all systems go
The week following graduation was hectic, to say the least. A quick summary:
~ the big song and dance that was graduation, complete with news helicopters flying overhead, lots of speeches (some were better than others) and photo-taking, champagne receptions, and farewells to many friends.
~ the arrival of other friends in NYC and many a good hour spent at the seaside, eating plenty of yummy food, and lots of conversation.
~ pack pack pack pack pack. How we managed to accumulate so much stuff in ten measly months is beyond me. We were lucky at least to sell or give away many of our household items like floor lamps, pots, plates and the like. Today J and I loaded up a van with our large and heavy boxes and drove to a really middle-of-nowhere place in New Jersey to drop them off at a warehouse for shipping. I hope I see them in 6 weeks.
~ my free haircut at Bumble & Bumble University (I must report: it's short again! and funny curls pop up everywhere. It just evolved, sort of. The experience was marvelous; the next time I know I'll be in NYC, I'm scheduling another appointment for sure) and a big splurge-y dinner at Le Bernardine. Sublime.
It's our last night in the apartment as I type this, and I'm surrounded by open suitcases, bare shelves, and bags of stuff I'm hoping to recycle. It's reminds me of the time when we first moved in. Strangely, I no longer feel as emotional about this whole moving process as I did a couple of weeks ago when I last posted. In fact, I find myself eager to return to Singapore (not so eager about the weather, however - I find 23C too hot as it is!) and to see friends, family, and familiar haunts again. Going away to upstate NY after finals, and the big ritual that graduation sets itself up to be, helped to ease the transition, I guess.
J and I are off to Peru tomorrow, back in the city in 12 days or so. I wish I had more thoughtful words for this first goodbye, but I'm so exhausted and there's an early start tomorrow and everything is all so jumbled up right now anyway.