Monday, August 27, 2007

Something's changing.

So effectively Week 6 of uni begins tomorrow for me. I realise that I've barely said anything about what has happened since the semester started..

I remember Recommencement Dinner at Ormond on July 21st, the Saturday I arrived, to be a happy sleepy night. Most of us had just arrived at college from different ends of the world- I was dozing off at dinner.. and by the time the smoko rolled around I was ready to hit the sack. I made my first appearance ever at the Turf Club bar on the Monday night that followed because it was Jay's 19th but didn't really fancy the venue as much and I haven't actually gone back since! Did back-to-school book shopping, watched Transformers, received first assignments and went on a big food trawl with Simin and Mei Sze.. all this in the first week, at the end of which I had finished unpacking in Picken B 303 and then decided to fill the Main Building 205 vacancy.

So I get Mondays off this semester, such a rare luxury. Week 2 featured Gala Night of our college play, Alarms and Excursions, which I never ended up attending.. work started to pile up, but I still managed time for dinner at Vina Bar with Mei Sze and Lindsey on Tuesday, David Davies' 19th then cocktails at Bond, Flinders Lane with the Pickenites on Friday, Saturday dinner with Sue and the rest at Hard Rock Cafe, Bourke St and a site visit on Sunday. I finally also decided to join the university gym.

By the time week 3 came around I was on the verge of meltdown. Classes were ongoing, I'd occassionally escape the stress by spending time at the gym, I helped out (and eventually participated) at Trivia Night at college (popped the Passion Pop cherry, too), and welcomed a very special guest from home. Took Kareen shopping after celebrating Jane's birthday over lunch on Friday that week, had dinner with Adam, Courtney, Ed and Mei Sze at Papa Gino's that night. She was out with Joyce as I had a site visit to do on Saturday.. but we had dinner with Viv and Mei Sze at Mercadante at night, dessert at Il Doce Freddo then watched Knocked Up in the half-pipe cinema at Hoyts. Fun times. Sunday we shopped a little, I went into uni to get work done.. then we went out to Ying Thai 2 with Mei Sze, Shobie and Carles. There was a Pleasant Sunday Evening going on in the Middle Common Room that night.. but a trek all the way up with Matt and Kris (really, in search of milk) proved that British humour and I did not get along.

Saw Zi and Jessica on Monday and we had lunch at Garage on Berkeley St, off Grattan. Really enjoyed the food, it really did feel like home despite it being the Indonesian interpretation of the fare. Ka and Mei Sze sent me off to Trinity Ball Wednesday night, at which I had a good time. GPO was packed to the brim, drinks were hard to come by but still Trinity proved that they definitely are the masters of the act when it comes to organising these events. Got home for an hour's worth of sleep before the next day.. and worked on Architectural Design 2B because of an email that sent off warning bells. I met Maleik on Friday afternoon for the usual once-in-forever Starbucks coffee catch up session, then went to Safeway with Mei Sze and after dinner in hall, Matt and I decided to watch Evening at "Art House" Nova in favour of another slushy night at what later was the smallest smoko ever- "Dress to Offend". Sunday was Open Day at college and I volunteered to have my room open for a couple of hours in the morning. After brunch I went down to the city for some quiet me time, specifically to go to ACCA on Sturt St to see a piece of installation art, "Almost Always Everywhere Apparent" and then to the NGV International to view the Guggenheim Collection. It certainly was worth it, $23 for a concession entry and the iPod/ audio tour; I personally enjoyed most of the work on display. Also stopped by the Arts Centre Sunday Market and the uni Ian Potter Gallery on my way back for formal dinner that night.

Steve Daniels and Alex Wall and their housemates Helen and Hannah had us for dinner at their place in Clifton Hill last week. Got a dozen Krispy Kremes and a bottle of wine in the daytime, made ripple cake with Jes in the afternoon, then Adam drove Sophie, Matt and I out for a yummy home cooked shepherd's pie-esque meal with a yummy salad and lemon muffin dessert. We- Jes, Kris, Mei Sze, Matt and I- had a tiny ripple cake feast in my room as we doodled on yellow trace and laughed about life at suppertime the day after. Had a full day at uni on Wednesday, of which the icing on the cake was really the twenty minutes I spent Open Mic Night in the JCR. They set the junior common room up so warmly with tea lights and yellow lamps as students went up to belt out soulful ballads and guitar, piano and drum-accompanied tracks. Kris and I were rushing an assignment therefore I enjoyed the rest of the night listening to what little music streamed through my room window.

After classes, I attended a tutorial Thursday night for Science and Services and turned out to be the only one who showed up. I spoke to JS after the longest time that night right up till supper, then worked the night away- Lindsey got me half price pizza at Intersection! Had lunch with Jane, Anna and Amy at Rose Garden after design studio on Friday, then dinner in hall. On Saturday morning, Mei Sze, Jian Wey, Jian Ming and I went to get breakfast at Cicalatta Cafe on Lygon- sumptuous, no doubt. Then us three minus Mayor Wey went to the Royal Exhibition Building to visit this Sweet Tempations Expo. It was like one's childhood revisited and bringing Hansel and Gretel to life with endless chocolates, rocky road, cupcakes, candy, brownies, truffles, daiquiris and whathaveyous for sampling and for sale. Mei Sze, Shobie and I met at the uni tram stop before proceeding to dinner that night- Nando's- and capped that off with No Reservations at Hoyts. I liked the movie although the ending could have been much better- it certainly did not leave me with the fuzzy feeling I expected it to. Yesterday brunch onwards I spent reading up on Modern Architecture B.. right up till when I went down St Kilda Road and had dinner at City BBQ with Jon and Jian Ming. Gave the Students' Club Ordinary General Meeting a miss for other pressing matters..

I'm not burnt out, but I definitely am overwhelmed. Yet again I (already) think that this has been a semester to remember.. it's been busy, it's been action-packed, it's been eye-opening.

It's on to some design work this afternoon for me.

"And you can't save the world. You just can't."

Sher Reen; 10:57 AM
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Monday, August 27, 2007

Writer.

Other Writers.

Summer School 2004.

Mention- Worthy.

Written.

Credits.