A Whiter Shade of Pale

Here I am, sitting in my bare room 2 in Hazel Farm. I threw out an insane amount of rubbish and i cant believe I actually have more bags now than I arrived. It was hellish trying to pack everything which I've accumulated here into 2 suitcases and also trying to pack for a 11-day trip around Europe at the same time, PLUS trying to finish my bloody marketing principles report with useless group mates. grah. All these things happening over the frenzied exam week has made me too busy to update my blogs & upload the new pictures. I've visited Edinburgh by myself after my exam, on the tues 2 weeks ago, next went for parties every night since I've came back, in an effort to spend as much time with all my friends here.

But most of my exchange friends have left to go back to their homes over the last two days. I wasn't around to say goodbye to them, but I'm hoping to catch them again if I have the chance to. So now, I'm just waiting for Richard to pick me up & my things at about 8+pm. Well, you can imagine the last week was especially emotional for everyone. Saying goodbyes are extremely hard to do... but I guess after a couple of months, people get on with their lives and eventually get caught up with their routine, no one really cares about you anymore, especially if you were just casual friends & not someone who has touched their lives deeply.

The most difficult thing now is having to say bye to dear Justin. All the talk about how I'm going to take it like a man & suck it up totally failed me. I usually end up being an emotional wreck who is trying to hide it as much as possible. That is well unpleasant. It doesn't help that I've met his lovely family - his sweet mother, his charming father, his muscle-bound brother & his girlfriend & the girlfriend's daughter Ruby. Then the inevitable awkward questions come - what will happen when you leave? Then this ache in my heart shoots up again & I have to bite my lip, shrug my shoulders and reply - I don't know... I just hope I can see him again. Then I feel so guilty for letting them down, for making their son sad. Both of us left in a hurried fashion on Thursday morning to catch the morning trains and his mom gave me a Xmas card, thanking me for making her son happy. You know what - people shouldn't be too nice to me, I can't take it. I don't deserve it.

In all my misery & sadness for having to leave him, I am grateful for having someone who loves me that much too. Amusingly, our conversations now tend to be a mix of genuine jokes & humourous banter, but often tail off with bittersweet smiles. I guess that's how it'll be when we say our farewells on 3 Jan 2009- Bittersweet smiles peppered with salty tears.

WTF? First, they found out that their NHS is letting them down with all the random baby abuse cases gone undiscovered and ignored until the babies have died tragically.

Next, they are beginning to find out that alcohol COULD be a problem for the country's rising crime rates.

Now, they think that they need to keep an eye on foreign students who skip classes?
Come on now, who is the education minister? Don't be daft. If you havn't realised by now, it's YOUR students who are skipping classes. The international students have to pay a fortune to come here to study, so they are the ones who fill your lecture theatres and classrooms.

Just how ridiculous can you get?

Student No: 6076137

Dear Miss Chua

Date of departure from Room 2: Saturday 20-Dec-2008

According to our records your contract for your room will shortly be coming to an end. We remind you that the room should be cleaned and left tidy, in particular you will need to:

· Leave your telephone handset, telephone power supply unit and blue cable on your desk.

· Remove all of your personal belongings from the room.

· Remove all of your equipment and food (including items in the freezer/fridge) from the kitchen.

· Place all of your rubbish into waste bags and take them to the blue rubbish bins outside the building. Please note there is a charge of £5.00 per bag of rubbish left in a bedroom or kitchen.

· Leave the room in a clean and tidy state i.e.:

Vacuum your carpet

Wipe all surfaces including the bookshelf, window frames, desk top, inside of drawers and telephone.

Clean your shower room

· Leave the mattress cover, duvet and pillows folded at the end of the bed.

· Lock the windows and door. We strongly recommend that you do not leave your room open for friends to use or rely on friends to hand in the keys because, in these circumstances, you are responsible for any loss or damage.

· Return your room keys to the Caretaker’s Office (next to the Launderette in Hamilton Drive) , the Accommodation Office (open Mon-Fri 10.00-12.30 & 13.30-16.00) or the Security Office on the ground floor of Senate House (open 24 hours)

The rest of the flat should also be left in a clean and tidy state and it might be a good idea to discuss with your housemates which additional area you will be cleaning on departure. This includes the hallway and kitchen.

If the flat/room is not left in a clean and tidy state you will be invoiced for the cleaning of these areas. The cost depends on the condition of the flat/room on inspection, plus an administration fee of £12.00.

You are required to move out by 10.00 Monday to Friday or 12.00 on Saturday/Sunday on the above departure. If you have any questions please contact Valerie King in the Accommodation Office on ext 2464 or v.king@surrey.ac.uk before your departure.

Have a good journey home.

Best Wishes,

Yes, madam. Oh well... You know, being on Hazel Farm is so UNHIP, its bloody hip. You get to hang out with the coolest people who gives shit about school work & only sleeps at 4am after downing their livers with copious alcohol. I will miss my fun-loving exchange friends. On the other hand, you get to live with nice, down to earth, studious international students and share the dirty kitchen with. All that cultural exchange, social activities & beer chugging that went on at Hazel Farm was definitely memorable.

Alright now... Some Guildford pictures taken very recently, as I became a rare tourist when WH dropped by while visiting London to stay with me.