Goodbye 2010 (Part 2)

I had an absolutely fantastic night on Friday! Got up at about one in the afternoon and proceeded to waste the day away by watching TV shows on my computer until a terrible sense of realization hit me; I had provided my Manchester student ID instead of my UEA ID when submitting my three pieces of coursework on Wednesday. Mini Heart Attack! I hastily pulled on some clothes (outer clothing  mind you; I’m not a naturist) and cycled with great fervor to campus, where I raced to the teaching office in the Arts Building; all three floors up and announced my spectacular mistake to Penelope Thimbleby seated at the teaching office reception desk. It turned out that she was just about to email me inquiring as to the strange number that I had written on my submission sheet. An overwhelming sense of relief flooded me. The papers had been collected and the pertinent adjustments made to the ID discrepancy. It was then when I received a phone call from Harbi Jama, who enquired as to my availability at half six; he was having a pre-drinks session at his place before heading to the city centre for the ball. I said I would come, but my hunger started gnawing at me big-time so I returned home and cooked myself some nice pasta bolognaise. By the time I had finished eating, it was already ten minutes past six. There was no way I was going to walk there in time to make myself comfortable, have some beverages and then catch a cab back to square one: the city centre (I live very close). I decided to take a nice bath and then dress up and make my way to Assembly House where the event was being held. I arrived in good time, and bumped into Aneel Piryani as I was taking a photo of the place. 

Behold: Assembly House in its Glory!

Sparking Chandeliers inside!

Along with a gothic-style candlestand!

I could not have chosen a better place to hold the End of Term Ball: truly a beautiful place with Victorian-esque pillars and high ceilings. We entered the venue and grabbed our welcome drink of Buck’s fizz (a combination of sparkling wine and orange juice for the uninformed) at which time Katelyn turned up, wearing stockings with snow boots which I found quite absurd. She was also carrying a backpack, which had her bridesmaid shoes in them (mind you, they’re EIGHT years old), and rushed to change into them after we pointed her in the direction of the lavatory/bathroom/restroom/watercloset/toilet/loo/e.g. 

I would have to say I enjoyed myself thoroughly during the party, especially when Adetola showed up wearing a flashy white African outfit with an equally gaudy golden hat! I actually stole that hat for about half an hour, photobombing and dancing with it perched precariously at an angle. Am yet to find photos of myself in precarious situations! We took turns pushing each other into the centre of the dance floor and watching them squirm in discomfort and embarrassment before breaking out into a random dance of flailing limbs finally ending with a long-suffering leer at the person who pushed them in. This continued in the same vein until I remembered that I had to go and see Ikki (my Japanese friend whom I met during the first term in UEA) in the Bell Hotel. So I excused myself and off I went, trudging along the icy footpaths, slipping and sliding all the way to the venue. The atmosphere was pleasant enough when I arrived, and I spent the next 30 minutes congratulating him and chit-chatting with the rest of his friends (who happen to make up a large part of the South-East Asian Society’s Committee). It was then when I met a fellow Malaysian by the name of Derald, who was studying Actuarial Science after spending a year in INTO. He knew Johnathan Beechey too, which I found quite amazing (which I really shouldn’t because he does Acturial Science too). It’s funny how small the world is. One moment you’re sitting at a mamak stall in Kuala Lumpur sipping teh ais (iced milk tea), eating roti canai (Malaysian style bread) enjoying the air-conditioner while complaining about the heat, and another moment you’re sitting in a nice warm lounge ten thousand kilometers away in a foreign country, while snowflakes gently flutter down outside the window conversing casually with a fellow Malaysian about winter plans. Brings about a sense of euphoria, methinks. 

We made plans to meet at his place for sushi dinner on Saturday, and then we went our separate ways; Ikki’s gang heading for Mercy and myself in the direction of the Dev Ball to complete our merrymaking. Everything was as I had left it; Raj was still dancing in his nice grey Cambridge suit and Harbi had ditched his cummerbund for higher dancing efficiency. Eventually, the fun ended at about half eleven, and I went outside slightly ahead of everyone to catch some fresh air with Aneel. Suddenly, mischief struck me. I made two absolute monsters of snowballs and lay in wait for the next person I knew brave enough to leave Assembly House. It happened to be Adetola, and I pelted him twice successively, ran around like a headless chicken trying to avoid his revenge, made peace with each other, and subsequently made the decision to ambush Raj as he came out. It was a success; we assailed him with a flurry of snowballs, and Ade took the opportunity to sneak up behind him and rub snow into his hair, which brought about screams of rage from said victim and a chase across the snow-covered lawn. I would gladly have done that over and over again just to hear his scream! 

Just before I shaped the two gigantic snowballs

Frozen Fountain

We went to a club called Mustard, and got free shots of Vodka but didn’t spend too much time there. After that, Harbi and Raj really wanted to go to Havana but I was a bit reluctant as the security company I work for has a contract with the club and I know some of the staff there. I decided to go and grab a bite to eat at a Kebab shop down Prince of Wales Road, and Katelyn as well as Camille decided to join me. We had to pass Havana to get to the Kebab shop so we decided to stick with the main group and say our goodbyes there. However as luck would have it, Adetola got refused entry because he hadn’t brought his passport with him, and Raj, being in a somewhat inebriated state, tried to argue incessantly with the doorman, who I recognized as one of my colleagues! He looked over at me; we made eye contact and smiled at each other. It was then when I decided to talk to Raj and tell him to calm down before he got himself into trouble. There were also two police officers patrolling the street as well, getting up and personal with drunken people and I really didn’t want poor Raj to get on the wrong side of the law! I ended up asking Harbi if he could take care of Raj while three of us headed to Prince of Wales. 

After a satiating meal of a Donner Kebab and a side order of chips, we decided to head home. A brief moment of panic was observed as Camille spotted her bus and ran toward it, only to have it leave her in a wake of ice-chippings as it pulled away without a shred of consideration for a young lady stuck at a bus stop at about two in the morning. Katelyn walked out of her way just so that she could have more time to talk with us which I thought was pretty sweet, but we parted right outside Marks and Spencer’s. I then walked Camille to her bus stop and we spent the next twenty minutes waiting for the next bus and talking about random things. Then it was off home and a nice sleep in bed. 

Dinner at Ikki’s

After a very fulfilling slumber, I woke at approximately twelve in the afternoon and proceeded to spend the next three hours watching TV shows and reading books in bed. It was only when the sky started turning blue that I thought it would be good if I actually got up and freshened up before dinner at Ikki’s place. I texted Harbi and Katelyn but decided not to contact Raj as he probably had a hangover from hell and would be working on his essays (poor fellow!). Harbi was burnt out after work and couldn’t make it so it was just me and Katelyn. I met her at the Forum at about six in the evening and we proceeded to Ikki’s place. We got a bit lost; my GPS simply refused to work, and we ended up going round in circles until we finally arrived at his house on Bury road. 

Derald, Faisal and Anya (L to R)

Side profile of Ikki engrossed in his monopoly!

The sushi was absolutely fantastic! I regret that I forgot to take pictures of the food; so engrossed was I in consuming it. I must have eaten my weight in food that night; had so many sushi rolls and Japanese radishes and Chinese bread (mantou) followed by ice-cream for dessert; it’s amazing that he didn’t ask us for any cash! We played monopoly deal, which is basically a playing-card version of monopoly, and many laughs were had. We stayed till about midnight, and I decided that we had better make a move lest we overstay our welcome. It was a nice trudge back to Mary Chapman court, where I said goodbye to Katelyn for the year 2010 and a idyllic walk back home. 

Church!

I woke at about two in the afternoon today; so fatigued was I after staying up till six in the morning reading a novel. I readied myself for church, and just managed to catch the bus after saying bye to Harbi in his workplace. He gave me a Christmas present of a nice facial cleanser, moisturizer and shower gel! Thanks to him, I will be able to enjoy many acne free months. And also, it’s not the gift but the thought that counts J.

Today’s sermon was about how our relationship with God is that which requires maintenance, such as a normal relationship with another person. Pastor Tom Rawls was on the ball as usual, delivering a vibrant and motivating message. After the service, I was milling about in the foyer when I got invited to spend Christmas Day at a family’s house. I found that extremely generous and selfless of them because what person would simply invite a complete stranger over to their place to spend the day? And to top it off, Pastor Rawls himself came up to me and further invited me to his place on Boxing Day! I have to admit I was very touched by this gesture of thoughtfulness and compassion, and will never forget it.  It’s my first Christmas away from home and I think I’ve mentioned it to a lot of people; John Lee I think must have gone and spread the word. Thanks to him I get to spend Christmas with lovely company and good food!

I'll just leave this here Mr Novak

I think this term’s passed very quickly; it seems only a few weeks ago when I stepped out of the train into Norwich rail station, into a whole new world of possibilities. After twelve weeks, I feel as though I have done everything but comprehend the subject of what International Development truly is. Applications to internships, jobs and placements are the norm of my life now as well as spending copious hours in the library doing readings for seminars and lectures. Now it’s going to be 2011 in a little over a week, and I’ve made so many great friends (some I would even call family). I’ve also managed to purchase cheap tickets to Reading to see my uncle and cousins who I haven’t spent enough time with ever since I came to the UK. Looks like we’ll be spending New Year's Eve together!