random ponders

with regards to some brits being less friendly and more wary and reserved towards me, i've decided that it's pointless to take anything personally. i mean, if i were in their shoes who knows, i might behave in the same way.

ah, the products of different cultures and upbringing.

but it's been cool to talk to some people. of the people i met during the geog dept pub crawl last weekend...

- one was surprised that rugby's played in singapore ("people play rugby in singapore...?")
- several took gap years out and did various cool stuff: one guy backpacked in asia, another travelled around russia mongolia & china, a girl got into bartending (she really loves it - and seems to be good at it, judging from the kind of places at which she bartended, was thinking of making it her career and forgetting about uni, but in the end you know how parents are), another did christian charity work in cambodia.
- one japanese girl's been at kcl for a year, but decided to transfer 'cos she "found herself having to write things (in her coursework) that (she) didn't believe in". very outspoken and not typically japanese in her outlook.
- one girl's half-jap half english, one guy's half-filipino half-english, and another's half-malaysian chinese half-english. a third guy is spanish but from hong kong.

.

everytime i feel myself sinking a bit, i look at the photo in front of me desk. it's the super-happy one of us 5 blacks girls - joyce gina fen ah-vette & me.

we're all laughing, our eyes crinkling, it's such a spontaneous and joyous shot.

i cheer up immediately.

i've got my family photo stuck on my shelf, it's a huge source of motivation.

at my bedside, there's a photo stand - on one side, the photo of ah-vette fen tabi & me; on the other side, my family again.

most of the time i've got the tabi-and-us photo facing my bed.

angela was in my room the other day and she asked: "how come there's photos of the same people (blacks) all over your room".

i explained to her that in a rushed attempt to lighten my baggage 1hr before setting off for changi airport, i'd haphazardly taken out all my other photos. so these were the only photos i'd brought with me to london.

i wouldn't have it any other way.