MIA

This visa thing is frustrating. I know this is like the hundredth post I have up here regarding that, but seriously. I've already missed a week of my course. Tomorrow will start the next week I'm going to be absent for. I'm just so worried about how I'm going to catch up, even though I know the professors will help and all.


This girl I've met via facebook that's on the architecture course, Emily, added me to a group dedicated to the first year architects. I had a look at some of the discussions - they're already talking about presentations! As in, they've done them. And lord, I have monster stage fright. I've been onstage before - school plays, master of ceremonies for a couple of occasions, and so on. My knees literally shake; I always make sure to wear a dress or skirt of something, to cover it up. Looking at my face, I'm told, you can't tell I'm about to pass out. But I really am.


As it goes on, and I know that the audience is not about to burst out laughing (unless I've just thrown in a joke or something), it gets better. The knees don't, but the suffocated feeling in my chest does alleviate a little. I suppose as I do more presentations in class, I'll get over it. And I'll be friends with them, so I guess it won't be as daunting as a stage audience. But still.


The point is I have to catch up, and do presentations on the caught up work. And I don't have any casual skirts. I've only ever worn formal dresses to the times I needed to be MC, or my school uniform (long skirt on the days of speeches and presentations and such). HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HIDE MY KNEES?


Right, first thing in the morning, I'm going out and buying skirts. Whatever. I can do this.


Emily has been great. She's offered to help me catch up once I get there, which is a huge load off. Teachers are good, but I've always found studying with classmates much more effective. I'm not sure if this is a universal thing or just me, but there you go. I studied for my A-Levels by forcing my brother study in my room at the same time - he'd quiz me when I asked, which was actually a massive help for physics. He has a knack for asking questions that miraculously appear on the paper. And saying the answers out loud to him helped make it stick. 


On a different note, I really, truly cannot wait to meet my new flatmates. They've done just the sweetest thing. I received an invite on fb to an event, so I checked it out. Guess what it's called?


"Party for Shimali."


Since I missed out on freshers', they've decided to throw a little thing in my honour, and I am completely, utterly touched. Tears of joy, I swear to God, were there. (Side note: I'm an annoyingly emotional person. I cried, full on sobs, for Spiderman 3, when [SPOILER ALERT] Harry died. Even though the entire theatre was laughing at Tobey Maguire's scrunched-up crybaby face.) It's so very sweet of them. I know I'm going to absolutely love my new family.


It's happening this Friday. I really hope I'm in Dundee by then. Like, seriously. Every time I check the application status of the visa, I get a little pang of sadness when I see it still isn't through. 


If I haven't gotten it by tomorrow, I'll have to find the number for the residences and explain why I haven't collected the keys yet, and when I probably will. I hope they accept that I don't know. And then explain to the flatmates that I may not be there in time for the party. Which would be AWFUL, seeing as they've gone to all the trouble. 


*Sigh* Anyway. I'm going to sleep. Maybe things will look better in the morning.


Ja.

Catch Up

The dog has recently taken to sleeping in my room in the middle of the day. This very rarely happened, before. In the old house, he'd sleep in my room when I had exams coming up and needed peace and quiet to study. I liked to think that he was warning my family off from bothering me.


I can think of two reasons for this new habit of his.


One. Bruno has sensed that I'm going to be leaving him behind soon, and so has decided to spend all his spare time with me. He'll show diamonds who the real Girl's Best Friend is.


Or two. Bruno has sensed my impending departure, and is staking his claim on my room.


In other news, I'm nowhere near prepared to leave. I still have so many things to buy! I keep thinking of stuff in the middle of the night that I have yet to get, and adding it to the never-ending list that's lying on my table. But I kind of feel bad asking Dad for the money, since he has enough to think about what with the actual uni tuition fees and all. So I've been trying to just use my own pocket money. 


Yesterday, I bought Aehshaan a going-away gift with said pocket money. He's my only brother - I figured I could spare the expense. It was a game he wanted but couldn't buy because he's saving up for a game coming out on the 18th - Modern Warfare 3 or maybe Gears of War 3? I don't know, it's some fighting game, either way.


So I got him Deus Ex: Human Revolution; Excellent reviews, and I really liked the look of the game trailer.


From my side of the gaming board, Junichi Masuda is apparently going to make some grand announcement on the 18th (yes, same date as Aehshaan's whatever game release) about some surprise addition to the Pokemon games. People are speculating that it's Pokemon Gray, to go with Black and White. I don't know about that - seems a bit too early for it, in my opinion. Black and White released worldwide only last March, after all. Maybe it's an event?


Not like I could get into any of it, anyway. Something's wrong with our internet connection - my DS can't connect. I haven't accessed Dreamworld in over a month now. 


Mum told me to pull out the suitcases from the cupboard under the stairs (HARRY POTTER!) today. Start packing all my things. I'm a bit lazy, to be honest. I really can't be bothered. I've been sort of down with regards to that, seeing as my course officially started today. I really hope they don't do anything seriously important - I hate being behind, having to catch up. 


Ah well.


Ja ne.

A Short Excerpt From The Lives Of A Dysfunctional Family

The fact that I can't get a hold of my UK visa is annoying. Irritating. Just a plain bummer.


Dealing with the University, though, has been super helpful. I informed them that I'd need to matriculate late and all, and they've replied reassuring me that everything will be okay. I even just got a call from the people wanting to know when I'd be collecting my keys. 


Two days ago, I sent an e-mail saying that I would be late to the architecture course to someone I assume will be one of my professors, Cameron Wilson. The thing is, I've only ever known Cameron Diaz. So I addressed the e-mail as, "Dear Ms. Wilson".


The reply, although very nice and all, was signed exactly like this: 


Kind Regards
(Mr.) Cameron Wilson.


Oh lord, the shame.


If brown people could blush, I'd be beet red. I shrieked when I saw it. My God. I don't know how I'm going to face this professor when I see him. It probably won't be as bad as I'm imagining, but still. My parents burst out into peals of laughter when I hung my head and related the story to them, informing me that I'm an idiot for not realizing that Cameron is generally a guy's name.


In other news, Aehshaan was in my room just now, talking about something or the other (I wasn't paying attention). Suddenly, he falls silent and kind of cocks his head in the direction of the door. His eyes narrowed, and he hissed, all cool like, "The dog's gone for my burger."


And he was out of there like a shot.

Really, between my e-mails and the relationship between my dog and brother, it's a miracle our family functions normally in public.


Ja.

The Bugs. Oh Lord, The Bugs.

The new house is not exactly doing its best to endear itself to me.

Not only have I come across an abnormal number of geckos here, but today, I found a bug on my lamp.

Okay, first thing you should know: I don't kill bugs and lizards and stuff just randomly. I threaten to do it a lot (mostly to the said bugs and lizards, and occasionally to my animal-loving mother). But I'm terrified of actually touching a bug, so getting close enough to kill it is not usually an option. 

I took the dog out earlier tonight. As usual, I let him out the back door. As I waited for him to finish up, I turned back to the house. The door was open, allowing a bit of the air conditioning from inside to reach me - it's really, really humid outside these days. I was going to take step toward it, when I glanced down.

Bug. HUGE bug. On its back, moving its legs madly and trying to flip the right way up again. I am basically trapped outside the house, because no way in HELL am I stepping over that thing. A genuine fear was that it was going to fly up my shorts. It would finally manage to get to its feet and zip right up there in the second it took for me to step over it.

So. Bruno's absolutely no help, because he's still doing his business. Even if I had called his attention to the bug, he'd have done something stupid. Like eat it.

So I walked all the way around the house to the front. Walked up to the doorbell. Rang it. I couldn't yell for anyone to come downstairs from the back door because then the neighbours would hear, and they'd be all, oh, look at that eighteen-year-old girl afraid to go back into her house because of a little bug.

WELL THEY'RE NOT WEARING SHORTS.

So my brother came down to see what was the matter. He came to the back door, bless him, instead of going straight to the front. I think he knows I'm an idiot.

He saw the bug, grabbed the broom, and swept it right out to where I was standing. I screamed (screw the neighbours), leaped onto the bit of wall next to me, and Bruno came running. At least he didn't eat the bug. Didn't even see it, really, just came to see why I was yelling like the massive scaredy-cat I am.

We went inside, and that was that.

And we're back to the bug on my lamp. This entire episode is like I'm living in Sri Lanka again. I love the place, but damn. Too many bugs.

I freaked out, but everyone's sleeping right now. It was past 2 in the morning, see. It's 3 as I write this. I couldn't scream, lest I wake everyone up. Keep in mind, I don't kill bugs lightly. I am terrified of them, and I generally don't like to kill them unless they're sucking my blood, or there's the possibility of them crawling into my ear. In that case, as they say, From God we came, and unto Him we shall return.

Seeing as my lamp is right next to my bed, I find that I am justified in the killing of this one. 

So. Three layers of tissue paper. A silent scream as I grabbed it with the tissue, and the thing you do with your legs where you're all, "OMG EWWWW" in your head. You know, like in the movies. And then a quick dash into the bathroom, and flush.

I'm not even going to get started on the gecko that I happen to know is living in my room.