before. Pip commented that she doesn't understand why doctors do it in the arm; the leg is less painful. News to me.
I met up with some Monash medicine friends who don't live in a college. It's literally amazing how much better prepared I am for university than them. It's only been four days, and I already know heaps of people, both in my course (80 med students out of 300 are from Mannix) and outside of my course. I know lots of places at Monash, I know the area better, and it's super convenient for me to travel right across the road, back to my room, between lectures. Apparently Mannix people tend to bunch together, so hey, now I'm part of a semi-exclusive gang. It's immensely helpful, and it's still only been less than a week!
I'm going bowling later, at Chadstone, the nearby ridiculously huge shopping mall. The Borders inside Chadstone occupies three storeys. Yes, it's that awesome. It must be bigger than or the same size as VivoCity. I'd rather go bowling tonight than visit Nott, the Monash nightclub, or Dooleys, the nearby Irish bar. I haven't seen either of those yet, but I will over the next year, I'm sure.
My room is bare. I couldn't bring over any decorative items; I had more important things to pack. On the first afternoon I was in Mannix, I lay on the bed and felt incredibly isolated and lonely. Now I'm fine, though. I would say that I never decorate rooms, ever. I'm quite practical in general. But yes, I was studying Angela's photos, and I lamented that I was never the type to put up photographs. I feel that I'm never blissfully happy and emotionally complete in photographs, no matter how much I'm beaming at the camera. Sure, I'm often having fun, but fun isn't always emotionally fulfilling. There's always someone else I'm missing, and some other place and time that I'm thinking of. I don't want to put up photos that remind me of something I've lost, or a relationship I can't repair, or a period in time that I'll never relive. I feel like grieving when I look at photos. At any rate, much like how one can overplay a favourite song, I don't want to display photographs, just in case I lose the ability to feel emotions when I stare at the pictures.
I've got to take a group photo now! I like being in photos, clearly, haha. I don't know why. I just like staring at my past-self and laughing at the naivety. Or maybe it's just another way to express character.
Toodles.