fly attack

economics and geography are related, yet different in such fundamental ways.

the more you understand economics and its concepts, the clearer and simpler everything becomes. it's like you link one and one and you get two.

for geography, however, the more you study, read, and learn, in all likelihood the more you get perplexed by the sheer weight of the material perused. concepts just get more complicated. ideas become increasingly complex. it's one and eight and five and you get the reason why african economies struggle. you slowly learn to develop your own ideas and opinions on various issues, but one thing's for sure - nothing gets simpler.

sometimes i do still wonder whether i've chosen the right course.

but that's pointless, you might say, you're stuck with it!

but that's precisely why i keep thinking about what i do in my course. i do enjoy its rigour and the challenge of coping with two disciplines; more importantly, i like the subjects that i'm studying.

it's just, being the pragmatic idealist that i am, sometimes i still wonder what life would be like if i'd chosen to do international management at mcgill instead. i guess that's irrelevant 'cos since i've no concrete career plan as yet, it doesn't matter importantly what degree course i pursue, as long as i'm learning and enjoying what i study.

all the same, this whole exam thing has made me reflect on what i want to do after my degree.

one thing's for sure - i want to do something interesting/unconventional (pretty loose terms). though i won't be all starry-eyed and say ooh i'll take the path less travelled, blah blah.

i'm still sorta hoping i could be an airline station manager one day. i just think the job scope and the kind of relocation required is pretty exciting.

or, hsbc has this intl management programme, they literally send you on 18-month postings to different places (usually they tell you where to go, whether you actually want to or not). that seems pretty cool as well. it's challenging, it allows travel, and it probably pays well. i could live with the drawbacks of mobility.

but first, i have to pass my first year. then the second. and third. and somehow manage to fit in rugby and a decent social life. and work part-time 'cos i really really need the moolah. and travel (but first i need the moolah). and figure out what i want to do after graduation, and in the longer term. and there's one more thing - i want to do some volunteering. there's never a good excuse for not volunteering.

this summer, i'm going to play club rugby (well if i can find a club that'll take me) and work. off to france end-june/early july for 16 days with nish, gonna go up and down le pays by train (interrail pass). paris-lyon-marseille-paris is the main idea. but somewhere it between, we should also end up in versailles, avignon, aix-en-provence, and a few other small towns. we'll leave paris and head back to london on the evening of bastille day - i so hope we'll be able to catch the parade down the champs-elysées.

it's been downright fun calling up french hostels/hotels and trying to enquire about prices and rooms. i cannot do french over the telephone, it just doesn't work for me. i can't see the person i'm talking to and so my accent deteriorates, my talking speed slows disgustingly and i sound like some stupid tourist (which i probably am, but that's beside the point). the telling thing is that no one has sounded impatient with me over the phone. which validates what i've been telling people about the horribly misguided stereotypes of les français - speak french to them, and all will be well (but woe to you if you don't!).

the rest of summer i'll be working, and hopefully earning lots. don't really care what job(s) i do - it'll be a plus if i can get something enriching (i think all jobs teach you something anyway, even the most horrible/mundane/easy ones), but otherwise i'll be more than happy as long as i earn enough to sustain myself.

.

the weather here is crazy. yesterday it was raining and cold and i was shivering in my fleece. in my room.

today, it's sunny and i'm walking on the streets in a t-shirt.

another sign that the season's moving on - i was attacked by so many little black flies when i sat down in the main quad. they stuck on my skin and clothes and i had to flick them off - ew.

so much for "i don't see any insects in london".